My Whole30 Journey

 
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Here comes another buzz phrase you may have heard a time or two: Whole30. But contrary to the hype that is “buzz phrases”, this isn’t your typical fad diet, quick fix, or magic answer. This is why we’re going to do a deep dive and share my personal experience and takeaways.  I’m excited to break this whole thing down for you--explore ways you can start, what to look out for, and how to be successful! (Plus there may be a couple of extra free goodies that you can take with you to help you on your way 😉) 

We’ll start with this: What the heck is it?! 

In short, Whole30 is different from other “diet” programs, in that there is no calorie restriction, no induction period, and provides you with an abundance of the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber essential for good health. 

Essentially, you are going to eat food, whole foods, and eliminate dairy, grains, legumes, alcohol, added sugar, and some chemicals that are in a ton of food like; carrageenan, MSG, and sulfites. As you may be able to determine from the name, you stick with it for 30 straight days. Did I lose you yet? LOL...STAY! IT'S WORTH IT! I PROMISE!

This process acts as an elimination diet, taking us, our bodies AND minds, back to the basics. It provides a reset that many of us truly need. The American diet has become what we consider and accept as the norm, and, guys, it is not doing us any favors. Obesity and heart disease are at all time highs. If this last year taught us nothing else, it’s that we seriously need to put our health first. While the 30 days are 100% challenging, I can help you with resources and tools. As long as you do the proper prep work and set your intentions, you will set yourself up for success. 

My own Whole30 journey has been quite amazing, but it all starts with what we know...


When you learn you’re addicted…

I never realized how much sugar was in everything I consumed. I also didn’t realize that my addictions all circled back to my habits of involving the mass amounts of sugar in my life.

I think as a little girl of the 80’s, I, like many others, was raised on canned goods and fast food. We were the generation of latchkey kids who predominantly raised ourselves, while our parents worked long hours and would need quick and easy meals to try and balance the work-life and family-life challenges. This was when canned soups, sauces, pastas, and canned veggies were staples of the American pantry. 

These were, and often still are, full of preservatives to keep them shelf ready. The food industry seized the opportunity to add sugar into foods, along with lots of chemical preservatives, in order to keep people satiated for short periods, in other words: addicted.


How Whole30 came into my life…

I believe your genes and DNA also play a part in your disposition to sugar addiction. Whole30 is a grassroots type of eating that my aunt, who had been introduced to it by my cousin, introduced to me. It was clearly a family affair. She had tried every diet under the sun, and nothing worked. By the end of her Whole30 journey she had lost weight; significantly dropped bloat, especially on face and hands; corrected and was managing her blood sugar levels; and felt so much better overall. Her journey was motivating to me, and gave me the kick start I needed to make a change in my own life.  I am forever grateful to her for bringing this program into my life, it has changed the way I look at food forever.   

As previously mentioned, this is an elimination diet in which you eat whole foods with little to no preservatives and only naturally occurring sugar for 30 days. After that period, you slowly reintroduce foods into your diet in a specific way to see what your triggers to addiction, inflammation, and other allergies or sensitivities are. 

Millions of people have done their own Whole30 journey. Across the board, benefits include: “effortless weight loss and better health along with stunning improvements in sleep quality, energy levels, mood, and self-esteem. The program accomplishes all of this by specifically targeting people’s habits and emotional relationships with food” (Source: The Whole30).


My Experience with Whole30…

So far, I have done Whole30 twice and am planning my next round soon. 

The first time I did it, I was traveling for work and children’s sports, but I was dedicated! At one point I was teaching a course in Nashville on microblading and made sure my room had a fridge so I could keep fresh options at the ready.

I took a bus through the busy city streets in Nashville to buy 3 bags of fresh fruit, veggies, and precooked eggs. I then carried my haul back to the bus stop, which was on Broadway, and I will never forget looking at all the people in the packed bars. I could not help thinking, “that's where I usually am,” and giggling in my head and some of the adult choices I was now making. I guarantee the onlookers thought I was the crazy bag lady as I loaded myself and all my groceries back on the bus, and back to the hotel. From there I had to unload and prep. I remember sweating my ass off and hoping my endeavors would all be worth it. I tell you what though, while I’ve never been a big fruit fan, the mix of hard work and lack of sugar in my life made those strawberries OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS and definitely worth it.. 

