Clean Eating
A week ago, I began a short-term goal with my wife. We had been talking about eating clean and trying the Whole30 diet. The week before last, I cut out sweets from my diet to get started and try it out. We went shopping after Tara did some research and planning. Then we set out on the quest for cleaner eating and the Whole30 experiment.
I have seen a lot of diets and helped a lot of people try to lose weight. As a personal trainer, I spent several years helping others lose weight or gain healthy and fit lifestyles. Since that time, I have fallen into the trap of eating for convenience and just eating poorly. I know it takes commitment and hard work to clean up my diet but I was ready to do it. Of course, I could not do it alone! Trying to eat healthier would go nowhere without my wife helping and encouraging me. Tara stepped up to the plate on this one and has carried me through the first week of healthier eating.
The Whole30 diet is a reset to your system that involves cutting out all dairy, grains, sugar, and legumes. To be perfectly upfront, I have not read the Whole30 book or done a ton of research. They have great free resources on their website and forum that can answer most of your questions. Tara and I used this to start our journey. If interested, you can check it out here: Whole30.com. More honesty: we aren’t being super strict. I ate lunch with a friend the other day and had a dry spinach salad with chicken. On the Whole30, I should have found out if the chicken was marinated or cooked in anything that had sugar, dairy or legumes (like soybean oil). But, I didn’t! I may not be getting the complete digestive and system reset that the Whole30 is meant to do. But I am eliminating sugar (a big one!), dairy, grains and legumes from my diet for the next 30 days. And the benefits will be great even if I mess up on the official program.
My wife has re-named our quest because of the non-strict nature we are taking. Instead of “Whole30” we are now calling our quest “Klutts Go Clean.” Tara is also posting pictures on Instagram and Facebook with the hashtag #kluttsgoclean. She’s cute and clever! I definitely wouldn’t be doing this without her. I’m ready to go clean for 30 days.
I’m ready to go clean for 30 days. Thanksgiving is only 4 days away and 11 days into the journey. It could be interesting, but I am confident I can maintain my clean eating throughout the weekend. No sugar… No bread… It will be the most boring holiday I’ve ever had with food. Beyond the physical benefits, I am looking forward to seeing the phycological benefits of the diet and commitment. Committing to something and doing despite tough struggles and circumstances has huge benefits for confidence and well-being.
Stay tuned for an update in a couple weeks!