Alison's First Whole 30

[AlisonShipley]

My story-

About 4 years ago, I joined weight watchers.  Lost about 70 lbs and got back to a healthier-looking figure.  I was by no means healthy though.  I had an unhealthy relationship with food.  I was constantly on the scale would freak out about 3 lb fluctuations. I saw food as points and the better I was about staying under, the better I would look and hopefully feel.  I did not.  I began dating my now husband, but my emotions were always all over the place.  I had mood swings and would binge on food.  I stopped following weight watchers and slowly began gaining all that weight back.  I wasn't in shape anymore, I could barely run a mile and my running medals and triathlon medals gathered dust in a box.  I did not feel good about myself at all. 

Fast forward to January 2016- I made a small goal of running one 5k race a month.  This encouraged me to run during the week more.  This set a goal for me each month.  I began looking at my nutrition a little more closely.  I stopped binging.  I incorporated more fruit and vegetables in my diet. I ate out less. I still like my wine and bowl of ice cream a couple of times a week.  I no longer stopped by the corner store to grab an ice cream bar or a Musketeers.  I began drinking almost a gallon of water a day! I began experimenting a little more in the kitchen with different veggies and fruits (I'm a super picky eater so this has been "hard" for me.). My skin is looking better and I'm feeling better about myself and what I can do.

Fast forward to July 2016- I was having lunch with my mom and she spoke about how Whole30 changed her life and that she has done it 3 times now.  She has been a marathon runner for the past 10 years and I aspire to be as athletic as she is.  She explained how her nutrition had been holding her back and how she wish this was something she had access to at my age.  After the past few months of eating "better" and running, I haven't seen a whole lot of change in my weight, which really affects my running.  She suggested Whole30. Now I love my mom, but at 27 years old, sometimes I say "okay mom" and roll my eyes.  

Fast forward to August 2016- A couple of friends posted about Whole30 and of course like any diligent interweb sleuth, I do some research.  What my mom and what my friends say about Whole30 is true and interesting!  I didn't know I had a sugar dependency until I really thought about the foods I ate daily, and I DO. Mind blown.  I read about how it effectively heals your gut and changes the way you look at food and how you think about food.  I wanted that.  So I bought the book about a week ago. I read the whole thing twice now and will definitely be reading it again and again.  

Today- August 17, 2016, I am starting Whole30.  I will continue to track my progress and will do this program wholeheartedly.  Not eating sugar for 30 days isn't hard, beating cancer is hard.  Eating good food is not hard.  

[Churlygirl]

How are things going Alison?