Whole 30 Month – Day 12 & 13

Okay, y’all, serious post time. Today, we’re going to talk about mindset.

When I told people I was doing the Whole 30 challenge for a month, a lot of people were amazed. They said things like, “Oh I could NEVER do that.” Or “I CAN’T LIVE without [cheese/bread/booze/sugar]…even for 30 days.” Now, I’ll admit, I used to be like that, too.

When I would learn about a friend developing an allergy to a food, or worse, learning they are celiac, where they physically CAN’T eat a food or they feel ill, I felt really sad for them. I couldn’t imagine giving up the glutes. I mean, there was no way I could possibly live without them, right?

Right?

Wrong.

Turns out you can live without them.

We’ve been 2 weeks on the Whole 30 diet, and you know what none of us have done yet?

Died.

Crazy, right? We’ve had no faux sugar, bread, cheese, or booze and we are still alive. Who would have known?

Well, actually, anyone who’s ever had to cut food out of their diet for medical or preferential reasons. Hell, they’ve probably even tried to tell us and we just didn’t listen.

The Whole (30) Story

Now I will admit several of us are having a harder time coping with the lack of our uzhe “comfort foods” than others. Maybe this is legit detoxing. Maybe it’s based on our mentality going into this challenge (Note: I try never to say “diet” b/c that in itself has negative connotations these days).

Mentality is a key part of entering into any new routine. So, if you must or even if you just choose to, there are really two ways to look at it.

1. Here are all the things I can’t have/do. All the things I have to give up. All the things I have to sacrifice.
2. Here are all the things I can have/do, and here are all the benefits it will give me.

For those people who must cut certain foods or their body kills them, it’s probably easier** to have a #2 mentality. I mean, if you’re going to feel like shit all the time if you don’t, you’ll probably choose elimination. However, for those of us who are fortunate not to have major health problems like this (or only minor ones), it’s much harder to feel like this is good for you.

**Disclaimer: I know not everyone’s journey is the same and I realize I’m making generalizations here to make a point.

“Feeling a little like shit for 4-6 hours was totally worth the 30 minutes of eating that fettucine alfredo, right?”

It’s easy to attribute our entire identity to food.

Food is an integral part of our lives. No longer do humans eat just to live. We use food for celebration, comfort, cultural identity, bringing people together, enjoyment and etc. As such, giving up a favorite food feels like giving up part of yourself.

This is a scary mentality, don’t you think?

“Oh, I’m not Lyndsie if I don’t eat cheese.”

Does cheese control me now? Am I actually cheese? Am I delicious?

While the last one may be true, overall that’s super silly thought.

I can be the same person whether or not I eat cheese. And if I don’t, I’m probably actually a better person who’s slimmer and, more importantly, less constipated (No punches pulled, here).

As I understand it, the Whole 30 diet’s is about:

• Figuring out food sensitivities by removing all the inflammatory foods from your diet.
• Resetting your relationship with food***.

***I will admit that we don’t agree 100% with the Whole 30 mentality as it’s described on the website.  For instance, it tells you not to treat yo’self to desserts, even with “approved” ingredients…but more on that in another post.

So What is Mindfulness & Why Do I Care?

Mindfulness is generally attributed to meditation, though I feel you can practice mindfulness w/o ever meditating. According to mindful.com:

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

How I see mindfulness is in being present in the moment. I like to link this to mindset by making a commitment to myself. I keep that commitment in the forefront of my mind and everything I do during my day, I ask myself “does this help fulfil my commitment?”

So how does that apply to the Whole 30 Challenge?

The Whole 30, like any new food routine, has a lot to do with mindset.

• If you go into a challenge immediately with the idea that you “can’t” do it or that you are “gonna lose”, then you’ve already lost so why bother even starting?
• If you fixate on all you’re missing out on, then you will lose sight of what you’re gaining.
• If you eat every meal saying “This would be better with cheese/sour cream/tortillas/beans” then you are not enjoying the dinner for what it is.

So once more for the kids in the back:

If you tell yourself you’re going to fail at something then you have already failed.

James and I have talked about doing Whole 30 several times before but there was always one thing we were like, “Oh I can’t give up [cheese/booze/matcha green tea lattes/quinoa] for a month.” However, this time instead of whining about what we were missing, we decided to go into this challenge with the mantra:

“Look at all these new dishes we can make.”

Eating Mindfully

We’ve always pretty much made our own salad dressings & marinades because I hate how everything store-bought is so sweet. Since we’ve started W30, we have made our own mayo, kale chips, egg bites (thanks Eric!), & sweet potato pancakes to name a few.

We’ve learned how to make creamy-like sauces, mocktails, desserts, buffalo chicken, fried food etc. without breaking the letter of Whole 30. We even have snacks! It’s been a fun culinary adventure.

And honestly, the food has been good.

First of all, it’s been great learning about all the pre-packaged crap and what’s in it. Our new favorite phrase is, “There’s sugar in that!?” I feel much more comfortable making informed food decisions AND knowing what is truly “good for me”.

