Last week
I’ve almost made it through the last week of the Whole30. Today is day 29!!!
If you missed what the Whole30 is all about, you can catch up HERE. Then, you can read my weekly updates HERE, HERE, and HERE.
I have to admit it’s been a pretty lazy last week. Sure, there’s still a ton of dishes, lots of prep time, and shopping, but I didn’t do quite as much cooking. Or at least any elaborate dishes. Not only is it the last week of my Whole30, but it’s the last week of Kindergarten for Mr. B, so it’s been pretty busy.
I did, however, have some time to reflect on what I’ve learned, what I’ve found beneficial, and what I didn’t like. I’m sure I’ll do a full recap when I’ve completely finished, but here’s a brief summary.
What I’ve Learned
- When I’m determined and put my mind to something, I can do it!
- I’ve survived without chocolate for almost 30 days…something I never thought possible.
- I’ve learned so much about reading food labels, and how much more important looking at the ingredients is
- I’ve also learned that sugar is almost in every processed food
The Benefits
- Trying new combinations of food, and eating so many more vegetables than I have in my life
- Getting my family to also eat vegetables
- Getting so much more comfortable in the kitchen (making my own sauces, casseroles, omelets, and actually following recipes…and getting them right!)
- A real improvement in my back pain. I just realized I haven’t used a heating pad in over a week, and I used to use it nightly for pain relief.
- I also haven’t taken any pain relievers in the past month.
- I’ve had spurts of energy and have woken up before my alarm (my husband) a couple of times.
What I didn’t like
- Heartburn! I had some at the very beginning, and it has come back with a vengeance these last couple days. I’m not sure if I overdid it with tomatoes and other acidic fruit or if it’s some of the fats that aren’t sitting well. I’ve been taking a spoonful of Apple Cider Vinegar in the morning, and it seems to be helping.
- Turning ORANGE! My hands and feet have a definite orange tint. I may have overdid it with the sweet potatoes, pumpkin casserole, and carrots in the first half. I’ve been trying not to eat them, and eat more green.
- I’m afraid I might have gained a few pounds. I was pretty regimented with my calorie intake before starting, but as instructed, I didn’t count anything these last 20 some days. I didn’t do this to lose weight, but I will be a little disappointed if I gained more than a couple of pounds. I won’t know until day 31, since the scale is forbidden. I did eat more fruit than recommended, so that could be the reason too.
- I found it really hard to just stick to three meals a day. I was so used to eating 5 small meals, it was really hard to break the habit. I often snacked in the late afternoon, but it was only an apple and some almonds.
- The dishes, the dishes, and the dishes. They are rivaling my laundry pile.
Onto what I ate this week. As I mentioned, I was a little lazy, and I also slacked on the pictures.
Day 22
Breakfast – Pumpkin casserole (I promise recipe will be coming next week!) tomato, and apple
Lunch – Eggvocado, celery, and apple
Dinner – Turkey spinach scramble, tomatoes, celery, and apple
Day 23
Breakfast – 2 eggs, peapods, end of pumpkin casserole
Lunch – Celery with Sunshine Sauce (recipe from Whole30 Book) Tunavocado
Dinner – Turkey wraps (sliced avocado and pickles wrapped in turkey slice) Guacamole, carrots, fried potatoes
Day 24
Breakfast – 2 fried eggs, grapefruit, tomato
Snack – Larabar
Lunch – Turkey slices, pickle, guacamole, celery, jicama (a root vegetable, which tastes a bit like water chestnuts)
Snack – Celery and Sunflower seed butter, peapods, apple
Dinner – Eggvocado, peapods, jimica, and carrots
Day 25
Breakfast – 2 fried eggs, green smoothie (spinach, whole fat coconut milk, blueberries, and red grapes)
Snack – Larabar
Lunch – Turkey slices, guacamole, celery, peapods
Dinner – Trader Joe’s Chicken Lime burger, guacamole, and baked potato slices
Day 26
Breakfast – Scrambled eggs with a little almond milk, yellow baked potato, peapods
Lunch – Tunavocado, tomato, apple
Dinner – More scrambled eggs with ghee, tomato, celery with guacamole
Day 27
Breakfast – 2 fried eggs, green smoothie
Lunch – Tunavocado over spinach
Dinner- Mushroom scramble, homemade fries
The picture of the mushroom scramble turned out super blurry, but it was GOOD.
