How to Succeed on the Whole30

For Sarah and I, Wednesday, October 1st was day 30 of our Whole30. For me, it was my second round of completing the Whole30. But, for Sarah, it was her first endeavor on the Whole30. Our venture started the day after a long weekend away at her family's cabin up in the north woods of Wisconsin. It was a weekend of not only getting away and enjoying time with the family, but also eating rather unhealthily with no real cares. Speaking for myself, I know I drank plenty of beer, sweets, breads, and baked goods. It was ultimately what lead to my decision of going through another round of the Whole30. I wanted to get my diet back on track, especially with my upcoming marathon on October 11th.

Initially when I had come up with the idea and personally committed to doing a Whole30, I brought it up to Sarah, initially she said something similar to, "hell no." I took the strategy of reverse psychology to try and persuade her to join me. I replied to her convincing "no" with a snarky comment like, "I figured you wouldn't be able to do it," and "you're too unwilling to make changes." Sure, it was a risky decision to make some pretty mean comments to a touchy topic for most women, but it ended up paying off. She ultimately agreed to join me, more out of spite to prove me wrong, than to make a positive change in her diet than anything. I must say though, now that we both successfully completed the full Whole30, I think she was glad she did it and not only truly proved me wrong, but proved to herself that she succeeded with something that isn't as easy as it may seem.

As I just mentioned, Sarah honestly proved me wrong, as I had her pegged to make it a week. See, without putting myself at risk for starting a fight, Sarah doesn't share the same motivation and drive when it comes to diet and fitness as I do. Don't get me wrong, she does a lot of good things and it probably still in the minority when it comes to physical activity, but nothing above the general population. She, does her best to find 30-60 minutes a day of physical activity, such as walking with the kids and dog, or riding her stationary bike in the mornings before work. About once or twice a week she'll get in a longer workout in at the YMCA where she will walk on a treadmill and then do a short strength circuit following. As far as diet, she was as I stated early, unwilling to make the changes as, she simply didn't want to. She drank at least a soda or two a day, all diet. She would often snack at work throughout the day, especially when coworkers would bring in candy, cake, snacks, etc for everyone to share. More times than not, she would eat "right," but it was the in-between time that was having the negative impact. So, when she told me she was going to do the Whole30 with me, I was thrilled and honestly proud of her. At the same time, I had my doubts that she wouldn't make it. I thought, she give up and say it just wasn't worth it for her. But, here we are, on Day 31, and she did it, she didn't cheat, she didn't complain, and honestly, I think she kind of enjoyed it.

Apples were a staple throughout our Whole30

I am very proud of what she accomplished. This was a huge change for her. She gave up all forms of soda, coffee creamer, breads, her occasional treats while at work, and going out to eat at some of her favorite restaurants. There were days of frustration, anger, grogginess, and down right crabbiness, but throughout the 30 days I honestly saw a change in her. Not only in her physical appearance, but in her perception of food and food preparation.  In the end we both lost 9 lbs.  I started at 178 lbs and ended at 169 lbs.  I was hoping to be in the 165 ball park, but am happy with how I feel, look, and more importantly how I my training is going.  I also utilized Hammer Nutrition's Phytolean prior to any of my meals which were higher in carbohydrates to lessen the impact on my insulin release and better metabolize fat for energy opposed to carbohydrates (you can also click this link to save 15% off a bottle of Phytolean from Hammer Nutrition).  As for Sarah, I know she took more away than just weight lost over the last 30 days, because she regularly mentioned having more energy at work, especially on longer days.  She also said how she just feels "better."  So, I know if she can go 30 days eating this strict, a lot of you can too!  Below are a couple before and after pictures of myself.

Now, instead of continuing to talk about our experience from doing the Whole30, I would like to offer some suggestions and expectations for those who are considering doing their own Whole30. So, below are 7 suggestions, tips, expectations, and how to set yourself up for success with your Whole30. All of which I have learned from my 2 experiences on the Whole30.

1. Plan Ahead

In my opinion, the only way to succeed on the Whole30 is to plan. At a minimum, you should plan out your meals for each week. When you plan ahead, you know what you will be eating for dinner in advance. This will prevent those nights where you look around and just order a couple of pizzas for dinner instead of making a healthy dinner at home. I planned out a menu for each week and constructed our grocery list off of our menu. This not only structured our meals throughout the week, but kept only healthy foods in our house opposed to just stocking the shelves with random snack foods. In addition to planning your weekly dinner menu, you should plan ahead each individual day. Pack lunches for work, know what you are going to eat for breakfast before you go to bed. When you plan ahead, you basically force yourself to eat the right foods. If you know you are going to be going out to eat for a meal, jump online and check out their menu in advance and know what you are going to order and how you are going to order it even before getting to the restaurant. Having a plan sets you up for success, the more you plan, the more you will succeed.

