RE: Whole30 - Day 25 - Making Friends with the Middle
Okay, I'll weigh in here. (Pun intended!) First, I love your post. You are always thoughtful and insightful, but this post goes above and beyond, really getting at some things we all deal with whether or not we are on a restrictive diet. There are so many reasons we start things--the proverbial New Years resolutions etc.--and so many reasons we end them as well. We got to the goal, or close enough. We forgot why we started. We got bored.
In this case, you have plenty of good reasons to continue. All the pain and sleep issues that have resolved are amazing. Since I've traveled this journey with you, and you asked for input, I will share my vote which is this: keep going. You've got this. You're succeeding beautifully at it, without making yourself bonkers over every little eating misdemeanor, which seems to me quite sustainable.
Plus I'm really jealous of your success, and as my sister it's your duty to humiliate and humble me. Kidding!
I've lost weight on this diet, but no other aspects of it have done for me what it has done for you. I don't even feel particularly great by comparison with how I felt a month ago. I have had some revelations: coffee without cream is not horrible; I am not an alcoholic and it was no big deal to give up my little happy hour glass of wine. But other than that? Meh. I've eaten more meat than I would like to, simply because otherwise I would pretty much be trying to sustain myself on vegetables, nuts and eggs. I'd rather eat less meat.
So, like you, I'm trying to find my place in the middle. I want to continue to maintain the weight loss I've achieved or ideally lose just a few more pounds. Going forward, I plan to keep what seems to work really well for me and make me feel healthier, and then adjust. I miss my garbanzo beans.
The beans! Yes the beans. They call to me too, in their tiny little legume whispers. For me it is beans and dairy. I miss yogurt and I miss bean soup. The rest hasn't been much of a loss, much less than I anticipated. But yes, whole-heartedly agree. We can take our time and figure out what we want to take away from this Whole30 thingy. As we've discussed, it is a little too regimented for us. The on-going version needs to be a little kinder a little gentler, a little less regimented. Whenever I think of someone doing this diet 100% on-track, I must admit my personal prejudices conjure up an image of an Amazonian warrior-ess, armor clad and battle ready. That ain't me. On the other hand, as much as I don't want to be her, and as much as I acknowledge my slips, errors, full on failures and overall humanity in this endeavor, I also value the lesson that I can do this. I hate to use such an numbingly overused word, but I really have been empowered by this month of restriction. The choices are mine, really, really mine. Such a gift to feel that way down deep in my soul. My choices are mine alone.