THREE MEALS LEFT.......

And this is how much we love that you’ve been on board with us these last 29 glorious days.

Ladies:

We have 3 meals left.

If you have made it this far, give yourself a pat on the back. seriously I am SO PROUD of you. 

I don't know what else to say other than.... 

Whatever the scale or measurements or pictures show, please don't be discouraged if it was not what you idealized. don't let the joy of this accomplishment be stolen by such a small let down. 

For 29 days.... that is 87 meals straight of eating under what some consider "strict" guidelines. You have gone without gluten, grains, dairy, alcohol, and SUGAR for 30 days. and know what? you survived! it is possible. 

So as you eat your meals tomorrow, if you plan to reintro, think about all the things you have learned. What your body has done & what it feels like to finish a challenge of this size.

i HIGHLY stress and recommend writing down how you feel. talk in third person. like this ... "Leslie you feel so great when you wake up in the morning.  You have more energy then you normally would. Your favorite clothing not only fits you, but it fits your body well.  Your energy levels are high throughout the day and in emotionally trying moments you said NO to sugary, dairy, carby foods. You conquered emotional eating for 30 days. Leslie, you did an awesome job. For 30 days you choose to to feed your body well. Every meal of every day....."

Print it. have it. so on those days where you have fallen off the wagon and binged you can look back at how this made you feel. It may encourage you to eat whole30ish or paleo guidelines for normal life and then celebrate for celebratory things.

Ladies I LOVE you. you have been my joy and encouragement through this all, and I thank you for that!!!

Congratulations, and Welcome to Day 30!

Your healthy eating adventure is almost over… or is it? You may be contemplating whether to continue with your Whole30 adventure, or feeling nervous about today being the last day of your program. (Or maybe, just maybe, all you can think about is that glass of red wine calling your name at the stroke of midnight tonight.)

Today, we’ll talk about how people commonly feel when their Whole30 is over, and how you’ll know whether you need to extend your program for just a bit longer - or whether you’re ready for your re-entry back into the “real world.”

And remember… today isn’t over until the clock strikes 12! So keep on keepin’ on, and make this last official Whole30 day a stellar one.

Have a great Day 30!

Should You Continue?

You’ve reached a critical juncture in your Whole30 program—do you extend your Whole30 for another 10, 15, 30 days, or proceed with the reintroduction schedule on Day 31?

There’s no right or wrong answer to this one, and everyone needs to make up their own minds. For some, extending to a Whole45 or Whole60 was the right thing to do—for others, they learned everything they needed to know in those 30 days, and were ready to ride their own bike come Day 31. So how do you know which situation applies to you? Here are some general guidelines.

• Medical conditions = keep going. If you were really hoping to see significant relief from your medical condition or symptoms, and just haven’t yet, perhaps a few extra weeks on the Whole30 will give your body more time to heal. Skin conditions, chronic pain and fatigue, depression, and autoimmune conditions generally require more attention to detail and perseverance than other conditions.
• Sugar cravings = keep going. If all you can think about right now is diving into a box of donuts, perhaps your Sugar Dragon never went dormant at all—and those bad habits (dessert, sweets for comfort, treats to relieve stress) haven’t actually changed yet. This is a sure sign that you should continue with your Whole30, while working hardnot to feed that Dragon with fruit or sweet treats when it’s roaring.
• Fear of less healthy foods = ride your own bike. If you’re afraid to come off the Whole30 because the idea of eating bread or ice cream terrifies you… it’s time to ride your own bike. Don’t be afraid of off-plan foods! Remember, you’re in control now, not your food choices. Follow the reintroduction schedule carefully, and know that you’ll always have the Whole30 to fall back on, if things start heading down that slippery slope.
• Just feeling so good = up to you. If you’re just feeling so darn good right now that you can’t imagine wanting to eat or drink something that you know will make you feel not-so-good, then it’s up to you whether you keep going or start the reintroduction schedule. Many folks handle this situation intuitively—they stay on the Whole30 until something so delicious (and so worth it) crosses their path, they decide to come off for that one special item. (We like this approach.)

