I did it! I can't believe it! I honestly didn't think I would finish! Am I glad it is over? Yes and no. I will get into that later! I wanted to share the reason why I did the Whole 30, some things I learned about myself, and why I was able to finish!
I have been eating paleo for almost 3 years now, but mostly just 80/20. I eat a healthy diet, and by most peoples standards probably didn't need to reset with the Whole 30 but man I felt out of control. I was happy with my body and the shape I was in. My weight wasn't bothering me. I didn't feel the need to lose weight, but I didn't feel in control of my food choices. I am so busy these days with the boys, wifely duties, friendships, church, and It Works that I just let my food choices become unimportant. Basically I was at a content place with the way I look. So eating out a few times a week wasn't a big deal! But the problem with that, is one meal becomes two which becomes three. And before you know it you had donuts for breakfast and In and Out Burger for lunch, thenpizza for dinner. Yes, that actually happened. That is when I realized food was now in control. Sugar was now in control. I was no longer in control of my food choices. I wouldn't say I necessarily felt bad. I mean I was still exercising, still getting stronger, leaner, but I just didn't like the way I felt towards food. When you start to not care what goes into your body, the temple Christ gave you, it is time to re-evaluate. How can I be preaching to all of you to care about your temple when I had put mine on the back burner for the sake of everyone and everything else in my life?
What did I learn during these 30 days? First, that food is so addicting. Sugar monsters are a real thing. Food is a drug. A drug that is acceptable by everyone around you. A drug no one says anything about. And kind of a crappy one because the satisfaction you get from that Big Mac only lasts about 2 minutes. No one will call you out about your food habits. No one wants to hurt anyone's feelings and I get that. But my husband and I were stress eating. We were using food as an escape from the daily grind of life. Once you take that option away, you start to see your addictions very clearly. We learned we were going for convenience instead of nourishment. We learned we constantly said, "It is ok, we will do better tomorrow!" Only to go back to the same habits by Tuesday. We learned that the desire to just cheat with one bite is so strong it is scary.
But the biggest thing I learned is that I had realized how mindless eating can be. I ate when I was happy. I ate because I was sad. I ate because it was in front of me. I ate because Judah and Silas were eating. I ate out of boredom. Doing the Whole 30 requires work. You can't just toss some chips in your mouth. You have to prepare food. So when nothing is convenient and actual thought has to go into your meals, you realize just how often you ate for no reason. With absolutely no thought at all. To me that is a scary place to be. When habit takes over and we just eat without thinking. So I learned to think. I learned to stop and evaluate if I was actually hungry or just bored. I learned to not settle and to actually put thought into what went into my body. I learned to care again because once I detoxed from all the sugar and nasty crap, I felt great. I felt like I could conquer the next few weeks and months ahead. I am now in control, and feel that this way of eating is very easily maintainable and worth the effort again. I am worth the effort and so is my family!
Yes, we lost weight! Yes, we were both very happy about it! My husband lost 12 pounds and I lost 5 pounds. I was extremely happy with that number because I didn't feel like I needed to lose weight, but I could tell all that was sitting right in my stomach! So I am going to tell you the biggest reason why I was able to finish this whole 30. Accountability. If Hayden wasn't doing it with me, I would have given up. We constantly had to lean on each other. I went to a wedding, two baby showers, and a wedding shower in the month of September. Food everywhere. One wedding had chips, salsa, and guacamole right there in front of me! My favorite meal in the whole world. Hayden was at home and pizza was in front of him, and we both just said no! You can do it! We only have a few days left! I am glad I had him because I would have given up!
My advice? If you are going to do a whole30 or any diet change have an accountability partner. I didn't want to be the first one to give in. I didn't want to have to tell him I gave up before he did. My second piece of advice is to have aplan. You have to meal plan so that you know what you are eating at all times. You can't just wing it! I shop once a week, but usually had to go and pick up stuff through out the week because Iam not always the best planner! You can't really eat out, so try and plan 7 meals! My last piece of advice is that you are worth it. You deserve to feel and look exactly how you want. You deserve a life ruled by Christ and not by food!
I will be writing another blog post about some of my go to meals and snacks I kept on hand! I hope this helps! Thank you for all of your support!