3-30-2016

I just completed my WHOLE 30 CHALLENGE!  Whoo-hoo!  WOWSERS!  Unbelievable!  Those are all words I would use to describe the last month!  I am astonished that ME, totally addicted to sugar, who can't even go a week without some sort of treat before bed, just completed a whole 30 days without it.  Not only did I go without sugar, but I went without dairy, grains, beans, and anything artificial.  I still can't believe I did it.

I have some amazing results that make me cheer for myself inside.  In the weight department,  I lost 7 lbs.  That's a good decent amount for me to lose in a month.  The kicker is that I really did eat PLENTY!  I was never hungry.  And even more importantly, is that I didn't go to bed one single night, hungry.  Why is that such a big deal?  Because, in the past, any diet or program I tried, there was always several nights I battled myself with "do I eat something so I can sleep or go without so I can lose weight."  I never wanted to eat afraid of what the scale would reflect as a result of me giving in to my growling stomach.

Another result is that my skin is incredibly soft.  It feels silky in the shower.  It feels like I constantly have moisturizer on my face.  My husband even noticed and commented before I had even mentioned it out loud.  I've even backed off the amount of moisturizer I use and make up I wear, cause it feels that nice.

I did this challenge for a number of reasons.  One, was to see if I could really do it.  Could I really go without stuffing my face with a handful of packaged mini cookies after a stressful bout with the kids? I wasn't sure.  Could I sit down on the couch at night with my hubby after putting the kids to bed and not get out a yummy treat to enjoy with him?  I wasn't sure.  Could I be around my family at a dinner and resist the dessert?  I wasn't sure.  I did have my younger sister who started the challenge just before me show me that it was in fact possible.  I trusted her.  I decided if she could do it, I could too.

Another reason, I wanted to clean out my system and see if that helped me in any way lose weight.  Approaching 40 in a couple of months is motivation to try something more extreme.  So, the motivation was certainly there.  And as a result, I really did lose weight without counting a single calorie, without worrying how much fry sauce I was eating, and without going hungry.  Pretty awesome!  As much as my brain was screaming at me that I needed to eat less to lose weight, I promised myself I would go the whole 30 days without counting, skimping or worrying about that.  There was a phrase I read in my whole 30 book that said, my job was just to find a way to make it possible to eat whole 30 in every situation for a whole 30 days.  That is what I did.

I didn't go out to eat.  I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at home.  Eating out seemed to pose too big of a challenge to me right now.  Maybe in the next 30 challenge, I will trust myself enough to order what is whole 30 and not go off track.  Eating at home so much forced me to try new recipes so I didn't get bored of the same things.  I crock potted a pork shoulder for the first time and followed the "carnitas" recipe for it in the whole 30 book.  I put it over a baked sweet potato and it was divine!   I also made a breakfast casserole to take to a family brunch that was whole 30 approved and yummy as any other breakfast casserole I've had.  Family parties were a little hard, but I managed.  Another situation I was afraid of was eating at my mom and dads house.  My mom was so supportive of it, that she made something whole 30 approved for the main dish and made me my own side of steamed veggies.  It was awesome.  I tried to keep myself out of hard situations until I feel strong enough.  I think it worked great!

Lastly, I do not want to end up with the health problems my parents both deal with daily.  It's a struggle for them and I can see how frustrating it is.  I don't want to have to worry about that.  I want to know I can eat healthy and keep my body in the best condition possible.  It may not prevent me entirely, but it sure as heck will help fend off many possibilities.

My only regret, I wish I had before and after pictures.  I can definitely see a difference in how I feel, how I act and how I view food.  My motto is to eat to live, not live to eat.  I'm a foodie and I literally think about what I get to eat next.  I can't wait to eat.  It's a little different now.  I still love to eat cause the things I eat are delicious!  Fruit, sweet potatoes and bacon are at the top of my list now.

I do miss a few things... my Mexican food (enchiladas, beans and rice, chips and salsa) and eating pizza.  Those can't really be replaced by anything for me.  So, now that this challenge is over, it's time to indulge in a couple of dinners I've really missed, a donut and a home made brownie.  Then it's back to another strict 30 days.

April 4th to May 4th I will commit to another Whole 30 Challenge.  I have a few goals already set out for the next round.  I plan to try a couple other dishes, to use coconut milk in something (lots of whole 30 recipes call for it), to make gravy with arrowroot, and to eat BBQ'd chicken cause it's warm enough to grill outside.  I have exactly two months until my 40th birthday and I want to see how great I can look on that day.

My plan after I turn 40, is to keep up this same style of eating 90% of the time.  The other 10% will be to have an occasional home made brownie, to eat ONE slice of pizza and a plate of veggies with it, to lick around the edges of my kids ice cream cones this summer, to go out to dinner with my husband and order tacos in corn tortillas rather than eat another lettuce wrapped something.  My ultimate goal... to get to my desired weight range and maintain.  As soon as it starts to slip, switch to a completely clean whole 30 diet until I'm back.

Year after year, I have lost 10-15 and then by January, I've gained it all back.  My goal this year, is the ultimate goal of getting there and MAINTAINING!  It's possible.  I can do it.  This is my year!