Day 28
Breakfast – Sweet potato with cinnamon, banana, and apple. I totally screwed up. I used up all the eggs the night before, and I just couldn’t eat tuna in the morning.
Snack – Larabar
Lunch – Tuna, avocado, and celery over spinach, a few leftover fries, and apple.
Snack – Larabar
Dinner – 4 fried eggs, pea pods, berries, and apple
So, there you have it. Today and tomorrow…and then I’m DONE!!! We do have a dinner planned for Saturday night to celebrate Mr. B finishing kindergarten, so we’ll see how that goes. Stay tuned for my final thoughts, recipes, and tips for doing your own Whole30.
Would you consider a Whole30? Any tips for me when I finish, if you have done it?
Your level of commitment is amazing.
Good luck and congrats for making it this far!
Thank you!
I have the whole 30 book and have been wanting to embark on the journey. I just haven’t finished reading the book yet. The foods you get to eat and recipes don’t sound too bad so I think it’s definitely do able. I’ll have to read all your posts! Thank you for sharing! Other people’s success stories with the Whole 30 make me more excited to do it, too!
The foods are actually really good, and if you’re a good cook, they are even better. There are just so many more options than I realized.
It’s interesting to read what you’ve learned and what it’s been like. Awesome job for making it 29 days so far without chocolate! That’s impressive.
Thank you!
You are so inspiring that you’ve made it to the end! I don’t know if I could have stuck with it. It doesn’t sound like it would be the right program for me (I like to eat several smaller meals as well), but I think it’s so great to try different things like this to see what will work for you!
Yes, definitely a learning experience. 🙂 Thank you!
Good for you for making it all the way through!!! Isnt it amazing about the back pain though?! I used to have back pain every night as well and as I added things back in after my detox I noticed added SUGARS is what made the pain come back. I have stuck to a low sugar diet and I feel so good!
It IS crazy! Who would have thought that sugar could do something like that? I’m going to try to stick to low sugar too.
I seriously don’t have enough self-discipline to do 30 full days. That’s REALLY awesome that you made the commitment and stuck to it! What an affirmation of your capability. I was actually kind of hoping you’d post a picture of you turning orange 😉
Ha! I’ll include one with my results. 🙂
CONGRATSSSSSS YOU DID IT!!! It’s so awesome that the experience has made you better in the kitchen too. I loved reading about your journey and so happy you completed it!
Thank you so much Chrissa!
You are amazing! Congrats on coming into the home stretch and achieving this goal!
Thank you!!!
i surely overdid on eggs, almond butter, and sweet potatoes too…i missed wine, chocolate, and socializing in general with whole 30 but its amazing how our bodies work.
Yes, I’m with you on the chocolate. I still can’t really believe that I did it.
It was a lot of fun tagging along and reading about your experiences!
Thank you!
Congratulations on completing the Whole30! When I finished my 21 day sugar detox I was so proud of myself. I love that you mentioned in the beginning that you achieved things that you never thought were possible! Enjoy celebrating and re-introduce slowly! =) Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I will!
Your skin has actually turned slightly orange? Wow, I never thought sweet potatoes could potentially give me that Oompa Loompa hue. ha ha. I do eat them often, but maybe not as much as you have lately. I enjoyed seeing the results of your journey. So much hard work and dedication! If anything, you gained some satisfaction in knowing you set a goal and met it. Good for you!
Thank you! And yes, it’s crazy…I look like I’ve used some bad self-tanning cream on my hands, feet, and face.
Good for you! That is a huge accomplishment! 🙂
Completing this is no easy doing! I’m proud of you for finishing. I m also sightly terrified o the orange skin…I don’t like sweet potatoes that much, so I think we’re safe ;).