It's Time... for a Whole 30-inspired Re-Set!

It's that time folks. As you might remember, back in January of this year, I tried mt first Whole 30 experience- NO gluten, grains, legumes, alcohol or added sugars for 30 Days. It was challenging, it was refreshing, it was exasperating, it was awesome. After the first few days of eating only whole, complete foods, I felt great! When the program ended, I decided to continue in a modified Whole 30 type of lifestyle;

• No gluten
• Added in very seldom rice & other non-gluten grains
• No cheese with the excepts of cottage cheese
• No Dairy with the exceptions of Greek Yogurt
• Added in Legumes

For the most part, I have stuck to this "diet" fairly well- I'd say 95% of the time. I have only had pasta once since January, pizza only twice. I haven't had bread/tortillas since January. I occasionally have a little bit of rice with a meal- maybe twice a month. I have only had cheese (with the exception of cottage cheese) 3-4 times, and I try very hard to avoid milk and dairy, minus greek yogurt. On this type of "diet", I've felt great, I've had a lot of energy, and I've avoided the frequent stomach problems I used to have that came with eating lots of bread, cheese, and other dairy.

Fast Forward to now:
The biggest pitfalls for me in the last 6 months have been, weirdly, "healthy" snacks with gluten. Things like graham crackers and granola bars that don't appear to be too bad for me are little tricksters; I eat one, and then I want another, and suddenly, I've had 7. No one needs to eat 7 granola bars in a day, friends.

I think the reason why these snacks have been my pitfalls is because they are foods on "the edge" of health. Granola bars can be gluten free and low sugar- they still really shouldn't take the place of a meal. Graham crackers have wheat, and they've been the small treat I allow myself, but I can't seem to have them in moderation, and they're a gateway to other sweets that I've been bingeing on lately; cookies, crackers, etc.

Overall, I've still been eating mostly whole foods, but added sugars have crept up bit by bit each week, and little cookie-cracker treats have been appearing more and more. Yesterday, I ate almost a whole cheese pizza. What?!

I feel that a 2nd Whole 30 can function as a re-set for me. I need to get back to basics, and really focus on those staple whole foods that I've gotten used to incorporating my diet, but are easy to replace with cheats, snacks and treats. Since I've done one already, and I have a good understanding about what irritates my body, today I will start a modified Whole 30 journey. I'll essentially be getting back to following my first Whole 30 post-plan:

That means NO:

• Grains 
• Gluten
• Alcohol
• Added sugars
• Dairy, including cheese

Exceptions:

• Oats- only regular or thick rolled oats, no granola bars or added sugars
• Legumes- I just can't eat/afford as much meat as Whole30 requires. Eating legumes will help me get in protein!
• Greek Yogurt- plain, no sugar added
• Cottage cheese- no salt or sugar added

Let's Go!!!