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Hello! This is my first time doing whole30. I went through the bloating, tired, cranky, and then saw some energy with better sleep. But this week I haven't felt great. I've been doing 3 personal training workouts a week which makes me incredibly sore. I also teach so I know that causes some stress. It's highly unmotivating seeing as that i'm already half way through. I've tried my best to not cheat but I might have unknowingly??. I'm getting worried and confused as to why i'm so tired/cranky/don't feel like i've lost any weight. I know that weight loss isn't the main focus but I thought going from drinking almost every night to nothing and totally changing my diet I would feel some pounds come off! Here's what I had today as an example: 7:30 breakfast: 2 egg cups, handful of sweet potato hash, half an avocado, half a grapefruit. coffee with nutpods 10:00 mid morning snack: banana or apple with almond butter 11:40 Lunch: leftovers from dinner or premade whole30 meal from Territory (similar to snap kitchen) examples: stir fry with cauliflower rice, spaghetti squash with ground turkey 3:00 Mid afternoon snack: epic meat stick, or pork and sage balls before I go workout. Was doing an apple with almond butter but tried to stop having fruit after lunch. 7:00 Dinner: burger with mayo, lettuce, sweet potatoes, avocado, and maybe one slice of bacon Is there anything that I can be doing differently to see the energy spark in the last 12 days? I would greatly appreciate any help!! I workout after I get done teaching. I do have a pre workout (promix) because of the high intensity of it all. Could just 10.5g be ruining my results? If it is I can stop drinking it! Please help make the tiger blood happen!! Thank you!!

Im about halfway through my first whole 30 right now. I’m eating plenty of all the right foods suggested to be fueling my workouts as I’m training for a half marathon that is just a few days after I complete my Whole30. I strength train a few days a week and run a few. I ate fairly healthy and exercised regularly prior to beginning the whole 30. My issue is that I rarely have enough energy and motivation for a good workout. The instant I begin a run I feel drained and struggle to complete the run. I’m wondering if this could be a result of the whole 30 or something I’m doing wrong? I’m on day 16 and had hoped this would pass by now. I’m getting worried because now I haven’t gotten the proper training runs in that I should have by now. Any advice or suggestions as to why my energy levels have dipped so dramatically as I thought they would have picked up by now? Or any similar experiences? Thank you!

I’m on Day 22 of my first Whole30. The plan has not been a drastic change of diet for me and I’ve been taking barre about 5 days a week for the past several years. I felt fine during week 1 (the withdrawals were not bad for me). During week 2, I felt great: good consistent energy, but not necessarily what I would think of as “tigerblood”. During week 3, I was very irritable but I still had consistent energy, for the most part, for the first few days. However, my workouts were not the best. Then, things just started to decline. Now starting week 4, I feel like I have less energy than before and barely have energy to workout (I’m dreading something that I love to do). Also, my mood is still all over the place. There are some positives: less brain fog, cravings are manageable, and I’m seeing physical results (waistline). I just want to feel tigerblood/consistent energy. That and taming my sugar dragon was my motivation to start the program. I’m too stubborn to quit, but I’m struggling to keep it together. My husband keeps asking me if I’m ok or upset about something. I’m eating more than I ever did before the program and I try to eat the recommended portions at each meal, but making it 4 hours between meals with no snack is a struggle on most days. I know that not eating enough seems to be the best explanation. However, at the end of each meal, I feel full. And I think if I kept eating, I’d be overly full. Example meals: Breakfast: Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil (1 tsp) and 1 scoop of Collagen in my coffee. PLUS 2 eggs with at least a handful of spinach or other veggie and a piece of fruit (sometimes I don’t eat a fruit) Lunch: Salad (2 handfuls of leaves) with shredded chicken (maybe a cup) or other protein, 1/2 an avocado, and other random veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, bell pepper) OR Soup/chili (maybe a cup and a half) with 1/2 an avocado and I always add a handful of spinach to my soups PLUS Fruit (if I didn’t eat it at breakfast) Dinner: It’s always a protein serving + a veggie + a starchy veggie. Sometimes I’ll eat 1/2 an avocado with dinner. If I don’t, I try to increase the oil or ghee I’m using, and/or use a fattier piece of meat. Snacks: I am T R Y I N G so hard not to snack, except for after a workout. It’s typically a meat stick or a boiled egg and a purée veggie pouch (the ones typically for kids/babies). If possible, I eat sweet potatoes after my workout. I’m desperate to find out if I’m doing something wrong. Today was one of my worst energy days: it felt strenuous to walk up one flight of stairs and complete minimal household chores. That can’t be normal, right?

