Done. And done.

[xacerb8]

Yesterday was Day #30 for me. I completed my first Whole 30! Honestly, two years ago, this is something I never would have believed I could do. Giving up bread, sugar, and alcohol seemed not only impossible, but, kind of stupid. As in, "Why would I want to do THAT....they're not the problem, *I* am the problem."

Like many people on these forums, I've struggled with yo-yo dieting for years. Make that decades. Since my twenties, my weight has cycled up and down. Periods of extreme cardio (marathon training!) would bring me to the low end. I'd accomplish a running goal and then revert to a mostly sedentary lifestyle and the pounds would creep back on. Panic ensued, and I'd rush to find another diet, eating plan, philosophy that would make the weight gain stop.

Slightly over a year ago, I stumbed on a blog post entitled, "Why Everyone Needs a Life Coach," and everything the post said made total sense. I quickly clicked over to read this person's web site and felt instantly hopeful. She could help me end my struggles!

Sure enough, over the next year, as I worked with her, all kinds of things became clear. That it wasn't about the food; it was about my inability to value and care for myself, to take responsibility for my own happiness and well-being. I worked on eating intuitively. And, I felt much better.

Still, old patterns are hard to break, and by the end of 2012 I was starting to think that my head was in a great place, but it wasn't necessarily being reflected in my body. I had put on 20 pounds of the 40 I lost after my divorce. I drank too much, especially when my bf was around. I had gone back to some of minorly self-destructive behaviors that had gotten me into trouble in the first place (eating everybody's pizza crusts off their plates even when I wasn't hungry. Etc.)

I've been flirting with paleo for years it seems, ever since I read Gary Taube's book, "Why We're Fat." Since I talked to a friend who'd gone paleo and envied her success in battling anxiety and depression. I just never saw myself doing it. Until this year. Something clicked. Maybe it was the peace I've been finding at yoga and how I could see the results of nourishing myself and doing things because my body felt good doing them rather than doing exercise so I could burn x# of calories? I don't know. Luck and timing I guess, because when this friend offered to lend me ISWF, everything fell into place.

And best of all, because synchronicity is a beautiful thing, about halfway into this whole30, my lifecoach sent out one of her regular newsletters and in it, she detailed a typical day of hers, with respect to food. As I read the description of what she eats (eggs fried in ghee, a bone broth, salmon patties), I thought to myself, "Oh, my god, she's doing whole30-style eating!" The next time we had a call, we talked about Whole 30 and she said that her philosophy about our relationship with food has changed greatly over the years and she has learned that just because you want something, caring for yourself sometimes means saying NO, even if that is a triggering thing for you. You have to say no out of love for your body.

If you're still reading, I apologize. <haha!>

You probably only wanted to know my results, right?

By the numbers:

Starting weight: 160.5lbs

End weight: 150.5 lbs

Waist in inches, start: 38 (it's not easy to measure around a giant bloated belly!)

Waist in inches, end: 35

Hips in inches, start: 41

Hips in inches, end: 38.5

Thighs in inches, start: 23

Thighs in inches, end: 22

Not by the numbers:

Rosacea is markedly reduced. People have noticed and commented on my skin tone and texture.

Sleep - Sleep deeply and can wake up refreshed as long as I get my 8 hours

Anxiety-I have unintentionally reduced my intake of generic Lexapro. I forget to take it 4 out of 5 days it seems and so far I have not suffered. (Have started taking cod liver oil which is supposed to help)

Other -

1. My need to snack every hour on the hour is gone. I eat three meals a day and that's it. I do eat 2 servings of fat at every meal and 3 if I feel particularly hungry. I think this helps a lot.

2. I don't feel consumed by fear of food and weight gain anymore. I enjoy thinking about recipes and what to cook, but I don't feel guilty about eating anything.

Negatives:

The world is not very supportive of this style of eating. It is next to impossible to eat at a restaurant. That's ok though. Who has money to eat out after buying groceries every week?

Other:

I did not convert my kids to this way of eating. I cook all of our dinners according to the Whole30. My 11 year old son devours pretty much everything. My 9 year old daughter rolls her eyes and makes herself some cinnamon toast. I'm fine with that. My experiences growing up with a parent who was pathologically controlling around food make me wary of forcing ANY way of eating on my kids. That said, I work hard to model good eating and my son has asked me if I would stop packing him chips and sandwiches in his lunch and let him try eating the way I eat to see if he has more energy too. I think that's a HUGE win.

Next steps:

I'm reintroducing grain today. I don't have any raw milk in the house to do dairy! I'll do that next week. I will also have one glass of red wine today.

