Last month, Ryan and I were driving home from Central IL, and I was reviewing the weekend in my head. Two things stuck out to me: my pants felt tight, and I was consistently falling captive to my addiction to sugar. This reminded me that the previous Fall, I had sent Ryan some information on Whole30, and he had sounded interested at the time. However, we both knew it was really unrealistic to do during our wedding showers, wedding planning, actual wedding, and honeymoon, so we shelved the idea for the Spring months.
I remembered this in my head, but kept avoiding the topic because my iced mochas, chocolatey desserts, and nightly bowls of popcorn were just too tempting to give up. I knew Whole30 would mean a lot of sacrifice, and I just didn't care enough to give it the attention it needed.
However, something about being home with family and friends... and just feeling "ugh," made me rethink my decision. Additionally, a friend texted me about Whole30, which put it on my mind even more. I initially brushed the idea aside, but then reluctantly revisited the program rules online.
"OK," I thought. "I'll bring it up to Ryan, and if he's into it, I'll consider it."
After all, we still had 2 hours left of our drive, so it would give us something to talk about.
Ryan was totally on board. This was bittersweet for me... I was excited he was willing to commit to this and do it with me, but already having a panic attack about the foods I would have to start giving up.
We planned to start it on Wednesday of that week. That would give me enough time to become familiar with the program, go shopping for what we needed, and get some meals planned for the rest of the week.
I also planned to gorge myself with all of my favorite foods over the next couple days-- Starbucks, ice cream, popcorn, desserts, the works.
However, my plans were quickly thwarted when I woke up 6 hours later with the stomach flu. I basically survived on Sprite, applesauce and soup on Monday, and by Tuesday, I was feeling better, but not good enough to overdose on a bunch of junk food. Honestly, it was likely a blessing in disguise.
The rest of this post will be a topical review of certain parts of my Whole30, and at the end, I'll share my results & day-to-day journal. Yes, I kept a daily journal of how I felt, what I ate, etc. I don't expect everyone to read it, because it's pretty boring, but I wanted to include it because I know during my Whole30, it was always comforting to read about other people's experiences, what worked for them, what didn't, how they felt, etc.
What is Whole30?
I'm not going to give you the long version-- if you would like that, you can visit whole30.com and browse. I'll try my best to summarize it. It is a program designed with rules stating that you must eat nothing but whole foods for 30 days straight. This includes all meats, most vegetables, and fruits. It also includes nuts and seeds (minus peanuts). It excludes dairy, gluten, and added sugar of any kind.
The premise is this-- by removing all of the inflammatory-causing, gut-disrupting foods from your diet, you can see if you feel better by eating this way and eventually eliminate the culprit. More than that, it teaches you to have a better relationship with food. By removing things like added sugar, you learn to regain control over your eating choices and eat only when you're hungry, not craving. It helps to stabilize your blood sugar levels and "resets" your body to a healthy baseline. Furthermore, because you are likely switching from a high carb diet to a low carb, high protein one with lots of healthy fats, your body goes through a natural detox period and then has to learn how to get its energy from protein and fat rather than fast burning carbs.
Why did I do it?
I had two main reasons for doing the Whole30. The first and main reason was to get my sugar cravings under control. The second reason would probably be frowned upon by the program, because it is reiterated again and again that it's not a weight loss program-- but more than that, I was hoping to at least lose some inches. I wanted to get back on the track of healthy eating and retrain my body to run as efficiently as possible.
The First Days: Detoxing and Craving
The first days were very hard. First of all, if it's your first Whole30, you're literally learning as you go. You have to become an expert label-reader so you know what is acceptable and what is not. Since you are allowed no added sugar, soy, or gluten, that pretty much eliminates the entire middle section of the grocery store. And you had to become privy to the little tricks-- for example, just because a label reads that it has 0g of sugar doesn't mean it's not still lurking in the ingredients. Food manufacturers can claim 0g if there is less than 1g, so sugar could still be in the ingredient listing as itself or disguised under one of its thousands of other names (maltodextrin, honey, agave nectar, high fructose corn syrup, etc.)
It was also hard because your body will likely be going through detox at some point. As your body transitions from high carb to low carb, you can have flu-like symptoms-- they call this the "carb flu." And yes-- I felt like this for about a day or so. Extremely exhausted, irritable, sick to my stomach, and nothing sounded good to eat. Luckily, this phase doesn't last too long, and once your body learns that it can start trusting this new income of protein and fats, it starts to work its magic.
And then there are the cravings. This is the worst part. For the first week (at least), I craved sugar in any form. ESPECIALLY breads... I just wanted a muffin or a cupcake or scone or anything that would convert itself into sugar inside my body. Every meal felt like it was missing the most important part-- the cornbread muffin with my chili, or the poppy seed muffin with my salad.
Fortunately, this is also something that eventually fades away, and it is like magic when it does. Your body learns to live without it and stops craving it once it figures out that the new food you're feeding it is so much more nutrient dense and filling.
Energy Levels
The main thing most people notice with Whole30 is an eventual increase in energy. I will say that I noticed this mostly toward the end. I typically hit an afternoon slump during most of my days, but during Whole30, I've noticed that I am more easily able to get up in the mornings, and I have great sustained energy all day long. I'm never really tired.
Blood Sugar
I have always had blood sugar issues. I am a textbook case of someone who has to eat every 2-3 hours, or else I WILL become hangry. My body is very good at burning through carbs in record speed and demanding more food. When I don't feed my body, it pouts, makes me weak in the knees, gives me the shakes, and makes me irritable and unreasonable and ravenous until I eat again.
One difference I noticed on Whole30 is that those feelings went away. But instead, I exchanged them for a feeling of complete and utter exhaustion whenever my tank was running low. I can't say that one is better than the other-- because I would literally become debilitated in these moments from my lack of energy-- but I noticed it only happened when I failed to incorporate enough fat and/or carbs into my meals. If I ate really protein-heavy, my body didn't respond well. So I learned early on to add carb-dense foods (like potatoes) into my meals and make sure I was getting enough fat.
Towards the end of Whole30, I noticed that my blood sugar seemed to stabilize further by allowing me to go between meals without snacks. I literally could just eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a day and be completely fine (however, I almost always had a bedtime snack :) This is seriously VERY foreign to me! I am used to eating much more frequently than that, and not getting those ravenous episodes every day is a big change.
