30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 30

Day 30.

This is it. The final numbers are in.

What have I learned during the past month of 100% paleo?

1. It’s possible to stick with something longer than six hours if you set it up right. Let people know what you’re doing, blog about it, be accountable. Don’t let people shove cake in your face. Be vocal about your goals. Talk about it until you make other people throw up. Be annoying. It’s ok.

2. However, no matter how many people you tell, you’re still ultimately accountable for yourself. I had multiple opportunities to cheat, but I knew if I did, I wouldn’t want to face myself. I did this for ME, and myself is proud of myself. If you want to cheat, fine. You’re only hurting yourself. I didn’t want any regrets, and guess what. I don’t.

3. Days 9-20 were the hardest. You’re right smack in the middle of your commitment and it starts getting a little mundane. Redundant. You have to constantly be recommitting yourself and reinventing ways to keep yourself interested. Mix up the meals, mix up the workouts.

4. I’m not at the size I want (yet), and I’m ok with that. Yes, I’ve lost weight. I’ve lost more weight than I thought possible in a 30 day time frame. Pants from three years ago fit me again. I can feel my hip bones. But you know what’s more important to me than that? I’ve gained an insane amount of confidence. I am lifting heavier at Crossfit. I’m excited to get up at 4am to go get sweaty.  I can do double-unders, for crying out loud.  I’m jumping taller box jumps. I’m freaking awesome.

5. My body and I will always have issues with each other, but my husband thinks I’m awesome (see above) no matter what. He’s my superman.

6. it’s vitally important to clean out your fridge and cabinets and takeout menus. If it’s not there, you won’t eat it. Or stare at it and cry. Delete Plum Tree and Papa John’s from your phone list. Look the other way when you drive by Dunkin’ Donuts. Florida, is it really necessary to have one on every corner?

Don’t answer that. Their coffee is amazing. It’s my inner carbohydrate-and-sugaraholic that has the issues, and she’s currently hog-tied and gagged at the moment.

7. Eating is important. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with eating for most of my life. I’m from the old-school of fat-free/calorie-free, and while that works for some people, it gave me no energy, piled on the guilt if I strayed out of the caloric confines, and I was shaky and crabby. A lot. If you’re exercising hard, you need to eat. Period. Focus on proteins, healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil) and good carbohydrates (fruit, vegetables) for muscle recovery. I actually discovered that the more I ate (not like half a cow or anything, but a decent-size breakfast/lunch/dinner) the more weight I lost. Skip a meal and my body hung onto those pounds like a life preserver.

8. Not eating is also important. I had to break some hard habits – eating while I’m reading, eating while I’m watching TV, eating on long road trips out of pure boredom in the car. Throw out the excuses. Habits can be broken. Just because it’s a holiday or a special occasion or a Thursday doesn’t mean you have to revolve the occasion around food. Practice not eating whenever you’re faced with a habitual eating situation.

9. It’s hard. I’m not going to be one of those “I lost five million pounds in three minutes and you can too!” sort of person. This was WORK. Hard work. No one wants to exercise and eat healthy 100% of the time. We all wish for some sort of magic pill that would melt away our hips and genetically-cloned cottage cheese thighs. And yes, I started Crossfit back in March, so I can’t completely say the 30 days had anything to do with this – but my thighs are actually looking smooth for once. Squats and bacon, people. Squats and bacon.

10. The results speak for themselves. Like I said, I’m not yet at my personal goals, but these past 30 days brought me a heck of a lot closer. After vacation, I might just do this all over again.

Measurements Day 1: June 23, 2013

Chest: 37 in

Waist: 36 in

Hips: 42 in

Thigh: 11 in

Arm: 10 in

Weight: 163.2 lbs (highest weight of my life. So sad!!! Never again!!!) 

Measurements Day 30: July 22, 2013

Chest: 35.5 in (-1.5)

Waist: 35 in (-1)

Hips: 41 in (-1)

Thigh: 10 in (-1)

Arm: 9.5 in (-0.5)

Weight: 153 lbs!!! (-10.2) 

I'm so frustrated. I'm frustrated because after years of watching the scale creep up, THIS happens. It just shows how important it is to make up your mind to actually do something, and when you put your mind to it, IT CAN HAPPEN. In 30 days, I've seen more results by sticking with a plan than I have in THREE YEARS of yo-yo dieting.

Pick something. Stick with it. See results.

Repeat. 

Today: Today is meant for relaxation. Exploring our private walk-out cottage on the beach of an exotic island. I’ll make wise choices with my food, but I’m not going to stress about it. This week is for me and Matt and thinking back over our past 10 years together. Man, I love him.

Today I love: Getting on a plane with my love and jetting off to Sandals in St. Lucia. No cell phones, no laptops. Just sunscreen and swimsuits and poolside cabanas. See you all in a week!