Last night half of me was thinking about Whole30.
Why just half? Well, because there are 2 halves to everything – including me π π Don’t mind me…Back to the Whole30.
You know I’m pro real food and really not that much into restrictions. I believe in moderation and common sense when it comes to choosing what to eat.
I know people (both in real life and online) who did Whole30 and loved it and made it their life style.
I’m not sure if there’s anybody who hated it – if yes, Β I don’t know them. π
But anyway, I’ve had some digestive issues lately and I kinda blame dairy for it. For as long as I can remember myself I couldn’t have milk for breakfast – it always felt like I had a stone in my stomach if I had it first thing in the morning.
So. Whole30 – “Pro’s” and “Con’s”
What’s it all about? Basically – real food in any amounts – love that! No tracking or calorie counting. Freedom!
No Dairy (or any dairy byproducts) – the only 2 things I’d miss in this category are cheese and Greek yogurt. Ok, maybe cottage cheese too (I like adding it to my smoothies sometimes).
No added sugar (both natural and artificial sweeteners) – I have no problem quitting sugar if/when I can recognize it – I’m not very good at reading labels. But then again this problem is eliminated if you don’t eat stuff that comes in a box, right? No label, nothing to read π
No grains – I’d really miss quinoa, rice and corn. We eat a lot of those. Oh and that piece of toast with mashed avocado in the morning. Pretty much all the energy/snack bars are off limits, too as a lot of them are oats-based (+sugar).
No Legumes (beans, peanuts) – I like black beans and add them to my salads occasionally. Hummus (chickpeas) and peanuts being off limits would be a challenge, too. But I’d say this part is pretty doable for me.
No alcohol – not a problem, I rarely drink it anyway.
No scale or measurements for 30 days – easy, who cares anyway as long as I feel good. If I put those pounds back on – trust me, I feel them immediatelyΒ π
So…Whole30.
Basically means I can still eat this:
yep, that’s a big a$$ steak you see π
And as long as you can eat steak, life is not bad at all – at least for me.
So I just ordered the Whole30Β book – It Starts With Food
I think I’m gonna do it. I need to feel better after eating. I don’t think there’s any other way than changing what I eat.
For now I will keep reading, getting ready and I might start on Monday.
Tell me: have you ever tried the Whole30? If yes – what do you think? If not – why not?
Stay tuned for more news on the Whole30 subject, friends.
Hugs,
I’ve looked at it before and being a vegetarian it would be really hard to give up grains and legumes. They are pretty much my stapes and I think they are nutritional powerhouses so for me it’s out!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner recently posted…Surfing in DC?!
Yeah, I don’t think it would be possible for vegetarians. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to be one – I love my steak too much π
I completely the Whole30 in January of 2013 and couldn’t believe the things I discovered about myself. Like my joints ache because of sugar and gluten. My skin can be acne free if I stay away from dairy.
I tried to do the Whol30 two more times since, and have not made it through. By the third time, I felt myself getting really anxious about what to eat and what not to eat, so I bailed.
I intend to give it another go, after spending some time creating the right mindset.
I highly recommend it to folks, because they may feel “fine”, but 30 days later find out what it feels like to thrive. But if you have a history with eating disorders, I say approach with caution.
Jacki recently posted…Clean eating your way Γ’ΒΒ Is sugar really unhealthy
That’s what I hear – people couldn’t believe the changes in them. To be honest, that’s something that attracts me in this program. I want to see the changes to my body, mood and energy levels, too.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your experience, Jacki.
I keep going on and off paleo. Now that we are living with my in laws, I’ve been struggling and getting really stressed about what I eat because I am simply surrounded by crap, processed foods that I suddenly HAVE to eat. When we go back to living on our own [when construction is done on our house], I fully intend to get my family back to paleo. We all felt better, had more energy, and were generally happier. I feel a lot more lethargic now that I’m eating some processed foods, and yogurt is giving me tummy aches again. That being said, dairy products here in the Netherlands are of excellent quality. I had zero problems with dairy in Russia, but after my family moved to the US, I developed some sort of intolerance or something like that to it. After leaving the US, it got better as long as I don’t over do it.
Overall with paleo, I don’t feel deprived and actually felt relieved in the freedom that it gave me – eating however much veg I want is pretty awesome. I do tend to eat a bit more fruit than I think most real paleo-ers would recommend. I also loved all the steak π My hubby missed the grains, but was more than happy with the extra meat, too! I loved the new ideas I came up with and new recipes I got to try like cauliflower rice.
All of that being said, even when we really were paleo, it was more of 80 to 90 percent of the time type of thing. I would add quinoa once or twice a week, or even beans or legumes every now and again. I love it, but that’s just my experience with it.
