My Completed Whole30

I finished!  It was sometime last week (I don't even remember what day now) and I'm so glad I did it.  I hopped on the scale on the night of day 30 and found that I hadn't lost as much weight as I thought -- only about 5 or 6 pounds (I also have a wonky, unreliable scale).  But what's so much more important than a few pounds is the fact that I shaved off almost 2 inches from my waist, almost 2 inches from my hips, and about 1 inch from my thighs.  And you know what that tells me?  I had serious inflammation going on.  I'm not sure what it was from, but by following reintroduction protocol I'll hopefully figure it out.  So far I've reintroduced peanut butter (peanuts are legumes and therefore not compliant), which didn't give me trouble.  I also had sugar as an added ingredient into a frozen fruit bar popsicle thing, and that made me kind of bloat-y.  :-\  I just tried some corn tonight in the form of a few tortilla chips, so I'll see how I fare tonight and into tomorrow.

So what did I learn on this crazy 30 day journey?  Let's see if I can sum it up.  I consider these all "Whole30 Pros."  

• Before Whole30 I ate a good amount of real food, but not nearly to the extent as I did this past month.  I spent a LOT of time in the kitchen making lots of different things, but I truly enjoyed it. I also may or may not have pretended I was on a cooking show while I chopped veggies with my fancy knife...
• This is big:  I learned that I do not need grains.  I just don't.  I was perfectly content all month without rice, without noodles, without breads.  Why?  I was completely satisfied with the meals I ate every day.  Grains, especially wheat, are good at causing you to overeat and crave more of the substance in same way addicts crave their next fix.
• I don't think I was eating enough healthy fats before Whole30.  For my Whole30 that mainly came in the form of olive oil or coconut (oil and milk) and a little help from almonds (raw and almond butter) and clarified butter.  I used to turn to cheese for those late night, satiating snacks, and I think I was after the fat!  Making sure to include more of these fats on a daily basis really made an impact on how satisified I was after meals. 
• COCONUT MILK IS MY NEW BFF.  I use it as coffee creamer, as milk over my grain free "cereal" (berries, nuts, coconut shreds, ground flaxseed), in smoothies (dreamy), as a milk replacement in meatballs, and even a spoonful in scrambled eggs to moisten and fluff them up.
• As I mentioned above, Whole30 allowed me to lose puffiness from my face and inches from my midsection.  Something was irritating me! 
• I broke out of my cooking box.  I tried several new recipes and had to buy several new spices for my spice cabinet!  Learned some new cooking techniques too.
• Improved skin, improved disposition, improved energy, overall CALMNESS in my body.  I'm telling you -- inflammation.
• I adjusted my relationship with food.  I've learned to use it simply as fuel for my body, not an emotional thing to bring me happiness or comfort.
• I don't know how I would have done this in the summer.  I have used my oven A LOT.  

Now, the cons.  

• Real food does cost more money.  I can't give you actual figures on what I spent this month. But I know it's like making an investment that pays off over time.  I'd rather spend money on vegetables now than on doctors and prescriptions in 20 years.
• I washed a LOT of dishes.  
• I went to the store a lot.  Those veggies don't last forever.  And seriously, the coconut milk just  kept evaporating.  IN MY BELLY.

That's it.

Since day 30, I have maintained Whole30 but allowing some "fun" foods that aren't allowed during the 30 days, like potato chips (favorite ones are at Sam's Club, cooked in olive oil).  And ham/bacon (almost always cured with sugar, therefore not allowed during Whole30).  At this rate I'm happy to go through the reintroduction to see what I can tolerate, but I forsee my self primarily sticking to Whole30 with the exception of those meats with some added sugar.  And occasional grainy treats as circumstances allow.  Like pizza!  And should I get to a point where my health backtracks or starts controlling me, I'll do another round of Whole30 and get things back in check.  

Thanks for following along with me this month.  I hope you are willing to give Whole30 a try!!  I think every human being stands to benefit from it substantially in one way or another.  If you are interested, start with the book It Starts with Food.  It's the first book put out by the Whole30 creators and explains in [humorous] layman's terms all of the "why's."  It's what convinced me I really needed to make the effort and just do it.  Also look at this list of health problems that you might find relief from by giving Whole30 a chance!!