I ’m not the kind of guy who buys into dieting furor , goes on diets , or bask writing about diet . In fact , I think hoi polloi get infinitelymore annoyingwhen they short decide that gluten and sugar make them anxious and mouthy .

However , at just under 6 ft with a cheeseparing frame , I knew that my bowel would only grow infinitely larger with the amount of beer and Taco Bell I ’d been eat .

So , when my lady friend suggested going on theWhole30 program , I was intrigued and antsy all at once . A dieting in which you ignore out sugar , alcohol , gluten , grains , legumes , dairy , MSG , and snacks ? Fuck me sideway !   However , with someextremelifestyle changes , I made it mould and lost a significant amount of weight . This is what it ’s like .

whole30, crash diet

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Wait, what’s the point of cutting out all that good stuff?!

gravely , this is n’t a dinky littlejuice cleansethat’ll be discredited in a calendar month . The Whole30is aNew York Timesbestseller , a dieting that makes no weightiness - release promise , but which wellness passenger car Katie Corritori praise because it " eliminate major causes of redness in the trunk , such as shekels , dairy , gluten , and grains . " kindling is high-risk , ripe ?

The concept of excretion diets is nothing new – typically they ’re used toroot out the cause of any number of aesculapian conditions , particularly those involving the intestine – but Whole30 takes the idea to the hatful . Its websiteclaimsthat in cut back the above food chemical group , you ’re ditching " psychologically unhealthy , hormone - unbalancing , gut - disrupting , inflammatory food groups , " to " lease your body heal and recuperate from whatever effects those food may be make . "   Oh , andpeople Instagram the living dogshit out of it .

All sounds expert to me . Whole30 , let ’s do this .

I

I had to seriously purge my fridge

In preparation for this fiend of a dieting , I committed some serious race murder on my icebox and storage locker . Unlike the entirety of Manhattan ’s upper Earth’s crust ,   I did n’t think I had any major food allergies . But those were the rules , and it could n’t hurt to essay .   I got rid of some expensive – albeit processed – food and nearly weep as I confuse forth my pricy groundnut butter and string cheese . The hardest stuff to say goodbye to was Ben & Jerry ’s ice cream and some leftover pizza I had been eyeball .

I basically had to give up restaurants of all kinds

Eating out is highly hard with the Whole30 , which is why they dissuade you from hunting for Whole30 - approved meals at restaurants like Chili ’s orsighTaco Bell . Pro tip : do n’t go looking for dinner party at Taco Bell .

The problem with restaurants is that you really ca n’t be indisputable that anything you grade out is n’t cover in butter . Ultimately , it ’s not a huge deal to shop for groceries . I just finish up order from FreshDirect , and after dissever the disbursement with my lady friend , we each spend about $ 50 per workweek . Trader Joe’sis also a fuddled dream for someone on the Whole30 diet – more almond butter than the heart can see !

The cravings are killer in the first week

Anyone who ’s on this dieting will secernate you that your bloodlust for chips , sandwich , and patty is all - encompassing and agonizing . You start craving solid food that you did n’t even know you liked : I had no estimation how bad I wanted ice cream covered in BBQ sauce . The Whole30 ’s rigidity in the " no - snacks " rule is the key to the dieting , though ; it promotes a healthy way of life of feed and " deprograms " you from constantly wanting to stuff food in your mouth . Three meals a day , no eat out , just healthy poppycock .

I started to MacGyver the diet to make it work

When it comes down to it , I really did n’t eat that much differently on the Whole30 . Aside from work some righteous 1920s - style temperance , my meals were n’t the clobber ofNutrisystem nightmares . I ’d have a lowly serving of meat with a side of vegetable . wholly easy .

There ’s a lot of craftiness that goes into this dieting ; you could use ghee – which is just elucidate butter – to make Asian - style cracklin ' chicken , and you could also put coconut milk in your deep brown . One of my favorite meals consist of almond butter , mashed - up bananas , and turmeric : I called it " Banana Mush . " It smack right smart better than it looks .

Thank God bacon is allowed

I ’m not banter , you may actually eat bacon on this dieting . I think , it has to be nitrate - free , uncured Sir Francis Bacon , but Applegate defecate some and it tastes like heaven covered in unicorn jizz . Seriously , I would kiss the ground all pigs walked on if it were n’t covered in grunge and ordure . My breakfast typically consisted of scramble eggs , Francis Bacon , and saute kale .

My cravings subsided, then came back with a vengeance

They say that the first week and last week are the hardest . This is true . finally you get into the rhythm of endure home early to make dinner , bring your lunch to cultivate , and wassail soda water piddle or else of whiskey . OK , that last part is somewhat milquetoast , but you got ta treat yourself .

When the cravings get rough , there are some Whole30 - O.K. snacks . Now , I did say that snacking is penalize swiftly and hard , but come on . As long as you do n’t go overboard , you may happily munch on stuff likeBrooklyn Biltong , EPIC bars , SeaSnax , Caveman Bars , RXBARS , and plenty of others . Also , do n’t cut breakfast or you ’ll tower out during the long reach of time before lunch .

No, I didn’t cheat

This is how a lot of people get derailed : if you " cheat " on this diet , you have to start over again . Remember , the purpose of the Whole30 program is to find out if you have an allergic reaction to a specific type of food , or if a intellectual nourishment is bringing you down psychologically ( remember that ? ! ) , which is why it ’s so strict .

I realized it’s not exactly a crash diet

Juice cleanses are garbage– you do n’t have " toxins " in your physical structure that can be magically excreted with a $ 9 succus from the third house of Equinox . The Whole30 political platform is simply sporty feeding … only consuming healthy food that humankind are supposed to waste . The most you ’ll miss are a few happy 60 minutes and parties , but I acquire that you feel right smart less bunglesome at these outings if you have a Methedrine of carbonated water in your hand . It ’ll stop hoi polloi from perpetually commenting on how you do n’t have a drink in your hand . Pricks .

I slept, looked, and felt better!

Yes , it ’s fucking deserving it , and this is coming from a stubborn lover of everything cheesy and processed . Eating like this makes you feel awful . Within the first calendar week , I lost 5 pound ( you ’re not hypothecate to weigh yourself , but I did ) and felt an incredible amount of energy . I slept well , look better , and in the main felt happier . At the remnant of the dieting , I misplace 10 lb and all of my clothes were loose . Plus – this is genuine – all of my friends told me I looked bang-up . My confidence skyrocketed and I plant myself wake up by my own reflection .

It doesn’t end after a month

The most vital lesson from this diet comes about during your month of fresh eating . When it ’s all finished , you do n’t really want to go back to feed the fashion you used to . I fully include that I spent my first week off the dieting gobble up simoleons and beer , but that does n’t last . In the time since my Whole30 ended , I ’ve been cooking every day , on a regular basis turn down sweet , and opine about every piece of food that goes into my body .

I transformed from a chalupa - loving philistine into a healthy , well-chosen , kale - masticate philistine . And to mean I hate writing about diets . gravely , give it a attempt .

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bacon, candied bacon

Drew Swantak/Thrillist

Jeremy Glassis a writer for Thrillist by solar day and a gargantuan ice cream cone at night . Here ’s his Twitter:@CandyandPizza .