2 Week Update: My Whole 30

I have been doing Whole 30 (a 30 day squeaky clean Paleo challenge) since January 1. You can find more info on Whole 30 here. I have a chunk of time tonight so I want to do a halfway post, even if its a little early. Whole 30 is not a giant change for me, but enough of a change that I do feel a difference. With the Whole 30, I can not have any sugar, dairy, alcohol, additives, and of course no grains.. I continue to eat organic vegetables, fruit, some nuts, and grass fed/pastured meats. In the last few months I had begun to drink my coffee with cream (and sometimes maple syrup), indulged nightly dark chocolate, and had a few too many Paleoized treats. So when January came, I decided that I needed a reboot. Whole 30 is just that. It is a metabolic reboot. Despite the changes being pretty minimal for me (vs. someone coming from a typical American diet), I do see a major difference already both physically and emotionally. Heres what I have noticed so far:

1. My energy is through the roof. I am normally pretty high energy, even with 3 little boys to take care of all day. But now I am unstoppable. I go strong from morning to night without feeling tired AT ALL. The strange thing is that I am drinking half the caffeine I was (coffee isn’t as warm and cozy when its black). Almost every day I am able to do all the things I like to do. I workout hard, spend time with my husband and boys, tend the house, cook, socialize with friends, and sleep.

2. My skin is glowing. I have been asked a few times what I use on my skin. My answer is its not whats on my skin, its what I put in my mouth. I tend to think its from all the beautiful fat I am eating.

3. My stomach is flatter. I have 3 kids. I will never have a fully flat belly. But, I work out like a fiend. And yet, until the last week I had a belly. About 2 inches of bloat have literally vanished from my waist. My clothes are looser. I did my stats with my trainer at the start of this, so at the end of my whole 30 we will really see what happened to my body fat and muscle.

4. I am never super hungry. Even after a tough workout, I am not super hungry. I think my blood sugar stays so stable eating this way that I don’t experience highs and lows at all. I feel even keeled and happy.

Here are some pictures of what I have been eating on Whole 30. As you can see, life without grains, sugar, dairy, and additives is absolutely delicious!

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