I’m so relieved it’s over. Whole 30 was definitely a challenge. But I think I really gained a lot out of it. It rekindled my love for cooking and I think it put me back on track in terms of fitness goals as well!

The Results

My final measurements came out to 33 1/2 – 26 1/2 – 36 1/2. A little short of the 2 inches I set out to lose. And my final weight came down to 128 pounds! I lost an inch and a half from my waist and hips and 9 lbs, pretty close to my goals from when I set out. In addition, after detoxing I don’t really crave fried or oily foods anymore. I might indulge once in awhile, but ultimately I kind of like the clean eating lifestyle.

The Aftermath

I’m not going to continue Whole 30. I have several reasons why.

• Though I did lose a lot of weight I don’t think that Whole 30 had a significant effect on my health. For many people cutting down on inflammatory foods improved their allergies, high blood pressure, etc, but I didn’t have these health problems to begin with so I don’t feel it’s necessary to keep such a strict diet.
• I feel like the food restrictions hurt my lifestyle. I really missed the convenience of being able to eat out and more importantly to spend time with my friends and family. It was difficult to have people work around my diet and I hate bothering waiters and waitresses about every ingredient in the food.
• My original diet wasn’t that bad. Whole 30 cut out some of my favorite foods like poke bowls, turkey cobb salad, and tofu, all of which can be considered “healthy” foods. I realized my weight problems came more from eating out too often than it did from what I was eating.

The Re-tox

I affectionately call this period post-Whole 30 my “Re-tox” period. As I reintroduce various foods to my body I’m anticipating I’ll have some interesting reactions. My first indulgence was a frosty from Wendy’s and it was way too sweet! I also noticed it made me feel kind of bloated. But the good news is that I didn’t go full lactose intolerant because of Whole 30, I was really worried I would! Grains and soy sauce don’t seem to bother me too much, but we’ll see about tofu.

I have to keep telling myself, even though I can eat all the food I want I really shouldn’t eat everything. I’m still trying to cook as often as I can and as compliant to Whole 30 as I can and I’ll try to continue into the future. Which means I will continue to post Whole 30 compliant recipes here on this blog for readers who are starting or continuing Whole 30. So please look forward to more posts in the future!

Thank you so much for taking this journey with me!