OK here's an esoteric question

[AmyS]

I'm thinking now of the Whole30 as an analogy to how to do life. My question is, what would be included in a lifestyle Whole30? I'm thinking of how I started out my first Whole30. I kind of gave myself a bubble in which to function for those 30 days. I was going from a total junk food diet directly to Whole30, so basically, as long as it was compliant I ate it. It might not have fit the exact Whole30 meal templates, but I felt great and got enormous benefits - and did another one in November-December, and am about to start a Whole100 in January.

Part of this is deepening my understanding of the kinds of foods I am going to be eating. But a large part is dealing with the emotional elements that Whole30 has uncovered for me. I've been surprised about that. As my eating has gotten cleaner, I can see places where my inner life (and my extension, to some extent, my outer life) has its own sort of sugar dragon, for lack of a better descriptor.

I wonder if there's a way to encapsulate the inner life sugar dragon, so to speak, with the goal of eliminating it from my experience during the coming Whole100. I'm kind of thinking as I type here... maybe it would be as simple (and difficult) as committing to positive self-talk over that period of time. I wonder if I might be addicted to negative self talk in the same way I'm addicted to sugar. And I wonder if there might be a way to put a moratorium on it while I'm on my Whole100.

It's strange because in recent months I've been questioning myself so much and changing my mind about major life situations, and doing so in drastic fashion. And all of this is thrown into sharp relief as I notice my eating getting cleaner and cleaner and my body getting more and more responsive to the call of good health. I know all of these things are connected, and somehow I wonder if the sugar dragon has given way to the negative self-talk dragon. And I'd like all of my body and mind to be healthy, clean, and nourished.

Pondering... anyone else have any thoughts on this or related matters?

[Kirsteen]

I love this post. Yes I think we so often use food in an emotional way. We use it to dull our feelings or to avoid thinking about things. I think when we W30 we stop this and, in stripping back to really clean eating, We also strip and lay ourselves bare. We're forced to look at aspects of ourselves we're maybe not used to confronting. At least this is what I found.

Years ago, I studied a system of dynamic meditation, the silva method, which was very hot on the idea that what you tell yourself is what you will believe. If you say to yourself, 'I'm no good at this', you won't be any good. If you say to yourself, 'this is too difficult', it will be. It's amazing, once you pay attention to your thoughts, how many of them are actually negative. Ask anyone to tell you 10 of their good points and 10 of their faults. Most people will rattle off 10 of their faults easily and then struggle to find 10 good points. I find myself doing that even now.

One of their answers was every time you find yourself with a negative thought, actually say to yourself, 'cancel, cancel' and replace it with a positive one. change 'I'm no good at this', to 'I'm really getting the hang of this, I can do this, I'm good at this'. Most of us are brought up to praise others, but be embarrassed when people praise us. Well, stop that, take credit for all the things you're good at and start praising yourself. think positively and slay that negative dragon.

I've been contemplating doing another W30 or whatever. Last time I feel I concentrated solely on food. Your post has made up my mind for me. This time I'm also going to commit to meditating every day, thinking positively and keeping a (private) journal of my thoughts and feelings. I want my whole life to be as squeaky clean as my diet . So, thanks for the kick up the arse I needed. I'm off to check my cupboards to check no stray nasties have intruded since last time and to start making plans. Ha! having succeeded with W30, we can slay any old dragon. We're ninja dragon fighters extrordinaire :ph34r:

[cpb]

I am tying my Whole100 in with lifestyle changes as well, given I have some exhaustion issues. As part of this, I have set myself some daily goals around relaxing, sleeping, managing work hours etc as although I see the Whole100 as a crucial part of my recovery, I know it isn't the only component of my lifestyle that I need to address. I also recognise that my bad eating habits are partly attributed to alleviating stress and other emotions. Great posts AmyS and Kirsteen.

[kb0426]

I have a few of thoughts here.

As I embarked on a healthier lifestyle years ago, it was so easy to go from food being a crutch to alcohol or spending too much money. Therapy helped to find out what I was attempting to medicate.

As I embarked on my whole30 this past September, as I progressed, I found myself annoyed with the clutter in my life. I am not sure if it was the whole30, or if I was finally getting enough sleep to notice it. This included noise clutter and I found I have been literally been able to go weeks without turning on the television now. 2013 is my year to reduce the clutter in my life, and I will sell, donate and dispose of a LOT.

Lastly, when it comes to relationships, they are a lot like food choices. It is up to us to learn to recognize which ones make us more healthy, and which ones make us less healthy. I have people that I keep close, and others that I keep at an arms distance. Some are like sweet potatoes, eggs and pork and others are like dairy and grains to me. They have become once in a while, and only in small doses. Not surprisingly perhaps, these are the same people that refuse to acknowledge that they have demons to work on in their lives, one of them also being food.

