This week, I’m excited to share the story of another nutrition challenge runner-up: Meghan K. As a former athlete, Meghan had been used to being in good shape. But a young baby and a busy schedule made it difficult to maintain a consistent workout routine. She joined The Foundry over the winter, with a commitment to making health a priority. When the nutrition challenge was announced, Meghan jumped at the opportunity – despite it falling during a family vacation. Her results were nothing short of amazing:
- Lost 15.5 lbs
- Body fat % reduced by 6%
- Lost 4.25 inches in the waist
- Lost 3 inches in the hips
Even better, she felt amazing and even inspired her sister to join her in a second Whole30! Thanks for being an inspiration to those around you Meghan!
Doesn’t Sound Like a Vacation To Me
Meghan K.
“You’re giving up dairy? Why would you do that?” “I could never give up bread…” “No beer? Doesn’t sound like a vacation to me…” Those were just some of, the many, comments I received from family and friends as word got out that I started a 30-day Paleo challenge. Admittedly, the timing was horrible. The challenge began two days into a family vacation, but in all honesty, when is a good time to tackle a challenge? Beginning this lifestyle change when it was guaranteed to be hard might have been the best test of my commitment.
I had tried different diets and methods of healthy eating and weight loss in the past. A former athlete, I was not used to my body working against me. But that is exactly what started happening a few years ago. I started feeling tired, getting sick often, including a serious health scare, having lower back pain, and saw my weight slowly climb up. Career change, less time, and a new baby did not help and led to poor habits and excuses. Lots of excuses. Too many excuses. It was easy to blame lack of time; my husbands travel schedule, budgets, etc… on why I wasn’t putting in the time or effort towards my health.
I decided that I really needed to change that in 2013. I wanted to set a good example for my son, but also I really needed to do it for me. This challenge provided the perfect opportunity to rededicate my focus, and it was the best decision I could have made. The first week was extremely difficult. I was surrounded by temptation, away from the gym, and getting little sleep. However, I pushed through the first few tough days and felt better each morning. I used travel WODs that I found online and stocked the refrigerator with “challenge approved” foods. I often checked the Facebook page for meal ideas and encouragement. Skipping the drinks while on vacation was tough, but I found that I felt so good that I didn’t mind. I am pretty sure that this was the first vacation that I have taken where I actually lost weight while gone!
The past 30 days really pushed me in ways that I did not expect. Not only was I setting myself up for better overall health and fitness, but also I discovered a lot about myself along the way. After a lot of journaling and reflection I realized that a lot of my previous excuses were rooted in feelings of inadequacy and fear. I would rather skip a workout than “fail” at it or appear weak. However, I found that during the last month with every good food choice I made I became more confident. And as I felt more confident in my body and food choices, I wanted to work out more. And when I was increasing my workouts I wanted to make better food choices. It was the perfect cycle.
In the past 30 days I have lost about 10 pounds (I haven’t officially weighed in at the Foundry yet) and have lost inches. I skipped an entire size of clothing in my closet, which is forcing me to go shopping (really tough consequence .) I have had friends and family asking me what my secret is, giving me a great opportunity to talk about the benefits of a Paleo diet. But more importantly I feel good about myself for the first time in a long time and am excited for the fitness goals ahead. My sister joined me on this challenge and we loved it so much that we’ve decided to double it! After my 60-day challenge is over I plan on adopting the Paleo lifestyle at least 90% of the time. I am also really excited to see how I have physically improved during workouts, and how I can conquer my fears (box jumps, anyone?!) Overall, this has been a phenomenal and life changing experience for me.
