What I Learned on My Whole 30 That I Can Apply to My Non-Eating Life

I don't spend a lot of times on these titles. I guess it's because I'm mainly writing this blog for myself. I don't really advertise it. It's just the place for me to get my thoughts out and for me to warm up to writing for the day.

I did this program called Whole 30 from mid-May to mid-June. It's basically Paleo with a few adjustments. But I went off of grains, booze, sugars, dairy and legumes for 30 days. The basic lowdown is that I felt lighter (probably lost some weight, but haven't weighed myself), breath was fresher, mood was more even, and I was more conscious about what I was eating. Here are the changes I noticed:

1. Fewer blemishes/glowing skin - people told me I looked "healthier"
2. Longer, stronger nails - I did notice my nails grew faster
3. Brighter eyes - probably
4. Fresher breath
5. Flatter stomach
6. Leaner appearance
7. Clothes fitting better
8. Less bloating
9. More defined muscle tone
10. Less joint swelling
11. Looking younger
12. Feeling more confident in your appearance
13. Healthier gums
14. Less stiff joints
15. Less stomach pain
16. Less diarrhea - NO diarrhea
17. Less gas - mostly - less smelly gas, but I did notice more gas towards the second half
18. Happier
19. More patient
20. More optimistic
21. Less anxious
22. Less stressed
23. Handle stress better - I had a blow out on the freeway on Sunday coming home from Sonoma and didn't freak out when it took AAA two hours to get to me
24. Fewer mood swings
25. Fewer sugar cravings
26. Fewer carb cravings
27. Less reliance on the scale
28. Feeling in control of your food
29. Improved attention span
30. Improved performance at job
31. Clearer thinking
32. Higher productivity
33. Sleep more soundly
34. Awaken feeling refreshed
35. Energy levels are more even
36. More energy in the morning
37. No longer need to eat every two hours
38. No longer get cranky if you don't eat
39. Feel energetic between meals
40. Can exercise longer, harder or faster
41. Feel more athletic
42. Recover more effectively from exercise
43. Healthier relationship with food
44. Practicing mindful eating - this happened without me trying, I just eat slower
45. Learned how to read a label
46. Know which foods make you more healthy or less healthy
47. Eat to satiety
48. Listening to your body
49. No longer afraid of dietary fat
50. Don't use food for comfort - working on that
51. Don't use food as a reward
52. Don't use food as a punishment
53. Don't use food as stress management
54. No longer a slave to sugar and carbs
55. Know the difference between hunger and cravings
56. Fewer cravings
57. Healthy coping strategies to deal with cravings
58. More variety, color, vitamins and minerals in your diet
59. No more food guilt or shame
60. No more binging
61. When you do indulge, it's deliberate
62. When you do indulge, you savor it
63. More knowledgeable about nutrition
64. New cooking skills
65. New recipes
66. Meal prep is organized and efficient
67. Maximize your food budget - spent less money because I wasn't going out, so I had more money to spend on better quality food
68. Created other health goals
69. Healthy eating habits have made your family closer
70. People ask what you're doing differently

Wow. That's a list of 70 improvements - and that's not all the improvements listed in the Whole 30 book. I've made 70 changes in 30 days. That's productive. This seems to work for me. I spend time prepping my food so I appreciate what I'm eating. I also make time for the ritual of food preparation and I utilize every part of the chicken I roast - turning it into bone broth as well. In only 30 days, I have changed the way I look at food and therefore, myself. I'm not dependent on the program, either. I have friends who are worried at what's going to happen to them when they get off of it. I saw all of these changes, but the most remarkable confirmation of success is the changes I didn't feel because I was already implementing a lot of these things.  I gave up caffeine five years ago, which has really helped my energy level and my level of anxiety. I've slowly started making more and more healthy changes in my lifestyle as a result of that one change. So I didn't have the intense withdrawals that a lot of my friends experienced on Whole 30. I got rid of that a long time ago. 

