whole30

We did the "Whole30" back in October and I've been meaning to share a recap!  I thought it would be fun to share now since it's the new year and resolutions are swirling.  Full disclosure: I put "Whole30" in quotes earlier because we didn't make it to day 30.  We were visiting Patrick's grandma on day 21 and she had just taken a homemade coffee cake out of the oven...we absolutely couldn't resist!  After our slip up, we went back to mostly Whole30 eating for the remainder of the time, but we weren't completely diligent.

When on the Whole30, you give up sugar, dairy, grains, alcohol and legumes for 30 days.  In doing so, you're supposed to experience more energy, less aches and pains, better digestion and more.  To read more about the Whole30, check out their website here and get the book here.

[ WEEK 1 ]

First meal!  Scrambled eggs with avocado, strawberries and cucumber water

Grilled steak with Veggie Foil Packets

Breakfast scramble!  Eggs, turkey and peppers in one pan with homemade hash browns in the other

Week 1 Overall // I felt motivated, excited and optimistic, but Patrick really struggled with hunger and exhaustion.  I experienced sugar and gluten withdrawal headaches and exhaustion as well.

Week 1 Positives // Learning I actually have self control; preparing a variety of new and healthy meals

Week 1 Negatives // Learning how much we rely on food as part of our lives, entertainment and happiness; not being able to dine out on the weekends

[ WEEK 2 ]

A berry smoothie! They say not to do smoothies on Whole30 since they want you eating full meals but I wanted one :)

Making Crockpot Pork Carnitas

Pork carnitas with cauliflower rice and fried plantains

Pork chops with applesauce, green beans and potatoes.  This was one of our favorite meals and it's still in constant rotation

Week 2 Overall // I really wanted to give up this week.  I was tired, lethargic and hungry.  Thank god for Patrick who had a better week - he encouraged me to keep going.

Week 2 Positives // My clothes are fitting better (particularly pants are looser)

Week 2 Negatives // The motivation wanes and day 30 feels so far away; other negatives listed above

[ WEEK 3 ]

My birthday happened while on the Whole30...I only have myself to blame.  In lieu of a slice of cake, I got a bowl of berries...

Cauliflower fried rice with chicken

The carnitas and guac at Chipotle are Whole30 approved!

Week 3 Overall // We started to see and feel the benefits, but day 30 is still far away.  And we're really missing dessert...

Week 3 Positives // Finding it easier to wake up in the morning and feeling consistent energy through the day

Week 3 Negatives // As mentioned, we celebrated my birthday during Week 3.  We went to a steakhouse for dinner with the hope that there would be a lot of approved menu items, but we ended up having most things specially made (which was awkward).  I almost cried at the table because I was frustrated and hated being restricted.

I didn't document Week 4 since it wasn't 100% Whole30.

[ WHAT WE LEARNED ]
--The weekends are really tough.  All of our socializing is centered around eating or drinking..  We spent a lot of weekends in!
--Trader Joe's Roasted Plantain Chips were our lifesavers.  I think we bought 15 bags while on the Whole30.
--Whole30 approved almond milk (New Barn unsweetened almond milk), Whole30 mayo and Whole30 ranch (recipes from the Whole30 book) are all gross.
--These chicken tenders are the bomb
--Meal planning and a big grocery haul on Sundays set the week off on the right foot.
--I felt like I went to the grocery store at least 4 times a week...getting fresh produce and new things to snack on.

--While we saved money by not dining out, I feel like we spent what we saved on additional groceries (as mentioned above).

In hindsight, I'm glad we gave the Whole30 a try.  We reaped some nice health benefits, lost some weight (5 lbs for me; 8 lbs for Patrick), broadened our cooking horizons, and learned we actually do have some will power.  Not only that, but it brought Patrick and me closer together because we had to lean on each other during the hard days.  Patrick's biggest take-away was that giving up alcohol gave him the most benefits, while I felt that was the case with sugar. I encourage you to give it a try, even if you only do it for a week, and let me know how it goes!

xo, Annelise