Start Date - AUG. 2!!

[kdiddy]

Hey, everyone! My partner and I will be starting our first Whole30 on August 2nd. Between my gluten sensitivity and his lactose intolerance, we try to eat fairly clean in our home for most shared meals, but we certainly have our indulgences (he loves bread, and I love cheese!) and frequently fall into patterns of emotional and overeating. I am very excited to start, but I think he is a little more apprehensive (I'm the one that introduced the idea that we do this together) ... luckily he has the stronger willpower of the two of us to keep us motivated!

 

I've made an action plan to prep ourselves and our home for our upcoming start date but really need to hustle and get everything accomplished in the next week. If anyone has any tips or tricks on preparation or how to have a successful Whole30 with your partner please share!

 

Our one-week countdown starts today!!

 

[Staggolee41]

Hey! Congratulations! You've made a really great choice, and best of luck! I just finished my first Whole30 last week, and I've got some tips for you.

 

Things I wish I'd done better (from my post-mortem, located here: http://forum.whole30.com/topic/37944-first-whole30-down/; posting because I'm hoping you can learn from the lessons I learned the hard way):

 

1. Eaten out less. I got lazy some nights or on weekends mostly and ended up eating my "safe" meal at Chipotle. I still ate food I cooked most of the time, but I wish I'd been more prepared for that to happen.
2. Paid attention more to my eating. I still tend to multitask - as I'm doing now - and don't even leave my desk for lunch. Since I'm in a support role, that means lots of distractions while I'm eating. I intend to start leaving my desk to eat more often.
3. Slept more. Though I'm getting more sleep than I was before, I'm still short of the ideal amount, and I feel it.
4. Drank more water. I definitely increased my intake, but this is still a work in progress. The days I hit my water goal, I felt great. I have to make a conscious effort to stop and drink some water more regularly, especially while I'm working.
5. Given myself more time for prep at the beginning. I was very miserable at the beginning, in part because prep took so much longer than I thought it would, so I lost sleep over it.

 

And my top tips:

1. The forums! I was part of a really fantastic thread - read there for more tips (Strength in Numbers) - and everyone's encouragement and advice helped me make my way through the 30 days. I also loved reading some of the moderators' posts and encouraging others.
2. Clarified butter.
3. I wrote down my NSVs as they happened.
4. I told everyone I know about the plan and how excited I was about it.
5. I marked my work calendar with the days in permanent marker.
6. I acknowledged my struggles as they happened, documented them in the thread, and talked my way through them.
7. I tossed my (cheap, $5) scale and everything I couldn't eat.
8. I made a display out of spices and produce that doesn't need refrigeration in my kitchen (making it all very visible and accessible meant more of both went into all of my cooking).
9. I took meal planning and grocery shopping seriously and wrote it all out. I'm putting up a chalkboard strip on the wall in my kitchen so the week's menu is always visible, even though I've finished my Whole30.
10. I rewarded myself with non-food items during the plan - new books at the midpoint, flowers at the beginning of the fourth week, and a new, fancy scale and fitness tracking wristband for finishing.

As far as doing it with a partner, I did it by myself, though my boyfriend sometimes ate compliant meals with me. Whole30 did have a significant impact on our relationship, though... we learned a lot about each other, and it has presented more struggles than anything else (mostly because he insists on eating fast food as his main food group, even now, which is not something you'll be encountering, so woohoo!).

 

I would also highly suggest planning ahead to do nice things for each other and yourselves at regular intervals during the first 15 days of the plan. The first half is much harder than the second half, and if you two's moods are impacted like mine was, you'll be at each other's throats around Day 10. I'm normally a very relaxed person, but I was a screaming, crying, combative, miserable mess on Day 10. Doing nice things for each other should help you both feel loved, and there's such a nice feeling in creating a thoughtful surprise for someone you love.

 

Again, best of luck, and please let us know how we can help!

[kdiddy]

Stagolee41 - Thank you so much for all of your awesome tips! I love your idea of planning nice things to do for each other, especially during the first few weeks. We can both get a little hangry sometimes, so I'm a little worried we might drive each other crazy... but being intentional about showing each other some love is a great way to combat that issue!