Ten Days Post-Whole30

We made it! In our own imperfect way, that is...

The rules of the Whole30 state that if you eat or drink anything on the restricted lists, you are supposed to start over from the beginning. Well. THAT wasn't going to happen. 

I already confessed that I had a few french fries part way through. And Pierre made the conscious decision to celebrate two volunteer appreciation days at racetracks with a couple of malted adult beverages. So *officially* we didn't do it exactly right.

However, our tiny steps off the wagon didn't completely derail us, and we both stepped right back on, with barely a hiccup. (Well, okay, Pierre may have hiccupped, but that's just part of sipping bubbly drinks, right?)

The final analysis: 

I loved it. It gave me a chance to find new, lighter ways of cooking and excellent recipes. It helped me stay away from alcohol. And it showed me, once again, how great it feels to set and reach a difficult goal. 

Pierre was far less enthusiastic about the Whole30. His relationship to food is almost polar opposite of mine. While I enjoy all of the minute details -- from flavour combinations to where the ingredients originated and how they affect our health -- Pierre is his endearing, big-picture self. If it's uncomplicated to prepare, at least relatively tasty, and fills him up, he's good. Living with a foodie has, naturally, made him more health conscious, and he's kind enough to humour me, but I'm pretty sure he won't be juice fasting with me anytime soon! That said, he is continuing a mostly low- to no-simple-carb diet and has dropped another pound. It's time to buy him new belts, and that's a fine thing.

 Besides a trimmer waistline, I was striving for a few other life improvements: better sleep, clearer thoughts, increased energy, easier breathing for Pierre, and better skin for me. Truth be told, I didn't notice many changes in these aspects of our lives. 

Today marks my official entry into post-menopause: it's been a year since my last period! Sleep is still sometime interrupted by a hot flash, meno-brain continues to happen, and my energy level seems to be more connected to exercise than food. Movement = life!

It's end of summer and ragweed season, so Pierre's stuffiness and sinus headaches remain (clearly, they're not diet-related, darn it). And my itchy spots didn't disappear, although they definitely improve when I remember to take fish oil caps every day.

So, it was fun, and writing about it has also been a treat, but it's time for brunch here. Thanks again for reading. And hope you have a delightful, delicious weekend!