It’s July. We’ve successfully completed Whole30. Only one minor hiccup during the whole process (Worcestershire sauce made it into some mushrooms on night). 

Major takeaways:

• More energy
• No breakouts
• No headaches
• Regulated blood sugar levels 
• Less tired

The list seems small, but those are major wins. And they were sustained after the first 10 days of Whole30.

I definitely think this program will teach you how you don’t realize how bad certain foods made you feel. 

I don’t think I lost weight, which wasn’t my goal. But the Boyfriend says his pants fit different. Better. 

How will be change our food lives:

• Less takeout
• Better food choices when eating out
• No food deprivation, but practice mindful eating
• Whole30 weekdays, and free weekends

Personally, I will probably eat less gluten and carbs. Less processed foods. Less sugar. But cheese is coming back, and half and half in coffee is happening as I write this. 

For those of you who plan to start Whole30, I do have some advice. 

• Buy the book. It will answer lots of questions. And it gives you recipe ideas to get you started. 
• Your psychological attachment to certain foods is strong. Good moods, bad days, anger, stress and sleepiness all make you reach for certain foods due to the emotional connection. Being from the South, my connection to certain comfort foods was very strong. It’s a part of your upbringing. Notice those things. Note the emotions that send you into a craving frenzy. 
• Make sure you find good people to encourage you. Lots of people won’t understand why you actively chose to give up all the “best” foods. But stick to your guns. Especially the first 10 days. 
• Meal plan. Map out, at least a rough draft, what you will eat each week. This helps you not overspend at the store. Plus you know what main dish goes with what veggie sides. Don’t be like me, and try to wing it. 
• Make enough dinner each night to pack your lunch for the next day. You will be cooking a lot. So the less prep you do after cooking dinner, the less you will resent Whole30. I cooked 88 meals during the month of June. My life would have been considerable better if I made sure dinner covered lunch every day. 
• The weekends are you saving grace. Prep veggies. Cut fruit. Grocery shop. Make the fancy meals you won’t make during the week. The weekends always made me feel free to be creative. Plus I didn’t have to make meals back-to-back-to-back. 
• You will get angry. Eliminating things you like will make you feel bad. Cooking all the time will be annoying. It’s ok to be angry. The Boyfriend endured lots of complaining about cooking every single meal. But he always thanked for my efforts during my rageful moments so that helped A LOT. Gratitude is a major anger kicker. 
• It will get easier. The cooking. The planning. The not eating certain things. It will get easier. Know that I didn’t believe either during the phase of detox. But clarity and ease will come. Don’t. Give. Up. 

When you complete your Whole30, let me know and we will celebrate. 

I celebrated with a Whiskey Fix from Heights Taco. But if you choose to not have alcohol after your Whole30, we will cheers over unsweetened tea with lemon.