Whole30

Robert and I did our first Whole30 in December.  It went well!  We weren't perfect at it - we had to eat "normal" food a few times at Christmas parties - but I think we were really successful overall.  I think I read all of Melissa Hartwig's books in advance which really helped educate me and get me on board.  Obviously, we won't implement all of her suggestions all of the time, but it's been a really good time to evaluate our eating habits.  If you are unfamiliar with Whole30, the very very very basic synopsis is eat an animal protein, vegetable, and healthy fat for three meals a day, and eat fruit at two of those meals.  Don't consume dairy, grains, or legumes.  Those aren't all the guidelines, but they're they highlights.  Here are some of our favorite recipes that we made over the month:

Dump Ranch

Lettuce Wraps

Shepherd's Pie

Breakfast Casserole

Indian Curry Chicken

Salmon and Veggies - We didn't use the sauce recipe.  We used some oil, vinegar, and coconut aminos instead.

Tomato Basil Turkey Meatloaf

Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

Green Chile Chicken

Breakfast was the hardest for me.  I like protein with my breakfast, but I really like having carbs with it as well - waffles, pancakes, bagels, etc.  I got pretty tired of eggs.  Also, basically all bacon has sugar added to it which is a bummer.  Leftovers for lunch was key.  A big dinner that filled us up so we didn't need to snack was important too.  We were surprised that we weren't overly hungry, but we were eating nourishing, filling meals.

Weight loss: Robert lost 15 pounds, and I lost 18 pounds!

Non-scale victories: Robert noticed that his acid reflux was much much better.  We both slept better.  I felt less anxious.  I fit into a pair of jeans that hadn't fit in a season. Robert brought on his belt buckle one notch. It definitely flattened my stomach more and helped with the mom pooch. I had two 24 hour stomach bugs during this month (‘‘tis the season), and I got headaches during those days, but other than that I only had one headache this month which is really good for me, and it went away within an hour of treating it which is very unusual for me. Robert’s wedding ring got quite a bit loser.

Going forward, we want to limit snacking and nighttime eating, eat less carbs and dairy, and make a conscious effort to select food that fuels our bodies.  We also want to make intentional decisions about treating ourselves instead of just eating junk food out of boredom.

Have you ever tried a Whole30?  What did you think?