Our First Whole30: A Summary

If you follow either of us on social media you've likely noticed that we keep hashtagging and talking about something called Whole30. Admittedly this probably falls under the category of a "fad diet", and while I'm not one to excitedly give in to fads, we certainly tried it. Essentially, Whole30 is a diet involving eating "whole" foods: no dairy, no added sugars, no legumes, no grains. Why did we do this? While many people have mentioned that we don't "look like the kind of people who need to diet", I beg to differ. This was never about losing weight for us. This was only about learning better habits and overall being healthier. Also, with moving and graduation and life, we'd fallen into a deep, dark hole of eating a lot of fast food and a ton of sweets. Lots of people have asked our thoughts on this diet, so we found it fitting to summarize into this post giving us: 5 Questions About Whole30 (warning! Long post ahead!)

What, if any, were the drawbacks of Whole 30?

A: Probably the saddest part of Whole30 is how antisocial it sort of forces you to become. Either you have to say no to going out to eat or getting ice cream with people, or you go anyway and are the weird one at the table not eating or being difficult while ordering. Our current social situation of needing to make new friends really forced one of those two options on us. I struggled with passing up free lunch everyday provided by the Medicine department to stick with my Whole30 foods. I regretfully and painfully had to pass up getting ice cream with one of my fellow Anesthesia interns because of the diet. The other biggest drawback for me: meal prepping. Sunday nights for probably 2 hours we slaved away in the kitchen making all the foods for the week. It probably paid off in the end, but it took me a solid 2 weeks to stop whining about packing my lunch every night before bed.

Financially speaking, yes, we in fact spent a hell of a lot more money at the grocery store. I feel like I have a better understanding of why poverty leads to unhealthiness. Produce is so expensive. And, when you do buy it, you have a serious pressure to finish things before they rot. I think one week we went through 3 different versions of basil because they kept dying on us (as we simultaneously are attempting to grow a few basil plants). I would say we nearly doubled our usual grocery budget for the month. Ugh, not to mention having to make trips to not one, but three grocery stores every weekend, plus the additional quick trips Parker had to make through the week. Truly some of my friends started making fun of us "can you hang out? Or will you be busy going to every grocery store in the Triangle area?". 

P: So when it comes to drawbacks - there were several - lack of social life was a biggie, the amount of time spent washing dishes was another, and going to grocery stores 3-5 times a week was not fun. But the major key that I want to warn people, especially active individuals about, is this: I had a lot of free time during these 30 days, and I hoped to use them exercising and working on a general fitness level. Whole 30, however, had different plans. I cannot speak for everyone who has done this diet, but for me, all I wanted to do was sleep for the first 12-15 days of this diet.

There is a reason they tell you not to weigh yourself on Whole 30… I started off on day 1 at 140 lbs, by day 8 my weight had dropped to 132, and at day 12 I hit 129 pounds, my lowest weight since cutting weight to box at 127 when I was 22 y/o. My numbers at the gym dropped off as well. Day 3-15 I found myself panting after simple lifts, and legitimately thought I would pass out during a 3 mile run in 70 degree weather. For someone who enjoys being active, this was unbelievably frustrating. All I wanted to do was quit for the first two weeks. I was tired, hungry, and feeling like my weight gained over the winter was a wash thanks to this diet.

All of that being said - The purported 'Tiger Blood' is real - and my thoughts on day 30 are very different than my thoughts on day 12.

Honestly no one should buy this many sweet potatoes for just two people...unless you're doing Whole30.
Sweet potatoes = life.

What did you find were the largest benefits of Whole 30?

A: One of my biggest issues with eating my whole life has been bloat. Lots of foods agree well with my taste buds and then proceed to really hurt my belly. This has caused me a lot of anxiety related to eating and what I would probably clinically self-diagnose as irritable bowel syndrome. Probably one of the biggest benefits of Whole30 for me was losing that icky feeling after eating. No matter how much volume of food we ate, I almost always still felt great afterward. This was likely because can you really feel that bad after eating a ton of green beans or broccoli? In my experience, the answer to that question is no.

