After months of contemplation I have finally decided to take the ‘Whole30′ Challenge. The great thing about the challenge is that I already love the approved food list. My consumption of meat will definitely increase but I’m interested to see how it affects my body.
Maybe it’s a fad. Maybe I’m a little crazy. Maybe it’s a bit extreme. All of these things could be true; however, a thirty day commitment is a short period of time in the grand scheme of my life.
Something that really stood out to me was:
“It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You’ve done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days…”
I can commit to this program for thirty days. It may stretch my willpower but I think that’s a good thing every now and then!
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WEEK ONE RECAP:
Exercise: I’ve been sticking to my same workout routine. Lifting 3 days/week with 20-30 minutes of cardio 5 days/week and TONS of walking (goal of 10,000 steps/day)
Breakfasts:
– Eggs + Sausage over 2-3 cups of spinach
– Sweet Potato + Egg hash
Lunch: (not much variation here)
– GIANT veggie salad w/ grilled chicken breast + apple
Dinner:
– Broccoli Slaw ‘Pasta’ w/ Ground Chicken + Marinara Sauce (‘Whole30′ Approved – read labels!)
– Slow Cooker Pork topped w/ Homemade Guacamole
– GIANT sweet potatoes + veggies
– Chicken Sausages + veggies + sweet potatoes
– Paleo Chili
Overall Mentality:
Positives: Following the ‘Whole30′ hasn’t been as difficult as expected. The majority of my diet falls in line with the program; however, I was definitely craving toast with my breakfast and protein bars (my typical evening ‘dessert’) each night.
I tried bacon for the first time in six (or so) years and was surprised at how much I liked it. We picked up a pound from the farmer’s market and I swear it tastes better than the pre-packaged kind from the grocery store.
I had to decline cherry and berry pie on the Fourth of July but it wasn’t so bad; I knew there would be a sweet potato with coconut oil waiting for me later in the day! Nomnomnom.
Marty and I eat fairly healthy; however, when walking through Costco, I was shocked to see how many ‘healthy’ items contained added sugar (or other funky ingredients.) The ‘Whole30′ has already opened my eyes to how many unnecessary ingredients are contained within our foods.
Negatives: I will admit to binging on almond butter on Day 2 & 4. I ended up staying up too late and snuck back into the kitchen when I really should’ve been in bed. Oops. Almond butter is permitted on the ‘Whole30′ but not in the quantities I consumed…Oh nut butter – you get me every time…
Now that I’m working at a wine bar it’s definitely a struggle not to sample different wines or enjoy a drink after work with my coworkers.
Goals for Week Two:
Watch the documentary ‘Fed Up’ and cook a recipe (or two) with beef!
Also, a shoutout (and thank you) to Kelli for the encouragement and great recipes :)
Tagged: Clean Eating, Recap, Whole30
