Losing steam midway through my second Whole 30- was it too soon to start round two?

[Kate_D]

Hi all! This is my first time posting on the Whole 30 forum and I am on Day 11 of my second Whole 30. My first Whole 30 was in April, so just a couple months ago. I felt AMAZING during the first Whole 30, starting in the first week- tons of energy, glowing skin, improved body composition, and even lost a couple pounds (was hoping for a bit more, but the real accomplishment was in how I FELT).  Unfortunately, I had scheduled my Whole 30 so it ended just as vacation and an intense period of work travel started (I know, exactly what they say NOT to do). I thought I could still do the slow roll intro, but instead I ended up on a roller coaster.....back on my old diet, which was pretty low in processed junk food, but was definitely brimming with off-plan items like cheese and pasta. When I say roller coaster, what I mean is that I all of a sudden was SO sensitive to foods I used to eat, but I didn't know what exactly was causing the distress because I didn't do a proper reintroduction.  So I felt horrible (mainly digestion and drop in energy, but also some skin issues).  After a couple weeks of negative side effects, I decided that I was going to do round two, but went kind of crazy with off-plan things in the week leading up to it (I almost never eat ice cream, but somehow managed to eat strawberry shortcake every day for almost a week before Day One ).

 

 

So....here I am again. I started to feel better after just a few days back. My skin is glowing again. But I'm feeling overwhelmed by the Whole 30 in a way that I wasn't at all in the first round. It's a busier time of year, so I haven't been cooking as much as I did the first time, which means relying more on store-bought lunches and dinners (I almost broke down at the Whole Foods salad bar today because EVERYTHING HAS SUGAR IN IT). My partner and other friends who were super-supportive in the first round are also being a little skeptical of this time around- I've gotten a lot of, "You're really doing this again? Didn't you just do it?" and "You're so high maintenance these days!".

 

I don't mean to complain, because I absolutely love the Whole 30 and totally believe it is life changing! I guess my question is- do I buckle down and stay in the game for this round? Or come back to Whole 30 again when I'm able to tackle it full steam? And do a Whole-30ish diet, leaving out the heavy hitters (sugar, gluten, dairy) in between so I don't get all the negative side effects.

 

 

[GFChris]

Ultimately, it's your call.

 

What were your reasons for taking on a Whole30 at this time?  Is it to get to a point where you can do a proper reintro? Something else?

[Kate_D]

It was mostly to get back to feeling better again. I think that before I did the Whole 30, I didn't really believe I was sensitive to any particular food group, I did it because a co-worker had a great experience and I was looking to boost my energy. Coming out of it was a huge eye opener though...just knowing how GOOD it's possible to feel. Also that there are foods out (beyond processed junk food) there that are really not optimal for my body. I'm realizing looking over my post that I want all the good feelings without the hard work

I also wanted to do the re-intro for real, because I feel like I missed out on an important part of the whole 30 by doing my crash-and-burn style of re-intro.

[GFChris]

I'm realizing looking over my post that I want all the good feelings without the hard work

I also wanted to do the re-intro for real, because I feel like I missed out on an important part of the whole 30 by doing my crash-and-burn style of re-intro.

 

Hmm ... so it sounds like a full-fledged Whole30 is the appropriate next step for you.

 

You simply need to decide whether now is the time that you're ready to commit to the whole process.