Did I Cheat?
To my knowledge-- no. I did make one exception for communion, in which I accepted a gluten-free cracker, but otherwise, I tried very hard to stick to Whole30 compliant ingredients the entire time. Was it hard? YES. It was one of the biggest challenges regarding food/diet I have ever had to go through. It definitely required self-control and self-discipline every single day. However, I am really proud to have accomplished this program and to be able to say I did NOT cheat!
SWYPO
This is a part of the program I didn't necessarily agree with, but tried to respect as much as I could. SWYPO stands for "Sex with Your Pants On" and is basically a very dramatic way of saying not to try to "cheat" by making tasty treats with Whole30 compliant ingredients. Example: Don't be making pancakes, iced mochas, and muffins with almond flour, bananas, date paste, and 100% cocoa, because then you aren't really learning to say "no" to what they would like to call the "Sugar Dragon" (< and he is very real). I get it, because the most important part of the program teaches you to make better choices in food, and learn to become satiated with real, whole foods versus giving into every craving you may have. Their general rule to tell the difference was, "Are you hungry enough to eat steamed fish and broccoli? Then go ahead and eat. If not, but you could chow down a Larabar right now, then it's probably a craving." I did use this measurement quite a bit, and it is pretty legit.
Anyway, I understand the spirit of SWYPO and not making exceptions like this, because then you have to ask yourself why you are really doing this program in the first place. For me, I knew it was to quit the sugar cravings, so I wanted to be sensitive to this.
However, I feel Whole30 is pretty strict with this rule, and I realize they have to make it fit within the mold of thousands of people who will be participating who come from different backgrounds and varying relationships with food, and rules are rules. But for me personally, I also knew that mixing 100% cocoa and coconut milk into my coffee and pouring it over ice wasn't going to ruin my Whole30, nor was eating some almond-banana pancakes for breakfast (which were delicious, BTW, and the only thing that were successfully able to make me feel full for breakfast!) So from time to time, I made these exceptions. I also had a few smoothies, which is also strongly discouraged. But to my knowledge, I ALWAYS used Whole30 compliant ingredients (my #1 goal) and wanted to also foster the idea in my mind that eating "treat-like" foods can also be healthy (rather than harmful) if you use good-for-you ingredients!
Would I Do It Again?
This question will be answered in parts. First, I believe Whole30 is an excellent program for those who have any sort of health issues. It is known for helping those who often feel exhausted, yucky, and ill to suddenly gain back energy for life and start feeling great again. I think that's awesome. For a lot of people, it has to do with an intolerance to a particular food or food group.
Fortunately, I have never had an issue like that. I have generally always felt "great," usually have decent energy levels, sleep like a baby at night, and can pretty much eat whatever I want without any consequences. This is a tremendous blessing!
So for me, Whole30 wasn't so much about "feeling better" as it was to manage my cravings and get into a healthier step again. And I think the program is designed for both-- it's open to all kinds of people with all kinds of goals.
But with that said, that is what made Whole30 really challenging for me, too! It was very hard to cut out good-for-me foods that I already knew didn't affect me-- such as peanut butter, peas, and whole grains. However, the rules are the rules and are there for a reason, and need to eliminate every potential issue. And honestly, it didn't kill me to give those things up for a month.
This is the long way of saying that if I do it again, I will likely do a shortened version, which the program actually embraces as long as you have successfully complete an entire Whole30. I'm thinking a well-timed Whole15 would be a great way to jump start healthy choices during the holiday season, or useful after having babies and needing to lose a little extra weight.
I feel that 15 days is short enough to realistically fit into my schedule while also being long enough to kick the cravings and get my body back on track.
Tips?
If you are considering a Whole30, my #1 piece of advice is to plan it strategically. I realize most everyone is very busy, and there is no way to plan around certain events or social engagements. However, the most challenging times for me was having to be around other people who were eating really good food, and not being able to join in. Sure, you can nibble on a piece of fruit or eat a salad, but how fun is that really, when they have the works in front of them?
Ryan and I planned ours for the month of April, which was perfect for us. We had no family events or celebrations to attend, very little on the social calendar, and little to no traveling. It also began to get warm enough outside that we could grill out, ride bikes, and get some fresh air.
Another thing I would suggest is to find someone to do it with you, or at least be accountable to you. If you are married, see if your spouse is willing to eat this way with you. Or ask a friend who has been wanting to start eating healthier. It is SO much easier when you have a close person nearby to offer support and share your experiences with! Having my husband in this with me was invaluable, and honestly, there were a few times I would have jumped off the ledge if it were not for him!
You will also want to make sure you have the TIME to commit to proper research, meal planning, and food prep. I am fortunate enough to work from home, so always had access to the kitchen and fresh food. It takes a tremendous amount of prep for each meal, and you are limited as to what you can actually use (i.e. coconut oil, olive oil or ghee for cooking fats-- NO butter). Even breakfast takes quite a bit of prep and planning ahead. So make sure you are up to the challenge!
If you are a mother of 3 young busy children, just went through something emotionally trying, or are working 2 jobs with a crazy schedule, now may not be the time. It's way too easy to fail on Whole30, so set yourself up for success. Make sure you are mentally and emotionally ready for it, and then commit. It won't work if you are constantly cheating or making exceptions-- you will only get the best results by following the program and trying your best to stay within the spirit of its concept.
Results
Here are my results... I am happy with them. I wasn't sure what to expect with my weight loss. I tried a program a couple years ago where I lost no weight but lost inches. My exercise tends to be a lot of weight training, so I know that building up your muscle while burning fat is a recipe for maintaining your weight. This time, I did weight training in the beginning of the program and then focused on aerobic exercise in the latter part. I did see a small drop in weight, which was encouraging to me.
I also lost inches! This was the most important thing for me, and the most telling. This means my body composition actually changed. And I can tell! My clothes fit again!!
My Starting Stats (3/29/16)
Weight: 130 lbs.
Thighs: 22"
Waist: 30"
Hips: 36"
Arms: 12"
My Ending Stats (4/29/16)
Weight: 124 lbs.
Thighs: 20" (-2")
Waist: 28" (-2")
Hips: 35" (-1")
Arms: 11" (-1")
Total: -6 lbs, and -9" !!! I'll take it!
Before my journal, here are some more pictures I snapped of some of the food we ate during Whole30...
Here is my daily journal. I'm just putting it here as a helpful reference to anyone interested. I am not expecting people to read this word for word!
I remembered this in my head, but kept avoiding the topic because my iced mochas, chocolatey desserts, and nightly bowls of popcorn were just too tempting to give up. I knew Whole30 would mean a lot of sacrifice, and I just didn't care enough to give it the attention it needed.
However, something about being home with family and friends... and just feeling "ugh," made me rethink my decision. Additionally, a friend texted me about Whole30, which put it on my mind even more. I initially brushed the idea aside, but then reluctantly revisited the program rules online.
"OK," I thought. "I'll bring it up to Ryan, and if he's into it, I'll consider it."
After all, we still had 2 hours left of our drive, so it would give us something to talk about.
Ryan was totally on board. This was bittersweet for me... I was excited he was willing to commit to this and do it with me, but already having a panic attack about the foods I would have to start giving up.
We planned to start it on Wednesday of that week. That would give me enough time to become familiar with the program, go shopping for what we needed, and get some meals planned for the rest of the week.
I also planned to gorge myself with all of my favorite foods over the next couple days-- Starbucks, ice cream, popcorn, desserts, the works.
However, my plans were quickly thwarted when I woke up 6 hours later with the stomach flu. I basically survived on Sprite, applesauce and soup on Monday, and by Tuesday, I was feeling better, but not good enough to overdose on a bunch of junk food. Honestly, it was likely a blessing in disguise.
The rest of this post will be a topical review of certain parts of my Whole30, and at the end, I'll share my results & day-to-day journal. Yes, I kept a daily journal of how I felt, what I ate, etc. I don't expect everyone to read it, because it's pretty boring, but I wanted to include it because I know during my Whole30, it was always comforting to read about other people's experiences, what worked for them, what didn't, how they felt, etc.
What is Whole30?
I'm not going to give you the long version-- if you would like that, you can visit whole30.com and browse. I'll try my best to summarize it. It is a program designed with rules stating that you must eat nothing but whole foods for 30 days straight. This includes all meats, most vegetables, and fruits. It also includes nuts and seeds (minus peanuts). It excludes dairy, gluten, and added sugar of any kind.
The premise is this-- by removing all of the inflammatory-causing, gut-disrupting foods from your diet, you can see if you feel better by eating this way and eventually eliminate the culprit. More than that, it teaches you to have a better relationship with food. By removing things like added sugar, you learn to regain control over your eating choices and eat only when you're hungry, not craving. It helps to stabilize your blood sugar levels and "resets" your body to a healthy baseline. Furthermore, because you are likely switching from a high carb diet to a low carb, high protein one with lots of healthy fats, your body goes through a natural detox period and then has to learn how to get its energy from protein and fat rather than fast burning carbs.
Why did I do it?
I had two main reasons for doing the Whole30. The first and main reason was to get my sugar cravings under control. The second reason would probably be frowned upon by the program, because it is reiterated again and again that it's not a weight loss program-- but more than that, I was hoping to at least lose some inches. I wanted to get back on the track of healthy eating and retrain my body to run as efficiently as possible.
The First Days: Detoxing and Craving
The first days were very hard. First of all, if it's your first Whole30, you're literally learning as you go. You have to become an expert label-reader so you know what is acceptable and what is not. Since you are allowed no added sugar, soy, or gluten, that pretty much eliminates the entire middle section of the grocery store. And you had to become privy to the little tricks-- for example, just because a label reads that it has 0g of sugar doesn't mean it's not still lurking in the ingredients. Food manufacturers can claim 0g if there is less than 1g, so sugar could still be in the ingredient listing as itself or disguised under one of its thousands of other names (maltodextrin, honey, agave nectar, high fructose corn syrup, etc.)
It was also hard because your body will likely be going through detox at some point. As your body transitions from high carb to low carb, you can have flu-like symptoms-- they call this the "carb flu." And yes-- I felt like this for about a day or so. Extremely exhausted, irritable, sick to my stomach, and nothing sounded good to eat. Luckily, this phase doesn't last too long, and once your body learns that it can start trusting this new income of protein and fats, it starts to work its magic.
And then there are the cravings. This is the worst part. For the first week (at least), I craved sugar in any form. ESPECIALLY breads... I just wanted a muffin or a cupcake or scone or anything that would convert itself into sugar inside my body. Every meal felt like it was missing the most important part-- the cornbread muffin with my chili, or the poppy seed muffin with my salad.
Fortunately, this is also something that eventually fades away, and it is like magic when it does. Your body learns to live without it and stops craving it once it figures out that the new food you're feeding it is so much more nutrient dense and filling.
Energy Levels
The main thing most people notice with Whole30 is an eventual increase in energy. I will say that I noticed this mostly toward the end. I typically hit an afternoon slump during most of my days, but during Whole30, I've noticed that I am more easily able to get up in the mornings, and I have great sustained energy all day long. I'm never really tired.
Blood Sugar
I have always had blood sugar issues. I am a textbook case of someone who has to eat every 2-3 hours, or else I WILL become hangry. My body is very good at burning through carbs in record speed and demanding more food. When I don't feed my body, it pouts, makes me weak in the knees, gives me the shakes, and makes me irritable and unreasonable and ravenous until I eat again.
One difference I noticed on Whole30 is that those feelings went away. But instead, I exchanged them for a feeling of complete and utter exhaustion whenever my tank was running low. I can't say that one is better than the other-- because I would literally become debilitated in these moments from my lack of energy-- but I noticed it only happened when I failed to incorporate enough fat and/or carbs into my meals. If I ate really protein-heavy, my body didn't respond well. So I learned early on to add carb-dense foods (like potatoes) into my meals and make sure I was getting enough fat.
Towards the end of Whole30, I noticed that my blood sugar seemed to stabilize further by allowing me to go between meals without snacks. I literally could just eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a day and be completely fine (however, I almost always had a bedtime snack :) This is seriously VERY foreign to me! I am used to eating much more frequently than that, and not getting those ravenous episodes every day is a big change.
