Let's get right down to business!
But seriously, how does my body change this much in 25 days?! I also feel like my posture improved quite a bit lol.
Day 1 Weight = 154.2
Day 25 Weight = 145.2
Weight Loss = 9 lbs
Other thoughts about what a Whole30 does for me:
- My skin definitely looks better when I'm doing a Whole30. I noticed the few times I cheated, I would wake up with a small blemish the next day.
- I love not feeling sleepy (food coma) or crazy full/bloated (food baby) after meals.
- I honestly didn't mind giving up booze. I loved waking up down the shore, knowing I wouldn't be hungover.
- The Whole30 helped motivate me to get to the gym! Since I was making my health a priority, it was easier to commit to CrossFit. I'm guessing the extra energy my diet was giving me helped too. I got to the gym 3x per week for the entire month, which was definitely a first for me since I started last March!
Well another Whole30 (Whole25) has wrapped up for me and I think the pictures speak for themselves. You can really see how much my diet affects my stomach. A carb and sugar indulgent Fourth of July weekend left me completely bloated for those before pictures. I mean I wasn't eating very healthy before then, but knowing I was going to start my diet, I totally pigged out and ate stuff that I wouldn't have normally (like sandwiches made with white bread, 3 days in a row). Perhaps that's the downside of the Whole30 for me, transitioning in and out of it brings out a bit of disordered eating. If I told you I really made an effort over the past week with only a few slips, it would be a big lie.
Perhaps part of my problem is that I did not fully follow the rules. I cheated and justified it in my head. I didn't feel bad eating cheese because the salad I was eating was a better choice than a cheesesteak. I ate a freaking cupcake, epic fail. Obviously that didn't help anything, but the large amounts of fruit I consumed probably didn't help me break my sugar habit either.
I know I'm not going to eat a perfectly healthy diet all the time, I believe in the 80/20 principle. However that is not a Whole30!
The only way this will work is if you give it the full thirty days: no cheats, slips, or “special occasions.” This isn’t us playing the tough guy. This is a fact, born of education and experience. You need such a small amount of any of these inflammatory foods to break the healing cycle—one bite of pizza, one splash of milk in your coffee, one lick of the spoon mixing the batter within the 30 day period and you’ve broken the “reset” button, requiring you to start over again on Day 1.
Don’t even consider the possibility of a “slip.” Unless you physically tripped and your face landed in a box of doughnuts, there is no “slip.” You make a choice to eat something unhealthy. It is always a choice, so do not phrase it as if you had an accident. Commit to the program 100% for the full 30 days. Don’t give yourself an excuse to fail before you’ve even started.
So maybe I should stop calling what I'm doing a Whole30. Maybe I should just say I'm doing however many days of strict Paleo. I don't know. But I do know that my Whole30 posts have reached a few of my friends and a ton of curious people across the internet. I truly love helping other people learn how to fuel their bodies :)
Looking for more Whole30 Results?
- My Whole21 - Results!
- My April Whole30 Results!
- Guest Post: Sarah's Whole30 Results!
- Guest Post: Heather's Whole30 Results!
- Even More Whole30 Results
- Guest Post: Julia's Whole30 Recap!
Don't forget to like Busy, Bold, Blessed on Facebook!
Wow- it's crazy what 25 days can do!!
ReplyDeleteGreat work, Amber!!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a difference! I've been going back and forth about whether or not I want to start a Whole30. I've done it about 4-5 times over the last few years. My boyfriend, who is also paleo, doesn't understand why I keep doing it. He says exactly what you mentioned, just call it eating strict paleo. I remember I tried doing a Whole30 last year but "allowed" gluten-free oats because I told myself they didn't bother my gut. Epic fail. After a week I realized that was sending the wrong message to my blog readers and stopped. The one thing with the Whole30 I've never been able to do is lose weight. Not even a single pound. So good for you on losing 9! That's so awesome.
ReplyDeleteI love your Whole30 post! I before and after pictures are inspiring!
ReplyDeleteAwesome job! I found that eating 100% paleo flared up some disordered eating issues from my past so I definitely had to readjust. I think the 80/20 way of eating works much better for me as well.
ReplyDeleteLooking great! What brand is that awesome sports bra?? I think I'm doing a whole 18 by myself up until my friends wedding. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDelete