Perfect Health Diet Update and Why I’m Transitioning to The Whole 30

The Perfect Health Diet experiment was a bust. I think my approach to it was all wrong and I was really just indulging some cravings for starchy foods. I have no doubt that many people find success with it, but from where I’m coming from (low carb Paleo), it was just too difficult a transition.

Things I noticed in the short time I was eating more starch:

 - Bloating

- Increased appetite, especially for starchy food
- Wild energy fluctuations
- Sugar crashes resulting in extreme hunger
- Caffeine cravings returned
- PMS came back with a VENGENCE
- Menstrual cramps returned
- More frequent headaches
- Evil/tired wife of my previous life returned (Cute Man bears the brunt of my carb-induced moodiness).

And all this in less than 2 weeks of adding more starch to my diet. Message received, body! It is sad to think that I am so broken that even a “low-moderate” amount of carbs can make me feel so poorly so quickly. But it is what it is and I choose to look at it in a more positive light – thank goodness I do know what does work for ME. I just need to tighten things up and get back on my merry way.

Enter: The Whole 30. I’ve done this (or should I say, attempted) this before, more than once. I do have trouble with hard and fast rules but I’m actually really looking forward to it at this point. I guess if you feel crappy enough, the thought of doing something to improve the situation is appealing, not restrictive. A bit of structure without the need for calorie counting sounds really good right now. I’m taking the next few days to ease into it – mostly following the guidelines but getting whatever cravings for chocolate or whatever out of my system now without going crazy about it. My official start will be January 1st.

I’m excited to see that Holly is doing the program as well! I plan to follow along with her for an added layer of support. Make sure to pop on by if you’re curious about The Whole 30, want some good info about it, or just want to get a bit of encouragement. Also, let me know if you're giving it a shot as well - the more support, the better!