Day 0

Tomorrow is the day! I'm a little excited, a little apprehensive, and very anxious. I have spent almost two weeks planning for tomorrow, yet I feel that I'm only partially prepared. I spent hours on a meal plan for the week and the corresponding shopping list. I have agonized over the tiniest detail, deciding what will happen if there's a work birthday party or some other festivity since I still want to be able to participate, but I don't want to fall off the wagon. I can do this!

I went to the grocery store last night, after everyone else had left so I could take my time with finding everything that I needed. I couldn't afford the grass-fed beef, so I tried to go as lean as possible. I spent a lot of time in the bulk/family meats section as well as the whole chicken sections. Then, I spent some quality time walking around the produce section, picking up vegetables that were on sale (hello cabbage!). It was a different experience, to be honest. I didn't go to the dairy section and get my beloved cheese nor spent any real time in the middle aisles which made me feel like I was forgetting something. Once I paid for everything, however, I became so proud of myself because I managed my first Whole30 compliant grocery trip without buying anything extra.

This is my meal plan for this week. I haven't figured out snacks, but I thought I would write them in the hard copy that I have if I need them. I have plenty of apples, mandarin oranges, veggies, and eggs to get me through the day. We have plenty of baked ham left from this past weekend that I need to use up, so I am going to incorporate it into my meals throughout the day. For example, I'm going to make a ham, shallot, and bell pepper omelet on Friday instead of just the bone broth.

Tomorrow will be my prepping day (or experiment-in-the-kitchen day) as well as my first day of the Whole30! I'm going to make breakfast  and work on making the zucchini soup and the chocolate chilli which requires at least two days of sitting for the ingredients to "get to know one another". I may even try to make paleo mayonnaise in order to make a classic pantry vinaigrette which will be on all my salads.

Also, I will try to take a lot of pictures which will help me to slow down and enjoy the experience. Wish me luck!!!

Well, off to ring in the new year with family.

-- Yersinia

T-minus 48 hours

Welcome!

If you have stumbled upon my little blog here, I'm sorry if I disappoint. This is just going to be a way to keep my thoughts in order while I undergo the Whole30 program as described by Whole9 team.

So why the Whole30? 

I have been pondering a health reset for a long time now. Due to some medical conditions, my healthcare provider suggested that I go on a low-carbohydrate diet about two years ago. But here's the problem, I abhor dieting with its restrictions and complexity. The term diet makes me clinch my jaw with malice because I know it won't change my lifestyle, but only temporarily fix it, hitting the pause button for a while. Also, I belonged to the government-induced thought that clean-eating was six small meals a day, a carbohydrate with every meal, and low-fat everything; however, when I started learning about my body in more scientific terms, I realized that that plan was not meant for my highly insulin resistant body. Why put carbohydrates into my system which revs up the pancreas to produce an intense insulin reaction which my cells totally ignore? 

So, I read It Starts with Food by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig and it made sense, especially since I just finished learning about how insulin, leptin, cortisol, and etc work in the body with my medical laboratory science training. I was ashamed at how much havoc I have done to my body and it was no wonder that my hormones are all wonky. It's time to get my hormones back to normal (were they ever normal to begin with?). Besides, everything you eat, be it protein or fat, turns into glucose via gluconeogenesis, so your body does not need to have carbs. Plus, those "heart heathy" grains, which the USDA says we should eat in abundance, has a tendency to be an intestinal irritant, even if you aren't celiac.

In addition, I am a self-loather and emotional eater. I need to relearn how to keep my emotions out of the equation while finding some love for myself. Even though I make progress with exercises, I tend to quit because I feel like I was not doing enough to even make it worthwhile, especially if I'm working with someone else. I tend to compare myself with other people -- be it on television, in the gym, or just walking through the mall. This leads to emotional eating because I'll find a flaw and then crave sweets. I'll eat junk food when I'm bored or lonely. I'll succumb to the sweet call of candy when I'm angry or, like right at this moment, when I'm deep in thought. It's not healthy and I'm hoping that with this program, I can start to gain some respect and love for myself.

Lastly, watching family members who are having health issues in their 40s and later has compelled me to consider a healthy lifestyle. I want to be able to feel energetic when I get older, be able to walk around without pain and dyspnea. I don't want to have high blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, or triglycerides. As is, I have a higher chance of cardiac disease due to my medical conditions, so I don't need to make it any worse. Furthermore, I want to try and get off medications (mainly because I'm horrible at taking them) and reduce the amount I may be taking as an older adult. I do not want to have a pharmacy at my house simply because I didn't take care of myself when I was younger.

So how am I going to do this?

1. Plan a week worth of food because I'm not that sure if I will be able to stick to the plan without guidance.
2. Use resources, forums, and facebook for support and checking in.
3. Write down my the emotion I feel throughout the day. 
4. Enjoy my food and take lovely pictures to post everywhere. The more I enjoy it and the prouder I am of my cooking skills, the less likely I will jump off the bandwagon. 
5. Take naps if needed. 

This will be tough. I am going from pretty bad eating habits to real food relatively quickly so I am sure there will be withdrawls, whining, and feeling like a semi ran me over twice, but I can do this. It's only for a month and then I can re-evaluate how I feel from there. Wish me luck!!!! 

--Yersinia