My Whole 15 Results

I finished the Whole 15! It wasn’t as drastic a difference as when we did our original Whole 30 in January, but we still experienced some benefits. Did you try a Whole 15 or start a Whole 30? Share your results in the comments!

During the Whole 15

The first week of the Whole 15 went well. I planned out our meals and shopped for most of the items ahead of time. The first day went well and the second day went fairly well, though I was wanting cake and a latte by the end of it. Once again my husband and I did not experience any headaches or extreme irritability, etc. during the detox of the first 2-3 days.

But by Day 4 (and into Day 5), I was extremely tired and decided that it must be related to the Whole 15 plan. That is a common effect around that time, though we did not experience it during our Whole 30. Somewhere around Day 5-7, I definitely felt bloated and like I had actually gained weight. This is also common after a few days, which is why it’s recommended to avoid weighing yourself during the plan. Sometimes your weight will go up before it goes down.

Then I hit Day 8. We were out and about all morning and tea just wasn’t going to cut it (and I don’t do black coffee). I decided to cheat and have a latte. I thoroughly enjoyed it and did not regret my decision. Since our point of doing Whole 15 was just as a reset and not about food issues, we decided that we would be a little easier on ourselves during the second week. So yes, I had a cheat of some sort each day the rest of the time. I would rather have done it without the cheats, but my motivation was lacking in week 2.

We still mostly followed the Whole 30 plan until the end though. If I did it again as a small reset, I think a Whole 10 would work out better. And if you are doing a Whole 30 for the first time – do NOT cheat! You’ll want to get the best results you can, which work out best if you stick to the plan.

Results of the Whole 15

Though it was harder to stay motivated with the restrictions on the Whole 15 compared to our Whole 30, we still had some good results:

• We ate more fruits and vegetables.
• We didn’t eat out so saved money (and calories).
• I decreased my taste for sugar even MORE! I am now able to drink a coffee or latte with 1 teaspoon of sugar (used to be 3 teaspoons of sugar before I ever did a Whole 30)! The sad part is that I don’t feel super well after eating a very rich & sugary dessert. It will take me a few times of experiencing that before I get the hint though – lol.
• I lost 6 pounds (yes – in 15 days and even with the cheats) and my husband lost 9 pounds!

So obviously it was worth it for us to go through a Whole 15 as we begin Summer! I expected some decent results for 15 days, but this turned out even better than I thought.

What’s Next?

After finishing the Whole 15, I don’t just want to go completely back to what we had slid into before. I plan to make at least one meal a week a Whole 30 meal. We will also be trying to keep sugary things to a minimum and staying away from extra grains. And we plan (but will we succeed??!!) to limit wine or beer to the weekends. I will also be working on incorporating more fruits and veggies into the day.

I do like having some kind of plan to stick to, so am now working on an exercise plan. I started the 30-Day Shred since it doesn’t involve any big plan other than completing the workout every day. I finished 5 days of working out! I just switched over to Ripped in 30 by Jillian Michaels – it was recommended to me as a much-improved version of the 30-Day Shred and I like it much better so far. Unfortunately, anytime I start a workout program my weight jumps way up. I’m hoping that after my body gets over the shock – maybe next week – that weight will come back down again.

Did you decide to join in and try a Whole 30 or Whole 15? How did it go? What was your biggest challenge and your biggest success with the plan? If you haven’t tried one yet, you can check out my Whole 30 series of posts and my Whole 15 post that includes a super simple 2-day menu to get you started.