Day 31 - The Wrap-Up Post

I made it! Woohoo! [*happy dance*]

Before starting out, I wasn't entirely sure I could do this. A whole month without chocolate? I've never done that before. Seriously. Never. I wasn't sure I could drink my coffee without sweetener of some sort. I wasn't sure if I could keep up with the food prep and cooking. I wondered if I'd enjoy the food, if I'd feel full, if I'd even see any benefits by the end.

So, without further ado, my summary of everything I've enjoyed over the past 30 days:

Weight lost - 7.6lbs. Very happy with that.
Inches lost - from the biggest part of my abdomen, 2.5". From the smallest point of my waist, 2.5". Overall (from five points of measurement), 9.5".
Clothes - fit differently. Even bought a size 2 pants, when my size 4s were a little snug at the beginning.
Body composition - changing dramatically. I feel like I'm benefiting from my workouts more, and seeing even quicker results. (I'm kind of a mesomorph, so I build muscle fairly quickly. But this is *crazy*! If I had more free time to devote to my workouts, I bet I could get super strong.)
Skin - clearer, redness from my cheeks is almost gone, and dark circles under my eyes are less noticeable.
Breathing - improved. I didn't even realize how much inflammation was in my nasal passages until it was gone!
Food - loved it! Amazing flavours, tried loads of new recipes, and even tried out some new veggies. I feel like we've broken out of a serious dinner rut. And I never went hungry. Ever.
Cooking - learned to love it, too! Suddenly it wasn't so much a chore I had to do to make sure my family ate, but it was a genuine pleasure to prepare something for us to share together, especially knowing that those meals were so healthy. My kids ate everything we ate (with the exception of steak night, sorry kiddos!), and there were very rarely any objections from the "big" kids. (Which, considering they're four and not-quite three
is a feat in and of itself!)
Emotional eating - not 100% conquered, but close. Probably 90% defeated, but I'm always aware of the other 10%. I don't always give in, and at least I recognize that my desire to eat is not because of physical hunger. And instead of pacing the kitchen looking for something "approved" to fill the junk food hole (like a homemade Larabar, if I do decide to cave, I eat a piece of fruit.
Sugar cravings - I still like fruit, but I don't crave chocolate or junk anymore. This. is. huge. The smell of some things I used to like (M&Ms, for example) is kind of gross to me now. Too artificial. Cocoa still smells nice, though.
Caffeine dependency - a thing of the past. I still love my morning decaf for the ritual, but it has nothing to do with needing caffeine. Oh, plus it's a great way to enjoy coconut milk. A combination of Baby Belle starting to sleep better and having better energy made this the perfect time to kick the habit.

This month has challenged me and stretched me. It has required far more time in the kitchen then I'm accustomed to, which has been a bit of a challenge at times. I've gotten more efficient with my meal preparations, and oddly the increase in time spent on food has coincided with a decrease in obsession with food. I just eat good food until I'm satisfied. That's it.

A big thanks to Nicole for leading me here, to my husband for being willing to go along with this crazy idea, and to the team at Whole9Life for all the support they offer on their FB page.

(And, if you're wondering, I'm planning to continue sharing here. The first 30 days were interesting, but the fun hasn't ended yet - next I get to try reintroducing things and figure out what still deserves a place on my plate and what doesn't.)