30 days later.

Apparently 2 challenges was one too many.

While I may have dropped the writing ball, I did keep my Whole 30 challenge. I'm so proud of my whole house, actually, because though it was during a month full of parties and celebrations, we didn't waver. Pretty cool.

So, what did I learn after 30 days of saying no to lots of yummy staples while not weighing one self. 

Hmm. 

First, I realized that weighing myself had become a way to measure how I feel. If I'm down, I'm feeling good. If I'm up, confidence shot. 

Well, the first week of not weighing myself was pretty tough. I almost lost it day 7 because I just needed to know. On one hand I'm motivated by measurement/numbers/progress (or digressions)... on the other hand, it can be an unhealthy habit. Not weighing myself has been freeing.

That being said, the 30 days are over and this morning I hopped on the scale. About a week ago I had to come to terms with whatever number would appear. It helped me remember that this wasn't about that number, but about reseting my health and habits. Mission accomplished. It was nice, however, when I discovered that without counting calories, obsessing day to day about it, or really trying, I did indeed lose a few pounds, nine to be exact.

Now, regarding the sugar. No sugar didn't just mean no sweets, it meant nothing with sugar. I quickly realized sugar is in EVERYTHING! It was one of the most frustrating things, not the giving up of sugar, but of finding whole foods that don't contain sugar. My trail mix, seaweed/nori, spaghetti sauces, salad dressings... things you wouldn't even think should have sugar, had sugar. 

Did I mention I acquired the taste for straight up, black coffee? That was unexpected. 

I'm not much of a bread person anyways, so that wasn't too hard. Giving up beans and dairy pretty much meant that I had no reason to visit Chipotle for the month. In fact, eating out was quite difficult since most oils used were either canola or soybean oil. That's another thing, soy is in everything too. It's like the sugar and soy people made a contest to see who could sneak into the most foods. So far it's a tie.

Basically my daily meals consisted of lots of eggs, veggies, nuts, chicken, steak, avocados, fruit, and fish. Thankfully, this is pretty close to what I eat anyways, since I've been dairy-free for over a year. 

To be honest, I can't say I felt deprived this month. I got tired of making the same meals, but that was more on me, than the options.

One interesting thing we discovered was that by giving up all sugars, even the slightly sweet, sweet potato felt uber sweet. And fruit was off the charts, sweet. It really did feel like my taste buds were reset. 

I wondered if my standard coffee, cream and sweetener would be too much for me now. 

So, what does one eat after a 30 day fast-ish.

To be honest, pretty much what I've had all month. Eggs, Spinach salad (though I did have candied walnuts (YUM), fruit, so far...though Daniel's on his way and, friend, let me tell you how excited I am to spend a fun evening out with him tonight. For a month, he's graciously frequented the same couple safe eateries and opted for homemade meat/veggie combo at home. But.Not.Tonight. 

So, there you go. 
That's me, 30 days later.