Day 31.

It's called the Whole30. So technically - I'm done. I did it. I ate only whole foods for 30 days straight. Not even a drop of coffee creamer or sugar or grains**. Man, that was a long 30 days. To start with it felt like 30 days would take forever. But now that I crossed the finish line it feels like it went by so fast!

**On Day 27 my littles were eating popcorn during movie night. Maso can't eat the crunchy hull part so normally I bite off that part and give him the soft, puffy part. That night I wasn't paying attention and I did eat 4 pieces of the crunch hull part. I didn't even realize I was doing it until I had done it a few times. That is my only cheat of the 30 days and it was not something I set out to do. However, I want to be honest and admit it. I don't count that as a fail, though many die hard Whole30'ers would. I was just being a mom. ha. And it just goes to show how mindless eating can be.

Ok, so now that that's off my chest:  I feel amazing. I really do. I sleep better and have a bazillion times more energy, seriously.

First I'll start with my NSV's (non scale victories):

1. Less puffiness
2. No bloating
3. Endless amounts of energy
4. A love for new foods
5. Digestion issues - GONE.
6. No crash mid-day
7. I am mindful about what I eat
8. I eat for nutrition
9. My eczema has resolved

And finally!

Weight: Loss of 11.5 lbs total!
Inches: Bust: -2 inches (insert sad face emoji- haha)
Waist: -2.5 inches
Love Handles: -3 inches!!
Hips: -2.5 inches
Thighs: -1 inch each (-2 inches total)    
Arms: -1 inch each (-2 inches total)

I'm not surprised I had the most loss from my abdomen. The foods I cut out are known to cause abdominal inflammation so it really wasn't surprising to me that I saw the most loss in those areas.      

This was a really cool/expensive/interesting challenge. I would do it again in a heartbeat - in a couple months.

The biggest thing I learned about my body was that there is a reason human beings eat 3 meals a day. If you eat the way we're intended to eat (meat, veggies, some fruit) you are literally only hungry 3 times a day. It makes sense: breakfast, lunch, dinner. If you eat the right amount of protein and fat, you don't need 6 small meals a day (unless you're working out a lot). I also learned that once you stop eating sugar - you stop craving it. You stop wanting it. And everything else starts to taste sweet. I compare it to when a smoker stops smoking and they can finally taste things. That's how I feel - I can finally taste the natural sweetness of food - hence my odd addiction to dates and sparkling water. ha.

The last ten days or so I really struggled with anger. Who knew food could make me so mad?? I actually cried to Rob one day because I was so sick of not being able to do fun stuff. We couldn't go out to eat, we couldn't go get ice cream, I didn't want to have people over, or go to any parties. I was invited to lunch and dinner and had to decline because no one wants to be around the girl nibbling on a carrot. I don't even want to be that girl. Food is big part of socializing. And it made me feel ostracized and lonely to not be apart of pizza night or a DQ run. So tonight I will be happy to indulge my kids in some DQ without wanting to rip their heads off.

Reintroduction:

According to the Whole30 you're supposed to introduce dairy, sugar, and grains slowly...like one thing at a time. But I'd be lying if I said I don't want to dive head first into a large pizza from Old World. I have no plans as of yet, but I will look forward to eating with people again.

I was happy to share my journey and thank you to the several people that reached out and offered support and solidarity. It was much appreciated!

Thank you to my husband and kids and brother in law who had to put up with my shitty attitude the last 30 days. I'd wax and wane between being over the moon loving the food I was eating and wanting to kill all the things. They all handled it beautifully. Especially my husband. We are foodies. We love to eat. I know he ate Arbys in the car outside once so I didn't have to smell it. And another time he asked if I wanted him to move away from me while he ate his nachos. I said no, but I meant yes. HA.

Anyway - I plan to continue eating mostly paleo- which is very similar to the Whole30 but not nearly as restrictive.  I really love the way I feel! Meat, veggies, some fruit. Simple. Easy. And healthy. I will allow myself "fun" foods from time to time though. And if I start to get off track again - I'll do another round.

Now excuse me while I go get my beloved cinnamon almond milk macchiato from Starbucks.