My February (& March) Whole30 Results!

So I sort of forgot I never posted this!  My February (& March) Whole30 ended 10 days ago and it was a great success!

Start Weight = 156.4 lbs

End Weight  = 145.0 lbs

Weight Loss = 11.4 lbs

These before and after pictures never fail to amaze me.  I can't believe how puffy I was and how much thinner my face looks.  It's crazy!

Holiday indulgence was a slippery slope into I guess I'll just wear big flowy shirts for the rest of the winter.  My true low point was the day I wore unbuttoned dress pants to work.  Sad but true.  The clip kept popping open so I just said screw it and left it that way.  Talk about depressing.  And thus it was time for another Whole30.

Food is a powerful drug.  Having a tough day?  Eat some ice cream, it will make you feel better.  Just completed a tough workout?  Enjoy a few slices of pizza, you earned it.  Feeling sorry for yourself about your clothes not fitting well?  Have a drink, you'll care less (although I do suppose alcohol is a whole other conversation...)  Food is fuel for our bodies, but it's also so much more.  It's a source of pleasure, a crutch to lean on, a reward, an addiction... And that's why I love the Whole30.  It brings me back to a place where I can step away from food emotionally and truly see and feel the impact of what I'm putting in my body.  It breaks my sugar addiction and helps me realize that most of the cravings I have are just the result of overstimulating processed food.

This Whole30 was great!  I avoided any crazy slips and I think my only cheat at all was some lunchmeat that most likely wasn't compliant.  By the end, I was basically on autopilot.  It was easy to stay on track when I always had large helpings of delicious compliant food in my fridge.  Not only did I follow the Whole30 eating standards for 30 days, I also took the stairs at work every day, flossed every night (except for Day 24 when I was dying), and quit coffee on Day 21.  I've only had it once in the past 3 weeks and don't really miss it.  I also focused on getting tons of sleep and I got 7.5 to 8 hours most nights.  I wanted to get to the gym more often, but I really only averaged twice a week.

I've always thought my skin looks better during a Whole30, but I had never taken before and after pics.  I think you can definitely see a difference.

Other than getting a cold right at the end, I truly felt amazing!  And I've been enjoying wearing a bunch of clothing I was avoiding for months :)

Now as always, I'm trying to find that balance, trying to determine which foods are worth it and which just aren't.  I've definitely enjoyed a bunch of non compliant choices but now looking at these pictures makes me regret some of the not so special choices.  I've already lost that super lean "are those my abs?!" look I had achieved at the end of the 30 days... and it's just leaving me thinking was that hamburger bun really worth it?

I'll admit it, I know I'm pretty vain.  I like dropping a few pounds and looking slim, but all these Whole30s are about something much more important: my health!  I will never do a Whole365... but as I approach my 30th birthday later this year, I know I want to ring in the next decade feeling fabulous, looking fit, and doing everything I can to prep my body for our future family plans!  I want to have super healthy pregnancies, feed my family the best diet possible, and be around long after my children are grown to hopefully run around with my grandkids!

My nutrition will always be an ongoing battle, but it's definitely something worth fighting for!