I lost weight.

I think. I’m not actually sure, because I haven’t gotten the scale out!

Too much of my time, energy and emotions were being calculated by her 1-inch-by-1-inch screen, and it just had to end! But I’ll admit, I didn’t come to this decision on my own.

I had been in a long season of getting too lax in my food choices, ushered in by my birthday, extended by back-to-back vacations, garnished with the honeymoon phase of starting my first new relationship after my husband’s death (enter pizza and ice cream several times a week!) and topped off by the ending of said new relationship (order up on the pizza and ice cream!). So, to say I needed a mental and physical reset was the understatement of the year.

I had been considering trying Whole30 for months. Over a year, actually, and I had been asked again by a group of my fitness friends to do it together. Because ice cream is my boo, I didn’t really want to commit, but I had the sense to realize I was not going to break out of this junk-food rut without some serious boundaries—and Whole30 definitely offered them. Plus, if I’ve learned anything from Burn, it’s that community coupled with accountability totally equals results. My trainers always recommend macro-balanced meals, and I was pretty sure Whole30 encouraged that as well.

I decided I had to do it.

Then I read the guidelines, and they said you couldn’t weigh yourself for a FULL 30 DAYS. What?! I weighed myself EVERY day. How could I survive? I guess the same way I would survive 30 days without pizza or ice cream. Or coffee creamer. Or donuts.

I would commit to fueling my body with whole foods, and I would let that be my fitspiration. Not the output on the scale.

I’d put my confidence in doing the work, not tracking the results in digits.

I’d trust the process, not pressure myself with numbers.

After just a week, I could see results. I couldn’t quantify them, but all the same, I knew they were there. And I swelled with pride. I was proud of myself for committing to a program and following it not because I could prove it was working (by the figure displayed on a piece of plastic) but instead because I could feel it working.

I was proud of myself for choosing increased nourishment over decreased digits, knowing that how I feel and fuel is way more important than how much I weigh.

I’m almost done with my Whole30 and I’ve been thinking about how I will feel when I am “allowed” to step on the scale again.

Yes, I want to see what the program has done for me physically, but I know what it has done for me mentally and I don’t want to waste it. I want to remember that the scale doesn’t define me, and that will remain true if I put boundaries on the way I use it going forward.

I totally want a new BF, but I’m pretty sure I can stay broken up with that bathroom bestie because she was pretty fickle anyway…and now that I know I can survive without her weighing in on my value, I would be foolish to give her that power again.

So, if you’re ready to take the risk and break up with your scale, let me leave you with these three thoughts:

1. Your weight isn’t what people love about you. In fact, they couldn’t guess it if they tried. And news flash: No one is trying to guess your weight but YOU!

2. If you’re a slave to the scale, you’re ignoring all of the other great things you’ve got going for you in your health and fitness journey. Those non-scale victories are huge for mental breakthroughs, confidence boosts and non-weight-related goal crushing. When you obsess over your weight, you forget to celebrate these über-important milestones.

3. I know you know this one, but it bears repeating: Muscle weighs more than fat! This means that the number on the scale doesn’t determine your level of fitness. Your body should change, and your weight might or might not—so make the choice to focus on strength, stamina and sensible food choices more than the scale!

You’ve totally got this, just tap into your grit and grace and #beboldandjustbeyou!

You can hear more from Julie in her conversation with Morgan Kline on Coffee & Kettlebells Episode 16: How to Overcome Grief, Comparison and Life’s Obstacles with Grit & Grace.

You might also like this related article from The Grit and Grace Project: Forget About the Scale and Be Happy!

You can see more from Julie on Facebook, Instagram and her podcast!

