I managed to finish the entire Whole30, with no cheating. Okay, so there were a few Larabars in there, and probably a bit too much fruit, but I was pretty good about sticking with the meal template.

So what’s next? I’m going to continue for at least a couple more weeks, and then shift to slightly-less-strict paleo. There might be some alcohol involved, and there’s a chance I’ll have some totally non-paleo food while I’m on vacation. I’m also going to try adding some dairy back into my diet; I suspect that will end in some stomach and gut pain, but I just want to be sure. I currently don’t have any plans to add sugar, artificial sweeteners, grains, or legumes back into my diet. Now that those are out of my system, and I know there are much healthier alternatives for all of them, I don’t really see any reason to add them back into my life. Then again, the same could be said for alcohol and dairy, but the alcohol is mostly a social thing that I know I can do in moderation and the dairy is because I really do miss cheese!

I’m wrapping up this Whole30 nearly 5 pounds lighter, which is great, but the real win is that I’ve learned a lot about what foods keep me feeling good, and full. Some of my lessons-learned include:

• On the days (especially mornings) I didn’t get enough fat, I had the munchies until my next meal.
• I found that sometimes having fruit (dessert) after dinner led to snacking after that. It was probably mostly boredom after my boyfriend left for work and my daughter went to bed (I’m an emotional eater, so that’s very likely). I’m trying to stay away from fruit for a couple of weeks, to see if it helps.
• Nuts can also sometimes be a slippery slope, especially if I’m eating them from a larger container. I’ve started pouring the nuts into a smaller container to help me make sure I’m not eating too many of them.
• I don’t make great food choices when I’m tired, sick, or emotional, and I need to work on that.
• I don’t get enough sleep! I’m working on getting at least 8 hours every night.

Overall I think my Whole30 experience was a good one. I’m going to continue to eat healthy, because “It Starts with Food” 🙂 But because the food is only a starting point, and I think I am getting a much better handle on it, I’m going to shift my focus to the rest of my health: sleep, exercise, and stress.