Mama Smith Goes the Whole30

Hello, dear friends and readers!

A few weeks ago, I announced via my Facebook page that we (my husband and I) would be participating in a Whole30 challenge. For (almost) the entire month of January, we are restricting our eating and drinking to "Whole30 compliant" foods and beverages.

And, y'all, we're so close to finishing!

So why did we choose this dieting trend, in particular, you may ask? And what does motherhood have to do with it?

I will gladly answer these questions. But first, I have a confession to make --

I am a TOTAL and complete carb junky.

I LOVE carbs at an almost unrealistic level! Pasta, cookies, pie, ice cream, bread (ooooh, don't even get me going on bread...), and many, many more delectable, carbilicious treats seem to call my name. In fact, my nickname used to be "carb girl."

We have established that I love me some carbs. And this pseudo-obsession can get me into trouble sometimes. But although carbs get a bad rap nowadays, they are not the enemy in and of themselves. Often, it is our over-consumption of a food that causes the problem.

This point is where the issue sticks for me regarding the Whole30.

During the holidays, when egg nog and pumpkin pie abound, I often encounter my carb cravings at every turn. I also find it EXTREMELY difficult to turn down hospitality-related food, whether in the form of gifts or enticing snacks at work. And sure enough, by the end of this past December, my hubby and I were starting to feel the icky holiday bloat settle upon us like a foreboding cloud.

At the very moment when we began contemplating a change in our habits, I received an email from Michelle Tam, originator of Nom Nom Paleo. I had enjoyed using her keto recipes a couple years ago, and I'd forgotten that I was still subscribed to email updates. She mentioned a Whole30 challenge, which sparked the idea for us.

I remembered discussing Whole30 briefly with my dad, who participated in it last year, and I began seriously considering it. After the hubs and I talked about it, we decided to plan and prep for a few days before starting our own Whole30 experience in the new year.

While I plan on discussing the "what" of Whole30 in another post, I think it is important to lay out my specific "why" here for you.

On a physical level, my husband and I constantly felt tired, sore, uncomfortable, and bloated. Both of us knew that something had to change in order for our day-to-day life to improve. No one likes feeling the way we did, and we finally decided to do something about it.

As a mom, though, the challenge held a different kind of significance for me. I wanted to be more present for my son. I didn't want to fall asleep while reading him a bedtime story or skip a few wild laps of chasing him around the house because I was too tired to keep up. I also felt convicted that we, as a family, needed to start being more intentional about healthy eating. I needed to know that I could help develop good habits and a natural taste for food that is both delicious AND nutritious.

Now for a quick disclaimer regarding the Whole30 diet...

I am aware -- and would like to emphasize -- that a more extreme alteration of your food habits is not always necessary in order to make positive changes. For some people, gradual shifts over time are significantly more accessible and effective. But for our family, and mostly for my husband and myself, we knew it would require a fundamental shift in our thoughts and actions concerning food if we wanted to achieve lasting transformation.

And I am very hopeful that the changes we have implemented through our Whole30 will help us as we move forward. I have learned a lot about healthy eating, food preparation, meal planning, and the importance of evaluating the fuel we put in our bodies.

I have so much more to share about this experience, but I will save the bulk of my content for my live video (and a follow up post)! On Wednesday, January 30, I will go live on the Facebook page for Mama Smith Writes. I will share details about our Whole30 experience, including the rules of the program, pros and cons, and a few tips and tricks for success. Also, I will eagerly answer any questions you may have and respond to comments. Finally, if you stick around until the end of the video, I'll have a special bonus segment on a surprise topic.

Once again, thank you for reading! I hope you have a great week, and I will see you on Wednesday night!

Soli Deo Gloria

- Mama Smith

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