Final Thoughts on Whole30!

I finished my first round of Whole30 twelve days ago. Notice I said first round? I loved Whole30! It was hard, don't get me wrong. But it was also pretty amazing. I will definitely do this program again! I'm actually thinking about doing it again really soon!

I got a lot of questions while on this program. A lot of people think it's super weird when you first tell them what you're doing. After explaining why, people thought it was pretty cool. Here are some common questions I got while on Whole30 and in depth answers to give you a better idea of what Whole30 is like.

You're not going to eat dairy, grains, sugar, alcohol, and more? Why?

This is a hard question. It's a personal thing. There are so many reason why people choose to make better food decisions. For me, I wanted to work on my sugar cravings. I want sweets ALL. THE. TIME. But my body doesn't like when I eat sugar all the time. I was tired of feeling tired. Stressed. Lazy. Bloated. And just unhappy after I ate too much sugar. Which was often. So number one, I wanted to get rid of the sugar addiction.

The second reason I choose to do Whole30 was to simply be healthier. I don't take care of my body as much as I should. I wanted to eat the right things, so I could feel better. Again, I was tired of feeling tired and bloated.

So what do you eat? 

There are so many amazing Whole30 options! Seriously, search for Whole30 on Pinterest. The options are endless. Whole30 basically eliminates processed foods. Which in our world, is A LOT. But there are still plenty you can eat. It just takes a little planning, a little extra time, and a little creativity. I tried so many things that I would not have even looked at in the store before. Like nutritional yeast. I've never even heard of it before. And Lara Bars. I don't know why I haven't had these before, but these are now a regular go-to for quick snacks. They are so good!

I ate this shepherd's pie, salads with approved dressing, tuna power salad out of the Whole30 book, and many more delicious meals. I used this tutorial to cook a spaghetti squash and had that with homemade meat (I used ground chicken) sauce. Many times, Grant and I made some of our favorite meals with Whole30 approved items, like grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, and green beans. For breakfast, I ate a lot of eggs. Many times I would make a scramble by wilting spinach for a few minutes then adding diced tomatoes and eggs and scrambled until cooked. Then I'd top it with diced avocado and a sprinkle nutritional yeast. I loved this meal. Another favorite scramble was made by cooking approved sausage and then add eggs and scramble together. Super easy! I had way more energy after eating these types of meals.

How do you feel now that you're done?

I have to admit. It was hard. There were so many times when I just really wanted a piece of chocolate or bread and butter or a bite of this new cheese I love. Sometimes the cravings were so strong I wanted to just cheat and have a bite. Or end my program early. I am SO glad that I didn't. To be honest, I really didn't feel a big difference while I was doing the program in my mood, energy level, or bloating and discomfort. But now that I'm done and eating "normal" food again, I realized how much my body had changed. I didn't do the program to lose weight, but I ended up losing 10 pounds. And that was just by changing the food I put in my body! After eating bread and dairy and sweets again, I feel more tired and more uncomfortable after meals. I was just thinking today how I'd like to do Whole30 again to restart my system after eating too many non-Whole30 meals.

I might not do the whole program again, but I want to make clean eating a regular part of my life. I highly recommend doing Whole30. Even if you don't want to lose weight, it still can help change the way you view food. If you have been wanting to lose weight or feel less discomfort after eating or get more energy or to clear up your skin, consider giving Whole30 a chance!

If you have any questions, let me know! Thanks for reading about my experience 🙂 xo, Laura