Give Yourself Time
If you've just learned about the Whole30 program, please take my advice and don't dive head-first in and start that same day. Or even the next day. You owe it to yourself to become educated on why you're making such a drastic lifestyle change, and you are much more likely to stay compliant if you do your research ahead of time and carefully plan out at least the first few days/weeks.
I learned about the program in late December, but didn't start until the beginning of February. This gave me time to read the books, prepare my body/mind, clean out the pantry, and check my calendar for a 30-day time slot with the least interruptions. In fact, this may be the hardest part- finding thirty consecutive days to commit to healthy eating with no cheats, slips or special occasions. It's highly unlikely you will find an entire month where you don't have at least one birthday party, work event, or weekend getaway planned. So just do your best to find one that you know you can work with.
As I previously mentioned, reading the Whole30 Book, in my opinion, is vital to your success. You're going to be faced with temptations, and this book helps you think through how you will deal with these when they happen. Unless you're a hermit, you will also want to think through how you will handle questions and comments from co-workers, friends, and family when you start changing some of your food habits. It's unrealistic, at least it was for me, to think that you will be able to go thirty days without anyone noticing the changes you've made. But I welcomed respectful conversations about what I was doing. I saw this as an opportunity to educate others (without judgement of course), and I also figured the more people that I had confided in, the more people that would know if I decided to cheat. I wasn't going to let 10 close friends and family think I was a failure!
The Final Countdown
In addition to reading the book, here's my to-do list leading up to Day 1. I'll label the day before I started the program Day 0, and each day before that -1, -2, etc. You obviously don't have to do these in the same order as I did; in fact, you may not even choose to do all of these. But by reading through my list, it may spark something you hadn't previously thought of.
At least a week before: Mark your calendar for Day #1. Start prepping your family/friends/co-workers, or whoever you think you need support from. If you are taking any medications, you will want to talk with a doctor about beginning the Whole30 and how your diet may affect your health condition.
Day -7: If you haven't finished reading the Whole30 book, do so in the next couple of days. You'll want that information when you start trying to remember why you did this to yourself.
Day -6: Look through your refrigerator and pantry to see what (non-compliant) foods you may want eat up over the next few days. For me, this included yogurt, my favorite dark chocolate I had stashed in my drawer, and some wine/beer that I didn't want tempting me. Because, let's be honest, sometimes wine just screams "Drink a glass of me!" after a long day at work. :)
Day -5: Spend some time looking through the Whole30 forum and educating yourself on what to expect. Start looking through recipes to find what you will want the first few days. The book has a meal template for the first week and step-by-step instructions for preparing the first week of meals. If you're not comfortable in the kitchen, this is a perfect starting point. Eventually, you'll get the hang of this "cooking stuff" and you might even enjoy it! I also plan on posting about my experiences as well, so feel free to look through these for more ideas on what you have to look forward to!
Day -4: Check local grocery store ads to see what deals might save you some money as you stock your fridge/pantry in preparation for your first Whole30. The first time you spend money on some "whole30 staples", you might be surprised at your bill. I happened to have a 10% off my entire grocery bill coupon I had been saving up so I was able to save about $20 on my groceries. Meat is probably the most expensive, so any chance you have to buy in bulk (this might mean SAMs or Costco, or if you're lucky like we are, my husband's uncle raises cattle so we buy a quarter or half cow at once and always have beef in our freezer).
Day -3: Make your final grocery list. This might include spices, seasonings, pantry items, etc. that you know you will use over the next thirty days and beyond, along with some fresh foods (meats, dairy, fruits, vegetables) that you will use over the first week or two. You really don't want to buy too far ahead of time for those fresh foods, or you'll end up wasting money on expensive food that spoils before you use it. I planned only a week out for the first two weeks (hitting up the grocery store on Saturdays and cooking on Sundays), and then eventually was able to just buy a few salads, fruits, and vegetables once I got the hang of cooking whole30 dishes. Looking through this resource might help you decide what you will add to your grocery list.
At least a week before: Mark your calendar for Day #1. Start prepping your family/friends/co-workers, or whoever you think you need support from. If you are taking any medications, you will want to talk with a doctor about beginning the Whole30 and how your diet may affect your health condition.
Day -7: If you haven't finished reading the Whole30 book, do so in the next couple of days. You'll want that information when you start trying to remember why you did this to yourself.
