Well, I'm a week post-Whole30 Challenge and a smidgen more than a week out from my wedding day. Holy canoli. I feel like I have some lessons learned here, especially after last night's visit to the Florida Strawberry Festival. First, the foodie lessons.
1) You can have too sour watermelon candies, too many candied bacon chocolate chip cookies, too many cupcakes, and too much ice cream; however, they are still incredibly delicious. Because I was denied sweet treats for 30 days, I think I rebounded with a binge. I'm hoping I balance out as my brains rewires itself to understand that sweet treats are not forbidden, nor will they ever be forbidden again.
2) Pizza makes me feel yucky, and it doesn't let me sleep. I totally loved every bite of my deep dish pizza from Giordano's, but I think that's one food that needs to go into the special occasion bin.
3) Oatmeal...I love you. You bring variety and fullness into my morning routine.
4) Paleo pancakes made with butternut squash I love YOU, too.
5) Sometimes a square of dark chocolate or a glass of wine (or both) really is the ticket to sanity for the day.
6) The following blog posts pretty much reflect my feelings on how diets (or "food challenges" or "lifestyles") can 1) make a normal person crazy, 2) have beneficial side effects, which consist of more frequent "whole food" choices, and 3) lead to a more balanced perspective on health and wellness. I accomplished 1) and 2), and I'm working toward 3). Below are some good points from each blog. Score 1 for common sense.
Are Carbohydrates The #1 Health Menace? [Good Calories Bad Calories]
"Based on all my years of experience, I'm a great believer in moderation when it comes to diet...That's the major difficulty with laying down rigid guidelines - they don't work for everybody and can actually do major harm." [e.g., the feelings of guilt over inanimate sugary objects and the crazy voices in my head]Girl Heroes 101: Food
"There's a fine line here between learning enough to interpret your body's signals and going so far as to substitute everyone else's judgment for your own." [Solid advice. Find what works for you - what makes you feel sane, healthy, and happy - and stick with it.]
"So I focus on consistency not perfection. I aim to make 90% of the food I eat real food. By real food I mean fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, beans (preferably soaked), nuts, some whole grains (brown not whites and preferably sprouted), and some dairy. If I couldn’t t grow it, raise it, pick it, or make it (with some effort) then I limit it."Here's what my Healthy/Eff Off Scale looks like:
The things on the top left are those that are healthy, necessary, and non-negotiable. The things in the middle? Obviously less healthy than kale, but more healthy than Cinnabon. And the bottom right? These are foods without which I would be a cranky SOB unless I ate them every once and a while!
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Now for the wedding lessons.
1) Planning a wedding is a considerable suck on one's emotional, financial, and time-management reserves. Be prepared for the rollercoaster because it is *quite* a production.
2) If one has the means, one should hire a wedding planner/coordinator immediately upon engagement. I would even go so far as recommending that all communications about "the happy day" be routed through the planner/coordinator. Unfortunately, this bride did not have the means - just a really great spreadsheet.
3) I have REALLY great friends and a VERY generous family. Thank you guys and gals.
4) I have an AWESOME fiance, soon-to-be husband. I aspire to have your optimism, patience, fortitude, and zip-locked lips in the face of stress.
5) If there was a Healthy/Eff Off Scale equivalent for weddings, mine would look like this:
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