I’m officially over half-way through with my first Whole30! For those of you who are unsure what the Whole30 program is, you basically cut major food groups out of your diet [legumes, dairy, soy, sugar, grains, alcohol] to see what negative effects (if any) they have on your health. They could be causing aches, pains, skin ailments, digestive issues, etc. that you may not realize they are the culprit of. By stripping them out of your diet completely for 30 days, and then strategically reintroducing them, you can see how they individually affect you and then you can make the decision if adding them back into your regular diet is something you want to do! You can read more about the program [and hear how the professionals describe it ;)] HERE. So….without further ado, here are 10 things I have learned so far:
1. It is freaking hard.
If you read the book they try to tell you that this isn’t “hard.” Having a baby is hard, etc. Well, even though I haven’t had a baby, I know labor doesn’t last 30 days. Just kidding. But really, the habits we have developed make this lifestyle change really difficult. That’s exactly what it is: a lifestyle change. No more, “Hey babe, let’s order pizza,” as you’re driving home from work, or even grabbing a quick bagel or bowl of cereal on your way out the door. The convenience factor to eating is pretty much non-existent. And the fun events that were surrounded by eating aren’t really all that fun anymore.
2. I don’t really miss the food.
While it is hard, I don’t miss the foods I used to eat all that much. Don’t get me wrong, I have cravings here and there [I miss you, Diet Coke!], but the food for the most part is good. Steak and potatoes, chicken and broccoli. Really not bad combos. But the fun, social part of grabbing dinner with friends and having pizza and movie nights are what I miss most! Date nights for us pretty much revolve around food, so we joke, “Wanna go to Third Street and share a Cutie?” Haha, not as exciting as a fun dinner and dessert.
3. I can do it.
If you would have asked me before I started, or on Days 1-5, I would have told you there’s no way I thought I could make it. But now, on Day 15, I know I can. This whole 30 days has been a “challenge” to me since the beginning that I never thought I could do. I am a total “foodie” and I never thought I could eliminate all of those things [at once!] from my diet. But, I did, and a huge sense of pride comes with that!
4. Prep is Key!
I know that this fact is probably basic for any meal plan you have to follow, but for Whole30 its crucial. There is no real “grab and go” food [other than Larabars; praise Jesus for Larabars!], so having things ready to go is the only way to be successful. I grill up chicken on Sunday that will last us through the week for salads for lunch [My favorite salad is mixed greens, dried cranberries (the only one’s I have found that you can have are these), green apple, grilled chicken, and pecan pieces with Tessamae’s Balsamic Vinaigrette.] I also make up a pot of chicken tortilla soup [I use this recipe! Obviously it has no tortilla ;)] for days when I would rather have that for lunch, or nights that I need an easy “just heat it up” meal. I also take part of Sunday to figure out what we’re going to have for dinners the coming week. Pinterest and I are BFF’s.
Here are the approved LaraBars for those times when you’re in a crunch. Keep one in your purse in case you get in a jam! My favorite is Apple Pie and Daniel’s is Coconut Cream Pie. And just an FYI, Cashew Cookie does not taste like a cookie…the person who named it has obviously never even had a cookie.
5. This is not the time to train yourself to like all new things.
When we first went grocery shopping before starting our Whole30, I made a list literally too long of everything we needed. I added things to this list that I had never.eaten.before. Brussel sprouts, sure! Green beans, yes! Sweet potato, I bought two bags. All of those items went in the garbage. I didn’t like them before, and I still don’t like them. I have gotten myself to eat bell peppers (reluctantly), but for the most part, I just eat what I like [over & over again!]. There are plenty of things that I do like, that I can make instead. You are depriving yourself of so much you do like during these 30 days, so just don’t make it more miserable 😉
6. Having the same thing over and over again is OK.
In the beginning, I was prepped and ready to go with like 20 different recipes. We read through the book, flagged the pages that looked good. I printed 15 different Pinterest recipes. We made homemade BBQ sauce, homemade mayo, homemade ketchup, homemade ranch. All not good. All in the garbage. Stick with what you like and eat that as much as you want! I love salads for lunch, so I am finally to the point that if I want to have a salad 6 days in a row, that’s okay! Trust me, it’s better than the mix of In ‘N’ Out and Chick-Fil-A that I would have had! Find about 6 dinner recipes, a few lunch recipes, and just eat leftover meat with eggs for breakfasts. Make the things you like, and then when you’re feeling bored, creative, or have some extra time, try something new [like this walnut crusted pork tenderloin…so good!]. We love this beef & broccoli for an easy weeknight dinner!
7. There’s no perfect time, but there are better times.
While no one actually wants to give up sugar for 30 days ever, there are better times to choose. We’re super busy and go out of town quite a bit, so we tried to pick a time when we would be primarily home. There was a weekend so far where we were out of town, and let me just say the packing was ridiculous. Bringing along a whole cooler, pans, cooking utensils, etc. is not exactly the easiest way to travel. But, we did it! And you can too if you have to! But if at all possible, choose a time when you will be home. Events are unavoidable for 30 straight days, but you make it work! Our first weekend, we went to a BBQ, and while the chips and salsa was not fun to say no to, it’s not impossible.
8. It isn’t cheap.
We eat out a lot! Minimum four nights a week we either grab something and bring it home, or go out to a restaurant. I thought by eating at home almost every single meal, we would save so much money! Wrong. Granted, I did buy a lot of things that I didn’t need or end up eating [live and learn!], things you have to buy are expensive. For example, bacon makes breakfasts a lot more enjoyable. It is possible to find bacon without sugar [however, very difficult], but it is $9 a package! Same thing with spaghetti sauce…we love to have spaghetti sauce over zucchini noodles for dinner, but the Whole30 compliant one I found id $10 a jar. I was used to paying like $3. So, it has evened out for us. I try to buy organic, so that adds up as well, but I figure if we are going to do this at all, we’re going to do it all the way!
9. You learn what you really like.
While everything that I used to eat sounds great right about now, there are things that I haven’t missed this whole time. And there are things I have really missed. For example, until someone brought it up earlier, I never had thought about not being able to have candy. Candy has never been one of my cravings. It’s not that I didn’t eat candy before the Whole30, but I realized it’s not something I love. While other things I think about often ;): Diet Coke, homemade cookies, Chick-Fil-A. Those things I love. So when I am finished, I will be more inclined to pay attention to what I really want, and splurge on those things while more easily saying no to things I ate that I could easily live without.
10. You become extremely aware of what you’re eating.
There isn’t a single thing that you buy at a store [besides produce] that you don’t have to read the label while on Whole30. You have to be able thread everything on the label and know what it is before you can eat it. Before this I hardly ever checked labels before buying things. Spaghetti sauce just went in the cart. That bag of chips, I just got at the gas station as I ran out. No thought to what actually is in it. Thankfully after this, I will be much more aware. And while grocery shopping this way takes much, much longer, you feel really good knowing exactly what is going in your body!
So, I’m officially on Day 16 which is when they say the infamous “Tiger Blood” feeling is supposed to kick in. They describe it this way: “Tiger Blood means someone flipped a switch and turned on the awesome. Energy is through the roof, cravings are under control, clothes are fitting better, workouts are stronger.” I’m excited for this second half and to see how my body responds! I’ll keep you guys posted on how the rest of it goes!
Let me know if you would like me to share my shopping list or any other things I missed! Have you ever tried Whole30 or Paleo? What did you think?
