I made it through week 1!! Yay!! And honestly, it has been a bit tougher than I imagined. The food is downright delicious so that has not been a problem, but my “hangover” did not lift until day 9 or 10. If there is one thing I absolutely cannot stand (hence, why I am doing Whole30 in the first place), it is feeling crummy. The lingering headaches, feeling hungry all the time, and a general sense of just being angry for no reason are actually common symptoms for the first 1-2 weeks. I am glad I did some reading and preparing before venturing into Whole30 land. That way I knew it was normal and to just keep going. I am also very glad that I have my online and in-real-life support community for us to cheer each other on through the tough days. There have been a couple very important lessons I have learned so far.
Sneaky Sugar
Did you know that there is sugar in bacon, lunch meat, and even hot dogs? I did not. That is until I looked at the label. Processed meats have been one of the sneakiest places I have found added sugar since starting Whole30. Condiments are a bit tricky too. Ketchup, flavored mustard, mayonnaise, salad dressings… they all have lots of extra things that are not Whole30 compliant. Which then makes me start to wonder. If all of these foods have extra junk in them that I cannot eat while doing a Whole30, should I really be consuming them on a regular basis after my Whole30? Probably not.
Peer Pressure
Peer pressure is real and thriving, even for us adults. Most people do not completely understand WHY I am on this “crazy diet” (a-hem, 30 day clean eating system reset), so they like to ask a lot of questions and then spout their opinion all over it. I have learned over the last 2 weeks, a spiel that explains what, why, and then leaves no more room for conversation about it. Basically, I set a boundary with people. I am doing this to clean things up from the inside out. It is important to me. More important than a piece of cake at a birthday party or a glass of wine with a friend. For 30 days, I can live without those things. For the most part, I surround myself with supportive and encouraging people. Even if they don’t quite understand, they see it is important to me, so they support me. I hope that you find the same.
Looking forward to Tiger Blood
Apparently, around Day 17, Tiger Blood strikes. That means consistent energy, overall good mood, lots of self-confidence, and starting to notice all the non-scale victories. So I will keep eating my delicious food, saying no to dessert, and chugging along on the Whole30 train.
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