Getting Over “Diet” Mentality
About 30 years ago at a family reunion. We ate! To our health?
A lot of people ask me why I’m such a believer in the Whole30 protocol. Today, my goal is to dispel much of the misinformation out there. First of all it’s a Whole30. THIRTY. Not a Whole365. Not a Whole-Rest-Of-Your-Life. It’s not a “diet”. It’s not for weight-loss. However, as your body begins to heal, you may experience some weight loss benefits. Read on. It’s an Experiment of One. You. The Whole30 is a 30-day reset, in which for 30 days you eliminate problematic food groups. You change your relationship with food. You learn for yourself what you can tolerate and what you cannot, by systematically adding back in the problematic food groups at the end of the 30-day reset. You can eat all meats, fish, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and carbs. Yes, carbs. This is not Keto. This is not WW. You don’t earn points. You eliminate gluten, grains, dairy products, most legumes, processed "junk” foods and alcohol. Your body has an opportunity to heal from gut-disrupting foods, and adapts to burning fat for fuel rather than sugar. We call it “slaying the Sugar Dragon”. For most people, there are amazing transformations in this short period of time. Also, in an effort to remove the “weight-loss” sitgma from the program, you don’t weigh yourself for 30 days. Put that $20 piece of plastic in the garbage with the junk food. Your self-worth is not based on a number on the scale. You focus on NSV’s, or Non-Scale Victories, the many other aspects that make you healthier; such as better sleep, less brain fog, more energy, less congestion, better digestion, better metabolism, less hot flashes, more regular bowel movements (yes, we talk about poop a lot) and more.
So why don’t more people know about it? (There are actually over 1 million followers on Whole30 social media accounts) and why don’t more people do it? Honestly if I had a dime for every time I got “Oh, I can’t give up my wine” Or “I need my chocolate fix at night” or “life is too short” as BS excuses, I would not be writing this, I’d be lounging on my private island with a sparkling water in hand. And if one more athlete or personal trainer tells me “it’s too restricting” or “it’s not sustainable” I may just ring them with that stupid kettle bell. It’s not supposed to be “sustainable”. It’s just 30 days.
And - so what’s the big deal? What is the aversion to a 30 day elimination protocol? I believe the general consensus is that most of the unhealthy American population are 1: in denial about their health, or lack thereof, and 2: just don’t want to do the work. It’s too much effort. I guess it's easier to take a pill and eat whatever you want? You prefer to be on heart meds? Diabetes meds? So you can have banana bread? Or pizza? Rather than eating healthier? It’s too much work to cook a vegetable? To pass on that bag of chips? It’s easier to take a sleep aid than to learn how to control cortisol and melatonin, the wake and sleep hormones your body produces naturally?