It’s Day 31 and I am absolutely floored by my results! Day 1 measurements: 191.4 lbs Waist: 35” Hips: 44” Day 31 measurements: 179.0 lbs Waist: 31” Hips: 41” Honestly I knew I lost weight but I would have never imagine 12.4 lbs in 30 days!! (For reference I am 5’ 7”) I definitely had some advantages helping me - I am allergic to tree nuts so snacking on nuts and any emergency type bars were out of the question for me. I almost never snacked and kept up with my healthy fats which I think helped a lot. I worked out about 7 times throughout the 30 days - after the first week hump I worked out for the next two weeks (3 & 4 times a week for about 45 min). The last week was super busy and I was getting sick so I was slacking. I can only imagine how much more I would have lost! I am absolutely amazed by my results, not just weight loss but my energy, mood and the sleep is awesome. I will definitely be continuing my journey!

Hey all, I’m on day 21 of Whole 30 and struggling with a few issues. Background: I’ve had horrible constipation issues since my 20 month old was 1 month old. My midwives had me taking 4-5 calcium/magnesium supplements per day that were giving me very soft/loose stools all through pregnancy. I stopped them when my daughter was 1 month old because I feared calcium supplementation would throw off other vitamins/minerals in my body. (Lots of info online about it, but I don’t have specific links.) When I stopped taking them, I started experiencing horrible constipation. I just had zero urge to go whatsoever. When I would finally go, the stools were huge and hard. They tore me open and brought me to tears. 3 months later I cut out dairy with no change. About 7 months after that I went paleo with very minimal improvement. In December I completely let loose and was eating anything and everything with no significant reaction to anything. I’ve been Paleo for about 9 months now (aside from the December mayhem) and this is my first whole30. I wasn’t getting any relief about 2 weeks in, so I started taking alcohol free Swedish bitters, adding sauerkraut to my diet (about 1/4c throughout the day) and a probiotic supplement at night. I drink kombucha but I worry about the sugar dragon so only once in a while right now. I also take magnesium malate during the day and magnesium glycinate at night along with triphala powder. I’m still not going regularly but when I do go, the stools are difficult to pass and “sandy,” like lots of small particles floating around that do not look like undigested food. I also have unbearably foul gas in the afternoon but mostly in the evening. It seriously could clear a neighborhood. I wasn’t having this gas before whole30. Im also ridiculously exhausted. I stay home with my child and do childcare and there are times when all I can do is lay on the couch. Walking up the stairs is impossible. Not always though, sometimes I get bursts of energy that I can’t explain or connect to any certain food or meal. I am 5’5 and 117 lbs. I have pretty small hands (1”x3”x4”) and I do my best to follow the meal template but I’m wondering if I need to add or subtract something. I’m also still nursing my 20 month old about 3-4 times per day and all through the night. I do maybe 20 minutes of cardio exercise 4 days a week and although I said above sometimes I can’t get off the couch, I am far from sedentary due to having to look after the children. I’ve lowered my fodmap intake but not completely eliminated. Here is a typical day: breakfast (7am): 3 eggs, 3/4c hash browns, 1c kale all cooked in ghee lunch (11am): 1 can of salmon mixed with mayo and herbs, mixed greens (~4c), fried plantain lunch (2pm): 1 chicken breast, 1c potatoes, 1c kale (potatoes and kale cooked in ghee or coconut oil) Dinner (6pm): 2 slices of meatloaf, 1.5c chard, 1.5c roasted beets (again all cooked in ghee or coconut oil) i go to bed at 10 and wake up at 6:30 or 7 every day (though sleep is interrupted due to nursing) I use at least 2T of cooking oil at every meal but I don’t add any additional fat. My meals often seem pretty heavy and oily. I usually have a healthy appetite before each meal, but I’m not starving between or anything. I’ve read about enzymes and hcl but hesitant to use them because I know your body can stop making them and that concerns me. If anyone has any other insight I would be so appreciative!!

So I am coming up on the end of my 3rd week of my first round of Whole30. I know that there is a patch where you will have an energy drain in the beginning, but I'm wondering how long that lasts? I've had an issue with being overwhelmingly tired where I could sleep 12 - 14 hours at a time, longer if I let myself. After a battery of tests which all came back negative, the cause of the extreme sleep is unknown. This was one of the reasons I turned to Whole30, wondering if what I was eating at that time was the cause. I will say, that since the first week, even though I am so tired I could sleep for 12 hours, when I'm awake, I am awake. I don't have the fog, or disconnected feeling I would frequently get which I think is a huge improvement. I'm just curious if the lack of energy could continue for the whole 30 (no pun intended) days? Typically, my breakfast is 2 hard boiled eggs, a mix of carrots/mushrooms/onions and fruit (an apple, orange, pear, mango or banana). Lunch could be chicken breast/lean beef/lean turkey cooked with onions green peppers and mushrooms, and fruit. With dinner typically the other half of what I made for lunch, or could be an omelette with fruit. Protein portions are the size of my palm, with double the amount in vegetables. I'm not a snacker, but on the rare occasion I have that urge, I'll usually snack on a cup of vegetables or fruit. I'm planning on doing a second round after this one finishes, only because I'm actually enjoying it a lot and really want to make sure that I'm clean before I start to slowly reintroduce things. Just want to make sure that at some point, the need for 12hrs of sleep or more will go away lol

Due to a medical condition I have a very high metabolism. I'm on day 7 of Whole30 and have had very low energy since about day 4. The obvious conclusion would be that I'm not eating enough, but I have a big breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday with some snacks (not very big) thrown in throughout the day. I'm getting plenty of sleep and while I haven't been exercising, I walk frequently throughout the day. Any suggestions? I'm wanting to stick to the Whole30 diet but I also don't want to spend a fortune on more groceries because the only solution offered is, "sounds like you're not eating enough."

