Day 13- Why am I doing this challenge?

I am almost to the halfway point of the Whole30 Challenge.  Overall, I feel pretty good, and already I have learned that I do have self-control when it comes to eating and avoiding certain foods. 

In tonight's post, I want to explain to people a bit about the paleo diet and the Whole30 Challenge.  There are so many diets out there, that people have become so skeptical about them, and insist that diets do not work. Well that is absolutely true.  Diet's don't work.  It must be a lifestyle change.  You must learn how to eat healthy and continue to do so throughout the rest of your life.  But also, there are many factors and variables in how people eat and what they eat.  It really has become a huge argument/discussion in today's society.  I'm sick of it, and I'm sure many others are, also.  It is so hard to believe what is true these days.  80% of body composition is based on diet (sure we must exercise, but weight loss does not depend on it). 

What is the Whole30, you ask?  Here is some info taken from the website:

Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you?
Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the inflammatory, gut-disrupting, calorie-dense but nutritionally sparse food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health. The most important reason to keep reading?
This will change your life.
We cannot possibly put enough emphasis on this simple fact – the next 30 days will change your life. It will change the way you think about food, it will change your tastes, it will change your habits and your cravings. It could, quite possibly, change the emotional relationship you have with food, and with your body. It has the potential to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. We know this because we did it, and tens of thousands of people have done it since, and it changed our lives (and their lives) in a very permanent fashion. (Need convincing? Just read some of our stunning testimonials.)

That just sums up why I am doing this challenge.  My goal is to lose weight, first off.  I've removed grains from my diet (particularly the gluten filled wheat), and aim at eating little to no sugars and alcohol.  Since I did just this I began to lose weight, but I'm looking for a reason to be more "strict"- hence participating in this challenge.  I want to remove these things for 30 continuous days, as well as dairy, and see what happens to my body (physically, mentally, and emotionally).  Once the 30 days are over, I will begin to experiment by adding some of these foods back into my diet- such as dairy- to see if it affects my weight loss efforts and/or anything else (skin conditions, allergies, mucus levels, etc)  Get it??

After this challenge is over, I will continue to eat meat, eggs, fish, nuts, vegetables and some fruits...but I will also allow myself to have some alcohol and sweets on occasion.  "The Primal Blueprint" recommends the 80/20 rule (stick to eating clean 80% of the time, with 20% being "cheating")  But I may find out that when I do cheat and drink a wheat beer or have pizza or cookies, that my body reacts negatively to it...maybe in the form of intestinal issues or an acne or eczema skin breakout.  If so, that will just reinforce that my body is not meant to eat these foods and I should stay away from them completely.

So what is the paleo diet?  And the difference from the primal diet?  They are basically both eating like our ancestors did- foods that grow from the earth and from animals that were caught.  No man-made processed or manipulated foods that are full of chemicals and toxins.  Here is a good link:  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/whats-the-difference-between-primal-and-paleo/#axzz1jUoKuhbk

Here are two other links that explain why wheat and grains are unhealthy:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-grains/#axzz1jUoKuhbk
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/press-media/faqs/

I was very skeptical when I first came across the "Wheat Belly" book page on Facebook.  Just like many of you are, I argued how wheat and grains could be unhealthy when our society advertises them so much as being "heart healthy" and "full of healthy whole grains", etc, etc.  Well since reading the book, and many other blog articles, and research, I have learned why, and I am now a believer.  I am also finally losing the weight that I haven't been able to get off for 3 years, and I am not even exercising much right now!!  This discovery has changed my life.  This picture explains everything:

 

Well I could go deeper into this, but I will not waste the time here...that would involve way too much writing and gathering up resources to prove a point.

Today was a lazy day, I caught up on sleep and feel refreshed after a long week!  I had beef stew for lunch, along with some blueberries and half a grapefruit.  I chose to stay in and do a little cooking tonight.  Blahhh boring!  Anyway, I made the walnut red pepper dip, a mint salad dressing, and paleo apple muffins.  The dip didn't turn out as good as my uncle's did, but I think he made his with fresh red peppers and almonds (I used a jar of roasted red peppers).  The muffins were ok, somewhat satisfied the craving for a "dessert".  Oh, dinner was the primal meatballs and marinara over spaghetti squash.  Here are the pics:

Tomorrow will be some more cooking....and exercising!