Whole30 Timeline: Round 1 – April 5, 2016

My first Whole30 was absolutely life changing. At first, I just shared my experience with friends as it came up. And then, when I decided to do this blog, it only made sense for this absolutely life changing thing to be a part of this blog. So I dug out my journal from my very first round — so here is my Whole30 Timeline. Notice how closely my timeline relates to the timeline Whole30 founders outline in the book The Whole30. Almost dead on! 🙂
*Results will of course vary!*

 

Whole30 Timeline: Day in the Life

Day 1: Felt pretty good!  Really wanted to chew gum!!

 

In the fog…

Day 2: Foggy head. Starving while cooking. Had some almond butter which helped.

Day 3: REALLY FOGGY. Very rough, mentally speaking. Had a rough time focusing in meetings and keeping thoughts together. Food wasn’t the issue at all, but I went to bed early. Stomach is flatter!

Day 4: My head was better, but I was extremely tired. Lots of food cravings today. Stuck it out and a yummy lunch helped! Face looks thinner!

 

Sleepy….

Day 5: Busy day — prepped food so that helped. Feeling sleepy…. Worked my part-time job, which had me nervous. Typically, I snack a lot while there. But today, didn’t snack and stuck to Whole30.

Day 6: Spent the day napping and prepping food for the week. Felt so productive and had a ton of energy! Definitely a feeling of accomplishment.

 

This isn’t working!!

Day 7: Starting to get bored with this. Not seeing new changes. I want to weigh myself. Noticed I’m hungrier, but it’s probably because of period.

Day 8: So bloated!!! I can’t even button jeans. Stayed home from work. Felt relieved when I read the book and said some people have this experience.

Day 9: Feel better, but still bloated. More energy again.

Day 10: Feeling so much better than last week!! Bloating has gone down. Brain is preoccupied with wanting to eat, but drinking more water is helping it to pass.

 

Am I done yet??

Day 11: Felt really weird and off. Very stressed with all the prep for Whole30 on top of life. Wanted to cheat SO BAD — feeling bored with this.

Day 12: Even though I still wanted to cheat, I resisted (big progress for me!). I’m chalking it up to hormones at this point. Food is starting to take on new flavors for me and fruit tastes amazing. Helping me through these tough times.

Day 13: Felt really good. Learned that lobster makes my tummy hurt. Otherwise great day. Food prep is starting to get easier.

Day 14: Even more energy!! Not feeling as “hungry” — still not convinced I’ve been hungry, just want to eat.

Day 15: New workout is going well with this Whole30!! Good energy.

 

TIGER BLOOD!

Day 16: TIGER BLOOD! That is what this HAS to be! I have so much energy. This is a day that is tough for me (working from home) — I didn’t cheat! I was in a great mood all day and was able to keep moving.

Day 17: Mood is still great! I’m able to focus on tasks at hand. Being able to pause and connect with God more, rather than worrying about the next thing constantly.

Day 18: Family dinner at an Italian restaurant tonight. We planned out our meal ahead of time and stuck to it! Left there feeling so amazing!

Day 19: Can’t believe how great my mood is. Ended up hitting a wall in the afternoon, but not like before. Feeling skinny!!

Day 20: Really enjoying life. I was a bit emotional today (Hank), but still was able to get things accomplished. That was a great feeling!

Day 21: Thoughts of sweets were stronger today, but I think it’s because I was already not feeling as “skinny”

 

I love LIFE and I love WHOLE30!!

Day 22: No cravings for anything off plan! I was tired, but I’m thinking that had to do with the crappy weather.

Day 23: NO CRAVINGS!!! This is a miracle!!

Day 24: Wanted ice cream and birthday cake Oreos today. Weirdly specific. But otherwise, felt great!

Day 25: Almost there!! Food is tasting amazing. I’m getting nervous for the reintroduction. Really don’t want to go back to the way things used to be!

Day 26: No cravings, loving Whole30 foods. So, I tried something new today: Bananas & Blueberries with almond butter. Not a normal thing for me to eat! But was so good. Went bowling with friends, fried food smelled so good, but we had a plan for dinner at Lazlo’s. It was worth it!

Day 27: So, we sat at home all day bingeing on Netflix. Never did we want to cheat or even crave bad things. HUGE accomplishment.

Day 28: Not even counting the days I have left. So strange.

Day 29: I think I’ll just keep going 🙂 But we will doing the reintroduction.

Day 30: It’s here! And I don’t even care…. How does that happen? Don’t wait to change! I love my energy. I love my routine!!

 

Reintroduction

Day 31: LEGUMES — Tried peanut butter. Made my stomach a little grumbly. Didn’t miss it enough to bring it back.

Day 34: GLUTEN FREE GRAINS — Out to dinner for Mother’s Day. Had chips and salsa. Tasted good, didn’t feel bad. Just need to monitor the amount if we add these back in. I almost gave in and tried cheese too, but I didn’t. Would like to stick to the re-intro outline.

Day 37: DAIRY — went overboard here, but tried ice cream. I have been convinced for a few years that I probably have a dairy intolerance, but it was great to see what my body will do without it. And I didn’t miss cheese like I thought I would! That was a relief. I’ll probably continue without it.

Day 40: GRAIN — I tried a donut. It went as well as you’d think. Maybe it wasn’t the best gluten grain option, but I was at the Farmers Market and it was calling my name! Again, something that will be nice on occasion, but I’ll stay away from gluten.

 

My favorite part of this timeline is how closely aligns with the sample Whole30 experience in the book. This program has been lifestyle and life changing. I’d recommend it to anyone! It has helped me get my relationship with food in check. I have struggled with most diets and programs, but this one seems like something I’ll be able to stick with on a more consistent basis. It fits in with life. Another great outcome was that it caused me to find more healthy ways to reward myself other than with food. It’s pushed my husband and I to seek new adventures, rather than just eating. On top of the fact we both lost around 15 lbs. in our first round 🙂

See a full list of my Whole30 results here.