Day 30-After Action Report

[Camille P.]

Its Day 30! I'm posting my "After Action Report" from the Whole 30 Daily Email from yesterday. I'm not a bullet point kind of person so its a little long. Very helpful for me to do this exercise!!!

 

Whole 30-1^st 30 Days After Action Report

 

AFTER ACTION REPORT: WHAT WENT WELL

I stuck to the Whole 30 foods 100% for 30 days! I was in such a rut before I started and doubted my ability to follow through and I did it!! I went on two dates with my husband, which has been a trigger in the past to indulge. The first time we ate outside at a casual restaurant and it was no big deal for me to bring my own healthy dinner. Then we went to an ice cream shop and I had my banana with cashew butter. We did more fun activities together, like walking on a trail and getting a couples’ massage, rather than just eating. Last night we went to a nicer Mexican restaurant and I ate before we went and had club soda with lime while we were there. I was able to enjoy the ambiance and connecting with my husband. Twice we went out with other family members and I ordered off the menu successfully (I did bring my own dressing once which was a good call as it made everything taste better!).

 

I brought my caffeine intake down by half! This is another thing I didn’t think I could do. I had 4 (big) cups of coffee and black tea before I did the Whole 30 and brought it down to 2 large cups of coffee early in the day, before 12 or 1. My sleep has been completely different than before I started. I now fall asleep at night and stay asleep!

 

Also, most every night of my Whole 30 I stopped eating right after dinner and that was it! This, I also thought was impossible but I did it and it wasn’t awful. I feel better now not going to bed full and not feeling drawn to the pantry all night. Ive been able to relax in the evenings without food. Who knew!? And I love how it makes me feel when I wake up the next morning. Much cleaner, not bloated or weighed down.

 

I didn’t eat to deal with my emotions, which was extremely difficult the first 11-12 days.  This habit, I still want to become more ingrained. Again though, this was something I did so regularly before the Whole 30 that I didn’t know I could do anything else. I feel really happy about this. It feels so much more healthy!

 

 

 

AFTER ACTION REPORT: WHAT COULD HAVE GONE BETTER:

 

I could have leaned on nuts less. I think I ate too much fat and snacked on nuts/nut butter more than I needed to. Also, I probably could have paid more attention to portion sizes. It has been a process gauging how much to eat at each meal so I’m not hungry for snacks in between but sometimes I know I ate more protein/fat than I needed to at a given meal.

 

AFTER ACTION REPORT: WHAT I’LL DO IN THE FUTURE, TO KEEP DOING BETTER:

 

I have already decided to go another 30 days. I have weight to lose, and a long term habit of emotional eating and sugar addiction to break and I want it BROKEN! Also, I have some tendonitis in my Achilles and bicep, plantar fasciitis in the other foot, and shoulder impingement. These problems have been long-standing. Along with my PT exercises and modified workouts I want to keep the best nutrition possible to aid my body in healing these stubborn injuries. I also have Bipolar 2 Disorder with anxiety and this way of eating really helps manage it (along with medication which I discovered I do need…ie. I wont be one of those stories where I magically drop my meds. Discovered that last year after trying Paleo alone to manage symptoms. I am a unique snowflake, right!). BUT, the nutrition of the Whole 30 provides a baseline of stability that is very helpful for managing my moods.

 

Also, I will focus on mobility/PT exercises at least 15 minutes a day each day, adding in foot/heel work in addition to shoulder. I would like to be able to resume running over time.

 

One more thing is I will compile recipes I’m discovering and liking into a binder so I don’t have to re-look them up every time! And I will keep trying new recipes. I want to mix up how I cook veggies and try new things with them.

 

I love where I am compared to where I was 30 days ago and I want to continue on this much better path!