How I transformed my body in 30 days!

Six months ago I had a beautiful baby girl.

While having a new baby has been the most wonderful thing, I’ve had a really difficult time coping with how it impacted my body. You always hear people tell new Moms that they should embrace their new body, love their curves and feel proud for their accomplishments.

For me, that was much easier said than done.

To be honest, my difficulty wasn’t necessarily all about my weight. I just didn’t feel good. I was out of shape, I felt so tired and the extra weight I was carrying was putting pressure on my body in ways I didn’t like.

Finally, I decided to make a change and that change was my diet. I spent a ton of time researching and found that The Whole 30 was the perfect program for me. My friend Bonnie had also done it and I saw her transformation so I knew it could be successful for me.

If you haven’t heard of the Whole 30, basically you have to eliminate dairy, soy, peanuts, added sugar, processed foods, legumes, alcohol and all grains from your diet. There are a few more rules, but that’s the gist. Now before you run off and say, “I could never give up cheese” or “I’m just too busy for something like this”, hear me out. I’m a stay at home mom with a business that is surrounded by food 24/7. If I can do it, I promise, you can.

My first three days on the program were horrible. I’m not going to sugar coat it (no pun intended). I had the worst constant headache, I was hangry AF and all I wanted to do was lay in bed. This was my body going through detox. I always told myself I didn’t have an addictive personality and I didn’t think I was addicted to anything. Well folks, after going through that detox, I can assure you, I had an addiction to sugar.

After the first few days, it started getting easier and then after about a week, I went into auto-pilot. I felt my pants become looser and my skin started to glow more than it did during pregnancy. After feeling all of these positive changes, I knew I never wanted to look back.

I also started working out a bit more. I did a mix of cardio/weights with my trainer, Tony (www.trainwithtonychicago.com) and pilates with Liz at Lateral Fitness. I’m not talking all day everyday. Just an hour or so a few days a week. Nothing crazy!

By just tweaking my diet and adding a few workouts in a week, this was what I was able to do in only ONE MONTH…
I actually can’t believe I’m sharing these photos of me in my underwear, but hey, if it will help someone reclaim their mind, body and soul, I’m all for it.

So the big question I’m sure you’re all wondering. How much weight did I lose?

My answer is (don’t hate me), it doesn’t really matter. After completing The Whole 30, I lost more than just some weight. I gained a much clearer understanding of how to eat, what’s ACTUALLY healthy and found out that I have the will power to do anything I set my mind to.

Since I don’t want you to be totally bummed, I will tell you I lost about 2lbs per week over the course of the month. Until that point, I hadn’t lost a single pound since 2 months postpartum. Pretty cool!

This is just the beginning of my journey. I finished program a few days ago and haven’t binged on anything. I actually plan to continue this healthy and mindful lifestyle for as long as I can.

Feel free to ask me ANY questions in the comments below. I’m happy to answer anything and everything.

Love always,
Erica