First Whole30 Begins May 16!

[Cassie C]

Hello all!

 

My boyfriend and I will be beginning our Whole30 on May 16 (starting for a weekend so we can adjust to the cooking and shopping a bit outside of our work week.)  I came across Whole30 through a Facebook post from a friend who did it and was intrigued.  I've purchased It Starts With Food and am reading through it before we begin and preparing to empty our house of anything non-compliant (which is JUST about everything...lol).

 

Honestly.... we eat like garbage.  I can have entire days that pretty much consist of all-carb meals.  It's terrible.  Lots of take-out, microwave, on-the-go "convenience food."  I've never taken the time to invest in my diet and I have been battling a lot of anxiety lately as well as migraines and allergies.  My boyfriend has some digestive issues and wants to lose weight, also. 

 

It's time for a change and I think that diving right in with a firm set of rules is what we need... but I'm so nervous about going to the Whole30 way of eating straight from what we've done for so long.  I'm not a veggie lover and I'm on the go a lot, so cooking so much scares me.

 

Can anyone relate to my situation of going from a twinkles and doritos lifestyle to Whole30?  Is it possible!?    I would also love suggestions of compliant products that are good to grab and go, as breakfasts and snacks for work are what I'm afraid of failing at the most I think.  

[missmary]

how exciting to be making such dramatic changes. I really hope you are able to stick with it and see results.

 

It is a mistake looking for "compliant products", the best whole30 will come from eating meat and vegetables and good fats, and these rarely come pre-packaged. That said, it doesn't need to be super fancy or complicated. For me, "grab and go" comes from doing prep work whenever I can fit it in.

 

On the weekend I often prepare by cutting up red and yellow bell peppers, blanching broccoli, thin-sliced carrots, asparagus, green beans (4 minutes in boiling water, rinse in very cold water right away after the timer is up), hard-boiling eggs (9 minutes at a very slow simmer), pre-roasting sweet potatoes (45 minutes in a 350 degree oven, no need to wash or cut just stick in the fridge and slip the skin off when you want to eat); I buy tubs of power greens or spinach or baby kale (those get massaged with vinegar for lunches, or sautéed with protein and sweet potato cubes for meals at home), roast some chicken thighs and make a batch of meatballs or meat patties to keep in the fridge. Sometimes I have time to make some mayo or I'll include avocado with my meals. Other times I'll heat the vegetables and meat up in compliant fat (coconut oil, ghee, etc.)

 

I've found that any of these foods works as well for breakfast as it does for lunch or dinner, so don't worry about that too much, just make sure you are getting at least a "palm-size" amount of protein, a thumb-size amount of fat and a good 2-3 cups of veggies at every meal and you should be good to go. Snacks are a sign you aren't eating enough at meals, but if you "need" snacks in the beginning, try smaller combinations of the same foods; a "mini-meal" of protein, fat and vegetables.

 

good luck and enjoy your whole30!