Hello everyone!

Well, it has been nearly FORTY days since I started my “Whole 30 Journey”. Why 40 and not stop at 30? Well, if Jesus could hang in the desert for forty days surrounded by temptations, then surely I can spend forty days surviving on Trader Joe’s frozen veggies, almond butter, and avocados, right?

RIGHT.  🙂 But that doesn’t mean there were not temptations along the way.

One evening I ran (okay, DROVE)  up the street to Walgreens for some prune juice to try and help my poor toddler daughter poop. (apparently she has been eating all of the binding cheese I have not?!) Anyway, so I got what I needed for her her and was on the way to the check out but had to walk past the snack aisle to get there. After one of my many grilled chicken and veggie dinners, seeing a bag of trail mix (with dark chocolate chips!!!) was like seeing a hot fudge sundae handed to me by a shirtless Chris Hemsworth. I picked up the bag and checked for the carb count. (ok, so I was there for prune juice and tampons…so now you can understand why I really needed some chocolate!!!) It had waaaay more than 5g per tiny serving. I went over to the energy bar/diet food aisle. Surely a Luna bar or something could help me. Nope. One had 16 carbs/bar…another 22 carbs/bar. Nothing I could have. The manager on duty must have seen me wandering the store and checking every bar on the shelf and asked if she could help me. “I’m hungry, I want chocolate, and all of these have too many carbs!” I told her (surely in a whiny Kim Kardashian-esque voice). She took a step back (probably thinking I’m a bit “not all there”) and helped me look, then suggested I just eat half a bar; then when I said even that was not a plausible option she weakly smiled and said I didn’t really look like I needed to be dieting anyway. With that shred of confidence, I thanked her and went to the check out with only my prune juice (and well…you know… 😉 )

I also may have prepared myself “safe” foods to have at home when the rest of my family grabs some carb-loaded take-out, but riding in the car with the bag of greasy, carb-a-licious fries IN YOUR LAP is dangerous (to your sanity). My husband and I already got our 18 month old daughter in the terrible habit of wanting a french fry (or 2 or 10) to much on when we are en route home from a drive thru. So here I was, in the passenger seat with the bag of Arby’s on my lap. My daughter started squealing for a curly fry. I opened the bag and the steamy aroma of the curly fries drifted up into my face. I reached into the bag and picked up a piece of crispy yet curly potato perfection and swallowed the salivation as I passed the fry behind me to my daughter. Now THAT’S LOVE (and restraint), people! 😉

That same week, my husband and I attended a wedding, where I enjoyed my ONE glass of red wine and gracefully plated myself two scoops of veggies and no potatoes, pasta or rolls at the buffet. When the cake was served, I swear I could smell the vanilla buttercream from across the room…like it was tempting me to just “have a bite”. As the rest of the table enjoyed a slice for themselves, I whipped my nut sack out of my lovely Coach handbag. As some table companions (all of my husband’s family) giggled and looked at me quizzically; I started to realize I had finally been granted leave of diet purgatory because I didn’t care. These same people had complimented me earlier on my obvious weight loss. (and fabulous red dress I have not worn in 3 years) My husband had been proudly walking me around on his arm all night, and I danced in my high heels without getting tired or out of breath from just being out of shape. It was not my wedding, but it was my inner moment of redemption.

So now, 40 days after I started this journey and shared it with you, I will now share with you the results…below are before/after photos of my scale. Nearly 10 pounds down! 🙂 (Since I am a public school teacher by trade, I don’t want my before/after swimsuit pics floating around on the web…I am sure you understand!) 😉 However, I will tell you I have lost over 3.5 inches all over…almost half of it in my hips/thighs/ARSE area. 😉 I have also lost over 4% of my body fat so I am more toned, and more importantly, HEALTHY. The most important loss is also the loss of much of my self-absorbed; narcissistic body image and the internal struggle with FOOD. I am happy to go places and do things and I even wore a swimsuit to a party in public without body shaming myself. At that same party (right at the end of the whole 30 days) I ate sauce-less and bun- less pulled pork and fruit kabaobs and shared my paleo fudge without endlessly wishing I could have some nachos or cheesecake dip. (ok, so I wanted the dip a little bit!) I had fun with my family, friends, and neighbors without obsessing about the stupid stuff.

So I am sure now you are wondering “ok, so what are you gonna do next? Hop off ‘the wagon’ as quickly as possible”? HELL NO! (ok, so I have had ONE chocolate long john donut on day 34…and I ate it with a knife and fork and savored EVERY BITE). But I HAVE slowly worked in fruits and cheeses into my diet and I am continuing my supplements and my workout routine and leaving OUT carbs and starches. My palette has adjusted to my alternatives and now that I have found ways to make them cost-effective, I plan on keeping that up as much as possible. I look up nutrition info at every chain restaurant and make the best diet-friendly choices.

I have worked TOO HARD to get this far, and spent most of my precious summer break making progress towards my goals and training for races. My first one is next month. I have been working hard to get to the finish line in my goal time…but I know the race it not always to the swift…it is to the dedicated. I hope that my journey has been helpful or at least a slightly enjoyable distraction for all my readers. I have not written much of my “diet mis-adventures” lately because there have not been any. It’s just become a part of my routine, a part of the LIFE that I intend to LIVE with a better attitude and I needed to go through this journey to have it. Thank you, readers for your love and support, as it takes a lot of both to start any form of self- transformation. For any of you out there hoping to try something like this after reading this blog, GO FOR IT!!!! You’ve got nothing to lose…except maybe a little sanity, and lot of unwanted weight; both from your waistline and from your shoulders.