My Whole 30 Experience: 3 Things I Learned
on Feb 05, 2016, Updated Jan 17, 2019
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Hey guys guess what?! I finished 30 days of not consuming any grains, legumes, dairy, added sugar, processed food and alcohol. And guess what else? I SURVIVED!! I know crazy right? Back when I was first thinking about doing this I thought MAN that would be hard. 30 days of absolutely no sugar (not even natural sugars like honey or maple syrup) and no weekend wine nights? Could I get through a day without a little dark chocolate? I guess so. But the biggest point of the Whole 30 is to change your relationship with food. Change your cravings, your tastebuds and your mindset around all things food. They encourage you to not snack unless you are truly hungry. They ask you to not make things like pancakes or cookies with “approved” ingredients. Even if a “pancake” is made out of banana and egg, your brain still thinks you are giving into your pancake craving. That is a NO NO!
Eat. Real. Food.
Simple right?
So now you are thinking what the heck did you eat??? Well I documented Week 1 and Week 2 day by day for you to see what most days looked like for us. I decided not to write a play by play of the last 2 weeks as they were business as usual! You can check out my instagram for lots of pictures of what I ate everyday. Now I have to tell you what I learned.
- I rarely need a snack. I had gotten into a habit of having a smaller breakfast, then a snack, a regular sized lunch, an afternoon snack, a pre-workout snack, an after workout snack, dinner, and a little snack dessert. No matter how healthy the food I was eating was, that is still A LOT of snacking. And the worst part about snacking? It made it so I was constantly thinking about food. I would eat and then an hour later start to think I was hungry because I knew I was supposed to eat again soon. Do you know the feeling? Of grabbing your snack because “it’s time” to eat a snack. I realized how little I really listened to my body when it came to hunger. The first few days of this were rough, but quickly I realized that eating the nutrient dense food I was, meant I actually wasn’t hungry for snacks. I can’t tell you how good it feels to eat lunch and then not even think about food until I get home to start making dinner. Talk about saving some brain space in your day!
- I have an amazing support system. If you are thinking about doing the Whole30 I highly encourage you to do it with someone. Whether they are your spouse, your best friend, or your 2nd cousin 2 states away, you need support. You need someone to remind you why you started, to check in to see what you are eating and to bounce how you are feeling off of. When I told my fam I wanted to do this back at the beginning of December, they all thought I was a little crazy. But once I got my Mom on board and she read It Starts With Food
, slowly but surely my sisters got on board and their hubbies too! We started an 8 person group text, named it Whole30 and we were on our way to support city! My biggest support was my hubby though. He got just as excited as I was about it and helped in anyway he could, making meals with me and staying strong in the midst of lots of free croissants and pizza at work. It was incredibly nice to have someone to text when you are proud of yourself for saying no to temptation, or when you have a headache for a week straight that just won’t go away (hello sugar dragon). Bottom line – the buddy system is key. - I have tons of energy now. I didn’t necessarily start Whole 30 as a way to change any big problem with my health. I’m 26, eat pretty healthy, work out regularly. But I felt like challenging myself to see what it would be like to have everything in my body working properly. It’s not something you normally question if you aren’t sick or have chronic pain or something, but I thought, why not try it now? So cut to 30 days later and realize I had no idea that I was low energy before. It’s normal to take a couple hours to fully wake up your body and then get sleepy again around 2:30, right? GUESS WHAT?! It’s not. Now I wake up earlier than I used to, and have energy immediately. My eyes are wide open and I get excited about the day. Crazy right? My mind is clear and the energy is stable all day. Afternoon dip? Not over here. I have even gotten up to run a few times before work, something I could never manage to do before. My favorite part about this is the energy I still have after eating dinner. We had gotten in a bad habit before of eating dinner and rinsing some dishes then watching TV and going to bed. Now after dinner we jump up and totally clean the kitchen, pack up leftovers for lunch, make a quick frittata or scramble for the next morning and clean up again. We both do this both because Whole30 is all about prep and cleaning dishes, and because we have the energy to do so. This is something I hadn’t realized was a problem but am so grateful for this energy now! Without it I wouldn’t be able to work on this blog for hours a day after work and bring you guys tons of Whole30 recipes!
