I mentioned a few times during my weekly recaps that I had a friend volunteer to do whole30 with me. Um, yeah…I have pretty awesome friends. I mean, who willingly gives up cheese (especially living in Wisconsin)?
Mary, that’s who.
Here she is with her little girl, Sofia. Aren’t they beautiful? (Yes, Mary, I stole this off of Facebook. And you’re lucky I picked this one…I almost chose one that looked to be you singing karaoke in an 80’s outfit. You’re welcome.)
Mary and I met in high school and have been friends ever since, despite living in separate states for almost 20 years. She’s just one of those people who regardless of how long you go without talking to (which can definitely be too long sometimes!), the conversation is easy when you finally do. She’s honest. She’s creative. She’s thoughtful. And she’s also really loud, sarcastic and funny. Mary’s a straight-shooter who will tell you what she’s thinking (usually without sugar-coating it). Just the kind of friend that you want doing whole30 with you.
She also had some great results so I asked her to write a little recap of her experience and she agreed. I’ll be sharing my final update tomorrow, but today please enjoy this guest post from Mary.
It’s a wrap! (And I don’t mean a delicious sandwich.)
The day I told Janna I’d do Whole30 with her (‘cuz that’s how I roll with my longtime friends) I looked at my husband and said, “What the hell did I just agree to?” I immediately did what you’re NOT supposed to do – think about all the things I couldn’t have. No grains? My new bestie quinoa had to be put on the backburner for an entire month? No sugar? Not a single drop of it? Not even honey? What!!!? That just seemed like a torture technique. No cheese, or wine, or beer? I might as well just die right now. But then I read a ridiculous amount on the reasoning behind the program and came to the conclusion that I definitely could benefit from this as well. Anyone can do anything for 30 days, right? Heck, I spent 45 days in a cast and couldn’t walk for nearly 60 days just a few months back so this was nothing. That mindset got me through the beginning…and meal planning. Meal planning is a must if you do Whole30.
There were moments I thought I was going to lose it though. I’m talking to you Days 5 and 6. And then a couple nights where I woke up at 3 a.m. telling Rob about eating apple pie funnel cakes at a state fair around days 13 and 14. Not sure if that even exists, but I wanted one and the dream was so real it was like I could taste it. My brussel sprouts just didn’t taste like funnel cake though. Those were probably the toughest two days. But then something magical happened. The third week started and I felt like I was on top of the world. My energy levels were great. I loved every meal I made. I didn’t miss anything I normally craved. And the best thing ever: my Raynaud’s/pre-arthritic hands were completely back to normal. No joint inflammation (bye-bye “sausage fingers”!) and no horrible pain I had been experiencing since October. I, for the first time in three months, was able to wear my wedding ring again. This was BIG, people. And I took pictures to prove it.
The positives from the 30 days kept coming…no more fatigue, consistent high energy levels, no more carb or sugar cravings, more patience with Miss Diva (a.k.a. my daughter, Sofia), sleeping more soundly, awakening feeling refreshed, not a single mid-day nap and the aforementioned joint pain GONE! Thank you sweet baby Jesus. And thank you Janna for catching me at a weak moment and calling me out on your blog to ensure I’d follow through on doing this with you. It’s honestly been life changing.
So now what? Well, I have introduced dairy and wheat so far. Dairy was not my friend. My beloved cheese took on a new taste and it wasn’t good. I was depressed about it. I tried three different kinds and wasn’t a fan of any of them. Eeeek! I’m still gonna give her another chance though. She deserves it after all these years together. Yogurt gave me a stomachache. Oh well, I can try different non-dairy kinds of yogurt. No big deal. Wheat crackers tasted good, but I doubt I’ll have them nearly as much as before. I would much rather have bowls of gingered zucchini soup. I know, I’m a weirdo now. Or maybe just weirder than before. At least I’m a weirdo without giant inflamed man hands anymore.
Mary had her “apple fritter funnel cake” dream about the same time as I was lusting over chocolate cake. So we definitely had some good laughs about our weird sugar withdrawals. In a way it was just nice to know that I wasn’t crazy for feeling that way.
I’m so glad Mary came along on this journey with me. To hear her say that it has changed her life literally gets me a little choked up. I honestly think everyone should try a whole30…I mean, we went into this with totally different goals. And we both came out better from it. Doesn’t it make you wonder how it could change your life?
I’ll be back with my wrap up tomorrow along with my top five favorite recipes.
xoxo,
grateful Janna
TWSST 
Good post Mary! Way to go you two!
Thanks Erin!