I've done it! I've completed the challenge! I am so glad I set out to do this and although I may not have followed it exactly the way it was intended (who can afford grass-fed, organic meat on a teacher's budget?), I learned SO much from this experience!
Best Part of the Week: Hitting up the 50% off JCrew factory sale and going down a whole size! I am not back to the size I was when I got married and I'm so excited for it. This is my "happy" state.
Hardest Part of the Week: There weren't any. This is the first time I can say this.
Loving: Being able to distinguish between good and bad foods for my body.
Missing: Confession: I started incorporating some things back into my diet this week so I guess technically I "cheated," but I made sure to make healthy choices and only allowed myself what I needed. Remember last week when I said my workouts were becoming more and more difficult? Well, I quickly realized that I needed to have carbs in my system in order to perform and train for my upcoming races. So, I started allowing myself some whole grains throughout the week - NOT daily. I also used some Greek yogurt in my smoothies for the challenge.
I've Noticed: I'm not having cravings, sugar lows, caffeine headaches, or eating out of boredom.
Looking Forward: I'm going to continue following many of the guidelines for Whole 30, but continue to allow grains and dairy into my diet. I don't want to deny my body the positives that come from those foods if I don't have to. Since I don't have an allergy to either one, I'm going to limit my portions, but still enjoy the occasional slice of bread and glass of milk.
Eating: Still eating lots of fresh veggies and grilled meats.
The Best Things I Learned from All This:
- Sugar cravings had taken control of me. I was eating Nutella daily. Daily! I successfully detoxed this from my body and I no longer have cravings. In fact, I pulled some Easter candy down from the top shelf (where I had hidden it from myself so not to sabotage Whole 30) and thought, "I'll eat one piece. No biggee." Guys, I spit it out! It was so nasty - so sugary - and immediately made my tummy hurt.
- I don't rely on caffeine to keep me going through the day. Sure, there are days when its nice to have a cup of coffee, but I just went approximately 30 days without caffeine. Therefore, I don't need it.
- Only eat when hungry. Just because it's 6:00 doesn't mean I have to eat.
- Bread is just a filler. Since my husband wasn't doing Whole 30, I still prepared his meals as I normally would. Meaning, when we had tacos, he had the shell. I didn't miss my taco shell at all. In the future, I will consider whether or not I need that piece of bread.
- The importance of a breakfast smoothie. Berries, spinach, fruits all in a blender and taken to go? Best breakfast ever, low in calories, and exceptionally satisfying.
- Carbs are necessary when working out consistently. I work out on average 4-5 days a week. Cutting out carbs caused my mile run to be 1 minute slower than my normal time. By only allowing in healthy carbs this week, I cut my mile time down to an average of 9:20 per mile. Prior to this, it was typically 10:00 per mile. So not only did I need carbs to get a good time, but by only allowing myself healthy ones, I cut my time back even more!
- It's true. Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels. We went to a baseball game this week and there was fried bread dough, kettle corn, dippin dots, everywhere. My nose wanted me to get all of it, but I knew it wouldn't taste nearly as good as it smelled and I would pay for it later. I'm so glad I didn't indulge because it wouldn't have been worth it.
Linking up with The Chicken Chick
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