[Whole30] Ready Set Go... Starting Today!

Monday, January 19, 2015

We're doing it! We're actually doing it!

I'm the QUEEN of saying I'm going to do something and then never follow through (horrible, horrible, I know, I'm working on it) but this time, I talked about it and I'm actually doing it!

I mentioned a week or so ago that Seth and I were debating doing the Whole30. I'm not one to go for a fad diet but I feel like this was more than a diet... this was a lifestyle change. Honestly, I don't think we eat that badly normally, we have definitely improved our eating habits in the past couple years, but we could definitely use a little help in the health department. I'm not sure if we will do another one of these in the future or not (probably not right away if we do) and I don't think I could live for the rest of my life without ever having dairy or chocolate again (though, never say never) but I do hope to at least learn more about the food that I eat, learn to check labels more carefully and find out what exactly it is that I am putting in my body, and discover some healthier recipes that we can put in our normal meal rotation.

I will admit, I was SO intimidated by this meal plan at first. There is SO much that you can't have - stuff that we eat on the regular - dairy, pasta, bread, chocolate. Seriously, how could I do this as a working mom? Oh, and as a woman who doesn't cook? Literally, I don't know how to cook. I mean, I'm sure I could survive on a desert island (scratch that... NO WAY could I survive on a desert island!!!) if I had to. I wouldn't starve. But I definitely wouldn't be eating as well as I do now with Seth cooking for me (THANK YOU for preventing me from starving on a daily basis Seth!). So when Seth said he was on board with whatever I wanted to do, I knew that we could do this.

A couple people that I follow on Instagram have done the Whole30 and their meals looked SO good. Seriously, they looked like things I would want to eat normally, so I figured, why not try? And when I broke it down, it didn't look so hard and as intimidating as I first thought. I searched Pinterest and blogs and Instagram's and the Whole30 website for what I needed to buy, what I could and couldn't have, and for recipe ideas. It literally took HOURS on a Saturday. Once I felt like I knew what I wanted to do, I made a meal plan that laid out breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks. I knew I needed an exact meal plan if I wanted to be successful because without planning ahead and forgetting to pack enough healthy snacks for work, I wouldn't have very many healthy options to choose from. 
I wanted to be prepared.

So once I had some ideas, I made myself a weekly plan. As easy as that sounds, it literally took more hours on a Sunday to figure out exactly what I wanted to have and when and what we needed to buy. I did a small Costco run and a Trader Joe's run two weekends ago, a Whole Foods run during the week, and another big Costco run this past weekend as well as a regular grocery store run. And NOW we're ready.

Trader Joe's // Whole Foods
Costco trip # 1

Costco trip # 2
My little Costco helper

(not pictured : grocery store run for odds and ends)


Why did I talk about it so long ago and we are just now starting it? We waited so long to start because of a couple reasons. And these are the honest, truthful reasons.

1. I wanted to be sure what we were getting ourselves into. As I mentioned, this plan takes a lot of prep (meal planning and food preparation) and I wanted to be sure we had a plan to succeed. We both work full time and we knew we would need to have a meal plan and a game plan for making the Whole30 successful for us.
2. I wanted to clear out the pantry. We have a lot of Whole30 not approved items in our fridge and pantry (which hopefully shouldn't come as too big of a shock as I'm sure most of you have some sort of milk, cheese, yogurt, pasta, wine, ranch dressing, etc. in your fridges or pantries right now). I didn't want it all in the house while we are on the Whole30 but I also didn't want to throw it away. So we meal planned for last week and got rid of most of the bad stuff.
3. I had a work lunch planned for the Cheesecake Factory on Friday, January 16th. Now you may laugh and say "wow, she ate at the Cheesecake Factory mere days before starting this healthy living meal plan". Why, yes, yes I did. And I had cheesecake. When your work pays for you to eat cheesecake, you eat cheesecake. I'm sure some people are cringing reading that while others are shaking their heads in agreement. Judge if you want, but I don't turn down a free meal at one of my favorite restaurants.

