Reflections on My First Whole30

[Robeeno]

Settle in, boys and girls. I'm nothing if not wordy.

I recently finished up my first Whole30 and I've had a chance to reflect on it for a few days. I'm actually not sure if I think my 30 days on Whole30 was a success or not. I certainly didn't experience the "magic" that so many people describe. Here are some observations—30 for 30.

 

The basics about me: Age 62, need to lose about 60 pounds, diet prior to starting W30 was very poor, no major underlying medical issues that I'm aware of, no formal exercise program although I try to walk as much as possible (I have balance issues as a result of an acoustic neuroma).

 

1. I did not have any cravings, mood swings, sugar monster attacks, kill all things moments, longings…all things that most people seem to experience.
2. I actually found the whole thing quite easy. Yes, easy. Seriously.
3. I did not have any cheats.
4. I did not snack.
5. I did not indulge in any SWYPO foods.
6. I tried to stick to the template as best as possible. Some days weren't the most balanced but overall I think I was 80–85% on point.
7. I didn't miss anything. Let's amend that a bit. I sometimes missed not having certain things, like a bun for my hamburger, but I was perfectly fine without them and not having them didn't make my food any less enjoyable. I never felt deprived.
8. While I wasn't in this for weight loss, I didn't have the kind of loss I though I might, especially given how much I could stand to lose (60 pounds) and how much others, who weigh less than I, lost during their W30. In total, I lost 7 pounds. Not a lot but it's better than gaining 7 pounds.
9. My sleep did NOT improve one iota, despite my best efforts.
10. I did not experience "tiger blood."
11. I did not notice increased energy.
12. I thought my mid-afternoon slumps decreased by a small amount, but I still found myself yawning and wishing for a nap most days.
13. My reflux did not improve. In fact, some days I actually thought it was worse. A lot of breakthrough, even with my usual meds.
14. For a couple of days, my knee was pain-free. That didn't last long.
15. My overall achiness (really only noticeable when I get up from a sitting or prone position) did not improve.
16. My occasional intestinal distress—bloating and rumbling—didn't improve.
17. My regularity didn't improve. Still hit-or-miss.
18. The itchy patch on my wrist didn't improve.
19. Many of the items on the NSV checklist didn't apply and for most of those that did…no changes.
20. I really can't point to ANY significant physical changes—positive or negative.
21. I actually got sick—lousy head cold and the usual annoying cough—during my W30.
22. I found many of the meals to be quite heavy. I don't mind fat in my diet but sometimes cooking in fat and then adding fat just upped the heaviness quotient, even though I love veg and eat a lot of it.
23. I also found my meals to be quite repetitive despite sourcing recipes from many, many books and sites and cooking my little heart out.
24. I did feel more satiated from eating more protein and fat. As a result, I didn't snack between meals and I didn't feel hungry either.
25. In fact, there were days when I wasn't hungry, PERIOD. I actually skipped a few meals because I didn't feel like eating. Wait, WHAT?!? Missing a meal is not a good thing, on or off Whole30, but the the thought of forcing myself to eat when I really, really wasn't hungry wasn't a good thing either.
26. Buying organic, grass-fed, pastured, compliant and whatnot is HELLA expensive. I made a soup with purchased beef bone broth (because I didn't have what I needed to make my own) that probably cost nearly $70. Yeah…no.
27. I'm over sweet potatoes.
28. I may be slightly over bacon. Slightly.
29. I considered continuing on W30 for another 15 days before starting to reintroduce foods, but I didn't see the point, especially since I experienced no positive or negative changes after 30 days.
30. Even though I didn't officially decide to continue, I'm doing a (very) slow roll reintroduction since I didn't feel a need to jump right in. At this point, 11 days after the official end, I'd say I'm around 80% Whole30.

 

Looking at the list, it doesn't seem like my Whole30 was a rousing success, does it? Probably not, according to some standards, including mine. I mean, I just didn't feel ANY different once the 30 days were up. It's frustrating and I keep looking back to see what I did "wrong." But there's nothing I can point to.

 

But…I did learn that a lot of the things—and quantities—I eat, I eat because they're a want, not a need. I easily did without them for 30 days and had no overwhelming desire to seek them out. If I reached for something, like the sugary-sour candy I would always keep by my desk, it was strictly out of habit. There were no mad cravings; I just automatically reached out my hand because that's what I always did. Once I realized there was no candy, that was that. Moved on. 

 

Is that alone worth considering my Whole30 to be a success? I don't think so, at least not the success I was expecting it to be. I also don't think following the program as a lifestyle is a viable option for me, especially since I don't seem to be bothered by the foods I gave up. (I'm guessing if I didn't notice any great improvement from their absence, I'm probably okay with them.) Since weight loss is what I'm looking for, I'll probably go back to Weight Watchers. It works, I can eat all the foods I want and it's sustainable for the long-term. Whole30? Not so much for me. Too much expense, too much prep effort, too much sameness, too restrictive. I don't drink alcohol and I don't eat a lot of soy but I do not want to give up grains. I do not want to give up legumes. Or dairy. Or sugar. And most importantly, given that I'm a hobby bread baker, I do not want to give up gluten. I will, however, try to incorporate W30/Paleo concepts into my regular plan, especially when it comes to looking out for hidden added sugar and maybe incorporating some gluten-free baking.

 

Am I sorry I did it? Only from an economic standpoint. As I said, I bought the best I could and special ordered W30 compliant ingredients and it's just too damned expensive. (Yes, I could have gone the cheaper route but since I was doing this for the first time, I figured I'd go whole-hog. I normally try to buy organic veg, pastured eggs and grass-fed beef, but Whole30 meats and broth and bacon? Yowza!) Otherwise, I'd heard a lot about the program and was curious, thought it sounded like there might be something in it for me, and despite being skeptical about stuff like this, I decided to go for it. I probably won't do another but I definitely don't regret doing this one.