January 2016 – Whisk Into Shape

Today, I ran to Fleet Feet to pick up my race packet for the Winter Warrior Half Marathon, which happens in less than 48 hours. I’ve been training for this race for a couple of months and I’m really excited to see it come to fruition. The run was epic, as most night runs are: my senses were all alive, I felt like I was hunting something, the air was crisp, I felt excited. I got to Fleet Feet on an endorphin high, picked up my bib (and the coveted hat), and then went to the bus stop to get home. As to be expected, I was freezing cold (it was ~30* F outside) and my first thought was, “There’s a Ramen place nearby. I can go (over)eat some delicious, warm, hot soup.” But then I convinced myself not to eat out because I had Whole30 chili waiting for me at home. Plus, one of my 2016 goals is to eliminate credit card debt, and avoiding spontaneous/unnecessary trips out to eat is a big factor in the success of that goal.

I rode the bus home, but I still had this nagging urge to reward myself for running to Fleet Feet, to preemptively reward myself for running a half marathon on Saturday, to celebrate how well I’ve been doing with food for the last couple of months. So why not reward myself with a pack of Ramen noodles?

I stepped into the sketchy corner store that is a two minute walk from my apartment door. I knew where the Ramen was. I went to it, and stared at all the packages and variations of dry noodles and chemicals. I thought back to what I called “lonely midnight Ramen” in my pre-Whole30 days: chicken or beef Ramen, drenched in lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic powder, and whatever myriad of spices I felt like throwing in, being consumed while I sat in front of Netflix. Sometimes, I’d go through 2 or 3 packs just because, well why not? I would do this multiple times a night, even. Just consume this hot, bad-for-me stuff.

I walked away from the Ramen and made a lap around the store. Confetti cake in a box. Pringles. Ice cream bars. Soda. Sour cream and onion chips. And then I was back at the Ramen. I looked at all of the packs again. I reached out but didn’t pick one up. I didn’t want this food. Surely something else in the store would satisfy my craving?

Holding the bag with my race bib, tshirt, and coveted Winter Warrior hat close to myself, I made another lap around the store until I arrived at the Ramen for a third time. I thought of the Whole30 compliant chili I had waiting for me in the fridge at home. I thought about what food would provide versus the chemical dry pack of shit that I was staring at. I made the decision to leave, made a final lap around the store, and ran the rest of the way home.

Whoa. This feels like a big victory.

I didn’t give in to cravings. I didn’t reward myself, either earned or preemptively, with bad food. I rewarded my body and my mind – I nourished them – with whole food that I had already prepared for myself. I did this.

I’ll back up one step further. When I finished Whole30, I didn’t post a testimonial. I had lost 13 lbs, but I didn’t measure inches lost. Part of me felt like I didn’t deserve to post about my success, because I was afraid I’d stop being successful. I felt afraid that I would start falling back into my Lonely Midnight Ramen days, or that once I stopped being 100% Whole30 compliant, I’d gain the weight back.

Well, as of three weeks post-Whole30, I haven’t gained any weight back. Not that I’ve been checking. I’ve only weighed myself once, and I was 1.3 lbs heavier than Day 31. This came after a 12 mile run, and ten days of indulging in cheese and wine with my family. 1.7 lbs? That’s nothing! Knowing how much weight fluctuates, I actually am not tempted to weigh myself anymore. I’m not going to measure, either. The mirror, and how good I do or do not feel, are my indicators of success from now on.

I didn’t eat Ramen today. I didn’t eat RAMEN TODAY!! On top of that, I came home, ate my preplanned dinner, cleaned up, finished my 2016 vision board, practiced the guitar for over an hour, approved a contract for a part-time job I’m taking on, and took a long, hot shower. What am I doing with my life?

I’m doing exactly what Melissa and Dallas Hartwig promised me I’d do when I started the Whole30. Here’s a quote from the book (which you should absolutely go buy right now if you don’t already own it, and then commit to Whole30 and change your life) that has been ringing in my head since I committed to Whole30 on November 14, 2015:

What starts off as a “diet” somehow expands into other areas of your life, areas you didn’t even know could be improved simply by eating good food. The next 30 days will initiate healthy chain reactions throughout your entire life, imparting a sense of control, freedom, stability, and confidence that will inspire you to take on other personal development goals, big and small. You’ll feel better, so you’ll want to do more. Which makes you feel even better, and want to do even more. It’s the exact opposite of the cycle you’ve been stuck in – feel bad, eat junk food, feel even worse, eat even more junk food.

And there it is. Laid out for you, clearly, and without any fluff.

Lonely Midnight Ramen = staying up until 2 or 3 AM, watching shitty TV on Netflix, often accompanied by other food and alcohol = waking up 20 minutes before work the next morning = going to work with only a little bit of water in my stomach = going to Dunkin Donuts on a “bathroom break” and ordering a sausage, bacon, bagel sandwich with coffee = lack of energy throughout the whole day = coffee again at 2 PM = exhaustion by dinnertime, so lazy dinner = “hungry” (psychologically? again at 2 Am = Lonely Midnight Ramen….

VERSUS:

Three square meals per day, no snacking in between + a homemade cup of Joe in the morning = energy throughout the work day, lunch already planned because of crazy food prep Sundays = excited to go home and eat a healthy meal = free time after dinner to accomplish my goals = early bedtime and a good night of sleep (because no sugar or caffeine messed it up) = waking up in the morning to exercise, then eating three square meals per day….

The Whole30 really does change your life.

Remember when I said that I didn’t write a testimonial about my Whole30? Well, this is it. 25 days later, I feel like I can say I really accomplished my Whole30. And you know what? I have pictures to prove it: