Halfway thru the month/Whole30! Which was actually a few days ago, but close enough. I feel like this month is flying by. I haven't felt the need to track my foods for about a week because I haven't been having a hard time being compliant.
Meal prep and workouts have been going great. Also, today I found that Trader Joe's has pre-prepared sweet poato and butternut squash noodles. LIFE. CHANGED. During weekly meal prep I always prep a whole bunch of sweet potatoes and man is it a bummer. Those suckers make me work for it. But now I don't have to because TJs is magic.
Things I've notcied from the past 18 days:
I think I lose weight from my face first? Which is nice because I'm reminded every time I look in the mirror that some changes are a'happenin.
I'm sleeping like a rock, and though I'm having a hard time waking up in the mornings (ugh, winter), I am finding that I have more energy throughout the day.
Biggest craving: wine. Pretty much only in social settings. My husband was traveling the first two weeks of January and most friends were busy getting back to daily life after the holidays. So very few social interactions = zero wine cravings. The very same day he got back and friends were inviting us to go out, wine cravings. After Whole30 I'm gonna have to get a handle on balancing that.
Speaking of wine, I think maybe it's just best to cut it out all together. When I have some wine, I want more wine. I like it too much. I enjoy grabbing drinks with our friends or trying a new cocktail bar out with my husband far too much to completely eliminate drinking, but perhaps if I order something that isn't wine, I'll be less tempted to order more. But never beer because ugh the bloating.
Next biggest craving: Carbs (and eating out in general). I haven't been craving pasta or pizza much this month, but after Whole30 I need to remember that I love the non-bloated feeling MORE than I love carbs. Regulate. Find cleaner alternatives.
I'm having dreams of cheating and eating non-Whole30 foods or having a glass of wine. I read on the blogs that this is normal. In my dreams it's also in social settings that I'm tempted to cheat - so I'm gonna keep on keepin' on with my anti-social me-focused January.
For the second half of 2016, I was good about getting to the HIIT gym 2 or 3 times per week. But on busy days I didn't think twice about skipping. I went in to this year with the goal of going 4 times per week no matter what. And not only have I succeeded, but I've found it's actually better for me to go five times a week. As we all are, I'm a creature of habit - so 5 times a week makes it an almost daily habit - I get one day off on the weekend and one rest day during the week. So - goal accomplished and surpassed. Oh, also, I'm feeling super strong and am lovin the arm tone. WIN WIN WIN.
I've also stopped picking at my nails and have returned to keeping them nicely trimmed with clear polish. And I've been using coconut oil on my face for about 15 minutes after getting out of the shower. No more dry winter skin!
I only have 1.5 lbs to go to reach my goals for the end of the month, but I'm also thinking of a plan for how to keep up the momentum for the next few months. I'm super excited to go out with my friends for a drink, but I'm also excited to keep focusing on my health!
Keep it up, friends! We're on the right track!