One Way Ticket to Success!

[Jinkse21]

I finished my first Whole30 on May 2nd and it's taken me a few days to find time to write this as I really wanted to reflect on what the 30 days meant to me. Why did I title this "One Way Ticket to Success!"? This is an adventure where I don't plan on returning to my old habits. I still have a ways to go on this adventure but I am excited to learn more about myself and to keep celebrating even the smallest successes! Returning to the days of stuffing my face with pasta, pizza, beer and feeling bloated and tired all the time no longer sound comforting to to me anymore. The changes I have seen in 30 days has definitely convinced me that Whole30 is definitely worth the time and effort!

Shut the Front Door! (or...Things That Happily Surprised Me)

• Day 9 - Osteoarthritis pain in my left knee disappeared! This pain had been taunting me for at least 6 months! Will I cancel my knee replacement surgery in Aug.? NO! I want it to feel 100% better so I can go hiking and do different activities to get me moving.
  
• Lost 11.3 pounds! Previous to Whole30, I followed Weight Watchers on and off for 23 years! I became a pro at losing that 10-15 pounds over and over again and I could tell you points for foods without looking them up. I looked at one of my last weight-tracker booklets and it took me over 4 months to lose 10 pounds! Following the plan wasn't as important as the social events and emotional needs I had. Eating the Whole30 way never made me feel like I was missing anything (well, almost never... ) and my meals always satisfied me. Were there days when I started over-analysing what I was eating like how eating way too much fat would hinder my weightloss I was hopign for? Yes! But I trusted in the program and it worked!
  
• Diet Coke is NOT my best friend! I went cold-turkey on this! I drank at least one Diet Coke a day every day! Amazingly enough, I didn't crave that bubbly goodness for the 30 days! Or even after! When I finally did have one, it tasted weird and fake and I couldn't even drink half of it! I am in love with my hot tea and lots of water!
  
• TV time has reduced to 2-3 hours a day instead of 5-10! The TV was my best friend since I was a little girl! I knew every channel and every TV show...a walking TV Guide if you will. I would eat meals sitting on the couch while watching re-runs of TV shows I saw multiple times over the years. Now, I can sit and eat my dinner at the table in silence...cook in silence...clean in silence...There have been several times I don't even notice the silence until my husband turns on the TV when he gets home from work. Plus, I don't use the TV to put me to sleep anymore! I don't even turn it on when I go in the room and I find myself falling asleep within minutes!
  
• Love cooking again! For awhile, I stopped cooking and it seemed like a burden when I had to cook. I preferred to have someone else cook for me which is like saying I trusted that they were making the "best" food choices for me. I can count the number of times I went out to eat during the 30 days on two hands! All other meals were prepared by me! I loved knowing exactly what I was putting into my body! I have always loved to cook as it was a stress relieve for me and I have to admit, I loved the praise I received when I cooked for others. Now, instead of eating when I am stressed, I cook! Luckily, I was never a baker and didn't care about sweets so I can make those foods and take them to others without batting an eye. For the 30 days, I took a picture of almost every meal (I missed maybe 3 or 4 meals) because, while I now eat to live, what I eat should still look appetizing and supper yummy!
  
• No weighing or measuring! First, I walked past the scale in my bedroom every day and did not weigh. I refused to hide the scale. I didn't want the scale to be attached to the negative and wanted to know that I could be around it without obsessing about what I weighed. I was surprised at how easy it was! Second, not weighing foods or measuring them was a challenge at first since that was all I was doing with WW and My Fitness Pal. Now, I only use the food scale to measure my dog's food (yes, I make my dog's food and measure it out for portion consistency ). It's very freeing not worry about every gram/ounce! Talk about building a better relationship with food!!
  
• Fat is GOOD! After years of being told fat is bad, it took awhile to get used to the fact that good fats are good for the body! Instead of worrying about getting too much fat, I worry if I eat enough! I my homemade ghee, bacon fat, olive oil...Coconut oil is another story..,still can't get used to it and I think I have a bit of an allergy to it.
  
• Much shorter period! While it was 18 days late, it only lasted 4 days...'nuf said!
  

WTH?? (or...Things That I Wish Would Have Changed)

• RA doesn't care about Whole30! I guess I was hoping for a miracle and that my RA would be cured! Not! I had flare-ups in my hands a few different times that required a cortisone shot or extra drugs. While I didn't follow AIP, the only nightshades I really had were eggs, sweet potatoes and peppers. It just made me realize, RA is a disease that will rear its ugly head no matter what and to just push forward...with a little whining!
  
• Longer sleep times.... Over the past few years, my average night's sleep is about 6 hours. I was hoping to be able to sleep longer during the 30 days but that hasn't changed. I wear ear plugs to help me sleep through the night now but I stil wake up after only getting 6 hours of sleep.
  

Clearly, the good out-weighed the bad! I have learned that 30 days is not long enough to change things that took a lifetime to build so PATIENCE IS KEY! I am continuing on this journey and will continue to post in my post-30 log so I can track new changes.

One thing I know for sure is that I feel so much better and am so thankful that I found Whole30!

[annabel]

Well done on finishing your Whole30

[kaiser179]

It is sooo wonderful to hear about your success story! Thank you for taking the time to post - it gives me hope to keep at it! I can really relate to your experiences with previously using Weight Watchers and the point system and how it feels really weird (but great!) to not count calories and to actually eat more fat. I also find myself watching a lot less tv since I am spending more time in the kitchen. At first I was annoyed by the change, but now I see how I am gaining so much more by my time in the kitchen vs in a daze on the couch.

[Jinkse21]

When I am in the kitchen for a long time chopping and prepping, I will put Netflix on the iPad and play re-runs of Alias or some other show where I don't have to pay attention to details so I have the noise. But it really doesn't constitute WATCHING TV, right??

[Jinkse21]

I just realized another change that happened...no more over-active bladder!!! I have a pill for it but I habitually forget to take them and I realized I haven't had one for a few weeks I used to have to race to the bathroom or I really would pee my pants!

YEA!!!

[xacerb8]

This is a great recap. I'm sure it will inspire lots of struggling Whole30'ers.