I Lost 15 lbs on the Whole30 Diet and I'll Never Do it Again!

On July 13, 2020, after eating every "bad" food and being on a champagne campaign all weekend in Orange Beach, I decided a change was needed. My hubby and I needed a major change of our eating habits.  Here were my reasons for starting the Whole30.

- I was sluggish all the time.  I never had energy and was always sleepy.   This does not mix well with a husband and an almost 2 year old.
-I was beginning to feel insecure about anything I decided to wear.  I've always bragged to friends about knowing what to wear to hide weight gain.  I was past that point.  Disclaimer: Every person has THEIR point of "this is too much weight for ME".   This was mine.
-I was constantly bloated and had stomach issues all the time.
-My face was breaking out
-I felt generally unhealthy.

I tried the Whole30 diet years ago and only made it 12 days.  It's essentially an elimination diet that  removes often inflammatory food groups from your diet.  Afterwards, you should have a better understanding of how certain food items are affecting your health and slowly introduce back the  ones that you deem to be ok for you.  Here's the Whole30 rules in a nutshell:

1.  No dairy (bye bye queso =(
2. No sugar
3. No grains or beans
4.  No processed foods
5.  No ALCOHOL (ice cold Strawberry Perrier became my bestie)

Here's how it went.  HARD.  Really Hard.  I think I spent the first week mourning the loss of all the foods I loved eating.  The same foods that were causing my weight gain and insecurity issues.  For breakfast, we ate more eggs than I ever want to eat in this lifetime. We ate a lot of veggies and meats, like this zucchini, shrimp and red onion medley, sautéed in the skillet (so delish!).  

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By week two, we were counting down the days.  Some days I was so over eating like this, I would go to bed without eating.  I think I really was depressed.  This was confirmation to me that my relationship with food was toxic.  Here I am, depressed, not because I'm hungry and can't eat, but because I can't eat the foods that make me feel happy after a rough day.  This was a turning point for me.  

By week 3, I was in autopilot.  I had started to notice changes in my body and health and I loved it.  Here are a few differences I noticed.

-I was actually buttoning my work pants again lol (sad, but true).
- My stomach was NOT bloated.  It was actually flattening out.
-I am a person who takes allergy meds daily.  I hadn't taken ANY over the course of this diet.
-I had tons of energy and my sleep at night was amazing
-My skin was noticeably clearer
-I felt comfortable in my clothes (with or without spanx!!)
-I fit into a pair of shorts that I couldn't even get over my hips before

My husband and I cruised through the final week of the diet and we had become closer than ever.   We bonded over our non scale victories and comforted each other on those rough days when we both just needed a cold, hard drink lol.  We did it!!! We graduated the whole 30.  On day 31, the first thing I did was step on the scale.  Y'all, I was shocked.  I lost 15 lbs!!!!  I started this diet at 174 lbs (I am 5'4" tall). This was my heaviest weight to date and was I down to 159.  Suddenly, my goal weight seemed attainable.  150lbs is  the goal.  145 would be lagniappe.  

Ok, so here's why I'll never do the Whole30 again.
-I have a better understanding of my relationship with food.  I don't have to restrict myself so much now.
-I know I can be disciplined.  I didn't drink alcohol or consume sugar for 30 days!  I no longer need "rules" to control myself.  I see what the lack of sugar did for me.  I'm more conditioned to decline it now.
-Life is hard.  Eat the thing.  Sometimes that's just what it is.  I'm not going to spend my life not enjoying the foods I love, for the sake of diet.  Some days I will eat badly.  But because of how great this diet made me feel, I won't do it nearly as often.

What's the takeaway? If you're ready for a food relationship change, do it.  You won't regret it.  You will feel accomplished.  Your body will thank you!!!  I am 4 days post whole30 and I have already turned down tons of food items that I once loved, without the rules.  I know my body just will not like how they make me feel.  Next week, i'll be back on a Whole30-ish type diet.  But today, I'll drink champagne.  Cheers!

If you have any questions about my experience with the Whole30, leave a comment! I'd love to point you in the right direction!
For more info on the diet. Please visit www.whole30.com