Hey guys! How are you? So here we are in April and I can’t believe it. I kinda can though because of what I was doing all through March. One thing I have been up to was painting a beautiful mermaid collection (2 shown in video, all four are in the shop) that you can see right here in my Etsy shop. Also, I finally jumped in and did Whole 30. Whole 30 is a diet (hate that word), where you only eat unprocessed foods for 30 days.
I’m a mom of two little girls and I was unhappy with my body and how I was feeling overall. So I decided to make a change and just go for it. It wasn’t easy to take away that connection for awhile, so many connections associated with food and drink. That is usually our thing and how we decompress in the evenings or over the weekends. I had been thinking about trying Whole 30 since last summer and when I went over my options for months to start, being extremely realistic, I landed on March. Not much going on and I could really cut things out for 30 consecutive days.
Lessons Learned
The first thing I learned was that I had a huge chip on my shoulder about having things when I wanted to. Just because I am “grown” and have the means to get this or that. I really needed to up my self-control and make better choices overall. Super enlightening and necessary. I was being a great example for our kids when they were around. But for me, I can’t just eat whatever whenever, health comes first.
The second thing I learned, my issues with not being able to think and lose weight was because of me. Not because of “mom brain” or metabolism, it was purely (for me) my eating habits. I didn’t work out at all and I ended up losing 12 lbs. I didn’t weigh myself during, only after 30 days and I could feel the difference. I do exercise but I couldn't make time for it during my Whole 30 because of hectic scheduling and being sick off and on. Cheekbones are out, my energy is up, I sleep so much better, my skin is looking great and my tummy is flat. I repeat, my tummy is flat. Like, it was flat after 5-6 days of cutting out grains. I had no idea grain bloat was a thing!
Lastly, for me to be successful with my plan, I had to be prepared. I loved having hard boiled eggs and fruit for breakfast. Sweet potato hash cooked in coconut oil and sea salt. Almonds or cashews for snacking. Shrimp with salt and pepper along with steamed broccoli for lunch. Then a really good chicken recipe like my mushroom and coconut chicken one, delicious! I have my recipes listed in my Pinterest (Recipes I Love). There’s also a Paleo Apple Crisp that is so yummy too. On days when I wasn’t prepared, I gave Chipotle all my money and ordered carnitas bowls with meat, guacamole, pico de gallo and lettuce. I didn’t introduce La Croix until the third week and when I do drink them I only drink 1 a day. I completely got turned on to black coffee which is absolutely nuts, I would have lost money on that bet. It has to be coffee from Starbucks or a mom and pop location, never ever instant coffee.
The Verdict
If you have done Whole 30 before, let me know! If you haven’t and you’re thinking about it, I highly recommend it. This has changed the way I eat forever. I will pretty much eat like this 95% of the time. No more tummy gurgles, I understand when my body is hungry or thirsty and I am just better in touch with me. Also, I wasn’t off eating by myself for dinner, most of the time we were eating together. If they ordered a pizza or something, I would usually eat my prepared leftovers. Spaghetti is a weekly occurrence here so I would make the seasoned ground beef, put it in a bowl with avocado, then add the spaghetti sauce to the rest of the beef and make their spaghetti. Easy peezy.
I hope this helps you find out more about Whole 30 and I hope you checked out the Mermaid Collection as well. Join my newsletter so you get 15% off, never miss an art print release, get sneak peeks and get future updates too. :)
P.S.
I use this gadget to cook my hard boiled eggs, works like a charm!