Virginia Beach portrait and lifestyle photographer specializing in comfortable portraits and candids
DAY 15 OF 30.
I really didn’t think I’d get to this point. I actually was pretty sure I’d have failed by now. But the last few pages of, “It Starts With Food,” really nailed this into my head:
THIS IS NOT HARD.
I’ve said, “This is so hard!” a few times these last 15 days. But I remind myself that there are people who are currently sacrificing much greater things than sugar and suffering through much worse things than no to cream in their coffee. So, I didn’t want to make this a wordy post because who cares what I’m eating and how I feel about how I’m feeling. I just want to leave a few notes for me to look back on and laugh, and maybe help anyone who is thinking about doing the Whole30 as well!
Why?
This is a really good question to answer when you start. It’s important to remember why you chose to do this. Not only to remind yourself when “the going gets tough,” but also to answer questions when people ask! Here are my reasons:
What have you been eating?
I have been terribly uncreative during these past 15 days. Money, time, and inexperience have been the cause of that. This diet is expensive, and I’m getting through the checkout line at Whole Foods ONLY by telling myself it’s only 30 days. I don’t have the ideal schedule right now to prep and plan means. It IS the peak of wedding season, mind you! And honestly, I’m not a creative cook to begin with! I don’t experiment and I eat simply already. So, heres to the next 15 days – get creative!
Have you cheated?
Simply? Yes. And Whole30 hard core people will tell me, “then you’re not actually doing the Whole30!” I don’t care because during a 12 hour wedding day when my “healthy snacks” are gone, I’m going to eat the vendor meal and not feel guilty. I’ve also weighed myself – I know, shut the front door, right? I wasn’t supposed to, but I couldn’t stand it. I’ll share the results when I’ve completed this journey! But why dwell on the “oops” moments? Here are a few wins for me:
Do you feel different?
This is where I have to be totally honest again… I feel exactly the same as I did before I started. How motivating, right? But really, I think about WHY I’m doing this, and it wasn’t to FEEL better. It was to BE better. I didn’t come into this for more energy or to get more sleep… those would have been perks, but I’m just looking to shed a few pounds and to make right the wrongs I was doing to my my body. Here are a few things I’ve noticed…
So friends, leave some encouragement or questions if you have them! I’ll update y’all when I’m finished, and I promise to make that post much shorter!
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I enjoyed reading this 🙂 I’m inspired! Keep it up!! You’re almost there! If I think of any recipes that might be whole30 approved I’ll send them your way!
Great post, Ali, and really proud of you! Hearing about the start of your Whole30 journey led me to buying “It Starts with Food” for my mom’s birthday – she’s loving it and really looking forward to starting the challenge herself. While I don’t know if this is the season for my own Whole30, you’ve definitely helped encourage me to make a few changes about the way that I view/consume food.
(PS: i’m totally allergic to bananas (and have other sensitivities to fruits that make my mouth itchy) – do you have pollen allergies? I learned that mine are probably connected to my allergies to birch and ragweed!)
Wow! You go girl! So proud of you! I would love to try something like this sometime!
So proud of you!!! You go, friend!! 🙂
[…] personal trainer…] I bought, “It Starts with Food.” Read it. And was ready to begin. Halfway through, I blogged how thing were going and not much has changed since that. But a few things have changed, […]