Hi! The program says the pre and post workout meal cannot replace the breakfast, but what about if the workout is the first thing in the morning? In my case I wake up at 6 am and I have a 30 minute session of exercising at home [A non-equipment routine of jumping jacks + running in place + blurpees + lunges + abdominals + squads + push-ups + body extension] before having breakfast, take a shower and leaving to work. What is an ideal snack that I could have in order to get some energy for the workout and then be able to have a full breakfast in the morning? So far I've been having a small meal like: Orange juice + chicken/egg (protein) + avocado + few nuts (sometimes a banana) therefore, my post-workout meal is my breakfast, what can I have then? I appreciate any advice THANKS!

One of my goals for my first Whole30, today is Day 10, is to increase my energy level and possibly performance during morning swim workouts with my local masters/adult club (roughly 3000 meters, 3 or 4 timers per week). I am 49 (5-0 in July) and while never competitive on an accomplished level like high school or college, love swimming enough that it's my primary form of exercise. Since I started the Whole30, and realizing I am only 10 days in, swim workouts have been a struggle, or more of a struggle than usual. Can I expect to experience an uptick in energy over the next few weeks? I have been following the recommendation to eat a little protein before workouts (tex-mex chicken frittata "muffin", e.g.) followed by a full breakfast (more of the same with fruit, handful of almonds usually). As of Monday I added potato/starches to 2 or 3 meals. Anyhow, just looking for general nutritional advice and or insights. I'm swimming through the doldrums in the meantime, hoping the water starts to feel a little lighter over the next few weeks. Thanks!

It's day 26 for me and I feel I'm still struggling with low energy, depression and mood swings. I suffer from bipolar type 2 with mainly depression. This is my second round and I did it to feel better and have energy! Weight loss is an added plus! I've done a lot of reading and feel like I should continue doing whole 60 and see if mood levels out! I was just hoping to feel better by now! Anyone else experiencing this too??

Warning! Go grab some protein, veg and a thumb of fat, and then prepare to hunker down. This could take a while. This is Day 31 for me, so I it's time to tally up, and — wow! — I've gained a lot. And it's all good. Here are my non-scale victories, or at least the ones I've noticed along the way... Asthma: I only used my inhaler a couple of times during the first week, and I haven't used my nebulizer at all during my W30. I'm literally breathing easier. Bumps: I used to have small bumps on my inner arms. I had for many years. They were sort of like pre-hives; they only needed a scratch to instantly turn red, angry and itchy. But they're gone now. Inflammation: This one is big. Usually (due to Lupus, arthritis, benign tumors in my spine and other issues), a day of extreme activity would require days of rest and recovery. I just did a 13-hour visit to Disney last weekend, complete with 7.5 miles of walking. My feet and shins were sore, as almost anyone's would be, but I was able to get out a do the shopping and all of the prepping and cooking in the kitchen the next day just fine. I know! Headaches: Other than a few days of headaches in the first week, which included one migraine, I've been headache-free. Lupus: I experienced one intense flare during my W30 (brought on by a very stressful external event). It was awful, but ... OK? I didn't expect any miraculous elimination of flares, but it was days shorter than I expected. I'll take it. Mental outlook: I’m in a much better mood most of the time and somewhat less anxious. I was dealing with increased depression and ongoing anxiety issues when I started. I credit the improvement to W30 and to the addition of a cup of Natural Calm + chamomile tea every day (which I call my hot cup of Calm the F*** Down). I started the Natural Calm about a week into the program to keep my magnesium and calcium up, after reading recommendations for it here. Energy: While I still struggle in this area in general, I've had moments of Tiger Blood, a bit of kitten juice and fewer cat naps. I feel like I'm ready to start incorporating more regular exercise in my routine, and that's a biggie. Kitchen: Hey, NSVs extend beyond the body, so this counts! Despite the fact that I'm prepping and cooking constantly, my kitchen has never been cleaner or looked better. I found that reorganizing it and keeping it really tidy as I go was the only way to maintain sanity during this W30. Appliances: I'm actually using all of those appliances that just gathered dust on a shelf. My Vitamix and Instant Pot, for instance, both get near-daily workouts now and are finally justifying the money spent on them. Cooking: I love to cook. Sure, I'd love not to cook quite as much as I have over the past 30 days, but I still. Having new restrictions sparked a new wave of creativity in the kitchen for me. No matter where my eating habits go from here, I've created some meals that will definitely stay in the permanent rotation. Inspiring my husband: He isn't doing W30, and he still loads up on junk food at work. But he's happy to eat any W30 food I make at home and really enjoys it. At least I know half his fuel is good fuel. He's even considering going paleo soon. And he's helping out a lot more around the house, since he sees how busy I've been in the kitchen these last few weeks (and plan to continue to be). He's actually doing more than his share. A sense of pride: I'm proud that I did this. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done. I doubted the process at times, but I never doubted that I would see it through. I mean, I made it through a family tragedy, a painful flare, a brunch with girlfriends, a visit to my favorite greasy-spoon diner, a trip to the state fair and freakin' Disney World without caving in to cravings! Now, about that scale... I had a victory there, too. I lost 18 pounds. (And for those of you currently doubting your own mid-W30 progress, I'd like to point out that around the middle of Week 2, I was convinced I was gaining weight.) I have no idea about inches, since I didn't measure beforehand, but I look leaner and feel leaner. And this isn't over! Both the W30 book and the site mention that those living with chronic illness and autoimmune diseases are likely to benefit by going beyond 30 days, since it may take longer to get the full effect of this reboot. I'm not going to walk away from the opportunity to gain more benefits from this. I've got so much room for improvement still. So, for now, I'm not calling it a W45 or W60 or W-hatever. I'm just going to keep going until it feels right to start my slow-roll reintroductions, and then that will eventually evolve into my new normal. Now, here's my completely unsolicited advice to anyone who might read this while considering starting their own Whole30 adventure: Don’t try to do a Whole30. Don't attempt a Whole30. Don't give it shot or see what happens and definitely don't hope you can do it. Commit! Make an absolute vow to yourself. You *will* do a Whole30. Acknowledge that it will be tough at times, rewarding at others. Take comfort in all of those pesky rules, because they take away the guesswork. And do it! Bring it on! Honestly, I think that's 90% of the key to succeeding at this — making that real commitment. Then when you face the inevitable difficult moments and temptations, it won't be made harder by struggling with that decision. You've already made the decision. Good luck everyone! And good luck to me as I keep going!