I can't confidently speak to the energy level boost being solely based on the diet. I am someone who thrives on tasks and being busy, and when I have free time to just laze around the house, as much as I like it, I feel heavy and lethargic. Going back to work possibly gave me the energy boost, but I can't say that the diet didn't help me in this manner. I do think sugar binges followed by crashes are a real thing. I couldn't work out until the very end of my experience - thanks to this bum ankle of mine. What I can say is that today, our first day off the diet, I was able to push myself a surprising amount further in my workout even through some pain to do more reps. Placebo or real thing? I can't say for sure, but doesn't hurt to credit that to Whole30. Also, unlike Parker, I've actually noticed no weight changes or body shape changes, for better or worse. But as I always say, looks don't matter, what's inside counts the most (not touchy feely inside, like blood work inside - cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar levels). Skinny fat is real, and it is terrifying.

P: As stated prior, my first 10-15 days were not fun. Annie literally pulled me through this multiple times with passive aggressive texts about me quitting or giving up… However, as the days progressed, and I learned how to properly fuel myself through workouts and how to eat enough whole foods to give myself the needed energy - I began to understand the hype. Whole 30 speaks of 'Tiger blood' - described by the company as a period where

"Your energy is through the roof, you’ve kicked the cravings, you’re experimenting with new, delicious food, and you’ve finally got the time to notice that your clothes fit better, your workouts are stronger, and you are generally more awesome."

My Tiger Blood experience wasn't a light switch or a single day - it was a gradual shift from day 12 (my 5k in which I legitimately considered diving in front of a car because at least then I could lay on the ground and/or a stretcher) to day 18 or so - where my numbers in the gym began to reach back to their previous numbers, and some even began to jump past where they were before, this while I found myself almost 10 pounds down.

Most of my weight lost seems to be fat around the waist and legs. I maintained most of my chest and shoulder size while slimming my midriff significantly. For me, this was one of the key goals, and the results are worth the small speed bump of the first two weeks.

What were some of the hardest things to give up or change?

A: The hardest thing for me to give up was obviously sweets. I love sugar/desserts/treats/all of the above. More importantly, I love baking so with what little free time I have left, I couldn't even spend it doing one of my favorite hobbies. For the most part giving up alcohol didn't bother me. True life, the "Asian glow" is real and it is due to a liver enzyme deficiency called alcohol dehydrogenase. I'm fairly certain I have this issue, and 9 times out of 10 I probably won't feel very good when I have more than one drink of any kind. However, I do really love a glass of wine with dinner or with dessert (ha) so this was a sad loss.

Interestingly enough one of the hardest changes was a psychological one. I had gotten very used to eating dessert after every meal and initially thought I could pull a fast one on Whole30 by eating fruit after dinner every night. Nope. Part of what this diet aims at is reshaping your relationship with food. Eating fruit for dessert was still triggering that dopamine release for my love of dessert in general. I was extremely grumpy about this for at least the first 2-3 weeks. "Can I eat this or does Whole30 say it's too delicious and enjoyable…?" The rest of the rules were easy for me to deal with. I don't like cheese that much (gasp!), unless it's Brie but that's expensive anyway. I don't like beans, and I can't eat peanut butter. Milk no longer mattered because I couldn't eat my cereal either. I certainly crave sweets less now, but I can't say I don't still have dreams about chocolate-y desserts.

P: We are relatively healthy people to start with - so when I realized the amount of restrictions in this diet I got a little defensive. I felt like (outside of the month of travel and moving before we started) I eat pretty wholesome meals to start with - and being forced to give up my Greek Yogurt, Quinoa, Rice, Corn, and Protein Shakes felt like elementary school being punished as the good kid for the decisions of the rabble rousers in class. But Annie and I discussed it and we decided it we were going to do it - we were going to commit.

My ONLY true craving was pizza and cheese. Pasta, Breads, Milk, Sweets - none of these are huge parts of my diet so cutting them was easy. But cheese… Zoodle Italian dishes weren't the same without parmesan. I actually ate LESS salad on Whole 30 because I don't really want it if I can't add feta or blue cheese for a fat/savory component. While there are some habits from Whole30 I will retain, I definitely look forward to re-inserting cheeses into my diet (and the occasional pizza)

Zoodles honestly do make a good substitute for real noodles. 10/10 would recommend.

What are your biggest takeaways from Whole30?

