In my original post on How To Survive Week One of The Whole30, I promised an update on results (weight loss results in particular). I am LATE getting back to this, because life. First, I want to revisit my “why” and how I feel each of these problems, big or small, improved.
Skin
Acne
Who doesn’t want amazing skin? I’ve struggled with problematic skin my whole life. I’m a redhead, with very sensitive skin. In high school, I tried everything from over the counter to prescription treatments. Finally, while in college, I decided to take the plunge and started on Accutane. It was extreme, but I entered into this with the idea that I would have clear skin for literally ever.
It helped! Don’t get me wrong. My skin was mostly clear until I quit taking birth control several years later. Again, I was able to get control of my skin through balanced eating and SO MUCH WATER.
In the last few months? Nothing helped. My skin looked worse than it did in high school. I never imagined I’d be battling acne AND wrinkles at the same time.
Enter Whole30. Listen, it delivered….and fast! We are talking 100% clearing in maybe 4 days. My skin is as close to perfect as I can imagine it ever being. I’ve changed nothing in my skincare routine. If anything, I’m doing less. And the results are everything I hoped for and more.
While I plan to continue with experimentation, it is looking like sugar is the culprit for my breakouts. As a kid, I was always told that chocolate would make me break out. Turns out, maybe there is some truth to that?
Psoriasis
I have dealt with psoriasis on my scalp for as long as I can recall. When I read that this way of eating may improve this condition, I was highly skeptical. Nothing had worked before. I went into this experiment with low hopes for help with this one. The results exceeded my expectations, for sure. While I can still see some evidence of psoriasis, it has cleared by about 75%, and the itching is GONE for the first time in my life.
Allergies
I can’t attest to how the rest of the world is faring lately, but here in Central Ohio, anyone dealing with allergies has been suffering in the worst way for the last couple of years. It has been blamed on the warmer climate, from what I understand. A longer growing season = more pollen. Whatever the case may be, I was hit hard. I spent the entire spring and early summer dealing with a sore throat that kept me up all night and made me generally grumpy. Willing to try anything, this “diet” was suggested to me.
The results here are more difficult to measure because there are so many variables. I continued to take my allergy medicines into the second week of my Whole30. Once I finally worked up the bravery to stop taking them, I didn’t feel awful. My symptoms have definitely improved even without medication. Was it the absolute magic I had hoped for? It’s hard to say.
During my reintroduction period, I noticed a huge concern with grains and my allergies. Worth noting, I also have asthma, which flared in the worst possible way after some beer and corn. Sad day.
Energy
Any other moms living on copious amounts of caffeine? This job takes work. It takes every shred of energy you can find within you. Prior to Whole30, I was constantly tired and felt that I was shorting my kids. What better reason to try something –relatively, drastic?
At the end of day 30, I felt good. My energy had improved. I didn’t feel that I was going to fall asleep at any given moment. I was finally feeling good in my lifting sessions again. But was I where I wanted to be? No. So, I kept going.
I kept going right up to day 50 until I saw the improvements I was truly looking for. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this to someone who is miserable adhering to the “rules” of the Whole30. Me? I didn’t miss a dang thing. I began reintroduction mostly as a science experiment rather than a return to old ways.
Weight Loss
Drumroll, please! While it was absolutely not my biggest reason for embarking on my Whole30 journey, losing weight was certainly going to be a bonus (if it happened at all). On a round of Whole30, you are not to weigh yourself. Therefore, I don’t know how spread out my weight loss was. But….. I lost a whopping 13 pounds in 30 days.
I was thrilled with this! Mainly because I found the Whole30 to be SO EASY. The first two weeks were challenging with headaches and a feeling of hunger that didn’t go away. I ate within the guidelines, but ate enough. I know this because I was able to listen to my body for the first time in a long time. The withdrawal symptoms were absolutely worth it and relatively short lived.
Since reintroduction, my weight loss has slowed, but I haven’t gained any weight back. For reference, I have introduced foods back into my diet exceptionally slow. I will reintroduce a food, then wait sometimes for weeks before introducing something else.
What Now?
Listen, I am sold. I’m not one to talk about this type of thing, but I’ve been telling EVERYONE how amazing this Whole30 experiment has been for me. The diet itself can be adhered to indefinitely. However, it was recommended to me to check out Paleo and determine if it would be an appropriate step for me after completing my (long) round of Whole30.
I have since completed reading The Paleo Answer by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. (this is an affiliate link), which I highly recommend. More on this as I continue on this journey. The results of my Whole30 journey were so amazing that I can’t see going back to the way I was eating before….ever.
Have you completed a round of Whole30? I’d love to hear some other reviews!