My Whole30 Experience (Plus a Weight Loss Update)
While we were in North Carolina in September, I decided to do a Whole30. After a month of little weight loss progress, I was frustrated and felt like I needed to set some temporary but strict food boundaries because I kept moving the goal post. I’d start my week with the best of intentions, but by 4pm on Monday I’d set about that mental dance wherein I convinced myself I deserved that glass of wine because BOY was Kate a handful today. Can anyone relate?! 🙋🏻
Also on our trip, I realized I’d become too focused on the scale moving and not my overall well-being. As I mentioned in my last update, I’d been tracking calories and macros in My Fitness Pal. While doing so helped me realize I was actually eating too little (which was a game changing realization), a month later I’d grown weary of the calorie-counting grind. For my personality type, counting calories isn’t a healthy, long-term weight loss approach. I become obsessive, and not in a good way. I’d had enough. For my mental health’s sake, it was time to set a goal that was health focused, not outcome focused.
(Side note: this is a good time to point out that even though a certain weight loss method works well for someone else, it may be a terrible approach for you. Just because your girlfriend fasts or a blogger you follow doesn’t eat carbs, doesn’t mean you should. For example, when I don’t eat carbs, I’m prone to binge eating. I know this about myself. Accordingly, Keto ain’t for me! Be honest and tailor your health strategies accordingly.)
Okay back to focusing on health vs. the scale. I’d heard about Whole30 from friends who’d done it before, so I was already familiar with the program. What’s funny is I vividly remember telling one friend “I will never do that”. Ha! Anyway, with time to burn in our Carolina cabin, I downloaded the book to my Kindle, got to reading, and took the time to consider its contents thoughtfully before I committed.
For those unfamiliar with the rules, it’s no grains (potatoes are ok, just not fried), no legumes (this includes peanut butter), no dairy, no alcohol(😩), no added sugar, no soy, no unpronounceable ingredients, and no weighing yourself for 30 days. There’s more to it than that, but that’s the gist. If you’re curious to learn more, I recommend reading the book. To be clear, Whole30 is not a weight loss program! The goal is to correct your relationship with food and, after the 30 days are up, to reintroduce food groups into your diet and examine the effects to determine whether you have any food sensitivities.
(As an aside, the author’s writing style annoyed me, and I found the book difficult to get through. But regardless, she sold me on the program itself!)
As I mentioned on Instagram, I quit the program on Day 24. By this point, I’d made it past the initial icky side effects of low energy, exhaustion, headaches, etc. Physically, I felt fine. Good even. Mentally, however, I was exhausted. To say I hit a wall is an understatement. I was BEYOND over it. Which, yes, in the book you’re told to expect this and solider through. And for about five days I did, but then I realized - for me - I’d gotten everything out of the program I could. So I quit. No regrets, by the way.
I learned a LOT about myself in these 24 days. Both good and bad. Am I glad I did it? Absolutely. Would I do it again? No.
I will, however, eat “Whole30 Approved” foods more often because I absolutely felt better while eating this way. But although I felt better, I never experienced the “tiger’s blood” man-I-feel-incredible sensation discussed at length in the book. This is probably because I maintained a mostly healthy lifestyle prior to starting the program. Nevertheless, that was disappointing and contributed to my burn out.
I’ll sum up my major Whole30 takeaways below. Here’s what I learned:
I love food. Like… the do-not-join-me-for-lunch-and-ask-me-to split-a-salad kind of love it. And while there are some yummy Whole30 recipes out there (The Defined Dish’s recipes are 💯, for example), the umami usually does not compare to foods prepared with butter and cheese. Whole30 crystallized for me that I don’t just like to eat, but that I have a passion for eating good food.
But with this passion for food comes great responsibility. And I realized I eat to the fullest too often. Not every day is a vacation. I don’t always deserve that glass of wine. Not every meal is worth the splurge. Too much of a good thing is, in fact, bad. And while foods prepared with butter and cheese taste better, they don’t necessarily make you feel better. So, because my health and appearance matter to me, I need to dial it back and be more discerning about how often I indulge.