Day 31 today and time from some reflection. Before I started Whole30 on Dec 26th, I tipped the scales at 285. I'm a 6'2", 50+ male with a fairly athletic build. I'd say I've been 250-270 most of my adult life but the last 3 years saw some significant changes in body composition, and not at all positive. My diet was really bad, sugary cereal for breakfast, lots of bread, mayo, processed meats and cheese and chips for lunch, maybe a salad with lots of sugary dressing. Dinners were not too bad, mostly protein and veggies, but lots of butter and sour cream on my potatoes. I would snack all day long, crackers, chips, candy, nuts, etc. Most nights I'd have a couple of Screwdrivers in the evening or most of a bottle of wine. I know the focus of W30 is not on weight loss, but just adding up the number of non-meal calories, I was probably consuming 1,500 extra calories a day right there. Add that up and just cutting that out would result in more than 10 pounds in 30 days. Ugh! So now on Day 31, my diet has transformed completely. No more snacking, maybe a few nuts or olives as I'm making dinner or lunch, but that's it. Healthy proteins and veggies for most meals. Making my dressings and sauces and actually rarely using mayo at all now, I started the day with my usual breakfast and really didn't want to reintroduce anything today. So I'll just continue to eat this way and decide whether to deviate when there is a reason. I'm walking 20-30 miles a week and am starting back with rowing and some body weight strength training. I'm sleeping better, am more active (and productive), have more energy, fit in my clothes better and feel positive and optimistic during the day. I actually cleaned out my closet last night and got rid of a lot of the fat clothes, and pared down a lot of other things I just never wear anymore. Do I really need that sweater I have owned for 20+ years and have worn may 2-3 times? Feels like mental weight loss, ha! As for the scale. I did step on it today, mostly out of curiosity. Down 25 pounds. My reaction was, "that's nice." No jumping up and down and getting excited since I experienced the real victories off the scale already. I will limit future visits with the scale to every few weeks, maybe monthly and just to have another indicator to help keep me on track. So my future goals are: 1) to continue with this relationship with food moving forward, 2) introduce more variety in my meals, 3) follow the eating template more closely, 4) establish regular exercise habits. I would guess that I will feel like I have "done it" when I'm back into size 34 jeans and weigh in around 220 pounds (give or take--this is not the goal, just an indicator I'm in the right area), combined with strong habits for exercise and continued healthy eating. As Melissa says, "This in not hard". Yes, it takes commitment and self discipline and preparation and you have to be in the right frame of mind, but it pays off in so many ways. Over the last 30 days, I went to a New Years Eve party, out to brew pubs with friends (sipping iced tea while they ate nachos and drank beer, lol), spent a week in Las Vegas and ate out 3-4 times. I never deviated from the plan and after the first week or so haven't even been tempted. I would like to encourage those just starting or maybe struggling to keep at it. If it's not working for you then take a good hard look at what you are doing vs. the plan and really shift your mentality to one of commitment and discipline. It will pay off.

