Let me start with saying that the Whole30 is no easy diet or quick fix. It's all about consistency and healthy eating. I first heard about the Whole30 from my sister, I never gave much thought to it. Then I saw the before/after of a friend who did the Whole30 (Thanks Allie Jensen!) and I knew that I wanted to do it too! So what is the Whole30 and what did I gain from doing it? I had plenty of things I wanted to happen as a result of doing the Whole30, but the end result was better than I could have imagined! I couldn't be happier with the results, and I'm never going back to how I ate before! I'm so happy that I decided to do it. It was tough passing on yummy treats at parties & get togethers, and doing research on restaurants wasn't always the funnest, but having these results, I know it was all worth it! Here are some of the things that have changed for me doing whole30!
What is the Whole30? I strongly recommend reading Melissa Hartwig's book- It Starts With Food. (I am getting this information from their awesome website- HERE)
"Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you? Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making."
Results of Whole30:
- Acne. I've battled acne since I was 12 (dang puberty) and I never really found anything that helped like I wanted it to. It's become less and less severe as become older, but I still would have flare ups every now and then. And I didn't think Whole30 would have an effect on my acne, but I was happily wrong! My face has cleared up tremendously and I think it's even smoother!
-Energy. I've had so much more energy than pre-whole30. I remember wanting to be lazy and stay home all day some days, but now I'm wide awake by 7, sometimes earlier, and not feel tired or like I wanted to go back to bed. This energy lasts throughout the day. I can tell when I don't have a good lunch the energy lessens for the rest of the day. And when you have a 19 month old, you need all the energy you can get!
-Nail growth. My nails have been growing so fast! Random, but a result of Whole30
-Reading Labels. I can't believe how many things I discovered that had sugar in them. Did you know Morton's salt (table salt) has sugar in it? Did you know Prego Spaghetti Sauce has sugar in it? These are just 2 of the many many things that you would never guess had added sugar.
-Self control. This has always been hard for me when it comes to food. In high school I was always active with sports so I never saw the effect of eating & no exercise. Post-baby stress with NICU and such really took the toll on me. Stress eating had been my go to, and eating out while Will was in the NICU was the easiest/ most conveinent so that's what we did. Once he came home, we began having home cooked meals more often, but still had a habit of eating out more than we should. And a big problem for me was overeating. After reading It Starts With Food I realized the psychologically unhealthy relationship I had with food. I don't overeat anymore, even when it means leaving food on my plate.
I went 30 days without grains, dairy, legumes, and SUGAR. Just knowing that makes me feel so empowered and IN CONTROL. I'm so proud of myself! I lost 16 pounds in 30 days. It wasn't a quick fix, and it sure wasn't easy. But it was the healthiest way to lose weight! I plan on maintaining a healthy diet, probably close to a paleo diet. Best part, my husband has been by my side doing the whole30 too! And he fully supports me too. Definitely couldn't have done it without him!
Here are my results! The first two week I went to the gym 4-ish times a week, then my mom came to visit and it all went downhill! I know I have a long way to go, but the whole30 was the perfect way to jumpstart 2015 and jumpstart my journey to being healthier & happier.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the Whole30 or my experience!
Here's to a happier & healthier me in 2015!
Favorite Meals:
Beef Soup-It Starts With Food
Chicken Curry- It Starts With Food
Apple Onion Pork Chops- here
Breaded Chicken- here
Crockpot Fajita Chicken - here
Crockpot Balsamic Pork- here
Turkey Burgers from Costco
