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45 Days - DONE!!!!


SharonW

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In May of 2016, I was 89.8 pounds above my desired heathy weight for myself.  I was taking heartburn medication on a daily basis.  Stress eating was the source of the majority of my calories.  I had spent several years of eating poorly, not getting enough sleep, and demonstrating zero discipline in my life in any areas that related to my health.  At 43 years old with a 4 year old, I was having serious concerns about my ability to be a good mom to her as we both continued to get older…Would my health hold up to allow me to be an active presence in her life?  Would I be here at all?  Would I be a good role model for her? 

Additionally, one of my best friends who was in much better overall health than me was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer at 38.  As I was doing research about breast cancer to better support her, I learned that being overweight is a major estrogen driver, increasing risk.  It felt highly disrespectful to her to continue my own bad health habits while trying to support her fight against cancer. 

All of this was swirling around in my head creating a constant sense of guilt and helplessness when one of my friends at work mentioned that she was in Week 1 of the Whole30 with the majority of her department.   She told me a little bit about it, and  I started doing some research online.  I knew I needed to something drastic to hit a reset button on my bad habits, and frankly, this was one diet I actually hadn’t tried before and it seemed like it might be extreme enough to get me started on better habits.  So, I decided to start the next Monday (what is it about those Mondays???), and it was also my daughter’s 4th birthday.  I managed to make it through the first week and I learned a lot.  I kept reading articles on the Whole30.com site and figured out how to plan and prepare better for Week 2.   I borrowed a friend’s copy of It Starts with Food, and when my dog ate the dust jacket, I happily bought a replacement copy to return the book intact while also having my own copy to keep (sans dust jacket). 

 

I read the sections on how food can affect your brain and hormones, and I was amazed.   I realized that for the first time, I was learning WHY it is important to eat good food, and HOW to do that at a tactical level.   And it made a ton of sense.  I made it through Week 3, and then I cheated and got my scale out just to see how I was doing.  I was shocked to realize that I had already lost 12 pounds!   After 3 consistent days of obsessively weighing myself every morning to watch the progress, I realized that the scale really wasn’t helping me at all and was distracting me from otherwise feeling great about my newfound discipline and the health benefits of the good food in my body (sorry Melissa…I know you tried to tell me…).    When we celebrated Father’s Day and my son’s birthday by going to Olive Garden for dinner and having ice cream and cake, I briefly considered “taking a break” from Whole30 to enjoy some ice cream with the family.  Almost immediately, my internal response was, “You deserve this…give yourself the 30 days for your health.  It’s just not worth it.”  Such a huge change from my previous “diet” thinking of “You deserve this…just a little bit won’t hurt.”  That’s the moment I realized that I really WAS becoming Whole30! 

 

Week 4, I finished the book and started to panic about stopping Whole30 and riding my own bike.  I put the scale away and decided to extend to 45 days, just improve my focus on the non-scale benefits of this lifestyle and also start using my new-found energy to start exercising before adding complexity through reintroduction and making my own food choices.  Day 28 was a Sunday, and I spent that morning eating eggs and tomatoes for breakfast with my daughter.  The feeling of pride that I had in sharing a meal with her that was delicious AND healthy for both of us was something I had never consciously experienced before.  The feeling of pride from that one meal made me completely bypass any temptation of “28 is just as good as 30.” 

 

On 7/6/16, I finished 45 days living Whole30.  I’ve experienced all of the typical benefits…I feel great, no heartburn medicine needed AT ALL for 45 days, my cravings are gone, and my blood sugar spikes/drops are non-existent.  Oh…and I lost 22.6 lbs in 45 days while never feeling hungry or deprived!  All of these, in addition to the intrinsic benefits I described above, make me beyond grateful for my exposure to Whole30.  Truly life changing.  I’m introducing legumes today to start my reintroduction and will be continuing to focus on “riding my own bike.” 

Thank you Melissa and Dallas!!!

 

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SOOOO inspirational!  WAY TO GO!  I love the reasons behind your success, too.  Thank you for sharing.  I, too, want to drop one of my medications!  Please let us know how it goes.  I'd love to hear your reintroduction stories!

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