Making the Grade

It's been almost a week since January closed out.  A week post-No Senduary and Whole 30.  Almost a week to reflect and consider what grade we earned during the month.  I'm going to go with a solid A-.

Let's start with W30 and first acknowledge that we did it.  We freakin' did it!  We successfully completed another round of Whole 30 and we're actually still at it.  Where we were really strict--no grains, no alcohol, no dairy, no legumes.  Where we gave ourselves a little grace--I still had my Shakeology most days, mixed with water, acceptable fruit, some almond butter, spinach and ice.  We did enjoy white potatoes--one of those in/out good/bad, yes/no foods.  We didn't eat them daily, and we prepared them in W30-compliant ways.  We used scant amounts of flour here and there for recipes, but big picture--it wasn't an all-the-time thing.

I'm sitting here on February 6 having not consumed a single drop of alcohol since New Year's Eve.  Still no dairy---though to be honest, I learned that was a trigger food for me the last round of W30, so it's not a huge victory to be dairy free 6 days later.  I have had some sugar.  Miraculously, I've not eaten a single morsel of the chocolate that's in this house (including a newfound Mocha Chocolate Kit Kat that smells amazing!), but I did indulge (okay, over-indulge) in some gummy candies.  I got a case of "eat until it's gone-itis" and kept going back to the bag until it was empty.  Oye.  Not my finest moment(s) for sure.

Outside of that and a heavy hand in a bag of Buffalo Pretzel Twists (!!), we've maintained the W30 meal planning this week as well.  Our menu is made for next week and it's W30, too.  At this point, it feels pretty routine and we're not making ourselves crazy about it.

Add to all that a combined 22lb weight loss between the two of us so sticking with it seems really reasonable.  I mean, we've got goals we're working towards, and if this is helping, why stop?  I've said it before, and I'll say it again; it's a mindset.  We don't focus on the deprivation.  We don't focus on what's missing or what we can't have/do.  We look at the options we have, make the most of them and focus on the "finish line."

As for No Spenduary, ehhh.  Definitely didn't do as well with that aspect.  We did have a couple spends that didn't fall into the "gas/bills/groceries" buckets.  The good news is, since we're the ones making the rules (kind of like my post every Monday rule), we can call a do-over and go Spendless a couple days in February.  Or March for that matter.  Whatever.  I've actually considered having at least 2 No Spend Weekends a month for the rest of the year.   

Same as with W30, it's a mindset.  It's being thoughtful and deliberate about both the purchase(s) and the motivation behind it.  My purchases came late in the month and were 100% driven by going a little stir crazy, feeling stressed out and looking for a little retail therapy.  That said, I didn't go bonkers, buying for the sake of buying.  I grabbed a couple things we needed (but totally could have waited until February).  And I let myself off the hook, because guilt didn't need to be added to the equation.

Quick Tips:

1.  Have a plan--be prepared and consider challenges you may face so you don't react to them impulsively
2.  Have a partner--it's much easier and more fun to have a buddy along for the ride.  Plus it's built-in accountability!
3.  Have a goal--know WHY you're doing this and keep that front of mind through the month.  How are you measuring your success?  Use that as a barometer for the choices you make.
4.  Have faith--results won't come overnight, keep your WHY in mind and carry on!
5.  Have fun--this isn't meant to be drudgery or torture.  It's about growth and challenging ourselves to shine.

So it's a wrap.  An A- for our effort and results and a huge sense of pride for being disciplined.  Looking forward to what this month will bring and what we will bring to it! 

xo,
Amy