I am rounding the corner to the finish line on my Whole30 journey. Some days it feels like it has been a cake walk. Others it feels like the last day couldn't come soon enough! Next week I am going to dedicate an entire post to my thoughts and results on Whole30. Today, however, I wanted to dedicate this post to the one major mental change I have gone through on the program so far, and that is my growth in willpower. 

Way back before I lost any weight or really cared about my health that much I always had the same excuse. I simply did not have the willpower to make it through such a dramatic life change. I felt I could never resist the foods I needed to cut out. I felt I would never choose to exercise over laying on the couch watching my favorite shows. I simply did not have the willpower to do what I needed to do to change my life forever. Looking back now that is almost comical to me. Do you want to know what the real reason I had back then for not wanting to change? I was lazy. It sounds harsh but that is the plain truth. I was far too lazy to worry about meal planning and making the right choices. Getting something quick and tasty was far more appealing and took less effort. I was too lazy to get up and join a gym. It was so much easier to put my pajamas on and settle in early for the night instead. 

Fast forward to today and I am doing all the things I was too lazy to do before (yes that does also include making this page a priority and sticking with my writing). I dedicate a certain amount of time every week to coming up with a meal plan for the following week. That leads to grocery lists, grocery shopping, and food prep. I go to the gym four days a week after work instead of going right home. By initially forcing myself to do these things, I led myself on the path to making them habits. You may be wondering what this has to do with willpower. The answer to that is simple really... willpower is what to need to have in order to push yourself through and sticking with these tasks.

When I first started planning my Whole30 journey I was really worried I would not be able to do it. I honestly did not think I had the willpower to push through and resist the foods I crave every day for thirty days. Trust me that willpower was tested many times in this journey so far and it sure isn't over yet! I would say this weekend surprisingly was the hardest. I really just wanted pancakes for breakfast and to enjoy some rice with my dinner. During this journey already I had to resist some of my favorite foods. I had to turn down homemade pizza last weekend and some hot cider donuts when we went apple picking yesterday. Trust me they smelled amazing and it sure was a challenge. I had the willpower, however, to turn these things down. Will I allow myself to enjoy them again in the future? Absolutely! Do I have a better understanding on how often I should enjoy these things and that I have the power to say no? You bet! 

I want to encourage you to test your willpower as well. Trust me I did not think I had the amount of willpower that I actually do. I never would have thought I would have been able to turn down those donuts at the apple orchard especially sitting right there and smelling them. To go from someone constantly expressing no willpower at all to someone using it more often than not, I will honestly say I am incredibly proud of myself. It sounds so corny but if I can do it, you certainly can! If you want to make a change in your life chances are you are your biggest road block. Try to challenge yourself to grow every single day and you never know what roads will open up.

I cannot wait to see and share my results of Whole30 next week! I want to go over not only my physical weight and measurement changes, but the mental ones as well. Part of me really cannot believe this thirty days is almost up, and I certainly feel some results already. Thank you for sticking around and I will see you next week with my final thoughts!