Whole30 debriefing

[clevermanka]

Yesterday was my last day of Whole30.

Physically, I feel great, and the clean eating + exercise is paying off. I think I look pretty good. Pretty great, considering where I was two months ago. Of course, I cannot find where I wrote down my starting weight for August. You'd think I'd have written it in my planner, but no. WTF. I believe I was hovering around 148-150. This morning I weighed in at 145.8. Not shabby! Tomorrow morning I go for my skinfold body fat test.

Things I shall continue to avoid:
Grains and legumes (yes, corn is a grain)
Sweeteners of any type (sugar, honey, sucralose, saccharine, etc.)
Any packaged foods containing more than three ingredients
White potatoes
Beer and liquor
Dairy

Things I shall not avoid:
Wine

My G.I. tract is very happy and my energy level is (usually) quite high. I don't want to mess with a good thing right when KCRF is starting up. And honestly, I don't miss those things terribly much. Beer, yes, a little. Real cream in my coffee, yes, a little. Everything else, I don't miss at all.

Things I noticed during the Whole30:
Elimination of food cravings
Elimination of intestinal discomfort
Decreased post-meal bloating
Higher energy level
Noticeable fat loss and increased muscle definition
Better overall attitude

I think I've had fewer mood swings, but I can't objectively gauge that. Perhaps mckitterick could weigh in there.

Overall, I'm thrilled with my Whole30 experiment. It was one-hundred percent worth it. I admit being shocked by how easily and quickly I got over the obsessive doughnut cravings. I'm pleased that eating a meal no longer makes me want to don a larger size of pants. I'm incredibly excited by the fact that I'm doing so well, I inspired my parents to jump on this ride with me.

Whole30 will be a great thing to return to when I'm feeling sluggish or noticing G.I. issues again. It's comforting to know that such an easy thing made me feel so much better. It's not hard. It takes effort and commitment, yes, but it wasn't hard.



Thanks, Melissa Urban and Dallas Hartwig, for providing the idea and resources for Whole30. Thanks, Melicious for touting the Whole9 folks so effectively on your blog. Thanks, shrijani, for doing this experiment with me--I hope you are pleased with your results! And thank you to mckitterick for being such a fantastic partner, and supporting me and my crazy health ideas.

Comments

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

Fabulous that it worked so well for you.

I hope that adding wine back to your intake does not bring back any negative symptoms for you.


D.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

If it does, I know it's easy enough to cut it back out!

[stuology.livejournal.com]

Yippee on the fabulousness!

Your attitude as reflected in what you write about on LJ has definitely changed.

I see a Melissa awesomeness trend!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Your attitude as reflected in what you write about on LJ has definitely changed.

Thank you for telling me. It's so hard to tell that stuff about myself, you know? Even going back and re-reading through things, I can't always tell. Because my voice is my voice is my voice and it always sounds the same to me. Having this verified by an external party is helpful and makes me really happy.

Yay for awesomeness! Doing awesome things is awesome!

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

I agree 100%.. overall, you are happier, more enthusiastic about good things, even less willing to be negative.

ETA: I look forward to sharing some wine with you again!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Woot! Woot! on all counts.

We might have to postpone the wine date until after KCRF. I'm going to limit the drinkin to once or twice a week, and I imagine most of those are going to happen after closing gate. =D

But mmmm....late fall hot-tubbing with wine!

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's cool with me.

[apocalypticbob.livejournal.com]

That's awesome! It's so fabulous that you've found something that works for you when you need a jumpstart/ boost to your health.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Fabulous, indeed!

[nottygypsy.livejournal.com]

It is so cool you did this and I can also agree you've seemed more positive and happy, and yes YOU LOOK FABULOUS!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Yay!

Before doing this, I might have believed sugar was evil, but now I know it. It changed my brain. Scary!

[pms-inc.livejournal.com]

Last night nottygypsy told me about your accomplishments and showed me the photos of your results. I have to say that the difference in that short of a period of time is stunning- literally! You are inspiring me to try this program as I think sugar is destroying me from the inside out. I KNOW it owns me and I'm tired of our dysfunctional relationship. I want a sucrose divorce. You say that your cravings were diminished significantly?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

The cravings were gone, baby gone.

TRY IT.

Try it for thirty days. You can do it.

[zhukora1.livejournal.com]

Neat! It has been interesting and very educational to follow this journey of yours. And I have to agree with the others that the strongest outward sign (at least on LJ) of its success is your more positive attitude. It definitely shows! :)

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

That's pretty incredible, coming from someone who so recently started reading me. Wow! Thank you so much for chiming in!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Absolutely: Your entire emotional spectrum has shifted toward the positive side, and if it swings - very rare lately - it only slides a bit rather than wobbles. You just seem so much more calm and pleased with life.

And you look hot-cha!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thank you. For everything.

[medousamedea.livejournal.com]

Are there packaged food with less than three ingredients?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Silly thing! There are lots of them!

Canned tomatoes, coconut milk, almond flour, various oils (olive, walnut, coconut), raisins, dried mushrooms, etc.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I think the "three ingredients or less" thing might be a bit too literal. Mixed nuts for example. If a package contains a bunch of ingredients but they're all real food, that should be okay, right?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I don't eat mixed nuts, so that's not an issue.

The only thing I can think of that breaks this rule is spice mixes, and I don't buy ones with salt or preservatives. Honestly, I can't think of a single packaged food I've eaten since April that contains more than three ingredients. Even my frozen mixed vegetable bags are limited to peppers and onions!

If a package contains a bunch of ingredients but they're all real food, that should be okay

I suppose some people would argue that things like Lara Bars are okay in a pinch, but I would rather avoid them for myself.

[medousamedea.livejournal.com]

Ahh! I was thinking along the lines of Twinkies with less than three ingredients.