, slowly but surely my sisters got on board and their hubbies too! We started an 8 person group text, named it Whole30 and we were on our way to support city! My biggest support was my hubby though. He got just as excited as I was about it and helped in anyway he could, making meals with me and staying strong in the midst of lots of free croissants and pizza at work. It was incredibly nice to have someone to text when you are proud of yourself for saying no to temptation, or when you have a headache for a week straight that just won’t go away (hello sugar dragon). Bottom line – the buddy system is key.If you have done Whole30 what have you learned? And if you are thinking about it what is stopping you? It may seem hard to give up your favorite things but trust me, it’s only 30 days, and if you can do that, you can do anything!
I’m on day 31! And I’m with you…. I don’t snack, graze, munch my way thru the day! I love it!
Nice job!! Such a great feeling to be able to make it through the whole thing – such a challenge!! Congrats!
My husband and I are on day 11 of Whole30 and so far so GREAT!
It’s been tough giving up our weekend beers with chips and salsa but the trade off is so worth it! I have so much energy (I’m the mother of 5 children, work full time in the high school clinic)
Even though I ate clean 95% of the time before, this is a me level and it’s made me try veggies and recipes I may have never ventured to try. Thank you for sharing your story! Are you continuing or?
Awesome!! I know we thought we ate well before but it really makes you get creative!! Right now we are eating pretty much Whole30 still but i’ve taken back my wine on weekends and if we go out to eat I don’t sweat it! All about finding that balance!
I have done it twice in the past year! I learned that it was more fun to do with friends. I learned (but knew) that I should have given up caffeine as well because I am very caffeine sensitive. I learned I don’t really need much bread or pasta or rice in my life to eat happy. I learn that collaborative lunch salads with coworkers are fun and inexpensive and healthy! I learned that beans make me toot (on reintroduction) and that chocolate gave me a twinge of sinus pain between the eyes (on reintroduction) but it is chocolate so I forgave it and we continue to have a healthy but controlled relationship to this day :->
Hahaha that is amazing!! Chocolate and I also have continued to work on our VERY loving relationship! I love those things you learned and it is just so good to know what causes your body to do certain things and being able to have some control over it. I definitely want to do it again later this year – such a great body reset!! NICE JOB! 🙂
Hi, I’m doing The Whole 30 for the first time, flying solo. I’m on day 13. I find that I still graze in between meals. My snacks have been nuts (no peanuts), a piece of fruit or raw veggies. Lately, I’ve been trying to drink green tea instead of eating. Thank you for posting recipes and sharing your “Whole 30” experience.
Nice job!!! Yes tea was a lifesaver for me and lots of healthy fats to keep me full between meals! 🙂
I’m on day 38 and doing fantastic! I also have not been hungry for snacks and I feel great! So great that I thought I’d keep it going for a few more days. I have not been bothered by the foods I had to give up and have been eating meats, fruits and vegetables. The best was the day I realized I’ve been eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day, which I had not been getting before!
Love this!!! It is so true when you fill a plate with veggies it can fill you up and give you so many nutrients – win win!! Great job!! 🙂
I’m so glad I found your site! I just started my Whole30, I am on day 2 🙂
Ah thanks Elyse!! You are going to do great!! Just remember, it’s only 30 days!! 🙂
Yes, yes, and yes! Totally agree with all of your points. I just finished my second Whole 30 and it’s amazing how much better I feel. I have so much more energy, too, and my stomach never feels bloated, which used to happen all the time. It’s so true that if you eat good, you feel good.
Awesome Ashley!! It is pretty amazing right!? The energy thing is huge!! 🙂
Hi Kelsey. Thanks for sharing this post. Do you have recipes for the meals pictured on this post?
I don’t! I link to some of the instagram posts but not full meals, most are simple roasted veggies and meat!
I am so thankful I came across your site! I’m on day three and I’m already so thrilled that I decided to try this. I am a complete snackaholic and already I notice that my need for snacking has pretty much disappeared. Normally, I’d eat a meal and I’d be immediately hungry and I watch the clock until it’s an acceptable time to eat again. Already I notice how well the food I eat sustains me! I know I’m early on and I may feel differently on day 11 or 27 but already I can see eating this way is a game changer for me. I can’t wait to see how I feel when I’m done. Thank you for providing so much valuable information for newbies like me, it’s is SO appreciated! I’ll be visiting your site often & have already pinned countless recipes on my Pintrest page from your site.
Thank you so much Billie!! I am so excited for you – you will love this way of looking at food! Let me know if you have any questions and I hope you love my recipes! 🙂
I did the whole30 last year after reading your post and just reread it as I am doing my second round, exactly a year to the day I started last year. I love the reminders as to why it is all worth it! Thank you for all the motivation and beautiful recipes!
Aw good for you!! So glad it still resonates and good luck!!