Now that we have all spent the weekend stuffing our faces with Halloween candy, lets talk about a system reset (because who wants to use the word diet). One that is much needed for many of us after the holidays and will have everyone looking and feeling great in no time.
I first heard about Whole30 when I was volunteering at Modo Yoga in LA, and I thought it sounded absolutely insane. Who wants to give up everything good? Definitely not this girl. Then recently my stomach pain had gotten out of control, I was bloated and tired, and I felt totally miserable. So I decided to give it a go. That meant 30 whole days of no sugar, no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no alcohol, no processed food, and for me, no coffee. Yikes!
For me, I knew the hardest part was going to be sugar, as I don’t really eat grains or dairy anyways, but I have a mean sugar addiction. The first week was brutal, with a headache that wouldn’t quit, but after that passed I had a renewed energy, clarity, and strength that I hadn’t felt in months.
There are a few tricks to success with Whole 30, and the biggest two are adequate prep and keeping it simple. I ate mostly the same thing each day, mixing it up just a little here and there.
Breakfast was usually an egg white omelette full of veggies and greens, and topped with avocado, and a bowl of berries or a banana. This is a great start to the day that basically hits every food group, and fuels you through to lunch without the need to snack, and it’s delicious to boot. I paired it with tea, which I found to be enough to power me through the day without reaching for coffee desperately at some point in the afternoon, though coffee is totally allowed if you are one of those crazy people that drinks it black.
Lunch was definitelymy biggest struggle, with long work days and a tendency towards snacking and not wanting a whole meal in the middle of the day. I usually veered towards a bunch of raw veggies and olives. I also usually had a mini lunch or post workout a few hours before that was an apple with almond butter or some sweet potato fries as a little treat to power me through.
Dinner was another tricky one, because I’m a pretty lazy cook and was usually tight on time. Then spaghetti squash saved my life. I went through so much spaghetti squash this month it was unreal. It is so easy to roast, just slice it in half and scoop out the seeds, add some olive oil, salt and pepper and roast squash side down for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. One squash usually got me anywhere from 3-5 meals, and I’d add some grilled chicken, tomatoes, kalamata olives and sometimes avocado. Seriously satisfying and you can almost pretend its pasta! Sweet potatoes baked in the crockpot were also a huge lifesaver, I mixed up what I topped them with, but it’s such an easy base for so many toppings, and so easy to make!
Suffering through guacamole with no chips and margarita. Ouch.
So all in all, totally doable, if not a lot of work and a little bit boring if you don’t mix it up every few days, but the results are so worth it! I’d definitely recommend giving it a go, the whole30 website has awesome meal guides, shopping lists, and recipes that guarantee success!
Final results!
While I would definitely do it again, I also really enjoyed my home brewed apple cinnamon kombucha, pumpkin bread, pumpkin hummus, and tons of halloween candy the second I was finished!
Homemade pumpkin hummus and pumpkin cranberry crisps to celebrate the end!
Successful home brew of apple cinnamon kombucha!
(This is what your face looks like after 2 beers when you haven’t had alcohol for a month)
If you decide to give it a shot, I wish you the best of luck!
