My First Whole30 Experience!

[dsimmons]

I have wanted to do the Whole30 for a year and a half.  I read “It Starts with Food” twice, I listened to the eBook twice, I read over the cookbook repeatedly and read everything I could online.  Finally I decided there was no point in putting it off any longer, the sooner I start the sooner I’ll finish.

I decided to start January 2, 2017.

I wanted to do the Whole30 because I was positive I have food sensitivities but wasn’t sure what they were.  I did want to lose weight as well but that wasn’t my goal.  I also wanted to feel better.  I’ve been suffering with ailments like foggy brain, exhaustion, no energy, etc. for years.  I had cleaned up  my diet for two months prior to starting the Whole30.  My experience was vastly different than I expected.  I did not really have severe detox symptoms.  I also never got the ‘tiger’s blood’.  But I got so much more out of it.

My digestion improved almost immediately.  I had irregular bowel issues for a long time.  My doctor has no idea what was causing it.  All my labs came back normal.

Let me back track a few months here…  I’m 33 years old.  I’m a newlywed.  And my husband and I want to start a family soon.  I went to the doctor and she ran a slew of blood work on me.  My labs came back that I was pre-diabetic, iron anemic, vitamin B deficient, and vitamin D deficient.  I had high blood pressure.  I had symptoms of fatty liver and my left ventricle of my heart is enlarged and hardening due to my high blood pressure.  I also had sleep apnea.

This was in October 2016.  She said that I needed to get my BMI to 30-35% before she was comfortable for me to conceive.  That is almost 100 pounds I needed to lose.  I just took notes as she talked, trying to figure out what to do.  She complimented me on my positive attitude despite the slew of bad news she had given me.

I had a follow up appointment with my doctor on Jan. 30^th.  I had my labs done on Jan. 25^th.  I am no longer pre-diabetic.  My blood pressure is normal for the first time since 2012.  My iron stores have almost tripled.  My heart is still skipping a little bit but she suspects that’ll heal itself as I continue along on this journey.  All of these, I attribute to the Whole30.  It has literally changed my life.  My doctor told me that if I continue on this path at the rate I am going, she could clear me for pregnancy around July 2017.  That is music to my ears!

I encountered so many skeptics.  So much negative responses and dislike for this program from Clean Eating groups I am in.  They bashed the heck out of the Whole30.  I refused to let them beat me down over it.  Instead, I blogged every day.  I posted pictures of my food, talked about how I felt that day, and I shared when I was struggling.  I put the entire journey out there for everyone to see.  I would like to think they learned a lot from my journey.  Many were shocked at the types and amounts of food I could eat because they believed this program to be restrictive.  It is of course but not like what they expected.  I experimented with recipes and tried to make it my own.  I learned to listen to my body, stop when I was full and that it was okay to leave food on my plate.  I learned to read labels and Google was my hero when it came to checking ingredients.  I learned to make deliberate decisions when it came to the foods I chose during reintroduction.

I never felt deprived really.  Yes I missed certain foods but I committed to 30 days and I was determined to do it.  And I did do it.  I made it all 30 days and followed the program to a ‘T’.  I did not cheat, I did not slip.  No matter how many times I may have wanted to.  Like Melissa says, it’s only 30 days.

My starting stats were: 
Weight: 249.6 
Left Arm: 17.5" 
Right Arm: 17.5" 
Chest: 51" 
Stomach at belly button: 49.5" 
Lower Abs: 55.5" 
Hips: 53" 
Right Thigh: 31.5" 
Left Thigh: 31.5" 

My stats on Feb 1st were: 
Weight: 232.8 (-16.8 pounds) 
Left Arm: 16" (-1.5") 
Right Arm: 16" (-1.5") 
Chest: 48" (-3") 
Stomach at belly button: 47" (-2.5") 
Lower Abs: 53" (-2.5") 
Hips: 50" (-3") 
Right Thigh: 30" (-1.5") 
Left Thigh: 30" (-1.5") 

Total lost: 16.8 pounds and 17" overall!!! 

