Whole 30 – The Real Deal

THIS IS IT YOU GUYS!!!! THE FINAL DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that I have completed the Whole 30, I wanted to share my thoughts and results with you. Whole 30 isn’t for everyone. I don’t think I am better than you because I was able to go 30 days without grains, sugar, alcohol, dairy, legumes, and processed foods. Some people have no need to cut those things from their diet.

For me, Whole 30 was about proving to myself that I could go 30 days without these things. Because if I am being honest, I haven’t really succeeded with anything this strict in the past. Not that I ever officially tried. I would say that I was watching what I ate or counting calories, but I would always have little cheats and no one else would know it…but I knew it. Whole 30 was proving that food does not control me.

I also have been having a lot of skin issues the past year. My cheeks are constantly broken out and I have never had it this bad my entire life. I knew something had to change and changing up all the skin care products wasn’t doing a thing for me.

Things I have Learned:

–You in fact wont die without cheese and grains. Crazy, right??? I was sure I would.

–I actually didn’t miss alcohol. Not even a little.

–I didn’t really miss much of anything after the first week if I am being completely honest. It literally got easier and easier as the  month went on. Sure, I would have loved to have some crackers and goat cheese or a cheeseburger or whatever, but I really didn’t miss anything. I even got to the point where I literally didn’t crave anything sweet.

–It is really helpful to have at least one friend doing this with you. Besides Amy and Laura who hosted The Breakup Challenge, my best friend Laura and her husband did Whole 30 with me. One of my coworkers joined me on week two and another joined us on my third week and we all three ate lunch in the break room every day and talked about all the fun things we have been cooking and how we have been feeling. I thank every single one of them for being supportive.

–If you already meal plan, this really isn’t much extra effort. The only thing that I have had to change while grocery shopping was that I really had to pay even more attention to labels than I already do.

–Eating super clean and healthy is more expensive. I think we all already knew this, but it was proven as our grocery bill has been higher since I started this. But to be fair, we are eating more meals at home than we did before. And I am spending zero  money on alcohol or coffee out…so I think that makes up for it.

–I can actually drink black coffee. You get used to not having creamer after about 7 to 10 days of straight up black. However, if I had to say one thing I missed the most…it was the creamer in my coffee in the mornings. It is just so much more enjoyable that way.

Myth or Fact:

—Hanger – The second and third day I was a little tired and hangry, nothing I couldn’t get through. It was my fault for not eating enough the first week. Also, I had just got home from a vacation, that following week having to go back to the real world is a always a little trying anyways.

—Tiger Blood – Yes, this is in fact true. While Tiger Blood didn’t last a full week or whatever for me, the feeling came and went certain days and it was euphoric!

Other than that, I didn’t really experience the other things that people claim that they go through. I wasn’t wanting to kill all the things or nap for days. I didn’t want to throw in the towel half way in. I honestly started feeling better after about day 5 or 6 and have been fine since. Ironically, my sugar cravings stopped around that time too. Go figure, right??

Results:

I wish I would have taken measurements, but I didn’t. So I can’t really give you facts like I shaved 2 inches off my waist and ass or anything like that. What I can tell you is that I fit into a top that I haven’t worn in a year. My “tight” pants aren’t so tight anymore. I had a male co-worker tell me “I was looking slimmer” and that “whole 30 was working for me.” One of my beloved Ahole Bros girls told me “You are looking fucking fabulous.” So yeah, there have been some body changes!!!!

As of this morning, I have lost exactly SEVEN POUNDS! That’s right 7 lb’s!!! Sure that might not seem like a lot to some people, but 7 pounds is the most I have ever lost in one month. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I stepped on the scale this morning. Disappointment, perhaps? I mean that is usually the feeling one gets around the scale. I basically danced all over the house.

Also, and most importantly for me….my face has completely cleared up. Sure, I have been left with some nasty scarring that I am going to have to figure out how to deal with. Does Mederma work on the face???? But I haven’t really had any bad breakouts this entire month which is HUGE for me.

Sadly, that means that I am in fact allergic or sensitive to something that I had been consuming regularly. I am side eyeing you dairy and grains. Ohhhhh the day when I figure out which one it is will be a sad, sad day my friends.

These next two are both AFTER

That white shirt is the one that didn’t fit me very well a year ago. And you can see that my black work pants are too big on my legs, they are puddling behind the and under the knees. Granted, they are a wider leg flare bottom, but not supposed to be that big where the knees are.

Confession:

You guys, I literally did not even cheat once during this 30 days…..intentionally. You see, Saturday after my nephews basketball game….we ate a late lunch at Logans. I made sure to order my sweet potato with no butter or sugar, just cinnamon, etc. I did, however, forget to tell them no cheese on my salad. I ate at least 6 bites before I realized why the salad tasted so fucking delicious and amazing. It was because there was cheese in it. YOU GUYS!!!! I literally almost started crying at the table in the packed restaurant. Chris and my sister laughed and made fun of me, “Oh no, cheese!!! You’re going to die!!!” But seriously, I was so sad and upset with myself that I didn’t even notice and had consumed a few bites.

Obviously, I quit eating it immediately. But still. I had to be very honest and say that I did consume just a few bites of cheese on accident.

Coincidentally, or maybe not so coincidentally, I woke up Sunday morning with a pimple on my cheek. Just one. I am not sure that a few little bites of shredded cheddar could do that, but who knows. I mean, I doubt there was even a piece of it in every one of those 6 bites anyways.

What Now?

I am still trying to decide 100% what I am going to do now that I am done with Whole 30. My plan for now is to drop down to Paleo during the week and allow myself one full out cheat meal on Saturdays and perhaps a half a cheat for Friday lunches. Who would have thought that I would say something like “Drop down to paleo” in my entire life??? Not me friends….not me. And yet, here I am.

What is my first cheat meal?

Laura and I plan to try out a new restaurant later this week and that will be the first “real meal” that I will be having. Does someone smell a cheeseburger?

Will this be me on my first cheat meal?

Time will tell!

I plan to update you guys in a few weeks after I have gone through “reintroduction” and let you know my thoughts on all that and what I will be doing after. You know….the whole “lifestyle” thing.