I love your thoughts Amy .

[AmyS]

I love this post. Yes I think we so often use food in an emotional way. We use it to dull our feelings or to avoid thinking about things. I think when we W30 we stop this and, in stripping back to really clean eating, We also strip and lay ourselves bare. We're forced to look at aspects of ourselves we're maybe not used to confronting. At least this is what I found.

Years ago, I studied a system of dynamic meditation, the silva method, which was very hot on the idea that what you tell yourself is what you will believe. If you say to yourself, 'I'm no good at this', you won't be any good. If you say to yourself, 'this is too difficult', it will be. It's amazing, once you pay attention to your thoughts, how many of them are actually negative. Ask anyone to tell you 10 of their good points and 10 of their faults. Most people will rattle off 10 of their faults easily and then struggle to find 10 good points. I find myself doing that even now.

One of their answers was every time you find yourself with a negative thought, actually say to yourself, 'cancel, cancel' and replace it with a positive one. change 'I'm no good at this', to 'I'm really getting the hang of this, I can do this, I'm good at this'. Most of us are brought up to praise others, but be embarrassed when people praise us. Well, stop that, take credit for all the things you're good at and start praising yourself. think positively and slay that negative dragon.

I've been contemplating doing another W30 or whatever. Last time I feel I concentrated solely on food. Your post has made up my mind for me. This time I'm also going to commit to meditating every day, thinking positively and keeping a (private) journal of my thoughts and feelings. I want my whole life to be as squeaky clean as my diet . So, thanks for the kick up the arse I needed. I'm off to check my cupboards to check no stray nasties have intruded since last time and to start making plans. Ha! having succeeded with W30, we can slay any old dragon. We're ninja dragon fighters extrordinaire :ph34r:

I like the specific strategies you talk about here - mentally cancel the negative self talk, and try meditation. The journaling sounds good too. I have a blog I use for that sort of thought process, and I could easily tie it into a Whole30 lifestyle.

I am tying my Whole100 in with lifestyle changes as well, given I have some exhaustion issues. As part of this, I have set myself some daily goals around relaxing, sleeping, managing work hours etc as although I see the Whole100 as a crucial part of my recovery, I know it isn't the only component of my lifestyle that I need to address. I also recognise that my bad eating habits are partly attributed to alleviating stress and other emotions. Great posts AmyS and Kirsteen.

I wish you the very best and a great deal of rest!

I have a few of thoughts here.

As I embarked on a healthier lifestyle years ago, it was so easy to go from food being a crutch to alcohol or spending too much money. Therapy helped to find out what I was attempting to medicate.

As I embarked on my whole30 this past September, as I progressed, I found myself annoyed with the clutter in my life. I am not sure if it was the whole30, or if I was finally getting enough sleep to notice it. This included noise clutter and I found I have been literally been able to go weeks without turning on the television now. 2013 is my year to reduce the clutter in my life, and I will sell, donate and dispose of a LOT.

Lastly, when it comes to relationships, they are a lot like food choices. It is up to us to learn to recognize which ones make us more healthy, and which ones make us less healthy. I have people that I keep close, and others that I keep at an arms distance. Some are like sweet potatoes, eggs and pork and others are like dairy and grains to me. They have become once in a while, and only in small doses. Not surprisingly perhaps, these are the same people that refuse to acknowledge that they have demons to work on in their lives, one of them also being food.

I love your thoughts Amy .

I decluttered so much over the last five years that I have very little to do, physically, but I completely understand your inclination. For me, it's more about relationship decluttering. I love the analogy about food. I have a relationship that's a sugar dragon, it gives nothing except the occasional jolt of energy followed by a crash, and a low that lasts until the next jolt. I don't really think there's anything wrong with the person on the other end of that relationship, I just think it's not a situation that's good for me. And I actually made a deliberate shift in how I was going to handle that relationship as recently as last weekend - so it's very fresh, and I'm still feeling those cravings. And lest anyone wonder if I'm involved in some sort of weirdness, it has really been as simple as whether or not the person will email me or not. Which seems so innocent, you know? And so harmless. And yet - it's been my relational Starbucks Mochas. Absolutely necessary to life, I thought at one time, and suddenly I've realized that, no, it's not only not necessary, but it hurts.

That means there are some spinach and chicken apple sausage and chocolate chili and spaghetti squash relationships out there for me. This is very hopeful news.

Thanks so much for the analogy, it helps me clarify so much.

[Aberrantatavia]

This is fantastic! I completely identify with you (all of you) and the mental work that you are doing in your lives. It's not just taking control of your eating habits that help you see these things more clearly, but the actual way your brain functions is different when it's being fed properly. And most of our brains are sick and not nourished correctly. If we could “feel†the neurotransmitters in our bodies not working right, we would make different decisions. But it isn't set up that way. Our bodies are so amazing that they can function for years with minimal tending. We keep working, playing, etc at some level until we are really really sick or simply have a stroke or heart attack that “came out of nowhereâ€.