Folks - I started my official Whole30 3 days ago - I'm a bit worried that I'm not experiencing any of the side-effects everyone's been talking about - negative or positive! No grogginess or cravings (however, I do have some wicked dreams of cheating!!), nor more energy or fresh feeling,etc... Maybe I need to get a few more days into it seeing as "everyone's different". I'd love to hear if anyone has feedback or similar experiences/worries! Additionally - I'm a little concerned that eating less-than-kosher-grade meat might be affecting the detox process - could this really make all the difference if I prepare my meat leanly?

Ok guys, I need your help. It's my Day 16, and I feel REALLY off today?!?! I wasn't honestly expecting Tiger Blood (I'm going to end up doing a Whole60, because of how poor my eating was before Whole30), but this is ridiculous. I was hungry for lunch at 11am (very unusual) and had to lay down for a nap at 12:45 because I could NOT keep my eyes open. Food today so far: Meal 1: Leftover beef stew with two cups of baby carrots and mushrooms. 1 large fuji apple. Handfull of cashews. 1st liter of water. Meal 2: Pork, cabbage, and carrot stirfry. Whole avocado on the side. 2nd liter of water. I'm dragging butt, and cannot even fathom making it to the gym today. It feels like day 6, not day 16! My eating today has not been atypical for me in the least. Only change is I ate leftovers for breakfast, instead of hardboiled eggs as my main protein. What do you guys think?

Hey there! I have dabbled with Paleo in the past and have found it really effective. I'm a dancer and when I was in full time training, I adopted a paleo based diet and found it very beneficial. I am getting ready to go on tour in December and really need to get my strength, fitness and body back in order. As well as regular training, I need to get serious about my food again and this seems like the best way to go about it all! I'm excited and looking forward to feeling healthy and happy about my body. i will be starting on the 3rd of August as I can't go without coffee this week, extremely late working hours at the minute, 4 am hello! Any other athletes or dancers starting around this time, so we can help and encourage eachother?? Cheers!! Dee

Hi. I'm on day 23 and living with Lupus so that means nothing is ever normal for me. I was already dairy and gluten free for years before I started (background info). I still crave sugar! I still get irritable some days and am still not experiencing any of that wonderful sleep or boundless energy everyone benefits from. I'm in bed for 9+ hours but restful sleep doesn't happen. One of the main things is that until 3 days ago I just wasn't pooping. All this healhy food going in but not really coming out. Now it's switched and gone to the other spectum and it's diarrea all day/night with cramping and gas. My lupus fog as been mostly gone and an odd posiitve is that my fingernails have changed dramatically and are now much healthier. Clothes still fit the same as well. I know good things will happen if I keep going but I was hoping for more. I don't want the only benefits of this to be my nails. I want the whole thing! My main wish was for a major reduction in inflammation, some weight loss and the sleep/energy deal. I wasn to be the healthiest Lupus gal around. Any ideas what's going wrong or taking so long?

I am on day 8 and mostly doing great! Yesterday I was on top of the world - fabulous energy, digestion, clarity of mind. Then I didn't eat dinner soon enough, got too hungry. I didn't eat anything off the diet for dinner, but ate over several hours rather than all at once (more like snacking). Today I'm back to feeling hungry, foggy, less energy, almost back to how I felt before diet. Ugh! Are these fluctuations normal? Should I really prioritize keeping the meal together? Was that the thing that probably made the difference? I appreciate thoughts from the Whole30 wise. Sue

