Whole30 Starts NOW

This journey for me has been a long time coming. I have had stomach issues my entire life.

I have been to several doctors. I've tried several different drugs. Nothing helped. I just learned to live with it.

About 7 years ago, my friends who were also chiropractors suggested me cutting out gluten and diary to fix some stomach issues I was having. I laughed...like literally laughed at them. I told them that was never going to happen.

Fast-forward to 2 years later. I was done having (and feeding) kids. My body was adjusting to not being pregnant or breastfeeding. I started having these strange symptoms. I would sweat profusely when I was cold. I gain weight even though I was exercising vigorously and eating under 1200 calories. And finally, my raynaud's disease was out of control. On top of all this, my stomach issues never went away.

I went back to my doctor. He did every kind of blood work and physical exam imaginable. Nothing. Everything was 'normal'. I didn't back down, and he gave me some medicine to try. I was on that for four years.

Fast forward to November 2016. My insurance wasn't going to cover my medicine anymore and to be quite frank, I was over having to take a pill every day. So I stopped. Easy as that. (btw- it was not easy. Weaning myself off that med was horrible.)

Now we are in 2017 and you guessed it. 3 months after stopping my meds, all my symptoms are back.

I looked at the Paleo diet a little bit in 2015. I thought it might be something to just 'try' to help me lose a couple pounds. No real reason other than pure vanity. I never jumped on that wagon because, to be honest, my weight was fine where it was. There was no other motivation.

I have had several friends who have gone through the Whole30 with differing results. Yes, most lost weight (added bonus!), but most started and continued with it because of a medical reason. So I ordered the book

I won't go into the entire science behind Whole30. If you want to learn more, buy the book off Amazon. It's only $12 and I believe it's worth every penny, even if you never do day 1 of Whole30. But, I am a 'knowledge is power' kind of girl. I like knowing as much about topic as I can. This book really does give you the entire picture of the food we eat. (Their website is pretty good for info as well - but the book is better!)

I am hoping and praying my body is able to 'reset' and these symptoms go away. If I lose a couple pounds, great. :)

So I am going to try it. I got the book on Thursday. By 9pm that night, I knew Friday would be my day 1. Zero prep, zero trips to the grocery store. It was now or never. That and we have a big trip planned in 30 days. To be it was just fortuitous!

This blog is really just for me. To document my journey along the way. Remind myself how I feel each step. What changes I see, feel, notice. A place to document recipes/food I like. Somewhere that if I continue after 30 days or want to start up again this summer, I can be reminded, yes, that first week is not fun, but keep it up. You will feel great soon.

Wish me luck!