Forgot to start here! :) Newbie on day 17

[AnneB]

My name is Anne & I'm on Day 17 of my technically my first Whole30.

 

I "went Paleo" back in March 2013 and, without knowing about Whole30, followed it for the most part. (I would have a single glass of red wine on Saturday steak night after about the first 3 weeks - so close but not quite!) I learned that I cannot tolerate gluten; I get terrible joint pain & swelling. I learned that my lack of a gall bladder caused much of my digestive issues & started taking ox bile supplements (wow!).

 

When I started my journey last year, I set a goal to lose 40 lbs by my 40th birthday - that was just over 6-mos of time to hit the goal. I met the goal in July 2013 and proceeded to drop another 25 lbs by Halloween. Pretty cool, huh? I didn't kill myself with working out (no, not a cross-fitter here); I swam, did aqua boot camp, walked, lifted hand weights in my basement, flipped a big ol' tractor tire in my hard... That's it. Tried to get my exercise in 4x/week - workout at home during lunch 2x/week and the other 2x/week in the pool.

 

Then came bunion surgery ... Ugh, bunion surgery!! And a cold - er, frigid - midwest winter. I got out of my workout routines because I was out of the water - much less walking! And, while the food wasn't bad, I let things creep in: organic corn chips, occasional gluten free baked goods, alcohol... I gained back 5 lbs. Not bad by most standards, I know. But, I still have another 100 pounds to lose. Five pounds in the wrong direction is not good. At all. I decided it was time to get back to my basics. I've done the 21 Day Sugar Detox before but was curious with Whole30 - mainly due to the abundance of fresh berries in the summer! I started June 21st because it was the first day I knew I could ... and plan to go at least 40. So, here I am!!

 

Fast forward 17 days...

 

I feel like I'm back where I belong - eating the right way for my body to achieve the goals I have set. I'm here with the knowledge of the past 15 mos. to keep me heading in the right direction. I will be one of those before/after pics you all see!!! (eventually)

 

I do love to help others in this journey so do feel free to hit me up with any questions if you're just starting out or hitting a rough patch. I worked with a coach when I first started and I have to admit, the profession is intriguing to me (should I ever get another shot at a career change...). I have no problem with calling it the way I see it so I'll be quite frank with you - if that's what you're looking for. I'm also a dang good cook, if I don't mind ringing my own bell! Not big on following recipes but rather use them for ideas & general guides. From time-to-time I may post a recipe in my log to share.

 

Thanks for reading ... Here's to the next 2 weeks!!