#whole30 Update: How Hangry are you?

January 27, 2017

#whole30 Update: How Hangry are you?

For those of you who don't know, my husband and I are tackling Whole30 for the second time. The first time we completed this program was about a year ago and we had kept eating pretty healthy and making better overall food choices for most of last year. The last few months of 2016, however, we had been a little lazy in our meal planning, eating out a bit too often, and had been feeling our bodies change in not so wonderful ways (exhaustion, slight weight gain, the return of general aches and pains, etc).

Without any hesitation from either of us, we decided to complete Whole30 again. Oddly, my hubby even brought it up first! This is a little surprising because the last time we did this there were a few days where we nearly attacked each other over being "hangry."

What is hangry? It is a combination of feeling hungry and angry all at the same time. Imagine biting your spouse's head off simply because he looked at you the wrong way. Now imagine literally biting your spouse's head off so that you could dip it in ranch dressing and eat it. That, my friends, is the definition of hangry.

Why would anyone do this to themselves, or their relationship for that matter? Well, it works. It really impacts your body in positive ways.

If you aren't sure what Whole30 is, click here, but basically you eat only simple, whole foods, organic when possible, for 30 days; simply stated, foods that come from the earth. No unnatural flavors, dyes, preservatives or overly processed foods allowed. No alcohol, and some food like legumes, corn, sugar, grains and dairy are also prohibited during the 30 days. These are foods that can cause allergies and other harmful bodily reactions in some people so that is why they are off limits.

We are currently on Day 25 (we started January 3) and it is going great so far. Finally seeing the end in sight is a rewarding feeling, as it takes a lot of dedication to not cheat and stay on track. I can't tell you how many times a day I want to lick my fingers while getting my kids bowls of ice cream or making them foods like macaroni and cheese.

I do have to admit, that on day 10 we both consciously decided to have a few drinks to help celebrate the life of a dear friend who passed away, but we chose red wine and pure liquor, trying to select alcohol that was in it's cleanest form. We did not eat any non compliant foods and we will not until the program is over, nor will we drink alcohol again. Allowing those drinks was a difficult decision because we are both very committed to finishing the program without cheating, but in the end we decided that this celebration of life was more important than the program itself. Again, very hard decision, but it was a planned, conscious decision so we don't consider it a cheat.

Okay, enough of my justification...

So here is the run down of how I feel and how my body has changed:

Positive Changes:

No migraines all month (normally I get a least one every week or two).
Much less shoulder pain (I have chronic inflammation in my shoulder which has required surgery in the past).
I fit into my clothes better. You are not supposed to weigh yourself but I have lost weight.
My mindset is changing. I see myself thinking about sugary, fatty foods in a different way than before I started 3 weeks ago.
I am spending more time making healthy foods for my husband and family, and mentally, that feels really productive and satisfying.

Negative Changes:

Running is hard. I have added nearly a full minute per mile. Potatoes, nuts and fruits just don't do it for me when it comes to the energy I need to run. I will be happy to reintroduce a few carbs back into my diet the night before or on the morning of runs.

I'll update again next week when we are done and I'll discuss my future healthier eating goals.

In the meantime, here are some of the recipes I have tried recently.