Have you ever thought to yourself “The whole 30 would be perfect for me!”... Oh yeah, I thought that too!

I started off with full confidence, I loaded my kitchen and fridge with all the right stuff, removed everything that is not approved. Made myself an egg scramble and dove headfirst into The… Whole… 30.

Why? Well, I’ve let my eating habits get a little out of control so I wanted to kinda reign it back in and reset to a more healthy neutral place of existence with food.

Week 1 – Miserable. I stuck to it 100%. Had headaches. Resented eating the only things I could.

Week 2 – Less miserable. Stuck to it 100%. I discovered the whole 30 approved bowl at Chipotle. The headaches ended about halfway through this week. I got used to cooking more.

I ate lots of grilled meat and veggies, lots of egg scrambles and potatoes, and drank lots of La Croix… I think Potatoes and La Croix made this whole thing possible so a huge shoutout to them! 😂

Week 3 – Stuck to it 100%. Umm… leg pain for two days, but lots of energy, my digestion was great and my sleep was amazing! Not sure what the leg pain was all about, they felt like growing pains.

Week 4 – Okay so here is where things sort of went off the rails… I decided to take a trip to Orlando and visit Universal & Island of Adventure for the very first time with FULL intentions of staying on track with the Whole 30. Well I made it until about 3pm on the first day because I didn’t have a good breakfast and I just mentally couldn’t overcome it and they don’t exactly have healthy food in the parks. So I got PIZZA. And boy was it delicious!

At the end of the first day in Orlando we thought we might as well make the most of the cheat day and spin it into a “metabolism boosting day”… so we went to the Golden Corral buffet and OH was it glorious. (The next day… not so much).

Oh yeah… and I got a VooDoo Donut!

The rest of the trip in Orlando was as successful as the first day, BUT – I added an extra two days to my whole 30 calendar for each day I didn’t stay on track.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• It is OKAY if you don’t stick to a “diet program” that you think might be good for you. If it’s not good for you, you shouldn’t do it.
• I felt SO much better after detoxing from the sugar, gluten and dairy.
• Eating habits that are SO strict don’t actually work for me because of my travel schedule.
• “Diet Culture” is toxic and we all need a healthier way of talking about our relationship with food.
• I actually did loose a good amount of weight, and some inches… all my clothes feel better.
• The eating habits I picked up and learned while on the program are sticking with me, so my go to snack is nuts, grapes, dates, and fruit.
• I don’t think the Whole 30 way of eating is sustainable longer than a 30 day period, at least not strictly. Especially if you want to live a flexible lifestyle.
• I continue to love learning about what food does to my body and how food can serve my body and nourish it, and bring joy.

Thanks for reading! Let me know any brilliant food thoughts you have? What brings you joy? Does food make you feel guilty sometimes? Why?

Cheers!

BOSUS:

This is one of my favorite Whole 30 Breakfasts:

• Egg scramble with onions and mushrooms.
• Fried diced sweet potatoes with a little lime squeezed on in the middle of cooking and at the end.
• Avocado, add salt
• Cold brew coffee
• Blueberries