Climbing Out of a Rut, One Meal at a Time

Last night I came to the realization that I'm in a rut. I haven't been sleeping well lately. I know that for me, if I don't get a lot of sleep every night, it has a domino effect on the rest of my life. I have much less patience, and then that lack of patience leads to a snappy attitude, and an unhappy household. Also, I joined a gym two months ago, and even though I've been going several times a week, I have yet to lose any weight. So it's time to look at my diet. 

Usually after someone gets over the initial shock of what Tommy can't eat, they tend to follow that up with, "Oh, if I ate like that I'd be so skinny." Well, it doesn't really work like that. We eat well in this house, and there are so many great foods that Tommy CAN eat. Plus, the gluten free grains are pretty similar in calories to wheat, and some like coconut flour have much more! 

So last night, when I came to the realization that I'm in a rut, I decided that today I would start the Whole30. It's 30 days of no alcohol, no sugar, no grains (even gluten free pseudo grains like quinoa), no sweetener of any kind, no legumes (except green beans and sugar snack peas), no dairy, no white potatoes, no MSG, added sulfites or carrageenan, and no paleo-fying baked goods. So no almond or coconut flour cookies, muffins, etc. 

I have a few friends that have done The Whole30 Challenge and LOVED it. They said they slept well, felt great (after the initial sugar detox), and also lost weight. One of the nice parts about this challenge is you are just supposed to weigh yourself at the beginning and end and not in the middle at all. It's all about rediscovering your relationship with food and how it makes you feel.

Ben and Tommy are not doing the challenge, just me. But I will try and still make a family dinner. It's not too far off from what Tommy eats now. I'll still make some gluten free baked goods for them, but I won't be enjoying them doing the next 30 days. I'm looking forward to the challenge and using it as a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle.