My Whole30 Daily Log from Start to Finish ~ Motivation to See You Through

Who knew there was this big, wide Whole30 world? I’m thinking a Whole30 daily log will help keep me on track. I started Whole30 on January 1, 2018. It was sort of on a whim. I’d been thinking about it since a friend mentioned it the week before.

That was the first time I’d ever heard of it.

It turns out, staring Whole30 on January 1st and accomplishing it was the best thing I did all year. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to look back on the year and know I accomplished it.

I have updated this Whole30 daily log many times to give you all the info you need to be successful.

Whole30 tips for success

Skipping ahead, as of Day 16, this is what I learned and experienced being on Whole30:

• Absolutely, do not weigh in.
• Focus on the foods you can eat, not the ones you can’t.
• Have enough Whole30 approved foods in the house AT ALL TIMES.
• Bring snacks with you.
• Be proud of your success and let it motivate you to succeed each day.
• Eat enough calories.
• Never ever let yourself get famished.
• Buy organic zucchini, Brussels sprouts, peppers (I get them from Costco) to fill you up and make you feel like you are eating meals. You will be sick of salads in the first week.
• Sign up for an online meal plan. It’s fast and easy and will help you to not think about food.
• Eat when you are hungry. Don’t try to “lose weight” by further depriving yourself of even the Whole30 foods you can eat.

The most important Whole30 daily log tip:

Act as if you are finishing; don’t give yourself the option to think about quitting Whole30.

If you are in the midst of doing Whole30, feel free to skip to whatever day you are on to see if we are experiencing the same things. If you are starting out or thinking of trying Whole30, you may find it interesting to learn what to anticipate.

Six months after doing Whole30

I wanted to update that because of doing Whole30, I learned my ongoing hip pain and plantar fasciitis was from eating grains or gluten. This is my own observation, not confirmed from a medical professional. However, I am 98% free from leg and foot pain which is incredible.

Also, when I go on Whole30 for a few days, I can actually lose weight! So it’s been a great tool to use when I start gaining weight. Up until doing Whole30 in January, I hadn’t been able to lose any weight.

It’s a lot easier to go back to Whole30 for 3-4 days a few times a month than to do it for the entire month!

Meaning, it’s a great maintenance tool after you have succeeded with it at least once.

I more more vegetables and my family eats healthier overall now.

Why start Whole30

I’m just a regular mom who doesn’t exercise regularly. While I try to have healthy foods in the house, we also eat a lot of frozen Costco foods and other packaged foods.

Over the years, I’ve steadily gained weight. Not enough to be a real concern until it’s 15 – 20 pounds, and then I can’t lose it.

That’s where I am now. I’m getting older; I sit at a desk for hours a day, and try as I might, I can’t lose even five pounds.

There’s no “right” time to start, but I thought starting Whole30 in January would set me up for success for the rest of the year.

Time goes so quickly, so I might as well have something to show for it and to be proud of.

So, armed with the vegetables and leftover chicken I made from a party a few days before, I decided to start in the new year.

I weighed in at 148.0 that morning. I will do whatever it takes to not weigh in again until Day 30. Or maybe we are supposed to wait until Day 31? I do not know.

Goals for Whole30

• Lose weight. — I haven’t been able to maintain anything under than 148 pounds for months. If I could lose — and keep off — five pounds, I would be thrilled.
• Learn to not turn to food when stressed.
• Eliminate leg pain
• See if acid reflux is lessened. — It’s not a big issue for me anymore now that I’ve learned to not eat 4-5 hours before bed. But I’ve been slacking lately.
• Lessen or eliminate my desire for chocolate binges every day.
• Serve more whole foods to my kids. — We rely on processed foods often.
• Be more organized with food and meal planning.

Whole30 Daily Log

Here’s my Whole30 daily log which I will update each day.

Whole30 Day 1

Happy New Me!

We spent New Year’s Day with my in-laws. I told them I would bring dinner.

To get it out of my house and not waste it, I packed up two excellent dips. One is the awesome Costco jalapeno artichoke dip and the other is a dip I made with beans, chipotle sauce, onion, cilantro, and avocado.

Bye bye amazing dips.

I also brought the Kirkland brand 5-cheese tortellini with homemade sauce. This was also off-limits. Man, I wish I ate more of the tortellini and the dips before I started being on Whole30.

