Things I learned on Whole30:
1. I'm not as hungry as I think I am.
Don't get me wrong, the first 2 weeks were miserable. MISERABLE! I was constantly truly hungry. I wasn't eating enough calories during my meals but I also wasn't supposed to snack (because you're supposed to eat a TON of calories 3 meals a day). So being the rebel that I am, I ate when I wasn't supposed to (and had to fight the urge of feeling guilty because I'm really a rule follower). Then I got over those wrong feelings, ate more at mealtimes, fueled properly pre and post workouts and by day 19 I left my workout feeling like a new person. It did take that long to not have my afternoon slumps and get my food choices and quantities right for my own body. I used to snack because I was bored, because I was getting tired, and because I was dehydrated! When I started listening to what my body really needed, those cravings really did subside. I won't lie they didn't go away completely.
2. I have a new appreciation for vegetables.
You know how we're supposed to eat 5-8 fruits AND veggies in a day? I'm here to confess that before Whole 30 I was pretty proud of myself on the weeks when I could sneak in a 2nd veggie into my day. I have a love/hate relationship with most things veggie-like, mostly because I am a carb-a-holic and my sweet-trained pallet didn't appreciate the bitter taste of all things green. The internet is amazing. I discovered www.stalkerville.net. It was my saving grace. My rule following self needs recipes and this website provides a search that narrows my recipe choices to ingredients that are Whole30 compliant. AWESOME sauce! Literally! My family loves their asparagus, squash, broccoli, and green beans to name only a few all sorts of ways now. I actually snack on brussels sprouts! (FYI and TMI - I haven't been able to figure out how to cook the "gassiness" out of them if you're pickin' up what I'm layin' down). I now have at least 5 servings of veggies a day! Talk about success.
3. I can enjoy a cup of black coffee.
This is coming from a grande non-fat, no foam, 2 Splenda latte girl who needed caffeine to survive any given day but also would forgo the offer if there was no cream or steaming of milk involved.
My goals going into this were to start losing the 10 pounds I had put on in the last year AND to really get in tune with my body. In the book, It Starts with Food, they address systemic inflammation. Not touching that here except to say, I really wanted to know if I had food allergies that I was ignoring. I wanted to know if my body was trying to communicate to me and I was hearing the wrong message and feeding it fuel that was hurting instead of helping. This plan is an elimination plan that really helps you see what our bodies need to survive. I'm here to tell you, I don't need anything processed and I definitely feel amazing not having sugar cravings that kept me sluggish and tired most days as I cycled through the ups and downs of carb-loading and carb-crashing.
5. I have a new and healthy view of food that I've NEVER had before.
I am down to 16 oz. of coffee a day. THAT'S HUGE!! I never counted my calories in the last 30 days (even though the first week I struggled against it every day). My new food choices are based on health and not trying to satisfy a craving. I will have splurges, birthday cake and wine with my dinner but I have a new outlook on it all. I will savor the treats and enjoy the experience that comes with indulging in the yumminess that is sugary.
I have so much more to say so if this even whets your curiosity, let's go grab an Americano and talk.
Okay, so everyone always wants to know numbers but I don't have the most important ones yet which are my body fat percentage (because weight is just our pull toward the center of the Earth and doesn't mean much in my book) and my cholesterol. I did drop 8 pounds but I have been doing some heavy weight lifting so I'm super excited to see how that translates to BFP. I lost 8 ½" total in my waist, hips and legs so that's saying something.
If you want to know more about Whole30 and if it could help you, visit www.whole30.com. This is not a paid advertisement, just someone who saw results. You can follow the program without buying the book but I highly recommend the read. It gives a lot of answers as to the "whys" of what they are asking you to do.
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