Did I Cheat?
To my knowledge-- no. I did make one exception for communion, in which I accepted a gluten-free cracker, but otherwise, I tried very hard to stick to Whole30 compliant ingredients the entire time. Was it hard? YES. It was one of the biggest challenges regarding food/diet I have ever had to go through. It definitely required self-control and self-discipline every single day. However, I am really proud to have accomplished this program and to be able to say I did NOT cheat!
SWYPO
This is a part of the program I didn't necessarily agree with, but tried to respect as much as I could. SWYPO stands for "Sex with Your Pants On" and is basically a very dramatic way of saying not to try to "cheat" by making tasty treats with Whole30 compliant ingredients. Example: Don't be making pancakes, iced mochas, and muffins with almond flour, bananas, date paste, and 100% cocoa, because then you aren't really learning to say "no" to what they would like to call the "Sugar Dragon" (< and he is very real). I get it, because the most important part of the program teaches you to make better choices in food, and learn to become satiated with real, whole foods versus giving into every craving you may have. Their general rule to tell the difference was, "Are you hungry enough to eat steamed fish and broccoli? Then go ahead and eat. If not, but you could chow down a Larabar right now, then it's probably a craving." I did use this measurement quite a bit, and it is pretty legit.
Anyway, I understand the spirit of SWYPO and not making exceptions like this, because then you have to ask yourself why you are really doing this program in the first place. For me, I knew it was to quit the sugar cravings, so I wanted to be sensitive to this.
However, I feel Whole30 is pretty strict with this rule, and I realize they have to make it fit within the mold of thousands of people who will be participating who come from different backgrounds and varying relationships with food, and rules are rules. But for me personally, I also knew that mixing 100% cocoa and coconut milk into my coffee and pouring it over ice wasn't going to ruin my Whole30, nor was eating some almond-banana pancakes for breakfast (which were delicious, BTW, and the only thing that were successfully able to make me feel full for breakfast!) So from time to time, I made these exceptions. I also had a few smoothies, which is also strongly discouraged. But to my knowledge, I ALWAYS used Whole30 compliant ingredients (my #1 goal) and wanted to also foster the idea in my mind that eating "treat-like" foods can also be healthy (rather than harmful) if you use good-for-you ingredients!
Would I Do It Again?
This question will be answered in parts. First, I believe Whole30 is an excellent program for those who have any sort of health issues. It is known for helping those who often feel exhausted, yucky, and ill to suddenly gain back energy for life and start feeling great again. I think that's awesome. For a lot of people, it has to do with an intolerance to a particular food or food group.
Fortunately, I have never had an issue like that. I have generally always felt "great," usually have decent energy levels, sleep like a baby at night, and can pretty much eat whatever I want without any consequences. This is a tremendous blessing!
So for me, Whole30 wasn't so much about "feeling better" as it was to manage my cravings and get into a healthier step again. And I think the program is designed for both-- it's open to all kinds of people with all kinds of goals.
But with that said, that is what made Whole30 really challenging for me, too! It was very hard to cut out good-for-me foods that I already knew didn't affect me-- such as peanut butter, peas, and whole grains. However, the rules are the rules and are there for a reason, and need to eliminate every potential issue. And honestly, it didn't kill me to give those things up for a month.
This is the long way of saying that if I do it again, I will likely do a shortened version, which the program actually embraces as long as you have successfully complete an entire Whole30. I'm thinking a well-timed Whole15 would be a great way to jump start healthy choices during the holiday season, or useful after having babies and needing to lose a little extra weight.
I feel that 15 days is short enough to realistically fit into my schedule while also being long enough to kick the cravings and get my body back on track.
Tips?
If you are considering a Whole30, my #1 piece of advice is to plan it strategically. I realize most everyone is very busy, and there is no way to plan around certain events or social engagements. However, the most challenging times for me was having to be around other people who were eating really good food, and not being able to join in. Sure, you can nibble on a piece of fruit or eat a salad, but how fun is that really, when they have the works in front of them?
Ryan and I planned ours for the month of April, which was perfect for us. We had no family events or celebrations to attend, very little on the social calendar, and little to no traveling. It also began to get warm enough outside that we could grill out, ride bikes, and get some fresh air.
Another thing I would suggest is to find someone to do it with you, or at least be accountable to you. If you are married, see if your spouse is willing to eat this way with you. Or ask a friend who has been wanting to start eating healthier. It is SO much easier when you have a close person nearby to offer support and share your experiences with! Having my husband in this with me was invaluable, and honestly, there were a few times I would have jumped off the ledge if it were not for him!
You will also want to make sure you have the TIME to commit to proper research, meal planning, and food prep. I am fortunate enough to work from home, so always had access to the kitchen and fresh food. It takes a tremendous amount of prep for each meal, and you are limited as to what you can actually use (i.e. coconut oil, olive oil or ghee for cooking fats-- NO butter). Even breakfast takes quite a bit of prep and planning ahead. So make sure you are up to the challenge!
If you are a mother of 3 young busy children, just went through something emotionally trying, or are working 2 jobs with a crazy schedule, now may not be the time. It's way too easy to fail on Whole30, so set yourself up for success. Make sure you are mentally and emotionally ready for it, and then commit. It won't work if you are constantly cheating or making exceptions-- you will only get the best results by following the program and trying your best to stay within the spirit of its concept.
Results
Here are my results... I am happy with them. I wasn't sure what to expect with my weight loss. I tried a program a couple years ago where I lost no weight but lost inches. My exercise tends to be a lot of weight training, so I know that building up your muscle while burning fat is a recipe for maintaining your weight. This time, I did weight training in the beginning of the program and then focused on aerobic exercise in the latter part. I did see a small drop in weight, which was encouraging to me.
I also lost inches! This was the most important thing for me, and the most telling. This means my body composition actually changed. And I can tell! My clothes fit again!!
My Starting Stats (3/29/16)
Weight: 130 lbs.
Thighs: 22"
Waist: 30"
Hips: 36"
Arms: 12"
My Ending Stats (4/29/16)
Weight: 124 lbs.