Random thoughts: If I ever do Whole30 again, I might have a mini eating party with myself celebrating my favorite foods the day(s) before.

A Whole30 compliant salad dressing was going to be my issue. I’ve never made dressing before and had no idea how to do it and no time to look up a recipe online.

Cooking never interests me but I do realize I need to plan — or at least proper food in the fridge — to be successful.

Food prep Whole30 Day 1:

I put tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, salt and pepper into my Vitamix. I poured it into a mason jar and brought it with for my dressing. (Who knew this would be the most popular food item of the day?!)

I ate chicken and salad all day. At night when we got home, I was really hungry. I ate two avocados.

Food for Day 1:

• Chicken
• Salad:  Organic fresh herbs, tomato, onion, red pepper, carrots, apple
• Tomato dressing
• Avocados

I went to bed a bit hungry but do not like eating late because of my lingering acid reflux.

Tips for tomorrow: Be sure to eat enough by 5pm so I’m not hungry and wanting to graze in the evening.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 2

I woke up feeling very proud of myself. Yes, I will do this! Tunnel vision. Usually I’m not hungry in the morning, and I wasn’t today, so I used the time to prep some food.

I also thought about starting a Whole30 daily log thinking it would help to keep the focus. (Thanks for reading it!)

Food prep Whole30 Day 2: 

I looked up a recipe for egg, ground beef and vegetables in muffin tins. I used this recipe which is Whole30 and Paleo approved. Ingredients I used:

• Ground beef
• 8 eggs was all I had. (It made 11 muffin cups.)
• Red pepper
• Onion
• Salt and pepper

After that cooked, I washed and cut up the two sweet potatoes I had.

All I did was cut up the sweet potatoes and toss them in olive oil. They are baking in the oven now.

I ate four breakfast muffin bakes. I could have ate them all… they weren’t filling.

Random thoughts: Instead of a muffin tin, next time I’m going to make this more like a quiche or a frittata in a round pan.

I don’t need the hassle of putting olive oil on each muffin cup. (It probably didn’t help that I didn’t put enough so lots of my precious food was sticking to it and hard to get off!)

Food for Whole30 Day 2:

• Ground beef egg muffin cups
• Lots of salad with a bit of apple, red pepper, onion, tomatoes, carrots
• Dressing — I blended tomatoes, onion, jalapeno pepper (a little too much this time), garlic, salt and pepper
• Sweet potatoes
• Chicken

I ended up having the sweet potatoes, salad and chicken for lunch. I had the same for dinner. At the end of the night, I wasn’t hungry.

Tip for tomorrow: It helped not being in the kitchen after cleaning up from dinner. In this way, I wasn’t tempted at all to eat anything.

I really need to go shopping so I can make more of a “recipe” though I despise using recipes and cooking in general.

Maybe I should just keep eating what I’ve been eating so as to make food less exciting. That’s the point isn’t it?

Whole30 Daily Log Day 3

It’s January 3, 2018. Again, I woke up proud of myself. For me to not be eating chocolate and snacking on processed foods throughout the day is a big accomplishment.

I’m not experiencing any symptoms or noticing any changes at the moment.

I was never one to work out but may start doing 10 or so curl-ups a day. I also plan to lift my two pound hand weights. Nothing too serious but something.

Yesterday at dinner, I mentioned to my husband how maybe we should have eased into Whole30 by eating on the plan one meal a day for a few weeks. Or that we should have started by eating every other day on the Whole30 plan and work our way up to two and three days in a row.

I said this because I’m not into grocery lists and seeking out and making recipes. Also, because this is sort of difficult. He very much surprised me by saying that what were doing was the way to do it….  just do it! Jump right in.

It eliminates all of the temptations.

So that was great and a surprise. I was feeling like I set us up for failure being I haven’t even shopped for Whole30 foods yet. But he thought it was great to just do it.

Shopping is key

I finally went grocery shopping in the late afternoon. It wasn’t planned; I was dropping my child at a friend’s house and was thinking I should get some food because we are almost out of healthy things to eat.

I went in to the grocery store without a list but knew I wanted to buy potatoes. Potatoes! I am thrilled we can eat potatoes on Whole30. An hour later of roaming the store and thinking of new things to buy, I now have approved food to eat.

Eating nuts on Whole30

I bought a container of almonds and ate some as soon as I got into the car because I was so famished. I’m going to carry them around with me as emergency fuel. The next time I go to the store, I will need to get more.