Prepare for Re-entry

For those of you ending your program today, tomorrow’s Whole30 Daily will outline our complete 10-day reintroduction schedule, to help you carefully evaluate the effects of less-healthy foods. But there are a few things you can do today to make your re-entry back into the “real world” that much easier.

• DO: Think about what you might want to reintroduce. Make a list, even, of all the foods you really think you miss, and those that you suspect (and would like to confirm) have been contributing to your health woes. This will keep you from going off the reservation tomorrow, when you arrive at the office and realize the bowl of Peanut M&Ms, muffins on the break room counter, and caramel iced lattes from the café next door are no longer “off limits.”
• DO: Follow our reintroduction schedule carefully. We’ve laid this out so you have the best shot at 100% awareness as you reintroduce off-plan food groups. Yes, the schedule takes 10 days. Yes, it requires just a bit more patience. But don’t waste the last 30 days by going fully off the rails on Day 31, when you won’t know what food group to blame for what ill effect! These last 30 days were an investment. Don’t squander them just because the calendar says it’s Day 31.
• DON’T: Reintroduce foods that you just don’t miss! If you don’t miss something that you know makes you less healthy, then don’t bother reintroducing it! If life without black beans, cottage cheese, or flour tortillas sounds just fine to you, then why would you subject your system to their potentially problematic effects?
• DON’T: Plan a post-Whole30 group celebration just yet. Your friends and family may want to take you out to celebrate the end of your plan, but that’s just a recipe for disaster. You’ll never be able to effectively evaluate the effect of off-plan food groups if you eat them all at once, and peer pressure may make you cave to eating or drinking things you don’t really want. Save the group celebration until after your reintroduction period is over, and those critical post-Whole30 lessons have been learned.

Whole30 Goal Evaluation

Remember way back on Day 0, when you filled out your Whole30 goal sheet? There, you listed one or two goals (on top of the “kick booty at my Whole30” goal we filled out for you)—things you’d like to accomplish during these last 30 days.

If you’ve decided that your Whole30 comes to a close tomorrow, then it’s time to evaluate your goals. How successful were you? What did you learn throughout the process? What kind of results have you experienced, thanks to your efforts?

Use this Whole30 Goal Evaluation worksheet to help you see with your own two eyes just how far you’ve come in the last 30 days, and (combined with yesterday’s After Action Report) give you ideas for how best to continue with your new, healthy habits going forward.

Celebrate Your Success

So how should you celebrate the last day of your Whole30?

• Throw yourself a fancy dinner party. Use the dinner party recipes from It Starts With Food, or make a pot-luck style mish-mosh of all your favorite Whole30 recipes from the last 30 days.
• Stock up on healthy eating resources. Treat yourself to a new cookbook (we loveWell Fed, Paleo Comfort Foods, and the new Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook), some fun new kitchen toys, or that slow-cooker you’ve been eyeing.
• Get some new clothes. You’ll find out how much scale-weight you’ve lost tomorrow, but that’s not nearly as important as how your clothes are fitting. If you’ve changed your shape, it’s time to buy some clothes that compliment (and fit) your new body!
• Sign up for a healthy lifestyle class. Now that you’ve got this healthy eating thing down, you have more time on your hands—so take a class on knife skills, Mediterranean cooking, or intro to yoga—and bring a friend about to embark on theirWhole30 journey with you.
• Brag about your results. Share your success story on Facebook, our Whole30 forum, or your personal blog. (And then share it with us, athttp://facebook.com/whole9!) It’s perfectly acceptable to toot your own horn—after all, you’ve earned it!

So eat well, sleep well, live well, and we’ll see you tomorrow for your final Whole30 Daily. (Sniff… We’re so proud of you, but sad that our amazing journey together is coming to an end!)