I was really out of touch with my hunger cues. In fact, did I ever have hunger cues? Prior to Whole30, I ate past the level of full often. Now, I can absolutely tell when I’m full, and I stop eating once I reach that point.
Coming off my pregnancy, I was addicted to carbs/sugar. In my 3rd trimester, I let myself indulge. My body craved carbs, so I enjoyed all the pasta and bread I wanted without worry or regret. Fast forward to 3 months after Kate was born when I shifted back into my pre-pregnancy eating habits (i.e. most healthy, less carbs). I had the hardest time saying no to food! As someone who prides myself on will power, this was a new experience for me. Once I started Whole30, I quickly realized I was physically craving the sugar rush of simple carbs. Whole30 helped me break that cycle. In the future, I’ll be able to recognize when I’m in a similar food addiction cycle and know how to conquer it.
On the food sensitivity front, I did learn something! I suspected it, but now I know for sure. Drinking alcohol contributes to my facial redness, which is my #2 skincare dilemma (#1 being melasma, but that’s a whole other blog post). I won’t quit alcohol because I love wine and cocktails and this side effect isn’t enough for me to stop drinking altogether. However, I will consume less overall and be more mindful about drinking the week leading up to a major event where I want to look my best.
Finally, this excerpt from the book really resonated with me:
“We are NOT saying you can never eat sugar or drink alcohol ever again. We simply want you to make educated decisions about foods. We don’t want you justifying your choices with marketing pitches or telling yourself that because it’s gluten-free, low-carb, or heart-healthy, it’s a perfectly fine choice. Why go through all that self-deception when the fact that [fill in the blank] is just plain delicious is a good enough reason all by itself to indulge?”
Like yes. So much yes. THIS is the attitude I need to carry with me about food the rest of my life. And I will. It’s my greatest takeaway from my Whole30 experience.
Ok. That’s the end of my Whole30 spiel. Now I’ll give y’all a weight loss update!
As a reminder, I last updated the blog about my postpartum weigh loss journey in August. Since that post, I’ve changed a few things. First, as I mentioned above, I stopped counting calories. Second, I no longer see my trainer and instead attend Pilates twice a week + run, walk, or ride my Peloton 3-4x per week. Basically, I added more cardio and decreased time spent strength training. Building muscle isn’t my struggle, it’s shedding fat. I think these adjustments have really helped.
Below are my numbers. 🙌🏻 I’ve made steady progress! 🥳 While it’s not going as quickly as I’d like, I feel good because it feels sustainable. More so than the weight loss, I’m impressed by my inches lost! Especially my waistline (which is extra jiggly postpartum). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I’m getting stronger. 💪🏻 I’m able to do more difficult exercises in my Pilates class AND I even got my first compliment last week from someone at the studio who said I look more toned! 💁🏻
Any number above in orange means I’m outside the healthy range. As you can see, most of my numbers are green which is great. Dark green is “better” than light green. Blue means below normal. I have no idea how my subcutaneous fast is below normal. I am jigglier than I’ve ever been! Ha! Regardless, my main goal is still to shed fat.
Since my last update 8 weeks ago, I’ve lost 3.4 pounds. My total weight loss is 6.4 pounds.
Since my last update 8 weeks ago, my BMI has dropped .5.
Since my last update 8 weeks ago, my body fat percentage has dropped half a percent. Per my scale’s range categories, I’m VERY close to falling into the “Fitness” category which is so cool!
Numbers above are compared to my August 2nd measurements. Since then, I’ve lost 4.5 inches from my thighs, shoulders, chest, hips, and waist.
What I’m doing is working, so I’m not going to change things up at this point. I’ll continue eating healthy, sticking to mostly whole foods and limiting my alcohol intake to a reasonable level. For exercise, it’s Pilates 2x/week + riding my Peloton, running/walking 3-4x/week.
I’m hoping that by my next update my weight will be in the 150’s. Mainly because my husband barely weighs less than me right now which is the most embarrassing and annoying thing!!!! 😩🔪🔪🔪
Until the next update… XOXO.
The bluetooth scale and corresponding app I used to track and measure my progress is called RENPHO and it’s linked here. The app I use to track my body measurements is called Trainerize.