The end of an era (or of 60 days)

Me with the pretty boy, circa May 2011

Asking me to write about the Whole30 program is like asking me to write about Crossfit.  It has changed my life in such a profound way that I don't really know how to articulate it without sounding cheesy as all get-up.

Yes, the Whole30 (not just the CFSA rendition) has changed my perception of food.  It has changed my relationship with food.  Food can be fuel -- most of the time it is fuel -- but it can also be delicious.  No, the 20 chocolate chip cookies I pounded while watching a pay-per-view movie with my golden retriever over Christmas weren't amazingly delicious, but whatever, we all mess up.  I use food as something to enjoy, something to relieve stress (if I didn't have to do dishes afterwards, cooking would be a leisure activity), something to propel my body to a higher performance level, a way to nourish friendships.  It's no longer something I have to hate myself for as I mindlessly eat a pound of pasta at midnight.

But I think to an extent, you have to have the right mindset going in to this program.  If you're completely NOT SOLD going in, I don't think it's going to do it for you.  If you're healthily skeptical or looking for an answer though, maybe it is.  I found what I was looking for.

So, yeah, the program went well for me.  I lost about 20 pounds, I didn't keep track exactly, so I'm around 40 total. I know sometimes it sucks to not eat chocolate, but as much as I bitch, you know what sucks more? Having to take medication to control your blood sugar. I'm proud to be off mine. I say this so hesitantly because I've only been doing it for 2 weeks, but I feel good and for the first time in over 5 years I can say I'm living a life free from medication, that I'm controlling with diet and exercise. It's not always fun and it's not always easy, but it is damn satisfying. I set a goal when I stepped out on this program, and however hesitantly, however fearfully, in defiance of everything I've been told about it... I achieved it.

Me, recently, 38 pounds down.

This is my largest take-away, though.  I was texting one of my friends about the fact that I'm going to do another Whole30 after a few days off (yeah....) and she said, simply, "I wish I had a support group like that around here".  Yes, we have a little Facebook group for my online friends doing it, but is it the same?  How could that be the same as standing, lifting, sweating, eating, day-by-day, the same people who are doing the same thing as you?  I didn't have to fight against going out to bars and drinking sparkling water while everybody else was wasted because I have this awesome group of people who considers getting four burger patties with bacon down the road from the gym on a Friday night a good time.  Having companions is such a huge part of what makes it less suffering, more experiment.  No, it's not always pleasant.  But it's less bad when you have others to commiserate with. So thank you, CFSA Nutrition Program friends, for sharing the journey. And I look forward to continuing it!

Also, feedback: I like the length. I mean, I resent it, but it's necessary. I've done a Whole30 by myself and most of us, even those who were eating 70/30 paleo beforehand, need the time to uneff our bodies. 30 days seems almost to me like a wasted amount of time if you give up at that point.

The plan, post CFSA Nutrition Program: I am going to bake myself an apple whiskey pie (it will probably have a gluten-free crust).  I am also going to go out to a nice "real person" dinner with my roommate.  And then I will be back on the program.  I don't have another choice, really.  My health demands it of me.  I have goals I want to hit and this the quickest, most effective way to get there.  Part of me is curious to try McDonalds... and a bigger part of me knows better. I'd rather cook up a big dinner to enjoy with my roommate, maybe not "complaint" food but real food that has effort and care in it.

Also, I plan to eat within Whole9 guidelines, but I also plan to start supplementing post-workout with a protein powder. The great thing about this 60 days of clean eating is that I have a blank slate, a baseline, to introduce this supplement in to. If I keep everything else the same and only manipulate one variable, I can find out the value of an added supplement. And when you're spending money on high-quality supplements, being able to identify the benefit is, to me, incredibly important.