Wednesday, April 24, 2013

My truths.

I've debated not writing this post.  I want and need to be honest though.  Our own worst critic is really ourselves, right?

[via hellolucky]


Last weekend was hard.  Really hard.  In light of the chaos going on in the world around me, you would think something monumental happened.  It didn't, but sometimes we just need time to wallow and feel a little sorry for ourselves.  To be honest, I don't get that feeling a lot; however with my injury and lack of running it's crept back all too often.  Between the injury, D's travel schedule, and Whole 30, I just haven't felt myself.  I think that's ok.  I've accepted that and need to change it.  

[via]

I need to talk about my Whole 30 truth.  This is my second round of Whole 30.  I did the first back in July 2012.  Back then I didn't complete the full 30 days, but the experience changed the way I eat forever.  I am still a huge advocate of Whole 30 and what it can do for you.  That said, 30 days is not realistic for me. I got to day 18 before I cheated with alcohol (which is actually an amazing feat).  I cheated because I got bad news about my injury and felt alcohol would help me feel a little better there isn't a good reason.  I was the strictest ever with this Whole 30.  I worked my ass off.  To break it down, this is why another Whole 30 is likely not realistic for me.
  • I didn't/haven't lost any weight.  While Whole 30 is not and does not claim to be a weight loss method, cutting out bread, dairy, beans, & alcohol should lead you to some loss.  I have lost nothing even while continuing to work out.  
  • 21 days in and I haven't felt a significant difference in myself like I did after the first W30.  I was sleeping better, but then I got sick (sinus gunk).  This had me not falling asleep quickly and waking up often throughout the night.  Clear skin?  Nada.  The only difference I've noticed it sleep.
  • The money spent.  Last weekend, D calculated that we've spent approximately $500 in groceries during W30.  That is entirely too much considering D has been traveling much of the month, I don't buy a lot of meat, and nothing (with the exception of maybe a cucumber and some scallions) has gone bad.  This is an insane amount of money for 1 and a half people to eat for 19+ days.
  • The energy spent made me unhappy.  In combination with the other seemingly negative things in my life right now, the time and energy spent shopping, cooking, and spending money has got me down.
My decision is that I will go through the remainder of food we have here.  When it's gone, W30 is done.  I'm going to keep alcohol kicked to the curb for the remainder of the 30 days.  I'm going to try my best to transition dairy in slowly and see how it affects my body.  Then transition bread.  I did think this Whole 9 article giving six reasons why W30 didn't work was informative.  Maybe my expectations were too high?  I found out that a full 30 days just isn't necessary for me.  I'm still interested to see how dairy & carbs effect my body.  If I get too comfortable with carbs, sugar, and cheese again, I just need to take a two-week sabbatical.  

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I am still a huge advocate of Whole 30 and what it can do for you.  

12 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm not too familiar with the Whole30 but I don't think that it would work for me. Since I'm a vegetarian, I eat a lot of beans (and um bread, haha). So I don't know how wel it would work for me. But I'm glad that you found something that you like, regardless if it isn't entirely realistic at the time

Claire Kiefer said...

I think this is totally reasonable. I suspect it has something to do with not eating meat. I've never even considered doing Whole30, largely b/c of beans . . . where would I get my protein if not for beans and cheese? Sometimes I think these extreme "diets" (or whatever you call it) are good for drumming up awareness about food and nutrition, but that ultimately, they're too restrictive.

Remember that it's important to listen to your body and be kind to yourself!

Charlotte said...

I tried to do this exact same challenge a month or so ago, and it was absolutely awful. I was grumpy the whole time because I felt like I couldn't eat anything or eat out at restaurants. I still try to eat less bread because I do think it makes me feel bad. But I didn't lose a single pound either, and I thought for sure cutting out all those carbs would move the scale at least a little...nope!

Thanks for posting this; I agree wholeheartedly!

Joanna said...

Kudos to you for finding what works for you and being honest about it. There's no need to feel bad about it not working for you. I think certain diets work for certain people. I took your advice I looked into the Whole 30 and even the Paleo and found that the best thing for me was to take bits and pieces of each and change it accordingly to fit my lifestyle. I feel great and I really appreciate your advice. Thanks!

Niki {Glossy Blonde} said...

Do you think maybe you plateaued? I know that we tend to stop losing weight if there isn't much variation in our diet or exercise. But honestly, $500 is crazy and if the program isn't making you feel great, why stick with it. You know?

Ro said...

Like some of the lovely ladies above said, I think you probably noticed less of a difference because you were already eating fairly healthy. Gotta do what's right for you, and sometimes a strict regimen is more of a teaching tool then a necessary evil - if you know what works, then you've got it down.

But still no alcohol?! Ugh. You are a strong strong woman ;)

Jo said...

I am so happy that you finally faced reality. I could tell that this diet was really getting you down even though it was a great thing the first time around. You know, our bodies are all different and they are all changing constantly. We just have to try to stay attuned and pay attention to what our bodies need and when they need it.

Meghan said...

I don't think there is anything wrong with realizing that something just not be for you at a given moment. You put forth amazing effort, girl, but if it's causing more stress, then it's not worth it. You are a rockstar.

Alex Byer said...

Girl I feel you. The W30 was super hard, and I'm thinking of doing it again but have a feeling I'll probably fail. But hey, it's totally not for everyone. But I'm proud of you for trying again! And I love that it's changed so much of your life. Paleo is great. So great. And so is alcohol. Always.

applesandglue said...

I think it's important that you do what feels best and I think you are making a good decision. And you lasted way longer than I ever would've lol!

Unknown said...

If its making you miserable, always reconsider whether it's a job, a friendship, or a diet. When I calorie count I LOVE how aware I am, how healthy and clean I am eating, and mostly I feel great. When I'm starving and am still hungry, ill go over my limit with a healthy option because emotion totally effects body and weight loss. Make the right choice for YOU. I did a gluten free 2 week cleanse and lost ZERO pounds...from the girl who used to eat a bagel for breakfast a sandwich for lunch and a carbish

Unknown said...

I have been eating 80% clean and read Intuitive Eating and was working on both of those things for the past four months and it took me forever to see results. The past two weeks I finally dropped 10 lbs!!!!!!!

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