I'm 46, male, 5'10, a cyclist, and weighed 160 lb at the start of my Whole30 (152 on day 40). I hit an energy wall on day 14, after low intensity playing outside with my son. I just wanted to go inside and rest. I assumed that was "normal" for that stage, so didn't make any changes. But this type of reaction has persisted, so I decided to extend my Whole40 to see if I would get through this. A few more recent examples: Day 35: Went bowling with 2 others and bowled 2 games. I was exhausted from bowling! Day 38: Did 1 set of 50 push-ups before meal 1 (probably took 75-90 seconds). After the meal, was starting my PT exercises and wanted to go back to bed! Am I doing something wrong, or do I just need to keep going a while longer until I get my energy back? On the cycling side, I have only been doing short rides (60-90 minutes) during my Whole30, partly because I didn't want to overdo it, but also because I'm recovering from an injury. I've noticed that on some of the rides, I feel like a slug for at least half the ride, but feel fine for the final part of the ride. Day 39 was one such ride, where there was a slight headwind on my way out, and I felt like I was going to die. My times were the worst ever. When I would push it hard for 15-20 strokes to make it through a stale green light, it felt like I could hardly keep going after that. After I turned around, though, at around the 35-38 minute mark, I started feeling better and had best or second-best times in many sections on the way back. I wouldn't say that I had gobs of energy, but I was able to ride at a higher sustained pace. I haven't tracked my food daily over these last 40 days, but I can give you what I've had for the last 2+ days, plus a sampling of foods I've had the rest of the time. Most of my food has come from the Well Fed and Well Fed 2 recipes. Day 38 Meal 3 Large helping Well Fed 2 Italian Pork Roast 1 C Cauliflower "Rice" Pilaf (no actual rice in there) sm serving fruit salad Day 39 Meal 1 (finished maybe 15 minutes pre-ride): 1/3 of a large sweet potato, julienned and cooked in gobs of ghee (2-3T?) 2 eggs, fried in ghee 1 med banana Meal 2 LARGE helping Italian Pork Roast (LOTS of fat in there) 3/4 C Roasted Carrots 3/4 C Cauliflower Rice Pilaf Snack 1/4 C Pork Roast 1 C mixed blackberries and blueberries 9-10 raw almonds Meal 3 Large helping Well Fed Chicken Nanking (chicken, green beans, sweet potato)Late Snack 1/2 C Pork Roast handful of almonds handful of pistachios handful of dried cranberries (GAH! These had added sugar! My first slip.) Day 40 Meal 1 2 C Pork roast 1 C Spaghetti Squash 3/4 of a banana 1 large strawberry Meal 2 3 1/2 C Chicken Nanking (chicken, green beans, sweet potato) 1 large banana Snack 7 StrawberriesMeal 3 Two 1" pork meatballs Well Fed Country captain chicken (3/4 of an extra large chicken breast; 3/4 C veggies and sauce (bell peppers, onion, green onion, chicken broth, sm amt of raisins, sugar free bacon, almonds, coconut oil) 1.5 C spinach salad with chicken, egg, cashews, avocado, onion, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice Over the rest of the 38 days, I've eaten a variety of pork, beef, lamb, chicken, eggs, and veggies like roasted carrots and cauliflower, spaghetti squash, spinach salads, lettuce salads, lettuce wraps, onion, and lots of avocado. Cooking (and roasting) is mostly with coconut oil or ghee.

After battling with gut problems for many years, increasing food allergies and sensitivities along with ever increasing weight, I stumbled across the W30 website while doing some research on the Paleo way of eating. As I sat there suffering terrible heartburn and acid reflux, I was struck with the 'tough love' section on the website and how much it resonated with me; that this program is not hard in the scheme of things. After previously making excuses as to why I couldn't possibly give up alcohol, or how hard it would be to be compliant 100% of the time, I went to bed feeling energised by the tough love and commenced the very next morning. I have been gluten free for many years and mainly dairy free (except for the odd bit of butter and cheese), knowing that both bothered me, in varying degrees depending on how much I consumed. I had also almost completely cut out sugar, having noticed the terrible blood sugar crashes I would get after eating it. So my food intake wasn't too dissimilar from the program, but I wasn't 100% strict all of the time. I started to notice changes around Day 3. The heart burn and acid reflux had gone completely. I realised how constant it had been as it was so noticeably absent. My stomach has been so sensitive for such a long time, that I had also got used to severe bloating, cramping and wind after eating. I could eat what I considered a safe meal and still suffer, without rhyme or reason I felt. Around Day 3 this also vanished. Heading into my 2nd week, I started to notice the significant changes to my energy levels. I hadn't really believed the website or Whole30 Daily emails about the abounding energy levels, but lo and behold, it happened to me. It even got to the point where I had so much energy I was bouncing around late into the evening and had to work hard at getting myself into bed at a reasonable hour. Yet even after those late nights, I would awake feeling refreshed and bursting with more energy. Midway through the 2nd week, I also noticed my skin was looking better. It wasn't looking bad before, but now it had a glow to it. I also noticed that patches of skin which have traditionally been very dry and required lots of moisturiser, now needed none. My clothes started to feel less tight and by the end of the W30 people were commenting that I looked great. Another noticeable difference around this time was the stability in my hormones. I didn't feel like a crazy lady at that time of the month! Hoorah! There were moments when I found it challenging. After a hard day, I really wanted a nice glass of wine and it took a lot of willpower to avoid it. I commenced my W30 towards the end of November, so I went into a very social time which was challenging. I had several Christmas parties to attend, a hens night, an all day catered work event; and managed to stay compliant. I drank A LOT of sparkling water with lime or lemon to pretend I was having an alcoholic drink. I realised that if people thought I was drinking vodka and lime they didn't hassle me to drink. Eating out was sometimes challenging as I didn't have a lot of choice on the grain and dairy filled menus, but I was surprised at how accommodating some restaurants were. Instead of saying I was on a diet, I decided to tell a white lie and say I was highly allergic to the banned foods, so they took me seriously. It did give me the opportunity to have conversations with people I wouldn't normally have and (hopefully) open their eyes to a new way of eating. I also learned that I can achieve something as important as reclaiming my health. I doubted that I would be able to complete 30 days when I commenced, even telling myself that a few little cheats would be ok here and there. But I surprised myself and didn't slip up once. As each day passed, I felt such satisfaction that I had completed another day. I signed up for the Whole30 Daily emails, and I proudly clicked 'I did it' after reading each one. I also started Instagramming my meals, connecting with complete strangers who gave me such encouragement. I read many posts on the Forum, although didn't actively participate and I read It Starts With Food and found it so easy to understand and digest the information. I also sought out blogs, websites, Pinterest boards, Instagram pages and the W30/W9 Facebook page for recipe ideas, inspiration and motivation. So now to my results. I lost 4kgs on the scales but more importantly lost 2kg body fat and gained 0.5kg muscle. When I compared my before and after photos I was quite surprised by how noticeable the difference was around my middle. I remained strict for another 4 days, finally breaking for a long awaited Christmas party. An all day affair, the old me would have drunk throughout the day, snacked on all of the processed food available and not made sensible food choices. Instead, I slowly sipped on a couple of drinks (a wine and a few vodkas), drank a lot of water, and didn't go near the processed food. Even still, I had a terrible headache the following day, my blood sugar was all over the place and my stomach was very upset and angry. I couldn't believe how much of a negative impact just a slight splurge had on me. The following weekend I ate at a friend's house, and accidentally ate dairy. They had put cheese into a green salad, and I ate some without realising it was in there. For nearly 2 weeks I have suffered from terrible pains in my joints, particularly my ankles and knees, and my stomach has been very unsettled. Muscle pain has returned in my back with a vengeance and my chiro noted that my spine had stiffened up. All this from a tiny bit of cheese! I now know I need to avoid dairy completely. I ate my first bit of sugar on Christmas Day. The majority of the food was compliant with the program, but I made a Paleo pecan pie, using dates, honey and coconut cream instead of sugar and dairy. Even this was too much for my system and has left me with headaches, blood sugar crashes, stomach pain, bloating and an upset stomach. I'm actually glad I've had the opportunity to experience these side effects, as it has made me feel more determined than ever to return to the program. I am going to commence my 2nd Whole30 officially on 1st January (although will be 99% compliant until then) and look forward to continuing it into the new year. If you are reading these posts like I did when I was considering commencing the program, and are looking for inspiration or words of wisdom, all I can say is give it a go. It's only 30 days which is nothing in the scheme of your life, and you have nothing to lose. And if you're anything like me, you will find yourself feeling so much better that you wished you did it years ago.

