My Whole30 Experience

I did it! As of 12 p.m. midnight on June 8th, I completed a Whole30! Woot-woot!:D

And right now, I am completely and totally amazed that I did finish. Because I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to cave in and grab a spoon full of peanut butter, or just lick the batter off the spoon, while making Justin applesauce bread... ;)

In case you are completely oblivious to what a Whole30 is, I shall explain in short detail. It’s a 30 day, whole foods challenge, created by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig. Basically, you eat Paleo for 30 days. That means no grains, no dairy, no sugar of any sort, no snacking, and lots and lots of veggies, meat, and fat 3 times a day. All in an effort to reset bad eating habits, and to improve health.

I’ve been hearing about the Whole30 for quite a while now, but did not think it was something for me.

For the past 2 years, my eating habits changed drastically from the ones I had pre-marriage and early marriage. Where I used to eat a lot of premade foods, I now make most everything homemade, rarely buy pre-made foods, use only natural sugar sources, and buy organic or grass fed as much as possible. I’ve kind become a health nut in that area…

So, I really did not think a Whole30 challenge would be for me.

But, over the past several months, I let my guard down a bit, and allowed myself one too many sweet. And bread. And several spoons of peanut butter a day...

I knew a drastic step was needed. I had such a horrible craving for sugar daily. And so, I looked into the Whole30 more closely, and dove in.

Oh, silly me thought it was going to be a breeze. What sort of problems would I have with cutting out dairy, and bread, and sugar, and peanut butter? I eat pretty healthy. It’s gonna be smooth sailing.

Boy, did I get a heavy dose of reality and a big ole' kick in the pants.

For the first week, there were headaches, extreme fatigue, meltdowns, more tears than you can count. Maybe even a lashing out at the poor hubby for no reason at all...

But, by GOD’s grace, and my sweet husband’s encouragement, I made it through.

And I learned so much about my eating habits, and nutrition.


My favorite lunch from the Whole30: Turkey Stuffed Portobello with roasted cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots

I never realized how much sugar I consumed in a day. From my daily honey mustard dressing, to little bites of Justin’s desserts, fruit, I was consuming WAY too much.

I also discovered the reason I was so hungry all the time. And why I always wanted to “graze” during the day. I was not consuming enough protein and the right kinds of fat at each meal.

Favorite Breakfast from the Whole30: Scrambled eggs, mixed with avocado, tomato, and topped with Cajun sautéed shrimp, with roasted sweet taters on the side

While on the Whole30, you basically stuff yourself 3 times a day, with the most nutritious fuel for your body.

And I am not going back. I now have a greater respect for the role the right food plays in our health. I will continue to eat this way at least 80-90 percent of the time. I am going to start soaking grains, and cut out all the nuts and nut butters. I will be allowing a sweet treat once a week, and being okay with eating something not the healthiest in the world, when in social situations.

The fact that my moods have been stable, there were very few PMS symptoms (aside from the dire need of deep, dark chocolate), more muscle definition, and an almost ridiculous amount of energy most days, is worth not eating like I was pre Whole30.

If you have never given the Whole30 a try, I would highly recommend it. Especially if you are trying to learn more about health from the nutritional aspect of things.

It will be hard. It was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. But it will be worth it.

Oh. If you do plan decide to do this, take this peace of advice from someone with experience. Try to plan it around social occasions. Like two graduations, and two weddings. Unless you just want to sit there and watch everyone else indulge in cake, and banana pudding, and cookies... ;)

Have you ever done a Whole30? Are you bringing in any habits from it to your life? Or, are you making any other improvements in your health via exercise or diet changes?

Have a wonderfully blessed day! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel