How hard is Whole30?

I have had quite a few people asking how hard this is. I can only say how hard it is for me, but I know other people doing this, so if you'd like to chime in the comment area on how hard it is for you, that would be great!

Now, I am only on Day 3, and I am sure there will be more struggles or different struggles along the way. I really think how hard it is depends on quite a few things.
Are you ready, really ready, to make a dietary change?
Are you currently eating a LOT of bad foods?(Caffeine, fast food, etc.)?

I had already switched to caffeine free soda weeks before starting this so thankfully I was past the caffeine withdrawals. I would recommend for people who want to do this who are drinking a lot of caffeine to slowly wean out the caffeine first. It's hard enough dealing with sugar and carb cravings without having to also deal with energy slumps and headaches from caffeine withdrawals.

I also did not eat a lot of bad food. I did eat enough, which is why I am fat, but I did not eat bad food for every meal, snack, drink etc. every day.

So while yes, this is hard, it could be harder. I do have 'sugar tantrums' where I have intense cravings for something sweet or something cheesy or bread etc. But I have the desire, the drive and the willpower to stay strong and not cave in to those tantrums. I have gotten to a point where I am just TIRED of being fat and feeling like crap and I have had enough. So while that stuff does tempt me, I can remind myself that those foods are what got me here and I don't need them in my life anymore.

Now, the cooking is a little harder for me because I have never been much of an experimental cook. It takes some time and planning to figure out what to feed myself and everyone else. Now let me say I don't cook extra food for the others in the house. The things I cook everyone eats for the most part. For example, today I had leftovers for breakfast and I made the kids scrambled eggs. And that I don't mind doing, but I am not making extra lunches or dinners for everyone. So I did a lot of research and made lists of stuff to buy, but in the end that was only a little helpful. When I went shopping I just bought a bunch of different kinds of meat and each day I pull something out and then figure out how I am going to cook it that day. Luckily the spices I have used for my meats have all been good so far.

Another struggle is that I used to snack or graze all day long and now I have to make a conscious effort to eat 3 meals and a snack or two and that's it. When I went to go to the fridge I have to stop myself and REALLY assess my feelings. Am I truly hungry? Or am I bored? Tired? Thirsty? Stressed? Or am I doing it out of habit? if I am truly hungry then I find something to eat, but more often than not, I am not hungry but it's one of those things causing me to seek out food.

I think to do this you need to have the power to tell yourself no and keep yourself in check. There will be temptations everywhere. Every time you go to buy fresh veggies and meat, there will be the smell of fresh bread coming from the bakery, there will be chocolate and ice cream and cheese everywhere you turn. But it's up to you to decide if your health is worth it or not.