When I embarked on Whole 30 I was not sure what the 30 days would have in store for me.   Whole 30 is a 30 day diet reset that emphasizes eating whole, fresh foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, seeds and healthy fats.  Over the course of the 30 day challenge, I experienced more focus and clarity, increased energy and lost 5 lbs.

Here are the things I learned from my 30 days of Whole 30:

• New Creative Dishes– By having to create meals without a lot of my staple foods (grains, breads, pastas, dairy) I found myself drawn to researching new recipes and Whole 30 approved dishes.
• The Pleasure of Food Focus– A surprising discovery during Whole 30 was that by shifting my focus from what I couldn’t eat on Whole 30 to what I could eat, I was able to really enjoy my meals and look forward to planning what I was going to eat.
• Special Ingredients– In order to help make Whole 30 more pleasurable, I was very happy at finding some Whole 30 approved ingredients like ghee, almond milk and almond butter.
• Dining Out Hacks– The most challenging part of Whole 30 was going out to eat.  While not all restaurants were easy for me to accommodate to the Whole 30 plan, checking out the menu in advance enabled me to be as prepared as possible.
• Intuitive Eating– An amazing thing that occurred during Whole 30, was that by eating better I found that I felt more satisfied and didn’t feel the need to overeat. By being on the Whole 30 plan, I was able to listen to my body.
• Finding Food Freedom– The most empowering part of Whole 30 came at the conclusion of the plan.  Once I started to add back sugar, grains, pasta, breads, and dairy into my diet I noticed that I felt a healthier relationship with food with less guilt and more enjoyment.

Overall Enjoyment in the Challenge: 8/10. (I definitely missed certain foods and at times struggled with figuring out what to eat but I loved the increased energy and focus)

Success in Completing the Challenge: B

Likelihood in Continuing: Moderate to High.