No Tiger Blood, But Still a Success

[RDSAM]

i just finished my first Whole 30, and I thought I'd share my experience.  If you've already drunk the Kool-Aid, then you can probably skip right over this story, but if you're generally skeptical of fad diets, miracle cures, and the like, then read on for an entirely credible story about an experience I can wholeheartedly recommend.  

First, the back story.  In short, my wife wanted to try the Whole 30, but we've learned from experience that when only one of us embarks on something like this, we rarely succeed.  We need to both be committed for it to work.  So I said, "sure."  After all, the guidelines that I read looked like they were at least based on logic and I was unlikely to do any damage to myself by following them for 30 days.  

The week before we started, I read a lot more about prep.  This was really important, as having the right stuff in the pantry and fridge is key to being able to pull this off.  I also read the Whole 30 Timeline.  Wow!  Horrible headaches, apathy, lethargy, followed by rage, maybe some doubts, and then finally Tiger Blood!  I wasn't really sure what Tiger Blood felt like, but it looked like I was in for quite a journey.  

My timeline was quite different:

Day 1:  This is totally easy, and that pork belly, roasted potatoes, and fried eggs I had for breakfast was amazing!  

Days 2-3:  Hmm.  Still pretty easy.  No lethargy, no headaches.  I think I feel pretty decent.

Days 7-10:  Ok, where's my rage and Tiger Blood?  I was promised Tiger Blood, wasn't I?  I just feel "pretty good."  Oh actually, I guess I haven't had heartburn since I started.  Wow, I hadn't even really thought of that till now.  So yeah, that's great.  And come to think of it, I don't feel like I get super hungry any more.  Or rather, I don't get SUDDENLY STARVING like I used to.  I just slowly start to get hungry and then I eat.  And then I feel fine until I slowly start to get hungry again a couple hours later.  Huh...not bad.  

Days 10 - 20:  Same old, same old.  I have eaten a crap-ton of eggs, though.  But I still feel pretty good.  And wow, we have built up some amazing habits around cooking and healthy snacks.  In fact, that's something I really want to keep up.  I was never good at meal planning before, but now I feel like a pro and we always have good healthy options to eat.  We also sit down to eat together as a family way more.  Ok, so that's a pretty awesome side effect.  People have also told me I look thinner...I see it too.  Alright, Whole 30, I'm digging this.  Except when I see people eating something delicious like doughnuts.  Mmmm...they do look tasty.  But I don't need them, and I don't feel horribly deprived when I see and smell them.  

Days 20-30:  Still feeling good.  For the past 20 days, I've been wondering what I'll eat on day 31.  Pizza?  Cake?  Ice cream?  Beer?  All of the above times three?  Suddenly I realize I'm not really all that excited about day 31.  Sure it'll be nice to be able to have a cookie or something if I really want one.  And THANK GOD I won't have to stress, wondering if those cashews were roasted with rice bran oil.  But I realize I don't really want to eat crap unless there's a good reason for it.  In fact, on normal days, I think I'll keep most of the habits I've built up during the Whole 30.  And I'll splurge a bit when we go out to dinner with friends, or when we're celebrating a special occasion.  

Day 31:  I pretty much stayed on plan today.  In fact, I might have still been compliant.  But I did eat that delicious salad at work with the grilled steak and chimichurri dressing.  Could the steak have been grilled with a non-compliant oil?  Maybe.  Did the dressing have any added sugar?  Maybe.  But who the hell cares?  Maybe I'll even have a cookie tomorrow.  

So as you can see, my Whole30 did not cure cancer, give me a tan, or bestow upon me any other miracles.  What it did was get rid of my heartburn, make me feel pretty good, and helped me lose 12 lbs (I started at 180 and finished at 168...and I'm 5'11'').  Perhaps even better, though, is that it seems to have changed my food habits in terms of what I want, how often and severely I get hungry, and how I prep and eat food.  In my mind, those alone would justify giving Whole30 a shot.  Oh, and one final note.  I should mention that I did not cheat at all on the Whole30.  I stayed 100% compliant for the entire 30 days.  No cheats, no exceptions.  For me, this was important as once I deviate from something, I'm MUCH more likely to keep making small deviations.  

Good luck if you wind up giving it a try!  

Rob