P.S. The coach who helped me is Christie Inge. She is awesome! And I recommend her to anyone who struggles with the emotional aspects of eating.

[ScoutFinch]

Congratulations! I am on Day 20 today and inspired by you--like many here, share(d) many of the same struggles and compulsions for a long time, and finding eating real food is the stealth solution that was there the whole time--and now not even feeling cheated by all the time "waste." And can't help thinking that your daughter will come around via your son. Thanks so much for sharing this and good luck as you continue on!

[Derval]

Congrats, great read & great results!

[Colleen Roy]

Congratulations!

[EileenRBe]

Very cool wrap-up. Congratulations, and good work! I'm impressed that your son jumped on board. Re eating out, I fantasize about this becoming so popular that restaurants start offering a Whole30 menu.

[AmyS]

Woohoo! Congrats!

[Margret McDermott]

Thanks for the in-depth report. I loved reading it. I'm on day 13 and hope to do half as well as you did!

It'll be cool to hear your results after re-introducing grains and alcohol. This is picky-pants, but I wonder if it'd be better to re-introduce them seperately so you can tell what's what. Is it the grains that bother your system, or the alcohol?

Congrats on sticking with it!

[xacerb8]

@Margret, I was kind of thinking the same thing. I've decided to have a nice pint of my favorite beer (Pretty Things) instead. I figure it counts as grain, right?

@EileenRBe, I would LOVE that kind of restaurant. I mean, I think if I wasn't being strict about not having soy or sugar in any form, I could go out to a restaurant and get grilled meat or fish and some kind of salad. We're probably going out tonight and I've already planned on getting the garden salad, bringing my own dressing, plus a small container with chicken and avocado to dump on top.

Thanks all....I'll post again after I finish the full re-intro!

BTW, I realize that in my recap I forgot one of the best things of all:

MY PLANTAR FASCIITIS IS GONE!!! (miraculous)

[martihana60]

GREAT outcome! Congratulations on your whole Whole30!

[melbournegirl]

Way to go xacerb8

[shelley417]

You rock!

[KC Sunshine]

Way to go! It's been awesome having you here on the forums : )

Let us know how the reintroductions go!!

[Emily]

It's all awesome, but HOORAY on the plantar facitis! If your feet aren't happy, you can't be happy! (at least that is true for me!)

[xacerb8]

Hey, Everyone:

I'm checking back in here to post a sort of "two month" recap on my Post-Whole 30.

All in all, I'm thrilled. Having been through so many yo-yo diet scenarios of losing 20 pounds and then gaining 22 back within a matter of months, the fact that I've been able to hold onto the good eating habits I learned is a miracle!

I knew right away that gluten was going to be problematic for me. It was my first reintro and I felt horrible the day after. Of course, I have spent the last two months in denial. I found the social aspects of the Whoel 30 to be really difficult. It felt kind of "icky" to go over to a friend's house with my own prepared food and so I found myself avoiding socializing or having to really work to make it not revolve around a meal. Going out to eat with my family was also annoying.

So this is where my main "slippage" occurred post-Whole 30. I'd eat a bun with my grass-fed burger, etc. Or, a couple of slices of pizza with the kids. Results: not good. I know now that I'm willing to suffer intestinal distress for a baguette in Paris, but not for frozen pizza.

Next up: sugar. There's just no such thing as "enough" for me, at least of foods made with highly processed sugar. I could eat brownies to the point of physical fullness -- or beyond -- and still think, "hmm....just one more bite." This doesn't happen to me when I eat a Lara bar. A new ice cream place opened here which uses no highly-refined sugars and I found that a small serving of their ice cream satisfies me. It is very fatty and dense, but the sweetness doesn't trigger the dragon. So, that can be my occasional treat.

I pulled a muscle doing Bikram and have had to take a break for a bit, but I am doing nice walks with my dog and that feels good. I plan to focus on body-weight exercises this summer: planks and lunges and squats and such. No gym for now. Yoga this weekend.

I lost 10 pounds when I did my Whole 30 and I'm thrilled that my off-roading only ended up in 2 pound gain. I am doing a Whole-7 or possibly a Whole 14 to "reset" my gut and hope to proceed from there with all of this good knowledge.

[almcc]

xaverb8 - congratulations on your success.

Thank you for sharing - especially your update!

I am on day 35 - planning on going 70 days. Then start reintro before vacations to Portland and Paris and like you I'm willing to have some distress for a bit of baguette but not for pizza!!

Also - my plantar fasciitis is gone too!! Who knew!

[Keianna]

Thanks for sharing your update.