Whole30: Week 1

Whole30 Book

My first week on Whole30 has been…interesting. I decided to take on the challenge with my husband to cleanse ourselves from all the excess of December {we ate SO much}. I would normally never commit to such restrictions but he did Whole30 last October and lost 27 pounds in ONE MONTH. Yes, you read that right! While I most definitely don’t need to lose 27 pounds, I could lose a couple to get me ready for spring and summer adventures.

If you’re interested in learning Whole30, you have come to the right place! Let me share the tiny bit of knowledge I have gathered this past week.

What is Whole 30?

It is not exactly a diet as much as it is a cleanse. It is designed to reset your body from all of the bad things we are used to eating: sugar, carbs, processed foods, empty calories, etc. It is not meant to be a long term plan but rather a starting point to learning how to eat healthy and make better food choices in the future.

What do I need to start?

The Whole 30 book! You can purchase it here. It is such an easy read and thoughtfully explains every detail you need to know. From how to start on your grocery list…to the change on moods you will experience week after week {they are real!}.

How does it work?

You’ll be eating tons of fresh food; nothing processed. No carbs, sugars, alcohol, legumes, soy, dairy, preservatives or any kind of junk food for 30 days. Most importantly: YOU CANNOT STEP ON A SCALE THROUGH THIS ENTIRE PROCESS.

What To Eat

Here’s a sample menu of what we ate for 3 days this past week. We repeat a lot of the proteins and just mix and match the vegetables:


Day 1
Eggs and Prosciutto
Black Coffee with Almond Milk

Lemon Pepper Chicken
Baby Greens, Tomato, Carrot, Avocado salad.
Olive Oil / Red Vinegar Vinaigrette

Snack: Green Apples with Tajin

Pork Chops
Sweet Potatoes
Sliced Avocado

Day 2
Vegetable Frittata with fresh
avocado on top {we LOVE avocado}
Black Coffee with Almond Milk

Sweet Potato Hash Bowl with
Chilli Pepper Chicken on top

Snack: RX Peanut Butter Bar

Citrus Salmon with
Ghee Buttered Asparagus

Day 3
Scrambled Eggs with mushrooms
And Trader Joes Chicken Sausage {Tons of approved Whole30 items!}
Green Tea

Sliced Russet Potatoes
Salt and Pepper Salmon
Sliced Avocado

Snack: Fresh Raspberries

Sweet Potato Ribbons {faux pasta}
Lime Shrimp on top
Tomato and Avocado salad

As you can see, we don’t go hungry on this regimen. Eating out can be a bit of a challenge but it’s doable {but I do miss Torchy’s Tacos!}. We just have to be careful about marinades and dressings. I’ll share a weekly restaurant recommendation {for Austin} every week.

This weeks’ pick:

FRESAS

Love this place! Had dinner with a friend last Saturday and here’s what we ate:

Achiote & Citrus Chicken, say no to the rice, beans, and tortilla sides. Heartbreaking, I know.
Grilled Sweet Potatoes, no dressing.
Grilled Beets, no cheese.
Plain water

How do you feel?

Not hungry, I’ll tell you that. I do miss carbs and sugar SO much. But I am also well aware that the way I was eating was causing a lot of bloating and inflammation. Will I eat them again? Sure thing. But not on a daily basis as I was doing before. I feel good, deflated and somewhat energized. I stopped drinking coffee and switched to green tea instead. I could not do the black coffee thing. I need my Starbucks sugar-free vanilla sweetener back in my life. I’ve had a couple days where my moods are just CRAZY, to the point where I actually stop myself and wonder what is going on with me. I’m talking fire spitting violently from my pupils and ears for the most random minimal thing. These are the sugar withdrawals and I’m hoping those moods don’t come back again because I hate feeling that way. Overall I would say I feel good, and curious. Very curious for my body transformation in the next couple weeks.

Stay tuned as I will blog weekly updates with menu samples and restaurants recommendations.

Happy Thursday!

xx,

N.