Started on June 3 - day 4 (and I already feel like I've climbed a mountain)

[MaryellenB]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm a 37 year old mother of 2, full-time student, and part-time staff at a fantastic office. I started my Whole30 on June 3, so this technically puts me on day 4. My friend was doing a Whole30 back in the winter and let me peek in on her support group on Facebook, but I found their comments so intimidating - and they sounded like they were really struggling (even though there was so much victory in there too, I only focused on the negative aspects). It was enough to convince me not to bother trying, because I like the wine, the late night snacking, treating the afternoon slump with peanut butter & rice cakes... and I really didn't want to let that go, no matter how much my friend encouraged me to seek something better for myself.

 

I tiptoed back and forth, towards and away from the Whole30 for several months. Finally, I psyched myself up - refused to talk myself out of it, and made the decision this past weekend to finally DO. IT. I started on Monday.

 

I find the daily emails SO helpful. In fact, when I wake up in the morning, I look forward to them enough to get me up and out of bed. They seem to nail just how I'm feeling, and that's so encouraging to me - it makes me feel like I'm "doing it right". Up to this point, I have been sending my friend long emails about how I'm feeling, how I'm finding it, etc. but I realize she probably has better things to do with her day than read my yammering, so I came here, to yammer with others in the same boat!

 

Day 1, as predicted, was super easy. Day 2, I felt wistful and awkward - I kept reaching for my habit foods and reminding myself no. Day 3 felt like someone had poured wet cement over me. And now I'm on Day 4 and even though I slept well last night, I'm absolutely exhausted this morning. I feel so deprived and drained - actually, very similar to first trimester pregnancy (and I remember thinking it would never get better, but I made it through that, so that's a good precedent to hang on to). 

 

What's been the most eye opening for me is the awareness of how much I eat without thinking about it. I graze almost constantly. And because it's not really on my radar, I haven't considered it "eating". I think about my diet and say to myself, "I eat pretty well" and it's true - my meals are healthy, well-rounded, and carefully planned. But the in-between is monstrous. No wonder I've gained 10 pounds these past few months. I am drinking wine almost every night as I watch tv with my hubs after the kids go to bed. I started eating potato chips (because he eats them) and I realize I don't have an "off switch" so whereas he eats a handful and is done, I eat and eat and eat. And I've gotten into this weird habit of power-stuffing myself with some kind of sugary treat right before bed, as been waking up in the morning feeling so much remorse and guilt - and I hold on to the roll of fat around my middle to do a mental "check in" (is it bigger today than it was yesterday? Ugh!)

 

The thing I've found most helpful about this program is the clarity and concreteness of the goal. 30 days, no cheats, no diverting off the course - it really helps my resolve and it is enough of a foundation for me that I can anchor myself to it fully, rather than simply promising to "eat better". This is great and I look forward to continuing the journey with you all!

 

(so sorry for the long post and thanks for reading if you made it this far!)

 

 

[MeganMorton56]

Rock on, girl! I felt like that in the first week of my first Whole30 go round. Then one day, probably in the second week I think, I felt TOTALLY different. And it started becoming natural to not have to pack little snacks to get me through the day at work. I have to keep in mind that my eating habits are fully established and it's going to take some time and discipline to reprogram my mind. One of the most helpful things for me is the forum, so keep the posts coming! That way you'll know you're not alone. This is my second attempt at a Whole30 - I didn't make it the full month last time. But this is a whole new ballgame! Good luck on day 4!

[MaryellenB]

Thanks Megan! Good luck to you too!

[GuamGrly]

I'm on day 4 also!!  This is my 2nd attempt. I tried in May and made it 6 whole days but then had an emotional day and resorted back to old habits and looked to food for comfort. I'm determined to make it happen this time around!

[MaryellenB]

I can't believe I've made it 7 days. Aside from a long couple of weight watchers stints, I've never done anything with this much effort for so long. 

 

I reached a turning point yesterday. My energy suddenly showed up and my brain fog lifted. I felt such relief - which was good, because I was on a camping trip with my son's Scout troop and it was miserable. I was exhausted from "sleeping" on the ground, and all the food around me was camp food (which is delicious). I stuck to my boiled eggs and tuna, guacamole and veggies, banana and pear - and somehow made it to evening without diving into the plate of hamburgers. 

 

Today I noticed something else - I don't want as much food at meals as I normally would, and I can actually feel when I'm full (which is new for me - I've always just eaten until the food is gone, and then I know to stop. Ugh.) I made small stir-fry for lunch and a salad to go on the side but I was stuffed after the stir fry. I had to save the salad for dinner. And I made it through the afternoon without craving anything, which was also awesome. I only actually felt hungry at dinner time. 

 

From here out, I'm going to reduce the amount of fruit I have been eating because I've seen some other folks posting about eating too much. That's okay for me. I don't need to replace one crutch with another. 

 

What an enjoyable ride it's becoming!