60 days of clean eating.
I never actually intended to do this challenge for 60 days from the beginning;
I was going to do 30 days and then learn how to navigate with these new habits
from there. But when I got to the end of my 30 days, I could feel within myself
that my body wasn’t ready yet. I had this innate sense that I needed more time
to adjust to these new habits before learning how to live outside of the “Whole30
Challenge” on my own.
So 60 days straight of
clean eating? That's huge for me, considering I never thought I'd be able to go
6 days without a treat much less 60. I know, I know...you all have read my
rants about Whole30 and my story, etc. etc. BUT, in this post, I would like to
highlight some of the results the Whole30 Program provided me with during this
journey!
Even though I know my identity is no longer based on the whole "before and
after pictures/measurements," I do want to share these things with you, so
you can have tangible proof of the program's success and not just take my word
for it. :) Plus, it's still pretty exciting to me to see these changes take
place and receive improvement. It’s even more exciting to know that my
confidence is not based on the victory of these things
anymore, they're just a really great bi-product of focusing on what's
really important: holistic health and wellness.
*Before Whole30, I complained about the following:
- Cravings--emotionally triggered.
- Uninspired, lazy, unmotivated,
negative, serious bouts of depression, unapproachable, unhappy
- Tired; just plain tired,
physically, emotionally, mentally.
- Sleeping uneasily--not staying
asleep, taking forever to fall asleep.
- Fluctuation between constipation
and diarrhea.
- Energy slumps in the afternoon and
mid-morning--blood sugar crashing.
- Dark circles, few faint blemishes
on the skin
- Foggy mind; inability to
concentrate for long periods of time
- Gym performance--slower,
tired, negative thoughts, longer time to recover, weaker.
- My thought process: "It's the
weekend, that means I can binge."
- Weight gain--clothes fitting
tighter and tighter
- Bloated tummy
*After Whole30, I rejoiced about the
following:
- My cravings no longer own me. I am no longer a slave to the random “hits” that would make me feel overwhelmed with the need for sugar. How did that happen? Well, besides the hard elimination of these “food with no brakes” from my diet completely (going cold turkey is always best), there were other strategies that Whole30 suggested in combatting the sugar dragon that you will find helpful for yourself too:
-H.A.L.T.
Which stands for Hungry,
Angry, Lonely, and Tired. When you’re faced with cravings, you should ask
yourself these questions. Okay, I want a
cookie right now. But am I really craving or am I just hungry? Am I angry or
emotional? Am I lonely or bored? Am I tired? 99% of the time, after taking
a moment to pause and ask yourself these questions and answer yes to one or
more of them, you won’t want that cookie anymore, or you won’t go through with
actually eating it, at least.
-Cravings=stress and
stress=cravings
Therefore, we can deduce
that if we manage our stress, we would simultaneously manage our cravings.
Right? Right. Think about it, what do we normally do when we’re fuming mad or
super emotional and down? Comfort ourselves with food. If we change our root
habit, we change the branches of that habit. So, I had to find ways of managing
my stress without the use of food, and here are a few strategies that helped:
- Talk to someone you trust right away, someone that will truly be there for me in those moments of stressing out and feeling vulnerable.
- Go for a walk. However long or short, getting outside for a few minutes to walk it off and clear your head (and pray) helps so much.
- Make plans for what you can do that weekend/week for yourself. When people think about rewarding themselves, it usually involves food, but there are so many other ways you can celebrate/relax without the use of food. Make a plan for yourself to go get a massage, sign up for a special exercise/cooking/sport class you’ve been wanting to take, SLEEP, set aside a time to go out and read somewhere, go to the beach, go grab a movie with your friends/family, the list goes on. And really, if you’re a foodie like me, I find it relaxing to plan my healthy meals for the following week or jotting down ideas for my next travel plans (The Whole30 Dream Vacation) although it technically involves thinking about food, it’s not the same thing as eating food.
I could go on and on about
how cravings = stress, but really all you have to remember at the end of the
day is manage the stress that you can control
in your life instead of thinking about the stress you can’t control. Manage your sleep habits (getting 7 hours minimum
sleep every night), take care of the food on your plate (abiding by Whole30
standards), taking time to unwind in a non-food way…these things will
definitely help you feel less stressed and more in control of your life than
you feel you are when you’re overwhelmed and more tempted to cave into
cravings.
- I’m happy. I’m genuinely happier, brighter, more approachable, bubbly, friendlier, less stressed, motivated, inspired and empowered. How? I changed the food on my plate. What does that have to do with anything? Every single thing in your body (and mind) starts with food. I can’t emphasize this enough: your mental outlook, your emotions, your attitude…ALL tied to FOOD. Try it if you don’t believe me. I can’t wait to see how shocked you’ll be.
- I’m definitely not tired anymore. Of course I get tired because I’m a human being. But before Whole30, I was sluggish and falling asleep at my wheel, at my desk, and was hit hard by mid-morning and mid-afternoon energy slumps. But with the establishment and practice of healthy sleep habits every night, my body readjusted and began to set its own natural alarm clock. I no longer have to hit the snooze button 5 times. In fact, I’m awake right at 6:00 a.m. every morning before my alarm even goes off. When I wake up, I feel good. Sure, I rub my eyes and feel a little tired, but it’s not the same; I have boundless energy for my 6:30 a.m. Crossfit class and I’m ready to take on my day.
- My poop is regular. That definitely feels so much better, haha!
- Whole30 said people would be noticing a different “glow” about me during this transformation, and they couldn’t have been more right. I keep getting compliments that I’m “glowing,” that my skin is brighter, clearer, when it really wasn’t even that bad before! My eyes are brighter with less dark circles than before. My smile is more genuine, and honestly, prettier because that too is brighter! In fact, I’m pretty sure my teeth are whiter, haha.
- My gym performance has improved dramatically. I don’t feel tired to the point of dying when I work out. Of course you feel beat down in the moment, but I recover quickly afterwards and have more “push” in the midst of those workouts. I feel faster, healthier, stronger and it shows. Mentally, I have more within myself to keep pushing harder, to keep going, to have more grace with myself, to actually believe in myself.
- And obviously, it goes without saying that in the midst of all these changes, I saw one of the best measurements of proof—the loose-fitting clothes. At first I saw little changes here and there, but nothing dramatic per say, seeing as how I was already eating a paleo-based diet beforehand (minus the binge moments) and doing Crossfit consistently, so my body wasn’t necessarily shocked by the Whole30 as far as weight loss goes (but omg everything else was!). However, as time went on some more during these 60 days and I started to pay attention to my portion controls via “The Zone”, I saw the clothes getting baggier and baggier. Needless to say, it felt great. I was gaining muscle, but still losing weight/inches, therefore becoming leaner. That’s a hard thing to do, guys! No more bloated tummy!
I finally look in the mirror and love what I see on the inside and it makes me love the outside.
Left: Day 1, Feb. 2015
Right: Day 60, March 2015
Left: Day 1, Feb. 2015
Right: Day 60, March 2015
Left: Day 1, Feb. 2015
Right: Day 60, March 2015
"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"
1 Samuel 16:7
1 Samuel 16:7
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