HELP! I should be in the Tiger Blood stage. I have been 100% Whole30 compliant and still I feel as though my energy is not as "awesome" as everyone describes. Should I wait a couple of days? What could be wrong? As far as eating I ensure that I have atleast 50-100 grams of carbs a day. I only eat the "healthy" fats and I get plenty of protein. I will say I just started T25 right before my Tiger Blood stage. Could that be it? I just would hate to go through this thing and not get that awesome feeling that everyone is bragging about

I've been trying to decide if I want to do AIP now, or wait until January, I'm better doing whole30, but not great and not really weight loss. If it takes 90 days before reintroduction, that would take up my birthday and Christmas. Keeping whole30 compliant when eating out, etc, isn't always easy so I'm thinking it might be easier to wait til January?

I am on day 31 of my whole30 and I don't really feel much different. My digestion is better but that is it. I know that for some people they need to keep at the diet for longer than 30 days but I feel really down about the lack of results I have had. Some of the things I had hoped for signs of improvement included tiredness and depression. I was hoping to be able to get off my antidepressants (Pristiq) for which I have some side-effects I would like to eliminate. I have not been able to sleep through the night without waking at least once (that is when I only sleep for 6 hours, If I am in bed for 8 hours I wake twice). My sleep has not changed and neither has the depression. I do believe that the sugar cravings have improved but I seem to try to replace the craving for sweets and desserts with eating nuts and I love roast vegetables so I eat more of those. I think part of the way I deal with depression is by eating things that taste nice. I haven't weighed myself but I don't think I have really lost any weight either which was one thing I thought was pretty likely. I'm one of those woment who after having each of my children, lost all the weight and more without trying. In fact I ate junk in large quantities and still lost weight. With both children, once my period returned, I gained about 5 kg (10 pounds I think) and haven't been able to shift it. For about 3 months before I started my whole30, I have been eating mostly Paleo. If I'm not losing any weight does that mean I'm eating too much? I have stuck 100% to the diet but we cannot afford to buy grass fed meats. Chicken is processed chemically free but other kinds of meats are straight from a regular butcher. I have always been a stressed person and as I have a brain injury (car accident 12 years ago), I find thinking clearly a challenge. I find meal preparation challenging and off-times very difficult. I find it hard to wind down and stop doing things all the time in an attempt to feel organised. I have found the Master recipes and variations very simple to plan meals by but I desperately need a lot more variation for these basic recipes. More options to use with the master recipes. Does anyone know if this can be found somewhere? I particulary find breakfasts and lunches hard as lunches need to transportable (as I am looking at going back to work) Does anyone have any suggestions, ideas, thoughts or links to anything that may help me?

