After the holidays, I always feel like I need to reset my diet. I typically eat pretty clean, avoiding most grains and processed foods. I also try to limit sugar, but I have a wicked sweet tooth.
During the last quarter of the year, my sweet tooth goes wild for all of the yummy treats that come available when the temperatures turn colder.
By the time the new year rolls around, I feel sluggish, out of shape, and in need of a fresh start. Enter the Whole30.
My Whole30 journey
I did my first round of the Whole30 challenge five years ago. It was incredibly difficult, but I also had a lot further to go in changing my dietary habits at that time.
I lost 12 pounds in 30 days by following the plan. I felt better than I ever thought I could and had much more energy.
Then, our life blew up and I completely abandoned any and all dietary restrictions.
I became pregnant with our third child, my husband and I started a new business, and we moved our family to a small town three hours away from all of our friends and family.
Just as we began to get settled into our new life, I had some health issues pop up that lead me to go gluten free for about a year.
That alone solved a lot of my problems, but our circumstances changed once again causing me to eat for convenience instead of health.
We began remodeling our 1980’s farmhouse while living in it, going without a kitchen for quite some time and feeding our family takeout or whatever could be prepared in a microwave.
I gained 20 pounds in such a short amount of time that I almost didn’t notice.
Once our home was functional again, we began preparing food at home, but our summer was packed with social commitments and other obligations that kept us from paying too much attention to what we were eating.
I made a little progress with diet and exercise before the holidays hit, but I was ready for a major change in January.
Knowing the success I had with the program previously, I committed to another round of the Whole30.
Whole30 Challenge for beginners
This program is rather intimidating and requires a lot of personal resolve. I’m going to do what I can in this post to give you the support you need.
Consider this your beginner’s guide to the Whole30. There’s a lot of information in this post, so be sure to PIN it for easy access!
I’m going to tell you what the Whole30 is, what to expect, and give you my tips and tricks for success.
I’m also going to share what I ate and provide links to lots of delicious recipes to get you started. Let’s dive in!
What is Whole30?
If you’re not familiar with the Whole30, it’s basically a super strict version of the Paleo diet meant to eliminate anything that may cause stress to your digestive system or cause you to crave sugar.
No dairy. No grains. No legumes. No alcohol. No added sweeteners of any kind – real, artificial, or otherwise. It’s tough, but it’s only 30 days, and the results are well worth it.
The program was designed by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, and it is intended to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system with a 30-day nutrition reset.
What to expect on Whole30
This is a difficult meal plan to follow. That is why it is only designed to last 30 days. At first, it might not seem so bad. The food you can eat is actually quite delicious and filling.
Depending on how bad your diet is beforehand, though, you may feel worse before you feel better. It’s best to prepare yourself for this ahead of time, so you don’t get discouraged and quit.
About halfway through the Whole30, you will begin to notice a change in the way you feel. For me, it was like a switch flipped and things all of a sudden became easier.
Tips and tricks for a successful Whole30
You will get cranky. You will have cravings. You will want to quit. At one point, I lost my will to eat. That sounds dramatic, but it’s true.
I love food and find great enjoyment in eating food. Food is like a drug to me, unfortunately. If I can do this, you can too. Below are my tips and tricks for a successful Whole30.
1 // Have a good support system
It is imperative that you have a good support system in place when you decide that this is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done, and you want to throw in the towel. Find someone who will listen to you complain, then encourage you to stick to the plan.
If you have a bad day, it also helps to write down how you are feeling. This allows you to acknowledge the difficulty and move on.
There are Whole30 forums on the website where you can ask questions or seek support. There is also a Whole30 Timeline, which will give you some insight into what you might experience through each phase of the program.
It helps to know others are going through the same ups and downs as you are as they complete the challenge. I’ve placed links to both of these resources at the end of this post.
2 // Prepare for cravings
You will have all kinds of cravings on the Whole30. Sometimes you will crave things you don’t normally eat. The best advice I have to defeat cravings is to know that they will happen.
When you do have cravings, try smelling the item you are craving. It sounds crazy, but it works. Many times junk food smells much better than it tastes.
I also recommend having plenty of Whole30 approved snacks on hand. Force yourself to eat them when you get hungry between meal times, even if they don’t sound good. Easing your hunger will go a long way in fighting your cravings.
You may feel hungrier than usual during the first week or two of the program. Allow yourself to eat when you’re hungry and know that this will subside eventually.
