Whole 30 -

[ultrarunnergirl]

from my blog post

The Whole 30: Feeling Incredible

My life has changed. I feel like a new person since going on the Whole30 Program. Click the link to read about what the Whole30 diet entails, this post is long enough already.

Why Do This? I've been "leaning" Paleo for awhile now. I have several ultrarunning friends whose brains I've been picking. Honestly, I thought the Paleo diet was just a little over the top. I figured I could eat healthy but still have my homemade bread, good cheese and Ben and Jerry's in moderation.

Well, there's the rub. I could not. Sugar had me in its clutches. Day after day, I failed at resisting its siren call. I failed completely at moderation.

The tipping point was when I discovered that a good friend had done the Whole30. This friend is a Wisconsin girl. She loves her coffee with cream, and good cheese, and she's not one to follow fads. She had nothing but great things to say about her results. 

A week later I took the plunge. It was only for 30 days, for Pete's sake!

Below I share my observations and results. Please excuse my rambling style. I tend to get carried away when I talk about it.


I sleep incredibly soundly. It's kind of like going under anesthesia.
 
No more mid-afternoon slump. In fact, I have an inordinate amount of energy. I may have to quit coffee, because even 2 small cups in the morning is revving me up!

My moods are steady. No more crankiness. I'm more even-keeled, more patient. Same with Hubz.

Lean. It's not a weight loss diet, but within the first week I noticed I had lost inches from my stomach, where it usually is the last to go. Over the 30+ days, I lost nearly 10 pounds. Oh, and I never, ever went hungry.
 

Seasonal allergies have improved. A few times I had a bit of a runny nose, but it was a far cry from the sneeze-fests and nasal drip misery that I often have this time of year.

 

Stronger fingernails and toenails that grow much more quickly. 
 

 

Nose breathing vs. mouth breathing. I breathe almost exclusively through my nose now, even when running. Hubz had been a mouth breather since being diagnosed with asthma as a teenager. No more.

 

Food tastes better. My taste buds have changed. Every meal is exclaim-out-loud tasty. The flavors I couldn't taste before are singing. Before the Whole30, Hubz detested coconut and I didn't care for almond butter.

Some female stuff went away which I was really happy about. Ladies, if you want the gory details email me and I'll pass them along.
 

Overall Feeling of Well Being and Happiness: I didn't have any aches, pains or injuries so I don't have any dazzling testimonials like my friend Katie, whose year-long shoulder pain and chronic eczema disappeared, but I SIMPLY FEEL AMAZING. 

Kombucha is delicious. Experimenting with new spices, vegetables, meats and sauces was exciting. Through the Whole30, I've discovered many outstanding new favorite recipes.
 
Was It Hard? Actually, no. Perhaps because Hubz and I did this together, it was a thrilling, shared adventure. Once I committed to the plan, I really didn't miss, crave or get tempted by anything. There was one morning when someone made toast and it smelled like the best thing I'd ever smelled. But honestly, that was it. 

Additional Thoughts:
The toughest part was resisting deeply ingrained habits, like wanting to crack open a beer on a warm, sunny day and lounge in the backyard. On the other hand, I didn't find it hard to go to our post-run Tuesday night pizza joint and order steak instead, and drink club soda with lime. Putting my drink in a nice glass helped me feel like it was still a treat.

I had serious reservations about how hard it would be to quit milk/cream in my coffee so I started drinking it black about 4 days before officially starting. That worked alright, but then I discovered coconut milk. Blend some with a small amount of coffee, voila! Delicious and full of good fat! 

 

 

[3dayevent]

Congratulations on your huge success!  How inspirational! 

[jenna3232]

Love this quote from your book. Too true and baffling at the same time. 

 

4.) Eating large amounts of healthy fats does not make you fat. It makes you skinny. Go figure.

[jenna3232]

*post not book!

[ultrarunnergirl]

That was from my husband's list of Whole30 observations. Before I talked him into doing the Whole30 with me, he policed the amount of avocado I put in his salad. Now, he eats half an avocado with a good drizzle of olive oil with most meals!

[beachchica]

Great results- thank you for sharing such an organized list of your positive results I'm experiencing similar benefits and it's good to know what else I may expect in the coming days. I especially agree about food tasting better. I ate a tomato the other day and was blown away by how delicious it was- seriously, a tomato. Ha ha. Defeating the Sugar Dragon makes everything else taste so much richer.