Whole30ing Along....

I took a bit of a break from blogging & have realized that I have missed it! It's therapeutic to be able to put my thoughts out there and just file them away. It's also cool to look back every now and then and see exactly what you were up to 1 month, 6 months, 1 year ago....like a more in depth Timehop :)
Anyway.... to my three readers out there..... did you miss me? I missed you & I'm back!

A few weeks ago....3 weeks on Monday to be exact...I started Whole30. Today is Day 20. Twenty days with no sugar, no alcohol, no dairy and no grains.  Wow that's a lot. It's even more crazy when you realize that SUGAR IS IN EVERYTHING! Seriously... I thought a lot of the choices I was making food-wise were pretty "healthy" but when I started reading the ingredients list on things that I consume on a daily basis....it was shocking. My beloved sweet italian cream coffer creamer....holy chemical shitstorm. The sugar-free chewing gum that I pretty much constantly chewed all day long? What the fuck is all that junk in there?? Why am I chewing on fruit-flavored chemicals all day? Even simple things that you wouldn't even consider to have sugar in it...say Chili Power....it's in there! Crazy. Start reading labels people. It's an eye opener.

So I know what you are thinking....what the hell do you eat? If you can't drink booze, or eat cheese, no yogurt, no sugar, no artificial shit, no rice, no pasta, no bread..... F that! I am pretty sure those were my exact thoughts when I researched Whole30 about 6 months ago. As soon as I read no wine for 30 days... i was thinking "F that".  But a friend a work started doing it and had awesome results - not just physically but also mentally, emotionally, etc. And I was intrigued. She kept saying "if I can do this...you can too". I figured what the hell....let me give this a whirl. And here I am at Day 20.

So without going into too many details of the plan (you can just check out the site for Whole30 for yourself) the diet eating plan is focused on consuming whole, clean foods with lots of protein and healthy fats. I can eat fruit as it is natural and clean. I can eat pretty much any meat. Bacon is fine on the side as long as it has zero sugar. Note that sugar free bacon is hard to find and expensive as fuck but...oh so worth it :) Eggs are my new BFF. Guacamole is my homeboy. Kombucha is my ride or die bitch. I have mastered the art of making homemade mayonnaise. Veggies are my new lifeblood. Coconut milk is the nectar of the gods and tastes amazing in eggs (seriously that just sounds gross but try it - it's amazing). Ghee (which is just clarified butter) is SO good but also very expensive...my hubs made mine for me :) Oh and I can eat potatoes... sweet, white and red...although I have been trying to keep the white potatoes to a weekend fling as I tend to go a bit cray cray with potatoes.

Not sure if you caught this above so let me repeat...NO ALCOHOL PEOPLE! That has been a doozy for me and really the biggest hurdle considering wine flows through my veins. Not gonna lie...I cannot wait to have a glass of pinot grigio. Cannot. Wait. But... it has also been nice to take a break. Keeping it real here....wine had become my go to the past year for pretty much every emotion.

Happy? Let's celebrate with a bottle!

Stressful day at work? Let me numb out with some vino.

Sad about the muffin top explosion over my skinny jeans? Wine to the rescue.

Girls night out? I will take 2 bottles please, yes I said 2 and yes they are both for me. F off and thank you.

The weather is above 60 degrees? Patio Grigio!

Oh it's Tuesday you say? Pop the bubbly.

You get the idea. My wine intake was becoming a bit of a bad habit. I was up for the challenge of no alcohol for 30 days but, not going to lie I was a bit skeptical if I could do it. Happy to report that so far... so good. I have discovered Kombucha which is fermented tea and tastes a lot like a sour beer. It is "compliant" on Whole30 as it has a ton of probiotics & healthy shit in there for you. There is some sugar but it is used in the fermentation process so... it's cool (and don't think I haven't tried to justify in my head that should mean that wine is ok too as it is just some fermented grapes & sugar....but i digress). It has been nice to take a break and realize maybe I don't need wine rehab just yet.

I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen but...I was doing that already. I love to cook & meal prep so I think that has helped make the past 20 days a bit easier. I also love pretty much all veggies & love to try new things.  If you don't like to cook or, if you have a life where you travel a lot or are on the go a lot - I think it would be a bit more challenging. But so far... it really has not been too bad. It also helps that my hubs has been very supportive and for the most part has been a good sport about trying new dishes & eating more veggies (mushroom pork meatballs - I'm talking about you). We have only been out to eat twice in the past 20 days. That is HUGE for us as we live in a neighborhood with tons of bars and restaurants within walking distance and.... we both LOVE to indulge in said bars and restaurants. It has been nice to step back and get some perspective. It's not a good idea for MANY reasons to eat out pretty much Thursday through Sunday. It's been fun hanging at home together more....and better on the bank account too.

So there you have it.... my life the past 20 days has basically been broccoli, eggs, reading food labels, cooking and chopping up shit & relaxing with Kombucha. Hippy Dippy. And i think i kinda love it! More on my Whole30 adventure, my ongoing love/hate affair with running & my possible venture into Kombucha home brewing to come.....