All right. So how does this apply to my non-eating life? I have a high pressured career - and when I'm less anxious, it makes things easier. I get to projects quicker. I have more of an attitude of - let's just get this stuff done. I don't fret over so many things before I get down to the business of writing. I used to worry about everything to the point that I'd waste so much time worrying and spend less time writing. I'd have way more energy gaps because of the soda I'd have to "reward" myself. Or the burger I ate to congratulate myself. If I'm going to spend $15 or $20 on a reward, I'd rather it be going to the spa or doing something cultural like going to a museum or a movie. Or spending that money once a month on my HBO Now subscription. I'm thinking more about how to enrich myself. 

I look for the places where I have empty calories in my life. That soda is empty calories. Doing something that's not enriching to my life is empty calories. But if I spend my time and money doing things that enrich me, then those nutrients carry me through and give me inspiration to do my work. Or they give me the proper rest and clear-headedness to get my shit done. Looking at my diet and where I'm wasting calories has made me look at my life and see where I'm wasting time and effort. I also take the time to prepare my creative mise en place. To make a meal, you have to prepare and cut the vegetables and get the spices out and have all of your ingredients ready. To write a script, you have to do the same thing. Some of that preparation is making lists, journaling, research, outlining, figuring out the story beats, writing a series bible, etc. Sometimes that preparation is short. Sometimes that preparation takes more time. When you're creating a series from scratch, you're making your own cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup, butter, spice blends, etc. So it's not just a matter of buying the ingredients and measuring them out. A lot of stuff is built from scratch. And that takes more time. I forget that. And I get hard on myself when I can't turn something around in two seconds. I have to replenish the supply. I have to go out and get the ingredients. I have to let those ingredients grow before I pick them off the plant. That's not being a temperamental artist. That's being a person who can't just have constant output without any input. 

So I'm learning patience. We want to just grab the roast chicken in the deli section of the Vons. We don't want to pick a chicken, take it home, wash it, dry it, fill it with lemon, spices, onions, herbs, celery and then season it and then put it in the oven and wait 1 hour and 15 minutes for it to come out. Then cool down. Then cut it into pieces and THEN eat it. We want to grab the chicken take it home and pull it apart. You can't eat a raw chicken without getting sick. The funny thing is that by the time you do all of that work and then do other work - like writing in a journal blog - while your chicken is cooking - before you know it the chicken is done and ready. Time is fluid. It takes all of the time it takes. But when you're productive you don't remember that time because you're filling your time occupied with being productive, so it passes quickly. And then you move on. That's a lesson I relearn every day. Because my natural inclination is for instant gratification. And I get mad and moody and upset when that instant gratification doesn't happen. And that's what wastes my time. I have a lot of shit going on. I need to be more patient with myself.

So in addition to that list of 70 things, I'm sure I could add more improvements like:

1. More patience
2. More gratitude for the time it takes to make things great
3. Greater appreciation
4. More productivity
5. More stillness and peace
6. Greater capacity for acceptance
7. Satisfaction of accomplishment
8. Knowledge that I am taking care of myself
9. Awareness that my time is well spent
10. Sense of usefulness
11. Planning
12. Sense of accomplishment

I'm sure there are more things to talk about. But my chicken is done and waiting for me to tear it apart. And I have to head to the library to begin the next part of my day, which is reading some scripts. I feel like I've accomplished so much already this morning. I made breakfast. I made a roast chicken. I'm about to make some broth. And I wrote this blog.

I am grateful for the 82 (and counting) lessons from this Whole 30 experience.

I am grateful for the peace of mind going on this journey has given me.

I am grateful that I make time for myself.

I am grateful that life is good.

I am grateful for fun.

I am grateful that I get to see my niece, nephews, brother and sister-in-law in a week.

I am grateful that I am blessed enough to take these trips.

I am grateful that I am creating the life I want to live.

I am grateful that I am the one in control.

I am grateful that I know clearly what I want out of life.

I am grateful that I act out of that want.

I am grateful that the sun is shining.

I am grateful that I have work.