We’re HERE!!  We made it through our 30 days of Whole30!  Well, we will by the end of today, but you get what I mean.  I’m celebrating early because Ben put it on our calendar as today being the last day so I’ve been looking forward to it!  And not in the way you may think… in spite of the Nutella board I pinned yesterday, it’s not that we can now eat whatever we want, but it’s that my outlook towards food and my health that’s changed and I’m excited about moving forward from here!  Plus, part of the deal was we couldn’t stand on the scale for a month so I was interested to see how the changes I’d felt overall translated to the number on the scale.  I’m pretty proud of the 5.5lbs I lost these last 4 weeks… they needed to be gone!

So what’s different?  Well, I now know what it feels like to be full and not be miserable.  I know what it’s like to have nourishment during the day that keeps me awake and energized.  I know what it’s like to sleep well through the night and wake up with energy!  I discovered that I actually like Brussel sprouts (who knew??).  I know that it is HARD to find food at the grocery store that doesn’t have sugar in it.  I also know that reading labels helps… and if I can’t pronounce one of the ingredients (or several), then I’m a lot more skeptical.  I know that it’s important to know what I’m putting into my body and that those decisions really affect how I feel overall (no rumbly tummy after a meal all month!).  I know that while my “sugar dragon” was definitely tamed (hello, I do NOT need cookies for breakfast!), it is not gone and I’m ok with that.  I LOVE sugar (reference Nutella pin board above).  But it and I are going to have a much healthier relationship from now on.

And this? Pulled pork (cooked slowly in the crock pot for 16hrs!) and broccoli grilled in coconut oil with some salt?  Delish!

So what now?  Do we get to go crazy tomorrow with what we eat?  Negative.  Our stomachs have had nothing but clean food for the last 30 days and if we jumped right back into whatever kinds of food we wanted, especially of the processed kind, well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty.

Sorry, Chick-fil-a, it’s going to be a little while before we can see each other again.

There’s a plan to slowly reintroduce food back into our diet that we haven’t had and then see how those foods affect us.  We decided to start with bread tomorrow and let me tell you… I’m super pumped.  As much as I love sugar, bread is one of my go-to things (pain au chocolat anyone??).  So, we’ll try to eat some with each meal and then Friday and Saturday will be days to eat clean again (no bread).  Then on Sunday, we’re going to reintroduce dairy.  I’ve never been a huge dairy fan and I already know that my body can only process so much of it.  But man oh man do I miss having cheese!  Some nights Ben and I will have nothing for dinner but a plate of several cheeses with some crackers and French bread.  Granted it’s not what our bodies need, but it’s a little slice of heaven, I tell you.  I’ve also missed having Greek yogurt for breakfast.  Those little containers are packed with protein and I love the fruit in them!  Plus, eggs and I don’t always have a great relationship, so I’m looking forward to having something else for breakfast.

So, we’ll reintro dairy on Sunday and then eat clean for two more days.  The other thing we haven’t had this whole time is legumes (beans).  But, seeing as I don’t like them anyway, there’s no need for any kind of reintroduction there :-)

But these guys below?  Well, they’ve been waiting ever so patiently in the freezer (where our Girl Scout cookies have been) for the past few weeks.  My sweet sister-in-law brought them to me as they were passing through the Brussels airport on their way home from Africa a month ago.  She was SO sweet to give them to me and I almost shed a tear as it was only day 4 for us and well, I would have devoured them all then and there if I could have.  But I resisted!  So, Sunday, these guys and I (well, probably just one or two), will get to hang out!

So that’s that!  If you have any questions about Whole30 or what our last month has been like, I’m more than happy to help however I can!  Their website is an amazing resource so be sure to check it out if you’re interested in doing this at all.

Happy Wednesday!