I don't know where I first heard about Whole 30-Pinterest or a blog or Instagram, I'm sure. But I was both intrigued by it-everyone seemed to rave about it, to have fantastic results, to not be sad that they gave up wine and cheese and sugar. So last year when we decided to try and get back to healthy eating, I thought why not give this Whole 30 thing a shot. So we did. And not to be all dramatic, but it was life changing. I lost weight, I ran better, but, more then that, I retrained my body and brain about how I perceive food. A year ago, when I did my first Whole 30, I would NEVER have thought I would give up bread and cheese. I was a pro at looking past sugar and additives in processed foods that we were consuming -things that look healthy and not like treats (made with fruit juice! 10% less sugar! organic!). I have literally changed my tastes and it was simple.
Simple, but NOT EASY. It's simple to buckle down and realize you need to eat better, I mean duh. But it's not easy though. It's not easy to change the way you eat and the ideas behind how you consume food. It's not easy to pass up convenience food in a life that is filled with schedules and not so much time. It's not easy to not want a glass of wine or a piece of cake after a rough day at work. It's not easy to not eat all the cheese and crackers at a party. But the changes are SO WORTH IT. I did and you can too! Here are my own tips on how to get started:
1. Read up. Read all of this. In fact, go through the whole Whole30 website. Print out the printables. I suggest picking up The Whole 30 Book (but the website is an EXCELLENT resource if you're not ready to spend the money for the book it's self). The basic rules: meat, veggies, fruit, seeds, nuts and good fats = yes; dairy, grains, sugar, alcohol, legumes = no. For 30 days. No cheating. That's it.
2. Decide when you want to start. So you're all motivated reading about this program. You want to start right now, like by dinner time. I suggest taking a minute and thinking about that :). Do you already eat pretty healthy? Or are you surviving on fast food and microwave pizza? If you're the latter, you might want to take a week and detox a little bit before plowing into this.
But no matter what-go through your fridge and pantry and put everything you won't be eating away. Spaghetti, rice, processed foods, sugar and flour-get it all out. If you don't want to throw it out, put it in a cupboard where you can't see it. Go grocery shopping (you might want to MEAL PLAN :)). And keep it as simple as possible the first time around-especially if eating healthy is new for you!
3. Decide just who will be participating. Is it just you who wants to try this out? Or do you have a spouse that's willing to get on board with you? Or a friend? Are you having your whole family attempt eating Whole 30? My husband and I always do Whole 30's together, but our kids still ate a moderate amount of whole grains and dairy and a little sugar. It is beneficially to have a partner in this; it's great to have the accountability and someone to work towards a goal with-but not necessary. There are also a ton of Facebook groups you can join for support!
4. Get started, and do it. Work as hard as you can to maintain the rules of the program. For us, this meant not eating out (yep, all 30 days) and taking food when we went to a social gathering that we knew we could eat. It also meant not being rude about those things-we weren't out to lecture anyone about eating right or turn our nose up at someone's thoughtfully prepared cupcakes or looking down on people for offering us a glass of wine. A simple "no, thank you" is a perfectly adequate response to offers of things you aren't eating. Don't make excuses and don't over complicate things. It's only 30 days of your entire life and you can totally do this!
And, if you do eat something that isn't in the rules of the program? Don't freak out. Move on. Start over. You'll get there!
Starting Sept 5, the Whole 30 community is coming together for September Whole 30-it's going to have a ton of people doing it, sharing recipes, scale and non scale victories. If you've been thinking of doing one, now is a great time! I plan on being a part of #septemberwhole30 so I'll be sharing lots of Whole 30 compliant recipes, meal plans, and ideas over the whole month of September!
I hope these tips help! Make sure to check out the Whole 30 website (http://whole30.com/) for all the details. I hope that it can make a difference in how you eat and feel too.
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