Here we go!

Well, that sounds a whole lot more upbeat than I am feeling right now. I just said goodbye to the last square of dark chocolate I will have for a month...it would be a miracle for me to welcome that moment with joy.
I also shared popcorn (homemade, with real butter and sea salt) with the kids tonight. But, in all honesty, when I stop to think about what I'm really feeling right now, it is excitement to see what the next thirty days brings for me and Leanne. We took before pictures this evening and despite that being a humbling experience (note to self: don't wear fitted white t-shirts ever) I'm glad we did - I failed to do that with my first Whole30 back in March. I'm already looking forward to the after shots.

There has also never been a better time to do a Whole30. Its creators have designed a daily check-in that is delivered to your inbox, and that seems to have inspired many to sign up for August. It's akin to joining a very welcoming, like-minded group focused on health and wellness. I also bought Well Fed, a Paleo cookbook with 99% Whole30 approved recipes. Its author has a great blog and I kind of have a (totally uncreepy, just a wow, you are super cool kind of) crush on her, so I'm looking forward to digging into some of the recipes.

So, why am I doing this thing? Well, it's a way to challenge myself in the kitchen to create 100% Whole30 compliant meals for a month. It's to give my body an opportunity to really sing with wellness. I'm hoping it's a way to shake the love handles that are so apparent in that white t-shirt. It's to push my palate onto vegetables more often than sweets, be they paleofied or not (bye bye pumpkin spice waffles). The goodbyes aren't final, they are more like bittersweet "see you laters," see you when I'm feeling on top of my game once more.

I'd be disingenuous if I didn't also mention how excited I am to share this challenge with Leanne. We've come to know each other a lot better this past year, and her genuine interest in her health, her recent tuning in to the frequency of the signals her body is sending, is nothing short of inspiring. I am proud of her for taking this step - I think it will be a complete game-changer for her. And don't get me wrong, I'll be leaning on her for support just as often throughout these thirty days. We are in this thing together and as a result, the journey is going to be more fun than if we had embarked on it alone.

So here's to Leanne, and here's to me. Here we go, let's kill this thing!