Thighs: 20" (-2")
Waist: 28" (-2")
Hips: 35" (-1")
Arms: 11" (-1")
Total: -6 lbs, and -9" !!! I'll take it!
Before & After Shot-- the difference is very slight, but I do feel like I tightened up and look more fit.
Side View. Again-- not a HUGE difference, but I'm happy with the results.
Before my journal, here are some more pictures I snapped of some of the food we ate during Whole30...
Blackberry chia pudding for breakfast. This was pretty good. I also tried a version with bananas, also really tasty!
I've never eaten so many salads in all my life. It is fun to experiment with different flavor combos, though. The sky is the limit. You can do sweet, savory, or sweet AND savory!
Another salad with a side of goji berries.
One of my favorite salads was very simple. Cut up spinach, apples and bacon with a lemon garlic vinaigrette.
Meal prep... my life for 30 days!
Ohhhhh the bacon :) It is very tough to find bacon that is compliant. You can order online, or luckily, I live by a Whole Foods, and they always carry one type of "Paleo-friendly" bacon (i.e. no nitrites and NO added sugar)
Fritatta :)
Salted crispy kale was our favorite! A healthy alternative to our nightly popcorn. Ready to enter the oven...
I found a Cole slaw recipe that we LOVED! I made it a lot and we would always gobbled it up.
Delicious crispy kale.
About 10 days in, I ordered the book. It's really helpful and has a lot of good recipes. I like having the hard copy vs. reading on the internet.
La Croix is a Whole30 approved drink! We LOVED it! It's just sparkling water with natural flavors added, but it's delicious. Ironically, at the beginning of our Whole30 we felt like it tasted pretty dull, but once we got over our de-sensitivity to sugar, it started to taste REALLY flavorful! It's a fun way to feel like you're drinking a pop when you are ACTUALLY drinking water!
One of our favorite meals. Didn't even feel like a "diet." Burgers with compliant bacon, homemade ketchup, potato "fries," cole slaw and fresh fruit.
SWYPO ALERT! Some delicious almond-banana-cinnamon pancakes topped with strawberries and raspberries.
Here is my daily journal. I'm just putting it here as a helpful reference to anyone interested. I am not expecting people to read this word for word!
Day
0 (3/29/16): Preparing by going to Whole
Foods and buying some goodies! Feeling excited!
Day
1 (3/30/16)
I
ate blackberry chia pudding with pistachios and coconut for breakfast. Not bad,
but tasted pretty bland. Held me over well until lunch. Lunch was a veggie, egg
and chicken salad with a grapefruit La Croix. The dressing didn't work real
well (the whole30 approved kind separates in the jar so wouldn't come out) so
had to force it down. Also finished the pudding from breakfast. Snack around
3pm was 1/2 of a RX Bar and 1/2 of a mocha. Dinner was a delicious chili and
fresh fruit. Will finish the rest of the RX bar tonight for a snack. Not
"STARVING" but definitely still got hungry at different parts of the
day. Did feel well satiated, though. A little cranky post-lunch. Haven't noticed
much with energy levels yet-- still feeling pretty good.
Day 2 (3/31/16)
Another pretty
good day. Chia pudding again for breakfast, discovered a new way to do salad
for lunch-- chop up the leaves and all the veggies really small and toss with
avocado oil and seasonings. Add some cashews for interest. Goji berries make a
nice "sweet" side. Also discovered the danger of using whole30
compliant ingredients to make "treats" and concocted a mocha
smoothie-- delicious! Didn't drink much of it in the morning but finished it
off after dinner, which was leftover chili and fresh fruit. Tried the raspberry
lemon bearded brothers bar in the afternoon for a snack-- pretty tasty!
Day 3 (4/1/16)
Woke up nauseous
and nothing sounded good for breakfast. Reluctantly fixed an egg scramble
including bacon and veggies-- could hardly get much of it down. The grapefruit
was the only thing that tasted OK. Had first food dream last night--
accidentally ate popcorn and had to start over with the whole30 :( Really
missing sugar today. Could use a piece of lemon poppyseed bread or a yummy
muffin. Got a little better as the day went on, discovered a really good light
lemon garlic vinaigrette for salads, and dinner tasted OK.
Day 4 (4/2/16)
Feeling better
today. Ate a blueberry-egg frittata for breakfast. Worked out at the gym and
felt really good / strong. Able to concentrate well and have sustained reps.
Had a big salad with fruit and cashews when I got home late afternoon, and
fixed zesty chicken bites and potatoes for dinner with homemade ketchup.
Reluctantly had an Apple Pie Lara Bar and decaf coffee for a snack while
watching a movie... was really hard not to have popcorn. Also fixed some really
good kale chips and will make them again-- a really good salty treat!
Day 5 (4/3/16)
Felt OK today-- am
normally tired and ready for a nap after church, but instead came home and got
a bunch of things done! Sad not to get to go out for brunch as usual, but I
made an egg frittata for us to enjoy. Had some dried fruit and nuts for a snack--
works well to tide me over. We ate out for dinner-- steaks and steamed
vegetables. The steak was really good, but I was disappointed we couldn't have
any potato because it was all prepared with butter.
Day 6 (4/4/16)
Leftover frittata
for breakfast, salad for lunch, then I ate dinner out because Ryan worked late
and I needed another trip to Whole Foods. Ate at Chipotle, the only thing able
to order is the carnitas bowl with lots of lettuce, salsa, and guacamole. Not
terrible, but nut spectacular... pretty much ate all of the meat out of the
bowl and called it done. Feeling good energy-wise.
Day 7 (4/5/16)
Leftover frittata
for breakfast and delicious homemade tuna salad for lunch. Had to home-make the
mayo that went in it, also, but proud that I was able to figure out how to get
the oil and egg to emulsify. Had coffee and a Larabar in the afternoon and was
feeling PRETTY good energy-wise, not sure if it was the coffee or the food
that's doing it though ;) Dinner was pulled pork with homemade BBQ sauce,
homemade cole slaw (yum!) and potatoes. Ryan was hungry and ate a lot :) I had
a grapefruit and pistachios for a bedtime snack.
Day 8 (4/6/16)
Made some cocoa
banana chia pudding with sliced strawberries and coconut for breakfast. Ate
1/2, forgot to top it with pistachios, and was starving about an hour later.
