How many of us out there have tried about a thousand ways to lose weight (i.e. lifting heavy weights, lifting light weights, running {yuck}, HIIT training, etc.) and have NOTHING happen?! *raises hand*

I surely cannot be the only one out here.

This blog post is completely personal, no business here, so if you’re not interested, then just click away now. Just warning you.

When i got pregnant with my baby, I did what most pregnant ladies do. I ate. I knew that it wasn’t okay to say that i was eating for two, but when there’s a point of your pregnancy that ANY food repulses you, and all you want to eat is watermelon and otter pops, well then you eat watermelon and otter pops. There was a few doctor appointments that my doctor, bless his heart, would tell me that i needed to be eating healthier and “stay away from barcodes” I think were his words exactly. Try as i may, i always ended up eating something not as healthy as i probably should have been.

I never really had a problem with my weight growing up. I was always on the bigger side, but i played sports and was active, and ate *what i thought* was healthy. I was playing sports year round and that helped with my not so healthy habits. Unfortunately, as i have gotten older, i’m no longer practicing sports for 2-3 hours each weekday, and like most in the world, i found my waist line expanding more than i had wanted. As i stated in the beginning, i tried EVERYTHING from lifting heavy weights, to running long distances. I HATE RUNNING. I’ll just chime in at this point with that. I got a crazy idea to run a half marathon, paid the money, and started training. I got up to running about 4.5 miles and feeling pretty good doing it. Then i started to have issues with my knee, and getting shin splints SO bad that it hurt to walk, and deciding I was done with that.

I never ran the half marathon. And i think i’ve ran a handful of times since that. Oh, did i mention i didn’t lose any weight. Yeah, that was dumb.

Fast forward to after i had my baby, and i weighed *gulp* about 20 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. I tried and tried even harder to lose the weight, but with a new baby that hardly slept more than 45 minutes at a time, and trying to breast-feed for the first time, i was just trying to stay awake long enough to eat and not lose my mind. It was a rough 3 months. I pretty much stayed in bed the first month she was born. I think I have blocked out most of that from memory, otherwise i’m sure i would never have another one. After about 6 months of wearing maternity pants, STILL, i decided it was time to make a change. I started hearing more about this Whole30 program. I knew it was hard from people that had done it, but i knew it was possible. I figured with nothing else working, this HAD to, and even if it didn’t, i knew i would be healthier!

So here’s a shortened version of what Whole30 is all about.

No Grains, sugars (or sweeteners of any kind), dairy, legumes, seeds, alcohol. There’s no weighing or measuring yourself during the 30 days. YES! That’s a rule. The goal of Whole30 isn’t about losing weight it’s a lifestyle change, and that just comes with the territory. It’s resetting your body to start running like it should.

SO WHAT THE HECK DO YOU EAT!?!

REAL FOOD! You can eat meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit and natural fats (avocados, some nuts, olive oil).

To get more information you can check that out HERE.

The creators, Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, know their stuff! And they wrote it in a way that easy to understand. They have two books out now! “It Starts with Food” gives you a breakdown of why our bodies do what they do, and the scientific part of it all, then explain why you need a Whole30 to get things back to normal. It makes SO much sense after you read it. And their most recent book “The Whole30: the 30 day guide to total health and food freedom.” Both books area amazing, have great recipes, and really help you with the 30 days. And i can’t forget to mention how many AMAZING recipes on Pinterest you can find that are Whole30.

And, might i add, the photography in the 2nd book will make you want to eat all the food! 😀
So how did mine go, you ask!?!

My first Whole30, i started sleeping better. I wasn’t retaining water. I felt better about myself, and fit in my clothes better. My first round of Whole30, with no exercise added, i lost 13 pounds! Just by changing the way i ate, guys!! It gave me a different view of food, and i wasn’t eating out of boredom, or craving sugar. I was eating to fuel my body with GOOD food!

My second Whole30 was a month after i finished my first, and it was tough. I managed to stick it out for all 30 days, and i lost another 7 pounds. I added exercise this time around, and i think i didn’t lose as much weight because i was gaining muscle. BUT I was down below my pre-pregnancy weight! That was a happy day.

My third- that’s right 3!- Whole30, i only lost 4 lbs, but was still feeling amazing. Working out harder, and gaining more muscle.

Then i fell off the wagon with birthdays and summer, and now it’s time to get back on!!

So today is Day 3 of my fourth Whole30, which will hopefully turn into a Whole60. So, here i am, documenting it to the world. It will help me be more accountable.

Stay tuned to get some of my FAVORITE recipes in the coming weeks and see how it’s all panning out! 😀 I can’t wait to share more!