I am on my third week and my energy is still low and I find that I am hungry a lot. At first I assumed it was because my body was weaning off all the bad stuff, but it can't be that still, right? I feel like I'm eating the recommended portions, a good portion of meat, lots of veggies, with some fat, but am so hungry after a couple hours. Also I run a few times a week, just for exercise I am not training for anything, but I've hardly had any energy to run. I definitely expected that at first, but not now. I'm disappointed because the only reason I'm trying whole 30 is for more energy. I have been so tired and sluggish for many years and western medicine can't seem to give me a solution -- my chemistry is good. Unfortunately the, "I have so much energy eating whole 30" is not working for me. Can you help me figure this out? Any suggestions? I'd like to keep going, but I also know it's not good to deprive my body. Should I eat more?

Hi all! I just wanted to throw this question out there as I feel I've seen some mixed messages on the forum. Just for background, I'm a 5'6" female, 23, about 62kg (30 days ago!), desk job (that can be very stressful but also go thorugh periods of being quite boring!), I finished my first Whole30 on Tuesday - had two days off where I mostly stayed compliant except for some smoked salmon that contained sugar and two meals out where I ate chips with my dinner both nights (or 'french fries' in the US) and have started to start my second Whole30 today. Mostly because I really wasn't ready to stop, in hindsight I should have just turned it into Whole30/60 but I think the end of my Whole30 kinda snuck up on me (where did those 30 days ago right?!?) and I hadn't really put enough through into day 31 and beyond. Also, I don't think I ever want to leave the Whole30 lifestyle so another strict 30 days will really help me to enforce good habits and help me as I prepare to 'ride my own bike' for ever. Also I think my family need a bit more exposure to me being strict on this so they realise its not a fad and actually just going to be the way I eat from now on. (I have to add here they have been great and super supported). And finally, I'm not ready to say goodbye to all the benefits I have seen in the past 30 days namely: great skin (this has been a huuuuge one for me as I have suffered from acne on my face, chest and back since I was 11), feeling better in myself, feeling slimmer and yet never going hungry, my face is so much less puffy when I wake up, I have less mood swings and mouth ulcers (bye bye sugar!), I sleep better, my nails and hair are strong and growing like crazy, I feel part of the Whole30 community, I have a handle on my cravings and mindless eating, I think so much more about what I am putting into my body and I have found a whole new love for cooking and experimenting with new foods! However much as I have loved the experience I do still suffer with energy - my energy spikes aren't determined by my snacking anymore but I do have days when I just feel like I'm walking through treacle. Plus I still have some constipation and gas issues that were part of my original IBS problems , which was another reasons I went on the Whole30, and I think I need a bit more time figuring out triggers and getting them under control. So yes sorry that background ended up being much longer than I thought! I just want to get all my thinking on the right track so this second Whole30 is really beneficial. I think recommending sweet potato is a typical response when someone is tired, and because I LOVE it and it goes with everything I'm quite happy to have 1 a day (sometime more, sometimes less) but I saw a couple of posts saying that you will never sort out your energy, and get your body to truly rely on fat for energy, unless you cut out all high GI foods, including sweet potato. What does everybody think? or have found personally? Should I keep the sweet potato in or out? (p.s. I have also cut out fruit during my Whole30 to help with my sugar dragon and obsession with dessert! so have only had 1 banana and some blueberries the last 30 days) Thanks everyone in advance for their input - lots of Whole30 love to you all!!! Sophia xx

I'm a 6-ft 38-yo man and I'm at day 45 of my Whole30 program. I am incredibly happy with the results I've had so far. I have a better handle over my cravings, reduced mindless snacking, I went from 248 lbs to 235 lbs with very little exercise, am feeling generally healthier, but the two most remarkable results I've observed were joint pains that went completely away and - particularly - my energy level. Between about day 10 and day 20 of the program, I felt incredible! I was jumping out of bed in the morning ready to go, I moved around faster, post-lunch crashes became a thing of the past, felt energized and mentally sharper than I did in many years! It still amazes me to this day the difference I and my wife noticed, and to date, it felt like the biggest "lifehack" I've ever come across. However, since then, I've been gradually feeling less energized. I am not quite as lethargic as I was before I started the program, but am nowhere near where I was a couple of weeks ago. I haven't changed anything on my diet, am still following the program quite strictly and starting to incorporate a bit more exercise in my life (Pilates 2x/week, biking 5 miles to work 3x/week and an occasional 20mi bike loop). I also noticed I craved water when energy peaked more so than I do now. I'm seriously craving that natural "high" I experienced and desperately finding a way to have it back. Has anyone else experienced this? Thoughts? Thanks, LesSand