I don't plan to post all day, everyday about the Whole30. I am not a food blogger (as is evidenced from my food photos - sorry!). But at the end of our journey (and maybe in the middle? I'm not sure yet), I do plan to share. For those of you who are curious and for myself; to see the results and to refer back on if we do another one. This is my online journal, after all, and this is 1/12th of my life in 2015.

Wish us luck!



Disclaimer : Please keep in mind that I am obviously not a dietician or an expert on the Whole30. All statements are purely mine based on Seth and my experience. Results may vary for others. We did read part of the book, It Starts with Food, but haven't had a chance to read the whole thing yet. But from what we have read, it is a very interesting and eye opening book! 
Please go to The Whole30 website for more information.

19 comments:

  1. Please do some updates! I am looking to start something - not sure what - after the move. We need to get back to cleaner eating. I can do the no bread or pasta but the no diary or chocolate sounds way hard! I mean cheese is like the best snack ever! Good luck - I hope it goes well!

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  2. Wow good luck! We are a very healthy eating family, and still i know that whole 30 isn't for me... I neede sweets! What s fun challenge to do as a family!

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  3. Cheesecake... yum. I would have waited for that, too! Can't wait to hear how this goes for you!

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  4. I've heard such great things about Whole30..good luck you guys will rock it out for sure!

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  5. Good luck! I'd love updates to see what you guys eat!

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  6. Can't wait to follow along!! Good luck! :) I am the same as you in regards to not sticking to plans, but having the blog helps for motivation... if you talk about it you have to be accountable ;)

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  7. Good luck! I can't wait to see how you do it and how it works for you. I'm especially impressed that you're doing it since you guys both work full time. :)

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  8. Ok. That stuff doesn't look too bad at all! I can't wait to see what/how you do so you can pass along your wisdom ;) good luck!

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  9. Oh you will feel so much clearer mentally that you won't even notice you are missing the "good stuff" after a week or so. Can't wait to follow along and see what ya'll come up with!

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  10. You are seriously super woman!! I am soooo excited for you guys to do this! Look up @darcieats on IG.... she just posted a sweet potato recipe that sounds BOMB! It's whole30 compliant because she's on it right now, but I can't wait to make them for us!
    I will totally be cheering you on (but watch out... I'm about to post a million pictures of me and my better than "anything" (ha) cake that Eric is baking for my birthday! Yum.
    Bad example, but really good cheerleader!!

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  11. So intrigued! Yes, please post updates! And, no judgement here about chowing down at CF! I would have done the same thing!!

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  12. No dairy?! Nope, count this Cheesehead out. Ha!

    I love that Mason was helping you with the groceries. So damn cute! :)

    Mandie ~ http://badbrewpack.blogspot.com/

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  13. No pasta? No dairy? I'd die. Pretty sure I'd just die.
    But, with that said, I'm your biggest cheerleader and can't wait to see all the progress!!

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  14. When your work pays for you to eat cheesecake, you eat cheesecake. - amen
    No dairy is stupid. Almost as stupid as no bread. I hate eggs in the morning. Praise the Lord for fruit. Actually I don't know what you can have on whole30 but you can have fruit with Paleo and I hear it is pretty close. Banana ice cream was my savior when I did the Paleo thing in Sept. Just bananas and almond milk blended, with the unsweetened cocoa powder...which again not sure you can have on whole30. It kept me going all day with that reward at the end, and then after not quite a week I was doing way better. When in doubt banana it out!!! And Ryan Gosling is watching.

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  15. Excited to see how you guys like this. You can do it!!!! That was said in my best cheerleader voice. P.S. I have never ate at the Cheesecake Factory, we don't have one any where close. Pitiful isn't it?!

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  16. I'm so intrigued by this! And my husband does 99% of our cooking as well! Please post updates so we can learn some new recipes and how you feel, etc.

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    1. Definitely! Will do. I plan to do a halfway and an end post :)

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  17. Awesome - good for you guys!! I can't wait to hear how it goes. I am primarily gluten free, and I believe a majority of the people out there would FEEL better if they were too, so I'm anxious to hear if there's a difference for you guys going ALL the way. :) High five to you for being prepared and planning so well, that's definitely the way to do it!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! :)

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