Day 29.

[AStay]

It's day 29. I thought day 10 was the hardest, but I was wrong.

Initially, I started Whole30 because I wanted to just generally feel better, although I wasn't even sure what that meant. Growing up I was blessed with a mother who made food from scratch and eliminated things like sugar and processed food from our family diet, without us even knowing the difference. We rarely ate out, so splurging wasn't an issue. As a young professional, I kept that habit. I got married last year and we've been trying to cram as many trips as we can into our first couple years of marriage before we start having kids. It's been a wonderful, wild ride, but we've obviously been "indulging" a lot more than I'm used to. Ergo, Whole30 came into the picture. I just felt like I needed to hit a reset button.

So far I've survived a brunch wedding reception with a donut bar and bacon on a stick, our July 4 family gathering with chili dogs and beer, an out-of-town bridal shower (brunch again), and another out-of-town wedding that I was single-handedly coordinating, all while maintaining the Whole30 rules to a tee. While I feel slimmer, more energetic, and SO grateful to have somehow been able to meal prep through all the aforementioned events and say "no thank you" repeatedly to cupcakes and wine and bacon, I'm still, somehow, simultaneously just tired. We got home yesterday from the out-of-town wedding and my entire body ached. I had zero motivation to make the dinner I'd planned and when I did make it, it turned out horrible (for the first time in my Whole30 journey). I know I'm almost there, but for some reason Wednesday seems like a lifetime away. I'm tired of dishes. I'm tired of thinking about food all day. I'm tired of saying, "no thank you", and I'm tired of dreaming about pizza. I reflected a lot on the last (almost) 30 days while in the car on the way home yesterday and was so grateful for all the food lessons I've learned, all the great conversations I've had with friends and family members about this program, and just generally for finding out what "feeling better" really looks like for me. I think, though, more than anything, I'm ready to be unrestricted and figure out what works for me long-term and what I can still indulge in from time-to-time. 

Accountability, motivation, and encouragement are greatly appreciated

[MeeshKB]

Firstly...YAY YOU! You did it! Okay, you've got another day and a half to go, but you are nearly there! Take time to stop and take a breath and enjoy your accomplishment. I saw someone on this forum refer to this as "giving yourself the win". I love that. Give yourself the win, girl! (My apologies if you are not, in fact, a girl. I'm inferring from your post. )

I too am near the end of my first Whole30 (Day 30 today), and I can understand what you're saying here. It deflinitely takes a certain amount of effort to do this thing, and that can get tiring. Not to mention, it sounds like you've had a super packed month! No wonder you're feeling tired. Are you getting enough sleep? (I ask because this is a problem of mine.) I've felt tired quite a bit while on Whole30, but when I really look at it I can't blame the program if I'm not holding up my end and giving my body time to rest and recover.

If you want an accountability buddy going through reintro and beyond, let me know. I'd be happy to share the path with you since we're walking the same way anyhow.

Michelle

[AStay]

All good things, Michelle. Congratulations to you too! Thank you for the encouragement and for bringing reality back to my mini meltdown moment  I'm sure I'll be needing some help with reintroduction and taking it easy, because I'm still very much looking forward to reuniting with cheese and other things! Good luck on the rest of your journey!