W30:What I've learned

Well, I ended my first Whole30 five days ago. I had every intention of blogging a recap post ASAP, but guess what? I needed a brain break. A major "I don't want to think about W30, I don't want to blog about W30, I don't want to snap a pic of every.single.meal, I just want silence in my brain" break. And so that's what I did. Took a break. The introvert in me NEEDED the break.

Ahhhh. There. I feel better now. :)

Seriously, after 30 full days of THINKING (& a lot of OVERthinking), I was done. That's one of the major things I learned. To be successful, it requires work. Mental work. Ouch! Preparation is key. Without being prepared, there will not be success. (Funny how that goes with anything in life, huh? Not just in a W30 experience.) 

Preparation 

1. Make a menu. If you can for a week at a time, great! If not the whole week, at least just a few days out. It'll help in the thinking process. ;)

2. Have a variety in your fridge. Even with a menu set in place, there might be days you just can't stomach more broccoli. Have other quick fixes available so you don't call in a pizza. Or reach for Cheetos. ;) 

3. Speaking of variety, utilize Pinterest & Instagram for recipe ideas. I tried several new things in addition to my tried & true veggies & chicken dishes I'd throw together. There are so many amazing people on social media who have done the work for us & share their W30 friendly recipes. I can't wait to try out more new recipes I've recently found! 

Progress

The day I started W30 I marched myself into my weirdly lit bathroom & took a TON of before pictures. Did I love them? Umm, NO. They made me sad, made me mad, made me sick. I wanted to just sit & beat myself up for allowing myself to get to this place, again. But I didn't. I acknowledged what I saw (because, let's be real. I don't look in mirrors very often.) & moved on. I knew in 30 days I'd see a change. And I was right. Was it worth it to weigh, take measurements, & a gazillion before pictures? Heck, yes! SO glad I did! Am I ready to share everything yet? That'd be a no. But I will show progress in the red shirt. It's the most recognizable transformation. 

(Again, I apologize for the poor lighting & the iPad in some of these. I guess I should have B or one of the girls take the pics? These will just have to do.) 

Day 1

Y'all. That shirt was TIGHT! I'm the self proclaimed "Queen of Stretch", but this material had no give. I managed to get the clearance find on, but had no breathing room. It cut into my arms so much it hurt. It clung to every roll I had. It wasn't pretty. 

Day 30

I put that shirt on the morning of Day 30 just hoping I'd see an even better difference than I'd seen on Day 15. Well, I did! My mom was in town & I got to share the excitement with her. I showed her & the girls the before pics & we all smiled for joy. It was JUST WHOLE FOOD that made this change. Mind blown! I had Bay take some pics outside for me & we had a celebratory photo shoot. Haha! And then I wore it all day long as we were out & about shopping! Rewarded myself with a shirt & not food! Score!

(See Cay photobombing our shoot?! Lol!)

This pic is my favorite. I felt we'd been trying too hard (I'm not a model & Bay is not a professional photographer) & I wasn't liking pics we had. Bay finally said "Mom, look off into the abyss". It made me laugh, she snapped this pic, & the joy of Day 30 was captured. Thank you, Baylee!!

Results

My goal was to lose 15lbs on this journey. I thought that was reasonable. When I stepped on the scale on Day 30 I had lost a total of 19.5lbs! WooHoo! Although, I'll be honest, another half pound that morning would've been nice so I could say "20lbs!", but I won't complain. ;) I also measured & it's even more remarkable. I lost 16 inches overall. That's crazy talk! (Now, I'm sure there's a +/- to that number based on how I measured. I tried to do the best I could & measure exactly where I had measured before. So it's an approximate 16inches. ;) Haha!)

As far as clothing, I'm sure I'm down a size or two. But I haven't been shopping. I'm now comfortably wearing once too tight, didn't fit shirts. And my jeans are crazy loose, but making them work for the time being. 

Exercise 

I went two weeks into W30 before I even thought of exercise. Then the girls & I started the run clinic & I attended a few classes at the community center. It's my goal to incorporate exercise into my daily routine. I have a love/hate relationship with exercise. But don't we all? ;) 

Miscellaneous things I learned

1. I have an unhealthy obsession with the scale. But I'm not defined by the number it shows. I need to put it up for good & focus on health. I'll be honest, that'll be a hard habit to break. 

2. I feel & sleep so much better when I'm getting proper nutrition. B even noticed I wasn't snoring. (I mean, not that I was a crazy snoring machine before. ;))

3. My body is far more capable of doing more than I think it can. I am strong. I just have to choose to be. 

4. I am mentally weak. Period. 

5. My family & close friends rock. Period. 

6. Temptations are everywhere. Often as close as my own fridge & cabinets. I'm the only one responsible for how I handle those temptations. 

7. I don't miss gum or mints. 

8. Water is my BFF. And my bathroom a close second. ;) 

Moving On

I've been pretty lax the last few days. I haven't gone absolutely crazy, but I've given my brain a break. And get this. Some of the foods I once loved? Can't handle anymore. B & I went to On The Border & you won't believe it. I had one bite of salsa & not another. It just didn't taste good! I had a piece of toast with butter & jelly one morning (something I'd craved the last few days of W30) & it made my tongue tingle. Fake food hurts my mouth! My taste buds must've adjusted & then went into shock. Ha! 

I'm back on track as of now. My plan moving forward is to stick very closely to the Whole 30 program on a regular basis. I'll definitely be compliant at home for my meals & the best I can when eating out. Does that mean I'll be perfect all the time? No way! I'm going to live. And if that means eating a chocolate chip cookie at Bible study, I'm going to do that. But I'm not going to eat 15 like I used to. ;) 

Also, I am not a W30 expert. I had struggles & setbacks during my 30 days. But I never quit. I kept pressing on. Some days were easier than others, but there were A LOT of hard days. Thirty days isn't going to break the years worth of bad habits I'd created & been accustomed to. But those 30 days sure made me more aware of those habits. 

I'm thankful I took the time to invest in myself this past month. As a mom & wife, I tend to put myself on the back burner a lot. I think that's pretty normal, right ladies? But I have to take care of myself so I can take care of B & the girls. This will not be a quick fix. I still have 100+ pounds to lose. (And that's to get to a reasonably healthy weight, not a drastic goal.) There aren't any pills, programs, shakes, points, meetings, surgeries, or special energy drinks that are going to get me to where I need to be. For me, this is all a matter of the mind. I must recognize & appreciate whole, real food for what it is, be thankful for it, & nourish my body from the inside out. 

Finally, thank you, friends, for bearing with me. I hope I haven't been overly annoying. I share to encourage. I share to remind those out there struggling that you're not alone. We all have our battles. Some of us battle food. (That's me!) Some of us battle other things that have a hold on us. (That's me, too!) Life is better together! (Even if we can only be together via social media!)  

I'm sure I'll be back with updates as I continue on this journey. Until then, I leave you with this... 

"So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you’re eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory. At the same time, don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too."

1 Corinthians 10:31-33 MSG