Jane's First Whole30 Success Story

[janer1114]

Before I started Whole30 I was always thinking about losing weight and getting active again (I had lost 20-30 lbs TWICE on WeightWatchers over the preceding 4 years, gaining it all back).  I would try to get back into counting points, and it just wasn't sticking. Every day I was saying I'll run tomorrow, and wasn't.

 

I was eating whatever I wanted, feeling guilty when that food was "bad".  I was drinking a lot. Our meals at home were always pretty healthy, but we were eating in restaurants often and I wasn't subbing out those french fries! 

 

I did not have overwhelming health reasons why I wanted to Whole30, but I was feeling blah, I never had ANY energy, I was starting to get hints of indigestion and heartburn.

 

About a year ago I read It Starts With Food and Eat the Yolks and the science really seemed to click for me.  I contemplated the Whole30, but I'm not very disciplined and life was busy.  As I started to feel more and more desperate about wanting to lose weight, I felt like I needed some sort of structure that would lead me away from my bad eating and DRINKING habits.  I needed some new rules that would keep me honest and focused.  

 

I started to meal plan (something I NEVER did on WeightWatchers) and cook.  The food I was eating was SO delicious that I got more and more excited about it.  I wasn't bogged down with weighing everything, or myself, and tracking what I ate.  

 

I did feel bad in the beginning as my body was sorting stuff out, tired and fuzzy.  But, the energy I got mid-way through was so fun.  I actually woke up WANTING to run, not just thinking about it.  I did things on my to-do list that had been there for months! 

 

The biggest benefit, which I hadn't anticipated, is not craving sugar! It's so freeing.  Not craving lots of things is really really nice.  I don't feel guilty about anything that I am eating because it's good for me.  And I feel confident that when I eat something that is a treat, it will just be a treat, because the food I eat for nourishment is so satiating and delicious that I don't need more of that treat to feel something that I am lacking (full, satisfied, or something more emotional?)

 

Twice my boyfriend brought home Papa John's - did not want ANY of it.  (Now, pizza is divine, but next time I eat pizza it is going to be QUALITY and special - sorry PJ's...)

 

I haven't been very snacky, or hungry, or bored of food...these are all common feelings when I'm "dieting".

 

I also did a lot of reading while I was Whole30ing.  I read The Whole30 book, Well Fed Cookbook, Practical Paleo and am currently reading The Perfect Health Diet - lots of blogs and podcasts too.  Leading me towards wanting to maintain the paleo diet moving forward.  I don't want to eat gluten or legumes (though, a really nice crusty bread may tempt me some day...)  I want to keep everything as low sugar as possible.  I may have some corn at some point.  I will eat white rice, healthy dairy occasionally, alcohol will be coming back - less frequently, but it'll be there.  

 

I did not track food or my weight during the Whole30.  I ended up losing 6 lbs, which seems like a good number for me.  I am going to track my food at some point so I can see where I am with macronutrients to compare with The Perfect Health Diet....but, if I can live without tracking food and be healthy...that may be the ticket.  

 

[mariah_papaya]

Nice work! You should be proud  

I am also really proud of myself - day 18 without drinking. It was getting to the point where I was having a glass or more of wine Every. Single. Night. And if I didn't have any, I'd make a special trip to the store for it. Even I was starting to recognize how in denial I was about it being problematic. Not like I was getting schmammered every night, but the thought of not having any was scary. And now I've gone through three full weekends without a hitch. I will definitely, DEFINITELY not be falling back into that rut of feeling crappy. I even had soda water on our anniversary dinner date, which was crazy but freeing. Keep up the good work