Thursday, June 14, 2012

Valid Concerns or Whiny Excuses?

I'm considering doing the Whole 30. You know- eat meat, veg, fruit, healthy fats, seeds, and nuts. Don't eat sugar or substitutes, legumes, dairy, grains, processed foods.

I am curious after reading Norma's experiences with it. She didn't notice too much difference because she ate pretty much like that anyway. She had to give up brown rice, quinoa, greek yogurt, and peanut butter, all of which she ate in moderation. (Did I get that right, Norma?) All in all, no big changes for her.

When I started changing my eating habits at the end of February I cut out bread, pasta, and rice because the calories weren't worth it to me. And unlike many fat people out there, I am not a fan of peanut butter. So I do have those things going for me.

On the other hand, I eat Dannon Light & Fit as if the safety of the planet depended on my consumption. I have cut back on Diet Coke with Lime but still drink it almost daily. I chew Dentyne Arctic Ice all of the time. I love cheese. I mean, seriously love it.

I did some reading today while I should have been working (bad employee). I googled around and read other people's experiences with the Whole 30. The thing that concerns me is the possible brain, sleep, headache type stuff people said they experienced. I am ass deep in four summer classes. I can't be off my game for any period of time or I'll be well and truly screwed.

I think this is a valid excuse in that I do need my head in working order. Then again, would the subsequent (hoped for) improvement in energy make up for the initial low period?

Should I wait until August 25 when my classes end or should I start Saturday (Allan's Challenge ends Friday)?

What do you guys think? Am I being a just being a whiny bitch? What would you do?

5 comments:

  1. I did the Whole30 and a month later, I am still following most of the plan (just added in honey, maple syrup and wine haha.. a girl needs some indulgences!).

    You have a valid concern about worrying about headaches/etc... however, I will let you know I had absolutely no side effects from switching to the Whole30. In fact, for the first 4 or 5 days, I was feeling super-charged, high energy, bright and excited about EVERYTHING. I mellowed out eventually, but the switch to paleo changed my life.

    So take that for what it is worth, you might just have no side effects or some great side effects!

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  2. Yes, whiny bitch... :) You might have a slight headache or crankiness for whatever for a couple of days...that's the sugar and crap begging to come back into your body. It goes away and literally, suddenly, you do NOT want them anymore. Kind of like the carb withdrawal everyone experienced their first few days on Atkins ten years ago (refined carbs are sugar as far as your body is concerned). It's like quitting smoking or any other substance that your body is used to getting but doesn't really need...there's a short period of shock and then your body remembers what it's supposed to feel like. I also ate Dannon Light & Fit (vanilla, with my own fruit mixed in) for quite some time...but read the ingredients and you'll get over that fast. I'm pretty sure it's sweetened with aspartame, the fruit flavored ones are all artificial flavors and colors. I'm more wary of artificial sweeteners than I am of real sugar. I will say that I'm happy to have Greek yogurt back in my life after my 60 days -- a serving of plain yogurt with a tsp. of honey and some walnuts and cinnamon is so awesome...doing the Whole 30 takes some planning (more than usual) and you really do have to be 100% committed to it for 30 days so don't do it if you have an event in the next 30 days where you know food won't be in your control (I ended up starting mine a week late...I was 2 or 3 days into it when Josh's mother invited us for dinner and I *knew* there would be non-Paleo stuff served and I'm not a complete asshole who's gonna show up with a cooler at my future MIL's house and reject what she made for me. So I went and ate and then started a new Whole 30 the next day); that's the most challenging aspect of it. Read their website. And I quote: "It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Giving up heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your “struggles”. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime."
    http://whole9life.com/2010/12/whole30-2011/
    :) Think about it!!! :)

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  3. @Jeanette, thanks for your input. Super charged sounds great to me!

    @Norma, I knew I could count on you to give it to me straight.

    I checked my calendar, the next few weeks have our anniversary and July 4. We usually go out for our anniversary but I can get some grilled shrimp & veg and be perfectly happy. We go to a friend's bbq on the 4th. That will also be no problem. I know there are fruit and veg there because for the last 14 years I'm the one who brings them.

    I am going to start this on Monday. Yep, the ridiculous "start on Monday". The Allan Challenge ends in the morning and I'll need the weekend to plan, grocery shop, and prep.

    Since Ken has had cancer, we have a new perspective on what is hard. If my man can have chemo, radiation, remission, recurrence, lung removal, slow recovery and stalled treatment; I can quit fucking diet coke and gum.

    It will take some effort and diligence but it won't be hard.

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  4. Starting on Monday with something like a challenge is cool, particularly for this one -- like you said, you do need time to plan some stuff, shop, etc. When I decided to do it in the Spring, I initially put it off until the yogurt in the refrig was gone (I'd just bought like 24 cups of plain Fage at BJs and I wasn't going to waste food...would a caveman waste food? No! LOL)...and then I got waylaid by the MIL's dinner invite (and it's not like the dinner she made was anything "not clean," it just had rice and cheese involved so I had to start anew).

    Good way to put it in perspective, too, Beth. I went OFF on people not even willing to TRY to "give up" soda for a DAY, saying imagine telling a Holocaust survivor or one of your ancestors who lived through the Depression or a refugee from Somalia that your happiness in life depended on constant, instant access to a pretty much poisonous carbonated beverage and think, in perspective, what a fucking spoiled moron you would seem like...that's how I looked at it every time I thought I was making some big sacrifice by not eating some old favorite junk food. FYI, I am a constant gum chewer and did not stop that during Paleo...fresh breath is a priority and I'm not dedicated enough to carry around fresh mint leaves in a baggie in my purse. Chewing gum has saved me from mindless eating about a million times, so I consider it a preventative and a curative. :)

    It will take effort and diligence, any challenge does. Rise to it! :)

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  5. I was contemplating the whole gum thing. I chew it constantly for a few reasons. My dentist has scolded me for brushing my teeth too much so the gum is my substitute (must have fresh breath). It stops me from eating, who wants to eat when you have that nice minty feeling. The big one- it's my smoking substitute. I quit smoking two years and one month (to the day) ago. My addictive personality replaced the Marlboro Light 100s with Dentyne Arctic Ice.

    I am undecided as to whether I will give it up. I'll think about it this weekend. Mybe I'll limit it to the work day when I am breathing near clients.

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