Day 27 Reflection - Ups and Downs But Mostly Ups!

[rachellil]

It's a bit early to shout "SUCCESS!" but I'm excited to share so I will now and then update this post after the reintroduction phase. I've toyed around with the Whole30 in the past but never successfully followed through with the whole program. Now I understand why. You see, on previous Whole30s I broke two of the most important rules that I didn't understand fully at the time: (1) I continued to weigh myself. Nearly every day. (2) I used compliant ingredients to cheat. I made these delicious almond butter banana "muffins" that I gorged on for breakfast almost daily. One of my main goals of the Whole30 is to slay my sugar dragon and that certainly didn't help.

Non-scale victories (thus far):

• Less bloating
• Feeling more confident in appearance
• Less stomach pain
• Less digestive issues and gas
• Fewer headaches
• Less fatigue
• Recovering faster from illness (I got a cold or hay fever on Day 15, so my "Tiger Blood" came late but I recovered quickly!)
• Happier, more optimistic, less anxious, handling stress better, improved confidence and body image, overall improved mental health!
• Fewer sugar/carb cravings
• Feeling in control of food and my relationship with it
• Feeling more productive, energy levels are higher
• My favorite part: I've started an exercise routine! I'm no longer ridiculously tired after work so I finally feel up for hitting the gym each day after work! I've been running, lifting, and going to at least one yoga class per week. 
• My second favorite part: Cooking has become more fun! I highly recommend Melissa Joulwan's Well Fed Weeknights cookbook. My cooking skills have improved and I love spending time with my husband while we cook together (he's not Whole30 but he's willing to eat compliant dinner meals at home so we can cook together). 
• My taste buds have changed. Instead of craving candy I find myself craving meat and vegetables with some delicious Whole30 compliant sauce! 

Parts that were tough or I need improvement:

• My sugar dragon has become tamer but has not been killed yet! I rely too heavily on fruit. For the first two weeks I was eating a Lara Bar daily just trying to keep up with eating compliant while crazy busy at work. Next time I do Whole30 I will probably personally ban Lara Bars and their ilk to push myself a little farther in slaying the dragon.
• When my husband was out of town I experienced significant food boredom and could not motivate myself to cook on my own. Since then I've been forcing myself to cook healthy breakfast by myself - Need to remind myself that I can cook for myself and I alone am responsible for my food choices.
• The desire to step on the scale is still getting to me!!! I haven't done it but I certainly have not mentally severed ties with it! 
• I snacked a little too much. Similar to my comment above about the sugar dragon.

Post-Whole30 Personal Plan

• Continue to cook Paleo at home and make sure most of my homemade meals are Whole30 compliant.
• Let myself enjoy what I want (within reason) when we go out to eat but limit how often we go out to eat.
• Don't consider off-plan for "special occasions" (no way I need the staff room birthday cake!) but rather consider going off-plan for occasional special foods that I know are worth it (the delicious local doughnut shop that I only get the chance to frequent every few months!)

Any tips or feedback on my post-Whole30 plan?

[rachellil]

Update:

Yesterday I completed Day 34! Today I stepped on the scale and I lost 8 pounds. This is nothing compared to my non-scale victories (see last post)! I also feel pretty confident that while I lost some fat, I gained some muscle, and so I don't think 8 pounds really represents how far I've come. Also, I'm ending the Whole30 while on my period and I am a little bloated. 

I am excited to continue to eat Paleo, and to stop worrying every time I go out to eat and asking the server a million questions about how the food is prepared. 

[RandiW]

These are awesome! In R1 I lost 5 lbs and dropped a belt notch (which, for doing zero exercise, I was pretty happy about!). But I stayed largely with a whole30 diet (not denying myself: special dinners, rare cookies, a vacation totally off the rails) and since last Jan have lost another 12ish lbs. I wouldn't mind losing another 5-10, but the real reason I'm doing a R2 this month is for all the NSVs: regular bowels, increased energy, kill the bloat!, easier menstrual cycles, getting colds WAY less often, reduced BP. 

I feel ya on using certain "crutches" - I didn't eat Lara bars in R1, but I did rely too much on dried fruit to supplement lunch (which is my hardest meal to get in) at work. I cut them out for the last two weeks. I know for meal, I don't feel the urge to snack if I'm getting a healthy dose of fat at the previous meal. Maybe examine your fat intake?

I think W30 has actually made me want to step on the scale more! I made the mistake of stepping on it once in R1 and I found out immediately why its a bad idea. I became obsessed with how much weight I lost instead of the NSVs I had made. Since last year I use the scale more than I had in the previous 5 years. I think it's actually good for me to be committing to no scale use for these 30 days to try and break the habit of regular weigh ins. That said, if you're still thinking about it, maybe give it away for awhile? Have your husband hide it? If you feel like you need to weigh, maybe agree with yourself that you'll weigh in once every 3 months?

Congrats on your W30!