My First Whole30 - What the....?

After just wrapping my my first (not so) Whole30, I thought I would take a minute to reflect on my experience.

Ya'll.....that business was intense. At first.....

Trying to adapt to no coffee and no sugar and basically no "things that make you go mmmmmm", was like trying to learn to write with your left hand. Once I got past the withdrawals and the mental block....it was still crazy hard. I have plans for another one of these crazy experiments post baby 3....but thankfully I have the memory of a gold fish. I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday so I would bet by August, I'll remember this as a great idea ;)

I can't say my experience was a bad one though. Over the course of the 30 days I went to the grocery store 4 times, found at least 5 new recipes and managed to cook dinner every week night (with 2 exceptions). I was not overly hungry and when I was, I was (mostly) able to appease myself with things like fruits, veggies and nuts. I admittedly had some cheats, but overall, the past 30 days were a huge win for me.

It wasn't just about the food. It was about follow through and self control. Those who know me well can attest that when I am pregnant, I have never met a cookie I could say no to, or a party where I wasn't the first in line for cake. During my 30 days, I didn't have a single cookie or piece of cake, and not because I was not presented with the opportunity. I actively chose to make healthier choices and for that, I am proud of myself.

What's next? Well I've managed, despite being 2 days past my allotted 30 days, to stay relatively paleo. On the Paleo diet, you still omit things like flour, sugar, dairy and grains and of course anything overly processed, but in doing that, you fill those gaps with things like leafy greens, lean meats and fresh fruits and nuts. I should stress again that I'm not doing this to lose weight. That's literally not even possible for me at this point. I'm doing it because the foods allowed in this diet are really what I should be eating anyway. (I have discussed this with my doctor and she has approved) What I will consider an added bonus, should it occur, is a healthy weight gain during the next 5 months and an ability to get back into my pants without 7 months worth of posts documenting that whole Journey 'O Frustration.

Now, all that aside, I finally gave in this morning.....because you know what, despite knowing it's terrible for me, it's all I have dreamed about for 30 days.....
This. Happened.

......and I enjoyed every bite ;)

I think another point of this for me, aside from health and self control, was balance. I have managed to find a better balance between all crap food and none. I can't say I won't ever indulge, because A) no one would believe that (hell, I couldn't even make it 30 days!) and B) I am not a good liar. But what I can say, is that I won't stop at the donut shop every morning, and I will continue to work out (in moderation) for as long as my body will allow.

For the first time in a pregnancy, I can say I'm proud of what I've done so far and excited to see what's to come in the next few months.