Overcame so many challenges but I made it!

[digiD]

Today is the last day of my Whole30!  I honestly did not think that I would make it because I have never stuck to any change in my eating regime!  I realize that food has been a lifelong crutch that I have leaned consistently.  My journey started with the discovery that I really do not like coffee but appear to LOVE creamer!  I quickly discovered cold brew coffee which is very tolerable without cream.  Brewing without exposing the coffee beans to hot water gives you coffee that is much less acidic.  The second challenge I faced was about 3 days in week one where my lips were burning and blistering.  I am not sure what this was but chalked it up to all the bad stuff I have been eating making its way out of my body.  Week two was a breeze, I was finally getting into a groove with the food prep and I had a couple of days where I felt amazing!  I am 51 years old and have never slept for more than 4-5 hours a night, waking up about every 30-60 minutes all night long.  I have chased sleep for years and was so jealous of people that could sleep soundly.  At the end of week 2 I slept 9 hours on the weekend!  I could not believe it!  I also have rheumatoid arthritis and started to notice that I had no pain.  The third week kind of dragged and I was having a harder time thinking about what to eat but I just needed to readjust my thinking and plan a little better!  Week 4 was easy and I have decided that I will continue after the 30 days.  I will not trade how I feel and the sleep for any food!  The strange thing that happened is that I am not really interested in food.  I think that means my cravings are gone.  I still enjoy eating but I do not sit and think about food.  One consistent difficult challenge for me was not drinking alcohol.  My husband and I make wine and enjoy wine.  I realized it had become a very social thing for us.  I have learned that I can have a good time without it but will most likely add an occasional glass of wine as I go forward.

My advice would be to find someone to take this journey with you!  One of my friends did it with me and it was tremendously helpful! 

Good luck if you are just starting and congratulations to everyone who has finished their 30 days!  It is definitely something to celebrate!

[Barbie M]

Great job! Thanks for sharing. I, too, wonder if I can really do this, and I hope that, if I do, it will help my chronic migraines, as it helped your arthritis. I hope so. Thanks for the inspiration.