Beyond this simplistic summary, there is a great deal going on behind the scenes. This is the emotional and spiritual battle that I have been fighting for years--really, for DECADES. I thought I would take a moment and delve into this a bit more in case it resonates with anyone out there.
While I have explained how I arrived at the Whole30 plan in an earlier post, it helps to have the entire picture and where I think God has been leading me. I hit lifetime status with Weight Watchers in 2005. I stuck to the plan through my pregnancy with my 3rd child and lost almost all of my baby weight very quickly, and I was able to maintain a healthy weight for several years. Then, about 18 months ago I started gaining weight despite not eating horribly and exercising 5 to 6 times a week, even training for and running a half marathon last year. In mid-November, after being diagnosed with hypothyroidism but not seeing any weight loss on medication, I hit an emotional low. I heard an ad on the radio for a weight loss program that promised to help me lose up to a pound of fat per day, and since I was at such a low point, I made an appointment for a free consultation. I listened to the spiel, heard about the products that the company would sell me and the weight loss I could attain (20 pounds in 2 months), then saw the price tag--almost $1600, and even more if I did not pay it all up front! You can imagine how well that was received at home!
My lovely neighbor invited me over that very evening to visit with her, her adult daughter and another neighbor. I shared with them the shocking price tag of the ***amazing new*** weight loss plan, and they were as shocked as my husband had been. My neighbor and her daughter then told me about the plan they were on--the Whole30, involving very drastic food limitations for a relatively short time in order to "reset" your body. They told me how much better they felt on the plan, no cravings after the first 2 weeks, no bloating, more energy. I was very skeptical--not so much about the plan itself but about my ability to give up entire food groups. After all, one of the reasons I had achieved long-term success on Weight Watchers was because nothing was off-limits; instead, moderation was the key, and I had always found that it had worked. Until lately, at least. Now I found myself eating more than I wanted, losing control particularly in the evenings, and gaining weight even while training for that half marathon.
By mid-December, after praying hard about it, lying awake at night dwelling on it, and researching it, I had made up my mind that January would be my Whole30 month. I read all of the Whole30 and most of It Starts with Food, which explains the science behind the plan. My family knew what I was doing and they were supportive (if also skeptical); I planned my meals and made my store lists. And if you have read my other posts you know that I made it through all 30 days without a single "cheat", and my reintroduction went mainly as planned, although I skidded a bit at the end.
So where does this fit in with my overall stance on reaching and maintaining a healthy weight? That is a bit more complicated. (Think of Shrek and the onion--LAYERS, Donkey!) I am still convinced--perhaps even more so than ever--that God has created me with internal cues that should be my ultimate guide on eating, and that no plan man can develop is greater than this. However, I do feel like God pointed me to this way of eating, primarily to help me break free from some of the strongholds that food has had on me. Added sugar, refined sugar, is not a healthy thing, and for an entire month and a half I went WITHOUT ANY SUGAR. This meant giving up coffee (I mean, seriously, the whole point of coffee is the cream and sugar!!); it meant putting away my beloved dark chocolate, cake, ice cream--all the stuff that has been an integral part of my eating habits forever.
I am a big fan of Thin Within, which is very similar in the basic weight loss components as another faith-based plan that I had gone through years ago, but without the flawed theology. (Thin Within) This program leads you away from eating for any reason other than one's basic, God-ingrained physiological need for food. A post on the Thin Within blog led me to another amazing group--Revelation Wellness (Revelation Wellness). Alisa Keeton, the founder of "RevWell", stresses both the eating component AND exercise, and as someone who exercises almost every day of the world, I felt a real sense of kinship with her group. Alisa offered a "Clean Hearting" challenge in January, and it dovetailed so nicely with my Whole30 journey that I knew it was more than just a simple coincidence!
In one of her daily posts during the Challenge, Alisa said something that really hit me:
As I said at the very beginning of this challenge, no one food plan heals and meets the need of all people, but eating whole food is a great place to start. Some of you are being called into a season of saying no to the things that seem to own you and consume you. To you I say, ask God to give you the grace to follow [her daily guidelines]. Do your best to turn your back on old habits and embrace the new. His grace is sufficient for this necessary time of healing and resetting.
Friends, this hit me exactly when and where I needed it. I was struggling with giving up so many of the foods that I typically overate--foods that OWNED me--and to get this message was confirmation that I was on the right path. I am not going to put a pretty face on it--now that I have reintroduced these foods, I still struggle with them. However, having done without them, I feel more empowered to put them down. And with the help of the incredible people in both the Thin Within and Revelation Wellness programs, I sense that I am getting closer to a breakthrough where these foods--indeed, all foods--are concerned. I am also hoping to become a certified Revelation Wellness instructor, although this likely will not happen until 2017 (I am working hard at cultivating several fruits of the spirit, and patience ranks right up there with self-control!).
We must each travel on our own journey and walk down the path that God has chosen specifically for us. What works for me might not work for you. But I encourage you to be open to where God might lead you.
In His Peace,
Lisa
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