Reflection of a Newbie - Success without Perfection

[ekayser153]

My first whole 30 is complete! I am down 4 lbs, with visibly more muscle. I did not measure the first time around, but I plan to for my 2nd round. I've been active for the last 4 years after losing all of my college weight, and then some (40+ lbs) by exercise and calorie counting. After 4 years of watching every bite, I was tired of counting. Tired of focusing on numbers and feeling guilt whenever I'd indulge. I feel like it became a full blown issue for me when I'd sneak food, and then work out hard to "work it off". Instead of feeling 100%, I was feeling defeated and stuck in a cycle of eating healthy all day, binge eating at night, and working my butt off at the gym. I was seeing no results, no muscle gain despite the dedication, and no more weight loss. I also felt tired and in need to a pick me up like pre-workout to get me going for the gym.

I heard about the Whole30 through Pinterest, of all places. When I looked into the website, I bought the book and got to reading. Finally, something that made me feel like I wasn't a failure! This seemed like the perfect solution, and I set my dates, and began to buy the things I needed. Once I got into the swing of things, it wasn't too hard to stay on track. I figure I can do anything for 30 days, right? I actually had withdrawals within the first week, I think mostly from sugar. The improvements I've seen are definitely worth it (Increased energy, better sleep, less hunger/snack cravings).

For my first round, I don't feel like I did my best. There are so many hidden ingredients in food, like added sugars/soy/soybean oil and I wasn't always careful about reading labels. For example, there is soy in olive oil cooking spray, or sugar added to dried fruit.. like what?? Things I didn't realize until AFTER I'd cooked with it or eaten it. I also had to throw out all almond butter/nuts/raisins/dried fruit because I found myself using those as a replacement to candy/sugar. Even though I still felt awesome, I'm pretty sure it doesn't count as a whole clean 30 days. I decided restarting was not something I would do for the first round. I think of it more as trial and error, do better tomorrow type deal. Even though that was the case, I still felt SO good. It's plain to see that GOOD food has positive effects, even without eliminating all inflammatory foods. Now that I've gotten very good at reading labels, I'm planning to do round #2 after my vacation at the end of May (starting the 25th, 26th, or 27th). I'm interested to see when I'm totally 100% compliant how I will feel.

Yesterday was my first day of the reintroduction phase.. I ate some pretty yummy ice cream, but unfortunately probably too much, and I had a tummy ache/headache for the rest of the night. I still have a slight one today! Probably more from sugar than dairy, but I now know I can't overdo it. Holy hangover!

I just wanted to say thank you SO much to Melissa and Dallas. I love this lifestyle, and plan to continue on this new road in my life.