Ladies and (perhaps one or two) Gentelmen — we did it. We completed our first Whole 30 without a single deviation!!!
Holy Guacamole.
Well, actually we still have to finish out today but since lunch and dinner are already prepared I have no question that we will finish with flying colors. I feel sort of proud of us, is that lame? It was a big challenge with many ups and downs and now that it is over I feel pretty empowered.
Surprisingly, I don’t want to run out and have a cocktail. Or even make Paleo Chocolate Chip cookies. I don’t really have any desire to eat any differently than I have been, which is a relief since I did not feel that way on Day 15. This has been an awesome journey and one that I am excited to recommend — to anyone really. Even if you are not really “interested” in Paleo at the moment. It is a pretty great cleansing exercise and I have no doubts that you’ll feel amazing.
Besides the fact that I feel great and have fallen in love with clean eating all over again I also ended up losing 12 lbs in the last 30 days. The tweaks were so tiny that I am actually pretty shocked at that loss. But if you want to see faster results, you may consider liposuction treatment such as laser lipo to get rid of those unwanted fats. I have been in Plateau City for months when it comes to weight loss so I’m not gonna lie — THAT SHIT IS MOTIVATING. I guess boozing regularly on the weekends does really make a difference, eh? (I didn’t *really* think it didn’t, but I also didn’t *really* want to change my behavior.) Another fun fact — we spent over $200 LESS on groceries this month. Whole 30 as a budgeting tool…WHAT?????
Everything isn’t absolutely perfect though. The Whole 30 didn’t fix all my problems. My laundry is still piled up and there are dust bunnies on my floor. (I thought Dallas and Melissa said this would CHANGE MY LIFE…HAHA) My sleep is still a work in progress and I don’t get enough of it. Also: my skin is still a hot mess. In the last 30 days I have had my worst breakouts in 2012. I’m talking serious, awful, cystic ridiculous acne. Out of nowhere. I might need to consult the experienced dermatologists at Liniaskin. [Sidebar: Giving up eggs for 10 days didn’t make a difference (it actually got worse) so they are back on the menu for now.] I didn’t put a lot of stock in the idea of detoxing and that causing it, but Garrett also had like 2 weeks of SERIOUS breakouts and that guy has flawless skin 24-7, so who knows?
The biggest bummer is that right now my skin is not showing signs of improvement. That part sucks, but after listening to the recent Balanced Bites Beauty Podcast (episode # 49) I feel pretty comfortable knowing that skin problems usually don’t have short and sweet fixes. I have a long history with bad skin and if nothing else I’m moving in the right direction and will continue to just try and improve my overall health and see what happens from there. What I’m doing certainly isn’t hurting the situation, but I am totally making some changes too, and I’ll be sure to tell you all about those because I know this is a pretty common problem. I’ll get there, I’m sure of it. In the meantime I will just buy stock in Bare Minerals foundation. 🙂
Next week I’m going to do a wrap up that includes all of my favorite strategies. Foods that got me through, plans that worked and plans that didn’t. Real Life Advice. And I want to do this because I’ve heard from so many of you that you are starting YOUR Whole 30’s soon and you guys I reeeeeeeeeeeeally want you to have success. It is not effortless, but I have to tell you (and I would be honest) it was A LOT easier than I thought. So if I can share some of my strategies with ya, I’m glad to. So if you have a question I can answer, or something that you foresee being a challenge, let me know and I will make sure I address it.
Best of luck to all of you who decide to go for it, and for those of you who could care less about the Whole 30 — thanks for going along for the ride this past month!
Awesome job with the whole 30, the trimming up, and your smashing success!! 😀
I know that the skin is the absolute last place symptoms of anything show up. So, if your body is detoxifying itself, like it probably has been due to the whole 30, the toxins are working themselves out little by little, finally ending up on the skin. Your skin health is usually related to your liver health, too… funny how that works, seeing as your liver is responsible for a lot of the toxins in your body! 🙂
I personally have found the best skincare method (for my touchy skin anyway) to be washing with a Norwex anti-bacterial cloth; it’s a microfiber silver-infused cloth that whisks away bacteria. These are sold through a multi-level company, so ask around to see who might sell it by you. The representatives are usually clamoring to have parties, educate people, and of course, sell product, so they should be fairly easy to find.
Then I finish with some Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil. It seems counter-intuitive to put oil on your face, but I swear it works. Unless you gob it on. There is such a thing as too mcuh. Haha. I actually cleared up these annoying bumps on the backs of my arms with those two things alone!
And now that I know a Whole 30 doesn’t cure things like laundry piles, I think I might just put it off… 😉 Can’t wait to see and read your post about your tips for success!
The NERVE of the Whole 30 to not do my laundry! 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion on the Norwex. Googling!
I also love coconut oil. I’ve been incorporating it more and more into my beauty routine and on top of being inexpensive, it’s pretty awesome!
