I finished my Whole30 month on October 31st! (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program and when I started, please see my original post here.) Through the Whole30 experience, I learned that what I ate directly correlated to why my body was the way it was. When I cut out all of the desserts that I was snacking on like cookies, donuts, ice-cream sandwiches, danishes and mini-pies, I really did notice a difference by the second week in how much my bloating was a result of simply eating all of that sugar. Then I realized just how much sugar was in my diet that wasn’t in the form of a dessert, which included drinks like flavoured creams in my coffee, soda, fruit punches, and even in places that you wouldn’t suspect like soups and sauces.
Since the end of my 30 day run, I still find myself eating the same way that I had been during the Whole30, but I added just a bit of what I was missing like dairy and grains. Even if I feel like I can have a day where I eat a couple of slices of pizza, I still keep my diet fairly the same as I did on the Whole30. I stopped drinking soda completely because I cannot stand the taste any longer, and I still drink my tea and coffee black, without sugar or cream. I did have a little chocolate and a couple of cookies because I wanted just a little bit of what I have missed, but I find that I’m now turning to my favorite frozen banana dessert (post with recipe here), fresh fruit and cashews rather than anything sugary. Part of the program calls for really thinking about why you are eating: Is it to satisfy a craving, or are you really hungry? If I was hungry, then I remembered this statement: If you feel you are truly hungry, can you eat a whole meal that includes fish and broccoli? If you can eat an entire meal, then you are truly hungry and you should eat a meal. If you aren’t, then either drink water or have a snack. It was during these times that I did want to eat that I turned to cashews, dried and fresh fruit or even just a glass of water or fresh juice. As I post this, I’m reading the section from the site called “Ride Your Own Bike“, which states that you can always hop back on to another Whole30 program to reset yourself if you feel you have really begun to go down that path of eating poorly again.
To show the physical results of being on the Whole30 program, I included two deceptive pictures, which look quite the same at first glance. The picture on the left is from a previous outfit post. The secret about the pictures in that outfit post is that I had to retake some of the shots a few times because I needed to reposition myself to avoid an unflattering angle. I’m also wearing a slip that is similar to Spanks to help smooth out areas of my body that I felt needed a little help and I used the purse to hide bulges in my mid-section.
In the new picture on the right, I am wearing the same dress…and that’s pretty much it. No help from any special undergarments and no need to stand a certain way, or use an accessory to hide my mid-section. I lost a total of six pounds on the Whole30, my face looks a lot slimmer and I lost a dress size because I was no longer bloated. I fit back in things that I still had in my closet prior to my pregnancy four years ago, and even a few things that I had just bought last year!
It may seem very “cult-ish” when talking about the Whole30 as a program and the guidance that it offers. But really, it all comes down to what you believe you need in our life. When Vahni from Grit & Glamour mentioned that a group was going to start the Whole30 program at the beginning of October, I felt that I needed it to reset my system. Later, it actually helped me get through a bit of a setback: In the middle of my Whole30 challenge, I lost my job. Usually when I’m faced with adversity, I turn to food for comfort. Since I was in the midst of the Whole30 program, I used as a way to challenge myself and not turn to food, but rather channel my energy into cleaning my home, spending oodles of time with my son and husband, and search for a new job (hopefully, I will be closer to finding one when this posts).
If you have tried everything you could to diet or eat healthier but just coudn’t figure a way to do it, you should try the Whole30. Who knows? You may even turn it into a Whole60, Whole90 or your whole life. It truly is a great way to start understanding why you eat the way you do, and how it directly affects your body. After the Whole30, you can either choose to continue, or go back to your former ways. Either way, it will change your life. It changed mine.
