The first week of the Whole30 is complete. Here are my thoughts and tips I picked up from my first week of improving my health & wellness!
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Happy weekend friends! Today I am busy meal prepping for Week Two of the Whole30. My first week was actually, surprisingly easy considering I went from a drinking Diet Coke daily to drinking La Croix ( A MAJOR MUST HAVE STAPLE) all while not having any of the creepy headaches of weaning myself off soda. I must admit I am really excited to jump into week 2, however, I am NOT looking forward to the hardest days and the junk food dreams that often occur next week. Anyhow, I hope you have been enjoying your week so far, and if you are doing the Whole30 -let’s ROCK week 2! We got this, right? So let’s dive right in and see the highs and lows of week 1 of Whole30…
WHY ARE YOU DOING THE WHOLE30?
When I received a few emails asking me WHY I was doing the Whole30 and WHAT my motivation was for doing it, at first I wasn’t sure how to answer that- other than ‘I want to be healthier’. However, when I self-reflect even more I realize that my reasoning behind doing the Whole30 is a bit more than just wanting to be healthy and/or in the process lose a bit of weight. I realized that although I don’t eat too bad before the Whole30, I absolutely wanted a lifestyle change. I am totally getting older- I wish I was getting younger, to be honest, but I have noticed with old age so many things change, and not in a good way. So although I am not one for New Year’s Resolutions, I decided this year would be the year that I live a healthier, active lifestyle. Eat better, workout more, and feel better- those are all on the horizon this year. So that my friends, is why I am doing the Whole30 and saying sayonara to Diet Coke, sugar and junk food.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN DURING WEEK 1 OF WHOLE30?
// EAT REAL FOOD //
So first things first, the first week of the Whole30 my grocery bill was INSANELY expensive. I bought literally a bit of everything and anything that I thought would make it easier to jump right into this. I am talking- shopping at 5 different stores (Sprouts, Aldi, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Costco) all seeking for things that I thought I needed. Granted I had a shopping list- but I will admit after going through week 1, I over bought things. The whole point of Whole30 is to EAT REAL FOOD and STOP eating processed food- you know the items: chips, soda, candy, fast food. However, I didn’t realize that eating real food would be so expensive during Week 1. Granted after reflecting what I did in Week 1, one thing I noticed was when it came to Week 1 shopping- I OVER DID IT! Granted you’ll pick up some solid staples like:
- Trader Joe’s Coconut Cream– for Whole30 Homemade Ranch
- Avocado Oil -for cooking and making Whole30 Mayo + Ranch
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil– for cooking and Whole30 Salad Dressings
- Avocados – for literally EVERYTHING
- Eggs – also for EVERYTHING
- Aidells Chicken Apple Sausage– this is a GREAT must have, especially for breakfast
- Sweet Potatoes– these have been my go-to for a lot of recipes
- Cauliflower OR Broccoli Rice– trust me you will be impressed how much you love it.
- La Croix– this my friends is AMAZING! Sparkling water with a hint of flavor. Perfect for missing the bubbles of my Diet Coke.
But I went beyond overboard. I bought 5 kinds of meats, every herb, and spice that I could find that would add flavor, literally everything I could find that would be Whole30 compliant. Veggies, fruits, tons of eggs, avocados, and more- I overspent and overstocked. Of course, you live and you learn, and I think going into Week 2 my shopping cart will roughly cost about $50- $75 instead.
// MEAL PREP IS KEY //
Obviously when you start any lifestyle change or diet, setting yourself up for success is key. Which in this case- MEAL PREP is important. Wash all veggies and fruit, dice and chop everything, boil hard boiled eggs. Recently I bought an Instant Pot and O-M-G y’all it’s life changing- think a dozen hardboiled, easy to peel eggs done in under 8 minutes. The Instant Pot has literally changed my life and meal prepping as I know it. One thing I learned from Week 1 was to NOT overthink meal prep and don’t try to go above and beyond. I don’t mind eating a lot of the same things over and over, so for me, that will drastically cut back on cost and meal prepping time. Week 1 I overthought it and I tried to be Betty Crocker and make something different each meal. While there is nothing wrong with that, it’s just not for me.
// FIND SOME SOLID STAPLES YOU LIKE //
Now while I totally OVERSPENT and over thought my week, I actually learned that I have some favorite meals that I plan to make multiple times during my Whole30. Here are a few:
- Monkey Salad- this is SUPER easy, and very fulfilling when you need a snack or something sweet almost. It’s just sliced bananas, sliced pineapple, almond butter and unsweetened coconut flakes on top.
- Breakfast-to-go- Egg Cups– I am OBSESSED! They are perfect for on the go. Just grab a bit of avocado and you’re golden.
- Cauliflower Fried Rice– this is super easy and super fulfilling. Just add a bit of your favorite meat and you have a perfect dish
- Breakfast Hash– I found myself loving this for both day and night. Super fulfilling and very quick and easy to make.
- White Chicken Chili– I made this and O-M-G so good. PLUS it also can be used for multiple meals during the week.
Although I feel pretty good and I officially have 1 week under my belt- I can honestly say there were a few challenges and lows during the week. The first one being – I WAS HUNGRY faster than usual. So the one thing that I learned was that you will get hungry sooner (think every 3-4 hours) because your body is processing WHOLE FOOD and NOT processed food. Although I wasn’t getting caffeine withdrawal headaches like I thought I would- I found myself craving cheese and missing a nice cold Diet Coke from the drive-thru while I was out and about. However, thankfully when I feel the need for bubbles I have my La Croix and there are an array of flavors! Also, the last low for me was my body recovery after a hard workout- now I am not sure if it’s because of Whole30 or if it’s because last week’s workouts at OrangeTheory Fitness just kicked my ass even more- but the recovery was intense. I am talking walking HURT, sitting down on the toilet- I felt like I was going to die. Literally, you guys the recovery struggle was REALLY REAL! Either way, I am excited to jump into Week2 and see how I feel.
So there you have it, a quick rundown of what I learned during my first Week of Whole30. Thank you all for following along, and thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share my healthy journey with you. I am looking forward to sharing my changes and update of Week 2 next week, but in the meantime, if you want to see more Whole30 goodness be sure to check of my group of blogging pals that have been rocking this journey with me. You can also follow along on social media with all of us using hashtag #Whole30Jan. Check out the links below and see how my fellow #Whole30Jan girls did.
- Kristin @ Taz and Belly
- Jaime @ Sunflowers and Stilettos
- Heather @ My Life Well Loved
- Jennifer @ Life In A Greenhouse
- Lindsey @ Life Lutzurious
- Ashley @ Two Peas In A Prada
- Lauren @ Lauren McBride
- Lauren @ A Lo Profile
- Tessa @ Tessa Lindsey Garcia
- Anna @ Fluerdille
- Kendra @ Citizens of Beauty
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