Now, about a month out from the Whole30, I think I can give a summary of what I did and what happened to me that might be useful.
What I Did:
Basically, for 30 days (with two evenings of eating less that perfectly at a rehearsal dinner and a wedding) I ate only meats, vegetables, nuts, and a little bit of fruit. I ate no dairy, no yucky oils, no alcohol, no potatoes, no added sugar, and no grains of any kind. I blogged the whole experience, and you can find my posts about it here. During these 30 days, I also did Crossfit 2x a week (except when I didn't) and was otherwise only mildly active with daily kinds of movement like gardening, cleaning, walking from the train to school, etc.)
How it Went:
For the first few days, I was excited, and sticking to it was fairly easy. I had recently quit smoking (a month before I started the Whole30 and now nearly 4 months), and I was way more confident about sticking to this month than I usually am when starting a diet. I mean, if I can quit smoking, I can do anything right?
Then came Days four and five. Suddenly, I hated all the cooking, I started having cravings, I felt like crap with no energy or happy feelings, and my Crossfit workouts became nearly impossible to complete. I had read to expect this, though, and my Crossfit coach seemed to think it was normal, so I just kept eating right and watched a lot of cheer-me-up TV.
After Day six, it was all easier. My body adjusted to the diet, and I had my energy and good mood back. Some of the highlights of the rest of the month were: greatly reduced PMS symptoms, improvement in my attitude and performance at Crossfit, managing a huge Halloween party without cheating and without too much misery, wearing my old pants, finding new foods to enjoy, and falling in love with a new paleo-friendly restaurant (a Brazilian steakhouse where actual Brazilians go, where it's affordable, and where the food is better than the big chains).
The Results:
Over the 30 days, I lost 15 pounds, dropped down a size in pants, dresses, and shirts, looked slimmer in my face and neck, and fit into my favorite bras again. My acne (which wasn't terrible, but it bothered me terribly) was gone, and my PMS symptoms were reduced. I felt better all around, including during exercise, with a clearer head and a little more energy (I was fairly energetic before). At my thyroid checkup, my doctor and I were happy to see that all antibodies pointing to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis were gone; he credits the gluten-free and the dessicated thyroid and iodine I take.
My Plans:
I was happier on the Whole30 than I thought I would be. I wasn't dying to go eat a big bowl of pasta on day 31. So, I think I will mostly stick with it. I'm going to allow myself alcohol at social events, but stick with the no dairy, no grains, no sugar. I am going to have a cheat once in a while; I can't imagine life without the potstickers at the Cheesecake Factory. But I don't mind giving up my daily crap. I don't need grains or sugar in my diet except for those occasional treats. When I eat them, I want it to be worth it. A slice of bread along with soup? Not worth it. High quality peppermint bark on Christmas morning? Worth it.
Last Observation:
I have had trouble in the past with an eating disorder, and any diet scares me. I don't want to become obsessed with the way I am eating like I was before. I don't want the process of making good changes in my nutrition to lead me to all kinds of self-hating mental talk. I want to continue to like my body and feel good about all it can do. For some reason, I had less trouble with the Whole30 than I have had before. I didn't focus on food every second of the day; I didn't start to hate myself more as pounds dropped away. For whatever reason, for the first time, I was able to remain rational about my body while following a food plan. That really might be the biggest benefit I have gotten from the Whole30.
7 comments:
Thanks for writing this. It's helpful to see how other people go through trying to apply proper nutrition principles and their experiences.
I had some major struggles when I tried eating very strictly Paleo and exercising intensely Crossfit-style. I was very moody, in a bad way. I had intense, prolonged cravings for carbs and sweets and largely ignored them to my own peril. I was not nice to be around during these awful moods and felt quite miserable and had trouble motivating myself to do things I wanted to do.
I had trouble enjoying being around people, as the lack of giving my body what it wanted made me highly sensitive and brash. I definitely sacrificed social and mental things for physical things--and I later learned I could eat better and achieve social and mental health without being overly strict about my diet. And it was taking too much time to always cook. It was a good learning experience, but I've changed my approach.
Now, I eat a lot more meat and naturally fatty foods, but I still snack a lot. Instead of merely allowing the occasional craving, I eat a lot of carbs and sweets like ice cream and peanut butter and crackers, and am doing excellent health-wise. I used to have minor oily/dry skin and acne problems that bothered me, regular stomach aches and an awful bloated feeling, great trouble focusing because of a lack of being satiated--all gone, and I feel really good physiologically, and this without strict Paleo, just eating a lot more meat and naturally fatty foods.
And I barely work out. Occasionally I'll go for a walk. I do pushups and free-standing squats maybe once a week for ten minutes, sometimes only once every few weeks. I will do stretches sometimes which feels good and takes the place of exercise for me. Very basic stuff like lunges and reaching for my toes and putting my arm behind my head and pulling it across. Nutrition/food is the much more essential element.
I simply want to eat a lot more meat and naturally foods now, but don't make it something I even strive for. I eat a lot of cottage cheese, as it's quick and fatty. Quick salads with deli meat and leftover cooked chicken and avocado and cheese and nuts. Turkey and salami sandwiches with mayo. A decent amount of easy to make stuff like porterhouse steaks which just get plopped in the oven for 20 minutes.
But lots of regular carbs and still feel and look great. Oh, and lots of water. So overlooked. I drink tons of water. I'll have semi-regular beer and coffee, but still generally drink water even right after I have them.
Hi Kelly! I just read your post on Diana's site and came over to check out you blog. We are are practically neighbors! I'm in Paulding, but lived and worked in Marietta for a big chunk of my life. I just wrapped up a 30 day experiment and plan to post my results tomorrow. I had similar results as you, but not quite as impressive weight loss. Congratulations on such a great success!
Thanks for stopping by, Patty and Jason. Patty, that's cool that we are so nearby. I looked at your blog post about filling your new freezer. I'll have to let you know the next time we go in on a cow. We get grass-fed beef locally and very cheaply, and the meat is delicious!
Hey Kelly, that would be fantastic! I would love to go in on a cow with you. Thanks for the offer!
Can I ask when you had your eating disorder? What it a really stressful time in your life? Thanks...
Carolyn,
I don't know if I would say it was a full blown eating disorder. I was able to pull out of it without outside help, though I still struggle sometimes, especially when I restrict my diet.
It was at a very stressful time. It was right after my divorce and at the end of an incredibly rocky rebound relationship. I had lost a lot of weight, but I still hated my body and was with a guy who did not appreciate me at all(including my looks). I worried about my weight all the time, and I made myself throw up a few times. When I started doing that, I realized that I was out of control, and so I went through a year or so of rehabilitating myself. It helped to be with Aaron who loves my body and doesn't criticize it.
It's something I haven't really blogged about, but I should. I don't mind talking about it, if you have any questions for me.
Thanks Kelly. I'm just curious about eating disorders and definitely think I focus more on food when I am feeling very stressed and isolated. Lately, though, I have been A LOT better since I eliminated gluten and dairy and caffeine and sugar. I don't worry about my body, really, just the food itself. I think this must be what you refer to as "thinking about food all the time." It also helps if I have other more interesting academic things to think about. Thanks:-)
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