3 // Plan ahead
I can’t tell you how important it is to plan ahead for what you will eat throughout the duration of this program. You need to make this as easy as possible for yourself.
Knowing what you will eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks will take the guesswork out of mealtime. You do not want to be stuck wondering what you will eat for dinner.
Lack of planning is the quickest way to fail. You can find plenty of recipes online, or in the Whole30 cookbooks, which I’ve linked at the end of this post.
I also have a Whole30 Challenge for Beginners board on Pinterest, which I will continue to update with information and recipes if you want to follow me there.
Meal plan + recipes for your first Whole30
Meal planning can be difficult and overwhelming, but it is so important for the successful completion of the Whole30 program.
I’m going to make it easy for you by listing out what I ate for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Breakfast
- Eggs scrambled {no milk} and cooked in ghee with real bacon bits and dried chives
- Mini egg frittatas and fruit
- Black coffee
I prepared breakfast for the week on Sundays, so I could easily grab a quick breakfast during the weekday morning hustle. This helped me to get food in my belly and avoid a mid-morning crash.
I ate the same thing every morning and switched back and forth between the above options each week.
Lunch
Most of the time, I ate leftovers for lunch. You could also prepare a separate meal to eat for lunch throughout the week if you don’t mind eating the same thing for lunch every day.
Snacks
- Unsweetened applesauce with a sprinkle of cinnamon
- Pistachios
- Cashews
- Half a banana with almond butter
- Olives
At first, I needed a snack in the morning and in the afternoon. As I moved further along in the program, I found I needed to snack much less often.
Dinner
- Lemon and garlic roasted chicken legs with roasted green beans and olives
- Slow cooker white chicken chili
- Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes
- Creamy bacon garlic spaghetti squash
- Dairy Free and Whole30 Zuppa Toscana
- Sheet pan steak fajita bowls with cauliflower rice and guacamole
- Paleo Whole 30 stuffed pepper soup
- Egg roll in a bowl
- Sweet potato shepherd’s pie
- Sesame chicken chopped salad
- Paleo pot roast, mashed red potatoes {made with coconut milk}, and roasted carrots
- Artichoke and garlic chicken thighs and olives
- Quick and easy paleo taco skillet
- Spicy sausage and shrimp skillet
- Paleo jalapeno chicken burgers topped with guacamole and served with sweet potato fries
- Tomato basil bisque with Italian meatballs
- Baked lemon pepper chicken thighs and roasted Brussels sprouts
- 30-minute no-bean chili
This amount of meals allowed for some variety, plus a few nights of leftovers.
We also chose to eat eggs, bacon, and strawberries some nights because it was quick and easy to prepare.
Stock your pantry
The Whole30 requires that you eliminate dairy, grains, legumes, and added sugar. This means that you will need to find replacements for some of the items you would typically cook with or keep stocked in your pantry.
Listed below are items that you probably don’t have on hand that you will use consistently. It’s best to stock up when you can, so you don’t run out.
Other resources
Melissa and Dallas provide an immense amount of information and support on their website. They have also written several books. I have included resources you may find to be helpful below:
THE WHOLE30: THE 30-DAY GUIDE TO TOTAL HEALTH AND FOOD FREEDOM
THE WHOLE30 FAST AND EASY COOKBOOK
My results
As I mentioned before, I completed the Whole30 challenge five years ago. I knew what to expect this time around. At first, it didn’t seem as hard as I remembered, but it did not come without its challenges.
It was SO hard, but it was worth the effort. I lost 10 pounds, I had an increase in energy, I slept much deeper at night, and I conquered my sugar cravings.
I’ve now gone through the reintroduction phase, and have gained a few pounds back. I’ve also noticed how easy it is to lose control of my sugar cravings.
Moving forward, I will continue to follow the Whole30 guidelines most of the time. My body functions better without gluten, most grains, processed foods, and added sugar.
I am excited to find healthier alternatives to the foods that I enjoy so much that wreak havoc on my health.
Now, it’s your turn
I’ve given you a lot of information to set you up for success on your first attempt at the Whole30 challenge. There is even more information to comb through on the Whole30 website.
If you want to try the Whole30 for yourself, remember to:
- Have a good support system
- Plan ahead with a solid meal plan
- Prepare for cravings
I’m seriously thinking about doing this diet. A friend recommended it and sounds good! Any tips and advice before starting. Would like to loose 50 pounds. Can it be done without any harm to my body or health, as I have no health problems.
I hope there will be another one like this. I would love to join. Thanks for sharing!