What I Learned From Doing Whole30

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Thirty days. No alcohol, dairy, grains, legumes, or added sugar. The first time I heard about this… thing, I was not interested.

Thirty days of no bread, cheese or wine? Count me out.

Until I heard about all the crazy benefits of this thing called Whole30 that other people we’re experiencing. I started to wonder, is that possible for me too? I would never know unless I tried.

Started in 2009 by Melissa Hartwig and her then husband, this program has been completed by millions of people (including me). Many of you have probably heard about Whole30, but in case you haven’t, here is some info:

For 30 days, you cut the things I mentioned above, don’t weigh yourself, and see how you feel. The goal of the program is not weight loss (although many people do lose weight), but to get to know your body and focus on clean eating.

The Whole30 website has loads of information about Whole30 and the book, The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom (which I recommend checking out), has an abundance of great information and recipes.

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Four things I learned from doing the Whole30:

I underestimated what I would feel by doing Whole30. I had a good friend who did it and thought, why not?

I had no idea how wonderful I would feel by the end of the 30 days. I walked away learning a lot of things about myself and my body.

I can control what I eat.

I am a bit of an emotional eater. When I get sad, I eat. When I get happy, I eat. I wish I could say I ate healthy things, but I don’t.

Zaxby’s is a frequent go to for me when I am emotionally eating. I didn’t really think I could do better, and I definitely didn’t think I could really control my eating.

But for 30 days, I cut a lot of things that I LOVE. I learned how to really enjoy vegetables and healthy foods. I learned to stop eating when I feel full to avoid that yucky overeating feeling.

I learned to listen to my body.

I used to go to sleep with a stomachache nearly every day. I kind of just ignored it and let it be my normal even though it didn’t feel good.

After some time on Whole30, I realized I am probably lactose intolerant. Now when I have dairy, I can feel it, and not in a good way.

I learned that I need to listen to my body and do things differently when I don’t feel good.

I learned that what I put in my body is really important.

Around day 10 of Whole30, I felt amazing! I had more energy during the day and slept better. It was crazy.

It really blew me away how different I felt when I changed what I ate. I learned that what I eat is so incredibly important.

I learned that healthy food can be delicious.

Even after cutting all the good stuff I like (hello cheese and bread), I still had food that I absolutely loved!

It is so possible to eat clean and enjoy the food at the same time.

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In our twenties we have the ability to create long-term habits that are either good or bad for us. We only have one body, so creating healthy habits for our bodies now will help us make it a habit.

Whether you try Whole30 or something else, we encourage you to take hold of your eating habits to better control your life.

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