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Whole 30 Day 30!!!!! Final Thoughts

I honestly cannot believe it’s here.  Oh, and I’m not done. I want a few more days. These are my thoughts about the past 30 days with the Whole 30 program from Whole 9 Life.

I started this because in November, Fitfluential offered the Ambassadors a copy ofIt Starts with Food to review.  I read parts of it during the holidays and the more I read, the more I thought about what I have been eating.

I jumped in with both feet and quit sugar, legumes, grains, and dairy cold turkey on one cold miserable Monday. I made it through and woke up the next day and did it all over again. I had done the prep work earlier so I went on a strict soup/apple/cashew/almond butter routine for a couple of days. And each day got a little easier and I added a lot more veggie variety until the dreaded days 5 and 6. Because I had read the book, I was prepared for the extreme grouchy that took over.

Week 2,  surprisingly, everything smoothed out.  I was still in some state of shock that not only was weight FALLING off at the rate of about a pound a day, but I wasn’t hungry or craving sugar anymore. I didn’t work out much since I was also gradually transitioning back to full WODs and running after a long illness hiatus. I just felt so great, I didn’t want to mess that up. The headaches went away during week 2 as well.

Week 3 was definitely the “Tiger Blood” stage. Boundless energy. 4 Wods and 4 days of running with energy to spare. I was so perky, people asked me if I had finally gone to the dr for “nerve pills”.  (I’m a teacher. I think most teachers have a stash of anxiety meds nearby.) My sleep was outstanding. I was going to sleep quickly and staying asleep through the night. Mental clarity was off the charts. My fingers and face are loosing that puffy look.

Week 4: I had 1 day of really bad cravings. It was after a double workout day. I was craving anything sugar/bread/potatoes. I recognized that maybe after so many days with lower amounts of carbs and the increase in workouts, my body needed more carbs. I ate more bananas, sweet potatoes, and vegetables like greens,  butternut squash, and zucchini. I felt much better the next day. I didn’t give in to the Coke craving.

So what have I taken away from this?

~ I don’t want to go back to grains, legumes, sugar. I want to drastically cut my dairy, but I think that cheese and yogurt might be where I start my re-introduction. I know the Whole 30 is NOT a Whole365. But I do not ever want to get so bogged down in inflammation and misery like I was a few weeks ago. I plan to continue with the rest of this week to a Whole35 and then see what happens. Due to Celiac disease, I will never add back gluten grains.

~ I like knowing what hunger feels like. I don’t miss the stuffed feeling I got from almost EVERY MEAL prior to this. I like knowing what satiety feels like.

~ I like clear skin, nails, and bright red hair!

~ I like my joints to move smoothly without aching. I didn’t realize they ached so much. My chronic fatigue might actually be achy joints. Whatever it was, I do not feel it anymore.

~The big plus? My running was effortless. No hip or IT band pain. Absolutely no PF pain. It was like all those previous years of issues never happened. I wasn’t expecting this. I have legitimate biomechanical issues that often cause pain at friction sites and I deal with flare ups of bursitis. The only reason I started CrossFit was so I could keep up a strength routine to keep my quads and butt strong so my IT band will track properly. My IT band is quiet as long as I’m working my legs. The pain came back last fall when I stopped running and going to CF. But this past week, it has finally gone quiet again. That alone makes all this worth it. And I’m not going to go back to eating food that makes my life miserable. I still vividly remember the 9 months of physical therapy hoping to get a quarter mile on the treadmill before the IT tightened up. I remember the depression. Never again. Food is medicine. Food is also poison.

~ I like the surges of energy. I like feeling strong. I like feeling healthy.

Isn’t that really what I’ve been looking for all this time?

For those who have noticed and asked about my weight.

Total weight lost in 30 days: 18lbs.

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(Results may not be typical. I was one inflammed girl.)

ETA: This is 9 months later sticking with strict paleo.

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