2. Don't Do It Alone

My first Whole30 back in February was a lonely Whole30. I did it alone. There were some days where I would eat a separate dinner from Sarah and the girls. It was not nearly as easy as it was the second time around when I had Sarah along for the ride. Instead of buying multiple styles and types of foods, I was buy a lot of fruits and vegetables and didn't even have to bother with processed grains and breads. This time around, we cleaned out our cupboards of all non Whole30 foods, which wasn't going to happen my first time. Along setting ourselves up for success inside the home, it was nice to have someone else to talk to who was going through the same things I was. We were able to talk about our cravings and challenges each day. We helped each other throughout the 30 days. It really helped having someone else who is experiencing the exact same feelings you are and would highly recommend you convince someone, anyone else to join you in your journey.

3. Expect It To Be Time Consuming

Yes, cooking takes time. In fact, just about everything during the Whole30 takes extra time. Making your weekly menu. Takes time. Making your grocery list. Takes time. Grocery shopping and having to read just about every label before you buy it. Takes time. Packing all your meals. Takes time. Cooking each and every meal. Takes time. You get the idea, the Whole30 takes patience. But, it does get easier. You get into a new routine, you learn tricks, you adapt. Just about any meal that you will be eating during your Whole30 needs to be prepared in some way or another. There is nothing easy about it, but I will tell you, it is so worth it. You feel good about yourself, almost a sense of accomplishment. Just, be warned, that you need to be prepared for the extra commitment to being successful during your Whole30. It falls right back to planning. When you are planning your individual day, plan on scheduling a little extra time for meal prep!

4. Expect There To Be Difficult Days

No doubt, there will be days that you want to quit. Most people quit their Whole30 on days 10 or 11. Just know that better days lie ahead. But there will be days when a coworker will leave a bowl of M&M's sitting on your work desk and they will sit there all day just tempting you to have 1, 2, 50. There will be nights where you will go out to dinner for your parents birthday and then meet up at their house for cake and ice cream and you won't be able to have anything all night. Plan ahead! Plan for this, check out the menu in advance. If there is literally NOTHING on the menu for you to eat, eat something before going. Plan, plan, plan. You will not succeed if you do not plan ahead. Know what you will do ahead of time so you don't just say, "screw it, I want some of that cake!"  Here is a link to a typical timeline so you have an idea of what to expect throughout your Whole30.

5. Be Open To New Things

So, you're used to eating a traditional American diet of breads, pastas, pizzas, grains, and cereals. You are going to have to eat some new foods. You can't eat steak and sweet potatoes each and every day throughout your Whole30. Be open to experimenting with new foods and recipes. During both of my Whole30's I repeated a single meal, Bacon and Apple Stuffed Pork Chops. We tried new recipes like Cauliflower Hummus to replace our traditional store bought Hummus. You have to be willing to try new things and you also need to be willing to accept the fact that you may not like what you made, and have a back up plan in case your new recipe is just unpalatable.

6. Have A Plan For After

When I finished my first Whole30, I just wanted to have a bowl of oatmeal, ice cream, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So, on day 31, I woke up, had a bowl of oatmeal, had some yogurt and cheese, and then within a couple days of finishing my Whole30 I was basically right back to where I was before. I had no plan on how to handle day 31. All I knew is I was done with the Whole30 and no longer had to follow any of the strict diet rules and I took full advantage of that. This time around, I did the Whole30, not just to do it as I did in February, but to put myself into a position to succeed with a new lifestyle and diet. I am planning on continuing with the Whole30 principles until my marathon on October 11th, making it a Whole40 for myself. Coming off the marathon, I will have a beer or two, and do plan on treating myself a little that weekend, especially if I meet my goals.  I will also probably have a piece of cake for my daughter's birthday on Monday after the marathon. But, my plan is to follow a Paleo lifestyle and completely avoid grains, processed foods, added sugar, and focus on high quality meats, fruits, and vegetables, with the occasional dairy (cheese). The main difference between the Whole30 and Paleo, is that Paleo allows real sugars, such as honey and maple syrup, it also allows altered foods, such as Paleo Cookies, Cakes, etc, where the Whole30 does not allow Paleo altered foods. I have not decided if I will just allow myself 2 or 3 "cheat days" each month, or just trust myself to make the right decisions and eat a Paleo/Whole30 lifestyle and eat an occasional treat every now and again. But I do know that I will start following a Paleo Diet coming off the marathon and will make a few exceptions, especially in the week or two coming off the marathon.

7. It's Over Before You Realize It

30 days is 30 days, and sure, 30 days sounds long, I mean it's basically a full month. Its 1/12th of the year. With that being said, it's ONLY 30 days. It is not that long. It WILL be over before you realize it and you WILL be better for it. Have faith in the process and stick with it. I can recall several times throughout our Whole30 that Sarah would say something about how she was surprised that she was already 10, 15, 20, and then 29 days through the Whole30. It goes by quick. For most the second half, it becomes routine and it's just a part of your life. So don't get steered away because you think you could never make it 30 days, or 30 days is just too long. Challenge yourself, prove yourself wrong. Do what my wife Sarah did and make take on a challenge to improve yourself. You won't be disappointed, I promise you. I know that Sarah would also say that it was worth it, that she, at a minimum learned something about herself and her relationship with food.