Couldn't do much about it because I was at bible study. Ate tuna salad right
when I got home, but didn't seem to totally kick my hunger. I cleaned the
house, and have just felt really moody and down/depressed all day. Not sure if
it's the weather, lack of carbs, or combination of both. Had a Larabar and
coffee again this afternoon and now currently starving again for dinner, which
will be leftovers from last night. Actually feeling pretty tired today-- like I
could take a nap. I need a pick-me-up and just wish I could drink an iced mocha
and eat a big chocolate chip muffin!
Day 9 (4/7/16)
I felt amazing today! I started day off
with an egg, two pieces of bacon and a grapefruit. I'm not sure, but I think my
coffee had something to do with my good feelings... I blended together coffee,
coconut milk, 100% cocoa and a little bit of date sugar (gasp!) and I had
extreme energy and mental clarity/concentration all morning! Lunch was the rest
of my tuna salad over spinach and plantain chips. Had a cherry Larabar late
this afternoon (yum!) and excited for dinner, which will be bacon burgers,
potatoes and coleslaw :)
Day 10 (4/8/16)
Today was a travel day back to Central IL.
I ate eggs with spinach and guacamole with a banana on the drive, with my
coconut milk coffee, of course. Ate lunch out with my parents and siblings at a
local restaurant where I was able to order a burger with lettuce, tomato and
onion and a baked potato. It was very delicious! Had a photo shoot in the
afternoon, and was dragging / feeling tired by the end, so refueled with an RX
bar. I forgot how filling those are! This tied me over for several hours, and
ended up eating before I was too terribly hungry—out again at Ruby Tueday’s
with my parents and their friends. Ordered a steak and baked potato (again… I’m
finding I need the extra carbs/energy). It was very good. I also had the salad
bar there—had to say no to the peas (my favorite) and brought my own whole30
compliant dressing that I whipped up beforehand (garlic lemon vinaigrette). It
was OK, but obviously not as tasty as the Ranch I’m used to having at RT’s.
That evening, I met my friends at Eli’s Coffee Shop and ordered a half
caffeinated flavored coffee—very good. The plan was to have a Larabar, but I
was never really “hungry” for it (craving—yes, but hungry—no). I thought I
would want it later, but never did need it and went to bed without a
post-dinner snack.
Day 11 (4/9/16)
Had scrambled eggs with salsa Verde,
spinach and avocado with some mixed fruit for breakfast. My mom and I went
grocery shopping—her and my dad start whole30 on Monday!!—and ordered a fruit /
wheat grass smoothie while at a health food store. It was tasty, but filled me
up so was only hungry for a hard boiled egg and some carrots before my
afternoon photo shoot. This was a mistake, because after the shoot I was
exhausted, totally out of energy and in need of an actual meat & potatoes
meal. Fortunately, my mom had some leftover steak in her fridge, and I whipped
up a baked potato with ghee and green beans. This meal was exactly what I
needed before hitting the road home for another 3 hour drive. I had some coffee
and a Larabar on the way, and about an hour after returning home, had some tuna
salad over spinach with some banana slices and almond butter. Delicious!
Pistachios as a snack before bed. I was feeling pretty rough though—exhausted
and had a headache from driving. Went to bed early.
Day 12 (4/10/16)
Woke up in a fog, but once I got moving,
felt pretty good. Was running late for church, so grabbed a Bearded Brothers
raspberry lemon bar and ate it with my coffee during morning service J Feeling really
good/energetic after first service, so went to Whole Foods to replenish our
groceries. Ate tuna salad over greens and plantain chips for lunch. Friends had
us over for a whole30 approved dinner—delicious burgers with bacon, fried egg,
avocado and tomato. I brought my cole slaw and we had mixed fruit, too. It was
delicious! Had a snack of bananas with almond butter (also tasted really good
to me) in the evening. Felt really good overall on this day. Cravings seem to
be under control—noticeably so.
Day 13 (4/11/16)
Delicious
breakfast of kale + strawberries and bacon with Tessamae’s balsamic vinaigrette
(yum!) and a fried egg. My new favorite coffee is coffee with coconut milk,
vanilla bean powder and cinnamon. It’s so creamy and delicious! Had this in the
morning. Took it to go with a Lara bar for a snack, as I was traveling most of
the late morning / afternoon. Also packed a lunch of tuna salad over arugula,
plantain chips and mixed fruit. Dinner was a whole30 recipe from the book- a
chicken/potato/apple hash—really good. Side of some strawberries and bananas
with almond butter. I worked out after dinner, so needed a snack about an hour
afterwards, so had another Lara bar J It did the trick. I
ate a flavor that I had tried at the beginning of the program (chocolate
coconut) and noticed it tasted a lot sweeter / more chocolatey than it did the
first time I had it. Wondering if cutting out the added sugar is helping me
“taste” better J The workout felt good
and I felt great all day—wonderful sustained energy!
Day 14 (4/12/16)
My mornings
have seemed better lately. Don’t get me wrong—I’ll always be the type to want
to lay in bed rather than get up ;) but once up and moving, always feel good
and refreshed. Woke up with a really bad sore throat, which got a little better
throughout the day. Breakfast was leftover chicken/apple hash and a cup of
coconut/cinnamon/vanilla coffee J Lunch was a delicious
salad that I concocted with arugula, red onion, egg, almonds, strawberries,
dried goji berries, cabbage, and Tessamea’s balsamic vinaigrette. Larabar in
the afternoon and made the stuffed peppers recipe from the Whole30 cookbook.
They were really good! With some fresh fruit. Sore throat came back with a
vengeance at night. Had a hard boiled egg and some raisins for a bedtime snack.