I was also going to mention something about detoxing and the liver/skin connection. I’ve been reading a lot lately about kombucha for helping to clean out the liver which would effect the skin. From what I’ve read, when people regularly incorporate kombucha into their diets they have a “glow” about them. I’m just in the very beginnings of giving it a try. I figure the paleo folks from days gone by had plenty of fermented (whether intentional or not) food in their diets. 😉 But, like my FIL says, “That’s my two cents. If you don’t like it, flush it down the toilet.” lol
Thanks, Kate. I’ve heard that! I don’t know ANYTHING about kombucha (well, very little) and whenever I see it at Whole Foods I only see the kind with a bunch of sugar in it so I don’t even know how to evaluate it. If you have any good links of places to start, pass them on. I’d love to look into it. It seems like an easy thing to incorporate and I’m open to everything at this point 🙂
Here are some good places to start:
http://www.kombuchakamp.com/
http://www.modernalternativemama.com/blog/2012/04/16/monday-health-wellness-kombucha-video/
http://www.modernalternativemama.com/blog/2011/2/15/kombucha-faq.html
http://www.modernalternativemama.com/blog/2010/10/2/kombucha-brewing-tips-and-hints.html
I tried a couple of different kinds of GT Dave’s and plan to start brewing my own soon. 😀
http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-grow-a-kombucha-scoby/
I’ve also seen sources that say to use 2 bottles of kombucha, 3 c. of tea, and about 1/2 c. of sugar to get the best possible start.
Hope this helps!!
THANKS KATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOLLY!!! Go to http://www.culturesforhealth.com
Click Kombucha in the side bar
Enter coupon code: KOMBUCHA and you get the starter for free..you only pay the shipping ($3.99). Crazy coincidence? I don’t know..but mine’s in the mail lol. $3.99 is what I pay per bottle of kombucha at the health food store. Even funnier, I got the coupon code off of Modern Alternative Mama’s Facebook page. Haha.
And you’re welcome. 😉
Yaaaay congrats on your whole 30! I know skin is so hugely influenced by diet, but have you tried oil cleansing? My cystic acne disappeared (seriously) once I started a year ago & hasn’t come back. My skin still isn’t 100% perfect, but i would say it’s totally normal and almost always clear. (shameless plug alert!) I wrote about my experiences on my blog if you’re interested! http://www.babbleandbloom.com/2012/03/zero-to-crunchy-oil-cleansing-method.html?m=1
Thanks Mary! I’ll definitely check out your post. I did it about a year ago for a month and despite repeated tweaking of my formula (finally landing at about 10% castor oil) I ended up with worse skin and giant rash. We were getting ready to go on vacation so I just went back to my old (awful) skin care products and haven’t tried since. I am going to try again though, probably shortly. So I always appreciate reading about people’s experiences because maybe I’ll learn something new to tweak this time so I have success! Thanks again!
Congrats, this is such a huge milestone & achievement! Thanks for the feedback & the good, bad & ugly. It’s really interesting to hear how everyone reacts to these sorts of things, emotionally & physically!
I’m usually glad that Sean & I don’t eat the same, but after reading this I feel like it would be fun to do a challenge w/ someone. Well… I like my friends better anyway, maybe they’ll do one with me! 🙂
I’m surprised Sean has never done a Whole 30 — he always seems game for a good food experiment.
I agree that it is more fun to do with someone else. The funny part about doing it with Garrett is that we were NEVER on the same page. He was bummed when I was totally fine and vice versa. We got really good at giving each other pep talks at least 🙂
WAHOOOOOOOO!!!! for Whole30 completion! My real test will be the out-of-town-with-family weekend that starts today… 😉
Gooooood Luck, lady! I’ll be thinking of ya!
Congrats!
Thanks Christy!
Congrats on making it through! I am on day 10 and am feeling like i snack on way to many fruit/nuts to have any weight loss by the end, but we will see. What were some of your favorite snacks on the plan?
Hi Liz — don’t fret too much about fruits and nuts — I did the same thing in the beginning too. Those first two weeks (to me) are just about staying on track and not deviating. I’ll talk about snacks more next week, but I promise, I was in that same boat — it totally got easier to snack less and eat less fruit, and in the end the results were great. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for ya!
Congrats! Such an accomplishment!
I switched to the oil cleansing method last year and my skin looks awesomer-than-ever (when I’m keeping my food in check).
I mentioned this below, but I’ll say it again — I did OCM about a year ago for a month and despite repeated tweaking of my formula (finally landing at about 10% castor oil) I ended up with worse skin and giant rash. We were getting ready to go on vacation so I just went back to my old (awful) skin care products and haven’t tried since. I am going to try again though, probably shortly — did you write about your experiences on your blog? If you did, shoot me the link, I’d love to read it.
