Just finished my Whole31

[GWW]

I just finished my Whole31 ... 31 because  I had a doctor's appointment with labs scheduled on the 32nd day, and so I kept compliant through it. That was this morning, and I'm still compliant, so who's counting, right?

 

The bad news first... I went to labs this morning hoping to see improvements in three areas: TSH (thyroid), Uric Acid (gout), and Triglycerides.

My TSH actually got worse, so doc is doubling my synthroid dose (from 44mcg to 88mcg).
No noticeable change in Uric Acid.
My Tri's are a different story - they weren't as closely watched over my past few lab visits.. and I learned sometime last year that I was supposed to be fasting before taking these labs (oops). So my historic numbers are: March 2015: 325, Oct 2015: 382, June 2016: 347, Feb 2017 (today): 123. Drastic difference, but like I said - I may have been eating the mornings of those other tests as I never skip breakfast. Or, it could be a good improvement!

Cholesterol is the same situation as the Tri's: March 2015: 202, Oct 2015: 232, June 2016: 214, Feb 2017 (today): 156. A marked improvement, or am I just doing the test correctly now? Probably a mixture of both.

I've been struggling with being extra tired in the morning - although now that I see that my TSH levels are off, that could be the reason. Once I'm up and moving (and especially after my first cup of coffee) I'm good to go. I thought maybe my cortisol and/or melatonin levels were trying to stabilize to the new sugar-free diet, but I've been averaging 1.5 hours of sleep more per night than I was before the Whole30, and still feeling tired when I first wake up. The new dose of TSH starts today, so I'll figure that out soon enough.

 

The good news...

Who cares about all of that stuff? I feel great! I had hoped as a long shot to be able to come off some of my meds (allopurinol and synthroid) - and maybe I still will... 30 days isn't very long - but I lost 13.2 lbs in 30 days, and look and feel better than I have in years!

I'm 5'11", started at 217.2lbs (now at 204lbs), have lost an inch off my waist, and feel really good. Much less head fog (food and alcohol changes surely helped that!), more focus, more and more consistent energy (except for waking time). I've been setting PR's in my runs, mountain biking, and at the crossfit box. I feel like I have Tiger Blood... or maybe Tiger Pup Blood - but still enough for me!

As a bonus, I love the food and realized during breakfast yesterday morning (Day 31) that I didn't really want to reintroduce anything yet. I'm not missing grains, or dairy, or legumes. I haven't noticed any sort of digestive improvements by avoiding those items, so they'll probably be fine for me... but I simply don't miss them. The food I'm eating tastes great, and I'm eating my fill. "If it's not broke, don't fix it."

I believe it would be wise to still go through the reintroduction fast track since I do have a baseline following the Whole30, and if something does affect me I would be able to notice it. But after that, I think my routine will be to continue eating compliant, except for when we go out for dinner - and then to enjoy it. Eating out has been, hands down, the worst part of the Whole30. Everything else has been fine.

 

So there you have it. I did a short video blog of my journey, which you can see here if you're interested.

I still need to add a results video and maybe some recipes to it, but it covers the ups and downs of the first couple of weeks.

To those considering doing it - or midway through - IT'S WORTH IT!

At least, it was for me.

 

Cheers!

GDubs

[GWW]

Update - I was just doing some medical research (you know, a Google search) about how much eating before a cholesterol test can affect it - and while a fatty meal can move it, some doctors have started looking at the ratio between HDL and LDL instead, because a meal does not affect that. (Here is the article I read from NPR.)

 

To update my results:

HDL: Normal is 39 or greater: March 2015: 36, Oct 2015: 37, June 2016: 33, Feb 2017: 40

LDL Direct: Normal is 0-99.9: March 2015: 122, Oct 2015: 129, June 2016: 125, Feb 2017: 97

The Difference: March 2015: 86, Oct 2015: 92, June 2016: 92, Feb 2017: 57

I'll take that! Note that both readings came into "Normal" range for this test, and came quite a bit closer together.

I forgot in the original post: my blood pressure was within normal range (normally borderline high), and my doctor was pleasantly surprised at my resting heart rate. He had to do a doubletake. He didn't tell me what it was, but he was impressed by it.

Yay Whole30!

[musclesglasses5]

i am so impressed with your cholesterol and triglyceride numbers! i am doing another w30 just because i want work in solidarity with a bud who's doing his first w30 in feb to help his cholesterol. your story gives me even more hope he will reach his goal!