Baby Shampoo

“No tears” isn’t enough. When washing your baby you also want “no fears”. That means not having to worry about the chemicals in shampoo being harmful. Here are the ingredients to try to avoid: surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate: preservatives like DMDM hydantion, an allergen and irritant: ceteareth and polyethylene glycol (PEG) and propylene glycol (PG) compounds, which all contain toxin contaminants including 1,4-dioxane; and fragrance, which we all know is code for pythalates. You want the best for your baby and yourself. So I put a link to one of the most trusted baby shampoo’s in the industry below

Click the link to keep your baby safe in the tub! ===>> Shakleebaby Gentle Wash

Here is a green and clean version for mom! ===>> ENFUSELLE® MOISTURIZING SHOWER GEL

Toothpaste

If you have a newborn this is one thing you will not have to worry about until those pearly whites start appearing! But when they do taking care of them in a non-toxic fashion is critical to your baby’s health. Remember that the American Dental Association recommends using fluoride-free toothpaste for children under two years of age. I use Tom’s of Maine Natural Fluoride-Free Toothpaste and they also have a children’s line.  Here is the link!

Click the link to see Tom’s of Maine Products ===>> www.tomsofmaine.com

Baby Wash and Liquid Soap

Sunscreen

First things first, if your baby is younger than 6 months NEVER expose them to the sun. Their skin is far too delicate. Keep your baby covered up in the shade. When your child is old enough to go outside be sure to slather him/her with at least SPF 30. Avoid products that contain the allergen DMDM hydantion. Oxybenzone is one of the few ingredients that helps protect against UVA radiation but it can cause allergies so it is a tough choice! Here is one of the safest sunscreens I have found!

Click the link to keep your baby safe from the sun! ===>> ENFUSELLE® SPF 30 FOR BODY

Baby Wipes

If there were any truth the advertising, baby wipes would be called chemical wipes. Commonly found baby wipes can contain formaldehyde, propylene glycol, bronopol, DMDM hydantoin, and phthalate-fixed fragrances. Are they convenient? Yes. Are they EXREMELY harmful? You betcha. Your baby will be better off with a washable hand towel soaked in water and a nontoxic cleanser. If you do need wipes though, here are the best ones I have found!

Click the link to keep your baby from exposure to extremely harmful chemicals ===>> Seventh Generation Baby Wipes

Lotions and Moisturizers

Ever heard the phrase “soft and smooth as a baby’s bottom”? Well, guess what: they are made that way! The reason so many moms need lotions for their babies’ skin is because so many shampoos, wipes, and body washes contain skin irritants. Many of them are the same chemicals that we talked about above. Lose the chemicals and find that babies’ skin come prepackaged soft and smooth! But if your child does need a moisturizer here is the best one I have found!

Click the link to keep your baby soft and smooth! ===>> Shakleebaby Soothing Lotion

Diaper Cream and Baby Powder

As with lotions, so with diaper cream and baby powder. It is all about what you are putting on your baby in the first place – in this case – diapers and creams. In the 1950’s diaper rash affected less than 10% of babies. By the 1990’s over 80% of babies were affected by diaper rash. Enough said! Here is a link for non-toxic diaper cream and baby powder.

Click the link to rub your babies’ butt with clean products ===>> Shakleebaby Diaper Cream

Vitamins

This is the worst one of all! Marketing pulls kids in by putting Fred Flintstone on the label of a bottle making them crave them! Giving your kids Flintstones Vitamins is practically like having them smoke a cigarette! When you look on the back of the Flintstones box to see the list of ingredients, the first thing that jumps out at me is the known carcinogenic (cancer causing) artificial sweetener, aspartame among tar and plastics! PLEASE do not feed your kids these!

Use theses tasty vitamins instead ====>> Shakleebaby Mineral Powder and Multivitamin

Or these which kids love! ===>> Shaklee Mighty Chews

Household Products and Get Clean Kits

By now you should have revised the “You are what you eat” statement to the “You are what you eat, breath, drink and put on your skin” statement. This post is mostly for your baby or small children but living a clean life and going green is crucial to the health of your entire family. So I have put a link for you to check out on how to get your household clean and free of toxins!

Click this link to check out clean laundry, kitchen, and cleaning products ===>> Get Clean Healthy Home Kit

I hope this post has shed some light on all of the carcinogens and toxic chemicals that are harming our bodies with everyday. It is not that we are doing it on purpose, it is industries fault for caring more about a dollar than the health of their consumers and customers. Make a change in your life and encourage all of your friends to make a change in theirs. Together we can change the world!

Show your friends and family that you care by sharing this post with them to educate them on why modern lifestyles are destroying our health!