Day 32 of my first #whole 30

I have never done any sort of "diet" before, and though I don't count Whole 30 as a diet, I am certainin some ways it is...but I love it and if you're interested and want to find out more check out Whole30 Downloads - The Whole30® Program. This is where I print out the basic information for my patients for free!

A few things that helped me: 

1) it's easier to do along with at least one other friend. Along with Melissa's text messaging service which I did pay for (not sure it's totally worth it for me but it did keep me on track and helped with the day count), I texted with two other friends doing the program with me. 

2) announce your intentions with your family and let them be there to encourage and celebrate each day with you, "what day are you on?" "...how great you have completed another day". I much prefer this than holding you accountable which might sound like this "you can't eat..." or "why are you eating..."

3) I have read the book previously but was able to re-read it while going through the Whole 30. It is available at the public library as an e-book. 

So why is whole 30 unlike other diets? 

Because you are not counting anything, you're simply eating clean balanced meals, recognizing when you are full, eating when you are hungry (at least 3 meals mostly). The goal is ultimately to reset your body - give it a fresh start by eliminating foods known to cause inflammation in most people though not everyone for 30 days before you gradually reintroduce the foods you eliminated. This I think is the most crucial part, it is intended to give you the information you need: to know how these foods impact your body and from that, help guide if/when/what amount you want to include said food in your everyday meals. It is more a systematic way to get to intuitive eating rather than "dieting." And it's not about the numbers on the scale. 

It's about these non scale victories. And I had many personal victories that I want to share. Here's the link to the list of potential benefits whole30-nsv.pdf but below are the some of the ones I experienced:

• Less painful joints 
• More energy (I stopped feeling sluggish about getting up to do a 30 minute work out before work)
• My sleep pattern was better (I generally went to sleep and woke up at around the same time without difficulty and I think being able to wake up to exercise helped to set the rhythm)
• This is a bit personal so skip if you don't want to hear about it. I am generally regular when it comes to #2 but it had always taken a little bit longer, around day 14-21 it was loose (icky) but by the end, I was completely regular and probably with fewer hemorrhoids if you know what I mean! 
• I still got seasonal allergies but it did not bother me nearly as much. I never felt congested. 
• Glowing skin and hair! I really couldn't believe it when I started to notice this. 
• I don't know about fresher breath, I didn't ask...but this would be nice, I'll check and get back to you. I know my seven year old didn't mention my stinky breath during this experiment.
• I was definitely less anxious, unfortunately I don't think I was more patient. 
• I felt empowered with my food choices, I would say during these past 30 days was the first time I ever said "no" to a food offering and it felt really good especially since it was from the same pizza shop I have had before and knew it wasn't very good, or grocery store baked goods, but to be able to say 'no I'm not eating that right now' or pass up that Safeway donut...that was a wow moment for me. 
• No longer used food for comfort or reward, this was a challenge and I don't think I've totally got it down, but by far one of my favorite aspects of the program was learning this, that that sinking feeling I feel when I'm sad, lonely, or need something, whatever it was, food was not going to fill that space for me, it just couldn't, at least not in a long lasting and true way.    
• And I discovered this whole other world of foods without added sugars that tastes so good which has made filling up my pantry with healthy options a whole lot easier. 
• It's true, I definitely have fewer cravings for that post meal sweet or mid afternoon "boost" in quotations because it was rarely a real boost. 
• All of this has me more confident for sure. 

The reintroduction, a confession: 

I mentioned I'm on day 32, the plan was for a reintroduction of each eliminated group every 2-3 days, with whole 30 in between. well I felt great the first day, day 31, I added non gluten grains which for me, was rice...I was pretty sure it wasn't going to have a major impact on me, I grew up on rice and for the most part felt fine but I did also eat a bag of Simple Pop and had a small ache in my wrist...

Here's my confession, day 32, yesterday. I went to a birthday party (don't worry friends, it was outdoors!) and in one meal I had a beer, dairy, added sugars, legumes and well, I can say I'm not feeling "my best" (the "best" that I discovered in that last week of whole 30). I still have a little headache, the small of back aches, my joints don't feel fantastic and I know I overate yesterday, but I'm still bloated. 

So, all this to say, I'm comfortably planning to going back to eating clean again for a little while before I reattempt a reintroduction. 

I am looking forward to sharing more.