Survived the first 30, now on to the next 30

I started this challenge grumbling the entire way. Looking back I'm very glad I did it. To celebrate we had a delicious pesto, chicken and sun-dried tomato pizza and some nice wine. I had heard of those that had some nasty gi upset when they went back on bread and cheese, but I didn't get any of that at all.

My feelings after the fist 30 days:  I wish I could claim all the health benefits noted by some of the other participants. Am I sleeping better? Nope, too much stress at work and I still occasionally wake up and 3AM and can't fall back to sleep. More endurance? Not really. I still get tired in the afternoon and burpees still kick my ass. Weight loss? That's the one that I can claim. In a month I've dropped 17#.

So on to the next 30 days. I was getting frustrated trying to eat out because pretty much everything on the menu contained something that wasn't allowed. Take away the sauces, toppings, sides, etc. and you might as well eat at home - it tastes better and costs less. But now that we can start introducing a few things here and there I will feel better about going out.

And with the success of the weight loss, I'm motivated to keep eating this way!

Day 29

As last week progressed, I was really looking forward to Sunday night. Why? Well, we began the Experience on a Monday, it had been a month, so Sunday night was going to be the night to splurge!

But wait. It's the Whole 30, not the Whole 4 weeks. Damn, two more days to go.....

Viva Las Vegas

After three weeks on a very strict diet, you would think that a visit to Sin City would entail going off the deep end - gorging ourselves at the buffets and guzzling martinis at the bars. Instead, we were surprisingly good. We brought along healthy snacks for the drive, skipped big meals for better alternatives, and didn't drink nearly as much as we would have otherwise. Heck, we were even asleep early both nights!

Do I feel like I failed? Absolutely not. I believe this Experience is learning about choices. Making healthy choices. Early on I really missed my bread, cheese, diet Mt. Dew and wine. Now, it's not that big of a deal to skip them. After committing to the 30 days, I thought I was going to be DONE! Now, I'm almost looking forward to being a little less strict and moving on to the next 30 days. Much like a vacation gets you rejuvenated for work, this little break has me inspired to continue my progress.

Cheating

I know, I know. This challenge is all about sticking to good nutrition. But this weekend Dez and I are traveling to Las Vegas for big conference. I may eat well, but there's a really good chance I'm going to have a beer or two. I've been good for three weeks!

So to make up for it I'm posting a picture of one of the great meals I've been having on this challenge. This is homemade duck and wild mushroom sausage, butternut squash and mixed green salad with blackberries and basalmic vinegarette. Mmmmm tastey.