Finished My Whole 30 Diet

Today marks my final day on my "Whole 30 Challenge" diet. First of all I only lasted a week on the strict diet of now added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No alcohol, no grains, no legumes, including beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin). No dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream.

I manged for a week before feeling tired and exhausted all the time. Workouts were extremely difficult and after working out it took me forever to recover. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to do this for an entire 30 days so I modified the diet. I gave up bread and pasta, additional sugar, alcohol, and eating out. And even with it modified I would say that I was about 90% successful. I did eat a hamburger bun once, mac and cheese, a few slices of pizza and a piece of cake on day 28. But other then those few slip ups I stayed strong and kept to the diet.

I don't really feel any different and maybe that's because I had to modify the diet, all I know is that I won't do it again as I was hungry all the time. What's great is that I didn't crave sugar, kept my intake for the 30 days well below 20 grams a day, alcohol isn't a problem since I drink only a few times a year but I found the hardest to give up and craved the most during those 30 days was bread. That to me was my biggest struggle.

What will I take away from this experiment, is that I know I can cut back on my carbs intake, especially bread and pasta. If I can cut those down to only a few times a week that will be huge. I gotta keep telling myself that I'm in this for the long haul. There are not quick fixes in health care, if you put the time in the results you are looking for will eventually happen.