Whole

Days 2-3: The Hangover

Your head is surprisingly clear. Your limbs all feel functional. This could be a good day! You walk into the kitchen and as you're greeted by the smiling face of your significant other you are suddenly overcome…with the desire to punch them in the face for smiling this early in the morning. Take a deep breath and eat some sweet potatoes.

*It's probably because your brain is never very happy when you tell it that it CAN'T have something, and take it out of it's habitual and accustomed comfort zone. An unhappy brain is a stressed brain, an anxious brain, a fearful brain. No to mention your hormones are desperately trying to keep up with your new food choices, your gut is trying to heal, you've had a headache for the last three days.

Today you don't feel like you could smite anyone if your life depended on it! You hit the gym, but only halfheartedly workout. You crawl into bed at 8 p.m. only to drag yourself out eleven hours later feeling no more rested than you did the night before. Your body is learning that it can't rely on all those easy access energy sources it used to Your body is learning to efficiently burn fat and protein as its fuel sources, and that takes more effort.

• You're starting to feel normal but your pants you wore a few days ago are tight.
• Your body composition is not actually changing for the worse. The enzymes that digest your food and the millions of bacteria that live in your gut are adjusting to your new intake of meat and vegetables, and the lack of easy-access sugars. These adjustments can be a bit… uncomfortable: bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or all three may appear as your gut starts to heal, rebalance, and process this new food effectively. The good news is that most people find this phase passes relatively quickly, within a week or so.

• Fact: you are most likely to quit your Whole30 program on Day 10 or 11.
• You're cranky, you're impatient, and you're really, really tempted to just eat the stupid cheese.
• This is where you really start to experience the psychological hold that your food habits have on you. You're still waiting for the results you're hoping to see. Your brain tells you that you deserve some kind of reward. You're craving that ice cream. But, instead of that treat, you're standing face to face with the realization that you have 20 more days of deprivation ahead of you.
• The key here is to redefine your idea of reward. Think long and hard about the foods you're grieving and ask yourself what need you're expecting them to fulfill. Are you feeling anxious and looking for reassurance? Are you feeling sad, and looking for something to cheer you up? Are you worried you won't successfully finish the program, and it's easier to self-sabotage than fail? Remind yourself that food cannot fill that void for you—cannot make you feel truly accomplished, comforted, calm, happy, beautiful. Then, find another way to fill that need that does not involve those foods. Prepare yourselves for these days, knowing that all you have to do is see them through to the other side before things get much, much easier.

• Hurray! The slump is over! Your pants fit again! Your energy levels are better than normal – you're downright Tigger the bouncing tiger! But something weird is happening. You're dreaming. Not crazy nightmare or strange surrealist dreams, either. Incredibly normal and realistic dreams – about donuts. Suddenly, you're craving things you don't even like.
• This phase gets really intense and for some people. This is the part of the program where our minds try to drive us back to the comfort of the foods we used to know. Our food relationships are deeply rooted and strongly reinforced throughout the course of our lives and breaking through them is really big deal. Journaling can be especially enlightening and helpful during this phase, and helpful for reflection later. Take some time to jot down what you're craving, how you're feeling and what tools you're using to work through the cravings. The cravings and the dreams rival those of pregnancy.

• You've hit the downhill slope of your Whole30. For some (generally people who came to the program eating well, exercising regularly, and feeling pretty good to begin with), Tiger Blood means someone flipped a switch and turned on the awesome. Energy is through the roof, cravings are under control, clothes are fitting better, workouts are stronger.
• For others, this Tiger Blood stage feels more like a real sense of self-efficacy. It doesn't mean things are easy, but you're proving to yourself that you can do this, things are getting better, and you're seeing improvements almost daily. Your energy is steadier, you've got a firmer handle on the cravings, and you're experimenting with new, delicious foods. You may notice that your ability to focus is keener, your body composition is changing, your moods are more stable, you're stepping up your exercise, or you're just plain happier these days.
• May not happen like magic at the halfway point. Lookout for small, gradual improvements to keep you motivated.

• You've solidly settled into week three of the program at this point. Your clothes fit better; your skin is clearer; your inner awesomeness is shining through. But despite the many benefits you're seeing, you went to bed last night dreading the thought of breakfast. You're not thrilled with any of your meal options right now. You're loving the way your body is responding to the program, but you're just not sure if you can make it through 9 more days.
• Somewhere in the third week of the program, serious food boredom sets in. For some folks, they lose their appetite altogether for a few days. Don't let the food fatigue overtake you – plan ahead! Get to work in week two and hunt down some new recipes. Being bored and hungry is just a recipe for disaster.

• 28 days is NOT as good as 30 You owe yourself 30 days. You made a commitment to give yourself 30 full days of Good Food and improved habits. When you make a commitment to self-improvement, it's a big deal! If you cop out now, you're telling yourself that the commitments you make to yourself are open to compromise. You're telling yourself that you are not important enough to honor your commitment to you. You ARE important. You ARE worth a full commitment. Require that of yourself and celebrate with a renewed sense of integrity.

• It's totally normal to feel a twinge of panic as your Whole30 comes to a close. For the past month, you've lived, breathed, and literally eaten the rules. You feel incredible in your new high-octane body. Whole30 was intended to be a reset, an introduction into the world of Good Food.

• You may not always be able to make life fit inside the Whole30 rules. It does mean that you'll give the reintroduction protocol (in It Starts With Food) the same attention you gave the last 30 days and be honest with yourself about your reactions – physical and emotional – to food. And tonight, that might just mean a bowl of ice cream. And that's okay.