My Whole30 Experience

I did it! I officially completed the Whole30. Saturday was my day 30, and I wanted to share my experience and results with you all. Quite a few of my friends and family are participating in a Whole30 right now, so maybe this will be helpful to some of you considering it. Or just curious about the torture I put myself through! haha

Here are my other Whole30 Blog Posts.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

For the past 30 days I did not consume any dairy, grains, legumes, sugar, alcohol, soy, or preservatives such as MSG, carrageenan, sulfites, artificial flavors, etc. Everything I put in my mouth was compliant with the Whole30 rules, right down to the oils I cooked my food in. (Only avocado, olive, or coconut oil were allowed, in addition to clarified butter). If it sounds restrictive, well, that's because it is! When you first see the list of foods that are off limits, you may think you will starve!

However, there were a lot of great foods I could eat. Basically all proteins, vegetables, fruits, healthy starches (potatoes!) and healthy fats. And there is no limit to quantity. On the Whole30 you are encouraged to eat 3 filling meals each day made up of proteins, vegetables, and fats. You can snack only if you are really hungry, but they don't recommend just grazing throughout the day.

So what did I eat? Well obviously eggs were the breakfast of choice most days. I tried to eat vegetables with every single meal, although this didn't always happen with breakfast. Below is an example of how I meal-prepped breakfast for the week. This was an egg, sausage and veggie casserole and a sheet of diced potatoes that Adam and I ate one week. Being prepared was so important on the Whole30!

Lunches were usually leftovers or a big salad with protein mixed in. This has been my standard lunch for years. I did make a homemade avocado dressing that was really delicious. Other times I stuck with basic oil and vinegar dressings. The Whole30 forces you to make a lot of things from scratch, because most store-bought dressings and dips contain unhealthy additives. I didn't experiment with homemade mayo, but I know a lot of people who have!

 This stuff is delicious. Just saying.

And these are......interesting. Ha! I randomly found these coconut wraps on Day 27 and made a lunch wrap out of them, using the pesto from above along with chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. It was strangely good!

I ignored the no-snacking rule and snacked any afternoon I was feeling hungry. Apples dipped in crunchy almond butter was my absolute favorite snack. I also kept a stash of Larabars and RXbars on hand for emergencies. I didn't eat that chocolate RXbar during my Whole30 but I'm looking forward to adding cocoa back into my diet soon!

I kept a little log of how I was feeling on most days. Here is a brief summary, in case you want to compare it to how you're doing on your Whole30. For reference, this calendar below shows what the average Whole30 is like for people. It's kind of funny!

Days 1-3: Bad sleep! But the diet is surprisingly not hard so far.
Days 5-6: Headache! This must be the carb hangover. I'm also really hungry so I will start eating more.
Day 7: I feel really bloated, which is something I never really feel. Maybe all the protein and fiber?
Day 10: So much energy! I want to go run a marathon.
Day 11: Ok I am seriously craving sugar now. Cookies! Donuts! Ice Cream!
Day 14: I've got a nasty cold, but I'm staying on track.
Day 15: Homemade chicken and veggie soup is delicious. I ate two big bowls.
Day 18: I had a dream that I cheated and ate some dessert out of the freezer. I felt SO guilty and mad at myself, and was relieved when I woke up.
Day 19: I'm still sick. But proud of myself for sticking to the rules even when feeling crummy.
Day 21: I feel bloated again. This is weird.
Day 22-23: I have steady energy all day. Never feel sleepy or tired.
Day 24: I still want sugar. But feeling great.
Day 26: I resisted all Halloween candy and it wasn't too hard.
Day 27: Almost done! And I really do feel great.
Day 29: Many of my clothes feel too loose on me now.
Day 30: Feels like any normal day! Not sure what I'm doing to do tomorrow. 

Overall the Whole30 was a lot easier than I was expecting. For many people it is really difficult. For me, I'm used to cooking a lot. I already drank my coffee black. I tried to avoid many processed foods. I already ate a fairly healthy diet. So in all honesty, it wasn't that bad. It only felt restrictive when people around me were enjoying foods I couldn't eat. Like Taylor's milkshakes!

One nice side effect I noticed was steady energy throughout the day. I never felt that afternoon dip in energy. I never felt sleepy during the day. I never felt shaky from low blood sugar.

Chia seed pudding made with coconut milk.

Want to know my most significant result from the Whole30?

I lost 14 pounds!!

This means I not only lost all my baby weight, but a few extra pounds. My weight on the scale now matches the one on my driver's license. It's hard to believe I lost so much weight without restricting my portion sizes. However, what will happen now that my Whole30 is over?

As great as I feel, I do not plan to continue eating this way forever. I honestly didn't miss cheese once. But one of my biggest cravings (besides sugar) during the last couple weeks was oatmeal! My body started craving good whole grains towards the end. Per Whole30 rules, you can gradually start to add back in certain foods after 30 days and see how your body feels. Today I woke up so excited to eat oatmeal. And it was absolutely delicious!

But now I feel like I'm in no-man's land. I don't want to immediately shove all the carbs and sugar in my mouth, and instantly gain the weight back. But I do want to settle back in to a healthy diet containing all the food groups, while still maintaining my current weight.

And sugar? Not too sure about that. I'm going to do my best to avoid it for a while. I have some healthy chocolate recipes I want to try making with raw cacao, and I'm hoping those taste sweet enough to me. The Whole30 cookbook contains a recipe for Spicy Cacao-Orange Almonds. I made them 3 times during my Whole30 because they were SO good! They tasted really sweet to me, and the only sweetener in the recipe was a little orange juice.

Have you done a Whole30? What was your experience? Are you thinking about trying it? Feel free to ask me any questions! I would be happy to provide recipes I used or meal plans I created to make it easier. I love talking about food and helping people.