Day 15 (4/13/16)
Today
marks the halfway point! It’s crazy to think it’s already half over, yet also
hard to believe I have to do this for another 15 days! I think it will go fast,
though. Woke up feeling OK but still with a horrific sore throat. Was running
late, so had a hard boiled egg on the way to bible study and grabbed a Lara bar
to eat, as well. However, I never ended up getting hungry for it, so I didn’t
eat it. I WAS hungry for lunch when I got home, so had 2 pieces of bacon and 2
fried eggs cooked in the bacon grease, and a grapefruit. All was good. However,
by late afternoon, I was feeling exhausted and weary, and my throat was hurting
pretty bad. Also a bit nauseous, so I laid down for a few hours and relaxed. My
energy levels were null and since I wasn’t hungry, I didn’t want to eat. I
forced leftovers down for dinner, and the food perked me up a little. Had some
delicious cinnamon covered dried apples and almonds and raisins for snack. For
the first time today, feeling like my cravings are completely under control.
Don’t get me wrong—sweets always sound good to MEJ-- but I can definitely tell a difference
between now and the first several days I started the program.
Day 16 (4/14/16)
Over
halfway, baby!! Aside from my horrific sore throat, felt pretty good this
morning. Had a hard boiled egg and a kale-avocado-mixed fruit-OJ smoothie… had
to have something cold and icy for the throat. BLT salad with another hard
boiled egg and some potatoes for lunch— and iced coffee in the afternoon to go
along with the beautiful warm sunny day. We grilled out for dinner. It was nice
enough!! We had delicious brats, potatoes and asparagus. Felt pretty good other
than the sore throat. Popcorn seems to be my recurring “food dream.”
Day 17 (4/15/16)
Woke
up feeling like tiger blood phase had begun. Tons of energy and overall feeling
of “good and happy.” Started day off with a hard boiled egg and banana slices
with almond butter. Leftover brat, potatoes and asparagus for lunch, but must
not have been enough because was hungry mid-afternoon. Had the Kit’s bar
(cherry almond)—it was OK, but not as good as a Larabar. And didn’t do much to
tide me over. Was STARVING for dinner and we had decided ahead of time to go to
Jason’s Deli. Pretty much our only option was to do the salad bar with a side
of chicken breast. I brought our own salad dressing. This was fine, but I was
ravenously hungry and a salad was the last thing I felt like eating.
Furthermore, the whole time I felt like I kept looking around at everyone else
enjoying their amazing dinners (and free ice cream!) and kind of had a pity
party. Was feeling pretty down, but eventually got over it once I got some food
in my system. We had a lecture series at church, so ate some of the fresh fruit
they served and a Larabar for a snack. My sore throat officially progressed to
a virus/cold of sorts, and I did not have a voice at all the entire day.
Day 18 (4/16/16)
Woke
up with a voice again (raspy, but there, YEA!) and finally some productive
coughing. Had definite “food boredom” in the morning, and anticipating getting
to go to the farmer’s market (and say NO to all the yummy food, including hot
spicy cheesy bread) had me in a bad mood. So I participated in some SWYPO
cooking, and didn’t really feel all that bad about it. Made some delicious
banana coconut almond butter pancakes topped with strawberries. Exactly what I
needed. Enjoyed an iced coffee (coffee, coconut milk, vanilla bean powder,
cinnamon, 100% cocoa powder with a dash of date sugar-- GASP!!—over ice) while
walking around farmer’s market and buying Ryan a new bike, and then needed
lunch by early afternoon. My only nearby option was Chipotle, so I stopped
there and got the Carnitas bowl again (with lettuce, salsa, and guacamole). It
was OK, but again, not at all what sounded good. I would rather have a burrito
and chips and salsa, but I coughed down what I had to and moved on. For some
reason, I was not hungry again for a long time and even dinner did not sound
appetizing. We ended up grilling out some delicious burgers with lettuce wraps
and bacon, with seasoned potatoes and cole slaw and fruit… all my favorite
things… yet I couldn’t even finish my burger. I’m not sure why I was struggling
with dinner. I did end up getting hungry later for a snack before bed. Sore
throat finally seems to be going away.
Day 19 (4/17/16)
Actually
planned ahead and made cocoa banana raspberry chia pudding for breakfast J Had a BLT salad and
baked potato with bacon for lunch. Trying to carb up for the afternoon bike
ride! Ended up going TWENTY THREE miles on the bike… which basically almost
killed me… and we had to stop halfway through to get me a snack of a banana and
some almonds, the only whole 30 friendly snack I could find at Walgreens. It
did do the trick though, and gave me the energy I needed to complete the rest
of our route. I’m not going to lie—I felt like giving up tonight. Laying on the
couch quivering from being so weak and tired and just wanting a big juicy
burger on a pretzel bun, some fries and ketchup, and topping it off with some
delicious ice cream which felt very earned after today. However, the inner
nagging “you’ll always regret quitting at day 19” voice stayed pretty loud,
loud enough for me to order a whole30 approved “Sustain-a-burger”—a grass fed
beef patty with field greens, a tomato wrapped in lettuce. My only option was
to use mustard to spice it up, but I did order fries (GASP)—I checked, and they
were cooked in canola oil which I know is grudgingly approved in the program
because of eating out. SO, it felt OK… I was past the point of hunger and felt
a bit nauseous toward the end, but got through almost the entire meal (Ryan ate
my last two bites). Came home and fixed a strawberry-raspberry-banana smoothie…
delicious, and a much needed icy treat after spending 3+ hours being roasted in
the sun on our biking journey. Day 30 cannot come soon enough!
Day 20 (4/18/16)
Banana-almond
butter-cinnamon pancakes with strawberries for breakfast. They just sounded
good and honestly, I eat ALL of them and feel completely full until lunch,
which is a feat! I struggle with filling up on breakfast, but these seem to do
the trick to fill me up. Lunch was a hard boiled egg, tomatoes, carrots, cole
slaw, guacamole, apple slices, and kiwi. This all actually tied me over until
dinner, with the help of some iced coffee in the afternoon. Dinner was AMAZING!
I made a recipe from the whole30 cook book—the shepherd’s pie. I did make a few
amendments to customize it to our liking, and oh my goodness—I’ll probably make
this again post whole30. It included beef, onion, carrots and broccoli fried
together with garlic, seasoning and ghee/coconut oil, topped with white
potatoes (mixed with ghee/coconut oil!!) and then topped again with bacon
pieces. We both loved it. Had some fresh fruit, too and then raisins and
pistachios for a bedtime snack. Felt really good all day—continual, sustained
energy and craving control.