Nope, never have written about it. I do 25% castor oil and every other night. On off nights I use coconut oil to remove makeup and rinse with water. I’ve strayed from it twice since starting and both times when restarting it took about a week of breakouts before I had clear skin again. I’m sure it’s not for every single person, so good luck finding the best solution for you! (I’m finally learning that just because every Paleo blog swears by something, it might not be for me and that’s okay. Cue the $100 I spent on Vibrams…)
HA! Isn’t that the truth.
I’m really HOPING it works for me this time around, now that I will have more time to tinker with it, because I do worry about all the crap in my cosmetics and face wash and all of that. Slowly but surely I’m getting there. Thanks for the info though. Much appreciated!
Congratulations! It has been fun following your progress and I actually told my boyfriend about your blog and the Whole30, so he checked it out and wants to do it starting Monday. I’m a little nervous about the whole thing because I have a hard enough time making 2 days in a row, much less 30, BUT since I’m so surprised he wants to do it I told him we would.
Neither of us eat paleo now, although I did try to go that direction a while back and have been able to cut out most dairy except a little bit of Greek yogurt. I more worried about the grains though.
Anyway, I cannot wait to hear about your tips for success and everything else, because I know I’ll need everything I can get! Thanks again for sharing your experience and hopefully I’ll be able to keep your success on my mind and that will keep me motivated!
Oh that’s so exciting Bree! I think it will take a lot of dedication if you are not eating Paleo right now but you can TOTALLY do it. If you want any suggestions of substitutes for your favorite grain based things, let me know! Best of luck!
What did you eat for breakfast the days that you didn’t eat eggs? I’m so burned out on eggs, but I don’t want to eat last night’s dinner for breakfast.. any suggestions?
Oooh, that’s a tough one for me because I LOVE dinner leftovers for breakfast. But I did come across this the other day when my aunt asked me the same question:
http://www.easypaleo.com/2012/05/03/no-egg-breakfast-ideas/
Sweet potato hash and sausage is definitely something I could eat on the regular.
Congratulations! I’m feeling more and more ready to give this a whirl post-surgery. Thanks for always inspiring me!
Big huge congrats to you on completing your Whole 30!!! I have yet to complete a full 30 days without any deviations. I usually make it about two weeks so I’m super impressed with your and Garrett’s dedication. I’m glad you’re feeling better and super happy for you on the weight loss kick-start. Woo hoo! I know weight is certainly not the whole story, but damn if it doesn’t feel gooood to see those numbers go down. I cannot lie. Bummer on the skin issues, but I really think there is something to this detoxing thing. I have a feeling that it will start to clear soon if you keep up the high quality food choices for awhile longer.
An unexpected trip out of town shot down our August Whole 30 so we are starting again September 1st. Looking forward to your real life tips.
I think you two should be super proud of yourselves! I’m proud of you! 🙂
Can’t wait to see the followup post(s). I’m thinking about doing a Whole 30 when we get back from vacation next week. I don’t know about giving up cheese, though. I REALLY DON’T.
You know, cheese was the thing I was worried about THE MOST, and honestly I don’t miss it at all. (Truly, I would give it to ya straight. I swear!) But I did have to find alternatives at first (especially for things like burger toppings — I am prone to SMOTHERING burgers with cheese if I have the option.) I’ll never give up cheese FOREVER, but I think before I just loved it so much I wasn’t really using it in a smart way I was just adding it to things willy nilly because HELLO it makes everything better. Now I will probably only have it when there is maximum enjoyment happening, not just because it’s available. But that took a week or two to get used to.
Congrats! You made it! I wonder how doing a Whole 30 with winter produce would be? I love summer fruit and veggies, and I don’t know if I could live on kale and pomegranates for a month.
Oh man…right? One can only eat so much kale. I think the idea is to keep as seasonal as possible, but I wouldn’t limit myself too much if I were trying to get through 30 days. I’d eat whatever produce I like. But I have to say roasted winter vegetables sound pretty darn good right now — if only my house would cool down enough so I could turn the oven on! 🙂 Sooooooon I hope.
Congrats on completing the Whole 30! My husband and I start tomorrow. I’m excited and nervous and a little scared, but I know we will make it through! Like you, I also have skin issues. I use jojoba oil from Trader Joes with a tiny bit of tea tree oil in it. Also, I’ve been reading a lot about bare minerals causing acne. I’ve switched to a different foundation and it seems to help, but it doesn’t cover nearly as well. I found some recommendations for everyday minerals. You can request samples on their website. Love your blog and congrats again!
Good luck to you! I’ll have to look into everyday minerals. I hadn’t heard that about bare minerals but hey, I’m open to anything at this point. 🙂 Thanks Melissa!
I just wanted to let you know that your Whole 30 posts have been so inspiring. I’ve really been enjoying them. I just love how you give the good AND the bad/ugly. Thank you so much and congratulations!!
Congratulations, Holly! Just came across your blog today and I am on Day 5 of the Whole30. Good timing for me 🙂 Your results are inspiring and your Whole30 posts both educational and encouraging. Looking forward to your wrap up and more tips from a seasoned Whole30 pro!!! Good work!
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