Something clicked! (...or, my "DUH!" moment.)

[abi2001]

Proud to announce I'm on Day 24 of my first Whole30! I had a scare on Day 21...but that experience helped something click for me.

 

To summarize my Day 21 fright, my family and I went to Ikea that day and I ate their smoked salmon with root vegetables because nothing else was okay for Whole30. It had no butter, dressing, etc because it was in the cold case by their various salads (all of which weren't compliant). I'd eaten smoked salmon during my Whole30 and knew it was considered compliant. But upon leaving the store and considering purchasing their smoked salmon from the market, I discovered they sold 3 variations of smoked salmon...and two of them had added sugar. One of those was the smoked salmon in their restaurant, so the chance I had consumed salmon with added sugar was against me. (To boot, the store was closing by that time and we couldn't go back up to the restaurant to find out exactly which salmon I had eaten...and trust me, my husband did everything he could to sneak back up there for me.)

 

To say I was upset was an understatement. I cried and I was furious. Then I got on this forum and vented, trying to figure out if my hard work had gone down the tubes or if I could carry on. One moderator directed me to a Whole30 article that addressed this issue. Then she explained that the biggest issue with consuming sugar during the Whole30 -- even accidentally -- was the risk of reawakening the Sugar Dragon, essentially requiring a restart.

 

So I decided to wait a couple of days to see if any of my cravings came back or if I felt any different.

 

That was 3 days ago. I still have no cravings, I don't miss my evening glass of wine or sugars of any kind, and I feel absolutely amazing. Therefore, I decided to just move on, realizing either I've obliterated the Sugar Dragon or the salmon I ate actually didn't have sugar added to it.

 

Regardless, something clicked when the moderator mentioned that fact about the Sugar Dragon: the premise behind the Whole30 isn't necessarily about feeling better, losing weight, or eating healthier altogether, although these are amazing side benefits.

 

The premise behind this amazing diet is rewiring your brain. Once it's rewired, you have clear control again. You can eat or drink the ocassional non-paleo-compliant foods or drinks without any ill effects and then just...well, move on.

 

Your brain controls everything: what you crave, how much you eat, and essentially how you feel, whether or not you like it. If you have sugar brain -- or grain brain, or dairy brain -- your congnition isn't as clear. You don't make the best decisions, you feel sluggish, you're confused more often or easily, your mind feels like it's in a fog, and you don't handle stress very well.

 

I know, this has been explained in multiple ways throughout the program and in the books, in one way or another. But no matter how much you read something, until you really experience it, it just won't click.

 

Well, it's clicked now.

 

Can anybody relate?

 

Also, when I started this journey I really missed the red wine. I'm not a heavy drinker by any means, but it was basically a ritual to have a glass of wine in the evening with my husband. In week 2 I was still missing it badly and almost broke down and bought I bottle (I was between days 10 and 12, so my cravings and grumpiness were high).

 

But by Day 14 and the start of week 3, I couldn't have cared less about the wine...or the cake my MIL tried to repeatedly shove at me...or the clam chowder my son loves to eat...or the fact that I'm about to go on a camping trip with friends and for the first time ever not consume alcohol around the campfire with them!

 

I even had an extremely stressful day today. When this happened in the past I would have an extra glass of wine to take the edge off or munch on cheese and crackers...or both (LOL). Instead I got a cup of unsweetened green tea and called my husband to vent. I didn't even want -- or really think about -- the wine and snacks.

 

I considered myself a healthy eater in the past. I even went gluten-free for 1.5 years and paleo for almost a year before, but it was more like the Kresser method, which is nowhere near as strict as Whole30. I can honestly say that I'm grateful for the Whole30...and my husband is looking forward to doing the program next.

 

And when he does do it, I'll pretty sure I'll do it along with him for a second round!