23 May – the end of my first Whole30

Oh my goodness, I can’t believe that I made it for 30 days with NO cheats, no falling off, no “I’ll just have a bite of this”, “I’ll make up for this tomorrow”, etc. Amazing!

If you name the diet, I have done it. I have battled my weight all my life. Most recently, it was the “calorie counting diet” – counting every calore, every ounce and every gram of food that went in my mouth. If I wanted a bag of chips or a donut, I had it. I ate mostly vegetarian. I didn’t bring meat in my house, but after being vegan for a several years had started eating eggs and dairy again. Even as a vegan, I counted calories when I was “dieting” and when I wasn’t – I ate a ton of junk.

This past fall, I went on a hike in Scotland – 200 miles in 13 days. I was able to walk about 75% of it. I was pretty proud of myself considering that I had just had knee surgery and weighed 280 pounds. When I got back, I had my regular check up with my Dr, and he (yet again) expressed concern about my weight. I then started working extra shift (we were short staffed) and didn’t have time workout. Added stress in my life led to eating more junk. Depression followed, which led to more junk. I gained weight. I felt fat. I had no energy (blaming it on depression instead of the food). I hurt everywhere (joints and muscles – a couple years ago my doctor told me it was most likely fibromyalgia but I chose not to get tested – just another thing for insurance companies to get after me about). My blood pressure was up and my cholesterol levels were getting out of hand again. I was out of breath walking up a flight of stairs. I was miserable. Something had to give……..

March 1, 2014 I started the Made to Crave Study by Lysa Terkeurst with my Aunt. She is a kindred soul – she too struggles with her weight and shares with me her faith. I had some great success, but by the middle of the six weeks, I was seeing some not so great foods sneaking in there – but I was staying under my self imposed calorie limit. I suppose it was a 90/10 or 80/20 eating healthy. At first my weight plateaued, then I noticed the pounds creeping back on. (I weighed myself several times a day – tracking it daily on a chart – I could almost tell you how much I weighed, to the ounce, before I stepped on it, just by how my body felt). I needed to do something else.

The “diets” that I do the best on are the ones that are “restrictive”. However, I also tend to chafe under the cravings and “fall off the wagon”. There had to be something that worked for me.

The night of April 23rd, I couldn’t sleep. I was obsessing about my “diet”. I wanted to lose more weight, but I also knew that more than that I just wanted to be healthier. One online sight led to another and suddenly I found Whole30.

Whole 30 met my needs (I needed boundaries!). From testimonials, it seemed to kick the cravings. I joined the daily emails, I spent the next day cleaning out my pantry and fridge, and went grocery shopping. I read from the forum (and have trolled it daily, gaining in encouragement and wisdom). I wrote my first blog. I listed my biggest challenges as working night shift and having time to prepare. I found that those really weren’t challenges at all. Taking a day to pre-cook actually shortened my time packing my meals for work! I had written that I was still going to track my food to make sure that I stayed within certain ratios – while secretly I was more interested in the calories. Moderator Tom encouraged me to forget the ratios and stick with the template. What freedom that has turned out to be! And such great advice! (Thank you Tom!) I don’t care about the calories anymore (Although I have to admit I was horrified the first day I logged my meals and realized it was over 1400 calories). Adding fat to my meals was something I just didn’t do (I even pan sautéed with no fat using a nonstick pan), and I am still getting used to it – even though it tastes so good!

W30 forum gave me encouragement when I needed it, advice when it was necessary, and helped to keep me on track and in touch with myself. Thank you so much Brewer5, Physibeth, Moderator Tom, MrsPefy13, Rosestara, mango_bene, anelamarie, jacmac, glennr, and everyone else who has posted on the forum!

So, what else had W30 done for me?
my skin is clearer – I don’t have one single pimple on my face right now!
my skin is softer – no more dry skin!
less body aches and pains – not gone, but so much better
my clothes fit better
I am free to eat according to what my body wants, instead of measuring and counting
I am sleeping better at night
I have more energy during the day
I had less trouble with the spring pollen this year
i am exercising again!
I don’t crave the sugar!!!!!!! I can bypass cupcakes and brownies (my favorite). I was given a bag of Lindt truffles as a gift – they have been sitting on my desk by the computer…. and I am not even tempted!
I am enjoying the taste of food again – I can’t believe how sweet fruit is – and how different things taste depending on the fat it is cooked in or the spices that are added.
Weight – I have lost 7.6 pounds on w30 (a total of 36 pounds since March 1)
Measurements – 1 inch of my waist and 1 inch of my hips. None off my bust. 1/2 in off my neck.
BMI – down one whole point! (down 5 points since March 1)

All in all, I think w30 has been a success for me.

In fact, it has been such a great success, that I have decided to make my W30 a W60!

• ← Days 14 & 15: Drumnadrochit and Inverness
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