Whole30 wrap up and new start!

Ok, so I kind of ended my Whole30 in a miserable way, but I did get a lot out of the experience and loved it so much that I'm starting again today. I won't be posting here about everything I eat, but I will try to post about good recipes and start adding photos.

Here are the things that I have gained:

• energy
• a good sleep every night
• waking up without an alarm and feeling awake
• a sense of control over my choices
• no afternoon slump in energy
• excellent recipes
• confidence
• happiness!

Here is what I lost:

• 2.5 kilos or 5 pounds
• my belly (it's flatter now)
• cravings - I watch my co-workers eat chocolate after lunch with their coffee and I don't feel any urge to join in

5 pounds is not a huge loss, but I'm happy with it. I can only imagine what a few more months will bring. I think that losing steadily is the way to go and I'm happy with the rate of just over one pound per week. Don't forget that I only exercised seriously for the first week. I think that my last two days in Paris might have had an effect on my weigh-in today (I was constipated to put it bluntly) so I may have even lost more than that in the end. At any rate, I have started again today with all my tools in hand: my go-to recipes and websites and cookbooks full of great ideas. I'm hoping to ease into exercise in a way that is sustainable.