Allison contacted us via email about her Whole30® experience. It’s a fantastic story–the kind that some of you will use as your own jumping-off point to make change. A 92-year-old man inspired her, and she will inspire you, and who knows who YOU will inspire? This is how change happens, friends. One fabulous person at a time. Today’s person is Allison. Here she is, in all her glory, in her own words…
Seize The Day
As you can see, something needed to change. By September 2012 I had finally gotten a handle on some things. I lost about 25 pounds from when that picture was taken. I had started running regularly, but I still ate a lot of food that wasn’t that great for me. Then came along this thing. This challenge called the Whole30®. You know, something with boundaries telling me “Here’s what you CAN have.” I thought the Whole30 would be like every other half-hearted or failed attempt at losing weight or getting in shape I’d made in the past. It would start it out okay, I’d lose five, maybe ten pounds… and then I’d give up. I once paid $1,000 in advance for a trainer at a gym that then closed. Do you think I saw any results there? No! In fact, it was right after that that I got to my heaviest weight, 238. I did Weight Watchers and lost ten pounds, only to then gain another 20. I tried Sensa. Nothing happened. I tried low carb, but I’d always cheat. But let me back up, because I actually first read about the Whole30 on a friend’s blog post. That same day, this crazy thing happened in my local bookstore. There was a napkin lying on the floor near where I was tutoring a student, and, feeling lazy, I just ignored it and left it lying there. Along came this darling old man. He bent over and struggled to pick up that napkin. Something clicked, and I used the man picking up that ignored napkin as a teachable moment for my student. On the spot I wrote a story for the man called Seize the Day and handed it to this guy – a complete stranger. My story told how his small action didn’t go unnoticed, and how I was going to use his gesture to change. He was very surprised and honored to receive such a story of admiration from a stranger.
A Lesson Learned
Funny thing is, ever since I saw that man pick up that napkin, I HAVE changed. I’ve stopped taking things for granted and started taking care of myself. And that man that I wrote the story about – his name is Fred – I have seen him since and found out that he’s 92 years old. What a friend I made that day! Sometimes we get motivation from the strangest of places… The first goal I put into place this year was to get control of myself. What a better way to do that than to complete a Whole 30. Meat. Veggies. Fruit. No processed foods. No sugar. NO BEER. I think a lot of people identified me with drinking and partying and having a good time. I’m done with that phase. In the past 37 years of my life in the years I was able to drink, I don’t think there was a weekend that had gone past that I DIDN’T drink. Well, I’ve done it! To date, I’ve only had 8 drinking days thus far in 2013! I completed the Whole 30 with NO drinking days and then some. I made it 60 days. To date, I’ve continued to eat clean, no soda, little sugar, no fast food! I’m now starting a THIRD Whole 30! 
This man, this act, compelled me to start taking care of myself. Thanks to the Whole30 and the other things I’ve been doing for my health like exercising regularly, I’ve had a lot of non-scale victories as well. The biggest one–I’ve gone off of the blood pressure medication I had been on for seven years! For the first time ever my cholesterol and triglycerides are normal. As an added bonus, dresses I had worn before I was married nine years ago now fit! How cool is it that I’m finally wearing those sundresses that have been collecting dust? Now I don’t have to say, “Maybe next year…” And I’m going against my better judgement here, but I’ve been dying to get back into a bikini!! I have worked HARD. 
In closing, once things got going, I forgot about thinking about giving up. Before I started the Whole30, I had self-destructive visions of me failing. I’ve exceeded my own expectations by far! Sticking to the eating clean has made me feel a lot better and confident. I have stuck to my running goals as well. I set a goal of 1,000 miles of walking and running for the year. I am currently on goal, having moved for 820 miles so far this year. My 5k time went from 38:20 to 34:18. I set a goal of running an 8k in 1:10. I blew it out of the water at just a few seconds over an hour, and recently even improved more by running one in 52:59! Now instead of making plans to go to the bar, I‘m raising the bar. I think I’d like to stick around…There’s still work to be done! Thank you, Allison S.
