i’ve always wanted to do a whole 30. and by “always,” i mean for the last couple of years since i’ve started to really look at what i’ve been eating. i’ve been giving more and more thought as to why i haven’t really jumped in full-force to do one, and i think that there are a couple of reasons that are holding me back.
- it’s black and white. you screw up, you start over. i need a little buffer zone to try things out; a little batting practice before an actual at-bat.
- it’s a lot to wrap my arms around. i’ve read (listened) to the book, read all the blogs, and started incorporating more whole foods into my life, but i have only made it one day (ONE DAY) eating completely whole 30 compliant before.
- i love blizzards. i’m happy to cut out all the artificial crap i eat on a regular basis, but girl still wants to have a blizzard once in a while.
i’ve decided i’m going to start a “soft whole 30.” this is my intention to clean up my act, but if i mess up, i’m not going to have to start all the way back at square one. i’m going to have a blizzard or two along the way, but i am going to do my very, very best to eat whole foods that are good for my body, according to the whole 30 lifestyle. i’m thinking about this more like an experiment. can i eat better for 30 days, using the framework set out by the whole 30 program? i love the concept, hate that i’m eating a lot of fake crap right now, and really just need to re-calibrate how i’m nourishing myself so i can make sure i’m nourishing and taking care of my kids.
it’s always important to have a ‘why’ when you set a goal. i have a couple:
- feel good, look good. you guys know that i love getting dressed and expressing my personal style, and it helps to feel good about what i’m wearing and how i’m fitting in my clothes when i feel good on the inside.
- it’s a trickle-down effect. when i eat better, my entire family eats better. since i do the majority of the grocery shopping (by choice, i enjoy doing that for my fam), i end up choosing what we eat and by nature of that, my family eats healthier. i want my family to feel better, too.
- i need my precious energy. having tiny children is hard, and i want the energy to play with them and be able to do fun activities. lately i’ve just been so tired, that it’s been difficult to get the energy to go play outside with logan. that cannot happen — i need to restore my energy levels.
- i’m breastfeeding. i want to make sure my milk is as nutritious and abundant as possible (… so sick of these supply roller coasters!). milk is mostly protein and fat, so by getting more of that into my diet (and less crap), i’m doing right by both myself and my baby.
what does success look like on the soft whole 30?
in business, you have KPIs (key performance indicators) and other metrics to help you measure and determine success. it’s a fancy way of you set goals, really, and measure against said goals. well, if i’m going to take this seriously, here’s how i want to measure that:
- my clothes fit better (and i start fitting into some of my old clothes!)
- my milk supply stabilizes or increases (we are at a precarious point where it could go either way right now, and i really want to keep breastfeeding!)
- more (and more consistent) energy (enough said)
ok, so there you have it. i want to start a soft whole 30 for the month of september. i decided i’m going to take the weekend to really land on my own guidelines, and i’ll share them on here next week! it’s been super helpful to keep myself accountable using my monthly intentions, so that is exactly what i plan to do – share and keep myself accountable.