It’s probably important to not rely on them as food at home but I will need something as hunger hits, and it’s important to be prepared.

My biggest challenge from Whole30 Day 3 is not eating something accidentally. We had a play date over, and I set out cut up cheddar cheese, several types of crackers. I was very nervous I would eat some absentmindedly but I didn’t.

Food prep for Day 3:

I came home from the store and immediately did this because I was so famished.

• Made hard-boiled eggs
• Made baked potatoes

I didn’t end up eating the potatoes but will tomorrow.

Food for Whole30 daily log Day 3:

• Ground beef, egg muffin bakes
• Salad with salsa dressing, chicken, sliced sweet potato
• Piece of apple
• Raisins — about 12
• Almonds
• Three hard boiled eggs

Tip for next shopping: Buy nuts and some other snacks to keep in my purse for when out-of-nowhere hunger strikes.

Unfortunately, it never occurred to me to remember to exercise. Tomorrow!

Whole30 Daily Log Day 4

I woke up very tired because I went to bed late. Also, I’m realizing I doing this without coffee. A few days a week my breakfast consists of coffee and chocolate almond or cashew milk.

So I’m very lucky I’m not having caffeine withdrawals or really even sugar withdrawals. What’s been difficult is wanting to grab snacks when I’m stressed throughout the day.

Lately, my go-to snack in that situation was to eat one or more bags of those Costco Kirkland trail mix nuts with M&Ms. I miss eating these very much!

Thoughts on Whole30 on Day 4:

I really see myself being successful at doing this. I am keeping my sights on January 30th when I will be finished. Today I looked into the Whole30 Real Plans meal planner a little bit. I’m not one to follow recipes so I’m not sure if I want to do this or not.

Whole30 books and resources

Joy! I reserved some Whole30 books at the library, and two are in. I am looking forward to reading parts of them.

While I did go online to the Whole30 website to learn whatever I could, part of me doesn’t want to read the books because I’m the type of person when I focus on food and what I’m going to eat, it makes me obsess about food.

It makes it a lot harder. I like when my food and eating are afterthoughts.

Still, I’m going to check them out and hope to learn about the emotional side of eating.

I need to come back to update specifics about Day 4 because it was a big realization day…. I succeeded with some big challenges (two parties on a winter break Thursday) and am so proud.

No matter what, I’m going to stick with Whole30… no slip ups. How exciting it will be to look back on this month and feel like I have something to show for it!

Eye on the prize. Nothing will taste as good as doing Whole30 will make me feel. I’m already so proud of myself.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 5

The biggest thing for me is to not let myself get hungry because when the hunger strikes, it’s immediate and intense. I am keeping a can of almonds in my purse for when I’m out. Another tactic is to peel hard boiled eggs and keep them in the refrigerator.

I didn’t feel tempted to sway from the plan today.

After not eating non-approved Whole30 foods or drinking alcohol at a party last night, I am fueled to carry on the entire 30 days. I ate a big lunch today to stave off being famished at 4pm, and it worked.

Sweet potatoes baked in avocado oil are fantastic! I want to experiment with other healthy oils when cooking as well.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 6

It’s Saturday, January 6th, and I’m proudly fully committed to Whole30. I have more energy for sure. My cravings for chocolate and snacking are nonexistent. I’m so fueled by positive endorphins that I cannot imagine not sticking to this.

However, I haven’t exercised at all. I know I need to improve this in a big way.

Whole30 tip for Day 6

Eat, eat, eat. Not eating enough food or calories may cause you to derail the program. Stay the course! Eat!

Food prep for Day 6

I cut up raw chicken breast, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion and put it in a pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and water for lunch and dinner. It’s cooking right now.

Food I ate for a very late breakfast — meaning I actually ate it at 1pm — was:

• Avocado
• Cherry tomatoes
• Two hard boiled eggs

Exercise! Why can’t I make myself exercise? I’m not a regular exerciser, except for walking, which I stopped when I hurt my foot two months ago. I’m going to do a few curl ups at least.

Another tip for Day 6: I’m learning that I do not want to write down what I ate every day while on Whole30. It’s making me keep track and think about food when what I’m trying to do is not think about food.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 7

I’ve got this. I’m not sure I’m feeling any differently but there is no way, no how I’m going to slip up now when the worst part is over.

So I’m going without chocolate almond or cashew milk in my coffee. So what? I’ve gotten through the cravings for chocolate and the constant need for snacking.

