Sooooo I’m doing Whole 30 starting January 2nd. Since I’ve announced this on Instagram Stories, I’ve gotten a ton of not-so-nice messages and people thinking I’m nuts. I saw a lot of people doing Whole 30 last year and I thought THEY were nuts, so I totally get it. Last year I thought, “there’s no way I could ever do anything like that”. This year it’s sounding like a really great idea. Since that’s quite a dramatic change in my opinion, I wanted to do a quick post explaining why the change of heart and why I’m really excited for this.
What is Whole 30?
In case you aren’t familiar with it, here’s a quick summary. For more detailed info, check out the official website here.
What’s allowed on Whole 30:
Meat, seafood, eggs, all fruits and vegetables, clarified butter or ghee, and natural fats
What’s not allowed on Whole 30:
Sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, or dairy. No baked goods or “treats” even with compliant ingredients. No weighing or measuring yourself
Benefits*:
Targets an unhealthy relationship with food, boosts a sluggish metabolism, heals a disrupted digestive system, and promotes an anti inflammatory diet
*straight from the Whole 30 book.
Why I’m doing Whole 30:
I am not one for extreme diets or actually diets of any type. I am very much a moderation type person and prefer to make food choices that revolve around whole foods and don’t cut out any whole food groups like grains or beans. That’s why I’m just as surprised as anyone else that knows me that I’m doing Whole 30. Here are a few reasons why I’m interested in doing Whole 30.
1. I love a good challenge
Last year when I saw other people doing it, I thought that it wasn’t something I could ever do. Since I’m always one to take on a challenge, I wanted to prove myself wrong and show myself that I actually CAN do it. That’s of course not the whole reason, but it did get me interested enough to start doing a little more research.
2. It’ll help me establish a healthy relationship with food
What’s really appealing to me with Whole 30 is changing my relationship with food. I used to eat really healthy, but I’ve slipped into a few bad habits and they’ve just kept multiplying. The diet plan I most identify with is eating whole food and eating within moderation. That is the LIFE LONG plan I would like to implement. That being said, I just feel the bad habit cycle and the current relationship I have with food will not allow me to be successful with a moderation program. My version of a moderation program has been just a tiny bit of sugar, but every single day. That’s not quite moderation when the sugar happens every single day. I’m hoping that doing Whole 30 will kick my sugar habit to the curb and also help me regain my commitment to healthy eating.
Even though I used to eat healthy, I also ate way too much and would often binge on unhealthy foods. I’ve always looked at food as a “treat” or a comfort for difficult days. I’m hoping that Whole 30 will help me change that attitude so that I no longer treat food with emotional attachments.
3. It’ll force me to meal plan
Meal planning is something Bassam and I have been saying we want to get better at. Every week we say we are going to meal plan and every week we run into the same cycle of, “what do you want to eat? I don’t know what do you want to eat?” until we end up getting takeout or making something quick and not super nutritious, like an almond butter and jelly sandwich. There is no way we can go into Whole 30 without meal prepping! I’m hoping a solid month of intense meal prepping will help us get into the routine and establish good meal prep habits for the rest of the year.
4. I won’t know how good I could feel unless I try it
I don’t think I have any food sensitivities. That being said, I also don’t know if I do. I’m kind of looking at Whole 30 like an experiment I’m doing on my body to see if cutting out certain things will affect my body in a positive way. I’ve heard so many stories about people who cut out dairy and then had all these magical positive side effects. I’d like to see if that happens with me.
What I’m worried about:
1. My body tends not to do well without grains. If I don’t have quinoa, whole wheat toast, or some sort of grain twice a day, I tend to get stomach aches. I’ve heard from a lot of people that when first eliminating grains from their diet they start having these symptoms, but then their stomach issues clear up after their body gets used to it. I’m interested to see how this goes for me but I’m also worried I may not be able to stick to the diet because of it.
2. I don’t eat red meat and haven’t been eating much chicken lately. I’m worried I won’t be able to find enough meatless Whole 30 compliant recipes. I don’t mind eating chicken, but I’d prefer not to eat it daily.
Areas I may modify:
Ok, don’t burn me at the stake. I know not one tiny little percentage of deviation from the plan is acceptable, so please don’t leave me comments yelling at me. That being said, I tend to do things on my own terms and do what’s best for me. That mentality won’t be any different with Whole 30. If I feel I need to modify, I’m not going to feel guilty about it.
I already know I’m not going to be in compliance the weekend of Jan 27. I will be attending a retreat with a wellness guru my sister and I follow. While the food may not be Whole 30 compliant, it is healthy and I’m very much looking forward to trying the wellness expert’s food as is. My sister and I booked this retreat a while back as a sister bonding activity and I’m planning on experiencing it all the way.
The other way I MAY modify is if I find cutting out grains entirely is just not okay with my stomach. I’ll probably give it a solid two weeks, but if I’m finding it’s affecting my quality of life, I will add a serving of quinoa a day.
You may not agree with this, but this is what works for me. You do you and I’ll do me. 🙂
Whole 30 Compliant Recipe Ideas
I want to go into the plan with an arsenal of Whole 30 approved yummy recipes to try. Here are are delicious looking options I’m excited to try!
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
Chicken Pesto Spaghetti Squash
Broccoli Chicken Cauliflower Rice Casserole
I’ll keep you updated each week on how it goes! If you want to join me, join my JUDGEMENT FREE Facebook Support Group here!
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