This is where America sucks more than Europe, for instance. Here, you can put something in food unless it’s proven bad for you. In Europe, you’re not allowed to put stuff in food unless it’s proven good for you. Makes you think, huh?

Also, this routine sends me for food much more often because I’m hungry (but not ravenous) rather than trying to comfort myself. I’ve been better able to ask myself, “Do I actually need-need this food? Or do I just want it?”

And sometimes, you just want something. And that’s OK. I’ve been keeping my “wants” W30 compliant. I find this makes me eat less of them. A handful of raisins satisfies my sweet craving where before I’d eat a whole box of Mike’n’Ikes w/o even thinking.

Overall, I’ve been really enjoying the journey.

FAQ

So what do you love the most about this diet?

• The idea that I have to be more deliberate with my food choices.
• Meal planning on Sundays makes you not have to think during the week.
• No counting calories or testing your pee for ketosis or any other daily maintenance.
• Everything is so much less sweet.
• Veggies. So many veggies.

How do you feel?

I feel better and less bogged down. (I think) my pants are even getting looser. My energy levels may be a bit lower than normal but since I didn’t really work out before, I don’t really know. I feel fine sitting at my desk for a million hours per day. (When this month is over I’m going to try to get on a more regular workout schedule, but one thing at a time, eh?).

Do I miss the food I can’t have?

Not really. The only time I struggle is if I see a pizza ad or a box of bagel bites but I haven’t felt the need to turn to food or booze for comfort or boredom either. My associations with food have been very positive.

Am I planning my first “cheat meal” after this is all over?

No. Right now, I feel like I could probably do this indefinitely or until we run out of good recipes (or until our friends invite us to sushi or something).

Aren’t there flaws in this routine that make it not sustainable for long term?

Probably. Everything in moderation, except moderation. Maybe I’ll talk about those issues in another post.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, if you’re thinking of trying the Whole 30 (or Keto, paleo or w/e), I’d recommend going into it with an open mind and a positive attitude. I know it sounds corny and “super woo”, but dammit mindfulness & positivity is totally a thing and it fuckin’ works.

It’s not always easy, and sometimes you’ll have setbacks, but don’t let that deter you. Just get back up and keep on trucking. Allow yourself some leeway if you have to (but not so much that you spiral into a free-for-all) and take the test of self-control as one you cannot fail.

Because you’re awesome. I believe in you!

The Menu

Ha! I tricked you. You had to read my whole soapbox before I revealed the recipes.

Since you’ve worked really hard and listened to me ramble, I’m going to cut to the chase and just give you our recipes for the last few days. You’ve earned it!

Day 12 (Jan 22)

Vietnamese Style Lemongrass Pork

Our Lemongrass Pornk wasn’t pretty so no photo, but it was delicious! We chopped pork shoulder and put them on skewers and grilled them. This is not actually a W30 recipe, but took minimal adaptation. Instead of using honey, James blended dates & vinegar and basted them with that to get a little bit a glaze & sweet flavor.

I can see other uses for a date/vinegar base in the future…salad dressing for one! It will also give us a use for the giant pack of dates we always have to buy when we make beef & carrot tagine.

Mayonnaise

We used the same recipe as before (find it here) but this time used the food processor rather than the stand mixer. We did 2 cups (doubling it) rather than 4 and it worked SOOOOO much better.

• The food processor is faster so it went quicker
• Smaller volume & perfect proportions made it mix creamier
• Room-temperature eggs are a MUST!
• As your pouring in the oil, it does get a little splashy-splashy so you may need to cover the hole with your hand until it thickens.
• SLOWWWW pour on the oil is still a thing (man that’s an arm workout).

Since we didn’t have to add more mustard for emulsification this time, we have a much more mayo-y looking batch.

Kale Chips

Pretty much followed this recipe to a T except I doubled the amount of oil b/c we had a lot of kale. The only thing I did differently was toss the kale in oil in a bowl then lay it on the cookie sheet. My oven took 10 minutes, rotate pan, and then 8 more.

Some of them could have probably used another minute, but they came out so delightfully crunchy and garlicy. 10/10 would recommend.

Day 13 (Jan 23)

Buffalo Chimken Spaghetti Squash

For this recipe We kind of cheated because we used pre-made W30 Medium Buffalo Sauce and Creamy Ranch. However, it was still very tasty.

I love spaghetti squash when the texture is right and this time, it was spot-on. Crunchy and spicy and delish. This will def go into the regular rotation. Also, if you want to make this on Keto, you could totally put bleu cheese/bleu cheese dressing on it as well. (Also check your sauces, I don’t know keto rules and I don’t care LOL).

Berry Parfait

Because fuck-yeah, grandma! If the baker can’t bake right now, she has to make some kind of dessert. The pretty design and creation of these is thanks to Amanda Gleeson.

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Sliced strawberries
• Whipped coconut creme
• Vanilla extract
• W30 approved strawberry granola