Whole 30 Day 23 – Non-Scale Victories

It is Day 23 of my #JanuaryWhole30, and I have started to realize just how many non-scale victories I am encountering. Don’t get my wrong – I am dying to get on the scale on Day 31 as I believe the number will be smaller than it was on Day 0. Yet, in my office today it hit me just how many non-scale victories I already notice. This realization hit me like a 2X4 when I had a call from one of my young tribe, causing me quite a bit of concern and anxiety. My initial response was, “I need to get a snack!”. That’s when the board smacked me –THWACK!!! — I wasn’t hungry, I just wanted something to ease my stress and discomfort.

from publicdomainpictures.net

Before this The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, I would have just run to the closest coffee room or secretary desk and “let the grazing begin” until I ate my way to pacifying my concerns. Now, as soon as I realized what was going on, my new-and-improved-whole-30-brain-in-control-of-my-sugar-dragon responded back with “Oh no Ma’am – you are feeling way too good to do that … pull out that Down Dog app instead”. And so — being this far on my journey – my Whole 30 self won the battle over my old emotional eating self (GO ME!), and so lizard pose it was!

from http://www.forteyoga.com/yoga-poses/lizard-yoga-pose/

I am so excited not only about making a better choice, but also about the realization that I needed and wanted to make a better choice! I hopped over to the the Whole 30 site to check out how many of the non-scale victories I could already claim as my own:

• flatter stomach (I can definitely feel a difference here and how my clothes fit)
• less bloating (again, waistbands are much more comfortable)
• rings fitting better (they slide nicely over my knuckles and don’t feel like they are strangling my fingers in the morning now, thank you very much!)
• less joint swelling, less stiff and painful joints (This was really something I was hoping for from this Whole 30, so SCORE!)
• better mood and fewer mood swings (my young tribe will attest to this one…)
• improved “regularity” (that will have to suffice as explanation enough….)
• dealing with stress better (just see the paragraph above!)
• less reliance on the scale (this is one of the MOST freeing feelings ever!!!!)
• feeling in control of food, and a better relationship with food (another much needed and hoped for NSV)
• feel more productive (for some reason, there seems to be a correlation in my life between the Whole 30 and my consumption of TV viewing – I have really only watched the AM news. This drop in TV viewing has definitely amplified my productivity)
• Sleep more soundly (I still wake up to use the restroom thanks to child#2 sitting on my kidneys forever in utero (- thanks Lolo!), and wake up for a bit around 3am, but the time I am awake is much shorter and the sleep I am getting is much better to where I don’t feel exhausted in the morning)
• more even energy levels (mornings are still more productive for me, but I have no afternoon slump, and seem to be productive until about 30 minutes before bedtime)
• more energy to exercise, and started exercising consistently (this is a HUGE shocker as I have yet to meet an exercise that I want to do without being dragged kicking and screaming. I am now looking forward to my two Down Dog sessions a day, and looking for other activities I might enjoy)
• Skin healthier (so much so that I have been leaving the house with NO makeup on!!!!!)
  

  You got this!!!!!!

So how about you other Whole-30’ers – what are you noticing in your NSV columns?

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