So I completed my first day of a Whole30! I'm excited about the challenge and a wee bit nervous about it, I don't think I really ever wanted to admit to myself that I rely far too heavily on dark chocolate or dairy. I have always justified my Lindt 85%, after all dark chocolate is pretty healthy but at the end of the day it's still become a wee bit of an addiction. I would generally have one square after each meal (including breakfast) and sometimes more during the day when I was feeling a bit peckish. When I first started Primal nearly 5 years ago I never consumed the amount I do now, it's a little out of control.
As for my beloved decaf Nespressos...no sugar and no cream arghhh! I'm not a fan of black coffee but am willing to give up the cream and sugar because I don't do things half assed, I'm either doing the whole30 or not doing it, no exceptions. It's strict but I like that, after a few bad habits that have crept in over the last 6 months I need a few boundaries to reset my ninjaness!
So day 1 was kind of tough, mostly because of the chocolate. You just don't understand how strong of a hold some foods can have on you until you give them up, not only of a physical nature but also the psychological aspect. I will admit on Friday night I went to bed a bit cranky because like a child I wanted my chocolate fix! Seriously though I did know this would be a challenge, I know I can do it, I'm so damn stubborn and I know I will succeed.
I do love the concept of a Whole30 (brief outline):
No weighing or measuring yourself
No calorie counting or weighing food
3 meals a day (4-6 hours apart) - no snacking if you can help it
A palm or two size of protein (high quality - grassfed, pastured etc)
Add Fats, choosing 1-2 fat sources per meal as below:
1-2 Tablespoons of fat like coconut oil, ghee, olive oil
A handful of coconut flakes and olives
1/4-1/2 of a 14oz can coconut milk
Half to one Avocado
A little bit of starchy veggies (like pumpkin, parsnip, sweet potato etc)
1-2 small servings of fruit
The rest of your plate should be fibrous veggies, like 2-3 cups per meal, per day! Talk about an abundance of food, I am going to be Well Fed alright. I am very interested in getting my hormones balanced and my circadian rhythm working better.
Day 1:
Awake at 6.30am
7am: 3 hard boiled eggs mashed with homemade ghee and salt, bowl of blueberries, raspberries, shredded coconut and coconut milk. 1 Tbsp Coconut Manna
1pm: Chicken Salad with homemade mayo and leftover sweet potato, Black decaf Nespresso, a few raw macadamias
7pm: Roast Chicken and Lamb from the Weber BBQ, kumara (nz sweet potato), carrots, broccoli with ghee and lemon juice. A few raw cashews.
Asleep by 10.30pm
Yes I missed my chocolate, however it was very interesting to see how attached I had become to it. Overall I felt pretty good, my blood sugars felt unbelievably steady, didn't feel any fluctuations in energy, so it was a relatively smooth day 1. I did have a headache on and off throughout the day, I'm guessing it was possibly a wee bit of caffeine withdrawal, because of the amount of dark chocolate I normally consume.
If you are considering doing a Whole30 then I really suggest you read "It starts with Food". I had read all the posts on Whole9life.com and there is some great data there, all over the internet you can find other peoples successes and testimonies, literally everywhere! However it wasn't until I read this book from beginning to end that I really understood why I should do this. I had ideas of doing a Whole30 but allowing myself the chocolate and the cream in my coffee, I was convinced that I didn't need to give these up for 30 days, like really how much of a difference will it really make? Listening to this podcast and reading the book has really opened my eyes, I highly recommended "It Starts With Food", to date it's the best book I've read. I'm a HUGE fan of the books from Mark Sisson, Nora Gedgaudas, Robb Wolf, Loren Cordain and Paul Jaminet. There is something about this book and the way it's written really spoke to me and I now understand the huge Whole30 movement that is going on around the World, it's very exciting :)
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