Changing your thought patterns. I've subscribed to the philosophy for ages that your thoughts and feelings should be in alignment and your thoughts should come first. When I approach a situation, I try really hard to figure out what I think before I figure out how I feel. At first it took a lot of practice, but now it just happens. And when my thoughts and feelings are at odds, I stop and don't do anything until I sort out my head/heart. I don't tend to sweat the small stuff, but it can apply to something simple like whether to go out after work with my friends, or something big like a job change. I use the same basic process. But there are tapes in our heads that were planted along the way. And Removing those negative ones and replacing it with positive ones is really important. And it was a huge step for me in my life. There are books and tapes out there to help you do this in your life if you aren't sure where to start and to REALLY get deep in there.

Cleansing. I wonder if we start our physical and mental cleansing process with a change in our diet because it's something we have complete control over? Ok, well, I wonder if *I* do this, because I do have some control issues. I don't have complete control over much else, but I do have complete control over what goes in my mouth. So I know if I can succeed at this, then I can do anything I put my mind to.

Relationships. I suck at these. Or at least I always thought I sucked at these. Over the past couple of years I've worked through many relationships in my life with family and friends. And about 2 weeks into my first whole 30, I found a fantastic guy who loves me like I never thought possible. Was it just luck of the draw? Or was it that I could finally see a little clearer with my head and my heart? I don't know, but I do attribute my overall better well-being to incorporating the Whole 9 principles into my life.

[AmyS]

What you say about the actual neurological processes makes so much sense. It's like a whole new level of awareness coming awake after eating clean for a while (a pretty short while, really!). And I've been to loads of therapy, tried all sorts of modalities to clear my thoughts of negativity, and have done so much work on my life over the last several years. But there's something I can't quite put my finger on about how this Whole30/WholeLife eating has affected my brain, my perception, my emotions, my awareness. It's like waking up after a long sleep to discover that most of what was entrenched in my brain was held there by the food choices I made, and now that those are gone, I have a brain that is set in old patterns while at the same time creating new ones.

This is all kind of blowin' my mind, maaaan. Heh. I seriously had no idea that when my friend told me doing a Whole30 helped her concentrate better, so I decided to try it, that it would have such far-reaching and such positive effects on my entire life.

[Aberrantatavia]

INORITE????

But like slow poison, you don't really realize what is happening and then you get used to it and don't know any better.

Of course, you also have to be ready to accept whatever change there is, and it sounds like you are embracing it completely.

Awesomeness

[AmyS]

INORITE????

But like slow poison, you don't really realize what is happening and then you get used to it and don't know any better.

Of course, you also have to be ready to accept whatever change there is, and it sounds like you are embracing it completely.

Awesomeness

Yes, the slow poison analogy is very apt. And embracing the change involved in giving up that very poison is quite a journey in and of itself. I suppose that's where the book title comes from - it does indeed start with food. At least for me.

[shelley417]

"Cleansing. I wonder if we start our physical and mental cleansing process with a change in our diet because it's something we have complete control over? Ok, well, I wonder if *I* do this, because I do have some control issues. I don't have complete control over much else, but I do have complete control over what goes in my mouth. So I know if I can succeed at this, then I can do anything I put my mind to."

Thank you all for these beautiful posts. I too began my first W30 because I felt so out of control in my life but knew I could control what went into my mouth. Having read all the posts, I am realizing that I need to look at my control issues. Can I give up resisting the things I cannot control? I would like to.

[AmyS]

"Cleansing. I wonder if we start our physical and mental cleansing process with a change in our diet because it's something we have complete control over? Ok, well, I wonder if *I* do this, because I do have some control issues. I don't have complete control over much else, but I do have complete control over what goes in my mouth. So I know if I can succeed at this, then I can do anything I put my mind to."

Thank you all for these beautiful posts. I too began my first W30 because I felt so out of control in my life but knew I could control what went into my mouth. Having read all the posts, I am realizing that I need to look at my control issues. Can I give up resisting the things I cannot control? I would like to.

The bolded part just blew my mind, man. I think I need a tattoo of that somewhere...

