Currently I'm sitting on my deck in the sun. I've got the dogs at my feet, and I'm gently sipping on water because I drank too much wine last night. Other than the mild hangover I'm nursing, I'm kinda living the dream.

Laptop. Comfy deck cushions. Quiet company. Cool breeze. Warm sun.

The past 2 months have been absolutely insane, which is probably why I'm enjoying this so much.

We had a couple house showings, 2 sunroom installs, 5 jobs to maintain between hubs and I, a graduation, and a brilliant idea it was a good time to start the Whole30.

Needless to say, I had a few meltdowns.

But it's May now. I'm down to 2 jobs and both are part time. Hubs is still managing his 2, and I'm expecting life to get easier now that I can tinker at home a little and catch some life stuff up. Things like mowing, and groceries...those things.

But this Whole30. Do you know about it? If you do, you probably love it or hate it (and the only way you hate it, is if you didn't do it, or weren't prepared for it when you did it).

If you don't know what it is, it's essentially an elimination diet. No sugar, no dairy, no gluten, no soy, no preservatives (as much as possible). I've been having a lot of pain in my body in the past few months, and after rolling my eyes at all the gluten-free health crazes for years, I finally jumped into the pool with the crazies.

My take has always been, if you don't have an allergy (because those are real), why are you making such a big deal at the restaurants. And I always see gluten-free recipes and guides to healthier living, based on the message that if it's gluten-free, it must be good for you. And so I rolled my eyes.

But let's be real here: I'm right to an extent. Gluten free recipes don't necessarily mean healthy. Low carb recipes aren't automatically good for you. How many times I see "low carb" touted on pinterest only to look closer at the bricks of cream cheese stuffed into the recipe. Ummm...guys? Stop it.

Don't believe me? Take a walk down the gluten free aisle of your grocery store. There's just as much crap food there as in the other areas. It's a lie!

But here's where I was wrong: gluten, soy, sugar and dairy don't have to be an allergy to be bad for you. They can be inflammatory foods which are exasperating a problem you may already have. Your body is meant to run like a well-oiled machine. If something is out of whack, plus you're putting the wrong oil into it, it'll be 1) harder to identify the issue 2) make the issue worse.

So what I liked about the Whole30, was that it was for 30 days (I could commit!), it spoke well of animal proteins, and it made logical sense. It is meant as a psychological shift in your brain to change how you think about food, how you treat it, and your relationship in general with it.

And it was a success!

A side effect of the plan is weightloss, and I happily walked away from those 30 days with 7 less pounds on my body. I also now have a huge dependency on homemade mayo which I consistently turn into garlic aioli to mash my sweet potato fries in.

Okay...yes...I said fries. They say not to eat fries. But literally, I cut up my sweet potatoes and roast them in the oven. Which is how you make fries. It's an unfortunate coincidence. But that was the only rule I let slide a little. Other than that, I drank my tea black, I avoided sugar like the plague, I read all labels with the intensity of a dog watching you eat. I couldn't find bacon without some form of sugar, so I went to the local butcher and had him smoke some for me.

I was pretty much the sugar/dairy/soy soup nazi. "NO SOUP FOR YOU!"

I scoured recipes until my brain hurt and my husband said "I miss you..."

And then a lightbulb went off. And suddenly this detailed diet which had all these rules, became so simple. And I realized all the things I COULD eat and make. And then I started loving it. It took about a week for that to happen, but when it did, I'm pretty sure I had a moment of nirvana.

My husband and I have technically been done the diet for 13 days, but in all honesty, we love eating this way. The day after we were done, I committed a Whole30 sin with reintroducing food, and I went all out with a Starbucks frappuccino. It was too sweet. I didn't enjoy it. I didn't know if I should be sad.

So a week later, I tried their coffee frappuccino. No whip, no drizzled goodness over top. It was good...but it was still too sweet. And then my Whole30 habit of looking up ingredients raised up, and I saw what was in there. And now I just can't have frappuccinos anymore. I tried eating at a local restaurant who I figured has pretty healthy food (and they do for the most part!). I asked if they had sugar in their pork shoga-yaki and the owner said "a little". Well, because it's one of my favs, I got it and .... HAS THAT ALWAYS BEEN THIS SWEET?! I did finish it though, because their Korean food is amazing. Even with the sugar.

Anyway. That's what I'll leave with today. Go and buy the Whole30 book if you're interested. It makes so much sense and it's just so down to earth.

On one hand, Whole30 will ruin your life as you know it. But on the other, maybe that's not such a bad thing.