Whole30 Tips: How to Get Started

Happy New Year! To kick off 2018, I've decided to hit reset on my eating habits and do a Whole30 challenge in January (starting today, actually)! If you're new to Whole30, you can find some helpful background information and my personal tips on how to survive the next 30 days below.

WHAT IS WHOLE30?

Whole30 isn't a "diet," it's an eating plan that you follow for 30 days to reset your system and remove inflammatory / common "problem" foods to truly see how they affect you. After 30 days of eliminating sugar, legumes, alcohol, grains and dairy, you add them back in one at a time to see how your body reacts to them. The 30 day removal of the foods from your diet allows you to break any chemical addictions you may have (hi, sugar) and retrain your brain how to think about food.

WHAT CAN YOU EAT?

ALL the REAL food. Lots of meat, seafood, eggs, veggies and some fruits are all A-OK! Plus, natural fats, herbs, spices and seasoning are all fair game. Legumes and beans (including peanuts and soy) are off-limits, but beans that are more "pod" than "bean" (like sugar snap peas, snow peas and green beans) are approved. You can also have ghee (clarified butter), fruit juice, coconut aminos (a great replacement for soy sauce), vinegar and salt.

WHAT YOU CAN'T EAT

For the full 30 days, you need to completely cut out added sugar (artificial or natural), legumes (including peanuts), alcohol, grains and dairy, along with MSG, Carrageenan and Sulfites. Additionally (and this is where I struggled the most), to break your bad habits, you cannot have anything that resembles an off-limits food (no baked goods, junk food or "treats," even if they're made with approved ingredients). And finally, no weighing yourself during the 30 days.

WHY DO THE WHOLE30?

While weight loss isn't a "goal" of Whole30 (there's no calorie counting or restriction, hooray!), it can certainly be a side effect. My cousin, who completed her first Whole30 last month, wanted to feel great about being in a bikini during her Mexico vacation and lost 9 pounds while still eating real, filling food.

For me, Whole30 is about improving my overall health, digestion and metabolism, while reducing my sugar cravings and breaking bad habits. The last time I did Whole30, I also noticed my energy levels improved and I slept better too (always a plus, since I tend to be a night owl). Talk to any Whole30 alumni, and I guarantee you that if it didn't change their life completely (I'm not exaggerating) then in the very least it made them think about food differently.

HOW TO START

Interested in trying Whole30 for yourself? Here are some tips I learned along the way during my first round last year.

Choose a start date and commit - This means tell your friends, co-workers, family, even your social media network. First, this sets you up for success by holding you accountable to your Whole30 #goals and second, you'll have a built-in support network. You may even find some friends who have done Whole30 or recruit some people to try it with you!
Do your research - While not required, the official Whole30 books really are helpful, especially if this is your first round. I recommend purchasing or borrowing (from a friend or your local library) The Whole30, The Whole30 Cookbook and the Whole30 Day by Day workbook. These books are chock full of recipes, ideas, helpful tips and motivation to keep going when you want to eat everything (trust me, it happens).
Get a "baseline" - While you're not supposed to weigh yourself or take measurements during Whole30, it's great to get a baseline of body measurements, weight and even a "before" photo so you can see the tangible results of Whole30 for yourself.
Clean house - Go through your pantry and throw out (or hide REALLY well) any tempting "off limits" items (for me this means wine, chocolate, and cheese). Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Stock up - Now that you've made some extra room in your pantry and refrigerator, go to the grocery store and buy all the healthy food! You don't need to go overboard, but you should grocery shop for Whole30 essentials a few days before you start. It's not necessary to spend buco bucks on groceries each week to make Whole30 work, but having common items like chicken breast, ghee, sweet potatoes and coconut milk on-hand will make it easier.
Plan, plan, plan - I cannot overstate how important it is to plan before and during Whole30. Write out your meals and shopping list in advance and schedule social engagements wisely to set yourself up for success. When I did Whole30 the first time, I created a spreadsheet with 30 days' worth of Whole30 approved meals and shopping lists, which really helped me stay on track. And for social situations, I found a couple of restaurants in town that had dishes I could modify to be Whole30 compliant. If you're committed and planned well in advance, it's not as difficult to make the right choice.
Pack snacks on snacks on snacks - To go hand in hand with planning, know that there will be days you forget to eat before getting stuck in traffic, or the smell of movie theater popcorn tempts you to go off-track. For these situations, pack lots of snacks. If you have something healthy to eat with you, you'll be much less likely to give in to temptation when compliant food seems scarce or unappealing. Some of my favorite snacks are compliant RXBARs, Wild Zora jerky, Dang coconut chips, roasted pistachios and veggie sticks are easy to pack and whip out in a moment of weakness.
Prepare for change - Yes, there are days it's going to be tough and you'll want to kill everything or eat everything (or both). You may feel nervous or excited or overwhelmed, but don't worry - you've GOT this! Whenever you feel like mayyyyybe this wasn't such a great idea, remember that you're investing in your future self, your health and your happiness. And you're WORTH IT.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Need some inspiration? Check out all my Whole30 recipes (I'll be adding more throughout the month), or visit the official Whole30 resources:

Now let's DO this (virtual fist pump)! If you're joining me this month in a Whole30 (no, you don't have to start today), have questions or just want to vent, post a comment or drop me a line at hello@shoreandstone.com.

This post contains affiliate links, which means Shore & Stone will receive some cash money if you choose to purchase the items (don't worry, this doesn't cost you anything and I solemnly swear I will not recommend anything I don't 100% believe in).