I’m so excited to share with you Kirsten F’s Whole30 Results!! I hope her story inspires you!

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I am a 34 year old wife of 6 years, Mom to 3 very busy boys ages 12, 5 & 3, doggy-Mommy to our 7 year old Weimaraner, a full-time high school physical education & girl’s strength & conditioning teacher. I am an ex-vegetarian of 14 years & former sweets addict. I Crossfit 5 days a week, train for 5ks, 10 miler’s & completed by first ½ marathon in February. I have had the “exercise thing” down for a few years now, but I just finally got the “healthy eating” under control since starting Whole30 in June.

Where/ when did you first hear about Whole30?

I had a friend from my gym who was Paleo & in passing mentioned Whole30. One night I looked it up & was very intrigued. I am the kind of person who has to do things all-or-nothing, so I thought this would be right up my alley. I found it to be rather mindless to only be able to eat meat, veggies, fruits & a few healthy fats. It took the guesswork out of eating healthy.

When was your Whole30?

June 9, 2014-July 8, 2014, but I am currently on day 45 because I don’t feel the need to reintroduce anything else as of yet.

What was the biggest challenge you overcame during Whole30?

I was in a seesaw pattern of eating healthfully regularly ever since completing my ½ marathon in February. During the race I decided that if I could put my mind to running 13.1 miles, I could train my brain to push through a healthy lifestyle of eating. I would eat healthfully for a few weeks & then a party of the weekend would come & I would “fall off of the boat.” Committing to 30 days really allowed me to focus on fueling my body daily, not just eating.

What are some of the Non Scale Victories you experienced?

– I have a whole new wardrobe of clothes that I can wear again
– I used to hide behind my kids in pictures, now I am proud to be seen!
– I wake up with no regrets about what I ate/drank the previous day
– People constantly tell me that my skin is “glowing”
– People have started to notice & compliment me & ask what I am doing, which makes me feel so great that people not only notice, but that I can share my story with them.
– My kids are eating healthier because I am cooking more healthy meals
– Groceries trips are cheaper
– I spend more time at social events/parties socializing instead of eating/drinking

What was your scale victory? 🙂

I started at 169 & ended at 158.2 – 10.8 pounds & a bunch of inches!

Do you have any words of wisdom for anyone currently doing a Whole30?

It is not as hard as it looks on paper. Stick with it. The first week or so was the hardest to get used to it, but after that it was pretty easy for me.
Listen to your body. Most of the time when you are craving something, you are just bored or stressed. You need to find other ways to ward off those feelings other than eating.
Meal prep is key. I decided to take this on over the Summer when I am off of school & have time to thoroughly meal prep, so that it would be an easier carry over once the school year starts.
Also, make contacts outside of your normal friends/family in the social networking world that are also Whole30-people. It really helps to have a social network to grab recipes, ideas or inspiration from.

What is something you wished you had known before starting Whole30?

I wish I knew more about how truly good fruits, vegetables, eggs & meat really are. I lived as a vegetarian until this past October. At the tender age of 19, I did not realize how good meat really was for me & although I still don’t love it, it is good for my body systems.
When I started reading “It Starts With Food” I really realized so much about food. It is almost scary to think that most “food” nowadays is simply a bunch of cheap chemicals thrown together & made edible.

Follow Kirsten on Instagram for motivation and to see more Whole30 Results pictures! (Whole30Momma24)