{"id":9605,"date":"2018-02-09T15:23:47","date_gmt":"2018-02-09T21:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewoodenskillet.com\/?p=9605"},"modified":"2025-09-04T16:42:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T21:42:24","slug":"whole30-experience-my-dads-incredible-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewoodenskillet.com\/whole30-experience-my-dads-incredible-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Whole30 Experience: My Dad’s Incredible Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whole30 Experience: My Dad’s Incredible Story – read a detailed account of my Dad’s Whole30 story and how it literally changed his life!<\/p>\n\n\n

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So excited to share my Dad’s Whole30 experience with you guys!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Whole30 Experience: My Dad’s Incredible Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Okay guys, go grab your coffee and hang out with me for a second.  Today I get to share with you my Dad’s Whole30 experience and journey – it is pretty remarkable.  But I first want to say how cool it is that he is wiling to share his story – I really think it could inspire a lot of people and I am so proud of him for being so open about his experience with all of you guys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(This is my Dad’s own personal experience; check with your own doctor before starting Whole30, particularly if you have health issues such as diabetes)<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A little background.  For those of you who don’t know, I did my first round of Whole30 in May of 2017 because I had on-going issues with acid reflux and other gut issues.  In an effort to try and stop taking prescription medicine, I somewhat randomly, decided to try this “diet” called Whole30.  My mom and I went through that first round together and it completely changed the way I looked at food, my standards for the food that I put in my body and my health.  You can read more about my first round here<\/a>.  Ultimately, I now eat Whole30 around 80% of the time and so does my family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, a little background on my Dad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The facts<\/strong>: My Dad is 65 years young and has type 2 diabetes.  He also has CAD (coronary artery disease).  He had a triple bypass approximately 4 years ago.  Before Whole30 he was taking blood sugar regulating medication 4 times a day.  He had a sore on is foot that wouldn’t heal.  His optic nerve was degenerating.  He would frequently take naps (as in every day).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to his Whole30 experience his typical diet would consist of the following:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Breakfast: 2-3 cups of coffee with sugar and half-and-half along with toast and peanut butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lunch: turkey sandwich or a Caesar salad<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dinner: pasta and a protein<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snack before bed: cheese and crackers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His thoughts and perception of Whole30 prior to January 1, 2018<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

He thought it was a diet.  He says he misunderstood what it was all about.  I vividly remember sitting on my deck with him last summer.  My husband was doing his first round and I joined in so we could do it together.  My Dad was grilling us about this “diet” we were on and why were eliminating things like whole grain bread from our diets….  fast forward to December of 2017 and I already knew I was going to be doing my 3rd round of Whole30 in January.  My mom was doing it with me and she wanted my step-dad to join in and do it with her.  My brother was going to do it for the first time and my husband was doing his second round.  My brother and I talked and we said, “Man, I think this would be really great for Dad to try …. and if we are all doing it together, I think it would make it that much easier for all of us.”  We conspired and I got him the Whole30 book for Christmas and my brother got him an immersion blender (a must-have for any Whole30’er!).  I asked him if he would do Whole30 with me in January – and he somewhat non-commitedly said Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, the day after Christmas, I literally sat down with him on the couch and read through the first few chapters of the Whole30 book to him.  I think that is when it started to click a little bit that this is not some 30 day diet.  It starts off as a massive experiment and, as he admits, that got the engineer in him intrigued (he is a retired chemical engineer).  So I felt a little more confident in his commitment to the process when we headed back home, plus my step-mom was now on-board as well, so they could do it together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Whole30 Experience:<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Days 1 and 2:<\/strong> He said that days 1 and 2 he didn’t have a lot of energy, but that he honestly has felt amazing ever since day 3 (note: this is somewhat odd as most people do not feel great the first week or two).  I actually have a text from him on Day 3 (we had running text chain between all of us to touch base everyday with questions\/comments\/recipes\/etc) that says “Blood sugar 120 mg\/dl one hour after eating a large meal.  Typically, before W30, my blood sugar would spike up to 160 after a large meal.”  He later that day he wrote “so far, W30 is better than any medication I have taken for blood sugar control.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On day 4<\/strong> he texted “Energy all day, blood sugar under 100 ml\/dL (stable all day).”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 6<\/strong> he texted: “Just woke up! Sleeping 8-9 hours each night, blood sugar range is 100 – 140, was 100-160.  I have more energy and never seem to get really hungry.  For the first time in 2 years I can take the bandage off my right toe.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 11<\/strong>: “I find myself with more interest in things around me and energy to do things, like going fishing on a miserable (cold) day.” “Big benefits for me from W30 so far are, improved blood sugar and consistent energy levels.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 19<\/strong>:  W30 allowed me to discovery that I am allergic to almonds.  Almonds were my snack tonight, after eating a handful I developed major nasal congestion, post nasal drip along with itchy eyes.  Another discovery from my W30 reset.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 28<\/strong>: “Day 28, the month has gone by very quickly for me.  I continue to see so many healthy changes in my body and my life …. I will be continuing on with W30 after Tuesday.  For how long, I do not know … Thank you Erin Lynn for helping me find a way to improve the quality of my life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, he initially thought Whole30 was some sort of 30 day diet.  I asked him what he would describe it as now – he says it is a way of optimizing what you take in to your body so your body is happy.  It isn’t a diet so much as it is a tool that helps you learn what makes your body work the best.  He says that the process has made him become much more aware of the food that he is putting into his body and how it affects how he feels. He is more in-tune with his body.  He says that what he used to think was a normal way to feel, wasn’t actually normal at all.  Compared to how good he feels now, it was anything but normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how is he doing now<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

List of his Whole30 Benefits:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here is a list of the benefits he has seen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n