{reset}

Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint a specific change, it can be so gradual. At some point this year I started to feel off kilter. It started to feel as though my body was operating on empty and I was pushing through a fog. It started innocently enough with back to back sickness in April, and then continued with poor food choices. I always want to believe that I can eat whatever I want without any type of consequence.

May & June are always tough months as I wrap up a school year. The days are long and busy, there are parties and celebrations, there are meetings and evenings spent reviewing data. It is a full season, and I end up eating foods I would not normally eat, or at least in quantities that I should not eat. I knew I was in trouble one morning, after I had consumed two, TWO donuts before 8 am (after eating my regular breakfast). My energy level was non-existent and I was upping my caffeine intake to compensate. I was heading to bed by 8pm, waking up by 4:30am and never feeling rested. My workouts went out the window because I just couldn't do it. I could not drag myself out of bed any earlier. 

{January Reflections}

As 2015 came to a close, I wrote a post that 2016 is the year of seeking balance and self-care in my life. In order to do that I want to spend time focusing on different aspects of life (spiritual, physical, emotional, mental) each month by setting small goals. At the end of each month I will reflect on how that goal went and what goals I would like to focus on for the next month. 

Purging

Paul and I have been Paleo now for just over 7 months. We've both 100% bought into the fact that this isn't a phase for us, it is a lifestyle. 

When we first started Paleo in June of last year. I was unwilling to part with any of the food in the cupboards. I wasn't convinced that Paleo was going to work for us, or that I would even like it. And I didn't want to have to go rebuy everything. So I've held onto it all.

And lately, this one cupboard has been haunting me. It started off as the baking cabinet and then slowly became the last resort for so many items. Today, I decided - enough is enough!

Here is the cabinet before with more items tucked to the far right. I found some gems back there:

I generally live in fear that something will come crashing out of there on me one of these days.

Here is the purge pile.

And the After Picture? Glorious if I do say so myself! The best part, having the extra storage space.

The two top shelves can now hold miscellaneous dishes and my cookbooks.

So what made the cut?

3 Types of salt, coconut oil, two paleo marinades, honey, molasses, some spices, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and of course some grass fed beef gelatin!

Dear Husbuddy.... you're welcome!!

Halfway Point

During the holidays it is so easy to get lax with clean eating. Treats and sweets abound! Self-control does not. In early December, Paul and I decided that we wouldn’t be hard on ourselves if we strayed during the holidays. We knew that come January we were going to batten down the hatches (what?) and commit to 30 days of squeaky clean eating. I probably had more chocolates, truffles, and ice cream then I should have. It just happened.

On January 2^nd we began the Whole30 program, which you can read about here. Basically, I call it Paleo+. Practically for us, it means no sugar (real, fake, refined, unrefined), no alcohol, and no dairy. And the icing on the cake (why do I torment myself) is you also can’t paleo-fy junk food. Which is a shame, because I can make a damn good fudge candy with dates and cocoa powder.  Oh and the icing on the icing is that you can’t go crazy on fruit while on the Whole30. Sugar is sugar people.

Here is a nice visual that Paul found of the Paleo train of thought.  The Whole30 tightens up any grey areas.

  

Paleo Diet Flowchart infographic

I’ve gone without sugar before. But during that time I was eating lots of ‘sugar-free’ products that were filled with chemicals.  And even though it was so hard getting of the sugar, I also rewarded myself with something that basically replaced the sugar. I wasn’t working on food problems I was just substituting my issues. When I hit a period of depression, sugar rushed back into my life (pun intended).

These 30 days are not just about hitting the reset button on my body. They are also to help make me more aware of what I turn to in moments of ______ (fill in the emotion). Why do I need wine at the end of a tough day? Why do I want sugar at around 2 or 3 every afternoon? Why do I need to snack when bored?

I probably won’t find all of my answers in 30 days but it sure is easier to think about them when you’re not turning to food.

I found this great timeline that spells out the phases of the Whole30 and if my predictions are right, tomorrow is going to be a great day! Seriously though, the first week for me was hell. It was probably hell for Paul too since he had to deal with me. Week two has been easier. And week three hasn’t started out too shabby.

Check out the Whole30 website. This might be up your alley. And my motto is that you can do anything if only for 30 days! We plan to do this at least once or twice again this year.