Whole 30: Week 1 Update

March 2014

Help! I am overdosing on vegetables!!!!!!

If you follow me on social media, or talk to me at all, you know that I am participating in Whole 30! If you do not know what that is, basically I have eliminated dairy, grains, legumes, and sugar out of my diet completely for 30 days. If you would like to read more about it, visit this link: http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/

Many people have claimed extreme health benefits, in addition to the weight loss that go along with Whole 30. I decided to do something drastic to help me rethink how I eat! My 1 year old was eating better than I was. I kept telling my husband, "If I ate like him, I would be SO healthy!" My mind started to wander. WHY wouldn't I want to eat like him? If I think the food I am eating is not GOOD ENOUGH for him, why is it GOOD ENOUGH for me??

Our bodies were not made to consume fake food. I want to be able to know what I am eating, and pronounce the ingredients that I am putting into my body. This is my journey to reprogram my brain. 

If you would like to follow my Whole 30 inspiration board on Pinterest, follow me here: http://www.pinterest.com/emilyburke/

If you would like to follow my Instagram of pictures from meals that I have prepared, or learn my tips, follow me here: http://instagram.com/emily_k_burke

Below are some of the images you may have seen this week of food that I have prepared for myself, and my family. Please note in advance, these are iPhone pictures. 

 

This has been a very hard week. From what I have read, day 3-5 is a struggle for most people. You are still fighting the urges to eat a giant pan of brownies, as well as fighting off hangover-like symptoms from your body detoxing from sugar, etc. I had all of the above. I experienced extreme fatigue, headaches, and the constant ache for chocolate! ;)

Day 5 & 6 were the easiest so far. I was not hungry. I did not cave to eat any junk. I ate to supply my body with the fuel and energy it needed and I went along with my day. Not emotional response to the food whatsoever. 

This has really been an eye opening experience for me. Not only am I realizing what is in the food I am eating, but I am realizing the emotional attachment that I have with my food. Oh-and my stomach is super flat. Like, flattest it has been in my adult life, flat. Let me remind you. It has only been 6 days! I can't wait to see what 30 will do!!!

Here is a sample of some of the most frequent things I have been eating/purchasing:

  • Antibiotic free chicken
  • organic cage free eggs
  • avocado
  • tomatoes
  • cashews
  • sweet potatoes
  • Local grass fed beef
  • zucchini 
  • squash
  • bananas
  • cara cara
  • apples
  • spinach
  • brussel sprouts
  • broccolo
  • evoo
  • coconut oil
  • coconut flakes
  • green/red peppers
  • spaghetti squash
  • sea salt

There is more, but I don't want to bore you. ;) Our grocery bill was just a tad higher. Maybe be $20/$30. Honestly, we would have spent that eating out, so……win win. 

Of course when I first researched Whole 30, I was skeptical that I could even do it. It seems SO hard. Well, this quote stopped me in my tracks on the Whole 30 site: "It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You’ve done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime."

Thanks for following my journey! Please let me know if you have any questions! I will try my best to answer or direct you to the answer! 

Have I inspired anyone to try it out????