Hi there! It’s me again. I know it’s been a while, but I’m back. I suffered yet another injury to my left knee (last time was my right). When I was running the Marine Corps Marathon 10k, I barely made it to the finish line. I couldn’t walk without Edmund’s help and I was in incredible pain. It’s now been nearly 3 months since my injury and I still have pain. I miss running and I need to find a way back to it.

Back in May of 2017, I did my first Whole30 Round. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Whole30 program, it’s basically a Paleo boot camp. 🙂 Our bodies are at their ultimate point when eating foods we were biologically designed to eat. I can attest to this because I’ve been through the process. You will never feel more alive than when you remove the processed foods and non-human foods from your diet. Here are the foods you aren’t allowed to eat:

1. Dairy – no cheese, milk, yogurt, cream, sour cream, and butter. You can have clarified butter or ghee.
2. Alcohol – Sorry folks! This is obviously bad for your body and there are no exceptions. You aren’t even allowed to cook with it. Goodbye IPAs – I’ll miss you!
3. Legumes – No beans of any kind. This includes soy, tofu, miso, chickpeas, peas, lentils, and peanuts. For those of you who are unaware, peanuts are a bean, not a nut. #mindblown
4. Grains – Say farewell to rice, quinoa, wheat, sprouted grain, corn, and rye! Peace out Gluten! Fun fact: Gluten is pretty much one of the worst things you can put in your body. Your immune system sees it as a threat and is constantly fighting it.
5. Sugar – No kind of sugar whatsoever and this includes maple syrup, honey, stevia, and agave. FYI – If you transition to Paleo after your Whole30 experience, you can introduce natural sugars like maple syrup and honey as long as it’s not processed.
6. Carrageenan, MSG, and Sulfites – Always read your labels. These sneak into almost everything processed.
7. Re-created foods – You cannot use complaint foods and recreate non-complaint items. For example, you cannot make banana pancakes with almond flour, bananas, etc… However, on Paleo, you are allowed to do this.

What can you eat? Whole foods! Foods that our bodies were designed to eat and thrive on. Unprocessed meats (no added sugars or preservatives), vegetables, fruits, eggs, seafood, nuts/seeds, coffee (black or with a compliant creamer), most oils, clarified butter or ghee, andddd that’s it. 🙂

Most of you are probably thinking that this sounds like absolute craziness and is beyond impossible. I promise you, it’s not. Once you get through the first 1-2 weeks, you will feel more alive than imaginable. Your mind will be clear and working at it’s best. Most people (including myself) report less or complete lack of depression and anxiety. You will have limitless energy and your mood will feel on top of the world. Your skin will glow and you will sleep like a baby! Just like the Whole30 book says, it’s just 30 days!! What do you have to lose?

I am going to utilize my blog to document my journey. I hope it inspires others to take the 30-day challenge to change your eating habits and jumpstart a healthy lifestyle. I am going to be completely honest as far as how I am feeling, my good/bad side effects, and my meal plans.

Here is a link to the Whole30 website if you would like to buy the book or research the program. I highly recommend reading the book. You will not be able to put it down!

WHOLE30

My start date is Saturday, January 12, 2019. The night before will include a farewell to IPAs and pizza! 🙂