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One Whole30 in the bag!


macysknits

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I honestly can't remember why I decided to start Whole30. My friend posted about completing a Whole30 back in January and at the time I thought, "that is a crazy fad diet thing...no way!" So I can't remember what made me look into it a month ago but I do remember I was aware of my ever declining health (swollen ankles & feet, low energy, increasing weight) and I was desperate for a change.  Prior to Whole30 it was not uncommon for me to eat an entire day's worth of food from restaurants, fast food joints, and/or the pre-made section of the supermarket. I knew this was bad for me but I was caught up in a cycle of convenience and honestly I'd given up ever thinking I could be healthy and had a kind of "screw it, pass me the ice cream" mentality. 

 

So, it was with a lot of trepidation that I approached this challenge.  I bought the Whole30 book and found the timeline extremely helpful. I really appreciated knowing what my body might do, what my emotions might be, etc. on any given day. I also signed up for the daily emails and I am so. glad. I did. It was awesome to be able to do a daily "check in" click to say I'd made it another day and I would read the daily emails each morning before work.

 

In all honesty the first three weeks of this program were incredibly difficult for me.  I've struggled with food my entire life and the older I get the more weight I gain.  Name an emotion and I guarantee I could name you my favorite food to accompany it. By the end of the first and beginning of the second week I was experiencing a lot of gastro. stress as my body transitioned to my new diet.  In addition, my cravings were incredibly intense. It took next to nothing to set me off on a craving: driving by a restaurant, a coworker's lunch, seeing an advertisement for food, being stressed, being tired, etc. etc.  It was a constant battle to try and distract myself away and remind myself how much I wanted to complete this goal. I have never wanted a bowl of cereal so badly before in my life, ha ha.  

 

One particularly bad day came after a long day at work filled with events. I hadn't been able to eat much lunch and came home dying for a food reward.  I literally sat on my couch in tears wanting to order a pizza for the "comfort" of eating it and yet knowing how horrible I'd feel about myself if I broke down and didn't complete the Whole30.  I didn't break and from that point on my cravings began to diminish.  

 

On my second day of Whole30, my boss had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and I had to walk away from her because the smell was making me crazy.  We've been joking about it in the office all month. Today my boss sat across from me at lunch eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I realized that I no longer was tempted to eat it.  It felt so good to know I was finally over my craving hump.  I do still have some cravings but they aren't as intense as before and are of shorter duration.  

 

So NSV:

  • Sleeping better
  • Better nails
  • More energy!! Walking the dog and going to the gym daily
  • Less cravings
  • More cooking! I actually enjoy cooking and getting in the habit of making my own meals again has been great. 
  • New foods. Whole30 has forced me out of my food comfort zone and I'm eating new vegetables.
  • Prior to Whole30 I had horrible cramps each month.  Those are now completely gone.
  • No more swollen ankles/feet at the end of the day
  • Clearer skin

 

I haven't weighed myself because there is so much weight that I need to lose, I honestly don't want to focus on the number. I just want to continue making healthy food choices.  I've decided to continue my Whole30 for an additional 15 days.  Since relief from cravings has only occurred within the last four days I want to give myself a little more time to enjoy this feeling of control before I attempt to introduce additional foods back into my diet.

 

If you have read all this-congrats!  If you are thinking of trying a Whole30, I'd say, "You can do this!"  Make a goal, plan ahead, read your labels, and participate in the forums. If thinking about the entire 30 days feels overwhelming just think about your next meal. For the first half of this Whole30, I was only able to think about the program in terms of day by day.  Anything else felt too hard.  Just focus on making good choices in the moment.  Don't get overwhelmed by the larger picture. Make this a priority for the next 30 days. You will not be sorry. This is the first ever food goal I've managed to complete, and I feel very empowered and proud that I was finally able to make positive choices regarding my health.  

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