Whole30 Round 1 COMPLETE

[Krissi34654]

I completed my first whole 30 on July 1st 2017. (34 days worth - started a little early in May due to grocery shopping timing. I shop only once week, and I was not going to shop for 4 days non-compliant and 3 on the Whole 30.)

Start weight May 29th

146.7 pounds

I had been on a giant weight loss plateau for the LONGEST TIME. That was my primary reason for beginning the Whole 30.

When we started (my husband jumped on board with me) it was tough. For the first week we ate pretty bland, boring, chicken and broccoli dinners. We were so intimidated by what we could NOT have, and had such a hard time reading labels and understanding what was sugar, what additives we couldn't have, etc - we simply stuck to the basics. What we were really doing was over complicating things in the process of trying to keep it simple. (I am very good at this in all aspects of my life, so no surprise!)

After the first week, I got my hands on both books, Whole 30 and It Starts with Food. I always do better at things when I am fully equipped with all possible information. This was no exception. After I read these books and really understood the fundamentals of the program and all of the whys - it all fell into place for me. I also found some really great cheat-sheets online about sneaky sugars and no-go additives. Once I stopped trying to over complicate things, everything simply got easy.

You still have to read your labels. Most of your shopping will be done on the perimeter of the grocery store (fresh veggies, fruit, meat) - and any shopping you do in the interior aisles - you must pay close attention. We do most of our shopping at the local chain grocery store (Publix) - although we did finally make one trip to Whole Foods. Whole Foods is a little more pricey than your normal grocery store on most items. I bought only the items we could not find compliant versions of in the local stores - Fish Sauce, Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, etc. It was worth the extra expense though for a few reasons - First - now we can be more creative in the kitchen, adding condiments and such we could not before. Second - These were only items you need to purchase occasionally, not every week. So the extra expense is not so severe when you figure it long term.

After the first few days, my husband dubbed this program "The Empty 30". Let's just say he was not as All-in as I was. But he hung in there, and by week 2 or so when I got a little more comfortable with my new cooking skills - he was a little happier with the program. All in all though, he stuck to it basically to support me. Which I appreciate.

Throughout the process I did keep a journal of my own, hard copy. Wish I had done it on here now. I saw many positive improvements as time went on. Sleeping better, more energy, felt better overall - no more bloating, acne all but disappeared. I had a new found excitement for my healthy lifestyle - which had started to ebb thanks to my recent lack of progress. Doing so well in the kitchen motivated me to do better physically as well - I managed to get up at 4:30 am EVERY week day morning to hit the gym. (I was lucky to get 4 days a week prior, sometimes only 3.)

July 1st was day 34 - or THE DAY AFTER for us.

I couldn't wait to get on the scale, because I could already feel it. (Staying off the scale for me was harder than keeping ANY food off my plate.)

137.9 pounds

DOWN 8.8 pounds!

And I didn't have to portion anything. No weighing. No calorie counting. These were all things that were a part of my daily life prior to the whole 30. I got to eat! A lot more than I was eating before. I lost weight! Since this was my major motivation for starting, I was super happy about this.

But what I took out of the program outside of the weight loss means so much more to me today than the weight loss ever could. I feel great. Truly great. My relationship with food has done a 180. I used to crave sugar 24/7, even after I got my eating habits in check back in 2015. (I have been making changes since 2015, when I began my new lifestyle at 221 pounds.) I always felt deprived, because 1200 calories a day does not amount to a ton of food unless you eat nothing but celery. I had a hate/hate relationship with food prior to this. I felt as if the things I needed to do to loose weight and be healthy were a complete chore. Weigh this, measure that - don't eat this because if you do - you won't be able to eat "X" at dinner time. It was all consuming. Now, I have let all of that go.

I plan to continue eating mostly the same way I have been on the Whole 30. I may allow myself a few indulgences here and there - a small amount of dairy or what have you when the opportunity strikes and I feel it would be worth it. During re-introduction, nothing seemed to make me feel lousy (although, there were a few things I simply didn't try because I do not intend to eat them - such as legumes.). So, if I come across something I MUST have, I will have it. But overall, I am happy to continue eating the compliant diet - because it makes me feel good.

Even my husband came around, and took a few positives out of the whole thing. My little sugar baby now finds his sweet tea to be "too sweet"