Post Whole30 - do you believe in miracles?

[Juice06870]

About me: 35 yrs old, married, 2.5 year old son, working about 50 hours/week, office job..and on call 24/7 in case of emergencies. 

 

This post is about 6 weeks overdue.  I did my first Whole30 from late May until Late June, and I have been eating about 95% clean ever since. 

 

Prior to this, I had good eating habits, but I followed the school of thought that told me that I should eat 5-6 smaller meals per day.  I work out about 4-5 times a week consisting of weight training that I super set with jumping rope and have been following this routine or something similar for about 15 months.  

 

Long story short, this is nothing short of a miracle for me.  I have been feeling better over the past 2 months than I have felt in the past 8 or 9 years.  Both physically and mentally. 

 

The first thing I noticed after starting the Whole30 was how much clearer my head was, I had done away with this nasty brain fog that I felt I had been dealing with for a number of years.   With that having gone away, I've been so much more motivated in and out of the office.  My moods have been hundreds of times better than they used to be.  I used to be really cranky and crotchety for a 35 year old.   All for no good reason at all.  It feels so good to be jovial and patient and friendly again.  

 

These days I have the 'Tiger Blood'.  It is amazing how much higher my energy levels are throughout the day now that I'm not relying on simple carbs and sugars for energy.  Now that I'm burning fat at a slower, more consistent rate, I never, ever (ever) get the 3 or 4pm slump in the afternoons.  My workouts are dynamite.  It just seems like I've not had an 'off' day in the gym in 2 months.  I go, i'm big time focused, and i do an hour or an hour and 20 minutes and the last minute is just as intense as the first minute.  

 

For the first time ever I have actually managed to lose some weight while at the same time putting on a small amount of muscle.  I'm down about 10 pounds or so and down by about 3% bodyfat (currently about 197 lbs....am 6'3")  However my arms and shoulders definitely feel and look like they have gotten more muscular.  I'm wearing tank tops to the gym and around (on errands etc) for the first time ever, without feeling self conscious or embarrassed.  All the chub in my face is gone and most of my clothes don't fit like they used to...even stuff I bought as recently at March or April...they are banished to the closet because they are outsized.

 

I have been sleeping deeper then I can remember.  When my 2.5 year old son gets up in the middle of the night, I used to pop up and be wide awake right away.  Now, I'm literally sleep walking into his room and back into mine after and falling back asleep immediately.  I'm literally afraid i'm going to fall down the steps outside his room because i'm barely walking in a straight line.  

 

My body generally feels a lot better.  My skin even seems like it's looking and feeling better.  Of course it's summer and I generally fares better in the summer, but I never need to put any lotion on after showering, where if I didn't do that in the past, I would be kind of dry and itchy on my arms and shoulders.  My face seems clearer and smoother too.  I could be dreaming some of this up, but I don't think the mirror can lie, can it?

 

Best of all, I have some coworkers and friends who knew I was starting this way of eating, and now they are asking a lot of questions and some of them have even started eating this way as well after seeing me go through it.  I've gotten a few complements on my appearance lately from various friends, people at the gym, and strangers.  

 

It's amazing to believe this is all a result of changing my diet.  I was not really that unhealthy of an eater before (at least according to popular beliefs) but it's literally night and day vs. this time last year, or even 3 months ago.  I sprinkle in some grains or other no-no items here an there (IE if I'm out for sushi, I'm eating 85% sashimi, but I still have to have a few bites of the rolls with rice, of if I'm at a birthday party, I'll have a slice of cake) Plus I'm still drinking liquor or wine a few days a week (still have to live, right?)  Otherwise, the far majority of my meals are prepared at home using approved ingredients.  

 

Aside from all of the above the one thing that I have received from this that I NEVER ever had in the past is a firm feeling of self confidence, proudness and pure happiness with myself.  I never had a good body image and was always finding a way to put myself down and just generally feeling bad about myself.  I haven't had these feelings in a while now and for me, that is something that you simply can't put a price on.

 

So thank you to all of you fellow forum participants for answering all of my questions and concerns during my Whole30, and for sharing your stories (good and bad) which have helped keep me motivated and educated throughout this process.  I couldn't have done it without knowing you were all going through the same ups and downs as I was.  And of course thanks to Melissa and Doug for educating all of us and for making this seemingly overwhelming and unrealistic diet become fun, easy and addictive.  

 

Keep it going people.  Keep kicking some ass and eating healthy.  

 

 

 

[Juice06870]

I forgot to mention how good real food tastes again.  After having eliminated all of the processed foods that have their sweet or savory flavors artificially enhanced, my tastebuds are back to normal and the fruits, veggies, protein etc all just taste so good!  I never get a craving for anything sweeter or saltier than any of that (except maybe for the occasional almond butter after a meal)

[Guest]

What a great post!  Thank you for sharing and congratulations on your accomplishments!