If I don’t see that brownie mix or my kid’s leftover Halloween candy I hid, I’m fine. The biggest thing for my success is to concentrate on the foods I can have, not the ones I can’t.

It’s a struggle, and I’m rerouting my thoughts often multiple times a day, but I’m focusing on the positive.

Food I prepared on Day 7:

• Hard boiled eggs
• Sweet potatoes

Whole30 Daily Log Day 8

• Focus on food you can eat on Whole30, not what you can’t eat.
• Don’t let yourself get hungry or you may instantly become ravenous. That’s when you will eat too many nuts or pieces of dried fruit. You will want to eat anything and everything, and this is where people derail.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 9

Real Plans Meal Planning Tool

Real Plans meal app is customizable

I omitted eggs because I don’t need a recipe to make a wide variety of eggs, and I didn’t want to have to buy additional foods just to include eggs in more recipes. I was going to plan to eat eggs for the filler meals.

Day 9 using the Real Plans meal plan

I was so lucky that my husband volunteered to do the grocery shopping.

It was a big list with foods we typically don’t buy, so this was pretty amazing. When he came home, I started making two of the recipes. One was Bacon burgers and the other was beets and Brussels spouts with bacon.

I’ve never cooked beets in my life. I felt like such an adult!

The food was AMAZING! Hands down, these were the best burgers I’ve ever made and better than anything I ever had in a restaurant. My husband and I loved the vegetables too. (We make our kids try them.)

If I can eat food like this everyday, I can see myself being on Whole30 for longer than 30 days!

Whole30 Daily Log Day 10

It was so exciting to have such fantastic leftovers today. I’m not sure if this counts as a Whole30 slip up, but I found myself going back and forth to the refrigerator to get more beets and brussel sprouts…. they were that good.

Or maybe my body was just really needing these new foods!

Whole30 Daily Log Day 11

I made a few more recipes today. The idea with the meal plan is to follow along with the days they say, but I skipped around, taking a main course from one day and a side from another meal.

This is because I didn’t have time to cook until later in the day, and I didn’t have time to cook the meat for today. The Real Plans meal planner provides daily instructions of what to do when but I didn’t do it.

I chose to make a recipe with zucchini and onions as well as chorizo hash. Both were excellent. Again, we will have leftovers for tomorrow.

I’m liking the idea of cooking a meal every other day and feeding off other items and leftovers for the other time. I can’t spend an hour in the kitchen every day making recipes.

Emotionally, I’m finding that it’s really no longer a choice or difficult to do Whole30. I’m just doing it, that’s it.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 12

I’m not noticing any changes in my body but I’m feeling good.

For sure, I’m eating enough calories and trying hard to not reach for fruit. It’s approved for Whole30, but I’m worried about sugar. I really want to see if food is what is contributing to my leg and hip pain.

When there are enough groceries in the house, it’s been easy to follow Whole30.

So again, it’s really about not letting yourself get hungry. It’s then that you will want to get off track.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 13

Again, I woke up feeling super proud of myself for sticking to Whole30. In a perfect world, I’d be doing some form of exercise too, but it’s not happening.

I’m enjoying making and eating cooked vegetables more than ever before. Most of this is due to the Real Plans meal planning service I subscribed to for this month. It’s so simple to meal plan, and it’s getting me to buy foods I never did before, including: beets, turnips, and zucchini.

My husband and I are loving these and are sort of binge-eating these vegetables.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 14

I’ve made it this far, there’s no way I’m stopping now. I’m staying on track with the recipes from my Real Plans meal plans. I’m cooking a meal every other day so I’m not spending too much time in the kitchen. That helps me not want to eat foods that aren’t Whole30 compliant.

All in all, I’m happy I started Whole30 and feel like I will have a lot to be proud of when I’m finished. I already plan to incorporate a few days a week on the Whole30 plan after my 30 days are over.

I’m in a Facebook group for Whole30 and many women are thirsting for wine when they are finished with Whole30. I feel like when I’m finished with this program, I will want nuts and chocolate but I’m broken my desire for wine.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 15

Boo hoo! I sure wish my hip pain would lessen.

They’ve been hurting off and on throughout being on Whole30. But yesterday and today, even taking Aleve isn’t helping.

This is very disappointing as I was expecting taking inflammatory foods out of my diet would help me. But, I’m only on Day 15 so maybe I will start feeling some relief soon. I would love to know if certain foods affecting me.

