Day 30- ALREADY?!

[CarolinaJ85]

So these last 30 days went extremely quickly.

Here are my thoughts on my first Whole30:

A little background first:

I am a pediatrics resident and have heard my patients talking about the Paleo diet before. I did not know much about it so I did a quick google search. The first thing that popped up were hundreds of Paleo-ified dessert recipes on Pinterest. Almond butter pancakes with protein frosting? Ew. I didn't think much of the Paleo diet after that until a colleague urged me to read ISWF. I ate an OK diet before this- not much sugar, no soda, no fast food. I did however eat plenty of low fat greek yogurt, cheese, oatmeal, granola, etc.

What I have accomplished during this last month:

THE GOOD:

1) I eat breakfast- a real breakfast! When you work over 80 hours a week this gets important. I have felt a lot more energy all day long.

2) My cellulite is almost gone. I was not expecting this, but I am pleased. I always told people my cellulite was "genetic" because I had it even when I was in college and 20lb lighter than I am now. Well, clearly it was not a weight issue. I am thinking it is related to cutting out dairy with the associated bloating but I am not sure.

3) I am more confident! YAY! Feel strong and thrilled that I am treating my body well. I used to be obsessed with food. I always talked about what I was eating, what I ate, and what I was going to eat. Now, my life is focused on other matters but I still have a great time cooking.

4) We spent LESS money. I am shocked by this. I think it was the Starbucks lattes adding up before but my husband and I had our lowest spending month since we got married 2 years ago.

5) I killed off that sugar demon. Went from a 2 packets of splenda and some fat-free coffee creamer in my small mug of coffee to instead drinking it black or with a tbsp of coconut milk. No more sugar bomb oatmeal bowls in the AM which were really dessert. Limited my coffee to 1 cup a day to which has been nice.

6) I lost 11.6 lb. This part is pretty unexpected. I am 5'9" and went from about 158 to 146. I also decided that I don't care and I am throwing out the scale I did not allow myself to have nuts (a previous binge food) and limited fruit to 1 piece per day which likely helped.

7) I can't imagine ever going back to the way I used to eat.

THE BAD:

1) Warning maybe TMI: I skipped my period even though I am not pregnant. It's making me a little uneasy but I am hoping it will come back soon.

2) It is frustrating when people say "OMG I feel SO bad for you, WHAT do you eat?". I don't feel bad for me so I don't know why they do. I never felt deprived. But, I need to rehearse a good answer because I hate that question.

3) It didn't help my rosacea. I guess I wasn't expecting much, but it would have been nice.

4) I had horrid constipation for the first week until my body regulated itself.

Thanks for all of the support everyone!

[missmary]

great report and great success!! Hang in there with the rosacea, I think it sometimes takes longer that 30 days to work that stuff out.

[CarolinaJ85]

Thanks- I am in a healthy BMI range so I think I need to make some tweaks so that I can maintain this weight- maybe increase my protein and fat a bit due to my high activity level. I am excited to continue on- although on Easter will allow myself to not be too strict (ie, if my parents cook with non-compliant oil, I am OK with that for one meal). I don't however, feel temptation to eat all the cheese, bread, and carrot cake that I usually have on Easter No chocolates either.

[ScoutFinch]

Also lost the cellulite, and also not quite done with the skin problems including rosacea and perioral dermatitis. In my case thinking it might be eggs, as nuts have been taken out and breakouts still pretty common, but most sources including this one say 30 days for many chronic issues isn't at all unusual. Congratulations and happy Easter!

[Tom Denham]

I love your entire story, but my favorite part was your finding dessert recipes as your introduction to a healthy approach to eating. It is ironic that the Paleo diet is almost co-opted on the internet by the nostalgic creations of camouflaged sugar and grain addicts.

I don't have any memorable experiences of anyone feeling sorry for me about what I eat. Maybe it is because I am good in the kitchen and only a very active foodie enjoys meals as good as mine. Because I publish a recipe blog and take photos with my iPhone, I have been known to show people the last 5 or 6 things I have made to illustrate how good Whole30 food can be. My last five pictures show Skillet Roasted Duck Breast, Baby Cut Carrots, and Kale; Mahi Mahi in Coconut Milk Curry with Broccoli and Red Peppers; Pan Caramelized Plantains; Four-Hour Pot Roast with Tomatoes and Carrots over Wilted Greens; Stir-Fried Ground Beef and Onions with Roasted Baby Cut Carrots and Scalloped Turnips in Ghee. These are meals I've made in the past 7 or 8 days. I could not eat like this while working 80 hours per week, but it is the life of a resident that is hard, not the life of a Paleo eater.

[firecook1]

I have had a couple of people say "so what CAN you eat?" and when I tell them (or show them my iphone pics) of the great meals - the tons of veggies, they look kind of envious....and follow up with "don't you miss cheese?" my response.."cheese is still there....I just don't have a hankering for it!"