So, now what?

So, you've finished your Whole 30.  Now what?

Well...there are a few options, and all of them I've explored.  Let's discuss.

1.  Go wheels off back to where you started.  Trust me.  This is sooooo easy to do, and I would never judge anyone that this happens to.  Whole 30 is the most strict food plan (refuse to say diet) I've ever followed.  It's tough to read labels, prep menus, cook all the food, never have a drink, be a poster W30'er.  I have NEVER completed a perfect (by the books, that is) Whole 30, and it's a personal goal of mine to.  However, just like with anything worth doing, if it were easy it would just be "the way".  I went back to my old ways quicker than lightning after my 2nd W30, and I paid the price.  I screwed up my digestive system big time.

2.  Continue the Whole 30 plan for an extended stretch.  I did this after my first go around, and I almost guarantee I was able to recover from surgery (two, actually) at a much faster rate because of all the good foods I was eating.  It was hard, but so worth the sacrifice to let my body heal.  I got to the lowest weight I've been since college during this time, and was lifting and training at an all time high.  However, I got burnt out and let old habits creep in.  Before I knew it, I was back to my old ways.  It truly happened without me even realizing it.

3.  Find a happy medium. This is the current place I'm living in right now.  Since I am once AGAIN out of the workout game (thanks, bulging disc), I have to be careful about what foods I'm consuming because I have the superpower of being able gain weight at an extremely rapid rate and I can't do much to counteract it at the moment.  I also just feel better when I don't consume the dairy/sugary things.  I had a tall flat white from Starbucks today as a "treat", and my body all but rejected it immediately.  I just need to listen to these cues and realize that I can't just shove whatever I want in and expect it to be ok.  It's a hard lesson to learn, and one I feel will be a life battle.  Some days I just don't care, but then I pay the price.  I mean, I'll get it some day, right?

How I stay motivated during and afterwards:

I buy myself presents.  I know, it's ridiculous.  I'm not above a toddler sticker chart, either.  I'm very visual, so if I can see cumulative awesomeness, it helps push me to continue building good habits.  I always buy myself a "mid" present (this year it was a cookbook and a spiralizer) and an end present (new necklace), with manicures and such thrown in between to keep it fun.  This time I gave myself an extra challenge of hitting a certain amount of workouts during, and the weeks just flew by.  I would say this was my most successful one yet!  I lost 7 lbs and lots of inches (I need to tally those up).

When I've been most successful with Whole 30, I've also surrounded myself with people that are participating and/or understand my goals.  I've joined Facebook groups, and have group texts with people who can understand my "I just want a glass of wine" text really means "I just need to complain for just a minute, but that's it" haha!  I love talking about it because it can truly be fun and you learn so much!  I mean, I'm eating brussels sprouts now after this W30 - that's CRAZY!  I hated those nasty little things before, and now I can't get enough.  I post pictures of my food, and let my social media platforms keep me accountable.  Before you know it, the 30 days will be up!

I hope that these posts are helpful.  If you have any questions, please ask!!