Here are some of my NSV's for January: 

*Rings are looser 
*Clothes are looser 
*Digestion is better 
*Tummy issues cleared up 
*Blood Sugar Normal finally 
*Blood Pressure normal for the first time since 2012 
*Fall asleep faster 
*My sense of smell seems heightened (not sure if this is a side effect of the Whole30 but I've noticed it the last week 

Overall in my journey to date, I’ve lost almost 32 pounds total.  I plan to continue to loosely follow the Whole30 going forward because I loved learning how to eat REAL FOOD instead of processed food.

I have attached a couple of pictures from my journey.

Thank you, Melissa and Dallas.  Although my Whole30 didn’t follow the ‘typical’ pattern of most Whole30 participants, I got so much from this program.  I learned so much.  And I was able to help inspire many others along the way

[Carol-g]

What a fantastic success story. Would live to hear how you are doing now.

[aussiegal]

How wonderful for you! If you stuck at it for 30 days with that much opposition I admire you! You can do anything girl!! 

[Tor26]

Wow! I am full of admiration for you, especially as you encountered so much opposition. Well done! 

[brittanyxo]

This is awesome!! I hope you're still on track and doing well!! Perhaps a Round 2 Whole 30 for June to ramp up to baby time?? Haha! Good luck!

[BeckyAkron]

On 2/6/2017 at 0:07 PM, dsimmons said:

I have wanted to do the Whole30 for a year and a half.  I read “It Starts with Food” twice, I listened to the eBook twice, I read over the cookbook repeatedly and read everything I could online.  Finally I decided there was no point in putting it off any longer, the sooner I start the sooner I’ll finish.

 

I decided to start January 2, 2017.

 

I wanted to do the Whole30 because I was positive I have food sensitivities but wasn’t sure what they were.  I did want to lose weight as well but that wasn’t my goal.  I also wanted to feel better.  I’ve been suffering with ailments like foggy brain, exhaustion, no energy, etc. for years.  I had cleaned up  my diet for two months prior to starting the Whole30.  My experience was vastly different than I expected.  I did not really have severe detox symptoms.  I also never got the ‘tiger’s blood’.  But I got so much more out of it.

 

My digestion improved almost immediately.  I had irregular bowel issues for a long time.  My doctor has no idea what was causing it.  All my labs came back normal.

 

Let me back track a few months here…  I’m 33 years old.  I’m a newlywed.  And my husband and I want to start a family soon.  I went to the doctor and she ran a slew of blood work on me.  My labs came back that I was pre-diabetic, iron anemic, vitamin B deficient, and vitamin D deficient.  I had high blood pressure.  I had symptoms of fatty liver and my left ventricle of my heart is enlarged and hardening due to my high blood pressure.  I also had sleep apnea.

 

This was in October 2016.  She said that I needed to get my BMI to 30-35% before she was comfortable for me to conceive.  That is almost 100 pounds I needed to lose.  I just took notes as she talked, trying to figure out what to do.  She complimented me on my positive attitude despite the slew of bad news she had given me.

 

I had a follow up appointment with my doctor on Jan. 30^th.  I had my labs done on Jan. 25^th.  I am no longer pre-diabetic.  My blood pressure is normal for the first time since 2012.  My iron stores have almost tripled.  My heart is still skipping a little bit but she suspects that’ll heal itself as I continue along on this journey.  All of these, I attribute to the Whole30.  It has literally changed my life.  My doctor told me that if I continue on this path at the rate I am going, she could clear me for pregnancy around July 2017.  That is music to my ears!

 

I encountered so many skeptics.  So much negative responses and dislike for this program from Clean Eating groups I am in.  They bashed the heck out of the Whole30.  I refused to let them beat me down over it.  Instead, I blogged every day.  I posted pictures of my food, talked about how I felt that day, and I shared when I was struggling.  I put the entire journey out there for everyone to see.  I would like to think they learned a lot from my journey.  Many were shocked at the types and amounts of food I could eat because they believed this program to be restrictive.  It is of course but not like what they expected.  I experimented with recipes and tried to make it my own.  I learned to listen to my body, stop when I was full and that it was okay to leave food on my plate.  I learned to read labels and Google was my hero when it came to checking ingredients.  I learned to make deliberate decisions when it came to the foods I chose during reintroduction.

