What I Learned During My January Whole30
I’m officially done! January Whole30 has come to a close and I’m happy to report that it went really well!
I know many of you are curious about whole30 after I mentioned it in my newsletter and on instagram and I wanted to tell you more about my experience with it.
For those of you out of the loop, Whole30 is basically a reset challenge over 30 days. It’s pretty much a paleo diet but with NO sugar of any kind, and no paleo treats (like muffins or pancakes). The goal is to have you figure out where you’re relationship with food is out of whack and help to get you back on track with healthy eating.
Overall Review
Overall I’m really happy with how my whole30 went! I’ve always felt better on a paleo diet so the transition was likely less hard for me as compared to those who have never tried paleo before. My body pretty quickly got into the rhythm of things and I definitely saw some improvements in my health and wellbeing!
I THRIVE with black and white
Everyone is SO different as to how they manage to stick to something. Some people cope better with an 80% of the time strict and 20% of the time more liberal, but others, like me, are more successful when things are set out and black or white. I LOVED this about whole30. Foods were either a yes, or a no and
I hate water…
This is definitely one of those, “Do as I say, not as I do” kind of things for me when I tell you to drink lots of water everyday…but I am VERY RARELY thirsty. Getting in my required daily intake of water is a moment by moment struggle for me. With whole30, I wasn’t allowed to drink my standard Ultima Electrolyte (it’s got stevia in it, so it was a no-go) which helps me get enough water in and I forgot a little bit that I’m for real one of those people who doesn’t really like water. My solution: drink more herbal tea! I’d make a big batch at the beginning of the day and I found this really helped. I also definitely experimented with adding fruit and herbs to my water but I was less than sold. Overall though, I’m going to try to drink more tea and just plain water and keep working on that water intake!
My skin was happier
I definitely get a bit of hormonal acne still but surprisingly it was probably 70% better during my whole30! It’s really common that food sensitivities or digestive problems can also contribute to skin conditions (whether it’s acne, rosacea or eczema) so it’s no surprise to me that my acne was significantly decreased.
I lost weight!
Now weight loss isn’t supposed to be a main goal of whole30 but it’s sure a nice side effect for those of you looking to lose a bit! During the last 30 days I actually lost over 12lbs! I didn’t count calories or track meals or limit anything other than what whole30 set out. I’m feeling great!
Less Digestive Issues!
I’ve definitely had some digestive issues since I was a little kid and had previously done food sensitivity testing to show what I was reacting to (gluten and dairy ALWAYS show up…sigh) and so naturally, taking those things out of my diet made a big difference with bloating, heartburn and upset stomach.
On a side note I tested myself for SIBO recently and definitely have a bit of that going on so I also started treatment for that during our whole30 month. If you want to learn more about SIBO to find out if you may have it, check out my last blog post here.
No More Hangry Moments!
So many patients of mine (and myself included) will feel desperately hungry and get the dreaded hanger (aka hungry + anger) if it’s been too long between meals or feel like they need to snack all the time. It should NOT be like this! I found that as long as I was getting my meals in, my energy levels during my whole30 month felt more balanced and I wasn’t prone to anymore hanger! Getting some protein, fat and LOTS of veggies did my body very good.
Fewer Options Means Better Food
I don’t know about you, but our seemingly eternal struggle (multiple times per day) is. “What are we going to eat?!?” Not really have options out, it actually made it easier for us to simply push through and cook delicious and healthy whole 30 meals at home. All the beautiful whole food that we bought actually got eaten and there was so much less waste!
Moving Forward
As mentioned above, because I feel so much better eating a paleo diet, I’ve decided that I’m going to be a little more liberal than the strictness of whole30, but still going to eat a paleo diet. I’m going to add back in some stevia here and there and allow myself paleo muffins and the occasional pancake, but I’ve listened to my body and it definitely LOVES eating this way and there’s no reason I need to go back to eating things that were causing bloating and heartburn and fatigue.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION COMPLETE!
Have you tried whole30 or are you thinking about it, or are wondering what might work best for you body? I’d love to help you figure it out! Book in for a free 15-minute meet and greet today and we’ll chat more!