If we did not answer your question please ask it below, we would love to try to answer any questions you have! Or, head to the official Whole30 website and you should find answers to further questions there. Also, this post is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Whole30 so our list might not have EVERYTHING on it. This is just a general post to give you an idea of what the Whole30 is!
Let's dive in!
What is Whole30?
The Whole30 is like a reset program designed to change your life in 30 days. For 30 days you eliminate certain food groups that could be having a negative effect on your health. Some of these negative effects you might not even know are negative effects until you are finished with the 30 days and the Reintroduction. If you have inconsistent energy levels, skin or digestion issues, unexplainable aches and pains, or a hard time losing weight, what you are eating might be effecting these things! So you cut them out, all at once, for 30 days and then you slowly reintroduce them and pay attention to how food groups effect you. Besides weight loss, there are so many benefits do doing the Whole30. Personally, we have more energy now than can ever remember, we have broken away from several unhealthy food habits we previously felt imprisoned to, and we believe we have a healthier relationship with each other because of all this "Food freedom."
What to avoid?
1 | Dairy // The ONLY exception is ghee.
3 | Sugar // Fake or real, you cannot have any sugar
4 | Alcohol
5 | Legumes // No beans, no peanut butter, no soy, etc.
6 | Carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites
7 | "Recreation foods" // What does that mean? Ok, so you cannot make pancakes out of bananas and eggs. It is not acceptable to take approved ingredients and recreate them into junk food. Think: breads, pizza crust, ice cream, muffins, cookies, etc.
8 | Stepping on the scale // You may step on the scale on Day 1, but then no more for 30 days!
Reading labels is a HUGE part of the Whole30.
Reading labels is a HUGE part of the Whole30.
There are a few fine print rules, you're more than welcome to continue reading here.
6 | Oils
Again, read all your labels first!
Kayty
Okay, so what can you eat?
1 | Unprocessed meats and seafood
2 | Eggs
3 | Vegetables
4 | Fruit
5 | Nuts and seeds
6 | Oils
Again, read all your labels first!
What happens after 30 days?
We are not going to go into too many details because everyone does the Reintroduction process a little differently. After 30 days, you can choose to reintroduce the food groups you have avoided for 30 days. Some people choose to do it slowly over 10 days which allows for analysis into how each food group affects their overall health. Others will wait until something "worthwhile" comes up and dig into a bunch of food groups at once.
What results did you see?
Josh // After just 1 round of the Whole30 he lost 20 pounds! But, like we said there are plenty non-scale victories too. He also has a flatter stomach, leaner appearance, and his clothes fit better. He has less bloating, and he noticed when doing the Reintroduction and when eating off the program certain foods make him bloat, a lot. He has been able to improve his blood sugar regulation, something he has been struggling with for at least 5 years. He is happier, more patient, less stressed, less depressed, has fewer cravings, and has an overall healthier relationship with food. Just to name a few :)
Kayty // After the first round of the Whole30 I lost 11 pounds. This put me back at my pre-pregnancy weight after trying for about 8-9 months to lose those last 10 'baby pounds.' I have way fewer migraines, can identify cravings vs. hunger, feel happier, less stressed. I no longer have mid-afternoon slumps where I want a nap, or feel like I need caffeine or sugar to keep me going. I have learned to listen to my body when eating and no longer use food as a comfort or reward. I feel like I am so much more in tune with myself because of my freedom with food.
Can you share some meal ideas?
Yes! Head on over to my Instagram and there is a highlight just for you called Whole30. There are over 30 ideas there for you.
Did you really not cheat?
For real, promise a million times over, we did not cheat in our first Whole30. This means you can do it too! It is only 30 days. Anyone can do anything for just 30 days! In our second one, we made homemade French fries and then realized that wasn't actually allowed! At least everything was still compliant, but still, it reminded us to check the fine print of the rules more often.
If you are thinking about completing the Whole30 we would recommend you head to the official Whole30 website to check out all the program rules. You can also buy the Whole30 book which has all the information you need as well. We did purchase the book and it has lots of tasty recipes and it is nice to have a hardcopy reminder of all things Whole30.
Anything else you want to know? Share below!
Kayty
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