an eye-opening Whole 30 turned Whole 7

Let me open with I have never been someone who watches their diet closely. There was a short period of time in college when I worked at a gym and my roommate and I got a personal trainer. We logged our food intake, worked-out like beasts, and were in great shape. (side note for anyone thinking how did two young college students afford a gym membership and trainer? Well, my membership was free as an employee, and we knew that employee's spouses or partners were given free memberships...so we were "a couple"! Meaning we didn't pay for the gym membership - savvy college kids!) Then life happened: moving from San Antonio post-college (UTSA - go Roadrunners) to DFW, student teaching (they don't pay us ya know), searching for the perfect school community, short stint at a private school (I'm not a big fan let's just leave it at that), established my career in the bubble of Southlake (four long years of being a Dragon which I loved), and getting engaged on Thanksgiving 2017 and married to my bestfriend by December 2017 then moving in together. Needless to say, my diet has fluctuated.

Have you heard of the whole Whole 30 Challenge? "It is a 30-day fad diet that emphasizes whole foods and during which participants eliminate sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, and dairy from their diets" (thank you Wikipedia). After witnessing a couple colleague/friends experience the Whole 30 Challenge firsthand, I decided it was something I wanted to try. I see W30 as a reset, cleanse, and chance to learn more about food. I planned, pinned, and prepared.

I read about how I needed to be ready for hours in the kitchen mainly chopping and how I must ALWAYS read the ingredients list (people slip sugar into literally E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! It is crazy!) I even got my hubby on board. He was slightly resistant and 100% not excited. We journeyed to the Dallas Farmer's Market Sunday to get local produce and have some fun.

We moved forward into W30 week 1.

I spent the first couple of days going back and forth to the store to pick up odd items like Coconut Aminos (the W30 approved version of Soy Sauce ish), water chestnuts (my husband swore he couldn't find them...), and Green Giant zucchini noodles (in the frozen section because I was not about to buy a spiralizer and spiral my own zucchini noodles).

We were Dr Pepper-aholics. And I won't even deny it. So the weirdest adjustment was the dramatic drop-off from all that sugar. My taste buds were freaked out when I would crack open a can of La Croix and my coffee time was not delightful. I will say that I enjoyed incorporating things like roasted sweet potatoes, apple slices, bananas with almond butter, and pecans. By day 3, I could feel my energy becoming a constant - no afternoon drops and less cravings. I slept harder. I was full. It was going so great, and my hubby and I were enjoying some united time in the kitchen chopping, grilling, and laughing.

Then something unpredictable happened: I severely sprained my ankle on Sunday. I went to hoop with my guys like I've done since a decade ago, and I knew I was a little out of practice so I was ready to take it easy. But not easy enough. The ankle sprain was not one I could walk off - I couldn't walk at all. The guys had to lift me off the court and then to Pops' car so he could drive me back to mine. Thank goodness it is my left foot not my driving foot.

When I got home I was ready to cry. My husband helped me inside and to my seat where I was just heart-broken. I could feel how much W30 was positively impacting my body and my mind, but I couldn't walk - how was I going to chop and prepare all the meals? I could probably order online and pick it up without leaving the car, but I have to get the food in the house, I have to put it all up, I would need to defrost meat, I would need to do the dishes, and on and on. Yes, my husband is supportive and took part of W30 with me, but I couldn't ask him to suddenly do it all - he has like eight metaphorical plates spinning work-wise.

One of my flaws is an obsessive nature when I commit to something to see it all the way through without detours. I go all-in. It's a flaw because I struggle to find the balance. If I am not all-in, I will allow myself to go all-out. It is something I am working on, but in the moment I could not see straight. Thankfully, the hubby helped. He reminded me that "sometimes you can make the best plan possible, but things can change on the ground that cause you to need to adjust your plan". (slightly military talk, but applicable)

I viewed my choice as the opposite, as non-existent. I couldn't stop W30 now because it was Day 7 - I still had 23 days left.

But the thing is, doing W30 is hard enough when you can fully function. And so we called it because I need to spend the next 4-6 weeks healing and recovering. I am thankful for the perspective my husband offered me: that just because I stop W30 on Day 7 doesn't mean that we can't learn from that experience, nor does it mean that we can't attempt it again at a later time when I am up and active.

It is up to me to see the choice in the light or the dark. I can choose to see it as a failure or as a success. It is about perspective, and I am in control.

By the terms of completion - yes I failed W30.

By the terms of adjusting my diet and relationship with food - no I did not fail W30.

Sometimes our plans are changed by things outside of our control. However, we are always in control of our reaction to the detour. It is up to you to see the light in each situation.