I am really sick of meat. After eating just a bit of pork, I roasted vegetables to eat the rest of the day. I tried two teaspoons of almond butter for the first time.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 16

What’s for breakfast? I am finally eating breakfast because my kids are back at school, and I’m sitting in front of my computer which makes me want to eat. I’m having roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts and water.

It’s not very exciting but it’s filling and makes me feel like I’m actually eating. Oh how I want to weigh in!

I’m feeling like my stomach is a bit flatter but I’m not recognizing anything else. It’s also nice not to wake up feeling like I’m hungover from carbs. This will probably be the week I start to notice changes.

It’s very exciting to think I can feel healthier. If I do, I know I will want to keep this up longer than 30 days.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 17

I worked at my kids’ school today. Why was everyone talking about food? Adults and kids were talking about their favorite desserts and restaurants. It was almost too much to handle!

I came prepared to eat my Brussels sprouts, burger (just patty), mini tomatoes. Also, I also devoured my apple and banana.

I grilled up some more ground beef into sliced onions and peppers on my stove top.

For whatever reason, I’m pretty much done with eating raw vegetables. I need to get back to making meals from my meal plan instead of just feeding off random foods. They are in no way as satisfying.

The biggest disappointment of my day was logging into Facebook.

I checked in to my Whole30 Facebook group hoping to be motivated by everyone’s recipes, encouragement and struggles. Unfortunately, I was STUNNED to see how many people haven’t stayed with Whole30.

Seventeen days into Whole30, and someone in our Facebook group set up a poll to find out:

• Who is staying strong with Whole30 to the end
• If anyone was keeping to the premise but stopped following Whole30
• Gave up completely

I was so deflated seeing just over half the participants veered off course.

Being accountable to this group is what has been making me want to stick with it. They were my inspiration! Now what? Wow, how all of this is making me want to eat brownies and chocolate.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 18

In the morning, I was again now thinking about chocolate. Everyone is at school or work, and I am home alone — stressing with all I need to do.

This is when the Usual Me would go and get some non-approved Whole30 foods. I would pour some chocolate almond milk in my coffee. Then, I’d grab something else that was off limits.

But — I’ve come this far.

I’m on Day 18! ME!

I suppose I’ll have to continue — even though I really want to get up and eat some chocolate. 12 more days…. I really feel like if I don’t see this through to Day 30 that I will feel like I let myself down. I will feel like I failed.

It’s really critical for me to feel the confidence I will feel at having completed Whole30. I don’t feel like I’ve lost weight so I’m really going to need to feel at least proud of myself.

I’m going to be one of the few in my group who finishes Whole30.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 19

I’m so sick of being on Whole30 and eating these foods. I just want to graze like I used to without a thought or care about it. Cheese! Chocolate!

I hate thinking about what is safe to eat for the next time I’m hungry. It’s hard to imagine I could be craving chocolate and snacking. For many weeks I did not. So bummed!

I’m sure I feel better but I don’t think I felt that badly before.

What’s super tempting is getting on the scale. I need some sort of boost but truth be told, I’m not sure I’ve even lost any weight.

I felt like I was sailing through this for awhile, looking at the calendar and being shocked I’ve gotten this far.

But now, I’m like oh my gosh… how will I do this for 11 more days?

I will do it because I absolutely will not give up on myself right now, but I’m hoping for some breakthrough in feeling great that will make me see it’s been worth it. I really need to find a protein source that is filling and that isn’t meat!

Whole30 Daily Log Day 20

This was a difficult day, just like Day 19 was. I was craving foods so badly. Weekends are surprisingly difficult.

I barely sat at my computer so I wasn’t wanting food out of stress or procrastination. It was more that we were low on food in the house, and a bit on the run in the morning until the afternoon, so I didn’t get enough food.

I embarrassed myself picking a fight with my husband because he didn’t save the little bit of leftovers for me, and when I got home, I was left to eat un-filling eggs yet again.

Wow, Whole30 is hard. But that’s what makes it worthwhile. I keep telling myself this.

Don’t weigh yourself when you are on Whole30

I’m not noticing changes, which makes it hard to press on. I can definitely see the advantage of not weighing in.

While it’s so very tempting to see if I’ve lost weight, it would be utterly disappointing to see I didn’t. It would derail me, and I could picture myself dropping out of Whole30 because of how disappointed I would be.

