{My First Whole30}

Today is the last day of my first Whole30 experience.  Lucky for me- I am on spring break, so I have ample time to reflect over what I've learned and where I am going next. 

                                 

                              

Why Whole30?

A multitude of factors led me to jump headfirst into this journey.  First, we booked a beach house for the first week of June and the idea of getting into a bikini without getting into better shape made me shutter.  Beyond that, I had let food get the best of me.  Like most people, I am... was... still am an emotional eater.  Sad, happy, excited, bored...you name the emotion and I'll tell you the perfect snack pairing.  I'm a snack sommelier.  When we were in the process of adopting Ryan in 2013-14, I gained almost 30 pounds.  I look back at photos from that time and I can pinpoint every emotion I felt on that roller coaster.  I worked hard over the course of a year or so to lose the weight---but really by doing a whole lot of cardio and not changing my eating habits drastically.  Run?  Sure.  Stair Stepper?  Sure.  Give up my Sour Patch Kids and regular Sonic visits?  Hell. No.  In addition to the looming beach vacation and having an intense, emotional relationship with food- I also felt imbalanced a good portion of everyday.  I craved sugar, ate sugar, and then crashed.  I slept a LOT at night, but felt like I was in a fog.  I didn't venture into the program naively, thinking 30 days would change everything- but I hoped it would change something.

2014: 152 lbs

2016: 123 lbs

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So...30 Days are over- What happened?

I had a really positive experience with Whole30 and it did “change my life” in several important ways. 

• The first question most people ask is about weight.  Did I lose weight?  This isn't a weight-loss plan. Plenty of people lose weight on Whole30—myself included—but the purpose of the program has more to do with feeling good than looking a certain way. To be honest, that's what attracted me to Whole30 in the first place. It wasn't one of those three-day magical solutions to weight loss. It was a 30-day challenge rooted in logic—how could I resist?  I fueled myself with nothing but healthy, well-balanced food for 30 days.  Hell, I even made it through a surprise karaoke party on my birthday without one sip of alcohol or one bite of birthday treats.  So yes, I did lose weight.  Not a ton, but it helped me get back down to my "happy weight"...you know the one Alyssa Milano is always preaching about on those Atkins commercials?  Now let's get real for a minute.  A secret battle (to everyone except maybe my husband) I have fought over the past 5ish years is a mild case of what I would describe as body dysmorphia or body obsession.  What I saw when I looked in the mirror never felt good even if the scale and the fit of my clothes told me differently.  Focusing on healthy food choices for 30 days and watching my body get stronger and leaner has helped alleviate some of mixed messages I was sending myself about how I looked, how I should look, and what that meant about being beautiful.  Is it rewarding to see the number on the scale get smaller.  Um, yes.  Is it more rewarding to run faster and longer, be active with my family, and more present with my kid?  Absolutely.      
• I gained a passion for recipe research and cooking.  I have never described myself as a cook.  I am super blessed to be married to an amazing cook...you know one of those people who can get dinner on the table without ever looking at a recipe.  So. Good.  Over the past 30 days, I have cooked things I never would have attempted prior to this experience.  I even created a few things without looking at a recipe...what?  I know- I impressed myself.  I now enjoy spending time researching food, looking through recipes and thinking about what I want to proudly serve my family.
• My love for Chipotle continues.  Tyler and I used dining out as entertainment for years.  If you tracked our bank account you would find a lot of our income going to restaurants.  It turns out when you restrict your diet to only nutrient dense, whole foods- you eliminate a LOT of dining out options.  Then there's Chipotle.  We love Chipotle.  Lucky for us there are a handful of ingredients that are Whole30 approved (lettuce, carnitas, salsa, guac- which is basically a meal in itself).  In the 30 days, we ate there 4 times.  But those were the only times we ate out.  For us, that is CRAZY and a huge victory.    
• I feel more balanced.  I don't have sugar cravings.  I can drive by Sonic and not stop for a drink.  I can sit in a meeting at work with a candy dish filled with chocolate and not have even one piece.  Some of the things I ate before Whole30 don't sound appetizing---but don't be fooled- some do.  I could really, really go for some La Fuente. For reals.
• Throughout the 30 days I felt less bloated, more energized, and stopped feeling hangry.  I consider those huge victories (So does my husband).

Whole30 Challenges

Don't be fooled.  Whole30 is not without its challenges.  I mean it's 30 days without sugar and cheese--2 of my favorite things.

• There is sugar (in some form) in EVERYTHING.  Do you know how many different names sugar goes by?  So many aliases.  Grocery shopping definitely took longer (much to the dismay of my boys) because of label reading.  

• Whole30 requires a lot of planning.  I found myself meal planning constantly.  I had to constantly think ahead.  If I worked late, I packed a dinner.  If I knew I wouldn't have time for lunch, I packed healthy, compliant on-the-go snacks.  
• Socializing is hard, but not impossible.  Prior to Whole30, meeting friends for drinks and dinner was mindless.  We didn't have to check menus ahead of time or think of activities that don't have to do with eating and drinking.  Now we are more creative in our socializing- thinking of activities and events we can partake in that don't centralize around food.
• Real food is expensive.  We spent about $150-175 per week for a family of 3- breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Prior to Whole30, we could stay within the $80-100 range. But we also ate out a lot before.  So that helped offset some of the cost.
• Taming the sugar dragon is hard. I probably overdid it on fruit throughout the program- but that has to be better than Coke, candy, and cupcakes (my favorite C's).  Slowly but surely, your taste buds will change.  There are things I crave now that I didn't even like (or think I liked) before- grapes, hamburger stew, orange juice...just to name a few.  

What's Next?

Tyler is 13 days behind me.  It took him a little while to jump on board- but now he is slaying it!  Because of that, I plan to go for at least 13 more days #Whole43. And after that, I don't have an exact plan.  I plan on breaking from the program slightly and not follow the re-introductory steps that allow you to test the effects of non-compliant foods on my body- because I already know what they do to me....they take me right back to where I was before.  Essentially, I am going to continue sticking to the Whole30 program.
That's right, I am going to try to Whole30 indefinitely... maybe not 100% of the time.  If friends want to meet for drinks, I'll sip on a glass of wine.  If it's a special occasion- we may eat out, off plan.  But what I've learned is real food makes me feel good and the Whole30 guidelines make me feel in control.  So I guess the answer to what's next is that I am staying the course because #everymealisachoice.  Stay tuned!