Whole30 Recap

Guess what guys? I am *finally* done with the Whole30!

For those of you that may not remember, I embarked on the Whole30 challenge during the month of April. I’m not one to follow diets or food plans, but I had been having some serious asthma issues and my doc had suggested an elimination diet to help determine whether food intolerances were contributing to my issues. So, against my will, I was on a diet.

In case you don’t know, here are the stipulations of the Whole30:

In short, I spent the past month subsisting on fruits, veggies, meats and nuts. Doesn’t sound too rough, but promise—eating this way took serious commitment! Let’s break it down:

The Good:

1. First and foremost, my breathing improved! I was seriously worried about the placebo effect during the Whole30, so I decided to involve some direct data to help me determine whether or not the elimination of food was helping my breathing. To do this, I used a peak expiratory flow breathing device that I already own. I was given this by my asthma doc in the early 2000s because he wanted me to continually check on my airways. In short, you blow into the device in a short, quick breath, as hard as you possibly can. The device registers a number that helps you determine the rate at which you can force air out of your lungs.

For comparison sake, a healthy gal of my age, height and weight should be around 450 PEF. When my lungs go untreated, I typically sit around 260-265, which is roughly 55-60% of where I should be. During the month of April, I tested my breathing a few times a week to help track the numbers. By the end of the month,  I was consistently blowing in the 290-300 range, which ups my percentages to 65-70% of average. In short, my breathing improved.

I also noticed a huge difference in my daily breathing. The coughing and clearing of my throat stopped and my wheezing was far less noticeable than it has been in the past. Granted, I was hoping all of these changes would happen, so I didn’t want to rely on my observations alone. However, these combined with the peak flow ratings convinced me that at minimum, certain foods are contributing to my poor breathing.

2. Weight Loss. As I mentioned previously, weight loss was not a goal of mine during the Whole30. Sure, I have a couple pounds to lose or tone, but I’m not overweight. However, I managed to drop 7 pounds during the month of April. Four of these pounds came off during the first week, so I assumed it was water weight, but I kept my eye on the number because I was concerned that I would lose too much. Luckily, the weight loss slowed down and evened out.

3. Clear Skin. Honestly, I didn’t notice this one but Will did so I figure that it warrants inclusion. He made the offhand comment a few weeks ago that my skin was clearer and brighter since I started eating “that way.” I hadn’t noticed a change, but I trust his opinion! Additionally, he only sees me every week or two, so it’s easier to notice changes when compared to my daily glances in the mirror.

4. Sound Sleep. I’ve never been a bad sleeper; in fact, quite the opposite! I can sleep anywhere, anytime, and anyplace. Because of this, I wasn’t expecting much to change and didn’t even think about this as a potential benefit. However, after a few short days, I realized I was crashing hard when I fell asleep! Literally, my head would hit the pillow and I would fall into a deep freaking sleep till morning. I’m hoping this pattern continues!

The Not So Good:

1. No Tiger Blood ‘Round Here. One of the huge benefits that is touted by the authors is the excess “tiger blood” energy that participants start to experience after their body settles into the new style of eating. Unfortunately for me, that never happened! Did my energy wane and collapse? Not at all, but then again, it never really does. Basically, I didn’t notice an increase or decrease in energy—I just felt the same across the board. However, I was also warned that I would likely feel like crap and/or get “carb headaches” during the first couple of days, and that never happened either. I didn’t experience a crash and I never got any headaches, so I am just assuming that my typically healthy diet helped me in this regard.

2. Too Much Food Planning! It was fun and unique at the beginning, and I even enjoyed experimenting with new ideas in the kitchen. I made some new soups and fish dishes that I really enjoyed and plan on keeping in my rotation moving forward. However, after a couple weeks, I became so tired of always planning and creating a meal! Between work and busy season and moving and packing, I was running out of time to create meals, so they kind of became a hassle.

3. No Eating Out For Me. I don’t eat out super frequently, but I definitely indulge two or three times a week. However, that became almost impossible during April because I didn’t know what food was cooked in or the menu didn’t have anything I could eat. Subway and Whole Foods became a ridiculous staple for me because they have clean salads. Now, I love salads (to a ridiculous level!), but I’m pretty sure I had at least one a day for the entire month. So over that! Plus, I have a standing monthly date with my gal friends where we pick a new restaurant and meet for brunch. It definitely sucked eating a salmon and spinach salad and a glass of lemon water while watching all my friends down Mimosas and breakfast burritos!

4. Cravings. According to the book, the first week or so is the most difficult in terms of cravings. For me, it was the exact opposite but when they did come on, they reared with a vengeance! I was fine for the first 20-25 days, but the last week was almost painful in terms of cravings. I wanted sugar so bad and was eating fruit like it was going out of style! I seriously think I went through an entire crate of Clementines last week alone! In fact, my Facebook status a couple days ago pretty much sums it up:

5. Lack of Food Options. I was initially concerned about this, but was assured that it would pass as the month went on. You see, I’m not big on red meat or pork, and I really don’t like bacon (gasp! I know, sacrilegious). Basically, this left me with fish, turkey, chicken and eggs for my protein staples. Quite a few peeps had suggested that I would start craving red meat, but it just didn’t happen! I tried to find turkey bacon that I could enjoy with breakfast, but I never found any that wasn’t cured with maple syrup, so it was off limits. Even worse? I started to force feed myself red meat just for change and variety (and for fear of lack of protein), and that didn’t end well (as referenced in the above FB status!) During one of Will’s visits, we took my dad out for dinner when my mom was out of town. The restaurant was super accommodating to my eating patterns, so Will suggested that I order a steak since it was something I wouldn’t likely make for myself at home. Great idea and I even semi-enjoyed it…..until I got home that night. Y’all, I’m not going to be graphic, my stomach was wrecked for the night!

So Where Do I Go From Here?

Obviously, eating this way helped my breathing immensely, or at least enough to make it worthwhile. Since yesterday was May 1, I am now starting to gradually add food back into my diet so that I can observe how my body reacts. Unfortunately for my sweet tooth and inner fat kid, I’m having to do this incredibly slowly, so I suspect that May won’t be much better than April. I started yesterday by adding almond milk back into my diet. It is the vanilla flavored kind, so I only reinstated one element: sugar. I’m gonna keep it to this for the next 3-4 days until I’m sure of how my body reacts. Oddly enough, I did notice some immediate draining in my throat after my first glass yesterday, but I’m hoping its just my body’s initial reaction to a relatively foreign object. Here’s to hoping anyway….I will seriously be so depressed if all forms of sugar become off limits!

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Have you ever tried a restrictive diet?

What do you think of the results?