Whole30: Failure

TWO days.

In just TWO days I will have completed THE Whole30.

But.

I failed.

It took some time and courage for me to write this. In fact, I could (and wanted to) leave this part out, pretend it never happened, and just say “I did it!” in two days (I’m on day 28). But, I think that mentioning my failure in Whole30 is important and I always keep it real with you guys. So. Here goes.

Every single day for the past almost-month, I have been 100% careful, strict, and purposeful about every little thing that I eat. Don’t get me wrong, I have eaten a LOT of food (maybe even more than previously), but I have been careful about the quality of it. SO careful. I read the Whole30 books and believe whole-heartedly in everything they have to say. I believe in real food. I ate all my meals at home (which I normally do anyway), meal-prepped, altered plans, ordered food carefully at restaurants, etc. The works.

Then the day I failed came. My family went to Babe’s Chicken. I should’ve known better. Their menu consists of: friend chicken. I went because it was an important occasion, I was honestly mentally EXHAUSTED from all the Whole30-ing… I didn’t want to have to change everyone’s plans but I also really wanted to participate in the outing. And whether I admitted it to myself at the time or not, I KNEW that I was going to give in before it even happened. I thought – I’ll just go and do my best.

Well, my best isn’t good enough. My mindset going into it was an equation for failure. I was in a mental place where I was just drained from the strict diet. Which is odd because until this day, I truly found Whole30 quite easy. I love real food, I’ve been loving cooking, meal prepping, and eating delicious, whole foods! But I kept thinking thoughts like, why am I doing this? what would one meal matter? can’t I just be a normal person for a day?

So, I dug in. There was no “being good” at a place with fried chicken, biscuits (with honey and butter!), mashed potatoes, and cream corn. My option was eat, or don’t eat. And I am only human.

I thought about just “pretending it never happened.” I wasn’t going to tell anyone or write about it on my blog and just brush it off. But I can’t and I won’t. We are all human. I am here to share my story and experiences. I’m not writing a novel or just writing what you want to hear.

So, I am finishing out the Whole30 as intended until my day 30. I feel like a failure, but then again I don’t.

I have learned SO much about myself and food during this process. My moment of failure taught me something. That I am not perfect. BUT. ALL of my moments of success – each and every meal otherwise – taught me that I have the power. The power to eat, do, feel, anything that I want. Anything.

I also learned practical things – I learned how different foods effect us. I learned many great recipes that I will use for the rest of my life. I learned that I LOVE sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and crock pots! I wouldn’t have known this if it weren’t for Whole30. Doing and (almost) completing Whole30 has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. And as much as I envisioned this last Whole30 blog post being a celebratory, happy, glamorous, perfect post about how I did everything correct and to the “T…” I hope that you learn something from my failure. It’s important to do our best, yet accept the fact that we can’t be 100% perfect all. the. time. (and keep our sanity!)

Though this will be my last blog update, Whole30 is NOT over! I will complete the 30 days – and beyond. I plan on adopting a Whole30-inspired diet – basically Paleo with the inclusion of legumes, oats/grains, and occasional treats. I think that putting certain foods 100% completely off-limits, unless allergic, can backfire or just be unnecessary. It’s all about balance and moderation.

In conclusion, I do NOT consider my Whole30 experience a failure. Overall, this has been a HUGE eye-opener and successful journey that is ultimately going to change my life from here on out! I am SO proud of myself. This one “slip up” does not define me, yet proves to myself that I am human! I wanted to highlight my “failure” because it just proves that life GOES ON, and we cannot take ourselves too seriously!

Have you tried Whole30? Did you ever slip up?