Well, It's Official. (Whole30, Day +1) (Whole30v2, Day -5)

20 pounds. EXACTLY 20. I couldn't believe how on the nose it was (in fact, I weighed myself three times this morning). I'm glad, but mostly I'm relieved. If 20 lbs in 30 days is possible for my first Whole30, I know I can keep up the good progress for the next one (which I've decided I will do, and which will start on Sunday the 22nd, in 5 days).

Here's how my goals for this Whole30 shook out:

1. To identify any food sensitivities I may have, which have negatively impacted my health and/or weight. I didn't notice anything really strange, although when I got sick (which really sucked, I'll reiterate, being on a restrictive diet) I noticed that I didn't stay horribly ill for too long. And even though I was plagued by phlegm in the aftermath of the Cold From Hell, it wasn't as bad as it sometimes is when I'm sick. This is likely because I wasn't having dairy. Other than that I didn't notice any remarkable changes in my feeling of wellbeing, other than the few days when I was waking up earlier (which I haven't recaptured since being sick, despite no longer taking Nyquil pills/ Ibuprofen).
2. To lose some weight and improve my skin/ hair/ nails. I hit my crazy goal of 20 pounds in a month, which is pretty great, considering that I was eating more carbohydrates than I usually do (these are healthful carbs as opposed to buttered toast and cookies, haha). My skin is, alas, still my acne-ridden skin, but I do have a theory about this: my skin is typically its clearest and best when I am working out and sweating on the regular. These past 30 days, while I was mildly active, I wasn't really devoted to exercise the way I have been in my past weight-loss campaigns and that may have a lot to do with the fact that my skin's still not cooperating. I have a few months before my next stint of rehearsals begin, and so with my evenings off I'm going to check the next box on my 2015 resolutions (doing a Couch to 5K). Even if I'm not weightlifting or running a marathon, training myself to jog longer distances and making the effort each afternoon/ evening to be active will, I hypothesize, maximize my results in the next Whole30. And if I can knock off another 20 pounds or at least fit into the next jeans size down, so much the better!
3. To give myself a realistic timeframe, and a reference point for future health projects. Having the 30-Day time period, and sticking to it (I broke the Whole30 this morning with a mini-shot of espresso with cream and Splenda) helped immeasurably. I didn't have any crazy cravings, although the cereal dream was a bit of a trip, and I was able to find something to eat or drink wherever I was. Nobody gave me a hard time about the way I was eating, with the exception of Luis (one of the lead custodians here at work, who's helping me with my Spanish and really REALLY wanted me to have some cookies the other day), but eventually he understood and all my friends have been very supportive. A few have even inquired about the program themselves!

So there you have it, folks. Dana accomplished one of the more challenging items on her 2015 Resolutions (and hey, February's not even over yet!). I feel like this is a great tool to be healthier and lose more weight, and I feel like I can improve upon my performance with Whole30v2.

Back to work :-)