More like, I would be upset, anxious and mad and stressed and hopeless, and I would turn to food. I’m stunned at how often I must be snacking all day because I still really miss eating so much.

So STAY OFF THE SCALE.

My husband made steak that night. Usually, I would pass on it but today, I ate probably 8 oz. It felt so good to feel fed.

Whole 30 Daily Log Day 21

I don’t think I’ve been feeling any of that tiger blood on those Whole30 calendars, more like Kill All the Things… but… something awesome happened today. I put on a pair of jeans, and they were very loose. Like loose to the point where they were borderline sloppy looking. Full disclosure: These are size 12 jeans.

Never in my life until a year ago have I bought size 12’s. I’ve been a solid 10, through and through, with occasional times being a size 6 or an 8. However, I always returned to the comfortable weight of a Size 10 with my weight varying in the 130 – 140 lb range.

I don’t love it but I’ve learned to accept it.

However, now I’ve been in these Size 12 jeans for over a year. I can’t get back down to my size 10’s; I’m stuck in this 148 – 149 lb range. And, even worse, this is 148 – 149 in the morning, before eating or drinking anything. I’m well into the 150’s after a meal.

For the last six months, I’ve been really trying to lose weight.

Prior to Whole30, every morning I would get on the scale to ensure it never said 150 lbs. If I didn’t do this every day, I could see myself getting heavier without realizing it.

But try as I might, I wasn’t ever able to wake up and see the 130s again. Occasionally, I got down to 143 – 144 lbs, but the next day I’d be back to 147 – 148 lbs. I knew I was trending downward instead of up, but I wasn’t making any lasting changes.

Finally! In Day 21: Losing inches on Whole30

So, after 21 days on Whole30, to absolutely recognize my size 12 jeans are big on me, is a huge deal. I’m eating enough calories for sure… but I’m not overeating either as there just aren’t enough reasons to justify overeating.

There is only so much meat and vegetables you will want to eat.

You will learn when you are on Whole30, and from reading It Starts With Food, that when you eat Whole30 approved foods, your body will feel satiated and satisfied. You will eat enough to feel fed.

Those foods with no brakes — the chips, chocolate, pizza, cookies, ice cream, fries, other trigger foods, etc. — those are foods that you eat and eat, and you want more and more.

I’m stunned at how much my brain still wants those foods. But! Now that I’ve experienced a break-through, I’m thrilled beyond belief that my body is responding to this lifestyle change.

I know Whole30 works for me. I have 10 more days on Whole30, and then I can weigh in. I’m hoping to see the scale says 130-something.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 22

It’s Whole30 Day 22… I’m still feeling the high from having lost noticeable inches. (I don’t see it looking in the mirror but I also wasn’t able to tell when I gained 10 pounds so I can’t count on that.)

However, I still have tremendous hip pain. It’s almost as if it’s hurting even more.

I was so hoping that dairy or grains or sugar were the reason… that they were the inflammatory foods affecting me. It’s cold and damp here in January, so maybe that’s what’s affecting me.

But I was really hoping it was certain foods so I could lessen or eliminate them in my life after Whole30. We shall see… I still have over a week left.

I knew once I got through those first difficult days on Whole30 that I was going to stick with it but I’m even more determined now. To slip up now — after getting this far — would be really, truly letting myself down.

What I mostly have to watch is that I will just pick up and eat food absentmindedly when I’m getting my kids’ food ready. I didn’t realize how often I did this because it’s been a habit I’m mindful of now everyday.

When I’m getting their food ready, I actually tell myself, “Don’t eat this.” So far, it’s worked.

Seriously, if you’ve made it out of that first week, kudos. Absolutely stick with Whole30. You will reap the rewards of feeling proud of yourself, and no piece of chocolate or glass of wine will make you feel the same.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 23

Wow! I’m on Day 23, and I am pretty darn psyched. I made up a bunch of salsa, ground beef and chorizo yesterday, so I’m set for today.

Last night, I was reading the Whole30 founders’ book, It Starts With Food. I highly recommend you check it out from the library or buy it.

I’ve just been reading a few pages a night, but there is a section on there that was explaining what happens with cortisol and insulin in your body even when you “think” you are eating healthy foods. How these foods affect our hormones is incredible.

It Starts With Food book

Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig, the authors and founders of Whole30, explain it so well, that it makes perfect sense. Today, I’m not even craving the trigger foods I usually think about.

