Whole 30

I started my first Whole 30 on February 16, 2015. When most of my family and friends found out about this "diet" I was doing, they thought I was absolutely CRAZY. Yes, many people did call me crazy.

"How can you go 30 days without cheese or tequila?!" (two of my most favorite things) people would ask me.

Not only did I give up cheese and tequila for 30 days, I gave up ALL dairy, sugar, grains, beans, and alcohol.

"What do you eat then?" Was commonly the next question I got from folks.

I ate vegetables, fruit, good quality meat, and healthy fats such as nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, etc.

When I told people this, most people just looked at me like I had 5 heads.

"So... we can't go to happy hour this week?"

To be honest, it was very difficult for most people to understand what I was doing and that I couldn't just "have one cheat meal" or "just one drink".

You may even think I was crazy as you're reading this. So why did I do the Whole 30?

The first and most important thing that swayed me to attempt the Whole 30 was that IT MADE SENSE. Every word in the book It Starts with Food made complete and total sense to me. The entire concept of the Whole 30- removing the foods that cause an unhealthy effect on our bodies completely for 30 days, then reintroducing them slowly to see the effects they have on us. As It Starts with Food explains, many people have food allergies without even knowing it. It isn't until we remove the food and reintroduce it that we can see how that particular food really effects us. For example, many people have an intolerance to dairy without knowing. We don't know because our body is so used to feeling poorly from the food that it becomes "normal". It isn't until we remove the food that we realize how great we can actually feel.

Now, I KNEW that food was the reason to many of my ongoing health issues. My problem was fighting cravings and emotional eating. But after reading It Starts with Food, everything really clicked for me. I was able to deal with the cravings much better than I ever had before.

And as I had with Insanity Max 30, I told EVERYONE I knew what I was doing to help me stay accountable. Tim (hubby) even offered to do the Whole 30 with me for support.

In 30 days I lost 13.4 pounds and 11 inches off my body by doing the Whole 30. I felt AMAZING on the inside and out. Most of my health issues either went away all together or decreased significantly. More importantly I felt happy and sexy. It was like a total reset for my body.

Left: Day 1, Right: Day 31

In exactly two weeks from today I will be starting a Whole 30 challenge group on Facebook offering advice, tips, recipes, and motivation. If you are interested in completing the Whole 30, please email me at jessicaozimok@gmail.com so I can add you to our group!!

In Health & Happiness,
Coach Jessica
jessicaozimok@gmail.com