Day 1                              Day 30

145 lbs.                                  136 lbs.

Baseline 5:21                        Baseline 5:10

*The Baseline workout consisted of a 500 meter row, 40 air squats, 30 ab-mat sit-ups, 20 push-ups, and 10 pull-ups.

What is Whole30?

Whole30 is a diet of “clean” eating. You eat foods that are anti-inflammatory and serve your body in only positive ways. Foods that are not allowed on the Whole30 menu include sugar, alcohol, legumes (i.e. beans, soy, & peanuts), grains, rice, and almost all forms of dairy (i.e. butter, milk, & cheese). The bad news is you are limited in your choice of foods, but the good news is that you can eat as much as you want as long as you stay within the guidelines. There is a lot of science behind this diet, so if you are interested in learning more, I would suggest you buy the books It Starts with Food and The Whole30, which includes a lot of really delicious recipes and a detailed plan to be successful during the 30-day regime.

My Reasons

When I decided to join my CrossFit Elkhorn group in doing the Whole30 Challenge, I had my own goals in mind. First and foremost, I wanted to learn how to cook and eat clean so that I would have a baseline from which to make good choices with food. I already felt I ate pretty healthy (lots of meat, veggies, and fruit), but I wanted to know exactly what it means to eat “clean.” Second, I wanted to try to give up my nasty Dr. Pepper habit. I love Dr. Pepper, and I needed a push to stop drinking it so frequently and hoped I could give it up altogether. My last motivation in doing Whole30 was to see if the challenge would live up to the hype. Would it actually give me more energy, better skin, higher physical performances, etc.? I would find out.

The Beginning

The first two days were a struggle. I think I was a bit overwhelmed and panicked at the task ahead of me. However, the first weeks of the diet after those initial two days were better, and I did not struggle too much. I did a ton of cooking, which I was enjoying because I was learning how to make these delicious meals that were also very healthy for me. I was introduced to a lot of foods I have never heard of before like ghee (clarified butter) and endive (a bitter leafy plant). At night I dreamed of sugary foods, and I did occasionally get a slight headache (not as bad as others have reported when going through sugar withdrawals). I still craved my Dr. Pepper and my Chipotle burritos with rice and beans (two items you cannot have on the diet); however, for the most part, I was doing okay. I snacked on fruit and nuts, and I ate when I was hungry, which was all the time.

The Middle

By the time I reached the halfway point and the week following, I was pretty over it. I was exhausted from cooking, planning, and grocery shopping, and although I wasn’t having as many cravings, I was still ready to have my “convenient” life back. On Whole30 it is difficult to eat out all the time. You have to be very careful in what you are consuming to be sure it was not cooked in butter or doesn’t contain any sugar. The convenience factor was the biggest challenge for me, something I think a lot of people struggle with.

The End

My last week of the Whole30 challenge was more of the same. I was still eating all of the time, but I settled into a routine of meals. I ate a ton of fruit and nuts to satisfy my hunger in between meals. I began to reach some anxiety as well because I definitely saw the benefits of the diet (i.e. weight loss, more energy, happier moods, leaner body); however, I still want the ability to eat some of the foods I love like pizza, burritos, and ice cream. How do I balance those two worlds in a healthy way? Coming to the end of this challenge has opened my eyes to many things of which I will discuss in further detail below.

The Temptations

I had a lot of temptations throughout the challenge because I had a lot going on in my life this past month. The second day of the challenge, I had to attend a surprise 40^th birthday party for my friend where they catered in Mexican food and served alcohol. Not only could I not drink, I couldn’t partake in any of the aromatic food that was set before me. This was challenging. I had been prepared and ate before I came, but I still wanted to eat that delicious food. I did not. The second weekend of the challenge (about a week in) I attended a two-night festivity that was my 20 year high school class reunion…again, lots of great food and a lot of alcohol. I inevitably got the question all night long, “Why aren’t you drinking?” Imagine my chagrin in having to explain (as a very fit person) that I was on a diet…not to lose weight, but it was more of a cleanse per se…never mind…I’m pregnant haha. Just kidding. I was thinking to myself, “Shut up, Jen. You sound so pretentious right now.” But the reality is the diet was very important to me because I have always tried to live my best life, and this challenge was part of that journey to becoming the best version of myself. Why should I apologize for that? So I just explained that I was doing it and it’s only 30 days and no, I wouldn’t be drinking.

The most difficult temptations came when I lost my job and traveled to Burwell, NE to see family. I lost my job about two weeks into the challenge. I have never wanted a beer so badly in my life. I also wanted comfort food. I wasn’t in the mood to cook and be healthy, but I stuck to the diet. Three weeks in I traveled to Burwell to see my family. It was the most difficult time for me in terms of cravings. There isn’t much to do in Burwell, and when I get bored, I eat. There also aren’t many options for food when you are on a strict diet like mine. I had brought some food along with me because I knew this would be the case. But going out to restaurants with down home country cooking proved to be a challenge. I did eat an excellent steak (allowed) and an amazing burger without the bun and condiments. But I really wanted the homemade pie in the glass case and the homemade ice cream, voted one of the top ten best ice creams in the state (by some publication). Guess what? I turned them all down. Pizza night was also a challenge. I love pizza. Instead I went to Subway and bought a double chicken salad topped with as many items as was allowed from the menu of options: veggies, eggs, black olives, pepperoncini peppers, etc.…no dressing.

What I Learned

Today is Day 30, and I hate to say it, but the challenge lived up to the hype. I am sleeping better at night, I have more energy, I have lost almost ten pounds, I have much greater muscle definition and tone, my baseline workout improved (in fact, I PR’d it), and I am excited to stay on the diet as much as possible. I have always been someone whose philosophy was, “I workout so I can eat what I want.” After all, part of life’s pleasures is good foods that we can enjoy like cheese, pizza, ice cream, etc. However, my philosophy has been tweaked. I will still allow those pleasures in my life on occasion, but I will try to stay on the Whole30 diet (or a Paleo variation of the diet that still allows some grains like rice) about 80% of the time. I find that when I am allowed to eat certain foods and dishes that I love, I don’t crave them as much. But when I am on a strict diet that disallows those things, they are all I think about. That being said, Whole30 is not meant to be strict all of the time. That is why it is called Whole30. You are strict on the diet for just 30 days to detox your body from your sugar addiction. Then you are allowed to reintroduce foods in order to determine which ones react negatively with your body. Avoid those foods as necessary, but don’t deprive yourself of those foods that you love. Just eat them in moderation. Every so often you can reset your body by doing the month-long Whole30 Challenge again.

What I learned most through the course of this challenge is to be mindful of my eating habits. When I had cravings during this past month, I made a note and really thought about why I was having those cravings. In most cases, my reaction was tied to emotion. When I lost my job I wanted an alcoholic drink. When I was out with friends, I wanted good food and alcohol because my mind and body are so trained to be a social eater and drinker (I almost never crave alcohol without friends around). But I also really wanted that ice cream in Burwell because “Carpe Diem!” It was voted best ice cream in the state of Nebraska for goodness’s sake! That was an instance where I normally would partake in it without any guilt, which is absolutely okay. Ultimately, what I discovered is that I can go forth and make very positive food choices for the right reasons, rather than eating something because it is A) in front of me or B) a social reason for doing so. I can choose to make a different choice. In other situations, I can enjoy a glass of wine because I am at a winery enjoying the different tastes or decide I will turn down a glass just because I had a tough day. The bottom line is that we always have the choice, and we can choose to say no because it is not in our best interest regarding our health. I will definitely indulge every now and again as I have in the past, but I probably won’t indulge as frequently, and I will really consider my reasons for doing so.