Today I’m posting a special edition of “Currently”, dedicated to my experience so far with the Whole30 program. Have you heard of Whole30? It’s a popular program developed by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig as a way to reset your body by cutting…well, pretty much everything out of your diet. A quick rundown of what I can’t eat is added sugar or sugar substitute, grains, dairy, legumes, and alcohol. So basically I can eat protein (meat and seafood), eggs, fruit, nuts and seeds, oils, coffee, and lots and lots of vegetables. I’m going to do a Whole30 results posts on the blog that goes deeper into my experience and what I ate so stay tuned. But I thought a little “Currently” post might be a fun thing to share halfway through the program, day 12 to be exact. Go me!
Reading – It Starts with Food, by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig. Melissa and Doug are the creators of the popular Whole30 program and this book does a great job explaining why foods are good or bad for us. In their words, the book gets a little “science-y” but I found it to be a very interesting read. This book really helped me get mentally prepared for the program and more knowledgable about what food is doing to my body. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that thinks they might have any issues with food or just are curious about food choices. But if you are looking for more recipes and less on the science of food I would probably choose the Whole30 book over It Starts With Food.
Planning – Meals, meals, meals. I’ve never meal planned and meal prepped like I have these past 12 days. I really think that having compliant food available is the key to success with Whole30. If I was walking into the house at 5:30 asking myself what I was going to eat that night I know that I would start scrounging in the cupboards for food I can’t have. By cooking a ton on Sundays I’ve saved myself a lot of time and stress.
Watching – Videos on how to cook spaghetti squash. I can say with 100% certainty I’ve never cooked it before, but I gave it a whirl this week and it turned out great! It gave me a taste of the pasta I’ve been craving and it was so easy to cook in a crock pot. Quote from my husband, “if you’d told me this is angel hair pasta I would have believed you”.
Baking – Chicken, pork, salmon, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, zucchini, sweet potatoes, carrots, asparagus, shall I go on? Warning: Whole30 is a lot of time spent in the kitchen, but I’m actually enjoying it and learning new ways to cook and season meat and veggies.
Drinking – I am a notoriously bad water drinker, but I’ve been stepping it up during Whole30 and have been having 8-10 glasses a day, which is pretty much unheard of for me. I wanted to mix it up with something fizzy so I bought a case of Berry Sparkling Water. I’m trying to acquire a taste for it, so that I don’t jump back on the soda bandwagon after my Whole30.
Loving – Breakfast with my boys. Before I started Whole30 I never took the time to eat at home, I would always make toast with peanut butter when I got to work. Now that I have to eat such a full and hearty breakfast I get up earlier and take the time to sit at the table with my boys each morning. They are generally very happy and funny in the morning (compared to the tired, cranky boys I sometimes see at dinner), so I’m loving and cherishing the extra 15 minutes in the morning I get to sit with them and laugh.
Hating – Sugar. I mean, don’t get me wrong…I love sugar. But why is it in EVERYTHING?? Now that I’m on Whole30 and eliminating all added sugar and sugar substitutes I’ve been reading a lot more food labels. And it is VERY hard to find things without added sugar. It is even in certain brands of spaghetti sauce and salsa, so I’ve had to take a close look at what I’m buying or better yet, make my own homemade version at home.
Anticipating – Tiger Blood. Before you think I’ve gone completely off the deep end, “tiger blood” is what the Whole30 program calls the point in the program when you “say goodbye to sugar cravings, energy is through the roof, clothes fit better, workouts are stronger, and you are generally more awesome”. They say this happens for some people around Day 16. So if anyone sees me outside sprinting around the yard, don’t call for help it just means the tiger blood must have hit.
Dreading – A lunch work meeting. Next week I’m going to a work meeting where everyone will be ordering in food and I’m kind of dreading having to either not eat or packing my own lunch. To be honest, eating out at restaurants or going to work events are pretty tough during Whole30 because you have to be so strict with food. But I’ve found if I plan ahead it really isn’t as hard as I anticipate. We took a road trip last weekend and I made salads to eat on the go for lunch, and fruits and veggies for extra snacks. As part of the “planning ahead” method I always have emergency snacks in my purse for if I get really hungry or am tempted to eat something I shouldn’t. I’m currently toting around a LunaBar and a little baggie of cashews.
Feeling – Empowered. It’s pretty empowering to make healthy food choices, and I’m taking the title of the book I read, It Starts With Food to heart. I truly do think that feeling good starts with the food we eat. Nine years ago I ran a full-marathon and I remember a moment when I stood in front of a mirror in awe of my body, not because of the way it looked but that it was capable of running 26 miles. My body was a well-oiled machine and it felt amazing. Cut to nine years and 2 kids later, I still am running and working out but I just feel tired….a lot. I thought it was a mom thing, which I’m sure is part of it, but when I read more and more about Whole30 and how it can change your energy levels it piqued my interest. I haven’t reached “tiger blood” status yet, but I’m not yawning in the afternoon and evening anymore, and generally just feel more alert.
Celebrating – The little wins. Things such as turning down donuts at work without a bat of an eye, hearing my toddler say “mmmmmmm!” while eating his steamed broccoli, and making the conscious decision not to give in to an afternoon sugar craving.
Listening – Podcasts. I’ve really enjoyed listening to podcasts while I workout and even sometimes at work. It’s a nice way to multitask and learn new things while working out. I found an interview with the creator of Whole30 on the Fat Burning Man Podcast, The Melissa Hartwig: Food Freedom Forever Episode (aired October 7, 2016), I enjoyed listening to it.
Losing – Weight? I don’t know. One of the program rules is you can’t step on the scale until it’s over. Their reasoning is they don’t want anyone to see a number on the scale and then have it derail any progress they were making because they were hoping for a different number, which makes sense to me. I’ll talk about any weight loss in my upcoming Whole30 results post.
Improving – My health and my family’s health. Enough said! Stay tuned next month when I dig deeper into my Whole30 experience and results, I’m crossing my fingers for fresh “tiger blood”!
Thanks for [currently] reading, I hope you have a great weekend!