One of the most common questions I receive is, “What does the food you eat look like?” I know they don’t necessarily mean, “I want to see a picture of your food,” but I’m going to do that anyway.

My breakfasts are pretty basic, and have been for over four years: two eggs sunny-side up and two slices of low sodium sugar-free bacon. I then drink a cup of black coffee in the car on my way into work. This week, however, Sherry had a surprise for me; a Whole30 compliant casserole made with eggs, pulled pork, and apples. It’s delicious and very convenient to be able to heat up a slice in the microwave.

Lunch is typically something that Sherry meal prepped for us on Sundays. My favorite lately is a Cuban-inspired meal called Picadillo. She says it’s fast and easy to make, and it reheats well and tastes amazing.

Dinners are a mix between our meal prepped meals and freshly made food. Last night, for example, we had skillet steak with baked sweet potato cubes and asparagus.

I don’t count macros, and I don’t get too technical with weighing my food. I follow the, “This looks like a good amount to sate my appetite” rule which has worked well for me in the past, and is working for me now. When doing a Whole30, it’s against the “Rules” to weigh yourself, but that’s the one rule I break every time. Unlike some people, I am motivated when I see fluctuations in both rate and actual weight. If my weight holds steady or even goes up, it fuels my desire to make more progress and forces me to more closely examine what I’m doing to make sure I’m following the process. When it goes down, I’m rewarded and it reinforces the good habits. So far, I’m already down 4 lbs, though admittedly, the vast majority of that is surely just water weight from cutting out the sugar.

The single most important factor in our health is the food we eat. We are today a result of decisions of the past. I am overweight today because of poor decisions over the past year culminating in a disastrous last quarter of last year, exacerbated by two debilitating sports injuries and a final month of abandon. I’ve turned all that around not because it’s a new year, but because timing worked out to coincide with the new year. My Achilles heel was finally healed enough to allow me to start running this week, and with my son going back up to North Dakota, my wife and I were able to focus on ourselves and our own diet.

I feel good today, and so far, I’ve not been experiencing the flu-like symptoms that come with a Whole30. In the past, I haven’t had strong symptoms, but in the past, I wasn’t consuming as much sugar as I had for the past month, so I’m expecting it any day. But when it comes, I’m ready for it. BRING IT ON!