Day 21 (4/19/16)
Made
the pancakes again but this time, put raspberries in with the bananas. It’s fun
to experiment with different ingredients and combinations. Really good! Again—I
love how satiated the combination of fruit, protein, fat, and carbs make me
feel. I seem to do better when I get a combination rather than being really
protein-heavy in my meals. Noticing that my mornings feel really good—bright
and energetic—ready to get out of bed rather than lay there for a long time. Salad
for lunch, and leftover shepherd’s pie for dinner. Had half of an RX bar for an
after-dinner snack.
Day 22 (4/20/16)
Breakfast
was a hard-boiled egg and a Lara bar with coffee—another on-the-go morning. I
had leftover shepherd’s pie for lunch, and then grabbed a smoothie at Smoothie
King using approved ingredients from a post I found online. I added in the pure
recharge—the other energy supplement included maltodextrin (sugar), but the
pure recharge didn’t have ingredient listing so I did some research online and
it looks like only natural ingredients are used with no added sugar. It gave me
great sustained energy all afternoon without a crash, which was nice! Dinner
was the ginger garlic chicken stir fry out of the Whole30 book, with raisins
and apple sauce J I was starving for a
snack a couple hours later, so had some mixed nuts and dried berry blend. Felt
great today!!
Day 23 (4/21/16)
I
started a bad habit with the pancakes, but seriously they are the only thing
that keeps me feeling full all morning. Made this batch with one banana and
some applesauce, and add in cinnamon—delicious! Lunch was leftover chicken stir
fry with a fried egg on top. Iced coffee for the afternoon. Still feeling great
with good energy, and overall solid mood. Can’t believe I’m only a week away
from being done! Dinner was a salad with apples, bacon, nuts and my favorite
easy dressing—olive oil, lemon juice and garlic powder, plus a baked potato. I
had a snack later, but can’t recall what it was—probably a larabar or
nuts/dried fruit!
Day 24 (4/22/16)
I
slept in pretty late on this day, so breakfast/lunch was a fried egg and two
pieces of bacon with some applesauce. That afternoon, I munched on some dried
apple slices with cinnamon and a few banana chips with unsweetened cocoa.
Delish! Dinner was lettuce wrapped burgers at Red Robin with greens/olive oil,
tomato, whole30 ketchup (we brought our own!!), fresh fruit and some fries.
This was very filling—did not need a snack! Felt marvelous all day other than a
nagging dull headache in the afternoon/evening.
Day 25 (4/23/16)
SO
close to the end! The last weekend on whole30… made banana raspberry almond
butter pancakes for breakfast with coffee. Lunch was grilled sausages that were
fantastic, with a salad of broccoli, carrots, pistachios, goji berries and my
famous olive oil/lemon/garlic dressing plus a few apple crisps for good
measure. We took a bike ride in the afternoon to Smoothie King and bought some
smoothies with whole30 approved ingredients. Feeling super today! Salads with
grilled chicken for dinner and a Larabar as a snack.
Day 26 (4/24/16)
Breakfast
was a hard boiled egg and Bearded Brothers bar—ginger peach this time. Was OK,
but not a huge fan of ginger—will probably always stick with the raspberry
lemon flavor. Lunch was leftover salad with hard boiled egg, chicken and
pistachios and some apple crisps. For dinner, we went out to a place called Yu
Hot—really good—a lot like Flat Top. You get to choose your own ingredients and
sauces, so we were able to stay whole30 compliant. It is all-you-can-eat, so we
both had 2 servings J Snack was a banana
with some almond butter.
Day 27 (4/25/16)
Breakfast
was banana pancakes J Lunch was a salad—I
wasn’t hungry enough to finish the whole thing, so put it in the fridge for
later but never ate the rest. No snack, either. Dinner was spaghetti squash
spaghetti with a pear! Such a fun thing to make! I had no idea how cool
spaghetti squash is. Snack was sticks of celery with almond butter and raisins.
Whole30 ants on a log J I had bouts of hunger
but filled up really quickly on this day and didn’t have a huge appetite.
Day 28 (4/26/16)
Breakfast
was a hard boiled egg and a grapefruit with coffee. I was pretty hungry for
lunch, so went for some leftover spaghetti and a pear. Dinner was the same! I
had a snack of goji berries, raisins and nuts. Pretty non-descript day.
Day 29 (4/27/16)
Breakfast
was a hard boiled egg, and snacked on some fresh fruit at Bible study with
coffee. Then began my clouded thinking and near-meltdown for lunch. I wanted
something substational for lunch so looked it up and saw Five Guys actually
makes their burgers pretty legit and when wrapped in lettuce, are Whole30
approved. The catch is that their fries are cooked in peanut oil. But at the
moment of ordering, I didn’t care and ordered them, anyway. After all, I know
peanuts don’t affect me negatively. However, guilt instructed me to text my
husband, and he quickly chastised me and told me not to cheat! Follow the
rules, we are so close to the end! And so I did the hardest thing I’ve had to
do this whole month… I sat through an entire lunch eating a burger with
beautifully cooked and amazingly smelling fries in a bag in front of me… and I
did not eat them. Not a single one. They went into the trash. It was so sad,
but a huge lesson in not bending the rules and self-control. And as hard as it
was, I know it was nothing compared to the guilt I would have had eating them.
It felt good to overcome the food temptation. Because I love fries! I drank an
Americano and ate the Larabar in my purse because I was still hungry and needed
to run errands. I felt pretty tired once I got home, so drank a can of LaCroix
and weirdly, that seemed to perk me up (as well as talking to a friend on the
phone for awhile). Dinner was almond crusted tilapia with asparagus, potatoes
and fresh fruit. Delish! Snack was some raisins and apple crisps with cinnamon.
Day 30 (4/28/16)
OH
MY WORD IT’S DAY 30! THE VERY LAST DAY! It weirdly feels pretty ordinary today,
though. I celebrated by making almond banana pancakes this morning. I had a new
almond butter which changed their consistency for the better and they tasted
amazing. Lunch was leftover spaghetti squash—so yummy. Dinner was brats,
potatoes, asparagus and fresh fruit. We waited till midnight for our snack so we could have something exciting :) Although, I just ended up eating pretzel crisps with a La Croix (and half a spoonful of honey for my itchy throat!)
