This is my 3rd Whole30 and by far, it was the hardest one yet! I gave birth in December of last year, so I did not partake in the January Whole30 and definitely knew I needed a “reset”. My Food Freedom had come off the rails and my breastfeeding had started to stall and slow down. I want to nurse my daughter as long as possible. The September Whole30 sounded like a great idea. Challenging but what I needed.
September 2, Whole30 Day 1: everything went well during the day! Then, we had a loss in the family that night. We knew it was coming, but not this soon. My husband had to leave the country to be with his family for the funeral. My daughter is 9 months old and we knew the trip would be too stressful for her, so we stayed behind. I thought about quitting the Whole30 and just felt so alone and sad and heartbroken. I wanted to be with my husband through his pain, but also experience mine. I knew I needed to keep going because the only reason I wanted to quit was so I could drink to cope but that wouldn’t help me, it wouldn’t help him and definitely wouldn’t help my breastfeeding journey.
The first 2 weeks were hard, not like giving birth hard, but still challenging! I felt hungover for the whole first half. I said, “this is so hard this time!” Yet another reason to keep going.
My clothes started fitting better, my inflammation improved, and sleep returned to me. I’m so glad I kept going because it helped me deal with my grief and be a better rock for my husband throughout the loss of the family member. Now that the Whole30 is over, I know that I made the right choice. I took before and after photos and I can see brighter eyes, clearer skin and I’m happier for doing it! My breastfeeding journey can continue and my daughter has been enjoying the delicious foods we’ve been making, too!
Thank you for all of the wonderful tools that are available, including the amazing Whole30 recipe takeovers you offer. I am Whole30!
“The Whole30 helped me deal with my grief: Erin’s Story”
