Changing your life in 30 days

Really, you can. You can get yourself on the road to health, fitness and happiness in THIRTY DAYS! Whole30 is a plan that is based around The Paleo way of eating. It's very similar, but perhaps just a bit more strict (but only for those 30 days!) I call it a plan because it is not a diet. It revolves around real foods - meats, fish, veggies, fruits, seeds, nuts, and healthy oils (note the word healthy). Pretty much any plants/veggies/fruits that were grown naturally, and any meats and fish that were fed and raised naturally are what you want to aim for. These foods are nutrient-dense, and contain boatloads of vitamins and minerals without you having to pop those pills!! (because let's face it, who likes horse pills?!) Oh, did I mention NO ALCOHOL AT ALL?! FOR 30 DAYS?! How I accomplished this one, I'll never know, but my friends...I did it, and so can you! I also had to cut all additive sugar out of my diet. Fruits (in moderation) are fine, but I couldn't have my beloved sweetened almond milk in my coffee - whomp whomp!

I can't stress to you enough that this is a way of eating, or a plan and NOT a diet. By the end of the 30 days, I will guarantee you'll feel better, more energetic and what everyone wants to hear - you will LOOK better. Not only your body, but your skin too!

The Whole30 was started by a husband and wife team, Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. Guys, if you're reading this, thank you! You truly have changed my life, and my way of looking at food! I realized that I can still ENJOY food like I always have, but I now have the ability to be healthy about it while still keeping my happiness! How could you not be excited about that? For those of you who are interested in this journey - I urge you to get this couple's New York Times bestselling book, It Starts With Food. EYE-OPENER. Those are the words that come to mind when I think of how to explain the book. Also, when you have a chance, head over to the website: I don't claim to be an expert by any means, so please do yourself a favor and go peruse over there for a while!

Now, onto my PERSONAL Whole30. Today, my friends, is my 30th day!!! When I began this journey, I was very unhappy with myself. Not myself as a person, but just what my body had become, how I looked, and how my energy level plummeted. Playing with my kids was a tough feat when I got home from work. Likewise, getting out of bed in the morning was more painful than a root canal with no Novocain (okay - maybe not, but you get the point) I would never admit to anyone in public how much I weighed. Shit, I wouldn't even tell my MOM how much I weighed. Simply said, I was embarrassed. Completely and utterly embarrassed of what I had let my body slip into. It was almost like I had dug myself so deep into a hole that I couldn't get my whole body out, but my head would bob in and out, just to tease me enough to think I was getting somewhere!! Well - I'm a changed person now. I'm ready to reveal that at the beginning of this journey, the scale read 185.3. ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIVE POINT THREE POUNDS! How did I get there? When did I get there! I feel like I just snapped my fingers one day, and boom, I was fat.

So now that you know what I weighed (ahhh that felt good to let off my chest), here are some before pictures that I'm not to proud of:



And the picture I had my husband take on Day 1 of the Whole30:



And just for shits and giggles, here are two comparison pictures - one at day 8 and one at day 22. Tomorrow I will post a final, along with my current weight/weightloss. And I must add that I did this WITHOUT an ounce of exercise. I'm not happy or proud of this fact, but I just want to prove that this WILL work for you! You WILL feel good! (exercise to follow, I promise myself)

Oh, did I mention it is MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW? I can't think of a better present than to step on that scale, and see those number decrease! I'm thinking 20 lbs, but we shall see!



So, the moral of the story is that I DID THIS!! I made this change. The person who would marry cheese if marrying an inanimate object was legal. The person who used to guzzle beer like a frat boy (and a seasoned one at that!). The girl who would sell her SOUL to the devil for one of these bad boys:



I DID IT!! And I'm going to brag and boast as much as I want, because SHIT! I am proud of myself (and my husband too - can't forget my husband who was by my side, doing it with me the whole time!) And because I did it, SO CAN YOU! So, again, come take a walk with me on the wild side! No excuses. No "tomorrow I'll start". DO IT!! If you don't feel better - if you don't LOOK better - I will buy you your first shitty meal on the "other side!" Until tomorrow...

Live.Love.EAT!

Dana