Whole30 Survival Tips

Whew!

January is here and Day 6 of the January Whole30 is almost over! While I’m not one for the pressure of resolutions…I am a BIG fan of starting the year off with Whole30.

Why? A few reasons:

1. The group support via Social Media
2. The Daily Updates and periodic emails from the official Whole30 site/social media
3. I feel like I’m starting the year off on the right foot….with self care and self awareness where I struggle most
4. It’s a great way to catapult into healthier habits…especially before a trip to Paris in March and a photo shoot in Mexico in May!

I have a few handy tips/tricks that make Whole30 a lot easier and more manageable for my lifestyle (because 16 hour night shifts pretty much are the ultimate road block to Whole30 success and I need all of the help I can get)!

1. I source out some of my meal prep to Model Meals. They’re meals are all Whole30 compliant, and while the founder Danika Brysha is inspirational enough as a total GirlBoss, the meals she and her team come up with are always a hit…plus you can order RX Bars, fresh pressed juices, bone broth, and other essentials…straight to your door (SoCal only for now). I use these meals to supplement my own meal prep and especially for easier meals during my 16 hour shifts at the dispatch center. Use this link for $25 off your first Model Meals order!
2. I live at Trader Joes. Tons of compliant salsas/tomato sauces, grass-fed meats, sugar free chicken sausages, cage free/organic eggs, cauliflower rice, RX and Lara bars (emergency food only), and pre-chopped veggies for roasting or salad-making. Affordable, convenient, and all in ONE PLACE.
3. See Also: Amazon and Thrive Market: They have a ton of Whole30 compliant brands available for purchase all in one place. Tessemae’s sauces/dressings, NutPod creamers, compliant bone broths, La Croix sparkling water, and soooo much more! Use this link for 25% off of your first order with Thrive Market! Check out their really cool Whole30 starter kits!
4. I have a folder of Whole30 “Cheat Sheets” on my phones desktop. This way, if I need to know whether an additive is compliant, or refresh on appropriate portion sizes, I am good to go, ON the go.
5. I keep the Whole30 books close to me. I just purchased the Whole30 Day-By-Day book via preorder from Amazon and was so excited when it arrived earlier in December! Its got a kind of running “timeline” of how you may/should be feeling day by day, and spaces to put notes and track your progress and feelings as you go along! It’s like self-guided coaching, which I thought was really cool! Plus, I always have It Starts with Food close to me as well, to remind me that these lifestyle changes are about so much more than what it feels like I can’t have, and that its all about feeling better than I’ve been feeling-all by choosing to eat whole, minimally processed foods and making a few more dishes!

Are you doing the January Whole30? What are your foolproof ways to succeed and stay on track! Leave a comment and let me know!

 

Another Whole30: Week 1 Update

Man.

Remember how I kept saying during my first Whole30 last year that I was shocked at how easy it was? How impressed I was with myself for sticking to the script and making all of my meals and throwing parties while managing to stay compliant? Remember my post about Whole30 being life changing?

Well….this round isn’t that easy. My sugar dragon is my mortal enemy. My headaches were insane the first three days. I feel super sluggish and really sleepy. I have visions of sugary treats and cheese dancing in my head.

I was actually pretty disappointed in myself. All this healthy and delicious food at my disposal, and I’ve considered throwing it all away for Del Taco? Who even AM I?

But here’s the thing: it matters more to me to look and feel good, than it does to taste that Del Taco.

That can really be hard to remember when you’re doing Whole30. Especially in the beginning, and most especially when it’s not brand new to you anymore.

I’ve been putting myself under a lot of pressure for the upcoming photo shoot at the end of June in Greece.

I have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be captured in one of the most beautiful places in the world, accompanied by some of the most beautiful people I know (seriously, amazing people over there at The Boudoir Divas/Boucher, Inc) and I keep just feeling like I’m not….worthy.

In an effort to practice what I preach, I’m gonna take that back. I am worthy.

I. AM. WORTHY.

However, I am also human. And the human in me knows we can do and feel better. And I’m committing to Whole30 again, because the results were worth every moment of frustration for me every time I’ve done it.

My mind is clearer. I make better food choices. I feel more powerful around food and in situations where I normally turn to food for comfort. These are all really good reasons to do it, if you ask me!

So, has week 1 been a little challenging? YEAH.

Am I any stranger to a challenge? NO SIR.

Some strategies for success I’ve employed this time around?

• I’m obsessed with Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Blueberry Pomegranate Green Tea. It’s great when I get tired of drinking water, and gives me caffeine for my night shift when needed. I quit coffee when I’m on Whole30, because I can’t do it black and don’t want to use the “cheating” of using date paste, blah blah (read…LAZY).
• I set up my Model Meals delivery order! Use that link for $10 off of your first order! These meals are not only Whole30 in their entirety, but they are delicious and there’s a ton of variety. I have had the pleasure of meeting the founder/creator Danika Brysha…who is absolutely phenomenal in her own right. Not only is she an IMG-represented model, but she started this business from her parents garage and totally turned around her own relationship with food. She’s actually the reason I found out about Whole30 in the first place! My delivery started Sunday, 5/7 and I place my order every Sunday for delivery the following week. This is great, because it takes the stress and time of the prep and shopping somewhat out of the equation. I buy 4-5 meals and supplement them with other food in my house. Also, it takes a lot of the guess work out in terms of finding completely organic, pasture raised, grass fed meats and compliant condiments-which I find to be the most difficult and expensive part of the program, anyways

Danika and I at the Food Freedom Forever book signing last year!

