If you have been reading my posts for long enough you’ll know that I go through fads of the exercise that I like and that I have tried almost every type of diet there is. I’ve done Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, I’ve tried low fat, low carb and the Dukan Diet.
Some of the most read posts on this blog are about my efforts with the Dukan Diet – but I don’t like it and whilst it worked for me, it didn’t really work for me. And now, I think I know why.
I’ve tried to lose weight in so many different ways however I have never tried to get clean, get healthy from the inside.
Back in January of this year, I got up the courage to talk to Ken about something I had been thinking about and reading about for some time. The Whole 30.
I read about the Whole 30 a year or so ago when Leah from Naturally Leah started her first round.
I showed him the Whole 30 site and we talked about doing it together. He has just turned 40 and I will be 40 later in the year.
It will be more challenging for him in one way as he is a Type 1 diabetic so the food choices and his blood sugar levels will need to be managed. It will be challenging for me in other ways as I have gained weight and my activity has decreased and I feel like Jabba the Hutt.
We like to tell ourselves that we eat pretty well. We have meat and salad most nights for dinner however they are followed up with late night potato chips or ice-cream (just as a treat don’t you know because we eat so healthy). When the kids are here on the weekend, noodles are a staple lunch item as well as supermarket sausages and although Ken doesn’t drink alcohol, I do. And this summer holidays it has been rather a lot.
So its time to bite the bullet.
The Whole30 Program Rules
Yes: Eat real food.
Eat meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re totally natural and unprocessed. Don’t worry… these guidelines are outlined in extensive detail in our free shopping list.
No: Avoid for 30 days.
More importantly, here’s what NOT to eat during the duration of your Whole30 program. Omitting all of these foods and beverages will help you regain your healthy metabolism, reduce systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly impacting your health, fitness and quality of life.
- Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.
- Do not consume alcohol in any form, not even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)
- Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels.
- Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).
- Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception of clarified butter or ghee. (See below for details.)
- Do not eat white potatoes. This is somewhat arbitrary, but if we are trying to change your habits (chips and fries) and improve the hormonal impact of your food choices, it’s best to leave white, red, purple, Yukon gold, and fingerling potatoes off your plate.
- Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30.
- No Paleo-ifying baked goods, desserts, or junk foods. Trying to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold will ruin your program faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” This means no desserts or junk food made with “approved” ingredients—no banana-egg pancakes, almond-flour muffins, flourless brownies, or coconut milk ice cream. Don’t try to replicate junk food during your 30 days! That misses the point of the Whole30 entirely.
One last and final rule: You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program. This is about so much more than just weight loss, and to focus on your body composition means you’ll miss out on the most dramatic and lifelong benefits this plan has to offer. So, no weighing yourself, analyzing body fat or taking comparative measurements during your Whole30. (We do encourage you to weigh yourself before and after, however, so you can see one of the more tangible results of your efforts when your program is over.)
We have picked January 15th as our starting day.
We have just under a week to read a bit more, clear out the cupboards, fridge and freezer and start a meal plan. We’ll need to plan exercise and gym classes as well as foods before and after will be important.
I’ve been hovering over posting this for a couple of hours now. Seriously, Tara, bite it.
Links for today:
Whole 30 – But what do I eat? via Naturally, Leah
