I wasn't really planning on writting about this but after a dear friend of mine stopped by to drop off May Day baskets for my big kids (thanks Ellen they loved them) and I spewed out my super awesome experience with Whole30 while she was standing on my front porch, I realized that maybe if I get it out on paper (or computer) I would stop bombarding people about it. (That was a really long sentence, sorry Dad)
Anyways, a few months after having Nasher, I realized I was just not feeling a whole lot. I mean I stilled laughed and the kids were still making me smile and I was doing everything that I was suppose to be doing. The problem was I noticed I hadn't picked up my camera or even my phone to take a picture in over 2 weeks. If I posted something on intagram it was usually a photo that had been taken prior to me posting it. I would be sitting on the couch and realize that Nash was fussing and I would think "Oh crap how long has he been doing that?" He was never red or hot, so I knew it wasn't very long but that worried me. A friend said that it sounded like I was feeling a little numb to my surroundings and that was the perfect explanation to what was happening.
I brought it up to Nate and he suggested that maybe I should go to the doctor. I knew that wasn't the route that I was ready to take at that point. Now please note that I absolutely believe that your mental health is so important to take care of and there is definitely a purpose for therapists and drugs for those that need them and I fully support that. However, I wasn't feeling harmful or completly lost but I wanted to have some of my feelings back and I wanted to try a natural way first. If it failed then I would then seek professional help. So that was my plan and I also kept my communication open to Nate so that he knew what was going on and he was always super supportive.
So after doing a few weeks of research I settled on the Whole30. It was the one program that kept coming up with results that I felt were honest and not something that required buying products or doing something unhealthy. So I bought the book It Starts with Food. I finished it within 2 days and highlighted so many things. I also realized just how badly I was treated myself with the food I was eating. So I decided right after I finished the book that I would set a date to begin and prepare as best as I could.
Now if you don't know what the Whole30 is; it's basically a 30 day program were you eliminate all dairy, sugar, legumes and grain from your diet. This includes, dressings, condiments, anything processed ect. I set my start date for March 30th and would finished on April 28th. I pinned a lot of Whole30 reciepes and cleared out my cupboards and fridge.
Let's just say the first 4 days were pretty horrible, but I was still able to stick to it, even when I helped with serving desserts at a fundraiser for a friend of Cece's. I had a horrible headach for 4 days, I got cold chills and hot flashes, and the first 2 days I honestly thought I was going to vomit all the time. This was how my body was detoxing from sugar and processed foods. I'm thinking the diet coke that I drank all the time was also a factor. I did a full week of meal prep for the first week and couldn't even bring myself to eat the meals I made for lunch and breakfast. What I did learn is that I'm not a fan of many flavors in my meals. I like simple meals that have just a few ingredients and if I stuck to things that I would normally eat, that were Whole30 compliant, I had no problem.
Things I noticed right away after the first week: My skin felt really soft and smooth: I was falling asleep faster and waking up actually ready for the day (not that I wanted to get out of bed but I was ready): I immediatly saw my emotions coming back and even more emotions than I'm normally comfortable with sharing.
I actually looked at my kids when they were speaking and wasn't yelling or getting stressed when they were doing things they shouldn't have been. I was able to switch up my parenting in a more productive way, although really sarcasim is just always going to be apart of who I am. Things that I was telling people I couldn't have, I noticed myself saying I don't want that. By the last week my pants were all super baggy in the hips and legs and I noticed just this weekend that my rain boots that always suctioned to my calves were lose and I had room to move them around.
When my last day came and went, Nate asked if I was going to continue doing the Whole30. I told him that even though feeling all the feels was sometimes overwhelming, I really enjoy sharing that part of me with my kids and him. However, even though this is my lifestyle choice I know myself well enough that ice cream and special treats on Sundays are part of our family story and I know it absolutly bothered Cece that I was no longer taking part in that part of our family. So Sundays we will either make a treat, like yesterday we made monster cookies, or go to our favorite ice cream shop in Waukee. I'm also not going to worry about condiments like kethcup and bbq sauce or dressings at restaurants. The sugar content in them is very low and not something I'm going to stress about when I'm eating whole foods the rest of the time. Also another stipulation is holidays and birthdays. This is life after all and I still want to enjoy it when it comes to the desserts department.
I don't think I can explain enough just how much better, mentally, I feel. I mean things are still stressful, I have 3 kids and a husband who works his butt off so I do a lot on my own but I feel like I have better tools to manage.
Nate told me the other night just how proud he was of me and that made me feel really good but I think just being proud of myself made me feel even better.
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