[melbournegirl]

Youve got me thinking now. I feel like I need to be in control and I like routine. But I am experimenting with my whole100 and I seem to be able to relax my need for control.... not obviously over eating noncompliant junk... that doesnt appeal to me much at the moment thank goodness so thats not hard right now... but over what I need to eat and how often and how much. I follow the template re fat and protein but there is a fair bit of leeway there. Sometimes I have smallish simple meals and sometimes its almost like two meals in one and I play around a bit with pre and post workout meals but I am just going with the flow re what my body/mind tells me it feels like and it seems to be working as I can last till the next meal without thinking overly much about food in between so I am optimistic that I am starting to follow my true hunger signals and no longer have to 'control' everything.... I hope so anyway

[bonnynancy]

You caught me. My upcoming W30 is about a whole lot more than eliminating bad foods, cleaning up my diet, etc. It's about -- for once, for the first time ever -- PUTTING MYSELF FIRST! After 50-some years of prioritizing everything and everyone else, I am going to do this thing for me. No matter what. For 30 days, nothing is more important. Nothing.

[AmyS]

You caught me. My upcoming W30 is about a whole lot more than eliminating bad foods, cleaning up my diet, etc. It's about -- for once, for the first time ever -- PUTTING MYSELF FIRST! After 50-some years of prioritizing everything and everyone else, I am going to do this thing for me. No matter what. For 30 days, nothing is more important. Nothing.

I need to do this, as deliberately as you're doing it. I realize, just as I read this from you, that this is precisely what I need to do. Focus on what I actually need and want. Not what I think will go over well, or what will feed some relationship addiction. Thank you so much for this. I was having a kind of a rough day today and I think you just flipped a switch in my brain with that post. I really appreciate it. (And I still want your bustier! Heehee)

[bonnynancy]

I'd give it to you, but it's not mine. It belongs to a lady in my family, but she died in 1638, so maybe she doesn't want it anymore. Just go to the city museum in Manchester, England and tell them i said you could have it.

[AmyS]

I'd give it to you, but it's not mine. It belongs to a lady in my family, but she died in 1638, so maybe she doesn't want it anymore. Just go to the city museum in Manchester, England and tell them i said you could have it.

Woot! Heehee I KNEW I was going to need all those frequent flier miles for something!

[paleolala]

I've just liked every post in this stream! I love this thinking. I'm a big fan of this quote - though I have no idea where/who it came from::

"Food is the most widely abused anti-anxiety drug, and exercise is the most potent and under-utilized antidepressant."

I'm only a week into my first Whole30, but I've played around with ancestral health in various forms since really getting my head around how detrimental my "health" habits have been in the past. In my experience this quote is bang on point. I'm stunned by how much of a difference good food and exercise make to my mental health, and how easily these changes flow into other areas of my life. As soon as I started looking closely at what I'm putting into my body in a no bullshit way, it has prompted small and large changes in thinking for me all across the board.

In my work and personal life, I'm really interested in why we do what is easy, instead of what is good (ie, ensures the best outcome for the most people). I'm finding that eating good food is the first step in so many ways, and almost essential to allow the avalanche of positive change that follows. I'm sure my preoccupation with being values-aligned isn't the norm, but I'm meeting enough people who think like me to assume it might be helpful for at least some people on this forum!

I've identified disordered behaviour in my eating habits that is also happening in many other areas of my life - money, work, relationships, even my own sense of self to an extent. For me, getting the food thing right has flowed directly to other important areas of my life and allowed me to really think about this in detail:

Moving - striving for my physical body to achieve what it is capable of, and my relationship with my body, my weight and how I look (and how I'm perceived)

Money - thinking about what I want to spend money on, my attitude to money in general and my short and long term financial goals

Work - what I invest my time in, what I want to create and what I want to be known for

My relationship with my husband - making sure I'm the best partner I can be, being a valuable part of our two-person team

Ethics - thinking about how my behaviours impact others (environmentally, financially, socially), everything from what kind of businesses I'm investing in when I spend money with them, to what kind of behaviours I want to encourage in others by my own actions

Others - being generous and giving, but in a way that doesn't jeopardise what I'm about or what I can achieve.

I feel like I'd been working on some of these things for a while, but the last 7 days have kind of accelerated the process in a way I really wasn't expecting. It's amazing what some clear thinking and a positive outlook can do!

Just think what could be achieved globally, if this process happened for everyone. As the Hartwigs say, It Starts With Food!

[HealingWithin]

Yes, I think that doing the inner work (working on our beliefs, emotions, universal needs) is a critical part of creating a relationship with food (and body) that feels peaceful. I don't think you have have long term success without that inner work. When we embark on something like the W30, something that truly honors our body, our "stuff" comes up real quick like. Particularly if we start seeing the patterns of how we use food to cope with life and take that habit away. Stopping the emotional eating/overeating is the fastest way to see the WHY behind our realtionship with food. I offer a lot of tools for this and , in fact, wrote a post that touches on this yesterday: http://www.christieinge.com/eat-whatever-you-want/

[Lily]

I am only on day 4 of my first Whole30, and I have found this thread extremely enlightening and inspiring -- will come back to reread when things get tough. Thanks.