I have PCOS, a condition with symptoms like infertility, excess body hair, acne, fatigue, allergies, insulin resistance, and the elevated risk of diabetes/ovarian cancer/breast cancer/stroke/hypertension/heart disease.
I went on that diabetes medicine and felt like dying, so I spent the next 4 years trying to alleviate my symptoms through lifestyle management. I did Weight Watchers (twice), became a vegetarian, went on South Beach, had an eating disorder…and I went to bed crying several times a month.
After the birth of my second miracle baby, I was even more depressed—then I stumbled upon a local CrossFit gym that had just hosted a Whole30 workshop. Five months later, I’d completed two Whole30 programs. My PCOS symptoms had completely vanished. Acne–clear. Extra body/facial hair–gone. Hair loss–ceased. Allergies–haven’t used a single Zyrtec. After spending the last 12 years feeling like I’d been kicked in the stomach, I’m not quite sure what to do with my newfound energy.
The benefits have carried over into my whole family. Because I went off dairy and then reintroduced it, I learned my nursing baby has a dairy intolerance, so my 7-month-old baby no longer cries in pain for hours at a time. My dad realized halfway into his first Whole30 that he was addicted to Diet Coke, and my mom with type 2 diabetes has eliminated her Metformin and lowered her insulin dosage by 10 units.
Just one year later, my PCOS was completely reversed. I have a regular cycle, no signs of PCOS, and actually had my diagnosis removed in April. Thank you, Whole30.