Day -6: Look through your refrigerator and pantry to see what (non-compliant) foods you may want eat up over the next few days. For me, this included yogurt, my favorite dark chocolate I had stashed in my drawer, and some wine/beer that I didn't want tempting me. Because, let's be honest, sometimes wine just screams "Drink a glass of me!" after a long day at work. :)
Day -5: Spend some time looking through the Whole30 forum and educating yourself on what to expect. Start looking through recipes to find what you will want the first few days. The book has a meal template for the first week and step-by-step instructions for preparing the first week of meals. If you're not comfortable in the kitchen, this is a perfect starting point. Eventually, you'll get the hang of this "cooking stuff" and you might even enjoy it! I also plan on posting about my experiences as well, so feel free to look through these for more ideas on what you have to look forward to!
Day -4: Check local grocery store ads to see what deals might save you some money as you stock your fridge/pantry in preparation for your first Whole30. The first time you spend money on some "whole30 staples", you might be surprised at your bill. I happened to have a 10% off my entire grocery bill coupon I had been saving up so I was able to save about $20 on my groceries. Meat is probably the most expensive, so any chance you have to buy in bulk (this might mean SAMs or Costco, or if you're lucky like we are, my husband's uncle raises cattle so we buy a quarter or half cow at once and always have beef in our freezer).
Day -3: Make your final grocery list. This might include spices, seasonings, pantry items, etc. that you know you will use over the next thirty days and beyond, along with some fresh foods (meats, dairy, fruits, vegetables) that you will use over the first week or two. You really don't want to buy too far ahead of time for those fresh foods, or you'll end up wasting money on expensive food that spoils before you use it. I planned only a week out for the first two weeks (hitting up the grocery store on Saturdays and cooking on Sundays), and then eventually was able to just buy a few salads, fruits, and vegetables once I got the hang of cooking whole30 dishes. Looking through this resource might help you decide what you will add to your grocery list.
Day -2: Clear your pantry/freezer/fridge of anything that might tempt you to stray from your commitment. For me, this process included bagging up all of my bags of chocolate chips, frosting, and cake mixes and storing them at my parents' house, 15 miles away. The fact that I could fill an entire bag with all the junk laying around my house is a good indication of my "sweet tooth" problem. There were also some foods that I knew weren't compliant, but I wanted to keep around for my kids so I put them in our storage space in the basement so they weren't staring me in the face, yet were readily available for quick meals like Macaroni & Cheese. I know the Whole30 is supposed to be just as great for kids, but I wasn't about to change their habits on top of my own, especially since they eat school lunches. My kids and husband did eat the same supper as me most nights, since I was only cooking one meal and most were delicious! I never thought I would say this, but pouring that "fake cheese" into that pot about two weeks into my Whole30 made me really rethink my kids' food choices as well.
Day -1: Do your grocery shopping and start prepping anything you can make ahead of time. This might include making your own homemade sauces & salad dressing (I would recommend the basic mayo recipe and homemade ranch, homemade ketchup, and any of the vinaigrette recipes from the book if you plan on having salads for lunch like I did most days). If you did not purchase ghee or clarified butter from the grocery store, you will want to make your own. If you don't mind spending some extra time in the kitchen you may want to consider making some freezer meals. The extra time saved during the week is well worth the time spent preparing on the weekends. We also ventured out and ground our own pork sausage because the thought of just eggs each morning made me unhappy. I was able to add my own spices and make up patties that were ready for breakfast each morning. After a few weeks of this, I got smart and started cooking the patties ahead of time and just warming them in a pan or microwave the next morning to cut down my time spent making breakfast before work!
Day 0 (tomorrow is the big day!): Take measurements of your waist, hip, and thighs. Take pictures, including front, profile, and back. After weighing yourself, add the number to your measurements list and then pack away that scale! You can also use this time to look through your meal plan for the week and mark down any preparations you want to make ahead of time. For example, if I am planning on having something with ground beef on Wednesday, I will want to add "Thaw one pound hamburger in fridge" on my Tuesday agenda. I found that there were some sauces and other items I could make after supper to prepare for the next day's meal. You can also sign up for the free Whole30 newsletter!
Now, sit back and relax. The next thirty days is going to fly by!
God's Blessings,
A Good Food Fanatic
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