As my Whole30 ends, I decided to compile a list of all the non-scale victories of the past thirty days. Because it's so easy to make focus on weight and body fat and all that. And that just wasn't what I wanted my focus to be going into this.
1. Cooking-- I have learned how to cook! Yeah, yeah I've cooked before. But never this kind of food. I never knew I was actually a good cook. And I learned recipes and skills and tips that I know I'll keep using fora long time to come. And I have a huge desire now to learn how to cook all sorts of foods.
2. Energy-- Whole30 has taught me how to choose foods that keep me energized instead of dragging. No sugar cravings (not that I've never wanted something while on this) and therefore no crashes. I don't find myself dragging halfway through my shift at work like I did in the past. No bloating either. Somehow that makes a person feel slow and tired too.
3. Running-- I've seen major improvements in my running in the past thirty days. I was barely pushing 10:00-10:20 pace miles for the past couple of months. And shin splints were starting to act up again. But my times have improved to 9:40-10:00 and shin splints are almost nonexistent! Not to mention, I've been able to run 5 and 6 miles! It's been a long time since I've been able to run anything of that distance!
4. Taste-- I feel like I am able to finally taste food the way it's supposed to taste. When you cut out the processed, refined stuff, you sort of forget what all of that fake food tastes like. And suddenly real food (that might normally not have tasted all that great before) tastes really good! And the food I've eaten has been full-fat-- olive oil, coconut oil, beef, pork, chicken, fish, nuts, coconut milk (along with lots of veggies of course). It goes to show that low-fat diets just don't work. Of course, I'm not advocating for eating as much as you possibly want of those foods. All within what is a healthy serving size for a person's body type and activity level.
5. Relationship to food-- my relationship with food has improved vastly. I have learned how to eat when I'm actually hungry rather than eating because I'm bored, craving something, or because it's time to eat. And I've also learned what true satisfaction feels like after a meal. When you're not going through day-to-day life constantly under-nourished, it's amazing how good eating actually feels. And it feels good to not feel guilty about eating.
So as of midnight tonight (I say that since I'll be at work) Whole30 will officially be over. As for what comes next for me...
My sisters will be coming into town this week. And because of that, I don't think I'll be able to keep up with this kind of eating since we will be doing a bit of traveling around and eating out. My plan after they leave is to actually do a Whole10 to make sure I dial my diet back in and can continue with it a bit more diligently. But I don't plan on being 100% paleo. Like I said before, I never want to be really limited in my diet everywhere I go. I think about that weekend in Seattle and how frustrating that was. I don't want that to be my life.
I consider this past thirty days as all a part of my journey towards a healthier me. So I know there will still be ups and downs. Frustrations and discouragement. And I don't want my entire focus every day to be on what I'm eating, how much I'm eating, what I weigh, etc. I will do what I need to do to be as healthy as I can be-- in mind, body, and spirit.
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