Whole30 – 10 Things I Learned

I am officially done with Whole30!

And guys, let me tell you, I feel……AMAZING!

I’ve learned so much about myself this month and what the power of sheer will can do. I know, I know, sounds dramatic but you try cutting out rice and bread for a month.

Like I said before, the 30 days felt looooong. Like really long.

My biggest advice for someone thinking of doing Whole30 is make sure you pick a month that’s “slow”, meaning, no birthdays, no girls night outs, no date nights, no vacations, you get the picture.

It’s just too tempting to cheat when you’re celebrating something. And really, if you’re celebrating, eat! and drink! Which is the reason why I didn’t begin Whole30 on January 1st like the rest of the world. My daughters first birthday and my husbands birthday both land in January, so no can do.

My second piece of advice for those who are thinking of doing this:

Do it because you want to feel better and have more energy. Do not do it solely for losing weight.

The purpose of this cleanse is to rid your body of toxins, not lose 10 pounds in 30 days. Although, you will shed a few due to the foods you are eliminating from your diet, it is not the purpose. It’s so much more than losing weight. It’s changing the way you think about food and learning how your body reacts to certain things that you eat. I’ve learned through this that sugar and dairy make my skin look like crap, because now that I’ve eliminated it from my diet, my skin is glowing!

Here are 10 things I learned from my Whole30 experience:

I have a stronger will power than I thought. When I first decided to do Whole30, I already had it stuck in my mind that I wouldn’t be able to do it. That I was too “weak” to survive 30 days without all my favorite foods but I was wrong! I ignored that evil voice in my head and powered through, even in the most difficult situations, aka. Aunt Annie’s pretzels in front me .

Eating clean means healthier looking skin. I’ve spent a ton of money on beauty products over the years to obtain clearer and younger looking skin. You know, that “glow” every woman wants? Well, simply put, if thats what you want to achieve, just eat a cleaner diet. Cut out sugar and dairy in particular because studies show that those have a high chance of causing acne.  This includes refined carbohydrates like rice and bread.

Paleo or Whole30 bacon is expensive but so good! Put that sh*t on errrthang! This bacon was my lifeline to my old eating habits because I love bacon! I mean, who doesn’t but seriously, add this bacon to salad, brussels sprouts, wrap asparagus with it , put it in romaine lettuce and add guacamole, and voila! You’ve got yourself a tasty little treat.

Cauliflower rice is NOT a substitute for real rice. Sorry, people, its just not. I tried to like cauliflower rice, I really did. But it just did not taste anything remotely close to fried rice. From the texture to the taste. Maybe I didn’t cook it right but all it did was make me crave fried rice even more.

My body was completely dependent on sugar. On day two I was having major withdrawals from the sugar which included a migraine and light headedness. I learned later that it was my body detoxing from the sugar that I’ve been so used to having all these years. You need to get passed this stage. Just remember that its a phase and that it’ll pass. Now, I don’t get headaches anymore and if I’m hungry, I don’t feel like I’m going to pass out. I’m just hungry.

Detoxing is a very humbling experience. I have no idea how people eat clean 100% of the time. It is so hard! Almost everything has dairy, sugar and preservatives. I have new found respect for those who can do this full time. I love food way too much to give up the things that I love completely (currently dreaming of ramen and sake). But what I can do is live an 80/20 lifestyle which is 80% of the time, eat clean and 20% of the time, eat what you want. Balance is a good thing.

You can eat out while on Whole30. If you have to eat out, you can. Try not to though because its so easy to get tempted when there is so much goodness around you. So here’s where you can eat if you’re on Whole30:

• Chipotle – get a carnitas on salad with pico de gallo (add an avocado if you’re really hungry)
• Japanese – order sashimi for obvious reasons
• Korean BBQ – the grill it yourself kind. Order meat that hasn’t been marinated in anything and eat it with a salad. This was actually really satisfying for me and I didn’t feel like crap after eating it
• Vietnamese – Ask for grilled chicken or whatever meat you like and instead of the vermicelli noodles that it comes with, have it with all salad. The salad comes with bean sprouts, carrots, parsley and mint. It’s so good! Do not put the fish sauce that it comes with.

Snacking is the hardest part. 3pm and 9pm were the hardest parts of my day.  There aren’t a lot of options of snacks while on Whole30 (and veggies and fruit don’t count, ok?) I pretty much survived on cashews and Lara Bars when I would get a yearning for a salty or sweet snack.

Eating clean makes you feel better and have more energy. Removing toxins from your body and eating food that has grown from the earth makes you feel so good! That lethargic feeling after a big meal? You wont get that with this cleanse. Eating clean is like fueling your body with Premium Gas vs. Regular Unleaded.

If I can do this so can you! 30 days is really not that long (feels like it though)! The first week, you’re feeling tortured and will ask yourself “why”?!!!! Second week, you’ll have a pep in your step. By the third week you’ll feel like a pro and the fourth week you’re just waiting for it to end but pumped that you’re almost done.

This was the first time ever that I’ve done a cleanse but it wont be my last.

I’ve never sticked to a diet in my life and I always caved to my cravings. But that was the old me. Completing Whole30 has taught me to shut up that evil voice inside that kept telling me I couldn’t do it. And now, I have a voice inside me that says “you did it before, you can do it again.” And that’s a great feeling!

If you are thinking of doing Whole30, let me know if you have any reservations or questions by leaving me a comment below. I’d love to answer them!