My Whole30 Journey

If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, you might know that I did the Whole30 diet. I started on January 19 and finished on February 17, and lost a total of 12lbs! I forgot to measure my belly, hips, and thighs, so I have no idea how many inches I lost, but oh well!

So, what exactly is the Whole30? It’s a diet that is supposed to help you reset your body, aid you in changing your relationship with food, and help get rid of health ailments (inflammation, heart burn, acne, etc). I first heard about it on Diana’s blog Our City Lights (go figure, I find out most things from her), and after she finished she posted the most amazing before and after shot on her Instagram account. Naturally, I became very curious about the Whole30 after that.

I love food, but my relationship with it has always had a bit of a Sid and Nancy vibe (re: volatile).  I’m an emotional eater with a sweet tooth that won’t quit. I’m also a bonafide cereal killer — I could kill a whole box of Lucky Charms in one day if I wanted to (this is why I avoid Lucky Charms and opt for Honey Nut Cheerios and Special K). So when I looked into what the Whole30 was all about after reading how successful Diana was with it, I thought I should give it a go. The Whole30 diet has you eliminate dairy (cheese, milk, ice cream, yogurt), legumes (peanut butter!), and refined sugar (practically in everything I love) for 30 days — it’s like an extreme, strictly Paleo diet.

The first two weeks were rough! I felt totally fine on day 1, but then I had the worst stomach cramps. Apparently, it’s natural for your body to react that way during the first week or so because your body is like, “Ugh. The fuck is this?! It’s all natural and healthy. Where are those sammiches, girl?!” And I would’ve totally been prepared for that if I read It Starts With Food all the way through before starting my Whole30 — read that book if you decide to do your own Whole30, it explains everything you need to know about it and its benefits and all that good stuff! I was just way too eager to begin my Whole30. Don’t be like me! Read and plan it out first!

The Whole30 forced me to prepare food for myself, rather than relying on take-out or pre-made food that just needs to be heated. I’m SUPER lazy when it comes to food. I mean… yes, I LOVE to eat it, but I loathe cooking. I find it to be horrendously boring, but I know it’s necessary. Aidell’s Chicken Apple Sausages, and the turkey, chicken lime, and grassfed beef patties at Trader Joe’s have all been my saviors during the Whole30! And the 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s made everything tastier. Like I said before, I’m super lazy in the kitchen, so if you’re like me it’s totally possible to get through the Whole30. 🙂

Anyway, my reasons for wanting to try out the Whole30 are pretty much the same reasons why anyone wants to lose weight: to be healthy and to feel more confident about their physical appearance. I’ve been taking kickboxing classes since last May, and I’ve only seen the results in my toned calves and bum. Other than that, my belly was still super bloated as well as every other body part. Relying on exercise obviously isn’t the key, and I knew that I had to step up and be more mindful of the food I ate (or didn’t eat, because I probably only ever ate two meals a day). All my ailments always relate to stress too. I’ve been suffering from stress induced acid reflux for the last 8 years, my skin began to breakout regularly after me and my ex broke up over a year ago, and I’ve been more on edge and prone to multiple anxiety attacks. Blugh! Since doing the Whole30, I haven’t had any acid reflux problems and my skin is slowly starting to get clear again. My disposition isn’t quite sunny, but I’ve been feeling less angsty and moody lately. I’m also a bit more energetic. When I went to my kickboxing class on Tuesday, I was actually able to make through a few rounds of burpees! 🙂

Giving up all the junky comfort food I love wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be. In fact, my cravings for sweets has calmed down. I ate a cookie the day after I finished and I was totally content with just eating one, rather than scarfing down the whole bag that my friend made for me.

However, this gif sums up how I felt 50% of the time…

Seriously. Pizza HAUNTED me. One day I came home from work and found a coupon for pizza taped to the door, right on the damn keyhole! And then my mom asked me to pick up pizza one night too, but then she realized how mean that was. And then National Pizza Day happened on the 9th and it was ALL OVER my Instagram feed! Ugh. And the only compliant places you can go to while on this diet are Chipotle (salad w/carnitas, salsa, and guacamole) or In-N-Out (protein style, tomato, fried mustard). On Galentine’s Day we went to Roam Artisan Burger in San Francisco so I could avoid Chipotle and In-N-Out.

Shanice and Jen also did the Whole30 with me, so we’re going out for pizza tonight to celebrate. Huzzah!

I’m really glad that I did the Whole30 and stuck with it. Even though I’m going out for pizza tonight, I’m planning on sticking with this new lifestyle change with the occasional “cheat” meal because life without cookies and cheese is not a life worth living.