The book gives the example of types of meals which seem healthy but wrack havoc in our bodies. These foods and drinks promote over-consumption while worsening leptin resistance and insulin resistance while elevating cortisol levels. They give the example of this type of day:

• Shredded wheat with skim milk; whole wheat toast with margarine; artificially sweetened coffee — Later, we crave and drink:
  • Skinny caramel macchiato
• Low-fat blueberry muffin with juice
• Spaghetti and meatballs, skim milk — Then later, we want and consume:
  • Fig bar and small iced coffee
• Brown rice, lean steak, honey-glazed carrots, whole wheat dinner roll — We still have room for and eat:
  • Fruit salad with yogurt and granola — Then, our minds later compel us to eat:
    • Ice cream, pretzels

Yikes — Some of those choices don’t sound that bad.

This makes me think of what I’m feeding my kids, in this day of sugar overload. I consider it a “win” when they eat Raisin Bran or similar cereal for breakfast. Always concerned about protein, it’s hard to come up with foods for them.

Practically everything they eat has some type of sugar in it…. even pasta sauce, bacon, milk, seemingly-healthy cereal, etc.

This makes me even more motivated to bring forth habits from Whole30 into our lives after 30 days are over. And, it will be much easier to incorporate a Paleo diet now that my husband and I are used to eating Paleo type foods.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 24

I’m considering this the home stretch. Food cravings have disappeared. Hip pain was less today than it’s been.

I was tired but I know it’s not from carb crashing; it was because I went to bed late from watching too much Netflix (watching The Crown). That’s been one thing for sure…. When I’m tired, I know it’s because I’m actually tired. I’m not tired because of poor food choices.

All in all, my focus is much better.

I’m able to stay on task much better to finish whatever it is I’m doing instead of starting new things. I’ve definitely noticed this when I’m on the computer; I’m finishing what I start instead of opening up multiple browsers, clicking over to Facebook, etc.

So for sure, there are lots of intangible gains coming from being on Whole30. It’s much more than, “How much weight will I lose?”

Whole30 Daily Log Day 25

Despite having had massive cravings on Days 19 and 20, when you get this far into Whole30, there is just no way you will want to stop. The thought of letting myself down this far into it? It’s just not an option.

There is nothing I will need to eat — even though brownies still call my name Every Single Day — that will ruin it for me. Remember that phrase, “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels?” That’s true in this instance too.

Sure, I may not be classically “thin” at the moment, but…

No food or drink will be worth breaking my 25 day streak.

So, in many ways it gets harder the longer you are on Whole30. Your brain really wants you to eat and drink what you’re used to having. But then, in so many ways, it gets easier.

You can think to yourself: I made it X days, and that was so very difficult; I’m sure not stopping now.

I’m really sick of eating these foods. It occurred to me that my husband and I haven’t had seafood — aside from albacore canned tuna — since we started Whole30. We could have been eating salmon, shrimp, and more! How did we forget about seafood?!

Whole30 Daily Log Day 26

The real irony with Whole30 is just when we start to feel better and reap the benefits of cutting out all these foods from our diet, it’s soon time to eat those very same foods again. Ugh!

Benefits from being on Whole30

As of today, the rewards are now rolling in:

• I slept for a full six hours last night without waking up once. That’s a miracle that I can count doing three times in the last 10+ years.
• My face is slimmer.
• All my jeans are loose; my body seems smaller.
• When I’m tired, I know it’s because I need more sleep; it’s not from carb crashing.
• No temptation to overeat

I never notice when I gain or lose weight so it’s surprising I can notice it in my face, especially when I haven’t exercised at all. I mean, none. Unfortunately, my hips and foot still hurt so I’m trying to give them a rest. That’s really just an excuse because I could be doing some push-ups or sit-ups.

I have been very conscious of making sure I eat enough calories every day. Certainly, I don’t want to start gaining weight back after Whole30 so it’s very important to eat enough.

There were definitely some days when I didn’t eat very much, but it wasn’t intentional. When you can’t eat sugars, processed foods, grains, and dairy, all the appeal is gone.

Read all about everything great that happened to my body and mind on Day 26.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 27

Being prepared is key! Today was a running-around day. I brought nuts and cut up apples along. We really need a trip to the grocery store. My cravings have vanished. Food just isn’t really that appealing right now.

