Monday
The woman at work who got me started on Whole 30 asked me to write something about the book she'd recommended, Food Freedom Forever. She's trying to get others to read it as well because apparently there are a lot of people who are trying to do modified versions of Whole 30 and are basically missing the whole point.
Here's what I sent her:
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Yes! I'm still making smoothies! I know the creators of Whole 30 want you to eat real "whole" food, but you know what . . . I didn't put anything in my smoothies I wasn't supposed to (like yogurt) and they made me feel better with my hurt knee and they were easy and . . whatever. I like them and I don't feel bad about making them.
The woman at work who got me started on Whole 30 asked me to write something about the book she'd recommended, Food Freedom Forever. She's trying to get others to read it as well because apparently there are a lot of people who are trying to do modified versions of Whole 30 and are basically missing the whole point.
Here's what I sent her:
“Food Freedom Forever”
It kind of changed my life.
By society’s standards, I’ve never
had a weight problem. But I’ve always
had a food problem.
In my teens, I struggled with body
image and a desire to fit in with my less-curvy peers. And like many young
girls, became a slave to the scale. When the numbers were down, I was happy and
gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted. But when the numbers
fluctuated (as they always did), I’d switch things up and get back on my
never-ending diet. Where everything I ate became a running list of calories,
carbohydrates and fat grams.
I used apps, websites and charts to
keep me informed on which foods were “bad,” which ones were “good” and because
of Weight Watchers, I visualized point values for everything.
For 30 years, I used this mathematical
way of approaching what I ate. And yes, it was mentally draining, and often
depressing (especially when I learned the sad truth about my fast food
favorites). But it worked for me.
Until it stopped working.
By my mid-40s, I was experiencing slow,
continuous weight gain, even though I wasn’t eating any differently than I
always had. Granted, I wasn’t as active as I’d been in my earlier days, but I
still ate pretty darn well.
So now what?
Exercise more? Eat fewer calories?
How could I even achieve that? I kept my daily caloric intake under 1300 and only
snacked on “healthy” foods (granola bars, low fat chips, dried fruits,
sugar-free chocolate). Exceptions were made, of course, for unexpected treats
at work and birthday cake. And date night. And pizza, Chinese or takeout night.
And “second breakfast” with giant leftover biscuits in the break room. But I
never drank my calories during the day (diet soda and juices didn’t count). And
there was no way I was giving up my evening glass (or two or three) of wine.
I hated to admit that I was 46 and aging
fast. I couldn’t sleep without Melatonin, and I’d wake up groggy with dark
circles and puffy eyes. No matter how often I stretched (which wasn’t often), I
was always achy and stiff, and I drifted between feeling ravenous to feeling bloated
and full. And was it weird that I couldn’t go more than 2-3 hours without
eating something? Three meals and three snacks a day is normal, right?
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And then Heather proposed the Whole 30®
program, which I immediately shot down. I saw the list of foods to omit and it
was a no brainer. But I agreed to give it some thought and read the book she
suggested.
Over the holidays, I read “Food Freedom Forever.”
Three chapters in, I felt like
someone had turned on the lights. For the first time, I considered the
possibility that what I needed wasn’t another diet. Or a juice cleanse. Or
another app to track my meals.
I needed something I’d never had
before. Something I didn’t even know was possible. According to this book, I
needed food freedom.
What??!
It sounds crazy, but I had an “aha”
moment where I realized that the reasons why I’ve always struggled with food
had nothing to do with willpower. Or because I was eating too much or too
frequently or “too anything.”
I’d never allowed my body to function
on anything other than glucose. And I didn’t understand (or even quite believe)
that the foods I was eating affected every
aspect of my life (not just my waistline, but my mood, skin, digestion, sleep,
energy, memory, joints, etc.)
But the thought of Whole 30 scared
me to death, and before I’d read FFF, I secretly considered trying a modified
version of the program. Something a little more tolerable because black coffee
and no wine …. (sigh) … did not sound fun.
But I dug into the book, and soon
after started having hope. Perhaps this “radical” way of eating for a month
could lead to real changes (physically, emotionally, mentally). I thought, if I could get my perception of and
relationship with food under control, maybe I could stop letting it run my
life. Maybe I could learn to view and appreciate myself in ways that can’t be
measured on a scale.
The book explained why it had to start
with a body reset—getting that extra sugar out—so I picked a start date and decided
to go all in, 100% compliance. I figured, worst case scenario—it sucks, I give
it up and go back to what (sort of) worked. But, I was also curious…what if it
delivered?
======================================================
Today is the end of Day 23. And I hate
that it sounds cliché, but I’ve truly never felt better.
I no longer get hungry between meals.
I no longer feel compelled to eat desserts or sweets or any of the things I
found very difficult to pass up before. I know if I truly want something, I’ll
be able to eat it and enjoy it. But for now, I love that I haven’t felt a
stomach cramp in weeks, that I don’t walk like an old lady after sitting for an
hour, and that my hair, skin and mood have been consistently good. For the
first time in 46 years, my body feels like it’s functioning as it should. I’m
not sure what’s in store for me during the reintroduction phase, but I plan to take
things slowly and listen to my body. I can finally
trust what it tells me.
I don’t know if I’ve achieved true food freedom,
but I’m closer to it than I’ve ever been. I’m grateful to Heather and her
gentle nudging to read this book, and I encourage anyone on the fence about
Whole 30 to give it a try. And maybe, just maybe, it will speak to you as
loudly as it spoke to me. ======================================================
Yes! I'm still making smoothies! I know the creators of Whole 30 want you to eat real "whole" food, but you know what . . . I didn't put anything in my smoothies I wasn't supposed to (like yogurt) and they made me feel better with my hurt knee and they were easy and . . whatever. I like them and I don't feel bad about making them.
- Breakfast: Smoothie with frozen banana, pineapple, mango, strawberry, and fresh kale, spinach, zucchini, red grapefruit and half an apple. One hard boiled egg.
- Lunch: Hard salami wrapped around mango, yellow peppers and sugar snap peas
- Dinner: Freshly meal (Balsamic chicken and mashed potatoes)
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