 

I never felt deprived really.  Yes I missed certain foods but I committed to 30 days and I was determined to do it.  And I did do it.  I made it all 30 days and followed the program to a ‘T’.  I did not cheat, I did not slip.  No matter how many times I may have wanted to.  Like Melissa says, it’s only 30 days.

 

My starting stats were: 
Weight: 249.6 
Left Arm: 17.5" 
Right Arm: 17.5" 
Chest: 51" 
Stomach at belly button: 49.5" 
Lower Abs: 55.5" 
Hips: 53" 
Right Thigh: 31.5" 
Left Thigh: 31.5" 

My stats on Feb 1st were: 
Weight: 232.8 (-16.8 pounds) 
Left Arm: 16" (-1.5") 
Right Arm: 16" (-1.5") 
Chest: 48" (-3") 
Stomach at belly button: 47" (-2.5") 
Lower Abs: 53" (-2.5") 
Hips: 50" (-3") 
Right Thigh: 30" (-1.5") 
Left Thigh: 30" (-1.5") 

Total lost: 16.8 pounds and 17" overall!!! 

Here are some of my NSV's for January: 

*Rings are looser 
*Clothes are looser 
*Digestion is better 
*Tummy issues cleared up 
*Blood Sugar Normal finally 
*Blood Pressure normal for the first time since 2012 
*Fall asleep faster 
*My sense of smell seems heightened (not sure if this is a side effect of the Whole30 but I've noticed it the last week 

 

Overall in my journey to date, I’ve lost almost 32 pounds total.  I plan to continue to loosely follow the Whole30 going forward because I loved learning how to eat REAL FOOD instead of processed food.

 

I have attached a couple of pictures from my journey.

 

Thank you, Melissa and Dallas.  Although my Whole30 didn’t follow the ‘typical’ pattern of most Whole30 participants, I got so much from this program.  I learned so much.  And I was able to help inspire many others along the way

 

Thank you!! My body and health stats currently are similar to your starting stats. I'm 10 years older though. 

I'm starting as a brand newbie 6-6-17. Excited but nervous and quite frankly very scared. My mental state cannot take another failure with the associated guilt, shame and remorse.

Your story is relatable and positive. It makes me think I can do this. Thank you again.

[dsimmons]

On 5/20/2017 at 6:34 PM, Carol-g said:

What a fantastic success story. Would live to hear how you are doing now.

Hi Carol!  I'm doing okay. I've actually been struggling a bit but am trying desperately to get back on track!!

[dsimmons]

On 5/20/2017 at 9:01 PM, aussiegal said:

How wonderful for you! If you stuck at it for 30 days with that much opposition I admire you! You can do anything girl!! 

Aussie- thank you!  It was tough but I think I'm going to do round 2 very soon. 

[dsimmons]

On 5/21/2017 at 3:41 AM, Tor26 said:

Wow! I am full of admiration for you, especially as you encountered so much opposition. Well done! 

Tor - thank you so much!

[dsimmons]

On 5/23/2017 at 0:14 PM, brittanyxo said:

This is awesome!! I hope you're still on track and doing well!! Perhaps a Round 2 Whole 30 for June to ramp up to baby time?? Haha! Good luck!

Brittany - you've read my mind!  I'll probably start mid June or so but I absolutely plan to do this again. I've struggled a bit since I finished. Time to pull myself up by the bootstraps. 

[dsimmons]

On 5/29/2017 at 9:14 AM, BeckyAkron said:

Thank you!! My body and health stats currently are similar to your starting stats. I'm 10 years older though. 

I'm starting as a brand newbie 6-6-17. Excited but nervous and quite frankly very scared. My mental state cannot take another failure with the associated guilt, shame and remorse.

Your story is relatable and positive. It makes me think I can do this. Thank you again.

Becky - it is so hard but so worth it. I promise you. You can do this!  I'm happy to be buddies to keep you accountable or to be there to vent to. You just let me know!

[thinbythirty]

This made me cry!!  Congrats on being SO close to being cleared for pregnancy!!