It’s difficult to overeat on Whole30

Overall, you likely will not overeat on Whole30. It is very difficult to eat too many eggs or too much meat. They’re just not that appealing. Even if I had thought to buy seafood and ate too many shrimp — sauteed in olive oil, garlic and sea salt, yum — for a few days, there’s really no harm.

Even fruits and vegetables? Maybe you ate too much broccoli or cauliflower rice. So what? It just doesn’t really matter or affect you negatively.

What do we want to eat and overindulge in? Chocolate and pizza and pasta and cheesecake. I want to graze on appetizers all night and enjoy a few glasses of wine. I want to sit on my couch at 9pm and eat chocolate brownie ice cream while watching Netflix.

These are the foods that I want to overeat, not approved foods from Whole30.

I can absolutely notice my body is smaller.

I usually can’t tell when I’ve gained (unfortunately, I realize it when it’s 15 – 20 pounds; not five pounds) or lost weight but this time, I can absolutely notice. This is all from the healthy food choices, and I’m sure cutting out all of those processed foods.

I have done zero exercise… really, less than ever. Again, it never occurs to me to even stretch or to lift light hand weights.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 28

Seriously, I am stunned I made it this far. All of those cravings… but now, I am really realizing the results from Whole30. How can I think about stopping on Day 31?

Reintroducing foods on Whole30

I think the hard part is we’ve been counting down the days until Whole30 ends. But this is when your work really pays off.

Reintroducing foods to find out how your body reacts to it. So while we want chocolate and pizza and tortillas, we really need to go about this the smart way. We’ve come too far to stop now.

It’s time to read about reintroducing foods for after Whole30. I’m thinking of starting with legumes.

But maybe I want to have a chocolate day and see how it makes me feel. And here I thought I’d kicked my cravings. I’m very concerned once I start eating non-Whole30 foods, that I will have an eating frenzy.

I don’t want to go back to the Old Me.

Should I do Whole30?

If you are at all considering whether to do Whole30, you absolutely must. You owe it to yourself.

Thirty days will come and go regardless if you do Whole30, right?

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have something to show for it?

So much of what we do in our lives is wonderful but it’s often hard to see tangible results. Not only will you feel super-proud, you will most likely experience something positive from the experience.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 29

This is really the home stretch. I’m thinking back to the conversation I had with my friend the day before starting Whole30. I was undecided whether I should do it but decided to so I could support her. It’s really amazing to me I succeeded at this!

I was thinking about one of the big reasons I was successful, which is: It’s not purposefully seeking out reasons to focus on food.

This is why when I try to lose weight for an upcoming event, I usually don’t succeed. I’m too focused on it. I’ve always done much better maintaining or losing weight when food isn’t a focus or priority.

Don’t keep a Whole30 daily food log

I really cannot overemphasize this enough. Don’t write down what you are eating.

Your goal is to not have your life revolve around food in an emotional sense. We still have to deal with it every day by prepping, shopping, preparing, cleaning afterwards, etc. So don’t look for additional time to spend on food.

Not having to look for recipes, because I’m using that meal plan, has helped me.

Whole30 Daily Log Day 30

Holy Toledo! I did it! Me, someone who never even heard of Whole30. Someone who, once I did learn what it was, thought, “No way and no how can I even do this for one day.”

I powered through Day 30, fueled with feelings of accomplishment and pride. You owe it to yourself to get to this day. Don’t stop once you’ve decided to do Whole30. Really, just do it.

Reintroducing foods after Whole30

It’s tempting to think of eating like crazy tomorrow but that’s not what this was about. That was the Old Me thinking, pre-Whole30. Now, I’m realizing I can live without all this processed, convenient food.

I’m going to start with reintroducing legumes so I can have beans. Then, a few days later, I am going to allow what Whole30 considers the cheat foods — like I will make frozen banana ice cream or egg-banana pancakes. I will have the occasional chocolate.

I will write a follow up to this to see how my next 30 days after Whole30 goes. See what I learned being on Whole30.

Whole30 daily log

I’ve written every single day with my progress on Whole30. You can do this! If you are at all considering it, it may be something to start.

My husband discovered he cannot tolerate dairy. I learned gluten was causing my leg, hip and foot pain. How incredible is this?!

I am feeling immensely proud of myself and that feeling is fueling me through this journey. Because I learned so much about my habits and how my body responds to foods, I did it again in September. It was much easier the second time!