15 days

In 15 days, I haven't had:

• Sugar
• Processed Foods (Pasta, chips, bread, etc)
• Dairy
• Soy
• Grains
• Legumes
• Alcohol

Okay, it's really only been 13 days, but I was supposed to start my rendition of Whole 30 at the start of January - due to travel (or that is my excuse any way), I started on the 3rd of January. 

You are also not supposed to have any artificial sweetners. HOWEVER, I don't drink coffee. I could drink tea, but I really do like my morning "boost" of a sugar free energy drink. I figure I'm giving up everything else, I can only do so much. (Maybe next month).

The goal is to see how you feel (your joints, your muscles, your brain) at the end of the month. Then add one thing in for two days, and see how you feel.

The list above makes one think, "Well, what CAN I eat?"

• Meat
• Vegetables
• Sweet Potatoes
• Eggs

And with those four things, there are a ton of meals to make! Omeletes, salads, steak and pretty much any vegetable you want. 

I haven't been hungry at all - it's the habits of eating/drinking things, not because I really want them, it's the habit. The habit of pouring a glass of wine while cooking dinner. The habit of having cheese toast for breakfast. Etc......

The not having wine or chips has been the hardest challenge. Although, there are some great sweet potato chips with no added sugar. The wine, well, sparkling water has helped me trick my mind.

So, far, I've lost 4.5 pounds. But more importantly, I have a ring that was tight, it now fits without a problem (a four pound weight loss wouldn't do that - it's the puffiness from processed food and sugar that does that). AND, I'm sleeping!! My middle of the night panic attacks (that I attributed to everything that went on with the kids we lost last summer) are all but gone.

I'm drinking sleepytime tea at night instead of my wine. It's amazing what 8 stratight hours of sleep does for a person! Something that I haven't done in years on a regular basis.

Pilates and Hot Yoga Sculpt don't seem as hard either. 3 days a week for the last two weeks.

I may add things back in, as I want them, but the goal at the moment is to make it another 15 days.