I really did try to like zoodles but I just don’t understand how anybody would choose to eat them! And it’s not because I don’t like zucchini, I really like zucchini but if I had to choose between fake pasta or just not having pasta, I would pick not having pasta 100% of the time. Cauliflower rice is surprisingly not bad.

Now that we have that over with! I imagine you already know what Whole30 is or have heard of it; if you’ve been talking to me recently I’ve been whining about it quite a bit so you’ll be familiar. It’s not always pleasant, just being honest with you. But I’m happy I’ve powered through (so far)

Whole30 is not a weight loss diet, nor should be used as one (I lost maybe 3 pounds). It’s 30 days of eliminating certain foods from your diet that are considered inflammatory/could cause digestion issues.

It’s also used as a way to break bad habits – no added sugar is allowed, including alcohol, and no dessert after dinner, even if it is “Whole30 compliant”

After the 30 days are complete, you begin to reintroduce the food groups (dairy, grains, legumes, sugars) one at a time and see how your body reacts to them. Doing this properly takes time; you may want to add in a little bit at a time, then wait a day or two to see if you feel before trying it again and so on.

I actually did Whole30 previously, and skipped the reintroduction part which sort of defeats the purpose. ALSO I’m embarrassed to say I only went 27 days which makes NO SENSE!

I definitely recommend Whole30, especially if you have digestive problems, or maybe want to get rid of sugar cravings/bad habits around how much processed food, sugar, etc. is in your diet.

There are no food groups that are “bad”, but the idea is that by eliminating specific groups, then slowly adding them back in, you’ll be able to pinpoint what is causing digestive problems (hopefully nothing!)

I have three pieces of advice if you’re thinking of doing Whole30:

• Get the book, and read it. All of it.
• If you have a partner or eat meals with your family, it’s going to be really tough to do on your own; if they aren’t joining you, there are groups you can find on instagram using the hashtag #whole30.

• This website is also GREAT, I looked at just about every day and if it wasn’t spot on, it was close. It’s a timeline of how you may be feeling each day – an example: Days 8 & 9, you may experience bloating, etc. (which I did) and that is normal. So reassuring! And sorry for the overshare but just being up front with you guys. Here’s the link: https://whole30.com/revised-timeline/

• Prepare yourself for it – meal planning is really important, and please don’t do what we did, which was eating “last hurrah” meals for 2 full days before starting. What a terrible mistake! Eat what you’d normally eat….and if all of your meals are last hurrah ones, lo siento por ti, because it is going to be a very uncomfortable first several days!!

Hubs and I are nearing the end of the 30 days, and I have to say I am a bit nervous about the reintroduction phase especially since I basically skipped over it last time. Going into this, I wondered if I would find that dairy does not agree with me, which I sincerely hope is NOT the case because I love milk and cheese but also as I get older (33, basically one foot in the grave) it is so not worth it to eat delicious stuff and immediately feel disgusting afterwards (was it ever worth it, though? probably not but that’s never stopped me)

There have been several takeaways from this, but the biggest one for me is sugar cravings. Guys. I was shocked at how much added sugar I was regularly eating and how much I craved it. Around 2pm I start to feel myself slooowww down and what’s a better remedy for that than some tea and sweets? Nothing really, unless you overdo it and I think it’s safe to say that I did. My cravings have started to become better but they are not all gone!

Actually the biggest takeaway is that I no longer fighting with my gut…digestive system and I are in harmony #mybodyisatemple

Now, I cannot say that we followed Whole30 100%…we decided to have wine but only Friday & Saturday nights. But no other alcohol.

Cutting out grains wasn’t too difficult for me, but dairy was a tough one. I didn’t realize how often I cooked with heavy whipping cream …

Anyway, we start re-introduction in a few more days so maybe I’ll post about that as we are going through it, and hope cheese is ok!