Well, I am officially finished with
Whole30!! Round 2 was
so much easier than the
first time around... I knew what I was doing, I was more organized, and I was more passionate about the process as a whole.
Besides basic food smarts, I learned most about menu planning and keeping myself organized over the week.
Yesterday, I shared some of my favorite recipes from Whole30, and today I wanted to talk about how I actually organized the whole thing.
Leftovers
I am a person who likes leftovers -- once. At most twice. I can't make one thing & then survive off of it all week. (With the exception of breakfast....) So when planning my meals for the week, I determine what dinners will make leftovers, and then I planned my lunches accordingly. I didn't
always eat leftovers at lunch. Occasionally I found the time to make something specifically for lunch. But, realistically, that proved to be too much effort. So, leftovers it was!
I found it easier to plan the week Sunday-Saturday. It allowed me to do a crock pot recipe, and already have food ready for Monday before Sunday night hit.
My Daily Schedule
I am very blessed to have an easy-going office. Otherwise, breakfast & storing/heating lunch would prove to be near impossible. But I am offered a lot of flexibility, and it makes the entire process easier.
My typical daily schedule was such:
6-8: Wake up, shower, pack all my food for the day, cook breakfast & put it in foiled tupperware
8-9: Get to work, get my coffee, and eat breakfast while getting organized for the day
9-12: Work. Drink 2-3 glasses of water.
12-1: Eat lunch.
1-5: Work. Drink 2-3 glassed of water.
5-7: Gym. Shower. Drink a glass of water.
7-8: Cook, Eat Dinner
8-10: Watch TV. Drink a cup of decaf tea.
10-on: Sleep
If you're looking at doing Whole30 on a more rigid, or less flexible, schedule, you'll have a lot more planning & organizing to do. (Good luck!)
Grocery Shopping
We did our grocery shopping throughout the week in smaller trips. We have a local butcher & a produce market that we shop at. Christian would take the meat items we needed for the week, and go to the butcher. I would then stop at the produce market after the gym & get what I needed for the next few days. This allowed for flexibility in our weekly menu & for use of the freshest available vegetables. My food waste greatly reduced once we put this system into place! (Plus: no more huge weekly grocery store trips!)
My Husband
While Christian didn't do Whole30 with me, it was an easier process because I planned with him in mind. If I made Cauliflower rice for myself, we cooked him regular rice. Sweet potato for me? Regular potato for him. I also chose dishes that we would normally eat. And when he mentioned that he
loved a particular dish one week, I made sure to incorporate it the following week. I also made him treats throughout the week - like banana pudding or peach cobbler - to make sure he was satisfied.
He helped me a great deal by not only doing some of the grocery shopping, but by doing most of the dishes, since I was doing most of the cooking.
It Starts With Food
I actually read the Whole9 Life's book
It Starts With Food, which explains in detail the basis of Whole30. I learned so much about the science and logic and purpose behind Whole30, and it totally changed my attitude about it. I planned my meals more purposefully - and more successfully. I understood that my lack of energy last go-round was because of lack of healthy fat (almonds, coconut, avocado, olive oil, cashews), so I increased my fat intake this time, and was amazed by normal energy levels! Who doesn't love to just eat half an avocado at every meal? Plus, the book has recipes and great resources to help out when I got stuck.
The Brunch Diaries
I worked with a friend to put together a Whole30 brunch. We had a few testing sessions (
here &
here) and then threw a small party for friends this past weekend. This project kept me incredibly interested in Whole30 food & recipes -- and it helped keep the fun in the process! Stay tuned for the final product (I'm still waiting on pictures!), but see a few sneak peaks
here.
The Results
So...
What were the results? you ask. This time around, I lost 8.5 pounds & 6 inches total. I'm also now officially wearing (comfortably) a smaller dress size. 14 in pants & I fit into a 12 dress (seen below). But even more than that: I really learned how to eat properly & keep on the "straight & narrow," if you will.
Accounting for the little bit of weight I gained between Whole30's (which is only natural), my
total weight loss for the year is 20 pounds! Lots of hard work, but it's definitely worth it ♥
I'll be doing
Whole30 again in August.
Now to go have a margarita....
***
I am not a doctor, a scientist, nutritionist or any other person of authority... but if you are intersted in learning more about Whole30 --- which is something I greatly recommend --- email me! I'd love to talk ♥
