I have officially made it through the Whole30 diet and have lived to tell you all about it. Over the last month, I’ve been pretty amazed by both the physical and emotional changes I’ve experienced.
If you’re wondering whether the Whole30 diet is something that you should try, whether to lose weight or just get yourself a whole lot healthier in 30 days, here are my results and the reasons why I’ll be continuing the diet beyond this month.
Related: Getting started on the Whole30 diet: 5 surprising things that happened during the first week.
How much weight (and how many inches) lost on the Whole30 diet
Starting weight: 183 Starting measurements: 40 – 35 – 41
Current weight: 174 Current measurements: 38 – 32.5 – 40
What you see right here is 9 lbs—and a whole lot of inches—lost. (Can I just complain for one minute about why I didn’t lose those 2 inches off my hips rather than my bust?)
Overall, I’m super pleased with the results, and honestly, I could have lost more had I been exercising more frequently (which is my goal for next month). Beyond that, though, there are many more benefits that I experienced beyond the weight and inches that I think are more important to mention.
Related: How I survived the Whole30 diet on vacation.
Other benefits of the Whole30 diet
Better sleep: I’d heard from a lot of people that sleep gets much better on the Whole30 and I completely agree. While it doesn’t stop your children from coming in and waking you up in the middle of the night (sigh), I had a dream pretty much every single night, and I woke up feeling refreshed, not groggy or exhausted, as I had been before.
Better moods: I’m prone to anxiety, with a recent bout of mood swings and panic attacks (something new and scary for me), especially during PMS time, and I have to say that I felt much more stable this month. Of course, the Whole30 is absolutely not a replacement for medication and therapy, but if you’re struggling, this could be an excellent addition to your treatment regimen.
Better skin: I have pretty decent skin (knock on wood), but even during PMS, I had absolutely no breakouts. I feel like my face just looks healthier without me doing an sort of mask or special skin treatments.
Better sense of my bad food habits: Since you can’t really snack on too much when you’re on the Whole30, you’re sort of forced to stick to meals — big ones, in my case — and you get amazing insight into your food habits. I learned that I was a boredom eater, which I think is pretty common. Now, I really only eat when I’m hungry and it’s completely changed the way that I think about food.
Better clothing fit: While I didn’t drop a clothing size per se, everything that I wear just fits so much better. My tight jeans aren’t tight anymore and my shorts are a little loose. Granted, my bras are a little too big now (argh), but the feeling of fitting into clothing is fantastic.
Curious to learn more? Check out Kristen’s tips for getting through the first week of the Whole30 diet and even for making it through vacation while on the Whole30 diet.