• I’m back to journaling, and trying to be better about blogging too. I was talking to my friend Molly about Whole30 and how she also struggles, especially in the sugar department. She asked if I blog about my experience, and I thought “Why am I not more committed to this part?” If I can support someone else in their Whole30, I am happy to!

I’ll keep you all updated. I didn’t weigh myself this time, because I’m not focusing on numbers as much as focusing on how my body feels. But I’m sure I’ll see a shift from the last numbers on the scale when this round is over! After that, I have a Girls’ Weekend in Phoenix right as the round ends, and then I’m back at it until I head to Greece…where the food is fresh and delicious and relatively healthy!

Have you tried Whole30? What are your tips and tricks for staying strong and on track?

‘Til Next Time!

 

How Whole30 is Changing My Life

If you know me at all, you know I’m obsessed with the Whole30 since last Summer. We could be real-life friends, you could follow me on Instagram, or occasionally watch my Snapchat story….but regardless, you know.

I learned about the Whole30 when I was introduced to Model Meals last year, and the founder, Danika Brysha, is passionate about a Whole30 diet and turned it into a (delicious) meal delivery service.

Whole30 is not a run-of-the-mill “diet.” Rather, it’s the opposite. It’s a fundamental approach to eliminating specific food groups from your life for 30 days, and then gradually reintroducing them after the 3o days to pinpoint what foods are affecting your health and wellness.

While Whole30 is a way to tackle issues with your overall health, I definitely considered it for weight loss, as well. My initial thoughts were that Whole30 could help me combat a serious sugar addiction I’ve been battling with over the past couple of years (but really, my whole life) pretty fiercely.

I thought it was going to be the end of my life. That I would be hungry and miserable and cranky and sad. But lo and behold, after the first three days, I was feeling damn near invincible. With the exception of some morning headaches (I’m attributing those to sugar withdrawal and having gone back to night shift at the same time as starting Whole30), I felt so much more in control of my life. Of my kitchen. Of my meals. Of my true health.

I first read “It Starts with Food,” then the “Whole30” book. I preordered “Food Freedom Forever,” and “The Whole30 Cookbook.” I immersed myself in the information. I made note of the cues discussed in It Starts with Food, and felt relieved to know that the food I was eating was indeed likely the reason I was facing fatigue, an inability to lose weight, uncomfortable bloating, and skin issues. This spoke to me and said “It IS you….but you can choose to change it.”

I began my Whole30 in August, using it as a catalyst to change my habits before an upcoming trip I had to San Francisco, Connecticut and New York to spend time with my mom and brother. I wanted to put myself on the right track, and be ready to enjoy this trip without feeling so out of control and sad about my choices.

30 Days. It actually became so normal for me, that I lost count of my days. I used social media to get a virtual support system. I used my Instagram and Snapchat to share my experience, and ended up making new internet friends who were Whole30 newbies, alumni, and absolute pros. I even inspired a couple of people to give it a try, and got to share in their successes.

At the conclusion of my Whole30, I was 13 pounds lighter, my skin was glowing, I didn’t feel like the world was over if my dinner wasn’t followed by dessert…..and it was so liberating!

Fast forward to the end of November, and I was feeling even more empowered with the new Food Freedom Forever (and hearing Melissa Hartwig speak at a book signing in San Diego and meeting Danika there, too!) and I decided another Whole30 reset was just what I needed going into the holiday season. I knew that following these guidelines and resetting before the New Year was the best way to avoid the excessive cravings and mindless eating that I generally face during that time of year.

With the amazing Melissa Hartwig for the Food Freedom Forever Book signing in La Jolla

It was pure luck that I got to see Danika Brysha of Model Meals at the very same event. I spoke with her for a few minutes and she’s seriously the most phenomenal woman. Model, Entrepreneur, and beautiful person? #Goals

It worked. I planned my reset so that I could be done on Christmas Day. I wasn’t tempted by all of the treats around me. I indulged in some of my very favorite things, and I listened to my body when it felt full. I questioned whether I was actually hungry or not when treats appealed to me, and I continued to learn more about myself. I continued to acknowledge that I am not as helpless as I was feeling…I just hadn’t found what worked for me.

I am so grateful for the tools Whole30 has given me. While I purchased all of the books, one of the best things about the program is that you can use their website for printable for all of the things you need to make sure that your Whole30 is successful! The books were important for me, because I felt the need to have something tangible in my hands to refer to when I was feeling weak or conflicted or just downright confused (you will read so many labels, and you will constantly be googling foreign words to find out if an item is compliant and that book helped me so much lol). Since my first Whole30, Im down 18 pounds total, and I feel like I have found a lifestyle that works for me. Because of Whole30, I am able to make choices based on what food is actually doing to benefit my body, but I am learning that I don’t have to be afraid of food that isn’t “real” every once in awhile.

I’m still a serious work in progress, but I’m creating a balance that works for me.

Today is Day 10 of the January Whole30, but you can start whenever you’re ready! Check it out, and plan when to begin your journey. I hear people pass on the opportunity because this wedding is coming, or that event is almost here…but the fact is, I did my first and second round of Whole30 while throwing a going away party for my best friend (catered by San Diego’s amazing Daniela’s Kitchen), working 12 hour night shifts, on a 3 day, 2 night Catalina Island Bachelorette party, and between Thanksgiving and Christmas when all the potlucks at work happen.

If I can do it? Anyone can!

What are some of the ways that you “reset” when you feel your food relationship getting out of control? Have you tried Whole30? Have questions? I want to know! Drop them in the comments!

Here’s to Happy and Healthy (and hearing a lot more from me about it in 2017)!