September Whole 30 Challenge

I wanted a diet program to rid me from all of the bad food my family tends to consume on the daily. We’re pretty healthy as is, but I wanted to cleanse the house of all the junk we had lying around. I also wanted to see how my body felt after completing a cleanse like this and how different it really was from the diet I’ve already put myself on. I’m not looking for an extreme weight loss, but I’m excited to see what COULD AT ALL.happen without eating processed foods

WEEK ONE 

 Throughout the week sticking to whole 30 is such an easy feat. I’m prepared and had no problem making it through the work day (10 hrs this week) and my workouts. Mid-week the first week I felt like I was superwoman. The clarity I had and focus for work and life in general was life changing. I was no longer tired and my days weren’t dragging.  Meal prep made this week a breeze, however when it came to the weekend it was a different story. The energy levels were down. I don’t know what happened because I was eating the same foods as I was during the week, but maybe it was just because Sundays are just lazy days for us  and I was LOOKING for something to eat because I was bored. I wanted to cheat alllll day and I forced myself not to because I know it wasn’t going to be worth it. 

WEEK TWO 

Better week. A new Sprouts grocery store has opened and I was able to browse through the store to find snacks for my sweet tooth w/ whole ingredients. I’m learning how to read labels a lot better and understanding what is actually being said on the label . I tasted some of the snacks that aren’t allowed on the program but i didn’t treat it as I cheated. My work had a tailgate which I prepared for with bringing along a salad instead of craving the sandwiches that were being served. The tailgate day was the ONLY time I’ve cheated thus far as I did have a Pumpkin Beer with a coworker. I was doing so well that I figured fuck it. I gotta live a little. I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt.

WEEK THREE

No cheating this week at all. The temptation has been there, but I was able to resist all the temptation even when I was at Costco. I'm at the point what is good for my body and what will satisfy it for the time being. Knowing that difference is huge for me and knowing that there is so much bad food out there really is terrifying. I'm even more conscious of feeding my little one bad food. I know that she has to be a kid, but I also can limit those bad foods.

WEEK FOUR 

The temptations were gone and I was searching for Whole 30 compliant alternatives that I could eat and incorporate. I actually had food nightmares this entire week because I was scared to eat "bad" foods after this entire month. I didn't know what it would do to my body. Isn't that weird? Overall, I wanted to make sure that I didn't shock my system. 

RESULTS 

 

 Like I said, I knew that this challenge wasn't going to be the reason why I dropped all of my weight drastically. I knew that coming into this program that I would lose some weight, but not a whole ton. It's not that different from the way I actually eat now. I was happy with my weight loss, but I was even happier with the definition I started to see in my body because I was giving up everything processed for whole foods. It really does make a difference.  Eating healthier does make a huge difference!

TOTAL WEIGHT LOST -5 LBS

AFTER WHOLE 30 

After what seemed like the longest month of our lives we made it! We made it through. The first day off of Whole 30 I ate sushi and a brownie sundae and wanted to puke it all up. I felt terrible. Not because it was bad food but because I'm lactose intolerant and ate that sundae regardless . I obviously don't eat like that all the time, but it's what I wanted that day . I gave into my cravings because I'm human. I won't eat like that all the time, but I'd like to eat sushi when I'm out with my family. After this challenge I do want to adopt a more of a dirty paleo eating. I agree that I do better without gluten, grain, legumes and soy, but I do want a little sweetness in my life even if I don't always use it. I don't feel as restricted going the paleo route. I'm excited for this change! I would definitely recommend this challenge for anyone that wants to reset  or even see what affects them in their diet. Waymon found out that he's lactose intolerant during this challenge so as much as it's been hard for us, it was also very helpful and eye opening. Our family is now eating more whole foods more than ever. Haidyn is even eating dark chocolate and coconut date rolls as "candy".  I won't rid my house of all the junk food, but I most of it will be gone for a long time. I want Haidyn to be a kid and eat all the junk that she wants with limitation because that's what I did as a kid. But I do wish I had a lot more healthier alternatives growing up.