Life On The Whole30 Diet – Even The Not So Pretty Parts

Life On The Whole30 Diet
Even The Not So Pretty Parts

Are you thinking about doing the Whole30 diet? I finished mine. I have to say there are some things that happen to your body that they do not tell you about. So, I though it may be a good idea to write a blog post about life on Whole30 diet, what may happen to your body, even the not so pretty parts of the diet.

So as with any diet, you jump in feet first. You have the book The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom and are totally telling yourself, I can do this! It is only 30 days, it will be a piece of cake…….mmmm cake. Nope, no cake for 30 days! The first few days really is not too bad. Everything is new and it kind of takes your mind off of eating bad things as you are too busy reading labels on everything in your kitchen.

Then, then day 3 hits! Let me tell you when they say you will crash, they mean it! When day 3 hit, the only way I can think to describe it is like having a bad case of the flu. Everything is achy, thinking was not easy to do as brain power was just not there. I totally had no energy! When I say that I mean it. I mean just going to the other room to go to bed was like having a 3-hour workout! I did wonder, was this all really from the Whole30 diet, or did I really catch a bug? For me I was doing it with a few friends (some not even local) so we would chat to one another about what was going on. They too felt the way I did, so it had to be from the diet.

About day five (they say about 8), you are still feeling pretty bad with no energy. But now, yes now you get hit with yet another downside to doing the Whole30 diet. Sorry, going to get a little personal here. So I am normally someone who poops every other day. That is normal for me and has been for a long time. Well about day 5 into the Whole30 diet, that was no longer my bathroom schedule. I started going every day, then it went to 2 to 3 times a day. Ya, that gets to be a lot of fun having to run to the toilet all the time. I wish I could say that it only was like that for a day or two, but no. It was like that for me right through day 30. Although, it was more back to 1 to 2 times a day by day 30.

While I am on the personal subject, one thing ladies may face while on the Whole30 diet, is screwed up menstrual cycle. I am someone who takes the pill to keep me on a normal cycle. I am on it due to health issues and my body can not control it one its own. Anyways, with taking the pill I know right down to the day if not the hour of when I will start and stop. Well while I was doing the diet, I started about 2 days before I normally would and went about 2 days past my normal time. At first, I thought maybe it was just my body out of whack again, but then I talked to my diet buddy and she too was facing the same issue. So ladies, just be sure to have protection with you at all times while on the diet.

So you may be wondering why do it all? Is there any good that comes from the Whole30 diet or is it all downsides? Well for me I did not have as many pluses as some others have. A good friend of mine has been doing the Whole30 diet and the follow up to it and has seen some amazing improvements in her health. One thing that really stood out for me that I noticed a major improvement in my own health, was my acid reflux had all but stopped! I went from taking an acid reducer two times a day, to not taking one at all the whole 30 days! Another great benefit that I had happen to me while on the diet, is I did drop 13.5 lbs!

I am not trying to stop you from doing the Whole30 diet. I just wanted to share some of the not so pretty parts of it. Those are ones that nobody really wants to talk about. They just paint the pitcher as it being all peaches and cream. Even with all the downsides to it, I still think it is a diet that everyone should try at least once. I mean it is only for 30 days and I am sure everyone’s body could use a good clean out from time to time.

So what to do after you are done with your 30 days? Some go back to the habits they had before. Some start adding things back slowly and following the steps of life after Whole30 from their site. For me, I kinda followed their steps and kinda did my own thing too. I am counting points like you do on Weight Watchers. However, I am doing so with more natural and healthy foods. I have not added any highly processed foods back to my diet. I have added things back like oats, honey, beans, and grains. It has been about a month of me adding those things back and I am feeling pretty good. Most days I have more energy then I had before I started all this. I still have an off day here and there as I battle with Fibromyalgia. But all and all things have been pretty good.

If you are thinking of doing Whole30, you may want to also check out Whole30 Meal Plan For A Week or some of my Whole30 recipes.