Sincerenity

On May 1, 2025, I started Whole30. You can read about why I started.

30 days of whole, clean eating to reset my eating habits and digestive system.

I had done Whole30 before many years ago and saw good results, so I’ve decided to do it again now. I’m pretty anti diet, but this is one “diet” that I’m ok with because it’s temporary.

In this article, I’ve included my experience, my tips, and my favorite foods.

Disclaimer: as a reminder, this was MY experience. Others’ experiences and your experience may be different.

My Overall Experience

I had a great experience!! Because I had planned and prepared, I honestly did not find it all that difficult. My stomach had been hurting so much for a couple months and I just generally felt off and not well, but by Day 3 I was feeling significantly and noticeably better.

By Day 7 I noticed significant bloating was gone. I also noticed after about a week, I wasn’t nearly as hungry as I used to be. I used to feel hunger every 2 hours or so, but during Whole30 I was going 4-5 hours without feeling hunger.

Days 10-12 are known to be “the hardest” days, because typically that’s when cravings arise, but I will be totally honest, those days passed without me even noticing.

By Day 22 I will be honest, I was ready to be done. Not because I had cravings, because I honestly didn’t, but because I wanted to expand my options for healthy eating. Like rice, peanut butter, some sauce, a sandwich, etc. I was starting to feel very limited in my food options and wanted more.

More Food Conscious

So… What even is it? It got me thinking about food waaaay more. What is it made of? What’s in it? I remember just a few days before I had started Whole30, I had a diet soda. I remember looking down into it and thinking, if there’s no sugar in it, what is it? What’s in here?

I’m not against having a treat or soda now and then, but it has made me slow down and actually think about what is being put in my body.

Food Noise Quietted Down

Food noise. If you know, you know. I mentioned earlier how Whole30 was not all that difficult for me. A big part of that is after a few days in, I was feeling so, so much better. I don’t believe in “good” food or “bad” food, but it’s no secret that some foods make you feel worse than others. I was constantly feeling so sluggish, so full and bloated, and honestly just gross most of the time. After being away from those foods, I don’t feel like I even want to indulge on them anymore because I know how it felt when I used to do that, and now I also know what it’s like to be away from them.

Will I have treats? Yes. Will I have them as frequently and in the volume I used to? No.

Moderation is key, and Whole30 helped me see that.

Other Things I Noticed

One big concern I had was going cold turkey on caffeine. I had been having 200mg of caffeine almost every day for months. I felt like I just needed it. Turned out… I’m okay without it. Eating healthier helped me sleep significantly better, and I woke up feeling so refreshed every day on Whole30. I was falling asleep easier and staying asleep longer. Will I have caffeine again? Yes. But now I know I don’t need it like I thought I did before. During Whole30, I felt no temptations to find caffeine.

Another thing I noticed was I had clearer skin. My skin is usually prone to be very oily, but during Whole30 I observed my skin was definitely much less oily than it normally is. My skin looked clearer also. I didn’t change anything in my skin care routing. Eating healthier and more natural foods definitely contributed to that.

I lost 11 lbs doing Whole30, and am overall just feeling SO GOOD!

There are many other things I noticed, but those are the biggest ones!

My Tips for Whole30

• Plan & prepare!! Sometimes I feel like there’s a stigma with diets or lifestyle changes not to wait, and to start immediately, and usually I agree. However, Whole30 is an exception to this. When I told my husband I wanted to start, he said, “Ok! Let’s start tomorrow!” While that is a good mindset, it would have made this much more difficult. We had very little Whole30 approved food in the house. Make this as easy for yourself as possible. If we had started then, the next day would have been filled with temptations and “Ugh, we don’t really have anything!” And then I probably would not have stayed committed to be honest. I researched, meal planned, shopped, set a specific start date and end date, then started.
• Tell you’re friends and family. Ok, I’ve known people who’ve made diets their whole personality and that’s all they talk about. That’s not what I mean. We all know that gets old. Just let them know you’re starting and that you’re excited. I did not expect any accommodations from my family, but they were kind enough to help best they can. They altered recipes, they asked me questions, and asked me how it’s going. I think it would be harder to stick to Whole30 if no one knew you were doing it and couldn’t offer support.
• Always carry snacks. I never went anywhere without a few snacks on me, just in case. Again, I’m making this as easy for myself as possible. I didnt want to be out and about and find myself hungry and then wonder what I was going to do. I take the wondering out of the equation. You can see my staple Whole30 foods in a list below.
• Stay preocupied. No, I personally do not believe in being a busy-body. However, it’s much easier not to focus on the food you wish you could have when you don’t allow yourself the time to do that. I was pretty busy at work, so I didn’t have much time to think about food then, but at home I would stay out of the kitchen when it wasn’t eating time. I would do other things: excerise, watch movies, play games, work on the blog, sleep, drink water, clean, etc. Just something to keep myself from sitting there and daydreaming about food.

My Staple Whole30 foods I ate the most

(I bought all of these at Costco!)

• Eggs
• Bacon
• Bananas
• Apples
• Beef sticks with no sugar
• RxBars (Blueberry and Chocolate Sea Salt)
• Cuties/Halos
• Pecans
• Cashews
• Salmon
• Chicken
• Potatoes
• 100% apple juice
• 100% pineapple juice
• Canteloupe
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Pineapple
• Mangos

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