Round 2 Day 5

I'm five days into my second whole30 and I am thrilled at how much easier it has been than the first round! Here are some ways that it has been better:

• I have pretty much memorized what foods I can and can't have this time so it's much easier to shop and plan. 
• I have a clear plan with my kids that helps me stress a lot less about how to include them. 
• I established a lot of food routines the first time and can just replicate my breakfast and lunch plans now.
• I know better which restaurants I can eat at and how to plan for what I can eat. 
• I am a lot more gracious with myself because I know I don't have to be perfect to get good results.
• I also know that these restrictions will not last forever and that I haven't said goodbye the croissants and chocolate for the rest of my life. It doesn't feel as permanent this time as it did last time. (sorta like a first pregnancy versus a second one)

Considering what a junk-food junkie I was the weeks leading up to January, I feel very lucky not to be going through a more cranky detox. It's pretty common to have headaches, mood swings, dipped energy, and insane cravings the first week. I've been ravenously hungry and have been sleeping a ton (10 hours Wednesday!!!) but other than that, I've escaped relatively unscathed.  

Last time I did this I was on summer break and was home most of the day. In some ways working has made it easier. Because I'm not home and thinking about the kitchen and food all day, it's easier to just eat what I packed for lunch and to cook what I have planned for dinner. I'm not snooping through my pantry for snacks as much because I'm not physically in my kitchen as much. 

I've also armed myself with some tools that I didn't have last time. I mentioned getting the Whole30 DaybyDay book at Costco last weekend. I really like it so far. I've been doing my little homework assignments in it before bed every night and the reflective writing prompts are really helpful. I highly recommend it! It kind of reminds me of those pregnancy week-by-week books but with worksheets. 

I purchased It Starts with Food on my Kindle. I may buy the hard copy so that I can lend it out if anyone else wants to read it. It's been really fascinating and affirming to read while on program. I remember reading You The Owner's Manual by Dr. Oz probably 10 years ago and being blown away with learning about how our bodies process food. This book does that on a whole new level. I kind of wish I'd read it sooner, but I'm also glad that I'm reading it now. What I've learned so far is that basically even eating a "healthy" diet with whole grains and low-fat dairy can still lead us down a path to diabetes and other diseases. Melissa does a really good job of breaking down the science of how this works. Had I read this without doing the program I probably wouldn't have understood it as well. When you actually feel the difference from eating foods that control your hormone levels, this is more than just a good idea. It's life-changing. I'm looking forward to reading more!