What I learned Doing Whole30
For 45 days, I cut alcohol, gluten, dairy, grains, legumes, soy, added sugar, eggs, and most additives. I had to cook almost everything from scratch. And THEN, I followed it for 2 more weeks while I slowly reintroduced each category one at a time.
So for two months I basically only ate fruits, veggies, meat and nuts (and spices!).
Am I crazy? Why would I do this? Was it worth it?
Why Would I do this?
My stomach was in rough shape. A few years ago, I traded my 35 minute strenuous bike commute for a 55 minute subway commute. Within 3 months I’d put on 10 pounds.
I didn’t feel great. Abdominal pressure caused pain and gas. I started wearing my pants loose. I even had an extra baggy “fat suit”, which I would wear at work when I knew I had long meetings.
It was ridiculous.
A few years prior, I pleaded with my doctor to test whether I was allergic to dairy or gluten. He said no. A yes or no wouldn’t serve me when the truth was probably in between. So I’d just have to test things and pay attention to how I felt.
In other words, there was no substitute for hard work.
So when I was on parental leave and cooking all of my son’s meals (and he ate almost Whole30 at the time), I thought it was the perfect opportunity.
What Was It Like?
Like most things in life: good and bad.
On the good side, it turns out that there are a lot of delicious foods that work on Whole30. I enjoyed almost everything I ate. Curries. Roasts. Steak. Chia pudding with pure cacao. It was pretty yummy times. I didn’t lose weight, but I lost a lot of fat and leaned out.
On the bad side, I missed a lot of things. I missed beer. I missed yogurt, and cheese. I missed pizza and nachos so badly. And it was a lot of work.
Oh, and sometimes it was difficult to go to events like weddings and feel like I was “that guy.” Sigh.
What did I Learn?
A lot. I learned through my reintroductions that:
I can’t eat dairy. I loved it. And now it causes cramps and gas.
Alcohol is not my friend. After two glasses of wine, I woke up every hour that night and my mood was in the toilet the next day. It was really shitty.
So, what else did I learn:
I've gotten waaaaay more comfortable cooking and meal planning. (spoiler: This has honestly been worth the toil by itself.)
I’m much more aware of emotional eating.
I think I may have slept better.
My body just runs better on fat instead of sugar.
Was It Worth It?
Without a doubt. I learned a lot. And my diet is so much cleaner now as a result of the healthy habits I picked up. They’ve helped me weather the sickness factory that is a toddler in daycare without (so far) getting sick.
I also wonder what eating all that dairy was doing to me.
I miss it. But what was the hidden cost of eating dairy? Did my stomach create a mucus lining so that the dairy wouldn’t bother me as much? What effect would that have had on absorbing nutrients? Or on my immune system? I feel as if I may have dodged a bullet by catching it now.
Well?
Well, if you’ve been tempted to try it, I think you should. I did the regular Whole30 except also cut out eggs, as they’re a common irritant. And if you’ve got an Instant Pot, check these guys out.
You don’t know what you don’t know, and elimination diets are essentially the gold standard for figuring out gut intolerances.
It’s true - they take a lot of work.
Most things that matter in life do.