Welp, here it is, my Whole30 Experience. I’ve put together a slideshow of my Whole30 Instagram photos I took in the name of “accountability.” They serve a scientific evidentiary purpose!
From May 16 to June 15, I ate no dairy, sugar, gluten, grains, alcohol, or legumes. Overall, I enjoyed the Whole30 experience. I felt that I slept better, which I attribute to cutting out the excess sugar, and I had more energy in general. For me, the pros outweighed the cons, and I think I’ll try another round sometime soon. Next time I’ll combine the diet with exercise and measure the difference.
Pros:
- Better sleep quality overall.
- More energy in the mornings and no energy slump at 2:30pm.
- Helps with bowel movements.
- Lost 10 pounds without really doing anything significant in terms of exercise.
- Got me into the habit of drinking more water.
- I’m more aware of food labels, especially when it comes to added sugar.
- Justified the taking of way too many food photos with the excuse of keeping myself “accountable.”
- La Croix is delicious, God help me.
Cons (because binary divisions must be balanced):
- Green poop. It’s hard to digest cellulose, man. But why are greens so good?
- Meal prep is a necessary evil. Food ruts are real.
- Coconut doesn’t stop tasting like coconut.
- Missed meatless meals. Grains and beans especially.
- So many eggs and so much meat.
- Sugar cravings are a thing. I didn’t expect to crave candy as an adult, but Skittles are delicious. And so is Cherry Coke.
- Going out to eat is really hard, so plan on being a homebody for 30 days.
Things I expected to miss more than I actually did:
- Cheese. It’s surprisingly easy to go without cheese and dairy all together if I’m honest. I don’t really care for milk anyway, so that wasn’t a loss for me. I am a fan of Greek yogurt, but even that was surprisingly easy to eliminate from my diet.
- Chips/pretzels/and other crunchy snack foods. On Whole30 you’re not supposed to snack, but if you must make it small and make it healthful, like nuts or veggies.
- Alcohol. Here’s where it helps that I’m not a huge drinker in the first place. There were a couple instances where I wanted a drink, social outings and birthday parties, but club soda and lime did the trick in the end.
Parting Words/Advice/Ramblings
Try it if you want. Whole30 is great exercise in discipline and commitment. It’s not a lifestyle, it’s 30 days. You will live, you just might be a nightmare to eat with for a while.
