feeling overwhelmed post-whole30

[caitlin13]

My initial post whole-30 days consisted of the re-introduction of dairy (the only food I really “missed†on my whole30) including blue cheese on my cobb salad and cheddar on my burger. I also indulged in a few sweet potato fries that while are not “whole30 deal breakers†they aren't the best nutritional choice.

I definitely felt a difference, not in the way my body felt but in the way my mind feels about cheese. I LOVE CHEESE, I would consider it my “favorite food†but when I had it in my first days back, though I still loved the taste and thoroughly enjoyed it, I would say that my NEED and my CRAVING for it is gone.  In my mind, this is what the whole30 is all about. I feel like my “sugar dragon†(though it is more salt) for cheese has really calmed down. On another note, my body is still feeling good today I still have great energy, feel well rested and have no digestive issues after 1 day of dairy introduction, but more importantly have realized that I DON'T NEED CHEESE (or dairy in general) and it can become something that is more of a “treatâ€!

 

Now transition to a few days later and I feel I have indulged too much, this is almost a bit of a confession. I went on a much needed vacation this weekend (eating out at every meal which we all know can be difficult). I enjoyed some cocktails (limited to tequila, lime and soda water and some red wine) I maintained a primarily “whole30†eating strategy but tried not to stress about the butter in my sauce, sugar in my bacon or other little things like that (as I was post whole 30 and my dairy introduction had already occurred) There was also a small ice cream consumed as well as a little chocolate, and probably more cheese than needed to be…but for the most part, I felt good about my first post30 vacation!

 

And on the last day, it got to me and I had some fried pickles, the only thing not on my reintroduction strategy at all. I felt horrible afterwards, not physically, but more like “why did I do that? That was silly†But yes they tasted amazing and that was the reason I did it, because I truly enjoy them.

So I am writing this because I don't know how to proceed and want a little advice. Part of me wants to already get back on track, jump into another Whole30 or Whole14 to re-introduce my body why I don't need these foods. Part of me also wants to try to continue a mostly whole30 lifestyle with a few “treats†here and there but I want to know how to not beat myself up over it.

[Michele West]

I'm curious to hear advice on this topic as well. I have the same apprehension when my current Whole 30 is complete. I made it to Day 21 back in January and had a really hard time with beating myself up over every item I ate that wasn't Whole 30 approved.......

[caitlin13]

I forgot to mention that I completed my Whole30 last Wednesday and I feel great and very accomplished about all the hard work that I put in!

[Tom Denham]

Maybe you could commit to a Whole3 or Whole5 or Whole7 to gain your balance and make decisions from a better place. I don't know that you have to complete another 30 days so quickly. 

 

The key to life after your Whole30 is developing good practices about when, where, and how often you eat foods that you know do not make you healthy. Personally, I never eat anything but Whole30 foods in my house and I eat most of my meals at home. I work from home, so my plan is easier for me than it might be for other people. I do eat out several times per week and usually order meat or fish and veggies in restaurants. I have eaten pizza twice and pasta and bread in an Italian restaurant twice in the past 4 years. But here is the big thing: I almost never order dessert.

 

Yesterday, I had salmon, mashed potatoes, and green beans in a restaurant. Maybe the mashed potatoes had some milk or cream in them, but I didn't worry about it because I am not doing a Whole30. The friend with whom I was sitting asked the waiter what he would get if his birthday had been Friday. The waiter said cookies and ice cream. My friend had just turned 60 on Friday, so he said, bring them. The cookies and the ice cream looked good AND I turned 56 on Saturday. I could have had free cookies and ice cream. I thought about it and then decided not to do it. I'm saving myself for pie at Green's on Green Street in Roswell, Georgia and I may get a scoop of vanilla ice cream then. You see, I feel good about staying on plan most of the time. I don't have to go off plan every week. I can if I want to, but I like going weeks at a time without eating anything that makes me less healthy. 

[picklesandmeat]

Tom - thanks so much for those thoughts, that was exactly what I was searching for on day 15 of my first whole30. I love the foods and the way I feel. For the first time I'm not focused on weight or worried about maintence - which is a huge sigh of relief. Getting a glimpse into life after the whole30 is amazing. What a great program/lifestyle!

[alissafoo]

the same thing happened to me. The first day off Whole30 was great, I had no desire to eat anything non-compliant.  The second and third day, I had "a little more" (didn't stress about sugar or butter in restaurant things, or certain oil on my sweet potato chips) but now it's three weeks later and I still find myself a little "lost."  I haven't gone completely off the wagon and have DEFINITELY been making better choices than I would before (for example, I ordered the deviled eggs at the bar the other day instead of the nachos or the chili cheese fries) even though I still drank beer.  But, I've been trying to go back on even for a Whole7 or something less than Whole30 and getting past day 1 seems to be the hardest for me, even though I'm only ever "cheating" by a little bit. But, it's a slippery slope that I'm afraid of sliding down. I also wonder how that iron resolve that was just there during the Whole30 can go away so quickly??