Whole ::: Wrap Up

Whole 30 Challenge: dominated.

But seriously, the biggest thing I have to say about this experience is that I feel empowered. I like things I didn't know I liked. I exercised will-power I was unfamiliar with. I survived and I feel good. 

During:

Of course there were days when I craved something that I couldn't have. But those were days came around less than expected. My body was running efficiently and it showed. 

I will say I did not follow the strict program that requires only 3 meals a day and no snacking. While I (kinda) get the purpose behind what they are trying to achieve, my purpose was to treat my body better and, if I am hungry, withholding nourishment simply because "our ancestors" didn't snack was counterintuitive to what I wanted out of this. Listening to my body was important and so I kicked that rule to the curb. 

I ate so many vegetables and I am so proud of myself! Carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, spaghetti squash, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes (it acts like a vegetable so I consider it one). And I liked all of them. I feel like an entirely different person and I like her.

Though this wasn't a priority for me, I also lost weight. I lost just over 10 lbs in 30 days. Which sounds crazy to me but I was eating food. Real food. And lots of it! Like I said, if I was hungry, I ate. Im chalking the weight loss up to cutting out sugar and grains.

After:

I really want to keep this up to some degree. Not crazy strict (I missed beans and cheese too much!), but I think I'm going to keep grains to a minimum and same with sugar. I also want to keep the vegetable intake high which seems so much easier now that I know I like so many of them and how I like to cook them.

A big test for me will be to see how I do over finals. Last year it was all, study for 12 hours then come home and make 7 minute mac&cheese. I still have some blue boxes in my cupboards (how's that for will-power!) but I'm thinking I may just donate them... I don't know. It's not like I'm never going to have mac and cheese again but maybe not to the extent I have in the past.

I am definitely splurging today. I am eating chipotle with beans and rice and cheese... and it's going to be freaking-fantastic. I'm robably going to pour myself a glass of wine tonight, too. But this whole process has made me reconsider what it means to do things in moderation and I'm hoping that most of this sticks long term.

Huzzah to me and all that. I did it. And I'm pretty dang proud.