Alternately Titled: When Food’s the Factor
“You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north.”Deuteronomy 2:3
I did it! I completed my first Whole30! (This was three weeks ago but hey, who’s counting?) For 30 days, I went without grains, dairy, legumes and sugar. No artificial sweetener of any kind; no beans; no beer; no wine; no whining.
Was it hard? You bet! Would I do it again? Absolutely.
In a nutshell, this is why:
For, like, 30 days, I felt really good!
(Plus, on a side note, a happy wife = a happy husband. Bonus points!!)
Never before have I succeeded at a program like this. Never have I committed to a healthy plan and then stuck to it as originally planned. (Losing 35 pounds on Weight Watchers doesn’t count. I ate junky things like diet Jello and eventually gained most of the weight back.)
I’ll tell you: I really needed this shot in my self esteem’s butt.
I needed to know that I could do it.
What I Ate
I had a lot of people make the comment: “No dairy, no grains, no legumes. For heaven’s sake, what did you eat?”
You wanna know what I ate? I ate stuff like this:
In the end, it wasn’t bad at all. On the contrary, the food tasted incredibly good on the program. Even my 20-month-old agreed:
And finally…
Moving on to…
My Favorite Resources (i.e. I couldn’t have done it without…)
Seriously. I would have been in BIG trouble were it not for:
1. The daily emails that I received from the Whole30 folks;
2. Food blogger extraordinaire Melissa Joulwan
3. My Whole30 partner in crime, Michelle Reitemeyer.
The Whole30 daily newsletter was an invaluable resource, worth every penny of the $14.95 it cost. I learned so much about human psychology and the power of habit! It was fascinating, truly, and I came to really lean on this daily email.
Melissa Joulwan, author of the website The Clothes Make the Girl, is simply wonderful. I made my own mayo thanks to her and felt like a rock star when I did! Her photos are fabulous and her recipes, amazing. What more can I say? Melissa is smart, funny, humble & helpful. She’s an enormous sweetheart and I love her lots.
And finally, on the day before I took up this challenge, I asked my friends on Facebook if anyone cared to join me. Michelle said yes and I am so very grateful. We emailed almost daily with our various ups & downs, and when I was sorely tempted to step on the scale (which my husband had hidden, by the way), she told me don’t do it, adding, “If you make it 30 days without weighing yourself, I’ll send you a copy of my favorite work-out video.”
(She made good on her promise, by the way. A kettle bell workout that looks {gulp} fun!)
Was following the program expensive?
You know, it really wasn’t that bad. I splurged on a couple of fancy items, like ghee and coconut aminos, but for the most part, I found what I needed at Trader Joe’s.
Note: generally speaking, I don’t buy grass-fed or organic. We can’t afford it, period, and so I put those worries out of my mind. When I think of how well we eat compared to some third world countries…well, I’m not going to obsess about all my food being “clean.” We’re eating fruits and veggies, and that’s what counts.
You’re free to disagree, of course. : )
The Hardest Day
August 15 was definitely the hardest day. It was both my son’s 17th birthday and the feast of the Assumption, and it just felt wrong to not be eating cake.
I grumbled (inwardly) and may or may not have snuck a taste. And then I took a slice, wrapped it in foil and froze it. “No one eat this,” I warned the gang at the table. “It’s for my first day off the program.”
And on that day…the 31st day…you’d better believe I had cake for breakfast.
The Best Day
I’d be hard-pressed to pick just one “best” day. There were many small triumphs that strengthened my resistance muscle, like watching a movie with a kids and not snacking; (or having an apple if I was really hungry), and good-naturedly chiding the girls for baking cookies in front of me.
It was only 30 days, you know? I could do without sugar for 30 days.
What else. Well, I had tons of energy and my mood swings were gone. My trips to the bathroom were {ahem} most regular, and what’s more, praise God, my libido came back! (cue happy husband) Finally, I stopped feeling helpless when it came to my eating, and that was without a doubt the biggest reward of all.
Did I lose weight?
Even though this program’s not about the weight, I know that you are dying to know. Yes, I lost weight–about seven pounds–but the truth is, I’ve stopped relying on the scale as a marker. It’s too unpredictable! It’s too fickle a friend.
For example…
I felt a lot lighter than I really weighed. I know this because I had a “target weight” in my mind, and I haven’t come close to it in quite some time. And yet, I am happy (more or less) with what I see in the mirror; I feel healthy and centered, and that’s all that matters.
There are a couple of things I will say about having had such a limited
diet. First, it was very liberating to not have to worry about treats.
You know the drill…”I’m making cookies for the kids. Should I have
just one? Can I stop after having one?” For 30 days, that option was gone and along
with it, the stress and worries.
(That said, I was really glad that Medjool dates were allowed. I needed the sweetness of an occasional date!)
Here’s the other thing: given that there were so many things I couldn’t eat, I started to pay more attention to what I could.
