Coming Clean (Confessions & Clarity)

On July 14th I decided that I was done.  I recognized the downward tailspin I was in, and the disdain I felt toward myself, as I was not living with integrity.  I know this sounds melodramatic, but we all live in our own little realities and my particular reality is I am a role model of healthy, positive living, and for a few months I had succumbed to the delicious, fun, slippery slope.  When preparing the kids’ sandwiches for every slice of cheese that went into the sandwich, one made its way to my mouth.  The glass of wine with dinner turned into 2-3.  The baked goods didn’t last long, the more chocolate and butter the better.  It was summer, and we have a pool, which meant that several times a week people were over – the perfect excuse for chips, salsa, cocktails, baked goods…

Eventually, gradually, I started to become disgusted with myself.  I could feel it, not only in how my clothes became tighter but also as I lay in bed at night, bloated, I felt as if I was suffocating a little, with the over-consumption sitting there like a mass.  This feeling became intense the week of July 14th so I ordered a book, It Starts With Food, after hearing a friend’s various praises about it and how it had changed her life.

By Sunday July 14th I was about half way through the book, 100% tired of the way I was feeling and behaving, and I decided to embark on the Whole30 program outlined in the book.  The Queen of Kale by day was the Brownie Lush by night and it was time to stop the train before it became completely derailed.  I don't care what people say, when we justify the ice cream, the brownie, the Tuesday cocktail, with "it's summer," "we're on vacation," "life is short, it should be enjoyed," and so on - there is always a justification and the hard part is reclosing Pandora's box.  It was time to close the box. It was an impulsive start and I didn’t tell anyone at first.  I didn’t think about the next 30 days of entertaining, travel, work stress.  I just did it.  And it’s just as well because had I waited for a more convenient time, I wouldn’t have started till, well, maybe in a few years.  There is never a perfect time to abruptly change your lifestyle (as mentioned in my previous blog entry).

For the next 30 days I had ZERO grains, dairy, sweeteners, legumes, alcohol, processed food.  I ate 3 meals a day, no snacks.  I ate tons of greens and other non-starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes are acceptable), as well as berries, lean protein, eggs, some nuts, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado.  The book and website have a very helpful shopping list, menus, recipes.  I never felt hungry and the energy I felt from such a clean diet (supported by Body Balance), not to mention how quickly I dropped the extra pounds and got my flat abs back, made the inconvenience of spending more time preparing food and planning ahead when traveling, totally worth the effort.

It sounds so dramatic to say that these 30 days were transformational, but I truly felt as if I had acquired new clarity regarding my relationship with food and alcohol.  My 30 days ended two weeks ago and I continue to practice the mindfulness when choosing to consume something.  I continue to be completely free of dairy, sweeteners, processed food and grains.  I have added in alcohol but now that our vacation has ended, I will resume the temperance.  During my Whole30 I continued to train (running), confirming my belief that athletes do not need grains or “sports drinks” to be successful.  In fact, as I train for the Oct. 27th Marine Corps Marathon, I will continue this.

Normally I urge people to take baby steps, favoring small, incremental changes over drastic overhauls, cleanses, etc.  But I realized while doing this, which many would consider drastic, that having clear rules (eg NO DAIRY) made things much easier for me. It’s like when I decided a few years ago to enforce the NO DOUGHNUTS rule on myself.  Having a clear set of rules makes things much easier and provides not only structure, but relief – because I no longer have to go to the effort of making a decision. It’s already been made.  I normally discourage people from embarking on those popular cleanses because not only are they drastic and very imposing, but they aren’t sustainable.  What I see different about this program is that it’s a journey of awareness, mindfulness, self-observation (and it's all food available in your supermarket, no chemicals or additives).  It’s a way to simplify your life, get back to the basics, embrace whole living.  If you look at the 9 tenets behind the program, at whole9life.com, you will recognize it’s a philosophy for living which is much in line with what I recommend in my coaching.  Our health and happiness is 80% what we consume, 20% exercise, how and how much we sleep, whether or not we are spiritually engaged, how we nurture our relationships, how much time we spend outside, how we manage our stress, how much fun we’re having. 

 I am starting a group based on all of this.  It is for people who want to get a grip on their health and happiness.  They may want to lose five pounds or 200, or attack their chronic ailments in a holistic way, or get to the bottom of their insomnia, or simply learn how to eat whole foods the way we were meant to be doing before everyone became too “busy” to eat well.  Starting anything and then maintaining it is almost impossible without a support group.  Tomorrow (Tuesday, Aug. 27th) I will hold an informational meeting where I will explain the 90-day challenge (conference call for participants not able to make the meeting).  If you are interested in learning more, please email me: snavas@sbcglobal.net.

Oh, and I decided not to post a “Before” and “After” picture of myself here, like I see so many people do on Facebook, for several reasons: 1) I was too disgusted with myself to take an accurate “Before” picture, but I lost 3 inches in my waist and 7 pounds in 3 weeks; 2) I find those pictures annoying – I often look at the “Before” picture and think, she actually looked pretty good there, she just needs to stand straighter and have a smile on her face; 3) the pounds and inches lost on this program are just one of the many great results, I feel like the more important gains can’t be photographed.