Meet my gal Bailey from Whole Kitchen Sink (previously Paleo Bailey)! Bailey has lost a whopping NINETY-FOUR pounds from the start of her weight loss journey last March (2015)! She says she legitimately doesn’t recognize the girl she used to be. She is SO motivating, I’m so proud of her, and I can’t wait to share with you her incredible Whole30 Results! Welcome Bailey!

A little bit about Bailey from Bailey herself!

One of my biggest passions and interests is traveling! I’ve taken 6 trips within the last year (all while losing weight!) and have three planned for this year. One of which is to Iceland- to finally meet someone I’ve connected with because of the Whole30 program! Who knew that this new lifestyle would allow me to explore halfway around the world?! I am so grateful.
I’m also incredibly interested and passionate about all things medical; both the history and the future of medicine, along with caring for patients now. I work 12 overnight shifts at a hospital in Minneapolis, spending a lot of those hours working in the ICU. I’m so thankful for that learning opportunity. Now that nutrition and fitness are also passions of mine, it fits right into my love of being a caregiver. I now finally practice what we all preach.

Where/ when did you first hear about Whole30?

I first heard about Whole30 from my best friend- who heard from her hair stylist of all people! Word of mouth is a powerful thing and it should be! Whole30 deserves all of the conversation it can get in my opinion. The next day I went out and bought Whole30 and It Starts With Food.

When was your Whole30?

My first Whole30 was mid-March of 2015. I’ve since completed three total in the past year.

What was the biggest challenge you overcame during Whole30?

Being 23, the thing to do is go out for dinner or drinks.. or dinner and drinks ;). Everything social in my life revolved around food. On the nights I wasn’t working, I was out with friends. The biggest challenge was to learn how to eat out. Honestly, I avoided doing anything for the first few weeks. Besides the fact that I was a big grouch from my sugar detoxing, I was just terrified I would give into temptation. I had to really research and dig through Melissa’s rules to figure out exactly what my plan of action would be when I went out to eat finally. I got it down after a few times of having to exert extremes amount of self-control. Now it’s second nature. It just took some effort. (I’m worth it!) So now, I pick the restaurant. I look up ingredient information. I drink water. I ask the server a hundred questions. I bring my own salad dressing. I stop when I am full.

What are some of the Non Scale Victories you experienced?

• My skin cleared up and I sleep better.
• I have more energy and can devote more of myself to my relationships and put in more effort at work.
• I went hiking in the Rocky Mountains over the summer (around the time of my second Whole30) and it was the first time I remember not being held back by my weight.
• I feel empowered by my self-control instead of feeling limited by the things I “can’t” have.
• I fit more than comfortably on an airplane seat.
• I now have a healthy relationship with food. It’s no longer a coping mechanism, it’s fuel. I can use it to respect my body instead of hurt it.
• Speaking of food, I now have so much knowledge on nutrition and the physiological process of HOW food affects the body. Being in the medical field- this really helps me make good decisions because understanding WHY it’s bad for me brings it home and makes sense to me. I’ve spent copious hours researching and I’m so proud of my knowledge base!

What was your scale victory? 🙂

I lost 19 pounds during my first Whole30!

Do you have any words of wisdom for anyone currently doing a Whole30?

There’s a line in It Starts With Food that stuck with me. “Every single thing you put in your mouth is either making you more healthy or less healthy.” I thought about this ONE line so much during my first round. If it’s not making me healthier, why eat it?!
Definitely plan and prep, but take your decision making one day at a time, one meal at a time. Instead of thinking you CAN’T have something, think that you can but you just don’t want it. This thought is empowering! You’re now CHOOSING to heal your body! Go you!

What is something you wished you had known before starting Whole30?

I wish I had known about Whole30 before I knew about Whole30 ;). All kidding aside, if I had known what I know now I would have started long before. Besides that, nothing. I needed to learn the lessons I did while doing it. From meal prepping, grocery shopping, feeling how sugar, grain and diary truly affected me, reflecting on my bad habits and relationship with food- you just can’t learn this stuff without going through those glorious 30 days yourself!

Are there any specific meals or recipes you loved during your Whole30?

Crispy hot wings!
Turkey meatballs
Steak taco lettuce wraps
Cold chicken salad
BLT salads