Alright, here’s the deal.

I’ve heard of friends doing Whole 30, and their comments and complaints left me hesitant to try it. I listened to Melissa Hartwig talk about it with Jen Hatmaker and I was intrigued again, but I so struggle with the balance of only wanting to buy the weird healthy foods, and then only wanting to eat ramen so I can save money. It’s v hard for me. But, I decided to finally jump on board a month ago. Guess what? I freaking loved it. I feel so good.

What is Whole 30?

For those of you who don’t know what it entails, I suggest you read up on it here. In short, it feels very similar to an elimination diet, where you cut out dairy, sugar, legumes, and grains. I was feeling like I needed a reset on my body. I had this one pesky area on my face that was being eaten alive by acne due to sugar and stress, and there’s real great pair of jeans I wanted to fit into a little better. Not sure if y’all have heard… but Nashville food is really good. So yeah, here we are.

The Beginning

The first week I had a headache like everyday. I was honestly pretty confused by this, because I don’t eat that differently than Whole 30. And I RARELY get headaches. I’d say for the most part I’m a pretty healthy human, but I love food and portions are… negotiable, yeah? Anyway, I was surprised by the headaches, but I also recognize that those could have come from other things as well. IDK.

The Hardest Things to Cut Out

• Popcorn
• Candy
• Gum
• Ice cream
• Wine
• Beer
• Eating out in general
• Late night snacking (i.e. the popcorn, the ice cream).

The Easy(er) Parts of W30

• Meal prepping
• The actual daily cooking
• Enjoying the food
• Saying no

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Recipes That Got Me Through

#1

This was a LIFESAVER. Made a version of this a million times.

#2

I loved experimenting on this one, and changing some of the ingredients with the things I had on hand.

#3

This stuff is straight up crack. I had this on hand the entire month.

Two other things I ate a lot of because it was soooo good:

1. Banana, Blueberries, and coconut milk whipped into cream. (!)
2. Cabbage, mushrooms, chicken, cooked in avocado oil and sesame oil, with tahini. (omg)

If you’re looking for more recipes, follow me here!

Positive Benefits

• Weight loss
• Significant decrease in bloating, inflammation, and stomach weight
• Renewed energy
• Significant clearer skin
• Decrease in 2pm slump
• Decrease in sugar cravings
• Satisfied by natural sugars
• Decrease in snacking

Post Whole 30

I’ll say this – I ended probably 2 days early because I had friends in town, so we were exploring the city and trying new restaurants and drinks. I wanted to be all in with my friends, so I ended early. My body did hate me a little bit. But also, it hasn’t been hard to say ‘nah man’ to sugar since they left. I’m not going to be crazy strict or anything, but this chick is going to Jamaica in like a week and a half so I am still sticking to it pretty closely.

Tips + Final Thoughts

The cooking was freaking fun. I love trying new recipes and getting creative with food. I actually enjoy cooking vegan at times, too. I’m someone who lives for the grocery store. And if you follow this little blog of mine, you know that it’s therapeutic for me. So it wasn’t annoying to me to have to go to the store when I was running low.

Pro-tip: Make a few batches of things you can freeze. This saved my life when I got back from traveling out of town for the weekend. I would’ve had to fight the urge to go out to eat, and I didn’t really enjoy eating out on Whole 30, tbh. It’s just so particular and I felt like a nuisance and a diva when asking for alterations to my meal.

Pro-tip: Check yo labels! The garlic salt I’ve been using forever actually has sugar in the ingredients. I’m. Not. Into. That. Who do they think they are sneaking sugar in my SALTY foods? Get out. Get out, get out, get out!

Pro-tip: When you’re cooking dinner, do yourself a favor and make some extras for lunches! If you’re not a cooker, or have more time commitments than this single chick, I’d definitely recommend having some quick go-to’s to have on hand for when you last minute make plans, have to work late, or just don’t have it in ya to make something fancy.

I had such a positive experience with Whole 30. If you want to chat further about it, hit me up! I’ll give you all the deets. Whole 30 is so much more than eating a salad 24/7. Challenge yourself! Try it and let me know how it goes!

cheers and happy health!