Whole30 While Pregnant: Recap

I did my first Whole30 about a year about a year ago.  You can read about that here if you're interested.  I just completed another this week.  In between those, I did a couple of Whole9s but that's it.  

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of it all, I'll tell you why I did it again:

1). My headaches where bothering me pretty badly.

2).  I had just come home from vacation, and with vacation came eating all of the junk I could possibly eat...I was swollen, and I felt like poo.

3).  I gained 10 lbs in one month of this pregnancy.  Yes, 10!  And, no I don't think it's good to jeopardize the baby's health by trying to lose weight during pregnancy, but I clearly needed to change some habits.

So, with the support of my husband, my sister and my brother-in-law, we jumped in whole-heartedly.

These are some of the things I've felt doing it while pregnant:

1).  It still took 10+ days of the program for me to feel great on it.

2).  I still slept like a baby while on it (that might be my favorite part).

3).  I craved fruit so much more this time around.  Really, I think I just craved something sweet, so I ate fruit to my heart's content, and sometimes I still wasn't satisfied.  And, I believe I ate too much of it, but oh well.

4).  I didn't really lose weight.  I mean, at first I dropped 4 lbs pretty quickly.  But, by the end, I think I was down maybe a pound from the start date.

5).  I still felt a bit gassy from time to time (due to pregnancy I'm assuming).

6).  Toward the end, I didn't have as much energy as I did initially (but I also entered my third trimester and I've been terrible about exercising).

7).  My husband started wanting to quit at about day 18.  However, he didn't, and it was so much better doing it together.

8).  I snacked a lot...probably not the greatest idea, but it got me through.

9).  I had no headaches while doing it.

10).  I've had very clear skin (but I don't have really bad bouts of breakouts ever these days).

11).  My swelling was kept at bay, unless I stood all day long.

12).  I didn't feel bloated.

13). I didn't have joint pain.

Reintroduction:

1).  So far I've reintroduced dairy and some sugar: I was craving chocolate big time.  I think most of it was just overplayed in my mind.  Regardless, I ate chocolate the first day.  I also had dairy in the form of about 1/4 cup of yogurt, 1 slice cheese and about 3/4 cup ice cream.  And, guess what...I felt like CRAP.  I'm thinking it was more the sugar and only part dairy, but I felt jittery all day, was constantly making trips to the bathroom and felt very "foggy" and tired.  So, back to fruit it was.

I plan to wait a couple of days and introduce wheat...and then other grains.  I may reintroduce peanut butter as a legume to see what happens after those two things.  I'm anxious to see.

I know I have a problem with sweets.  I hope to keep it more at bay now.  I also love bread.  We'll see how it makes me feel once I reintroduce it.  After my first Whole30, I thought I might be allergic to gluten.  After many trips to the doctor, my gall bladder was removed late last winter.  It's helped, but the pain I feel in my upper abdomen has not gone away entirely.  We'll see if any of the reintroduced foods lead to inflammation again.  

I am glad I did it again, and I'm glad I tried it while pregnant.  For me, it was more difficult.  Yet, once I start reintroducing foods, I am quickly reminded of how much better I feel when eating a bit more clean.  So, once again, I hope to not fall into all of my old habits and eat a bit cleaner for my overall wellbeing.

Here are a few of the snacks that helped me make it through:

1).  Siete Almond Flour Tortillas -  (these were a life saver to change up breakfast and to add a little something to other meals.  We used them as taco shells, wraps, and tortilla strips on soup.

2).  That's It Bars - my favorite flavor is strawberry.

3).  Kalot Nut Butter - blueberry cinnamon is the best, and I ate it on bananas and apples.

4).  RX Bars - these were sometimes a meal replacement for me.

5).  Bare Apple Chips

6).  Peeled Snacks - I loved the mango.

7.  Nick's Sticks - for a salty treat. 

8.  La Croix

9.  Lara Bars - not my favorite, but good in a pinch!

I wasn't a fan of the Whole30 approved (approved but not recommended) muffins we made.  I ate a lot of cashews mixed with raisins.  I used brown mustard on a ton of things, even salads.  We ate gobs of eggs, fruit, and veggies and even had some approved hot dogs a couple of times.  It's obviously doable - just takes some planning and determination!

If you have any questions shoot them my direction!