How A Little Thing Called the Whole30 Changed My Life
by Peggie Larsen, Pierre, SD
Hi, my name is Peggie, I am 46 years old and I have had issues with body image and food for what seems like my entire life. I remember I started gymnastics in 6th grade and absolutely loved it. Around the time I was in 8th grade my coach told me he wanted me to lose 10 pounds. At that time I think I weighed 115 pounds. And so IT began… IT being the body image issues.
I remember reading magazines (Teen, I think ) and finding a diet in the back of one, so I sent for it. The diet seemed pretty good, I remember eating boiled eggs and stuff like that. I definitely did not lose 10 pounds like the coach wanted me to. Instead, I started eating more and more and more. Eventually, I developed an eating disorder; full blown bulimia. Here came the food issues. My best friend, (who was also in gymnastics) and I started hogging down on everything and then making ourselves throw up. I think the bulimia lasted until I was a senior in high school. I eventually just stopped doing it. By the way, it didn’t help me lose any weight either.
I have always been an active person and have always been interested in health and nutrition. In the last few years I just started gaining weight and it seemed like no matter what I did, I couldn’t lose it. I kept telling myself I didn’t look that bad and I could still fit in my clothes (barely). I felt thick, I felt tired and I was totally disgusted with myself. One day, while hanging out on Facebook, I noticed a post about the Whole9 workshops. I was immediately interested and wondered what this stuff was all about. I started poking around the Whole9 site and reading a lot of the information. I was mesmerized. Nutrition information is my narcotic. I was hooked. I read every post about the Whole30 program and how it could “change your life.” I decided it was now or never.
My Whole30 start date was the first day of 5th grade for my youngest daughter, August 23, 2010. I loved not having to count calories or keep track of the food I was eating. Honestly, who wants to count calories for the rest of their life? Not me. I also loved the fact that Melissa and Dallas never pawn this off as being a diet. This is definitely a lifestyle change and they stress that. I poured over the posts every day and looked forward to what everyone else had to say. I found the best recipes in those posts as well and made a lot of them. The days flew by. This was so easy. I didn’t miss dairy or grains or sugar . . . or so I thought.
I never thought I had a sugar addiction until the dried mango reared its ugly head. I would have sworn on a stack of Bibles that I did not have a problem with sugar. Boy was I WRONG! I ate that mango and then I wanted to keep eating that mango and then I craved that mango. That mango was torturing me. That was a huge lesson on how those sugar tantrums can almost take over one’s life. I kicked that effing mango to the curb and haven’t seen it since. I am proud to say that I have not been controlled by the sugar-y stuff since then. At Thanksgiving I had a cranberry waldorf salad (thanks, Melissa Joulwan) that was delicious. This had the possibility of being a mango for me, but everything worked out okay.
I feel I have conquered my food issues along with my body image issues. My entire body composition has changed. I have lost about 10 percent body fat in total, and it feels great. My eyes look clearer, my hair is growing like crazy and I just feel better overall. I have to say this process has been very therapeutic for me. This lifestyle has definitely spilled over into my every day life as well. I look forward to each day with an energy I can’t remember ever having. I want to keep my house clean, I want to go to the gym, I want to get out and do things!
I feel clear-headed. I feel clean. I feel strong. I feel powerful. I feel energetic. I feel like I can handle anything life throws at me. I feel WHOLE!
Today is Wednesday, December 8, 2010, and today is my Whole108.
Peggie Larsen
Share your Whole30 experience with the world! Email your story and photos to us at whole30@whole9life.com.
OMG! OMG! THANK YOU Melissa and Dallas!!!!
Congratulations Peggie! You are such an inspiration!! (Each of your comments in the whole30 3.0 thread has been helpful and/or motivating to me.)
Good for you!!!!!
Peggy, that’s an incredible story! I began my first whole30 on August 8th so I remember “going through” the beginning with you and I’ve enjoyed reading along as your journey has continued. You have a great deal to be proud of and the joy in your “voice” says it all. So happy for you, lady!
Congrats Peggie! What a great testimony
I’m so happy for you! I’m on day 9 of my second go round, and seeing that you’re still going strong at day 108 helps me to stay motivated to keep chugging along! I don’t know whether this will be a 30, 60, or 90+ yet, but it’s testimony’s like yours that remind me that even 90+ is very do-able after getting through the initial “rough patch” – Thanks!
Peggie,
Many hearty congrats. I am glad to be on this journey of life with you. Keep speaking the truth and taking care of what you’ve been given.
Great work Peggie – so what I need to read today.
@Peggie: We’re so proud of you, and so happy to have you as such an active part of our community. While we’ve never purposefully told someone they HAD to do a Whole100… we’re amazed at the results you’ve seen, and hope it will encourage others to stick with it when things are feeling tough.
Best,
Melissa
Peggie, you are just beautiful — inside and out! Congratulations! (And thanks for the shout-out… I’m so glad you liked the cranberry waldorf and that it didn’t ‘mango’ you!… BTW, I will now use mango as a verb whenever possible).
108 days is awesome! SO thrilled for you.
XO.
PEGGIE!!! You ROCK hard, lady!! You are one of the most positive peeps I have gotten to “meet”!!! Thank you for sharing your story – you look absolutely radiant!! When i needed support as I saw fruit was becoming “an issue” you jumped right in to support me – GRACIAS!! Btw MJ – your Waldorf Salad is the BOMB DIGGITY!!! Coulda been my mango too!
Peggie, I know I’m a few days late to the party, but I wanted to say a hearty CONGRATULATIONS! It’s experiences like yours that make it all worthwhile, and confirm what we have long suspected: eating Real Food in appropriate amounts does MIRACULOUS stuff. We’re so proud of you.
Peggy, ok, i’m behind the bus!! Just read your post. I’m so inspired by you!!!! Way to rock it an keep going!!! thank you for sharing your success!!! one hot sexy Moma!!!!! Love your story about mango. My was coffee creamer and gum. both kicked to the curb!!!! Now put your picture back up. you look fabulous!!!!
I loved reading this, that rocks. There part about the mango made me laugh out loud. Gawd, I get that! I am only just starting out, think of me as a little baby cub wide eyed and bewildered but give me a 100 days and I will be a strong lioness – ehm, or something like that. LOL. Back to the first point, you rock!