Also, in that same 30 days, I had another trip planned to Disneyland 😱 Friends, that was next level hard! I never knew how bad Disney was for healthy options.  I really don’t know how people with allergies find anything to eat there...maybe there is some secret knock you need to know to unlock the princess' healthy kitchen options. 🤷🏼‍♀️ For me the only things I could find were pickles, pineapple, and a turkey leg.

By dinner time and a million steps in I needed food and not a damn pickle, lol. I went to the Carthay Circle restaurant. By this point my exhaustion was palpable. 

One thing you need to know while doing Whole30 is that there is significant fatigue at the beginning as you detox. You may also experience some withdrawals if you're a big sugar consumer. This can make you a bit irritable if you don’t have access to the proper food when needed. This is why it’s always important to prep your food and also be mentally prepared, but this was my first go around, so I didn’t understand all the ins and outs yet. 

I told the server that I badly needed real food without preservatives and additives. I’m pretty sure I might have cried, but don’t judge me! I have to give that restaurant mad props though because the head chef came out and spoke to me and made me the best ceviche I’ve ever had in my whole life. ❤️ So, know what you are getting into; plan and prepare mentally and physically; and find people who can help support you, it doesn’t have to be the chef at Disneyland, maybe it’s just little ole me.

Easiest ways to get started with Whole30…

So, what’s the best way to move forward this whole thing, anyhow? Below are the quick links for all of the need-to-knows and must-haves for getting started: 


REBELLE TIP: If you’re someone who literally likes to “follow the book”, check out the Whole 30 books at your local library! Or if you prefer to keep them on hand, here is where you can snag your own copy:


A few great recipes

As you may have noticed, you can’t go into this plan blind. You’ve got to have a road map, understand the things you can have (which hopefully what you read above helps with that!), and overall set yourself up in the best way possible for ultimate success. 

So, here are some of our staple recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinners, and snacks. The dinners are great because we were able to make larger batches that can then be used as leftovers for lunch the next day, or even dinner the following week (as some are just fine to be frozen and heated up again later). 


I also want to point out that things can be very simple. Don't think you need to be super fancy with what you eat. We ate a lot of grass fed beef, free range chicken, vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, green beans, carrots, beets, and potatoes. We would just bbq the meat and veggies, roast or bake them in the oven or just throw everything into a crock pot with some bone broth and call it a day.  We also just did a lot of straight salads like taco salad, shrimp salad, and chicken chopped salad. For dressing I would make my own with oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper, or just use pico de gallo. Keeping things simple is great for managing your stress level during the process. 


Grocery List & Meal Plan

Freebie alert! (We told you there would be!) 

Below you’ll find your FREE, complete downloads which include 1 week of meal planning, and corresponding grocery list. As an added bonus, we’ve included blank worksheets for meal planning and shopping (meaning you can tailor each for the recipes you want to use 😉), so that you can stay strong for the most important step of the whole program: Planning for success.

Whole30 1 Week Meal Plan & Shopping List

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REBELLE TIP: To make this as easy on yourself as possible (because like we’ve said, there can be some CHALLENGING days!), plan on a minimal amount of grocery runs. Start with an initial bulk-item trip about a week before you begin. Then, instead of restocking your produce at the grocery store throughout the program, consider going to your local farmers market. You’ll get some fresh air, support your local community, and better resist any temptations you may have faced at your go-to supermarket!


Staying Consistent (helpful links to keep bookmarked!)

Here are my favorite articles you can refer to in order to be consistent (and ultimately being successful) during your Whole30 journey. Make sure you bookmark these for easy access! 


A Closing Note…

Whole30 is hard. I mean, next level hard. I never knew how emotionally and physically affected I was by sugar. By the end of this journey I truly appreciated everything a 1000x more, everything tasted sooo insanely good and my body felt amazing!!! 


Interested in doing Whole30 with us? Sign up below for email updates and news for when our next round will start! 

Marcie Burkewhole30, cleaneating, cleandiet, sugarcleanse, whole eating, cleanse, clean eating, clean diet, whole foods, whole food, sugar addictionComment