I'm slightly nervous to write this post for two reasons: 1. I have more than one nutritionist or dietitian friend who I am afraid will say that a Whole 30 is a bad idea for some reason or another and 2. Because I don't generally talk about my eating/weight/health with people. I did have a couple of friends ask me how the Whole 30 went, so this post is for you. Here we go. Eep.
Whole 30 is "a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system." according to the website. It's 30 days of eating only whole foods; you cut out dairy, legumes (including soy), grains, sugar (in all forms like maple syrup and honey), and alcohol. This leaves you with meat, veggies, some fruit, and healthy fats.
I have a couple of friends who have done a whole 30 and they did it more than once (so it must be good, right?). I was looking forward to the "end unhealthy cravings and habits" part of it, because that's my main food issue, I think. I eat when I am upset and tend to eat a lot of junk--- instead of stopping at a couple cookies, I'll eat half the package. Bad news.
So here's how I did it. I started by not following any of the advice out there for something like this. I didn't read the book (all the info is on the website, but they suggest reading the book also), I didn't join any facebook groups, I didn't do it with a friend for support, I didn't have my whole family doing it together. I also chose to do this during a month in which I was hosting two birthday parties (with cake and such) & attending family BBQs. Go big or go home, right?
We chose to exclude Dillon & my son from this because, well, I ate a lot of meat. A lot of very expensive meat. And this pasta & "rice&beans" family just couldn't support a budget where three of us were eating that much organic, grass fed, nitrite free, glitter-and-rainbows-raised meat. This means that I was also cooking multiple meals at every mealtime and handing my son pieces of english muffin with cream cheese
that I couldn't just lick off my fingers. That's right, I was the epitome of self control for the past month. I don't know how it happened.
It
is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is
hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your
coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. - See more at:
http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/#sthash.cR9RsVTb.dpuf
I liked it because of the tough love section of the rules. The rules kindly remind you that this is not hard. It's sort of a "suck it up buttercup" mentality that was great for me. No cheating, because this is not hard. Giving birth is hard, beating cancer is hard, drinking coffee black IS NOT HARD. Ah, so true.
At any rate, these are my tips for the whole 30:
1. get thyself a menu planned out. It was SO MUCH easier for the weeks that I had this menu planned out than the weeks I failed to do it. I got variety (except for those darn eggs for breakfast, yuck but inexpensive) and could easily think of complimentary foods for myself and my family. Like burgers without a bun for me, fish with rice for them and broccoli for me, brats for them and sausage for me.
2. have some easy to cook meals. Because by the end of 30 days, you will be so OVER cooking. Sausage & sweet potatoes, lunchmeat & an egg, tuna salad. Ready to eat in 5 minutes.
3.
Aidells chicken and apple sausage,
applegate roast beef lunchmeat,
homemade mayo (which is truly incredibly easy and I'm never buying from the store again), Balsamic salad dressing, apples cooked in coconut oil,
Chipotle chicken and sweet potatoes,
beef and cabbage delicious meal,
sloppy joes over a potato, la croix sparkling water, and pinterest.
I found some really yummy recipes that I plan to use all the time now.
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| My shelves with the blue tape. I tried my darndest not to look at the not blue shelves. |
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| Blue shelf right in front when I open my cabinet |
How did it go for me? I had a weird fascination with food for about a week in the middle, was completely exhausted for two days at the start, and had a hard cider on day 30 (CHEATER CHEATER). I realized that my milk supply was dropping (still breastfeeding) about a week in so I started eating more snacks, fat, and larger meals even when I didn't really want to, and drinking a ton of water. I feel really good though! I am in the "reintroduction phase" of the plan, where I introduce foods back into my diet slowly so that I can track if anything makes me feel terrible (and, presumably, so that I don't crap my pants from eating something different). And I don't really miss anything, except for the price tag of my pre-whole 30 food. I've got beans back into my diet so it's not all-meat-all-the-time which I feel good about.
I lost weight and my pants look laughable. I think my weight has been redistributed a bit which is a good thing. Most importantly, I feel like I have control over the foods I'm choosing, which is a new thing for me. Just because it's there doesn't mean I have to eat it. Somewhat embarrassing that I am learning this as a 28 year old. I also would like to do it again when I am not breastfeeding so that I don't have to worry so much about my milk supply, and really feel like I have my body to myself again.
There. Embarrassing post over. Phew. Have you ever done a Whole 30?
It
is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is
hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your
coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. - See more at:
http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/#sthash.cR9RsVTb.dpuf
Think
of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an
end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal
your digestive tract, and balance your immune system. - See more at:
http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.EO25lVMH.dpuf
Think
of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an
end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal
your digestive tract, and balance your immune system. - See more at:
http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.EO25lVMH.dpuf
Think
of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an
end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal
your digestive tract, and balance your immune system. - See more at:
http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.EO25lVMH.dpuf
Think
of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an
end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal
your digestive tract, and balance your immune system. - See more at:
http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.EO25lVMH.dpuf
Think
of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an
end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal
your digestive tract, and balance your immune system. - See more at:
http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.EO25lVMH.dpuf
Think
of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an
end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal
your digestive tract, and balance your immune system. - See more at:
http://whole30.com/step-one/#sthash.EO25lVMH.dpuf
