Day 30

Well y'all, it's here! It's the closing of my very last day on my Whole30 journey. I can AND can't believe it. I hate I had a few days in there where I couldnt stay fully compliant due to illness, but I feel like I stayed strong and, based on choices within my control, I made good ones. And I still cannot believe I haven't had sugar for 30 days! I never dreamed I'd be able to do that.

Here's where I stand on how my body feels and how my mind feels:

I don't crave sugar anymore. I used to get ansy and uncomfortable in the evenings when I was trying to talk myself out of a bag of cookies. And after all of that, I'd cave anyway. I don't remember the last time I thought about having a dessert while hanging out in the evenings. I think it was probably around day 15 or maybe even earlier. Of course, desserts sound wonderful, but the fact that I don't feel like I HAVE to have them is the accomplishment.

I feel stronger. My workouts are more effective, I'm doing more reps with better form. I'm concentrating on making that effort, but I can physically push through more now.

I don't feel that awful bloated feeling anymore. Even though my stomach didn't flatten out the way I hoped, I don't feel SO poochy anymore. (My husband did kindly reminded me that I had a baby just almost a year ago.)

I also just wanted to take a minute to celebrate a non-scale victory. I was in desperate need of some new shorts because mine were falling off. I took some time this weekend to go shop and I am officially down 3 sizes from where I started in January! I have gone from having a pair of size 14 jeans in my closet (though mostly 12s...so maybe only 2 sizes) to a size 8/Medium! I honestly cannot remember a time when I was in the single digits. Maybe high school?? I am almost certain I have been at least a size 10 since I was a sophomore in college, and it might have been before that. I still have room for improvement in many specific areas, but I know I'm on my way! I'm making real,  measurable changes to my body and it feels amazing! 

I guess my biggest discovery is what a huge difference there is in a body that's clean eating and strength training paired with cardio as opposed to a body that's "dieting" and only working cardio. I was doing the latter on my first weight loss journey and, though I am at the same weight right now that I was back then, I was a whole dress size bigger. I think there is a lot of merit in the latter. I mean, weight loss is weight loss and if it's needed to make a healthier you, that's all that matters. But the added benefits of adding in strength training and at least some focus on clean eating is absolutely imperative in my mind now. I may add back in things I've been without for the last 30 days, but they will be the best and healthiest versions of  those things  possible. And I may throw in a cheat day or enjoy a dessert on occasion, but that just means I may focus on stricter and cleaner choices the rest if the week. 

I won't weigh in until the morning, and I'll do another post to let you know the results! But the way I feel is the best example of what some cleaning up can do. 

Thank you for sticking by me and encouraging me through all of this. I know I didn't always keep it interesting or do as well as I could have, but I managed to get through and abide by the most important guidelines. So much of that success is because I felt someone was holding me accountable and relying on me to pull through. 

It's become very apparent to me that I love a challenge and they motivate me unlike anything else. So...onto the next! I'm ready to implement what I've learned into a functional day-to-day routine and keep kickin more butt in my workouts! This body and my mentality are only going to get stronger!

xo,
Megan