Why the Whole30?

To a certain degree I have already scraped the tip of the iceberg to the answer of this question, but I think it is important to note a few of the other “main” reasons why I chose the Whole30 over another plan or option.

1. The Whole30 is not a life-time diet, it is a body RESET. It gets out all the fake stuff that has been added, modified, altered, etc. to our main food sources (pre Whole30) and allows our natural bodies to enjoy the natural foods that God has given us. We are basically conditioned to like extra salty and extra sweet foods – if we get our bodies back to their natural/normal state – naturally sweet and naturally salty will be enough… and we won’t be so inclined to choose and overwhelm our diets with the things that make us unhealthy (in more ways than one (weight, acne, disease).

2. Because of number 1, the Whole30 is thus a sustainable “diet”. I can do ANYTHING for 30 days (I hope). But after the 30 days are up, the goal is that I will be able to easily make the healthy choices and stay away from the unhealthy ones. Ideally I want to get to a place where I am not on a “DIET”, but a place where choosing the healthy foods is a natural DESIRE. I want a lifestyle that comes naturally but also allows me to maintain the healthy lifestyle I worked hard to get (whether it is a healthy weight, or healthy skin or whatever.) (In the book, “It Starts with Food”, One lady wrote in her testimonial that she would eat several Oreos a day before her Whole30, but afterwards she tried one (even though she wasn’t craving it) and she said it literally made her sick.) That’s the kind of change I want. I don’t want to work really hard to achieve my goal and then go back to the way it used to be only to find myself back at the starting line again!

3. It is not complicated. I don’t have to count calories, weigh food, keep a food journal, or anything else that I don’t really have time for and won’t really do 100% anyway (who has that much discipline?). All I have to do is put together a meal that consists of protein, veggies, some healthy fats and some fruit. (Stay tuned, because until I get the hang of this and let go of my dependence on pre-prepared, processed foods, this “so-called simple” meal planning is not so simple… but the point I am trying to make is that it CAN be!)

And for me, that is why I chose the Whole30. In a nutshell it is hard work in the beginning but it sets you up for a lifetime of victory (no more running backwards in the race or starting over).

NOTE: This is not to say that I WILL never or CAN never eat treats again or processed foods. Of course, I can and I am sure that I will, but I hope to not be dependent on them and to be equipped enough that if things start to get out of hand, I can identify it and find my way back to the right path. (In the book it says some people feel they are getting off the course (still moving forward, but kinda going off the path) and so they do a Whole7 or Whole14 because it doesn’t take as long to get you back on track as it did to help you create a path, get to the start line and start going.) (Don’t think that you can do a Whole14 for your first try though – you need at a MINIMUM 30 days with your first… if you want to know why, read the book, this post is already too long.)