Woohoo! I did it. I completed my first round of Whole30. I do have to go through reintroduction, but the main thirty days are over and done with. Overall, I had a very positive experience. I saw both mental and physical results and I have a great mindset around food now. Before we dive in, please keep in mind that this experience is very individualistic. Not everyone experiences the same results, mentally or physically. I also want to note that I learned a great deal about MY body. I did this for ME. And I’m pretty proud today :)

Why I was successful
If you read why I decided to do Whole30 you’ll know that I didn’t go into intending to lose weight or cut out food groups permanently. I wanted to complete Whole30 to shift my mindset around food. I wanted to break patterns of craving and better understand how to fuel my body. Because of this intention, it made it easier to stick to the goal for 30 days. I knew a mindset change took time and I wanted to really give that to myself. I knew in the back of my mind that in 30 days I’d have bread and cheese and wine again in my life, but also came away knowing I do not NEED those.

I also had a pretty incredible support system going through this. Jake was my biggest supporter and had most Whole30 dinners with me. He was constantly checking in and encouraging me. My parents and friends were constant supports and often texted me throughout Whole30 to ask how I was doing. The amount of texts I received this morning to congratulate me on completing Whole30 made me tear up. I also had a great support system on Instagram with you! So many people loved seeing my meals everyday and having that accountability really helped.

Lastly, I do want to note that it was probably easier for me given the state of the world. There are no office birthdays, friend dinners, happy hours, etc. that I needed to miss out on or suffer through. Being at home and able to cook all my meals throughout the day made a big difference in staying on track.

Mental Wins

As mentioned, my biggest goal in Whole30 was to get a handle on my cravings. In December, I had a habit of CRAVING something and not being able to let it go. I needed to have it ASAP. And then I would obsess over how that wasn’t a healthy choice or if I didn’t eat my craving I would obsess over not eating it. It wasn’t healthy at all. Whole30 helped me sort through my cravings and the reasons behind them. I journaled everyday and after about a week I noticed most of my cravings aligned to a certain situation. For example, I always craved Starbucks on Saturday. I got it in my head that I had Starbucks on Saturdays so I woke up craving it. It wasn’t even Starbucks itself it was more the action of getting Starbucks on Saturdays. I even noticed my emotions around food. I often craved sweet foods or pizza on bad days. Six days into Whole30 was the insurrection at the Capital and believe me it was a challenge that day not to order pizza (I stuck to it by the way). In being able to sort through my emotions around food, I was able to free up so much mental space. I no longer say around all day thinking about food. I had my meals planned, followed the plan, and tended to only think of food at meal times. It was a breath of fresh air, and one of the best things to come out of Whole30 for me.

Overall, I have a better mindset about food. I’m confident that I can handle my cravings and when appropriate I can choose the healthier option. I know I will have dessert again one day and I’ll never say no to pizza, but maybe instead of deep dish I’ll have cauliflower, if that makes sense.

Physical Wins

I’m sure some are curious about any physical changes to my body, I know I would be curious! The short answer is yes, I did lose weight. It’s natural to lose weight if you’re cutting so many food groups out. I also drastically changed my plate. I’m normally a snacker but Whole30 forced me to create 3 full meals. I didn’t weigh myself or take measurements at all during the program, just the first day and Day 31. In the end, I lost 13 pounds, 4 inches on my hips, 3 inches on my waist, and a couple inches on my thighs and arms. The photos (which I’m not sharing) show the most difference and it’s truly incredible how our bodies change. My acne didn’t clear up completely like most claim on Whole30 but I did notice my skin is softer in general. Overall, I can definitely notice a difference.

** I do want to caveat this. Weight loss is unique to each individual. Even thought I did experience weight loss on Whole30, not everyone does and not everyone has the same amount. In addition to Whole30 I also started BBG, exercising about 45 minutes 5-6 days a week, drank proper amounts of water, and took daily vitamins. It’s impossible to say that Whole30 alone is the reason I lost that much. I also want to say this was a healthy amount for me as an individual to lose. I’ve been in touch with my primary care doctor so please don’t be concerned about me :)

***One other note, Whole30 is not intended to be a weight loss program and is not created for long-term use. (The closest thing to Whole30 is paleo, which many choose to continue with.) I did not track calories while participating in Whole30 as it did not align with my intention for doing the program. However, out of curiosity I plugged in a few of my daily meals into MyFitnessPal and throughout Whole30 I was consuming only 900-1100 calories a day. That is absolutely not sustainable. I was full and satisfied on Whole30 so I’m not too worried about that, but moving forward I know I’m not going to eat under 1300-1500 calories a day (again, I’m working with doctors so please don’t be concerned about me :) ). Given the low calorie intake, it makes sense why I lost 13 pounds but also means that it is not likely I will continue to experience that drastic of a weight loss moving forward.

Do I feel different?

Yes and no. I do feel more capable and confident when making food choices for myself. That said, I can’t say internally I feel any different eating Whole30 than when I ate Starbucks, burgers, pizza, and chocolate in December. I think a lot of it comes down to mindset. I’m sure my organs are thankful for more veggies, but my soul definitely misses chocolate. I know moving forward I can better balance my physical and soul needs when it comes to food and that’s the biggest win for me.

What’s Next?

As mentioned, Whole30 is not intended to be eaten long-term. The closest lifestyle to the Whole30 program is paleo. I throughly enjoyed the way I’ve been eating the past 30 days, but I also want to make room for life. I LOVE peanut butter, smoothie bowls, chocolate, red wine, pasta, etc. I plan to eat paleo/very similar to my Whole30 meals about 85-90% of the time, leaving plenty of room for all my favorite foods. I also plan to incorporate deeper variety of foods, such as chickpea pasta, cauliflower pizza, etc. Those are all technically paleo but not allowed on Whole30. I’m planning to eat pretty close to this for the next few months and then I’ll reassess how I’m feeling and see if I need to make some changes. Overall, I’m happy, I’m confident in my capability to handle food, and I’m excited to continue learning more about how to fuel MY body properly.

Thank you for being on this journey with me. I’ll be sharing more on my reintroduction process here and on stories so don’t forget to follow @camilikeatanktop on Instagram!