A: They say it takes 21 days to form a habit? Alas, it rings true. I pretentiously thought to myself "I won't be one of those people who's like: I finished Whole30 but now all I crave is Whole30 food". Lies. I am that person. Not to the extreme, but this is at least somewhat true. Turns out I like the ease and security in knowing I can eat a slice of breakfast egg bake every morning and feel great from it. I like knowing I have many options for a delicious and bloat-free hot lunch to bring to work every day. Don't get me wrong, I will totally be baking again, and I am very excited to reintroduce whole grains back into the diet. I am a firm believer that you can change your general food lifestyle with this diet. I now insist that we eat at least 2 vegetables with every dinner (we previously ate zero I think). I actually know how to eat things that keep me full - healthy fats found in nuts and protein punches from eggs. I don't need an afternoon sugar pick-me-up because I crashed from a sugary breakfast of cereal in the morning. Packing my lunch at night isn't the hardest/worst thing in the world, and it really doesn't actually take that long. Even if I waver in the future, I really do feel that my foundations have changed for the better.

P: Annie and I went to Sam's club on the final day of our diet. Before going I leaned over and whispered to her during church, "I can't wait to buy all of the non-compliant foods today…" This never happened. At the end of a fairly pricey trip to Sam's Club, we looked into our cart and realized the only thing non-compliant we bought was a 2 lb bag of quinoa, a gluten-free ancient grain.

After 30 days My biggest realization is that this diet really isn't even about immediate health benefits or the experience of the 30 days… It's about the changes you make afterwards. Whole 30's biggest impact is a radical shifting of your psychological relationship with food. Some examples:

1.) I no longer feel like I need carbohydrates first thing when I wake up in the morning. Instead, a healthy mix of fats, proteins, and fiber can start my day off in a way that both energizes me and sustains throughout the morning.

2.) I no longer try to cram down massive amounts of grains or carbs an hour before a big workout - instead, utilizing fats and proteins before a workout teaches my body to burn fat for fuel, instead of relying on the easily accessed energy stores of carbs. Natural carbs - from fruit and starchy vegetables - come afterward.

3.) Energy bars have stupid amounts of things you've never heard of in them… I'll stick to Larabars and RX bars from this point forward. Just to layer onto that - everything has added sugar in it. Or nearly everything.

4.) The grocery store has shrunken. 90% of our shopping can be done in the produce and meats section.

Would you recommend this to others?

A: Do I think this is a magical diet that will fix every problem you've ever had with health/eating/fitness? No. Do I think it's worth trying? Absolutely. People who work at clothing stores are offered discounts so they will wear the product they are selling. As a doctor, I feel like part of my job as being a professional is to encourage a healthy lifestyle by example. Really, please try it. Despite our drawbacks above, this really isn't as hard as it may seem. Certainly you need to schedule your 30 days conveniently - set yourself up to be successful. For my fellow interns/residents out there, a month of nights maybe isn't the easiest time.

Most importantly, even if you cheat during the diet, keep going. I can't harp on that enough. You're not a failure. You're not less of a person for cheating or indulging. Don't use that as excuse to stop doing the diet. Just jump right back in the next day and keep going. We cheated. We cheated multiple times on this diet, and I think that is what brings me such a positive feeling toward it ultimately. We cheated with control (no ice cream for me, no pizza for Parker). Even if you do slip here and there, you are still probably eating healthier than before you started, and that in and of itself is a huge win.

P: Even though I STRUGGLED through the first 15 days, I would absolutely recommend this to others for one key reason - After 30 days the way I approach food and the way I look at meal options has definitely shifted. Now that the world of food options are available for me again - I find myself not interested. The cravings for food I can't have subsided around day 20 or so, and outside of cheese and healthy grains, I lost any frustration at meal prepping and planning dinners.

So if you're interested in giving it a try - I strongly say go for it. But don't expect immediate results. Stick it out. Everyone's body is different - your experience will be very much your own. Also - if you do it - shamelessly post about it incessantly on social media. If nothing else it makes you feel like there's some social pressure to stick it out!

Pictured: Kale Dinosaur salad - easy, lasts a long time, delicious - recipe to come eventually. Also, that turkey burger hanging out in the back is compliant and from Trader Joe's (the best).