In the real world I’ve completed my vegan Whole30, but on the blog I’m compiling my diary entries and reflecting on what worked during week three. Week four will follow in a few days, and early next week I’ll share day 31 and the final results…
If you’re joining the journey now, you may want to read about why I decided to do a vegan Whole30, and how my first and second weeks went (spoiler: week one was rough; week two was better).
(If you’re new, you can find my weekly reports, menus and final results in my Whole30 section).
What I learned during Week 3
Not a huge amount changed this week. After passing the halfway point I expected some kind of reward or an easy downhill stretch, but when that didn’t happen I just kept plugging away. Overall I still felt good and slept well, but my skin flared up worse than it has since my teens. Food fatigue set in, and I rebelled against cooking all day, but I managed to get through the week.
What I ate during my third week of a vegan Whole30?
This week swung between two approaches: a lazy mode of leftovers and frozen meals when I didn’t feel like cooking, and a potato-focused phase. I’ve avoided potatoes for years—scarred by lumpy mashed potato growing up—but this week I rediscovered them and enjoyed potato salad and wedges.
I also ate a lot of fruit. I don’t strictly follow the Whole30 template that recommends fruit only occasionally; for me, eating mostly vegetables, nuts and seeds for a month would be extremely challenging. Fruit helped me stay satisfied.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| Monday | Pineapple and mango with banana coconut chia pudding and mixed seeds | Leftover meatless, bean-less chili and cauliflower mash | Gazpacho, olives, grapes and peri peri vegetables |
| Tuesday | Jalapeño stuffed olives, pineapple and blueberries with banana chia almond milk pudding and mixed seeds | Leftover chili and cauliflower mash | Potato salad, coleslaw, leftover peri peri veg |
| Wednesday | Banana chia pudding with strawberries and mixed seeds | Leftover potato salad, peri peri vegetables and coleslaw | Baked potato wedges with Whole30 sugar-free ketchup, cauliflower steaks |
| Thursday | Banana chia pudding | Leftover wedges & cauliflower | Cauliflower tabbouleh |
| Friday | Chopped melon, coconut milk and seeds, small avocado, fresh pineapple | Cauliflower tabbouleh | Broccoli with cashew cheese sauce |
| Saturday | Melon, blueberries, coconut milk, mixed seeds | Tabbouleh with cashew sauce | Whole30 coleslaw, vegetable burgers |
| Sunday | Whole30 coleslaw, vegetable burgers | Whole30 coleslaw, vegetable burgers | Cauliflower sushi |
01/07/2019 Day 15
Today marked the halfway point. I’ve been sleeping deeply as a new norm, though my skin was breaking out slightly—seemed like my typical mid-cycle flare but not as severe as in the past. I even dreamed I’d broken the Whole30 while visiting Ireland and woke upset about it.
At work people commented that my skin looked porcelain-like and thought I’d changed my makeup. Some also suggested I’d lost weight.
Breakfast around 8:30 was banana pudding with chopped pineapple and frozen mango, topped with mixed seeds. Lunch was leftover chili and cauliflower mash, which was very satisfying.
I was in a bad mood and impatient for that promised “tiger blood” phase—days 16–27 when the Whole30 claims you’ll be full of energy and free of cravings. It’s only day 15, but I was still hoping for a boost. By late afternoon I felt dizzy and low on energy, so I snacked on gazpacho olives and grapes. Dinner was peri peri vegetables, but I could only manage a few bites and saved the rest for later.
Grapes spiked my sugar cravings, so I decided to avoid them for the remainder of the program. My skin worsened by evening, and I wondered whether fruit or nuts might be triggering it. I’d also been drinking mostly sparkling and mineral water instead of flat water, so I planned to refocus on plain water to stay better hydrated.
I decided to keep fruit breakfasts through the weekend and then switch to a vegetable-based breakfast like a veggie burger or rösti to reduce fruit intake to the recommended occasional amount.
02/07/2019 Day 16
Poor sleep—my own doing after staying up late working on the blog. I resolved to prioritize at least seven hours of sleep, aiming to turn off devices by 11pm and be asleep by 11:30. I’d planned to run in the mornings this week but postponed that to protect sleep.
Breakfast was jalapeño stuffed olives, pineapple, and banana chia pudding with frozen blueberries and mixed seeds. I wore a pair of “danger pants” that felt a bit looser, suggesting reduced bloating and inflammation rather than significant weight loss.
Lunch was chili and mashed cauliflower, but I noticed the meal was low in fat and left me hungry a few hours later—so I’m leaning toward higher-fat foods for satiety. Dinner was potato salad, coleslaw made with avocado mayo, and peri peri veg. My skin breakout escalated noticeably.
03/07/2019 Day 17
I managed 6.5 hours of solid sleep. Breakfast was banana chia pudding with frozen strawberries and seeds—smoothies and puddings aren’t ideal Whole30 fare, but they’re the only way I’ll eat bananas. The acne breakout continued.
Lunch was leftover potato salad, peri peri veg and coleslaw. I wanted something comforting for dinner, so I baked potato wedges with Whole30 ketchup and made cauliflower steaks. First time trying cauliflower steaks—pleasant but essentially just a crispier roast cauliflower.
04/07/2019 Day 18
Sleep was deep though again a little short because I stayed up late working. Breakfast was banana pudding; lunch was leftover wedges and cauliflower. I indulged in a big lunch of wedges and accepted the hunger later as worth it.
Dinner was cauliflower tabbouleh. I added cucumber and discovered I don’t enjoy cucumber while on Whole30—possibly the reason my early salads felt off. I’ve got lots of green vegetables to use, so I’ll try spiralizing or dressing them differently to make them more appealing.
05/07/2019 Day 19
Skin frustrations continued and sleep was again delayed by work thoughts. Breakfast was chopped melon with coconut milk and seeds, a small avocado, and pineapple. Lunch was cauliflower tabbouleh, and dinner was simple pan-fried frozen broccoli with cashew cheese sauce.
06/07/2019 Day 20
Breakfast was melon and blueberries with coconut milk and seeds. Lunch was tabbouleh with cashew sauce. My partner went shopping but still couldn’t find sweet potatoes, so I made coleslaw and veggie burgers for dinner. The burgers—made with potato, carrot, onion, tahini, ground almonds and spices—were crispy outside and creamy inside. I noticed changes in my body composition and resisted weighing myself at night, planning to check in the morning if needed.
07/07/2019 Day 21
The urge to weigh myself faded. Sleep quality remains excellent. Breakfast and lunch were veggie burgers with coleslaw, and I enjoyed cherries and sparkling water after lunch. Dinner was cauliflower sushi dipped in coconut aminos—tasty, though a bit wet. We spent the day cleaning, cooking, watching a show and relaxing by the pool. I felt slightly bloated after snacking on cherries and sparkling water, and my skin outbreak finally started to heal.
Week 3 done and dusted!
