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Whole30 Recap and My Experience


So my husband and I just completed a Whole30 together. This was the first round he’s ever done. I’m super proud of him and he got some amazing results. I wanted to take a moment and take you back to how I found Whole30, my experience since then, and my food philosophy today.


I found Whole30 at the end of 2014 right before I got married. I had been going to a crossfit gym and after completing a 30 day challenge, my trainer suggested Whole30 as a way to continue my results. I bought “It Starts with Food” and devoured it. I honestly came to Whole30 for weight loss, but found that the food philosophy just resonated so well with me. I remember thinking, “this is how we should be eating!” It just made sense.


Round one of my Whole30 went awesome. I loved it, got into my groove and was super successful. Reintroduction….I have no idea. I don’t even know if I completed it to be honest. This is a part I have struggled with the most. It took me a few rounds before I realized how important reintroduction was. In the past I would try to do the slow roll version but would fall off the rails before completing. Now I do the fast track reintroduction, planned out, without fail. It’s the only way that works for me.


So since 2014 there have been a couple of events that have really changed how I see food and Whole30’s in general. I was diagnosed with migraines with aura, I had an ectopic pregnancy, I gave birth to my daughter, and I got really sick with E.Coli And Salmonella on a trip to Mexico. All that culminated and resulted in an extended Whole45 in January of this year. This was the first time I extended past 30 days. I had done a few over the years and had a few starts and stops. That round was truly life changing. I had clearer skin, slept better, cleaned up my gut, had more energy, lost weight, and took a hard look at my relationship with food. I know I have an emotional attachment to food and that’s tough for me. Treats are a slippery slope and I have an extreme sweet tooth. But the biggest lesson of all was that I want to change that example and relationship with my food for my daughter. I don’t want her to eat out of boredom, emotion, punishment, or reward. I want to break that cycle with her and take a hard look at what she’s nourishing her body with. That lesson I can’t be thankful enough for.


Here are some key takeaways I’ve learned from completing Whole30’s:

  • Always complete reintroduction (you learn so much about what you can tolerate and what you can’t)

  • Food is more than physical, pay attention to the psychological

  • Keep track of your NSV’s (non scale victories), weight is not an indication of health

  • There is no such thing as a “perfect” Whole 30 (this is tough if you have completed a few)

  • Trust your body, if you feel hungry it’s ok to eat

  • These things take time, you cannot reverse years of poor habits in just 30 days

So really my family eats a modified paleo or Whole30 style predominately now. I focus on whole, clean, real food. We buy organic meats especially. I try to get fresh and organic produce when possible. We limit our grains and dairy. I pay attention to added sugar and additives. I READ LABELS. We don’t calorie count or limit our portions. I limit alcohol and choose gluten free. I don’t freak out about what my daughter is exposed to outside the home but try to keep it clean inside the home for her. It’s not perfect and it’s still a journey but it’s been fun learning and I’m glad to be on it.


If you have questions I’d love to hear from you! Email me at heather@eatcleanplaydirty.net or DM me on instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/eat_clean_play_dirty/



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