TRUTH ABOUT WHOLE 30 + RECIPES I LOVE
Hi friend! So glad you stopped by today because I am talking about the truth behind my Whole 30 experience. This post is for those who have never heard about Whole 30 and not sure what it is. Maybe you have heard about it and are considering trying it out but unsure if it is for you! This post will explain a little more about it and the tips and tricks of how to navigate your way through these 30 days. Trust me… if I can do it, you can do it too!
First, I wanted to address the fact that I am NOT a nutritionist, doctor or health coach nor am I claiming to be. I simply wanted a place to share my experience, thoughts, and tips with you! EveryBODY is different and that is the beautiful thing about life. Most likely, you will not have the exact same experience as I did but that is what makes us human! I would highly recommend you speak with your doctor to see if this meal plan is a good fit for you if it is something that you’re truly interested in. My wonderful nurse practitioner (hi Amy!) recommended it to me and felt it was a great fit for my health and lifestyle! So I set my mind to it and here is how it went…
What is Whole 30?
You might be thinking, what the heck does Whole 30 mean? Whole 30 is a 30 day clean eating meal plan designed to clean up your eating habits by cutting out certain foods. The options are endless and it never gets boring with the amount of recipes you can make. Some of the biggest “restrictions” during this period is:
No sugar
No dairy
No grains
No alcohol
I totally might have lost some of you with that list but hear me out! Before starting this, I honestly didn’t think that I was going to be able to do this because I love cheese, sour cream, brown rice and a strong Titos with soda. Whole 30 is honestly more of a mental game than anything because if you set your mind to it, I promise you are stronger than you think! I know I sure was. And just remember, it’s only 30 days, not forever!
HOW SHOULD I PREP FOR IT?
Before we started, we got two books on Amazon to help feel a little more comfortable and educated on what this whole thing is about. The Whole 30: The 30 Day Guide to Total Health & Food Freedom helped us learn about what Whole 30 was, ways to navigate it, tips and tricks, etc. This book was extremely helpful in answering the questions we were asking! It was nice to reference back to as the weeks went on as well. We also got the Whole 30 Fast & Easy Cookbook to help us with recipes! This book was a game changer and we used it ALL the time. It has over 150 compliant recipes in it! We still make meals from it every week because we loved it so much.
Can you do this alone or is this something you have to do with other people?
I have two pieces of advice for this question. You can absolutely do it alone! Like I said, this is a great test of your mental toughness BUT I highly recommend doing it with someone. It can be your boyfriend, husband, mom, sister, friend! Aaron and I made a pack to do it together and I don’t know how I would’ve done without him. Not only to have someone to hold you accountable and cheer you on but for making meals! It would’ve been so hard to buy two sets of groceries and cook separate meals every night. My sister and brother in law did it with us too so it was nice to share recipes and food with each other
What can you eat?
I laughed a little at this question because this is exactly what I asked myself when I started this. I was so worried I was going to have to eat salad for every meal and that is the furthest thing from the truth!
Meat | My go to was a burger, no bun
Poultry | Continuing my love for chicken sausage!
Fish | I don’t eat fish but Aaron loved salmon and scrimp
Veggies | Your options are endless
Fruits | Best way to crave a sweet tooth
Healthy Fats | One word: avocados!
Are there are any rules about how much you eat and when?
NO! That is the beauty of this experience. You can eat a little or as much as you want as long as you are eating within the guidelines of what is “Whole 30 compliant”. Obviously, they want you to eat meals and not be snacking all the time but it is flexible. I was traveling for work 60% of the time during these 30 days and I was able to find compliant snacks that were good for me. Cue my obsession with Cashew Cookie Larabars!
Favorite Recipes you made?
We had so many recipes we loved! Pinterest was my go to when I was planning our meals for the week. Just type in Whole 30 Recipe Ideas and there are tons of them. I saved some of them on my “Tasty” board. The cookbook I shared earlier, Whole 30 Quick and Easy, was our absolute favorite because they have a little something for everyone. Some of our favorites were:
Spanish + Chicken Cauliflower Skillet
BBQ Pulled Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Mexican Chicken Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Verde
How much weight did you lose?
I am going to be completely transparent with you on this question. During this experience, they encourage you to not weigh yourself until the 30 day mark because it is not about the number on the scale. They want you to focus on how you FEEL! Before I stepped on the scale I could feel the difference. I felt it in my energy, how my clothes were fitting and how I felt during my workouts. I lost 8 pounds during this experience which is wonderful and I am thrilled but please don’t compare my journey to yours! EveryBODY is different and there are so many factors that can affect this outcome. I paired this experience with my Orange Theory workouts on a weekly basis. I go to OTF about 4-5 times a week. Again, not recommending that for everyone but that is what works for me! I challenge you to not weigh yourself and focus on how you feel. I promise it will be way more rewarding than the number on the scale.
What is the biggest thing you learned?
There’s SO many things I learned during these 30 days. Not just about food but myself too! With food, I think the biggest thing I learned was the amount of sugars that are in everyday food. Salad dressings and condiments were so surprising for us! We loved Primal Kitchen and Tessa Mae’s dressings and condiments. I also realized that eating healthy doesn’t have to be just eating salads or eating like a bird. There are so many wholesome meals that leave you feeling full that FUEL your body! Some of our new favorites foods are:
Spaghetti squash
Buffalo cauliflower (were obsessed)
Mixed berry bowls
Revival Food Co Almond Butters (Locally made here in Indy and the BEST hands down)
Rao’s spaghetti sauce
Larabars (our GO TO snack! We loved the Banana Bread and Cashew Cookie)
Would you recommend Whole 30 to a friend?
I highly recommend you talk to your doctor and see if this is something that would be a good fit. I loved that it is more like a body detox and reset! It gave me so much energy, mental clarity and knowledge on food in general. For example, I learned that my body has a hard time processing dairy. When I reintroduced dairy back into my diet, my stomach would always hurt. Not like a little stomach ache but sharp pains and it was always after I ate something with heavy dairy.! I now am aware and cautious of how and when I consume it. We are going to do this again before the holidays if that gives you any insight! I loved this experience and if your doctor says it is a good fit, to try it out. I don’t think you would regret it!
If you have any more questions, feel free to comment below or shoot me a DM on Instagram! I’m an open book and happy to give insight and support where I can. Until next time…