So sorry to write an essay here! I’m excited to see what you decide! You can always try it and if it doesn’t work, then stop any time! Or modify it by adding quinoa or something equally tasty/healthy π
Yuliya recently posted…Munchkin Meals: What the Toddler has been munchkin on lately
Yuliya, no problem at all! I want to thank you for that essay! I really need as much information as possible from the people who actually did it.
THANK YOU!
Lena recently posted…So…Whole30
You’re so welcome then π If you want more about my experience, feel free to email me! Otherwise, I really like Giselle at my healthy happy home for some inspiration: http://myhealthyhappyhome.com/paleo/
[I have a list of blogs/recipes I like if you’re interested]
Yuliya recently posted…Munchkin Meals: What the Toddler has been munchkin on lately
Thanks! Will definitely check it out.
I’m putting together our meal plan for the week and I was thinking, did you decide if you’re going to do Whole 30 for sure? Want to do it together and support each other? I keep slipping off paleo and going into binges of the crappy food that is tantalizingly readily available given our current living arrangement. I recently did a paleo challenge that was essentially whole 30 and did pretty well so maybe if we do it together, it would at least be more fun π
Yuliya recently posted…Fruit tot school unit
I’d love to! Starting Monday?
Awesome! Sounds great! Did you want to organise some corresponding posts or anything? Or just email each other moral support haha? Anyway, if you want to chat more about it, just send me an email: http://mommyhoodinholland.blogspot.nl/p/contact2.html
π Yay! I’m so excited and so desperately need to go buy groceries!
Yuliya recently posted…Fruit tot school unit
Why don’t we do recaps every 10 days? Since we start on Monday, how about a recap post next Thursday (August 21) about days 1-10?
I think I’ll also do a featured Whole30 recipes round up next Tasty Tuesday.
I’m going to be posting daily updates on Instagram if you want to follow along, and exchange ideas and motivation there? (your Instagram link on the blog takes me to “page not found”)
Sounds great! Thanks for letting me know about my instragram oops! I fixed it there and here’s the correct link:
http://instagram.com/welcometomommyhood
Yuliya recently posted…Fruit tot school unit
Following you on Instagram! Bring on Whole30 π
I’m currently on Day 25 of my first Whole30 and have eaten some of the best food in my life these fast 25 days! I had steak for only the second time today and my second meal of the day didn’t even have meat π I’ll be sticking with this 80:20 after the 30 days though! Best choice I have ever made! feel free to swing by my blog and check out my days 1-10, days 11-20 posts as well as some background info from those who have previously done it! The best post by far is “What is the best diet?!” Good Luck π
Elle @ keep it simpelle recently posted…Guest Post: Summer Green Salad
Thank you, Elle. Checked out your blog and the Whole30 posts. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I`m very excited you decided to give it a try! I did it 3 times and even attended one of their seminars on nutrition. It helped me build a much healthier (mentally) relationship with food and my sugar cravings went away. You won`t believe how easy it is for me to look at desserts now and realize that I don`t want any just because I know I will feel like crap after having that cupcake. I`m not saying I never have any desserts, I`m only saying I feel like finally I am in control of what I wanna put into my body and this is liberating in a way. Food is not in control of me.
It was hard for me to do it at first, but then once I got into my new eating habits, it`s pretty easy to follow. One thing I was struggling with (and I`m sure you`ll read it in the book) is feeling hungry between meals at first. I realized it was because I was not having enough good fats and protein with my meals, so after stocking up on avocados and olives, this problem was solved. First week is hard, but then starting from week #3, this energy everyone is talking about does kick in and it feels awesome. I would come back home from the gym after a high intensity workout and still feel like I NEED to do something else because I feel so energetic!!!)))
Also, I did the re-introduction of eliminated food groups as they describe in the book and found out for myself what foods make me feel like crap and which ones I can tolerate without problems. I have sort of my own “food template” right now for my breakfasts, lunches, dinners and pre- and post-workout snacks.
I won`t do the program again in its full capacity because I feel like I have a pretty good feel for what my body needs and where/when/how I can deviate from my “food template” without feeling guilty. But I love the idea of eating whole unprocessed foods without calorie restrictions and discovering what works for each of us because we all are different, out lifestyles are different and we might need different foods, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution.
Lera.
The only dessert I’m really going to miss is ice cream. That’s pretty much the only one I care about anyway π
I will definitely struggle with snacking restriction, too – I’m a snacking queen π π π
Thanks for sharing your experience with the whole30 in such detail – really appreciate it.
Lean Lena recently posted…5 Things You Can Do to Help New Students in Indoor Cycling Class
Without giving it a name, I have been eating/living this way for the past 12 years. Have to say I feel like 10 million bucks π And I am glad you feel pretty good too!
GiGi Eats recently posted…What The Fudge?
You look like a million bucks too, GiGi!