so my husband and I just finished the whole 30 diet. we're not usually for jumping on bandwagons or following trends, but I was desperate for something to push my reset button in regards to my relationship with food, (mostly my addiction to sugar), and this claimed to do just that, so we jumped in. it was definitely a learning experience. for anyone who cares, I would love to share some of our common sense take-aways. so here goes:
1) awareness? yes. learning to read labels has been very eye opening. it is pretty ridiculous how much sugar is in our food supply. while we are not ready to ban processed food from our home or spend the fortune it takes to eat purely whole foods, we have definitely gained an awareness of what we're putting in our bodies and will be making some changes going forward. but we're not talking paleo or clean eating, we're just talking baby steps. but even baby steps towards healthier eating are steps in the right direction and worth taking.
2) discipline? yes. meal planning is essential to success for any diet, but is also a great life skill. we have been planning our meals one week at a time. we make our list and go shopping at the beginning of the week to get what we need. this is a discipline we would like to maintain going forward. knowing what you're having for dinner, and having the stuff to make it is an easy way to decrease stress significantly when you have a busy family life. it's one less decision you have to make. plus, you can usually take the leftovers for the next days' lunch so you get a bonus meal for the work you put in. we also take turns cooking, and that has helped a ton. I am seriously so thankful for a husband who enjoys cooking. it would get real old, real quick if I was going solo. we also include our kiddos in the cooking and in trying new foods. it's been fun for us as a couple, but as a family as well.
3) weight loss? yes. while losing weight is not the central focus of the whole 30 diet, it is certainly a benefit. in 30 days, rob lost 17 pounds, and I lost 11. we did not count calories, and were able to eat until we were full. so i'd say that's a pretty good deal. (now, I will say that for the first 2 weeks, my body did not like me at all for taking away the sugar that it was used to for fuel. I was achy and tired and felt like I had the flu. but it was well worth it once we rounded the corner)
4) feel good? yes. did you know that for every 1 pound of weight you lose, it is equivalent to taking 4 pounds of pressure off of your joints? that fact has been pretty motivating to me throughout this process. we took our kids hiking over spring break at the end of our whole 30. we hiked 6 miles and I felt better than I have felt in years! I expected to be achy and sore after about mile 2, but I actually found myself a little bouncy and ready for more. (makes sense if you consider I was carrying 44 less pounds of pressure and rob was carrying 68 less) I never did get that sense of "tiger blood" or extreme energy that some experience, I may have just needed some more time. but I did enjoy enjoy the hike.
5) clearer skin? yes. while I did not notice a significant difference with a lot of the other positive physical benefits that whole 30 claims, I did indeed notice the skin on my face was a lot clearer.
6) better mood? maybe, yes?. I did not feel as though I had a better overall mood during the whole 30..... that is until we reintroduced sugar. when we began reintroducing added sugars and sweets back into the diet, I did notice myself being more cranky and irritable. a surprising additional benefit I did notice was that my pms symptoms were drastically decreased while on the whole 30 diet. I guess sugar does indeed affect mood and cramps. I didn't want to believe what I've always read, because I didn't want to give up the very thing I crave during that time of the month. but when faced with the truth learned by experience, I will definitely be more motivated to eat clean certain times of the month for sure!
7) lifestyle changes? yes. like I said, we're not ready to go vegan or anything, but we will definitely be getting rid of some things going forward. after realizing how much sugar is included and how little nutritional value you get in return, we have decided to get rid of Poptarts. our kids are not a fan of this idea, but the truth is that they are just junk. we're not getting rid of everything, but we're starting there. we also told them they could still have cereal, but they have to choose from the ones that have 10g of sugar or less. i'm going from 3 tbsps of my beloved coffee creamer to 1. and after learning how certain foods cause an overall feeling of grossness that I was numb to before, I will definitely be consuming smaller portions of bread and dairy. i.e. 1 cracker barrel biscuit instead of 4. embarrassing to admit, but like I said, this is whole 30 for real people.
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