http://whole30.com/Halfway into a ‘Whole30 Journey’

After quitting smoking in January and starting this blog in February, I was feeling a bit out of sorts with myself having put on weight (I’ve pretty much weighed and been the same height since I was 14) so I decided to try the Whole30 ‘diet’.

They don’t advertise themselves as a diet but more as a way of changing how you think about food.

What is Whole30?

You cut out all the fun shit – no dairy (goodbye cheese), no grains (goodbye pasta and rice), no legumes (peas and beans, yeah I had no idea what that was either), no added sugar (goodbye, world), no MSG or preservatives (goodbye any convenient food ever made), no processed foods (goodbye chicken dippers my sweet, sweet friend) and you’re supposed to say goodbye to alcohol too but I didn’t do that part as I had various events on this month which were already planned. I can be a dullard with my food but no booze is a step too far.  They also have various other rules such as you are not supposed to weigh yourself during the 30 days and are not allowed to re-create naughty foods, such as no dairy free ice cream etc etc – their reason being that you are to change your mind set from having such ‘treats’.

The Saving Graces

You are allowed coffee and you are allowed bacon. I don’t quite get how bacon isn’t processed but I’m not going to quibble over it because bacon saved my life on this diet. On my (not allowed) hangovers they were what got me through the day!

Why do Whole30?

It’s claimed that this programme resets your system, in their own words “Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making.”

The claimed  benefits of doing this are improved health and wellbeing, increased energy levels, weight loss (although they don’t stress that point), better skin, losing unexplained aches and pains and they make references to allergies and fertility but I do not want to misquote them so I will let you make your own decisions on those points.

How has it been?

Tolerable. It’s definitely tolerable. I cannot say I have any real issue with it as I have been drinking for the duration of my Whole30 so it’s not been as hard as it might have been for people actually doing it properly. I have also had a few slips – which they say you must re-start the clock and go back to Day 1 if you do and I haven’t; I have just carried on.

The results

At Day 15 I broke the first rule of fight club.. sorry, the first rule of Whole30 and weighed myself. As I have been tracking my progress on my Instagram page, I wanted some physical results to share with people. I had lost just under 6lbs in 15 days which I was really happy with as weight loss was my first and foremost reason for embarking on this.

My skin has improved so much: my skin tone is more even and I have stopped wearing foundation / tinted moisturiser unless I am going out. I don’t really get spots but I haven’t had any the whole time I have been on this.

My nails haven’t broken and my hair feels healthier and not in such desperate need of oil.

I have read the backs of almost all labels and there is shit in everything. It’s not really something I ever registered before, because I love processed food and I know it’s bad but I just didn’t really give a shit. However, it’s so easy to not eat this stuff. It might take a bit of extra preparation but it’s totally worth it.

The biggest, most noticeable improvement, however, is my energy. Gone are the days of sitting at my desk (which I do from 9am – 6pm day in, day out) and feeling like I am dozing off. I have stopped falling asleep on the sofa at night, which I had done every day since we got the dog in March, and am more alert generally. Getting out bed in the morning is by far the easiest it has been since I was about 7 years old.

Is it worth it?

Yes. It is. Just look at what you are allowed to eat up there – who wouldn’t sign up for this?!

💛 #theweefoodblogger

Want to find out more? Visit http://whole30.com/