why i am loving the whole30

i wake up with energy, not feeling the least bit groggy & being excited to start my morning everyday (okay, most mornings i'm not wonder woman)

not being dependent on coffee for your morning 'high'

my tummy is flatter than ever before (i have abs you guys!) because i'm not eating foods that bloat your stomach 

you're not allowed to weigh yourself but i know i have lost weight...which was not my goal or intention with this, but it's just the 'extra' weight that seems to have disappeared & that is a pretty amazing feeling

i'm experimenting with foods i've never tried before & finding out i like a lot of different things

for instance pepper, i've never been a fan, until now

it has opened my eyes to a world of health

i love talking about it with people & teaching them, hearing them say that they want to try this challenge too

cooking at home is cheaper & more tasty than most fast food or takeout places...not to mention healthier, of course

i find my interests changing. i'm reading more fitness websites & blogs, following fitness & clean eating instagram accounts & watching documentaries such as 'vedgucated' & 'hungry for change' i highly recommend them both

spaghetti squash. period.

coconut milk is my new bff

i don't need the way i feel to be based on a number on a scale, it's about how i feel...on the inside, which is amazing

it's incredible the control food & caffeine has over us...incredibly scary

i no longer feel like i need a certain food to fill a void or make me happy. because in reality that void wasn't being filled before when i could have the bag of chips or reeses, it usually just left me feeling worse 

added & unnatural sugars are in almost everything & are extremely bad for you...i could write an entire blog around this topic

ignorance is not bliss, ignorance is diseases, cancer & ultimately death (harsh reality!) don't be ignorant about what you are fueling your body with...unless of course you don't care about your life

it is super fun waking up not hungover while your bf spends the morning barfing (i know that's terrible but i got a little bit of pleasure out of it)

fuji apples are my favourite...but i (not so) secretly can't wait til i can have some crunchy peanut butter on them again

...overall the whole30 has been an amazing life-changing experience for me. you know when you read things and they say they're going to change your life & you never really believe them (because nothing like that has before) well i can honestly say that it has. i am SO very aware of what i am putting into my body, what i choose to fuel it & how i am treating it. i was not treating it well before. sure i go to the gym & exercise, i also walk everywhere as i do not have my license or a car, i generally made healthy choices (or so i thought) but really i was putting a lot of things into my body that i had no idea what they were, that were chock full of bad ingredients & that i thought were a 'healthier choice'...how wrong i was. eating clean feels right. not only do i feel good grocery shopping, but i feel good making my food, experimenting with it, it feels good eating & enjoying something i've cooked, but most importantly...i feel good afterwards!! and that is something that i have struggled with for YEARS. literally about 8-10 years now i have struggled with stomach issues. eating on the whole30 makes me feel clean inside & out & my stomach feels good. i can feel my stomach repairing itself from the years of misuse and it feels amazing.

i am on day 17 of the whole30 & by no means am i going to be living this way 100% when the 30 days are over, however i do plan on sticking to a modified version of it. i honestly couldn't see how anyone could go back to eating the crap they did before after doing this challenge. it's not to say i will never have a coffee with cream & sugar again, nor will i never have salt&vinegar potato chips (i friggin' love those things) or a brownie...but everything is moderation is going to be my new mantra. instead of eating a bag of chips 2-3x a week (ya embarrassingly enough that happened) it will be more like once a month...or drinking every weekend just because it's something social to do, i am fine with being the sober one out sometimes. it's not even about having 'cheat days' either(i kind of hate that term) because i don't want to have a cheat day once a week...i don't want to be eating pizza 2x a week or on my 'cheat day' i don't want those things going into my body on a regular basis, and that's all there is to it.

if you're thinking i've gone mad & have lost my marbles over some 'cleanse' or 'diet' or whatever you want to call it, i call your bluff until you try this. if you're thinking about doing the whole30 challenge i (clearly) strongly recommend it. sign up for the daily newsletter as it really helps & really read through the website whole9life as they have some incredible information & tips on there. it's only 30 days...but i am warning you, in the end it might change your life ;)