Whole 30: Day 20 – Food No Longer Has Control
If i’m quite honest, the idea of going off of Whole 30 is scary.
It’s scary because of the freedom and personal responsibility it brings. I would no longer be under a set of rules that were prescribed to me, but would have the freedom and the ability to make my own choices when it comes to food and drink, and although that is empowering, it’s also scary.
After a period of time where one has prescribed to a strict set of rules, particularly in food or exercise, when that period of time is over, one’s natural tendency is to just go crazy and eat or do everything one couldn’t do during that strict/disciplined period. After a challenge such as Whole 30, the temptation is to just eat everything that wasn’t allowed during the 30 days and have a food fest. Yet, we all know that we would physically and even emotionally feel horrible after that – but the temptation still remains.
On my last Whole 30’s, I didn’t have major food fests right afterwards, but it was hard to stop eating pass my bliss point when I did have that first dessert or non-Whole 30 food. Physically, the food brought pleasure to my brain so my mind told me to keep eating. Mentally, it was a relief to not be under the strict rules anymore and not worry about slipping up. However, emotionally it would always mess me up when I ate too much, due to my history with emotional eating. Therefore, it’s only natural that I would feel a twinge of fear in the freedom post-Whole 30 brings considering my past.
Yet, this time I vow for things to be different. I vow to not let the fear of freedom keep me from being free. I vow to allow myself a worthwhile treat every now and then. I vow to continue to choose real, whole foods every day not for the sake of rules, but for the sake of true, holistic health. I vow to keep this commitment, even when it’s hard.
Will I be perfect to this vow? Nope, because I’m human with weaknesses, but this time, I will allow myself the grace to be weak and call upon God’s truth and strength to be strong.
I’ll tell you right now that I’m not perfect when it comes to eating, exercising, sleeping 7-8 hours every night, always handling my stress well, and so forth. I fall and make mistakes just like everyone else.
However, I have made a vow to both God and myself that I will not quit or give up, but always persevere in this lifelong journey of physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally being made well. I will not give up because it’s not in my nature to quit. I will push forward because God has given me the grace and strength to. I will use my freedom of choice to make beneficial choices to my overall health and well-being(which hey, could mean actually eating a treat at times).
You see my friends, after an experience like Whole 30, I’ve come to see that food or cravings no longer has control over me. If I can say no to certain foods for 30 days, then I can say no to them after the 30 days as well.
A challenge such as Whole 30 reveals the self control, strength and determination I have deep inside of me, that which I always had inside of me. All it took was me calling upon that self-control and strength during those 30 days for me personally to see that. All it took was courage to face each day with joy, discipline, and expectation. All it took was me saying yes to whole foods which would fuel me, and would heal my body, mind, and soul.
Friends, 20 days are down and there are 10 more days to go. Physically, my body has changed and my digestion has improved. Mentally, I’ve seen how self-controlled I can be. Emotionally, I’ve not let stress or even positive emotions sway me to eat sweets or use food as a source of pleasure. Spiritually, I’ve drawn closer to Jesus and have seen that He is the one I’ve always been made to crave for and seek as the true source of love, joy, comfort, and peace.
And that to me, has made these last 20 days more than worth it.
