If you find me mainlining a baguette in February, this is why

I’m not a “diet person” and I’m especially not a trendy diet person. So it’s kind of surprising that I even latched on to this plan. However, as Melissa Hartwig will emphasize throughout the book, this is not a diet or a weight loss plan. This is a 30 day “reset” to help you change your relationship with food an understand how different foods affect your body. This resonated with me as someone who immediately begins stress eating as soon as things get tough. I like the idea of reducing cravings and having more energy so if those are the only two things to come out of the 30 days I’ll be counting it as a win.

In the interest of total disclosure, I skipped a couple of the chapters. I don’t have kids, I don’t have an autoimmune disorder and I won’t be traveling when I start my Whole30 on February 1 so I didn’t feel compelled to read about them. I also skimmed most some of the recipes in the back of the book. Obviously I’m unable to make any comparisons to any other “diet” books but many of the claims put forth strain credulity, especial the testimonials at the start of each chapter. But the instructions for the 30 day reset are clear and they covered just about every question I had regarding my upcoming whole 30.

Overall, this book was a clear, concise intro to what I can expect when I start my Whole30 on February 1 and the best ways to navigate any potential roadblocks. The author was honest about how difficult the fist week or two can be but emphasized that it was temporary and you’d start feeling great after that. Of course I won’t be able to comment on the veracity of those claims until after March 2, 2019 so updates to follow.