(Always check with your doctor before starting any nutrition or exercise plan.)
What is a Whole30?
It’s described as a nutritional re-set. For some people, like me, it’s a way to put the brakes on unhealthy eating habits, like stress eating, happy eating, boredom eating and eating for just any old reason.
For others, it’s used as an elimination diet, to see what foods could be triggering gastric issues.
How does it work?
For 30 days, I did not consume:
Alcohol
Dairy
Grains or wheat
Legumes, which are beans
Sugar
Corn
Soy
Vegetable oil, canola oil
Yeah, you read that right. No wine, chocolate, ice cream, tortillas, refried beans and a whole lot more. See what I mean about not murdering anyone?
Believe me, there were days at the beginning where every person and every thing was on my last nerve. PMS hit hard. There were several cooking fails. My husband was doing it with me, so it was double the meal prep. I attended several birthday parties and started prepping my deceased in-laws home for sale. Talk about wanting to emotional eat. But I didn’t.
So, what did I eat?
Beef, chicken, turkey, fish, pork, bison, eggs, tons of vegetables, olive oil, olives, ghee, avocado, coconut milk, a little fruit, nuts and nut butters – but not peanuts or peanut butter, because peanuts are legumes – water, unsweetened tea and sparkling water. This is not keto, paleo, or Adkins. In some ways, it’s less restrictive, in some ways more. With Whole30, you don’t count calories. You eat three full meals a day.
What are some tips for success?
Read the rules and guidelines, plan your meals, meal prep, read labels and read them again. (Who knew vegetable broth had sugar in it?!) Prepare to wash a lot of dishes, because, at least for me, all three of my meals and my hubby’s meal were prepared at home. Eating out is difficult. But that part actually was a good thing, as it stopped me from picking up drive-through, which saved me money!
How do I feel?
At the end of 30 days, I am sleeping better, my clothes feel looser, I’m not grinding my teeth at night and I have more energy. I’ve also lost 10 pounds. However, the creators of Whole30 stress that the scale is not the only indicator of success, and I agree. I feel better than I have in months.
Now what?
I plan to relax my eating for a few weeks, as I have some graduation parties and traveling coming up. But I don’t plan on using those things as a reason to overindulge. I will ask myself if that cake/drink/pizza, etc. is worth how it will make me feel later. In a few weeks, I will do another round of 30 days. I am looking forward to it.
For more information, visit https://whole30.com. All the information you need is there, for free.
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Have you done a Whole30? Or are you saying, no thank you?! Tell us in the comments below!
