I did it. Again. Now the real learning can begin. Before it does, you may be wondering why do I torture myself? How did I get here? What is the point if this willpower test is only 30 days, and then I am right back to eat all the things?

Well, let me first take you back to how I got to Whole30. If you've gotten this far on my website, it is safe to assume you've heard a bit about my motherhood journey. If you haven't read anything, I will sum it up for you. IT WAS NOT EASY!!! FIVE pregnancies in FOUR years with two kids to hold in my arms. You get the picture. Tack onto that, by the time I finished having those two monkeys; I was pushing forty. Annoyingly, in the world of gestation, that's old. (In the world of real women, that's when we are getting to the good stuff!) All of the above factors had, without me knowing, an effect on my health. About a year after Sullivan's birth, I started having gastrointestinal issues. Not to get too graphic, but I would go a DAYS without pooping. DAAAYS followed that in the complete opposite direction. You get the gist. I was still experiencing night sweats as if I had just given birth. I was breaking out in welts and hives all over my body weekly. The final annoying symptom was waking up with Bell’s palsy like symptoms every couple of months. If you don't know what that is, you look as if you've had a stroke. One side of your face has dropped. It is something I experienced pregnant. In my twenties, I would sometimes get this right before getting sick. Dealing with it on this regular basis was not the norm and disheartening. At my next annual exam with my beloved OB/GYN, Dr. Anderson, I expressed my concerns. She addressed them by telling me, "Well, Liz, you are forty. You've put your body through a lot. You're probably experiencing perimenopause." I promptly told her to F off! What the menopause?!?

After I calmed down, she suggested putting myself through some version of an elimination diet to see how my body processes different foods and preservatives now that my hormones have changed so much. I ignored this suggestion for two years. I went on dealing with the symptoms, chasing kids, and trying to keep up with life. The symptoms got worse and more frequent. So much so that I went to a GI doctor. Many tests were done, including a colonoscopy and endoscopy. Blood was taken, showing that I could have Celiac disease. It was a mess. At that time, I said to my ex-husband, I think it is time to look into my diet and change it. This was June of 2019. I had already researched #Whole30. I bought the books. I was following Whole30 folks on Insta. I decided to dive in. I told my then-husband that I was going to have the summer of my dreams. I was going to eat and drink ALL THE THINGS! Not care about weight or health. Just go wild! Then in September, I would complete my first Whole30. He was ready to take the plunge with me. That was what we did. We ate. We drank. Then we ate and drank some more. It was as decadent and wonderful as it sounds.

Right after Labor Day, it all came to a hard stop. Honestly, we were ready. We had indulged so much that we were grossed out and prepared for the change to health. I am not going to lie. The first couple of weeks were tough. I had headaches. I was irritable. I felt like a Mack truck had hit me. I was tired of all the dishes and thinking about food all the time. I even had a dream that I ate a sandwich. It was so real I woke up thinking it happened. I was so upset that I had done all that work and screwed it up with a sandwich! It was a riot when I came to my senses. It was also clear that I was not feeding my body with the right things. Week three hit. Everything changed. I was sleeping. Get this...through the night! And there wasn't a sweat to be found. I realized I hadn't had a hive in weeks. I had TONS of energy. My poop! Oh, my poop was regular. I was a believer. The Whole30 lifestyle got more comfortable, as well. The best part was this lifestyle was helping me in other avenues of my life that I didn't even anticipate. In the world of Whole30, they are called Non-Scale Victories. Man, was I victorious. I have always been a little nervous to speak up for myself or appear "high maintenance.” On Whole30 I had no choice but to ask for what I needed, so I did. I listened as others complained about people not being able to eat this or that. I felt the eyes roll when I was specific in my edits of a menu when out with friends. I didn't care. The overall health I was feeling far outweighed all the judgment. I began to start to get comfortable with living and advocating for the best version of myself. Wasn't this precisely what I was always preaching to my kids about? Now I wasn't just talking the talk. I was walking the walk. They were witnessing all of this evolution of Mom. It was great. Of course, I didn't stay Whole30 all the time.

Now I generally eat in a Whole30 fashion Sunday through Friday. On the weekends, I tend to throw more caution to the wind. I found out that dairy and I do not get along. Tummy troubles and night sweats jump in when I eat any dairy. I apply the #FoodFreedom way of thinking, "Is this worth it?" If it is on the weekend, I go for it. I'm not going to lie. I go for it more times than I don't. Soy is generally not my friend. My joints hurt, my face gets swollen, and poop? Well, I will see you in a few days. Sometimes I even get headaches. Gluten, my body is pretty okay processing. But sugar? OY! It all comes flying back. Before this August Whole30, I did partake in a pie three days in a row that wrecked me. No sleep. GI issues like you read about. Night sweats were back in full effect. I had joint and back pain. It was worth every part of that nastiness. That pie was just that good! That is the beauty of Whole30. You make decisions that are best for you. It is not a diet. It is a lifestyle. I know. We all hate that sentence. I am with you! It is annoying and obnoxious. Sadly, it is true. Also, annoying and obnoxious. Feel free to give me the finger here. I can take it. My health, both mental and physical, opened my eyes to everything. Hell, I left my husband two months later. (More on that in a different blog.) I mean, that is powerful thinking!. It also led me to develop Nourished Families. I can support people on finding their path to health and wellness by showing them it doesn't have to look like everyone else's path. Whole30 gave me the tools to customize and stop counting calories. I can go off the track for a moment and then reset. Please don't get me wrong. Mama needs her wine! I love French fries and pizza. I can eat, and I do! But then I get back. I know I am on the right path because this August Whole30 was so much easier than the one I did a year ago. I didn't have to detox as much because I hadn't veered too far off the road. Yet I still learned so much and felt so much better.

Now begins that TRUE learning—the reintroduction. I will post all about it on @nourishedfam. I can't wait. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or want more information. We need to allow ourselves the right to take care of us. It makes all the difference in the world. I am still learning this, but I know I am getting closer. I call that a Non-Scale Victory for sure!