Non-Scale Victories (NSV)

Before my final weigh-in Friday morning it is important for me to sit back and think about all of the non-scale victories I've had this round of Whole30!

For those of you who don't know Non-Scale Victories (NSVs) are anything in your life that have improved as a result of doing Whole30! Melissa Hartwig says, "...regardless of whether you choose to weigh or not to weigh, the scale and tape measure are far from your only measures of Whole30 success. What about things like your energy, sleep, mood, cravings, digestion, skin, medical condition or symptoms… the list goes on and on!" Melissa also has a Non-Scale Victories checklist that you can use to help you realize all the benefits of Whole30 that you might have experienced!

For me I have a quite a few non-scale victories to share:

1. Better sleep - I can't emphasize this enough. My whole life I have been plagued with terrible sleep. Since I tend to run a little anxious I'll lay awake for at least an hour after going to bed, with a racing mind, and when I do manage to fall asleep I wake up 5-10x per night! When I'm doing Whole30 I fall asleep within 10 minutes, wake up maybe 1-2x per night (at most), and wake up every morning well rested. If for no other reason the improved sleep I get while on Whole30 is a reason to have Whole30 in my life!

2. Decreased Crohn's symptoms -  While doing Whole30 I experience few or no symptoms of my Crohn's disease. For anyone with a chronic condition like Crohn's you can imagine who amazing it is to only have a few symptoms in a 30 day period!

3. Improved use of time - While on Whole30 I try to take full advantage of my increased free time (since I tend to stay in more, am watching less tv, drinking and eating takeout less, etc.) and complete projects or find new things to do. This round of Whole30 I tried out the Marie Kondo method of folding clothes and ending up donating a ton of clothes, organizing all of my drawers, and even combining two closets into one! I also tend to read more, clean more, and overall just use my time better.

4. No bloat - Other than the first week - when my body is adjusting to the "new" foods coming in and none of the "old" food coming in - I never feel bloated while doing Whole30, which is an awesome feeling!

5. Decreased need for snacks/food - When not on Whole30, I notice that the more unhealthy I am/the more unhealthy foods I eat, the more in quantity I can eat of those foods.  When I'm doing Whole30 I find that a couple of turkey burgers and some green beans for lunch can easily hold me over until dinner. During weeks 3 and 4 I don't even snack on cashews or plantain chips in between meals. It feels really good to eat healthier foods, smaller portions, and not have to snack in between meals.

6. Decrease in "bad" numbers - My blood pressure, BMI, and body fat % all derease while on Whole30.

Those are a few of my Non-Scale Victories! No matter what the scale says there are clearly other benefits to Whole30 that lead to increased health and overall quality of life.