We did it ... we completed the Whole30 challenge. Yesterday was day 30 and we're pretty proud of ourselves for making it to the end (feel free to pat me on the back).

After the first week of withdrawals and detox, it wasn't all that hard. We got into a rhythm and we started to feel less irritated with the challenge and instead embraced a different way of thinking about food and how we fuel our bodies. Dare I say it was easy after I stopped having withdrawal headaches? Seriously, it was. We knew what we could eat and what we couldn't eat. We ate things that were healthy for us and we didn't think too much about what we were missing. It just became our normal. It's so normal that we're not planning on adding too much back into our diets. I can't eat gluten or dairy anyway, so that still on my no eat list. We're actually going to try and eat fewer animal products, with the exception of fish, which we eat about three times a week.

My face/skin was a mess for the first ten days. After my body got all the gunk out, my skin started looking better than it has in a long time. During the detox phase I was worried my face would never clear up. It's really depressing to be 40 years old with a face full of pimples. But in the end, I'm so happy with the results.

It was really hard for me to stay off the scale. Clearly I have an unhealthy attachment to the scale and the number it displays. At the end of 30 days, I lost just under five pounds (4.9 to be exact) and Mike lost about 10 pounds. My clothes are fitting better and I'm less bloated. I'd call that a solid win.

I have stopped snacking between meals and have no urge to snack. That's a huge difference for me. And I'm even doing better at night, which is typically when I'd indulge in lots of sugary crap.

I have been trying to think what I missed most over the last 30 days and I keeping coming back to the same thing: gum. I haven't missed ice cream. I haven't missed an occasional glass of wine. I haven't missed (gf) bread. I'm missed gum. I have found myself brushing my teeth a lot more (five or six times a day) since I've been eating lots of strong smelling veggies (hello onions and garlic) and without chewing gum to mask the smell, I've been a bit of a brushing maniac.

I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am we did this. It's really changed how I feel about food. I feel much more in control of my urges and am to know I'm putting less garbage into my body. If you feel like your in a health rut, I highly recommend you try Whole30. It's just 30 days, but it will make a huge difference.