Day 20.  I’m 2/3 of the way there.  Pretty damn good for a girl who jumped into this, not actually thinking she could succeed.  Now, let me start off by saying that I was not 100% compliant since I did continue to drink Shakeology, which contains Stevia and Pea protein, which are not Whole30 compliant. But I wasn’t willing to give that up for 30 days and here’s why:

I don’t drink coffee….so my shakes are what get me going in the mornings.

It’s also my multivitamin.  It keeps me healthy.  Which is not something I was willing to risk, in the middle of winter and flu season.

It makes me feel too good to voluntarily give it up…even for just 30 days.

That being said, I may no be getting the FULL benefits of the Whole30.  And some people say I can’t call what I am doing the Whole30, since I am not 100% compliant….so I’m calling it the Whole30-ish.  And that’s good enough for me.  Because here’s the thing.  I didn’t do this for some astronomical change.  I didn’t do this because I have some huge issue that I needed to get to the bottom of.  I did this because I wanted to get back on track with my nutrition and I wanted to prove to myself that I still had some sort of discipline when it came to food. I wanted to sort of restart my system.

So, here’s what I’ve noticed so far:

I am sleeping better.  I’m snacking less.  My sweet tooth has been tamed.  I have the energy to get through my workouts. My mind feels clearer.  I am able to focus better.  I’m only down about 3 lbs, but am def noticing my pants are getting loose.  I’m not craving much.  I’m enjoying healthy foods.  I’m finding new, delicious recipes.  I’m learning to enjoy cooking.  And the most surprising of all – I am not dying for wine!  (<— that one alone is a huge accomplishment for me, since I am a self proclaimed wino!)

Overall, I can’t complain.  I didn’t have too many crazy days where I felt like I was dying, or had severe headaches, or severe cravings.  Again, the Shakeology could have helped with that….but for me, that’s a bonus!

There are a ton of Facebook groups dedicated to the Whole30…but beware.  In a lot of them, you can’t ask if something is compliant, you’re not allowed to post anything that is non-compliant, and don’t you DARE tell anyone that you’ve accidentally (or purposely) eaten something that might not be compliant.  Otherwise?  The groups can be great for recipe ideas, support on those tough days and other random Whole30 things.

I’ll be back in 10 days to give my final review…including my favorites tips and recipes!

All in all, I think the Whole30 is great for someone who wants to get back on track, clean out their system, improve overall health, figure out what might be ailing them, etc.  If you’re thinking of doing it, I say give it a go!  You might actually surprise yourself!