Well folks, so far I am loving Whole 30! Woo hoo.
However, it is NOT easy! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to reach for a quick snack and then realized it’s not “Whole 30 approved!” It really is eye-opening to me how many times I’ve wanted to mindlessly snack.
I still have plenty of things I can snack on (cut up fruit, veggies, olives, pickles, etc.), but it’s interesting how “healthy snacks” just don’t have quite the draw that unhealthy snacks have. When I see an unhealthy snack, it seems like my body sends off all sorts of “must eat right now” signals. I can actually feel the craving rising inside me and all of my senses become heightened.
It’s fascinating how unhealthy food “jacks” with our bodies and almost makes us become a slave to those foods.
Whenever I commit to a 100% healthy diet, I always eat less food in general. I eat because I’m hungry, not because I’m tired, stressed, craving, etc. Healthy food does just what it should do….fuels our bodies and helps us to be healthy (i.e. healthy weight, appetite control, blood sugar stable, etc.)
So, even though this diet is a little tough, I know it’s exactly what my body needs right now. I’m also feeling particularly motivated for several reasons….
- I had the baby in August, so life was extremely crazy for a couple of months. THEN the holidays hit. Soooo, now the holidays are over and baby is older=perfect time for me to “kill it!”
- We have a brand spankin’ new gym that just opened up near our house. I’m hoping to find some good classes so I can start a regular fitness regimen once again.
- I definitely indulged too much this Christmas! My body is very ready for a detox.
- My New Year’s resolution is to get 7 hours of sleep every. single. night…..so I know that will help make my other health and fitness goals much easier.
- We’ve had a bunch of different flu/cold bugs going around our house. I know that clean eating/sleep/exercise is the best way to fend off illness!
- I have a birthday next month and will be turning 39! Gah! I’m bound and determined to get in the best shape of my life by my 40th birthday….so I better get crackin’, right?
- I signed up for the Ogden Half Marathon (happening in May) and I’m a little bit nervous! I’ve only run ONE half marathon in my life and that was FIVE years ago! Running has been so hard for me lately, but I’m hoping to improve. Eating a clean and healthy diet can help me lose weight, stay healthy and have more energy=become a better runner and not face-plant on my half!
I’ve already decided that I WILL NOT QUIT. I’m sure I’ll have mega cravings, attend fun social events and get so sick of the food options available to me, but I don’t care! I am not a wuss, (actually, sometimes I am. Ha ha.) but I’m going to remain committed, determined and very, very stubborn!
I also know that if I’m going to be successful with this diet, then it is vital that I plan, prepare and always have plenty of food options available! On Sunday night, Kev and I did a lot of food prep.
We cut up a bunch of lettuce, broccoli, peppers, onions and carrots. We also put some chicken in a marinade.
We browned some ground turkey with onion and spices (salt, pepper and garlic powder), hard-boiled some eggs and roasted a bunch of veggies. Yum!
I’ve been very grateful to have all of this food already prepared!
I’ve been having various egg/veggie creations for breakfast the past couple days…
This morning I added ground turkey to the mix as well. Yum!
Both of those egg creations would taste so good with a little cheese! Boo. 🙁
I’ve been having a lot of random salads too. This one was just lettuce, chicken and snap peas topped with Frank’s RedHot Wings Buffalo sauce….my new fav!!
Leftover fruit…
Various Green Smoothies with deli meat on the side…
Shakes are interesting on Whole 30. You can’t have most protein powders, you can’t add any sweeteners (even natural ones!), no extracts (vanilla, almond, etc), and they recommend you don’t go overboard on the fruit!
So I got a little creative and just mixed about 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 1 cup water, 2 big handfuls spinach, 1 frozen banana, some sliced almonds and a bunch of ice.
It actually tasted quite good and was very refreshing! It was also a welcome change from the “meat, veggies and a little fruit” diet I’ve been consuming.
I made grilled chicken, sweet potatoes and salad for dinner last night and it was wonderful!
I topped my salad with a little Balsamic vinaigrette and the chicken with some more Frank’s RedHot sauce. So good!
I was going to marinate my chicken in my favorite marinade, but I realized it had soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce in it and I can’t have those! Sooo, I got creative again and came up with a Southwest flavor marinade that turned out good!
Southwest Marinade for Chicken (Whole 30 Friendly!)
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 cup lime juice (or juice from 2 limes)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Mix all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag or a large glass bowl. Add chicken. Marinate the chicken (in the fridge!) for at least an hour. You can also marinate the chicken overnight. The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavor it will have.
Cook as desired.
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Well, that’s all I have tonight. I hope those of you who are doing this diet with me are doing well too!!
Do. Not. Quit. You will not regret it! Just take it one day at a time! xoxo
Ah, the no cheese thing would kill me! But the salads and egg creations look yummy.
Do you make separate meals for your family, or the same thing with an extra side dish? That’s the other thing that would kill me – watching everyone eat the stuff I can’t.
Yes, I’m missin’ the cheese! I’m actually getting very sick of all the food choices, but I keep reminding myself it’s only 30 days! I’ve been making dinners that I can eat along with the whole family, but I’m sure they’ll be plenty of nights I will just fix a normal dinner for them and then something quick and easy (i.e. boring) for me.
