Finished and happy

[KTinBK]

I finished my very first Whole30 on April 24. I knew I was sleeping well and feeling generally great and never overstuffed after meals, but I was delighted to find that I had lost 11 pounds! I won't say "without trying," because of course the W30 takes effort and planning, but the fact that I was never truly hungry (not the way I have been on actual "diets") and that I wasn't counting calories or worrying about my overall volume of food? Liberating.

I didn't work out at all the first two weeks of my W30, and reintroduced some rec sports and a "proper" workout or two the second half. Now that I'm done, sports season is ramping up and I'm finding myself more energized to work out and work hard. I have a better sense of how much sleep I need, and how much recovery. It's still hard to get up to do my 6:45am boot camp, but I know when I have to get to bed if I want to make it and maximize it. 

I haven't found any really obvious intolerances since going through the reintroduction period, but I will say this: after eating some rice with my Chipotle and feeling heavy and overstuffed afterward, I can see that the real "danger" of grains, for me, is how easy they are to overeat. They go down so easy while you're eating them, and then you finish and regret the volume. Also, added sugar makes you hungry. Especially if that added sugar is in the form of alcohol.

The greatest joy I've discovered is the actual cooking. My husband and I both like to cook, but had gotten out of the habit of doing it daily (the siren song of Seamless is so tempting in NYC). It's so nice to get back in the swing of things. Oh, and if you haven't tried it, the recipes in the Whole30 Cookbook are EXCELLENT. We haven't had one we didn't love. Just last night I made the sloppy joe recipe just because we like it--I see it being a go-to resource even post-whole30. 

I love that I'm now "allowed" to indulge in the occasional treat or put some milk in my coffee (I adore cheese, but the thing I missed most was real milk in my coffee. Not much, not even often, but nondairy milks just don't compare for me). But it really feels more like a deliberate choice, and I'm able to enjoy it far more than I used to when it was just an everyday occurrence to eat whatever I felt like. Also? I saved some Easter candy for myself, and when I ate one the other day it was just...not worth it. All I could taste was sugar, not even proper chocolate. So now I know, if I'm going to eat candy, I'm going to eat the fancy stuff.

The plan going forward is to cook dinner (mostly w30 compliant) on weekdays, and save eating out for the weekends. There will be leeway for special occasions, but so far it's been really nice to just make something home made in 20 minutes instead of ordering delivery or going out.

I feel so much more in tune with what is good for me, and so much more in control of what I eat--all without losing my intense love and enjoyment of food. Thank you, Whole30.