It's Time To Give The Whole30 Plan A Good Go Around

So here I am sitting here on Monday morning and I’m thinking about how far I’ve come over the past 5 years in my health and fitness journey.  I have cut out almost all processed foods, I have learned to control my cravings for sweets, I have learned to cut out fake sugars, I have learned to make exercise a part of our daily routine and I have effectively transitioned my entire family over into clean eating.  Although in the past 5 years I have definitely had some ups and downs. The holidays got the best of me, summer time and cocktails and vacations threw us for a loop.  I also have been very busy building my health and fitness  business and I am pretty sure that my personal drive and determination to be successful have caused a little chronic fatigue.  So here I am wondering if the whole30 plan could be something that my body would respond really well too.
I tend to have bloating, chronic fatigue, sugar cravings and the munchies.  I know that I am sensitive to food because I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in college.  I have to be very careful with dairy and fried foods.  I know that food really affects my skin and I can just see that this could potentially really help me out.
So while I feel that I do a pretty darn good job of living the 80-20 rule which means 80% of the time I am on track and 20% of the time I enjoy treats I know that I may of swung that pendulum to far to the 20% over the past few months.  So starting today I am officially kicking off my Whole 30 journey.

What am I going to be eating over the next 30 days? 
So the good part is that I am not going to be eating wildly different from what I am already eating. I am going to eat foods that promote a healthy psychological response, healthy hormonal response, foods that support a healthy gut and proper immune function and minimize inflammation.
I am cutting out ALL sugar including honey, agave nectar, xylitol, Truvia/Stevia, Sucralose, table sugar, maple sugar.  WHY?  Because they do not make you healthier.  It is empty calories for starters and it causes an overconsumption via pleasure and reward pathway in your brain.  It is an unhealthy psychological relationship with your food that becomes very hard to break.  Its a sugar addiction and I suffer from it! The more I eat it the more that I crave it. These types of bad habits are what cause insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity.  It also disrupts the balance of gut bacteria which of course me and my gut have been at war most of my life.
I am also not having alcohol for the next 30 days  EEKKK this is hard because we are traveling and alcohol is such a social thing for us.  But it also contributes to the leaky gut.  Whole grains are another one that I am cutting out.  So for example no barley, corn, rice, millet, buckwheat, quinoa ect… I am also passing on the peanuts and the soy because they are not very good for your bodies intestinal lining.  I have stayed away from soy for quite some time now because it does mess with the estrogen in your body.
I am staying away from milk and cheese because I already know that it doesn’t agree with me but also because it just doesn’t do our bodies good because of the way it is processed and milk proteins do in fact produce a high insulin response in our bodies which can cause inflammation.
So while I just told you all the things I’m not eating, I am still eating a lot of great foods.
Lean proteins
Fresh fruits and veggies
All natural good fats
Sweet potatoes
Seafood

Here is my meal plan for the first week and gasp I am actually traveling this week to so please send me some good vibes.

Monday Breakfast:

Shakeology w/ almond butter, spinach, water, ice and unsweetened coconut Snack: almond butter and apple Lunch: Harvest grilled chicken salad

Snack: Jicama sticks and guacamole

Dinner: Stuffed peppers

Snack: Kale Chips
Tuesday
Breakfast: Shakeology
Snack: almond butter and apple
Lunch: leftover Stuffed peppers
Snack: Jicama sticks and guacamole
Dinner: Steak salad with cilantro lime mayo
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Spinach Frittata
Lunch: Shakeology w/ almond butter, spinach, water, ice and unsweetened coconut
 Dinner: Ground Turkey Meat with Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Thursday:
Breakfast: Shakeology w/ almond butter, spinach, water, ice and unsweetened coconut
Snack: apple & almonds
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad
Dinner: Grilled steak, sweet potato and steamed veggies
Friday:
Breakfast: Shakeology
Snack: Peaches & almonds
Lunch: Grilled chicken salad
Dinner: salmon, sweet potato and steamed veggies
Saturday:
Breakfast: Egg white fritatta Veggies and an apple
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad
Dinner: Grilled meat with steamed veggies
Sunday:
Breakfast: Shakeology
Snack: apple & walnuts
Lunch: Grilled meat and veggies/ zucchini

What do I hope to accomplish?  I really hope to get rid of my chronic fatigue, my cravings for sweets and just feel better all around.  I noticed that my lack of diligence with my food has affected my skin and I want to see if I can turn that around.
I completed day 1 yesterday and I actually didn’t do so bad at all. I made my last meal 7 pm and went to bed without being overly hungry!  So here I am on day 2 and I was up at 6:00 am to do my workout and I definitely feel a little headache-y today and a little sore and foggy.  I am truly going through the detox phase today but that is ok!  I’m going to get thru this and I am going to feel so much better afterwards.

What am I doing for workouts?  I am going to be following the Insanity Max30 plan with Matt for the next month.  We have made a commitment to each other to get up in the morning and workout.  So for the past 2 days the alarm has gone off at 6:00 am and we have started our day together!

Can’t wait to be able to share our results with you!  I am pretty sure that this will be a challenge group in the very near future so stay tuned for all the details.  Thanks for following my journey and I’ll keep you posted each week on how it is going!!!