Disaster

[delilah328]

I was on Day 23, plugging along, not having the energy infusion that I have read about, but happy that I wasn't hungry all the time.

 

Then, I was given a surprise birthday party.  And I gave in and ate cake.  There were fresh chocolate croissants and I ate those. 

 

I was feeling guilty, so I said that I would finish the day and start fresh the next day (Sunday).

 

That didn't happen. I was taken for a surprise brunch for my birthday.  From eggs benedict, to Ben and Jerry's ice cream, funyuns, and finally a grilled cheese sandwich, I turned into a disgusting glutton.  I had a terrible stomachache and I vowed to start again today and do better.

 

Then I got on the scale this morning and I have gained a pound.  I know we are not supposed to judge ourselves by the scale, but the whole time I was doing it, my clothes never got looser.

 

I am bummed and discouraged and feeling like a total failure.  I want to start again but I don't have the enthusiasm I had before. I guess I was hoping that, even though I didn't do the whole 30 but only did 22 full days, I wouldn't want my junky food anymore.  I am disappointed to find that I do.

 

I really want to change how I eat, but I miss my dairy and occasional chocolate.  I can live without bread or grains.  And the biggest thing that I gave up that I still have not had (and don't intend to), is diet soda.  I was at a bowling party and there was a huge pitcher of diet soda next to the pizza, and I had water with a grilled chicken breast salad with vinegar dressing.  I was so proud.

 

I don't know what I am looking to hear from anyone.  I am just very disappointed in myself.  I am going on Spring Break vacation on Friday, and there will be a lot of airline food and long flights and I am wondering how I will manage.

[ShannonM816]

You're not the first person to not complete their W30. I've done a couple before, but still have completely gotten off track in my latest one. I still like the taste of junk food and find it tempting -- I doubt that that will ever completely go away. I mean, they manufacture the stuff to taste good and be appealing, so it's always going to be hard to overcome that, plus for many of us that grew up eating that stuff, there's probably some emotional tie to things that we remember eating as children (that is the only way I can explain my inordinate fondness for banana flavored Laffy Taffy and grape Nerds). I do find that there are things that I loved before that I don't like as much now, so there is some improvement there. I also find that if I can keep myself on track for a few weeks, I find it easier not to give in to temptation -- most of the time. But there are still moments that I revert to emotional eating, or that I give in to temptation. I keep trying to remind myself that this doesn't make me a failure, it just makes me human.

 

Don't be disappointed in yourself, you still managed 22 days more than all the people who read the rules one time and say, Nope, not gonna happen, I can't possibly give up ___________ (whatever their particular things is -- chocolate or alcohol or cheese or bread). And you can do this. It won't be easy, but you absolutely can do it.

 

You may find it helpful to remember that you're not giving up anything forever. You're choosing not to have it for 30 days. And you're choosing that because you know that you are worth making the best possible choices for your health. And if you're in a situation where you choose something that is not Whole30, don't feel guilty about it, just start at the very next meal making healthy choices. While I encourage you to finish a Whole30 at some point, both so that you can do reintroductions and see how foods affect you and so that you can say "I did a Whole30," I think in the grand scheme of things, every meal that you choose to eat W30 style is a step in the right direction, and will ultimately make it easier to do 30 days straight through in the future.

[Carlaccini]

Okay stop with the mental beat up. Stop. it. now.

 

Celebrate the fact that you did 22 whole days!  You did a whole 22! Yay!  That does take effort.  Good for you.

 

Now on the tougher love side of things - 22 days isn't a whole lot of time to allow your body to heal.  30 days technically is just a mere scratch on the surface when we are looking at years of disordered eating.  So don't expect miracles to happen in just 22 days.

 

You are probably doing yourself more harm by stressing out over this (stress makes you gain weight btw) so stop stressing yourself out.  Life happens.  You made the decision to eat all of these things.  You made the decision.  The food did not.  Now just accept it and move on.

 

Now it's quite possible that you felt easily tempted because - you were not eating enough.  This causes your brain to more easily convince you to indulge in other things - especially in rich carby things.  So something to keep in mind going forward.

 

Remember you are not a failure unless you totally give up.  If you dust yourself off and say tomorrow is a new day - I will start tomorrow (or whenever for that matter - make a date that works for you)

 

Also make a list on why you chose to do a whole 30.  This will help with focus and give you reason.

 

Best of luck to you in the future.

[delilah328]

Thank you for the encouragement.

 

 I am back on track and motivated! 

[angledge]

You've got this Delilah328! I made it to Day 22 on my first Whole30 attempt last November & then crashed out on a beer/pizza/dessert BINGE! I felt awful (mentally & physically). But I just finished a SUCCESSFUL Whole30 last week &  I'm now doing my reintroductions.

 

You learned a lot in your 22-day first run. This will make you stronger for your next attempt!