Whole 30 wrap up - Angie's Journey

[Angie Cooper]

PALEO 30 DAY CHALLENGE

My Personal Journey

About Me

I started my 30 day Challenge on the 1st February 2014 and successfully completed the challenge on the 2nd February 2014. It is now day 31 and this is my story.

I am 48 years of age and was suffering from many types of perimenopausal symptoms. I was working in hospitality doing shift work prior to starting the 30 day challenge which only made my symptoms worse through lack of sleep, bad eating habits and zero work life balance.

I decided to give up my hospitality work when my health hit rock bottom in November 2013. I had been put on blood pressure medication for extremely high blood pressure, antidepressants for anxiety and sleeping tablets as I was not able to sleep doing shift work. I also consumed a lot of caffeine to get me moving and to keep myself awake during my late/night early morning shifts so I was on a very vicious cycle.

I saw this challenge on a friend's Facebook page in January this year, did some reading about Paleo and the Whole 30 challenge and thought it may be just what I needed.

 

Changes I was hoping for at the start of the 30 Challenge

My biggest hope was that I would be able to increase my energy levels, sleep soundly without medication, stabilize my mood and loose excess weight that had crept up on me over the last 3 or so years.

 

Whole 30

My first few days were very testing. Headaches, foggy brain and all I wanted to do was curl up in bed. I wondered what I had got myself into.

Every day since those beginning days have been positive. By week two I noticed a great improvement in my energy levels and mood and my sleeping was really coming along well. I had a smile back on my face and life back in my eyes.

The last couple of weeks were amazing. My motivation was exceptional. I was setting goals and archiving them. Planning my days and time positively, something I was unable to do prior to the Whole 30 challenge. My body has also decided to start showing positive physical changes. My skin is glowing, my weight is starting to decline and my eyes are alive again.

 

Benefits of completing the Whole 30 Challenge

Confidence    

Something I had been lacking for quite some time, second guessing myself constantly is now a thing of the past. I am loving the new confident me. It feels amazing!

 

Moods

Now stable.....yipee! I am so aware of how I am feeling now. I no longer look for comfort food or wine to make me feel more relaxed after a hard day. I am also off my antidepressants and feeling wonderful.

 

Sleep

I am now sleeping through the night soundly, unassisted by medication for on average 8 hours a night (unless the neighbors are having a party lol).

 

Energy            

What can I say but it is through the roof. I haven't felt this good for years and I no longer feel like a Nanna nap mid afternoon anymore. I am achieving all the things I have put off for years because the thought of doing them seemed so overwhelming.

 

Weight Loss   

I lost a total of 5.2 kilograms or 11 pounds 7 ounces over the 30 days and 19.5cm or 7.7 inches in total.

 

Muscle tone   My body mass index dropped from 24.3% to 22.1% over the 30 days and this was achieved by sticking strictly to the Whole 30 program and walking most days and also doing some yoga and pilates classes.

 

To conclude

I have had a fantastic time doing the Whole 30 Challenge. It has taught me so much about food choices and the effects it has on our bodies physically and emotionally. I have enjoyed the benefits I have received so much that I will be sticking to the Paleo way of life as much as I possibly can. I can't wait to see how much more improvement I will see over the coming months and or hopefully years ahead.

I feel like this is a whole new chapter in my life. I'm so excited and looking forward to my future with enthusiasm and passion!