Of Whole30's and Little Debbie Snack Cakes
I am currently on day 22 of a Whole 30. If you haven’t heard of Whole30 then let me enlighten you. It’s basically a way to detoxify your body from all the bad things a modern American diet has to offer; from terrible habits and mindsets to processed foods. It’s easier to keep track of the “no’s”. There’s no alcohol, no sweeteners real or artificial, no junk food made from whole30 compliant ingredients, no peanuts or any legumes including soy, no grains and you cannot weigh or measure yourself during the whole 30 days.
I’ve done this before. It was challenging to stay on track, but I felt really, really good when I was done. Hoping for the same results this time and possibly some much needed weight loss (last time I lost 17 pounds) I started out twenty-four days ago on this journey. If you’re keeping track, that means I had to restart because I cheated a couple days in.
This time around has been harder than the last for reasons I’ll share with you in another blog but by golly if I would do some shady sh** for a slice of sourdough bread right now covered Kerry gold butter.
Alas, I will not. It would be so easy to toss it and succumb to my cravings but I’m stronger than that.
I was fresh as a daisy, just returned from vacation in Colorado and ready to apply that “clean mountain living” to my everyday life. That sounds weird but being up in the mountains and outside in God’s gorgeous creation most of your day makes you want to be more in tune with it. Dr. Pepper and Little Debbie snacks don’t really jive with that mentality.
I had done a lot of thinking and praying about this particular season in life.
It’s hard. It’s demanding. Raising kids, homeschooling them, being a wife, living in a demanding society, is difficult. Why am I not treating my body and mind like it’s hard and I need to be prepared and capable for it? I work out, but I’m no competitive athlete. For some reason I felt that exempt me from the idea that I needed to nurture my body and take care of my spirit.
If you’re not with me, Yeah, I’m just that dumb. Or, at the very least, I am purposefully ignorant sometimes because It’s easier to just stick with the same old same old. It’s easier not to rock my boat and keep doing what I’m doing.
This semester in our co-op, I’m teaching a Nutrition class (another REALLY GOOD REASON to practice what I preach). When preparing my syllabus, I realized yet again how I love food. I love to cook it. I love to share it, to enjoy it, to showcase it. I love to learn about it.
These things have made me a decent cook and capable of just about any family meal without a written-out recipe or instruction. I consider that a blessing.
However, I’ve let that extend into what I consume.
After a hard day I like a bourbon after the kids go to bed. When I’m happy I like to make a big meal that will likely include fried chicken and some sort of casserole. When I have something to celebrate, I want to share food with people! I want to share a special meal or party with really good food. Case in point when I found out I was expecting my first child I went to see my husband at work to share the good news. How did we rejoice?? With milkshakes of course!!
I really believe that all of that is mostly, well and good. I think it is ok to enjoy the good food God has blessed us with and to enjoy each other while we commune together. I think however, there are a lot of us that don’t really know where that boundary is between enjoying and overdoing it. Somehow, we equate joy with food and food with joy until we don’t know how much to have or when to stop. We’re really, really happy if we’re eating fabulous meals more often than not, right? That should relieve our stress if we’re rejoicing with tasty treats on the regular, right?
Maybe not. Which is why, every now and again when we’re feeling ourselves a bit off kilter it’s time to do a bit of adjustment.
I mean, let’s be honest. When you’re eating less crap, you feel less crappy. Right? When you feel stressed and give in to that good ole comfort food that YOU KNOW you’ve had too much of or you know is bad for you, it begins a vicious cycle. First, you feel you NEED something, so you reach for your favorite junk food/comfort food vice. Then, you have physical and undoubtedly mental effects from that choice which impairs all foreseeable future decisions about what you put in your face.
It’s true.
As much as I would like to quietly sit and stroke my cast iron cookware and dream of what fried masterpiece I’m going to cook up, it cannot be an everyday part of my existence. Not to insult my precious cast iron. It’ll sauté up some summer squash in ghee just as beautifully as a breaded chicken leg. It’s impartial. It knows no difference although when the cornbread browns in the oven I’m pretty sure I can hear the song of my ancestors and all is balanced in my world.
Now, I’m not writing to you now as if in my heart of hearts, I came to the conclusion that we must persevere and get ourselves straight in order to be living full, God following lives both physically and spiritually.
I’m writing this because as ashamed as I am to admit it, I cheated. Deciding I would just start over the next day I had a little treat one night before I went to bed and I was found out.
My husband, in his way which is often not as sweet and gentle as I would prefer, tried to convince me that I needed this. He claimed I needed to complete some venture (and I had already started this one), not quit, reap not only the obvious benefits but also the “feather in my cap” of saying I would do something and following it through to completion. He knew the last two years had been hard on me, physically and emotionally. He knew this thing would be good for me.
I mean, where does he get off, right? Ok, ok, I had to fold. He was right.
I guess what I’m repeating to myself every day of this is something we could all benefit from hearing. Life is not easy. Just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing and the hardest things we do are often the most rewarding.
It is about time I repeat to myself this lesson that I preach to my kids. Just because the going is tough doesn’t mean the destination isn’t absolutely worth it. Persevere. Don’t quit.
So, ya’ll.
If you’re toying with training for that 5k or marathon or whatever? Do it. Wanting to sign up for Camp Gladiator? Do it. If you’re wanting to make a change and go keto or do a whole 30 or whatever, do it. Likely you’ll have days IT SUCKS! It will sometimes be so hard you’ll want to cry and run home to your hostess cupcakes and yoga pants. You will want to feel woefully sorry for yourself. There is no denying that.
That fact is, however, that is in no way indicative of your success or how good you’ll feel with that “feather in your cap”. Or how much stronger, healthier, clearer minded or fit you will be when you’re done.
I don’t mean that in a vain way. Clearly, I have never been a svelte specimen of good nutrition and solid, steady workouts. I mean, our society today mistreats us. Our habits and daily rituals are not exactly conducive to the whole people we are intended to be. So, buck that a bit. Try something new and different. Something uncomfortable. Try something whole and good and out of your normal routine.
If you’re like me, you may often feel ill equipped for this season in your life. That’s normal, I think. However, I know God will equip me and there is no reason why I shouldn’t be nurturing my body and soul, armoring it for the season I’m in. Nurture yourself too, friend!
To Learn more about the Whole 30 you can read the real, actual book here:
https://amzn.to/34tMScM
