Monday was my final day of the Whole 30 and I thought it may be useful for those of you who are considering completing a Whole 30 to do a wrap-up post with my thoughts from completing the Whole 30. If you’re not sure what on earth a Whole 30 is then check out this post.
I was anticipating the first week symptoms that often come with the Whole 30, including headaches, fogginess and generally feeling pretty average. However given I had been eating pretty clean prior to starting the Whole 30 I didn’t really have any of those symptoms in the first week. If you want to make it easier on yourself then definitely start cutting some of the crap out of your diet before beginning the Whole 30.
If you have been eating a lot of processed foods I still definitely recommend completing a Whole 30, just be prepared for the above mentioned symptoms in your first week. This is normal as is essentially all the toxins from the processed food leaving your body and your body trying to work out what is going on.
Whilst I did not have the first week symptoms I didn’t get out of the Whole 30 unscathed, if you’re interested in reading a typical Whole 30 timeline (which I recommend before you begin your Whole 30) then check out this post from the Whole 30 team.
I definitely had the cravings for sweet foods (which appeared to be in overdrive compared to my normal cravings), and if I wasn’t documenting my journey and didn’t tell people about it I may well have fallen right off that wagon with a big thud!
Once the cravings for sweet foods began to wear off (and it felt like they never would – but they did!) I entered the “I’m so over this” phase and was sick of always saying no I can’t eat that and thinking ahead about what snacks I needed to have on me at all times because my hunger appeared to be in overdrive. I really just wanted to be able to go out for a nice dinner and not have to flick through the menu mentally saying, nope, nope, no can’t eat that, that would be okay if I took off the cheese, dressing and peanuts etc.
Somewhere between the ramped up cravings for sweet food and the boredom that ensued I began to not want sweet foods even when they were offered to me (GASP!). This is a massive step for me, to be asked if I want a chocolate with the box right in my face, with the crunchie, moro gold and caramello staring at me and I could say no thanks, because I genuinely didn’t actually want one! If I wasn’t doing the Whole 30 I would have taken one and eaten it without a second thought.
Another side effect I had with the Whole 30 is that my bowels appeared to be in overdrive (TMI – I know, sorry!). I have been very regular the whole way through the Whole 30 and at times have even had ridiculous stomach pains and I wasn’t really sure why. After doing a touch of research I discovered that pretty much everything I had been eating with the exception of eggs and meat are high in fibre and we all know that fibre helps keep you regular.
Fruit – High in Fibre
Nuts / Seeds – High in Fibre
Coconut – High in Fibre
Sweet Potato – High in Fibre
Vegetables – High in Fibre
To begin with I thought it was the fruit that was causing me issues, although I wasn’t eating a lot more fruit that I usually would as I didn’t want to use fruit as a crutch for sugar cravings. I had a couple of days with no fruit and still had issues and only now after a little bit of research understand why I was having the issues. The weird thing is that the Whole way through the Whole 30 I haven’t been eating much differently to what I normally would, with the exception of not having paleo treats (all the ingredients individually are Whole 30 compliant!) and milk in my cup of tea.
My goals when I began the Whole 30 were to:
- Stabilise my energy levels – eliminate the 3.30itis.
- Change my habits and cravings surrounding sweet foods.
- Have clearer skin
Goal #1 has definitely improved as I have felt pretty alert the whole way through the Whole 30 and 3.30itis has been minimised – the resulting 3.30itis I believe is more boredom from the work I have been doing on those days or not being particularly busy rather than anything food related.
Goals #2 has improved way more than I could have ever imagined! I still can’t believe that three days in a row chocolate was offered to me and I said No and genuinely didn’t actually want it! This is something I want to be careful of when I do introduce some sugar back in to my diet to make sure I actually do want the food at the time and it’s a special food or occasion rather than just accepting it when I don’t even want it.
Goal #3 – I haven’t really noticed a difference to be honest and this was a bit of a pipe dream as I am fairly certain my skin issues stem from my Jadelle Implant, and probably not taking the best care of my skin rather than food.
While weight loss wasn’t a goal for me I know a lot of people who have completed a Whole 30 have experienced weight loss. I ended up gaining 100 grams, so no real change for me.
The first thing I had after the Whole 30 was a cup of milky tea because that is the thing I have been missing the most the whole way through the Whole 30. I also had a cupcake that was put safely away for me in the freezer at around day 12, and I will be giving that a taste test 😉
If you’re interested in completing the Whole 30 then these posts may help you:
Why I’m starting a Whole 30
Whole 30 Week 1
Whole 30 Week 2
Whole 30 Week 3 & 4
What would be the first thing you would eat if you were doing a Whole 30?
All of this reminds me of what it felt like to have gestational diabetes when I was pregnant! Especially the part about just wanting to grab something while you’re out and realising nothing on the menu is OK as is.
I don’t think I could go the whole hog with a Whole 30 but I am definitely working on reducing my consumption of processed foods!
Having to be so picky is such a pain in the butt! At least for both of us it was only for a short length of time (although yours was a lot longer!).