Marijoy.

Lucky number 13! I’ve officially passed the hardest days... sugar detox, cravings, headaches, fatigue... and now I’m so close to the “Tiger Blood” days. Almost halfway and I’m feeling great!

Even though I am missing my evening glass(es) of wine, I’m not missing anything from my meals like I thought I would be. I don’t miss the sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on a marinara sauce. I don’t miss cheese or sour cream from my taco bowls (at least as not as much as I was expecting!).

Last weekend (days 6&7) were probably the worst days for me. I still felt “hangover-ish” and was exhausted. I think I slept a full 24 hours. Monday, day 8, I woke up feeling so much better! It’s just been getting better since then.

The one thing I am struggling with the most is not being able to go out and do anything, even if it is just out to dinner. I don’t want to tempt myself with a pizza or a beer when I know I can’t have either of those. I have self-control, but not that much! Sitting at home on the weekends is getting pretty old, and I still have two more to go.

Food is my passion, sometimes good and sometimes bad, but Whole30 has helped me love the healthy foods so much more. It’s challenged me to cook things I have never made before, which I enjoy. It’s helped me to think of food as nourishment for my body, instead of a crutch or a reward.

Let me preface this: I have never been on a diet, I am fairly new at blogging, I am not a nutritionist, and I have definitely never done a food blog. So this 30ish-day journal will be organic & raw (pun intended) so take it for what it’s worth.

Why am I doing Whole30? Well, to begin, I have wanted to try a diet for a while, but haven’t been that motivated. I have had several friends find success with Whole30 so I decided to give it a try. I haven’t been happy with my health or weight for quite some time but could never find anything that I could stick with to make any sort of lifestyle changes. I am hoping Whole30 can change that. I’ve read up on the diet, about successes and difficulties, and I am up for this challenge.

I recently had blood work done along with my annual physical, from which I found out I have high blood pressure and high triglycerides, well on my way to metabolic syndrome, as I have researched. Having high blood pressure at a young age increases my risk of early stroke, both of which run in my family. High triglycerides also run in my family and can lead to multiple health issues in the future.

At 26, I am at a point in my life where I know that I need to make a change or changeS, or my current lifestyle will have damaging effects on my future health.