A Little Introduction

For those of you who belong to a CrossFit gym or follow paleo blogs and/or facebook pages you have probably heard about the Whole 30 Program. I, along with my boyfriend (Bob) and many members from CrossFit Mission Gorge will be partaking in this challenge. We will be eating a CLEAN, STRICT paleo diet for 30 days. In short we will be eating lots of meat/seafood/eggs and vegetables. A little bit of fruit. And moderate amounts of healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds, avocados, and healthy oils (coconut and olive). We will be cutting out ALL gluten, grains, processed foods, dairy, legumes (that's right -- no peanut butter!), sugars, and alcohol! Basically we will only be able to eat REAL food.

For more information and a more complete explanation:
http://whole9life.com/2012/08/the-whole30-program/

A little about me: I have been eating paleo for about 3 years. I feel better eating this way. I have more energy and I don't have near the amount of digestion issues. My body composition improves and I am more confident. Normally I eat paleo about 80-90% of the time. Having one cheat day a week keeps me sane.

Well that might sound well and dandy and you may be asking yourself -- Why do the Whole 30 Challenge when what you're doing now seems to be working? There are a few reasons I (or you) would want to do such a thing even if we eat healthy overall. 1.) It's easy to derail. Holidays, birthdays, vacations, friends visiting. A cheat meal turns into a cheat day turns into a cheat weekend and then all of a sudden you have been eating like shit for 3 days. You feel like shit. And you workout like shit. Or even worse, you don't show up to gym, because you are hungover as shit. Since there are no cheats allowed during the Whole 30, a cheat meal wont derail your improvements in the gym or your body composition. 2.) You eat paleo-ish. You eat paleo foods, but maybe you have gotten used to eating bacon every morning (hey -- there's some protein in bacon). Or have been eating several servings of fruit a day. Or you eat half a jar of almond butter by the spoonful. Or you indulge in "paleo desserts" or "paleo pastas" which still have too many carbs or too much starch. The Whole 30 program will help you simplify your options and keep you eating good, clean ACTUAL paleo foods. 3.) You eat perfectly, but you drink like a fish! Or maybe just every weekend you allow yourself to indulge in some adult beverage fun. Even red wine and vodka sodas are not good for you and can definitely affect your performance in the gym or keep you from losing those love handles (they call it "beer-belly" for a reason). Whole 30 does not allow alcohol. If you can go 30 days without drinking then after the program is over you may realize that going out drinking isn't all that important after all.

I am mainly doing this to get my eating back on track, to cut back on drinking, to get stronger/faster/fitter at CrossFit, to improve my body composition, and to feel better overall.
My goals during the Whole 30 Program:
Cook at home -- I would like to save some money from going out to eat and going out drinking on the weekends. I always tell people: You actually don't know exactly what you are eating unless you cook it yourself. I know throughout this process, there may be a meal or two that will be eaten at a restaurant for a special occasion, but Bob and I will be careful about what we order and will not indulge in any of the temptation around the table.
Eat less fruit -- When I go "strict" on paleo I tend to eat way too much fruit. Fruit is such a treat when you cut out pretty much every other carb. But that is how it should be seen, as a treat. I think I will try not to eat any fruit for the first 3 days. When I do eventually eat that serving of fruit I will treat it as a dessert.
Be creative in the kitchen -- There are a few dishes that Bob and I make over and over again. It actually doesn't really bother me too much. But it bothers him. So to keep him positive and on track I think we will be doing some research on fun recipes.
Drink more water -- I am just all around horrible at drinking enough water throughout the day.
Don't over do it on the nuts -- I love almonds and almond butter. But more than small handful of nuts actually have a significant amount of carbohydrates. Not to mention they are pretty calorically dense.

Bob and I are starting today, September 3. Our last day of the challenge will be October 2. The challenge through my gym doesn't start until September 10th. So we have about a whole week without all the support. So wish us luck!