My Whole30 Adventure

Well....I DID IT! :)

My friends, Jeff and Julie, started taking on Jeff's Crazy Idea at the beginning of this year. Part of that idea included their whole family of 4 doing a Whole30. I followed their journey and was astonished at some of the results they achieved in those 30 days. Curious, and wanting to start eating better, I decided to do my own Whole30.

Basically, a Whole30 is 30 days of eating meats, seafood, eggs, lots of veggies, fruit, and healthy oils from things like nuts, seeds, avocados, etc.

That's it. Nothing else.

No added sugar, no legumes, no grains, no soy, etc.

Nada. For 30 days.

I admit I was worried about jumping into a Whole30 immediately. I work outside our home 3 days a week and usually take both breakfast and lunch with me to the office. I also knew, with my husband not doing the Whole30 with me, that I would have to choose dinner recipes that he would either enjoy or be able to eat in a non-Whole30 way (like tacos). And being a firstborn through and through, I figured I would plan out meals for all 30 days before I started.

Yeah...right...like that actually happened.

Not that I didn't do any planning but it ended up being less than I originally planned and thought I needed to be successful. I guess it just goes to show that you don't need to have it all figured out before you jump in and start eating healthier! I usually plan out our meals for the week before grocery shopping on Monday evenings. This was still true during the Whole30 and helped me to plan out my week ahead and realize when I would have to do some pre-cooking to have food for work or when I needed to use my wonderful Crock-Pot.

After putting off the start of my adventure for a month, I finally dove into things head first on May 8th. June 6th marked day 30.

So how did it turn out? I will admit, even after seeing Jeff and Julie's results, I was flabbergasted by mine. I lost a total of 15.2lbs and a couple of inches between my body measurements. My husband even said that my energy levels have been more consistent overall

While I have not and will not fully maintain these eating standards immediately (baby steps), we have incorporated some of the recipes into our normal pool of meals and are definitely eating more produce (read: fruit and vegetables) overall. I found some breakfast recipes I really liked that incorporated some veggies first thing in the morning and we've been experimenting with new foods too. I even cooked with red and green bell peppers for the first time last week! I've noticed that my tastes have changed, especially when it comes to sweets, and it's helped my self-control and helped me to make better choices knowing how my body will react to things I didn't eat on the Whole30.  

I am maintaining one thing straight from the Whole30...I will not measure my weight for another month. During the Whole30, the idea is not to concentrate on a number but to focus on healthy eating. But I will admit I can't wait to see my results...especially right before the family cruise! :)

So here's to healthier eating, more energy, and hopefully dropping a few more pounds!! :)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

P.S. For more detailed information on the Whole30, you can click on the image above or go here.