Whole30 Non-Scale Victories + Reintroduction Recap

High five for finishing the Whole30!  It was wonderful to do the program alongside my good friend (and talented photographer), Stephanie.  Watching her transformation and success was so inspiring and reminded me why I love to share the Whole30 with others…It’s a powerful program that can help you feel healthier and literally change your life in ways you might not even expect!  

Today, on our blogs, we’re going to recap our experiences and talk about reintroduction and non-scale victories.  I’ll be sharing our “Fast Track” reintroduction and be sure to visit Stephanie’s blog to read about her experience and “Slow Roll” reintroduction.         

First though, I want to give you a little background on our friendship and how she has helped me!  We met through the blogging community in Dallas and I reached out to her about a year ago to help me with the photography on my site.  I wanted to improve the look of L&L by using quality images/working with a photographer regularly. I loved her style and liked the photos I saw her post of other bloggers she worked with.

The tricky part was at that point, I still wasn’t totally comfortable or at ease with posting pictures of myself.  In fact, I was hyper critical and it kept me from using a lot of photos on the blog.  I know it sounds strange and would be a major liability to a blogger, but due to issues in my past with body image and eating disorders it was something I shyed away from.  (I’ve been in recovery for over 15 years but like many who have struggled, maintaining a healthy mindset is an ongoing thing.  You have to stay on your toes!)

It sounds counter-intuitive but with each shoot I did with Stephanie, I started to overcome my insecurities in front of the camera and in photos.  Diving in and taking more photos doesn’t seem like it would have been the answer, but for me, it was!  Stephanie was always very encouraging from behind the camera, put me at ease, and our shoots were always fun.  A funny thing happened…through her support and great photos I started to feel more comfortable and less awkward.  (It also helped that I got some pose coaching from another great friend, Marisa!)  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t consider myself great at posing, and I sometimes still feel awkward in front of the camera, but Stephanie’s really helped me loosen up and enjoy the process.  Over the past year we’ve become great friends, and I’m so thankful for her and how she’s helped me push past my comfort zone!  

Through working with Stephanie, I’ve started to view myself in a kinder, less critical, more objective light.  Now, when I see what I consider to be “bad/unflattering” pictures of myself, its not a big deal, because I realize there are just as many great shots to choose from!  I don’t mean to sound incredibly shallow about all of this because I know these issues can come across that way to those who don’t understand them.  But, I also know there are many out there who struggle too, and if sharing my journey can help or encourage you in any way, I want to do that!  The point of me telling you all of this is I consider feeling more comfortable in my own skin to be a huge non-scale victory, taking place over time with the help of the Whole30 and a sweet friend!

A few more of my #NonScaleVictories included:

• Breaking my gum chewing habit (again) yay!
• Getting more rest each night, feeling better in the morning.
• Drinking more water throughout the day, staying hydrated.

On to the Recap!

Ryan and I did the Fast Track reintroduction.  This basically involves staying Whole30-ish for 10 more days, while adding foods back in one at a time, waiting a few days in between to note how you feel.  It’s a good way to get it done in a short period of time and learn if there are things that affect your body negatively.  The downside is that you go by the schedule and by adding them all in over 10 days, you might experience some bloating (like I did!).    

Let’s just say the “Fast Track” approach reaffirmed for us that some things aren’t worth it/we don’t miss enough to add back in on a regular basis!  Especially true with gluten, soy, and dairy.  We noticed that we don’t crave foods with these ingredients much anymore.  Thank you, Whole30!  Ice cream is an exception, and we enjoy it in moderation 🙂  That being said, I do notice a difference with what type of ice cream it is…if its a no-junk added, full-fat version, I’m usually fine and don’t experience any side effects.  But, anytime I’ve tried frozen yogurt or soft serve (which a few years ago, pre-Whole30, I used to consume daily!), my tummy is not happy!  

We both did fine with non-gluten grains, alcohol, and legumes and will add those things back in occasionally.  For the most part, we’ll move forward with Whole30-ish choices most of the time with some slight modifications, like relaxing on the added sugar rule as suggested in the book.  The reintroduction process gave me the information I need to create a sustainable, balanced diet that works for me, to keep me moving in the direction of more healthy!  

If you did the Whole30 recently, how did your reintroduction go?  Thanks for stopping by!