I’m doing a Whole 30 for a couple of reasons: 1) I want to feel great from the inside out, 2) Putting some stricter guidelines around my food choices keeps me from getting distracted by things that might otherwise tempt me, and 3) Sometimes it takes a while to reap the benefits of a change and having a timeline provides the structure and encouragement I need when I begin to feel impatient.

I plan to share what I eat each day to help me accurately judge what my body needs and to, hopefully, provide a little inspiration or planning assistance if you’re trying to figure out your day as well. If you have questions about anything, please leave me a comment.

Everyone is different, so I hope you don’t judge me too harshly by what I eat. And maybe you’ll see something that resonates with you and, in that case, excellent! If not, I’ll be posting different recipes on the blog too, so don’t despair!

Here’s to the journey!

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Here’s what happened on the outside during my Whole 30 –

Weight lost: 7.2 lbs.

Inches lost: Chest 1 3/4, Waist 1 1/2, Abs 1/2, Hips 1, R arm 1/4, R thigh 3/4

Total inches (doubling arm and thigh): 6 3/4

I am really pleased with the physical results! I would like to continue losing weight and getting lean and I am honestly amazed at my weight loss, particularly knowing that there were times when I overate (remember the dates and walnuts?) and that I ate when I was hungry and had really satisfying meals. To lose nearly 2 lbs. a week without going hungry or feeling deprived is great!

I know that there will be considerably more challenges during the holiday season that will slow down that process, but that is a part of life. More importantly, I want to continue putting healthy food in my body and enjoying the results from that. I am working on asking myself this question: Does eating or drinking this make me more healthy or less healthy? If the answer is less healthy, then why am I eating/drinking it? I think that’s a really important question for me as I go forward.

I didn’t take pictures this time around. If I do another Whole 30 next year, then perhaps I will. It was enough for me to share all of the details of my food this past month and many people noticed and commented on the physical changes they saw. (Thank you for that!)

Physical results are just one part of the equation. According to the Whole 9 website (which is the origin of the Whole 30), these 9 factors are all critical: Nutrition, Sleep, Healthy movement, Fun and play, Stress management, Socialization, Natural environment, Personal growth, and Temperance.

I am pretty excited about how I tackled each one of those. I logged all the healthy food, slept (mostly) well, did all kinds of different movement, did yoga, created a blog! and spent time with  friends without alcohol, went hiking with a friend, and spent a considerable amount of time exploring why I do/choose things. It was 30 days well spent, in my opinion!

Tomorrow I will share the details of the myriad other things I learned on this journey. I am so excited for what comes next!