A Brief Introduction

Hi.  I'm Linsey.  I'm a food addict.  I'm not messing around here.  I'm seriously serious.  Though you might not believe me because I'm a relatively healthy weight and an active 32 year old (read, I run marathons and love working out) I struggle with binge eating, over eating and I routinely seek comfort in food even when I'm already full.

It's not a new struggle but I won't go into all the details here.  You can check out my "other" blog here to catch up on all of that.

This blog is going to be an accountability tool for tracking my Whole30 progress.  My goal is to update daily with what I've eaten that day and any other thoughts/comments that I might have.  I'm just figuring this all out so please extend grace as you watch me fall on my face time after time.

For those of you who have wandered over to this little corner of the interwebs and have no idea what I'm talking about when I say Whole30, I'll give you a brief description:

Food isn't really food.  When our grandparents ate chicken and bread they literally ate chicken and
bread.  Today, our meat is full of hormones, additives, preservatives and sometimes (ok, a lot of the time) sugar.  Everything in the world has sugar in it nowadays, and don't even get me started on our bread!  My grandma's sandwiches growing up were made from homemade bread which would consist of flour, yeast, water and salt...maybe a tiny bit of sugar to get the yeast going.  Her bread did not contain high fructose corn syrup, or any of that other crap that's listed as one of the 25 ingredients on a loaf of bread from the store.

No wonder we have an obesity epidemic on our hands!  Food is more sugar, chemical, additive and preservative than it is actual food.

Whole30 says, go back to basics :

*No Sugar

*No Alcohol

*No Grains

*No Legumes

*No carrageenan, MSG or sulfites

*No White Potatoes

*No Dairy (humans are the only mammals that consume milk after weaning)

*No Paleo-ifying dessert or junk food (just go 30 days without it)

*No weighing or measuring yourself during the 30 days

So, what can you eat?

All the lean proteins, veggies, fruits and healthy fats you want!

Ok, there are some guidelines if you're looking to maintain a balanced diet and/or loose a few lb.'s.

Click here for more info.  Here for a shopping list guide.  Here for a meal template outlining how much of what should be consumed at each meal.  Here for a link to buy the book.  Here to see a handsome man.  Sorry, couldn't help it...plus, I gave you three to choose from...

A little more about me:

Last summer, Probably the thinnest
I've been in a few years.

I'm a 32 year old nanny/personal assistant/house manager living in the great city of Chicago.  I work strange hours and do a lot of cooking for other people.  I'm a trained pastry chef and have a brutal sweet tooth.  I've been blessed with a naturally high metabolism but as I've gotten older it has slowed noticeably.


I've always been active, swimming and track growing up and getting further into running as an adult.  I've completed 3 marathons but have been in terrible physical shape for the last two.  I have a jacked up back and knee and foot issues so I see a chiropractor twice a week for upkeep and preventative maintenance.  My friends and family continually beg me to quit running long distances and I retire from the sport at least once every year.  I actually don't enjoy running but the "after running high" just can't be beat.  I actually enjoy going to the gym, taking classes and also doing videos at home.  If I could afford it, I'd be one of those crazy Crossfit people.

I'm an incredibly black and white person.  I struggle with balance, flexibility and grey area...figuratively and literally...

I love Jesus and seek to glorify Him through all areas of my life, food being the hardest one thus far to tackle.  I'll be spending a lot of time in prayer as I aim for spiritual health vs physical appearance...but, I did have a good friend take my measurements and photos of my "Pre-Whole30" body and I hopped on the scale to get a baseline weight.  I vow to not step on the scale during the next month.

Mile 4 at the 2012 Chicago Marathon,
 my 2nd Chicago and 3rd overall marathon.

We'll see how it goes.  I'll be honest and upfront, won't beat around the bush or hide things to paint myself in a positive light...but if you follow my other blog, you already know that to be true.

Feel free to ask questions, leave comments or encouragement.  All feedback is welcome!