I did it!

[sydneyjn]

I've not posted here before, but I just had to say thank you to everyone who has posted their successes, their struggles, and their recipes! You helped me get through the last 30 days.

Until a month ago, I was a perpetual snacker. At my work, we cater food every day for our students, have snacks out CONSTANTLY, and my boss is well known for his hospitality and over-generosity when it comes to food.

I would be hitting the candy bowl before lunch even started. It's not like I even WANTED that candy, I just absentmindedly grabbed some as I was walking past to make coffee. I was getting fatter, and I was MAD that I was getting fatter. Mad at myself that I wouldn't just put the freaking food down. I'd get angry at the candy bowl when I looked at it!

I was counting my calories, but I was cheating myself - I never really did "remember" to log those extra snacks. So my websites and spreadsheets said I should be losing weight, but I wasn't. And I knew exactly why but refused to really come to grips with it.

So when I heard a couple friends had done this Whole30 thing, I talked to my husband about it after looking into it a bit. Turns out, he'd been looking into it, too.

We did it together - 30 days.

And here's my top 10 things I learned:

10) I don't need sugar, caffeine, or high-carb foods to make it through the day.

9) I love not logging a single point or counting a single calorie.

8) The second week of doing this you will be a cranky mo-fo. (Special thank you to my husband for not killing me)

7) This way of life massively increases the amount of dishes you need to do.

6) I can make some DELICIOUS food without grains, dairy, or sugar.

5) Mmmm, bacon.

4) Losing 10 pounds in 30 days makes your jeans loose.

3) Not having sugar crashes and having to snack to keep up energy is AMAZING. I loved having nergy the entire day.

2) Having a sous-chef and partner-in-crime makes this doable

1) I'm actually looking forward to keeping this up for a very very long time. This is no longer a detox - this is just the way I eat!

I'm doing a bit of offroading today - we're trying some dairy sprinkled throughout the day to see what happens. Regardless, my snacking days are over. I've walked straight past that candy bowl for 30 days without dipping in.

I feel better about my body, not just because it's 10 pounds lighter (YAY for that, though!) but because I'm not constantly thinking about food. I'm not hungry between meals, I'm satiated, and ya know what? The food I eat tastes WAY better than my coworkers linguine alfredo looks.

All in all? This wasn't that hard after the first week. I had finally come to a mental place where I needed this and really, finally, wanted this. Thank you, Dallas and Melissa, for going beyond the science to the psychology - and for breaking my hangups about food.

[Anj]

Awesome! Congratulations. And how wonderful you have been able to to this with your spouse. I just finished today, enjoyed a few maple syrup flavored macaroons, and will be right back in the kitchen making a mess threes times again tomorrow!