Keep up the great work! The extra prep will definitely make it easier. I know I do better when I can just walk up to the fridge and grab something healthy.
Thanks! Yes, I’ve been so grateful for the prepped foods in the fridge. It definitely makes it easier!
I love your attitude and enthusiasm, Mel!
In reading this post, I realized most of your good advice about staying determined and becoming successful can actually be applied to ANY good habit or improvement we might like to apply to our lives, not only eating better.
Thanks so much Deborah! I think you’re right; every good habit really requires determination, commitment and planning!
I’m doing well and I am so excited about this program. Thank you for answering all my texts :). I really appreciate it!
Yay Victoria, I’m so happy to hear that!!! I am more than happy to answer any of your questions/texts. Sheree is also doing this with us too, fyi. 😉 It will be fun to see/feel the results!!
I love veggies but I snack way too much too. Veggies that are prepared are way easier to grab than pirates booty! Keep up the hard work and good luck training.
C.
Oh, I love Pirate’s Booty too! It’s addicting. I’m grateful to have so many prepped veggies in the fridge. It definitely helps when hunger hits!
You are doing great – so impressed with all the food prep you did!! I’m sure that makes it a lot easier!!!
Thanks so much Kim. I’m really glad we did the food prep. It’s helped so much. I’m sure I’ll keep doing it each week!
Way to go with all that prepping. I’m sure you’ll do great. No cheese would be a little hard for me though. I usually have a slice of light Mozzarella or Swiss with an apple pre-workout. I can’t wait to try your recipe.
Oooo, an apple with cheese sounds so good! I do really miss the cheese. It makes food so much more flavorful!
I just started my diet too (had a baby in September) and I’m just basically going Paleo, no diet challenge or specifics. The cheese thing is rough. Gah. Agreed. And I miss over indulging on the fruit. 🙂 The first days are always the toughest ones but you’ve set yourself up for success. I’ve got to get into more of that meal prep!
I love/hate Paleo! It’s great and will yield results, but it’s so tough! I hope we’ll both get the results we’re looking for. I’m excited to see how I feel after 30 days. I know sacrificing all of my favorite foods is rough, but I know it will be worth it!
No cheese and no sweets would be so hard, but I am sure it will be worth it.
Oh I am missing the cheese, sweets and all the grains! It’s tough, but it’s kind of fun too. I’m just hoping to see/feel some good results! Fingers crossed. 😉
Sounds like you have a wonderful attitude about it all Melanie! Lots of veggies and healthy carbs will give your body fuel and energy and satisfaction. That is exactly how I lost 40 lbs 9 months POST partum after my baby. It was all the amazing plantbased foods with high fiber, vitamins and low fat that sent my body into an amazing fat burning machine. They digest better than any other foods and absorb so much better and are cholesterol free….it’s amazing how much better I felt and feel. So I’m glad to see all those yummy veggies! As much as I love dessert, I love veggies equally as much believe it or not, lol!!
Amen!!
I love veggies so much and love how they make me feel, but if I don’t make a conscious effort to eat them, I don’t seem to get enough. I love this diet and love how many veggies I’m eating. I feel great! That’s so amazing you lost 40 pounds 9 months postpartum!
LOVE your go-getter attitude!! Keep it up, you’re doing amazing!!!
Thanks so much! So far I’m lovin’ it.
Can’t wait to hear about your progress and how your body feels!! Get em girl!! 🙂
Thanks you SO MUCH! I really love this diet so much and feel great! It’s only been a week, but I feel stronger, healthier, cleaner (I know that sounds weird) and ever so slightly thinner. I’m not supposed to weigh myself during this diet, so I don’t know exactly how much weight I’ve lost, but I feel good!
Keep up the good work Mel. I know you can do it is all about commitment, determination and wanting to do it. Also I love how you prep all of your meals, I should do that it will definitely make my life easier.
Thanks so much! This diet has been tough, but so far, I love it. Prepping my meals has helped so much and definitely helps me to succeed. I’m sure if I didn’t have lots of good food choices available in my fridge, I would fall apart in a second!
Glad you are doing great. Hang in there ! It will be so worth it in the end. I have done the 21 Day Sugar Detox several times and saw such great results. Would love to hear how you are feeling and how the Whole 30 is affecting your body / mood / sleep. Good luck going into week 2.
Thanks Karen! I’ve heard good things about the 21 day sugar detox. I love sugar so much, but I always love how I feel when I go OFF of it for extended periods of time! So far I’m feeling great on this diet. I’m getting sick of the food, but I feel great and sleep great! My cravings have gone down, but are not all the way gone yet. I’m happy to be starting week two today!
YAHOO WAY TO keep this going strong!
Thanks Britt!
You’ve got this! Love your I will not quit attitude. Before you know it you will have kicked those cravings to the curb!
Thanks Jill! I have already noticed my cravings going down. Woo hoo.
Sounds like a great diet! I am sure you’ll succeed! Nice pics btw
Thank you so much!