Food tasted better–richer, more rewarding–and what’s more, this
enjoyment of food has carried well past the 30 days of the program. Oh my
goodness, words can’t describe that first bite of frozen cake…
(I thawed it first. Red velvet heaven.)
And that’s the thing. Food should
taste good. It shouldn’t be eaten in haste or in guilt; it should
nourish your body and strengthen your soul. It’s only taken me–what?–nearly 48 years
to learn this?
Even still, the learning curve is steep, which is why people like me need programs like this one.
I would (and will) do it again in a heartbeat.
Woohoo! That is so wonderful, Margaret!
I am so proud of you to have completed this! I loved so much about this. I loved how you explained what you ate and what it was like, what worked and how you felt.
You will never ever convince me that juiced veggies taste good though. (and you know how much I love veggies!)
What is Medjool?
OK, oh,my goodness. Looked Medjool. Never heard of those before. I thought it was some kind of date with your husband or something…wrong date meaning in my head.
I added a link just for you, my sweet! : )
Thanks for the followup. So how are you eating and feeling now? Can you pinpoint any particular eating that makes things worse (dairy, sugar, whatever) ?
I have been waiting and waiting for this update! š I decided to do a Whole30 after I read about it here on your blog! I had never heard about Whole30 before and had no idea what it was all about and today we (my husband decided to do it to!) are finishing up day 24. It has been awesome. Everything you wrote was what I could and would say about how it has been going. Some tough days here and there but we have been feasting on so much delicious food! I am even getting a bit more creative in the kitchen – made cauliflower rice today for the first time which was fantastic! So anyway, thanks … thanks for the info and point in the right direction for me, I am so happy with how I feel and the fact that I can actually do it! Whoo-hoo!
~Stephanie
Stephanie, that's awesome! Congrats to you and your husband! Also, I agree about that cauliflower rice–weird but so yummy. : )
Wow! Making it the entire 30 days is a huge accomplishment! I, too, would love to hear about how food (especially sugar) has affected your mood since re-entry to regular eating. Focusing on recognize foods that make me "feel good" (more energetic, not over stuffed, etc…) had been eye opening for me. Love sugar, but, boy, it is a trigger that can send my mood plummeting. Also, even very moderate alcohol intake seems to effect me (this one really stinks!!). I try to look at all of this as an experiment and not attach so much emotion/guilt to eating as I did when younger. So proud of your whole 30! Laura
Ok, I had written this long, pithy comment and when I hit publish, it disappeared. In a nutshell, you are amazing and inspiring. How are things now that you are eating "normally" again, or have you embraced a new normal?
As a sugar fiend, I am impressed! Oh, I also love dairy and starches, too. My three favorite food groups.
Did your body have any reaction to the cake after being grain/sugar/dairy free for 30 days? I did more or less the same sort of thing – don't remember how long a period of time – but the day after I finally had carbs (sugar, in the form of macaroons), oh.my.gosh. I woke up with a headache, swollen, crusty eyes (sorry) and I was exhausted.
Keep it going, Margaret!
–Danielle
Medjool dates are addictive. And 70 calories EACH. I think about that every time I grab one or two or five.
You did good, girl. Now go try that workout video.
I tried it! Ouch! Can't wait for Day 2! ; )
(Seriously, I don't doubt that we'll be seeing some results. My daughter loves the DVD!)
SO, I do have a question…having type 1 diabetes (for 34 years now), I count carbs in order to dose my insulin. Where are your carbs during this? Are your only carbs fruit and sweet potatoes?
I'd love to try this, but not sure how I could with this issue…I'd need some form of carb…like potatoes (since I don't care for sweet potatoes!)
Oh, and I don 't think I like dates, but I do like dates with my husband, sweet ones! Ha!
Jamie, my BIL who is type 1 diabetic, eats this way. I don't know how he figures his insulin but my sister told me that he has cut down the amount of insulin he has to inject tremendously. His A1C levels are great now. Hmm, I just googled it and it is a Dr. Bernstien who maybe wrote a book or such talking about this low carb diet and type 1 diabetes. Anyway – funny, funny about the "some kind of date with your husband" comment!
Potatoes are permitted, Jamie!
Potatoes? Good! Betsy, I just ordered Dr Bernstien's book…thank you!
I'm so glad it worked out for you. I hope you can find a happy place food wise for yourself along with some peace. You are awesome momma š
I am so proud of you Margaret for getting through the 30. Hope your week is going good!!
Hi Margaret….I am over here http://wwwendlessways.blogspot.com/ Cannot make up my mind..to blog or not to blog..at least you have made some progress!!! Congrats on your 30 days! that is huge!
Way to go!!! That is quite the accomplishment!!!
Hi Kristy! I was going to reply to your comment and see that you've removed it. If you'd like to email me privately, that's fine!
Nice to read your whole30 journey thanks for sharing š