I'm not going to lie, I was ready to quit on Day 15 but I thought I would tweak a few things before I decided to throw in the towel completely. Getting into TMI territory here but the digestion issues were just too much for me and since those were the issues I had hoped to fix by doing this round of Whole30, it seemed pointless to continue if they never subsided (I read a balanced diet with legumes and whole grains can aid in these issues so looking forward to incorporating those again).
I did learn that intermittent fasting isn't recommended since this program is to train good eating habits and intermittent fasting can contribute to imbalanced eating. So since I had been partaking in intermittent fasting a lot in these last two weeks, I decided to keep trying and see if eating breakfast would relieve the discomfort I was feeling physically.
Apparently these digestion issues aren't uncommon but I didn't get them the first time around. I suppose I am not hydrated enough and I stopped taking my daily probiotic since it had soy in it. However in the end, the cons outweighed the pros and therefore I threw in the towel on Day 20 of this Whole30 journey.
Observations:
- intense bloating continued from Day 8-20, but it subsided slightly when I started eating breakfast and prunes.
- sleep is mostly better
- had several anxiety dreams about accidentally eating non-compliant foods: cake, rice and dinner rolls made an appearance in my dreams.
- sinus allergies are about the same since I'm on a prescription nasal spray that helps a ton
- headaches mostly gone after the first few days
- energy levels: comes and go. some days I need a nap and others I don't feel tired even into the wee hours of the night
- felt full a lot of the time and in between meals.
- cravings: liked seeing other people eat noodles and rice but actually didn't feel intense cravings to eat them or drink alcohol. definitely never missed dairy.
The Conclusion: Like the first time I partook in the Whole30, I had high hopes that this program would magically fix the minor issues I have with my body. In the end, this journey was just not the answer to my problems and it only exacerbated the existing ones. I did enjoy eating healthier and challenging myself during this food reset. From that standpoint, it still felt like a healthy reset for me even though it didn't last the full 30 days.
Favorite Whole30 Dishes from Days 8-20:
Cauliflower Pistachio Salad from Ottolenghi's Simple is one of those dishes that are delightfully Whole30 without being labeled as such. I just got this cookbook at a thrift store recently and was pleased so many of the recipes can be tweaked to be Whole30 approved. I ended up having some spoiled pomegranate seeds for this salad so I used dates instead, which were a delicious addition.
Kale Caesar Salad from The Modern Proper was just as delicious as my favorite kale caesar salad to make at home. The dressing was actually just like the mayo I made recently so I just added garlic to that and chopped anchovy to make it caesar! The best part was the macadamia nut "cheese" crumble. I didn't even miss real parmesan since this tasted so much like the real thing!
Thai Veggie Burgers from Food Faith Fitness were one of the few (if not only) vegan whole30 recipes I made. I broke up the leftover patties and put them in a salad, which was also tasty.
Italian Breakfast Casserole from 40 Aprons was a vehicle to use up some ground pork I had and this recipe also has one for Whole30 compliant Italian sausage. Usually I don't like scrambles/omelets/frittatas but maybe I'm converted since this was a really easy and tasty way to pack veggies into a dish.
Eggplant with Garlicky Walnuts from Alison Roman was a fun way to dress up the cute graffiti eggplant I got from the farmers market. Late summer is an exciting time for fresh produce and this recipe (minus the optional ricotta) was Whole30 compliant and highlighted in season eggplant.
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