Have you heard of the Whole30? As a certified nutritionist and personal trainer, I was intrigued by what I’d read in magazines and seen on the news. The first thing I realized is this is not a diet . . . it is a way of life. The premise of Whole30 is to promote health by rejecting processed, sugary, fatty foods and replacing these with whole, fresh, and natural foods. Essentially, if you eat healthy food you will be healthy. When eating processed, sugary, or fatty food we commonly experience side effects including allergies, sleep loss, bloating, joint aches, stomach aches, etc. Following Whole30 rules, you will not only be and feel at your best health, but you will increase your will power and personal strength of character.
Giving up foods you love, crave and are basically addicted to is not an easy task. I can attest to this! But when you make it through the 30 days I promise you, you will feel better and learn more about yourself than you ever have. This program was a life changer for me!
So, what does it take to start a successful Whole30 plan? The rules of course! Let’s start with the “bad news” first. The basic guideline are: no sugar or alternatives (Splenda, Stevia, Sweet’N Low…) no alcohol, no dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), no grains (rice, corn, wheat, quinoa…), no legumes (beans, soy, peanuts…). Also, no trying to recreate the snack foods, bakery items, or junk food with Whole30 approved foods. No weighing yourself until you have completed the entire 30 days. No eating that cake because it’s your best friend’s 30th birthday; if you do ‘eat cake’, then you RESTART . . . “ANY CHEATING” disqualifies your participation. Be committed to your Whole30 meal plan.
The good news is: you can do this! I’m going to repeat this . . . Listen friends, I am human, things are challenging for me too, and if “I” can do this, you can do it! You’ll find you fall in love with real food. Whole and natural food is so much tastier than you might have thought it would be, and you feel like you have never been so healthy or happy. There is much to gain and not much to loose. Except, your body will run more efficiently by only taking in nutrients. You will “loose” weight by loosing extra fat. Working out in combination with eating the select foods, you will feel more in shape and healthy than ever before.
All that said, I’d like to share with you the first week of my journey. If you want you can replicate my Whole30 schedule along with my daily exercise routines.
Here’s a look at my first week and the beginning of my Whole30 journey:
WEEK 1 – EVERYTHING IS WHOLE30 APPROVED
SUNDAY – DAY 1
- For breakfast I had: eggs and bacon with asparagus, avocado, and spinach, black coffee with coconut cream.
- After this I went on my mile morning jog.
- I had a salad with egg and sweet potato for lunch. Later, I had a 40 minute weight training class.
- Dinner was chicken strips breaded in almond flour cooked in avodado oil, broccoli and homemade mayo.
- My snacks throughout the day were some almonds, a Lara Bar, fruit, kombucha , paleo chips, and a little Ahi tuna.
At the end of the day, I felt good and determined. It was the beginning!
MONDAY – DAY 2
- Breakfast was strawberries and coffee with coconut cream. I went for my mile jog.
- Lunch consisted of two sausages with half of an avocado, and almond butter.
- Then I did 35 minutes worth of weight lifting.
- Dinner was a few bites of chicken, sausage and eggs with paleo crackers.
- Snacks throughout the day were kombucha, coffee with coconut cream, almonds, black tea, Ahi tuna, Lara Bars, and sweet potato chips.
I felt really good all day.
TUESDAY – DAY 3
- My breakfast was made up of strawberries, coffee with coconut cream, paleo crackers, sweet potato chips that I made from scratch, and kombucha.
- I did 57 minutes of spin and 10 minutes of lifting weights.
- I had a spinach salad and a whole avocado for lunch.
- Dinner was turkey and beef seasoned with peas and paleo crackers.
- Snacks for the day were a Lara Bar, sweet potato chips, and kombucha.
Today I had a lot of sugar cravings, but still loved the food.
WEDNESDAY – DAY 4
- Started the day with a coffee with coconut cream, two bacon strips, two pieces of sausage, a small tomato, and kombucha for breakfast.
- I went on a 1.2 mile jog, lifted weights for 35 minutes and walked for an additional 40 minutes.
- For lunch, I had almonds, ground turkey, two eggs and three sausages, strawberries, an apple with almond butter, two cups of coffee with coconut cream and coconut oil.
- Dinner was smaller than lunch. I had half an avocado, spinach chicken strips, and a small dark tomato.
The sugar cravings were strong today, but I curbed them with another cup of coffee and the apple with almond butter.
THURSDAY – DAY 5
- The usual black coffee with coconut cream, a red apple, almonds, and a Lara Bar all made for a a nice breakfast.
- That was followed by a 58 minute spin class.
- I had an apple, almonds, beef with shredded sweet potato, a Lara Bar with almond butter, tea and kambucha for lunch.
- Dinner comprised of bacon, sweet potato hash with beef, a tomato, and an avocado.
Sugar cravings were non-stop from 2:00-6:00pm and I felt hungry all morning and afternoon.
FRIDAY – DAY 6
- I had black coffee with coconut cream, strawberries, almonds, and a Lara Bar for breakfast.
- Lunch was delicious. Sweet potato hash with beef and an egg, kambucha, almonds, a banana with almond butter made my day.
- I made homemade mayo to make my tuna salad with chopped celery and carrots for dinner.
I felt lean and less puffy this day.
SATURDAY – DAY 7
- Breakfast was black coffee with coconut cream, an apple with almond butter, and a Lara Bar.
- For lunch, I had an apple with almond butter,a Lara Bar, and kombucha.
- Lastly, I had a beef stuffed grape leaf with strawberries for dinner. I felt fine skipping the drinks at the company dinner I was at.
I completed week one! There were some tough sugar craving and hungry moments, but nothing too bad. It felt good to control my yearning for unhealthy food and drinks. My body was changing already, I could feel it.
Week one down, three to go!
EVERY Step & EVERY Bite Counts!™
Dawn