Whole 30 Week 4 and Results!

I am way behind with these updates! Maggie’s last week of school paired with a broken refrigerator made for a rather stressful week, so I’m playing catch-up.

Week 4 was a pretty good week overall, with some recovery from our night out on Saturday (whoops). The meals were easy because we’ve got the system down and also have all of the condiments, substitutes, etc that we use on a regular basis. Other than that, not many changes from week three. I still had a lot of energy, digestion was on point and was feeling pretty good in my skin.

That being said, both my husband and I were definitely feeling ready to start adding in a few more of our normal staples. I also started eating more of the “approved” snacks than normal, so ended up eating more calories overall. I think it was my body’s way of saying, ok this has been fun, but give me some rice and peanut butter cups please.

Since we finished the Whole 30, we have stuck to our normal routine of healthy meals, but added back in rice pasta, rice, tortillas and some bread (although I almost always skip the bread because it makes my stomach hurt). We’ve also added back in some alcohol (although a lot less), and some treats like chocolate and popsicles. I also accept a cookie or doughnut here and there at work, but I’m much more mindful about it now and don’t say yes unless I really want it.

Speaking of mindfulness, I think that has been the best result of this experience. Before the Whole 30 I frequently found myself eating just to eat and eating foods I knew would make me feel awful. I am now much more in tune with what my body needs and can listen to those cues instead of eating out of habit or eating whatever is put in front of me.

Resetting your body with whole foods helps balance hormones, regulate digestion and can also have positive cognitive effects since the mind and gut are so closely connected. All of these factors can make it easier to listen to your natural feeding cues. For example, if I’m full after 2/3 of my lunch I will stop eating. Or if I’m still a little bit hungry after dinner I’ll eat a satisfying sweet treat or hard boiled egg. Or if I did a hard workout and am feeling extra hungry, I’ll eat more for lunch and bring an extra snack. It’s very freeing to be able to eat whatever feels good and it also makes eating much more enjoyable!

In the first post I mentioned that I took before pictures and weighed myself. While weight loss wasn’t necessarily the main goal, it is nice to comfortably fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes again. It’s totally out of my comfort zone to post these, so please be kind!

Starting weight: 118 lbs

Ending weight: 114 lbs

Here are the before and after pictures:

So overall, I’m feeling great. I’d like to try to do this at least twice a year in order to get my habits back on track. In the meantime, I feel very relaxed and comfortable with the routine we have as a family as well as my own relationship with food. Hope you enjoyed following along!