Whole30 Week 4 Review

WE DID IT!!!! We made it through 4 weeks and 2 days of eating super clean. Let me tell you how it ended. 🙂

Overall review

Remember how last week was really rough for me?? Well, this week was so much better. For real. It was a breeze and went by sooo quick! So, because this is the end of the whole program, I’m not going to only talk about week 4, but will kind of do a general “this is how it went for us” review for the whole 30 days.

How is our energy?

Logan: Throughout the whole program (excluding the first week) he felt like he had a dramatic increase in energy and ability to accomplish the tasks he needed to get done, not only at work but at home as well as at church. He has LOVED the extra energy he’s felt.

Shanell: For me, I’d say my energy waxed and waned. Every day was a little bit different. I’m not really super surprised since I am pregnant, and growing a baby isn’t exactly the most relaxing thing your body could be doing. 😉 Plus I’m taking care of a.k.a. running and chasing after 2 little kids all day at home, so that might play into it as well. However, that being said I DO feel like my energy and ability to get stuff done DID improve. I’ve accomplished so much in the last month it’s crazy! I love it! I’ll take any extra energy I can get!

Have we been bored with the food options?

Logan: No. Logan never really got bored with the food options…except this week he said he was getting pretty tired of taking almonds and raisins as a snack every day for work. Oops. We should probably lay off on those a bit.

Shanell: No. I didn’t get bored at all. I’ve been able to experiment with lots of yummy different recipes over these past 30 days it’s been kind of fun. Of course some didn’t turn out as well as we’d hoped, BUT it was still fun to try new things together and decide TOGETHER if it was a “winner” recipe. We’ve found a few new ones that will definitely be on repeat from now on.

As always, here are some of the yummy things we ate this week.

How has it affected our mood?

Logan: I’m so proud of Logan and how well he did with the whole30 program. He was AMAZING and such a big support to me. He’s been more encouraging and loving than ever. I love it. I feel like one of the biggest benefits that I’ve been able to see from this program is the closeness that Logan and I have shared throughout the 30 days. We’ve been on the exact same page every single day and I have loved it! But, this is about Logan, so…HE’S loved it and he’s happy with his results. 🙂

Shanell: Okay, okay I know last week was a rough week for me, but this week was a complete turn around, which I think is why I felt like it went by so quickly. My mood has been great. I’ve been more patient with the kids, and more reflective in my scripture/journal entries. It’s really refreshing actually. I feel like my mind has been really clear.

Do we still crave certain foods?

Logan: Overall Logan says he hasn’t really wanted candy or chocolate, that hasn’t really been an issue. In the beginning he craved a lot more sweet treats, but honestly now he craves grapefruits and Larabars…which I’m fine with. 😉 Such a better choice when it comes to a treat.

Shanell: Gosh…I’m so bad. The thing I think I missed the most in chocolate. Can anyone else relate? I wish I could say all of my cravings are gone, or somehow I don’t even think sweets sound good because it’s totally not true. I literally thought of staying up till midnight on day 30 so I could eat a candy bar! Ha! For real…I’m pregnant. End of story. Honestly though, I’ve been fine. When I say I “crave” I mean it sounds super good and I’d really like a bite, but no…I’m not desperate enough to stay up till midnight. Haha. I’ve learned that I don’t NEED sweets. They are just fun to have every now and then.

How’s the budget going?

Logan: Our eating out budget stayed WAAYYYYY low this month. It was great! Logan only had to eat out a few times at work, then we went out as a family ONE night to Chipotle. And that was that.

Shanell: I’m more in charge of the grocery budget and I’m proud to say that YES we stayed under budget. Go us! It’s doable and totally worth it. Your health is worth it!

Has the meal prepping and planning been overwhelming?

Logan: Logan was so supportive over these last 30 days. He honestly liked every meal that I made/tried to make and always showed appreciation for the work I put into planning and preparing the meals. THAT in itself made it not so overwhelming.

Shanell: I know sometimes thinking of a weeks worth of meals can take a little while, it’s well worth the time. I can’t say it enough…it is so so so worth it! Considering that I have made over 90 meals in the last month and my kitchen is cleaner throughout the day than ever before and my stress level at dinner time is pretty darn low, I’d say absolutely it’s worth it. The little amount of overwhelming feeling you get while planning your meals is NOTHING when it comes to the peace you feel as you work your magic in the kitchen come breakfast, lunch and dinner time. 🙂 Just do it. Plan and prepare.

So…do we think it’s worth it?

Logan: Absolutely! The night before we started the program Logan weighed in at 217. At his post program weigh in he weighed 207.1!!! He lost 10 pounds! What the heck?! He also lost 2 inches off his waistline and you can totally see it in his face as well. That jawline is lookin’ delicious. 😉 So…for the weight loss reason he definitely thinks it’s worth it. Good clean foods clean your body and make you feel so awesome!

Shanell: For sure. Although I haven’t really been able to see any changes on the outside (like my belly shrinking, or my weight go down), I’ve definitely seen as I mentioned before, Logan and I’s relationship strengthened. I have loved doing this with him so much. He was such a great support. I also feel like my way of thinking about food has changed. I automatically look at ingredient lists on labels, I recognize that certain foods are better for fueling your body before your workout as well as after. And both Logan and I have noticed that even though we have upped our workout routine and increased our weight training, our muscles have been able to recover really quick while eating this way whereas before it would take DAYS to recover. The power of food is so real.

I mentioned this last week too but my skin/acne is almost completely gone! It’s been crazy to watch it slowly clear up. It gives me so much more confidence to have a clean, smooth face.

This truly has been a great experience. It’s been hard, but worth it. Some days were way more easy than others, but that’s just life. You win some you lose some. I’m excited to see how we do with the reintroduction stage of all the foods we’ve been restricting. I look forward to a healthier lifestyle for the entire family…and of course a donut and candy bar every now and then. 😉

XOXO-Shanell

P.S. If you haven’t decided yet if you should do this program or not, check out the Whole30 website AND get the book “It Starts with Food.” Read it. By the end you’ll understand why the 30 days are worth the try. Click on the link or picture below to purchase a copy from Amazon.com. Just do it! 🙂

See our week 1 review HERE.

See our week 2 review HERE.

See our week 3 review HERE.