InnerTeub

(Well. More like a Rant about Whole 30, with a side video On Staying Young).

A handful of people have asked me offline what I think about the Whole30 craze going on around the Internet this January. I haven’t commented much, mostly because I don’t think I am nor do I really want to be a spokesperson for Paleo eating or Whole 9 lifestyling or be-afraid-of-bread-ing, but I have noted the kind of …mass hysteria that’s been all a-twitter, both from Whole 30 participants and non-participants, and it has been grating.

Mostly, I guess I just think that if someone wants to try Whole 30, that’s cool. It’s really hard, but it’s cool. If they want to try Whole 30 because they think they need a crash diet in January, I think that’s even harder and kind of missing the point, but, you know, whatever. Good on ya. If someone doesn’t want to do Whole 30, that seems like a relatively sane response to a fairly intense eating protocol, and again: whatever. Good on ya. But here’s where the nails hit the chalk board for me:

• Gripe Number One: People who loudly internet that they are doing Whole30, and then go out of their way to excuse away why they aren’t doing it really. Look, again, I don’t really care if you do it or don’t do it, but don’t talk about it endlessly and then intentionally set yourself up for failure. There are a lot of very good ways to look at food, consider food, structure a diet, structure a lifestyle and Whole 30 is just one, and it’s very specific for very specific reasons. Saying you’re going to do it, then ignoring the protocol, and then talking about how it doesn’t work? Ugh.
• Gripe Number Two: People who loudly internet how silly Whole 30 is, how dangerous it is, how cute it is that people “see bread as the enemy”, how they too will give up something “ridiculous” for 30 days, how gleefully post a picture of cinnabon with a #WholeNOT30 hashtag. Look. If that’s you (and not, you know, YOU. YOU I love and am not talking about. I’m talking about someone else): you sound like an ass. You’re going out of your way to make fun of people who are trying to do something they think is good for themselves. You are the diet equivalent of everyone who got self-righteous about how they would NEVER read 50 shades of Grey, oh NEVER, gosh what FILTH. You are harshing on someone else’s thing, loudly, publicly, and dismissively.

Remember when I wrote a post about how talking about diet and fitness can seem like talking about religion? Well, this January, I’ve gotten to watch people pervert and/or mock my diet-equivalent of religion, and man, that has been a major drag.

But! Lest you think I am just blogging today to grump in your general direction, let me leave with something pretty cool, and, I think, pretty hopeful: My 91 year old grandmother was asked to star in a national ad for GNC, and I think it’s pretty rad. (I do feel I need to give a full disclaimer that she is all about carbs, does not crossfit, and thinks running is kind of a waste of time, in case you think I was just setting you up for an ad for my particular lifestyle) (For those interested: she DOES: walk, do tai chi, body board in the summer, and swim laps daily.)