Whole 30 Recap
The decision behind committing to Whole 30 came from my realization that I had picked up some unhealthy habits when it came to eating. I had a bit of a sugar and carbohydrate addiction, but also for years I had stomach and digestive issues. I wanted to see if I could clear some of that up just by choosing smarter foods rather than this being some sort of medical condition. I had done some brief work with my doctor and had some gastro-intestinal testing, but I just wasn’t satisfied with the answers. Those are part of the reason why I wanted to do embark on this journey. I roped Andy into doing this with me, so we did it together!
Whole 30 is a program where you essentially eat whole foods for 30 days. You cut out alcohol, added sugar, legumes, grains, baked goods, and dairy. You are able to eat fruits, vegetables, most nuts, all different kinds of protein, and meat, like seafood and chicken. You can’t have soy, so unfortunately that means no tofu, and don’t consume any sulfites that often appear in processed food. The Whole 30 program was created by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, and their website has many helpful tips and recipes. I got the day-by-day planner to help me go through the program, as well as the Whole 30 cookbook. You don’t have to count calories, and you don’t have to restrict how much you eat. It is recommended that you don’t snack, but if you are truly hungry, you are more than welcome to eat. The program will walk you through how to curb those cravings and limit snacking. Those tools had amazing guides and tips that helped me through this process. I am not an affiliate for Whole 30, but I’m sharing my experience and how it worked for me.
The first few days on the program were hard! Andy and I were kind of tired; as our bodies were transitioning from the foods we were used to, to just whole foods. Our hormones were resetting as well as our taste buds, as our bodies got used to processing fats to energy, rather than processing the sugars that we eat. Both Andy and I were hyper-aware of our cravings the first few days. I was craving chocolate pretty much the entire time! I know that I have a sugar addiction, so that was the hardest part for me. But after about seven or eight days, the shift wasn’t hard. We found we had a ton of energy; we slept really well, and as we noticed these changes, we got really excited! I didn’t have an afternoon energy slump, and I felt pretty well rested. It was refreshing to wake up in the morning and feel pumped for the day. It just felt so good!
We were excited to eventually reintroduce foods into our diet, but we knew we wanted to continue the whole food lifestyle. After our thirty days were up, we introduced gluten grains, such as beer, back into our diet. I noticed that it made me full, but tired. The biggest surprise was that I have some sensitivity to dairy, but now I know to work around that.
Weight loss is something that is assumed to happen during the program. We were pleasantly shocked and so excited that Andy lost almost twenty pounds, and I lost ten pounds on Whole 30. Andy and I feel healthy, comfortable in our own skin, and we feel strong. We’re able to exercise longer and on the outward physicality, we feel really great and confident—which is a super bonus!
We learned so much about our eating habits and ourselves during this journey. We’re committed to maintaining this lifestyle too, just haven’t decided the details yet. Andy and I might continue Whole 30 during the week and have a little bit looser rules on the weekend. Or, just be super conscientious of our eating habits. We could try 75% of our meals with the Whole 30 regulations and have some freedoms when it comes to having a drink, or if we want to have some non-gluten grains. Just being intentional about our choices and recognizing our habits is important. The feeling of empowerment to make those choices based on the information we gathered during this experience and how certain foods make us feel is refreshing and enlightening. The food freedom just feels so amazing! We are looking forward to this next part of our lives living healthier and eating smarter.
If anybody has any questions about the Whole 30 experience, feel free to reach out to me. I’m not an affiliate of Whole 30, just had a really great experience with the program, and am looking forward to maintaining that lifestyle.
Stay thoughtful,
