10.14.2014

12 Days On The Whole30 (And Why Its Not For Me)


The Whole30.
 
What is it, you ask?
 
The Whole30 diet is a 30 day program where you just eat "real" food...
 
Yep, no processed foods whatsoever, no added sugars (not even honey or agave), no grains (no pasta, oats, wheat, rice, quinoa, corn, bread... you get the point), no legumes (nope not even peanuts or peanut butter are allowed; Though green beans and snow peas are), no alcohol (not a big deal since I don't drink anyway), and no dairy (put that bowl of ice cream down! Lol).
 
Have I scared you yet? Haha.
 
But given that I'd gained a few pounds in the past few months I decided to take the plunge and give whole30 a shot.
 
Not that I wanted to, I mostly just didn't want to go into the holiday season with a few extra when I know the holiday season is notorious for adding a few extra... plus I wanted to feel better about my body and I wanted my body to feel better.
 
But 12 days into the Whole30 I realized it was not for me!
 
It wasn't the fact that I couldn't have my beloved Nutella (and you know how much I love my Nutella), or the fact that I couldn't have pasta or my regular homemade meat sauce (marrying into an Italian family has its perks, one of them being the food), or the fact that I craved bread while on Whole30 (even though I rarely eat it and haven't eaten it since being off the Whole30)...
 
It was the fact that the Whole30 was making me become an unhealthy person.
 
I mean no, I don't constantly eat "super healthy" or even eat "clean" 24/7, I enjoy a good cupcake and a big ole bowl of pasta with homemade sauce, I enjoy my Nutella and yes I even enjoy Doritos... But generally speaking I eat pretty healthy on a daily basis.
 
But I don't constantly eat nothing but the mentioned above either, I eat a lot of salads, sautéed and roasted veggies, and some meats too.
 
But getting back to the point of why Whole30 made me unhealthy...
 
When I eat so much of one thing or only a few things over and over constantly I just get sick of them, but on the Whole30 there isn't a whole lot of diversity of what you can eat so eating the same things over and over and getting more sick of them by the day I found myself just eating less and less, till I was only eating once a day...
 
Because of the Whole30 I was starving myself! (if I would have eaten another sautéed green bean or piece of baked chicken I would have literally thrown up).
 
And how can starving myself and only eating a tiny bit of super healthy food be "healthier" than eating relatively healthy on an average day?
 
I remember the last day of my whole"30" I ate only a small salad and when bedtime rolled around I tossed and turned that whole night with hunger pangs and when I woke up the next morning with terrible cramps I realized something had to change.
 
So I stopped... It simply just wasn't for me.
 
12 days of starvation, 12 days of being moody (and yes I cried more than a few times) because I was depriving my self of things, 12 days of no "cheating" according to the Whole30 guidelines and rules, and 12 days of being miserable...
 
No, I mean it wasn't all bad, I found a few new recipes that were good that I will continue to make and will keep in my recipe repertoire, and yes I look a little skinnier which I'm happy about (not sure if its pounds or just inches I lost because I don't have a scale and haven't weighed myself), but overall the Whole30 was simply just a no.
 
Love it?
 
Hate it?

I don't love it neither do I hate it.
I just personally think its overrated, I think healthy eating is a good way of life but I think if you overdo it and "diet" then you do more harm than good to yourself, not only physically but mentally as well.
  

Have your heart set on trying the Whole30?
 
If its something you really have your heart set on then please don't let this post dash your hopes, but at the same time, if you decide that its not for you or if you find yourself becoming unhealthier because of it I encourage you not to feel bad if you stop, because there's no point to doing something to be healthier and feel better if you feel that its making you unhealthy and if its making you feel worse!
 
Me personally, I will go back to my regular clean eating and healthy ways and just delicious eating with a cupcake or two now and then, I feel that life is too short not to enjoy good food!

What is your opinion of the Whole30? What is your experience?
 

1 comment:

  1. good read! I am glad that you stopped since were not enjoying it. I think I eat pretty decent too. veggies and fruit reasonably. You look amazing anyways and do not need to do a silly diet. celebrate you and celebrate food! =)

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