as we approach the end of our first whole 30 program, i wanted to share some thoughts on the program and why i highly recommend this. i have had multiple questions about what reed and i have been doing and i wanted to share everything with you.
when reed and i started this program and found out about it through my best friend, we mentally thought how in the world are we not going to eat sugar, gluten, and dairy for 30 days... there is no way! back in april, when i started to have stomach issues after things i was eating i started with gluten-free and very quickly felt better and the stomach issues faded away. this was a great transition and an easy time for me to begin the whole 30 program because of this. we purchased the whole 30 program book and did a lot of pinterest-ing for ways to meal prep and recipes. once we had ideas of what we wanted to make for the first of the program we made a large grocery run and started right away.
what can you eat? basically in a nut shell you can eat; potatoes, grass fed meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, organic vegetables, and organic fruits. yep thats it. you can't bake things like "zucchini bread, or banana cake, or even gluten-free baked goods". this is purely "whole" food. if you purchase the book, you will find a lot of great recipes. some of the recipes we enjoyed were shepherds pie, homemade ranch dressing, turkey meatballs, pot roast, and more. i definitely recommend purchasing the book to really get a good grasp of what the program is all about.
week 1: this was the hardest part. if you can make it past week 1 of pure sugar cravings, headaches, fatigue, and dreams of donuts, then you can make it! i promise. at first it seems impossible and it sure does sound like a hard thing do, but it is absolutely worth it. the following weeks to come your body changes, your stomach shrinks and you adjust to the foods you are consuming, and your cravings for sugar actually go away. now i will say, we talked about food A LOT, we mentioned the foods we thought "sounded good" to us and how we wished that we could have a pizza or something, but we knew we couldn't and stuck with it. its not hard, you can do it!
what did we learn? first of all, i can't believe it has already been almost 30 days, time is flying! second, i can't stress to you enough how this has changed our relationship with food and our mentality towards food. the entire month i haven't had one stomach issue, we feel great, you actually get use to eating "whole" foods and enjoying them, you begin to crave the right foods, i don't feel like i need sugar to make it through the day, reed lost 22 lbs and i lost 15lbs, and the best part we feel soooo much better!! i can't say it enough, whole 30 has been the best lifestyle change for us as well as changing our personal care products. also, in the book it speaks to "life after whole 30" and how to continue this lifestyle for the rest of your life. which is amazing, because that is exactly what we are going to do with a few cheat meals here and there to enjoy :) we can't wait to continue this great program and i hope this has encouraged you to look into this and enjoy feeling better! :)
thanks for following along! happy tuesday!
what are the benefits of whole 30?
here is a piece of info from the whole 30 website: www.whole30.com
you can find all of the information you need on this website!!
Whole30 Benefits
The most important reason to keep reading? This will change your life.
We cannot possibly put enough emphasis on this simple fact—the next 30 days will change your life. It will change the way you think about food, it will change your tastes, it will change your habits and your cravings. It could, quite possibly, change the emotional relationship you have with food, and with your body. It has the potential to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. We know this because we did it, and tens of thousands of people have done it since, and it changed our lives (and their lives) in a very permanent fashion.
The physical benefits of the Whole30 are profound. More than 95% of participants lose weight and improve their body composition, without counting or restricting calories. Also commonly reported: consistently high energy levels, improved athletic performance, better sleep, improved focus and mental clarity, and a sunnier disposition. (Yes, more than a few Whole30 graduates said they felt “strangely happy” during and after their program.)
The psychological benefits of the Whole30 may be even more dramatic. Through the program, participants report effectively changing long-standing, unhealthy habits related to food, developing a healthier body image, and a dramatic reduction or elimination of cravings, particularly for sugar and carbohydrates. The words so many Whole30 participants use to describe this place? “Food freedom.”
Finally, testimonials from thousands of Whole30 participants document the improvement or “cure” of any number of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions.
high blood pressure • high cholesterol • type 1 diabetes • type 2 diabetes • asthma • allergies • sinus infections • hives • skin conditions • endometriosis • PCOS • infertility • migraines • depression • bipolar disorder • heartburn • GERD • arthritis • joint pain • ADD • thyroid dysfunction • Lyme disease • fibromyalgia • chronic fatigue • lupus • leaky gut syndrome • Crohn’s • IBS • Celiac disease • diverticulitis • ulcerative colitis
