I have done 2 full rounds of whole 30 back to back. I noticed huge improvements after 30 days but it took me a full 60 days to tame my sugar dragon.    Here are few tips to help you get through your 30 days!!

1. Prep food!! Prep food!!! Prep food!! 

Get the picture? Prepping food is probably the most important thing to do when are doing whole 30, or any healthy lifestyle.  Taking one day a week to prep food, means you have food ready for easy breakfasts and lunches. I usually do this on Sunday and will plan to make chicken and sweet potatoes for our family dinner that night so I’m only making extra food vs. a whole separate dish.  My weekly prep is as follows:

  • hard boil and peel 2 dozen eggs.  It is much easier to peel eggs when they are still hot, plus this way they are ready to go when you need them
  • grill 5-8 extra chicken breasts.  I marinate the chicken in lime juice and olive oil for 6 hours then sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook on the grill.  Now you have chicken ready for lunches and post work out meals
  • bake 8-10 sweet potatoes. (I eat a ton of sweet potatoes. I eat 1/2 to 1 after workouts, along with a lean protein like chicken. I also eat one for breakfast before a long workout. ) Place sweet potatoes on a cooking tray and coat with either olive oil or coconut oil. This helps for easy removal of skins when you are ready to eat. Pierce each potato with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for 50 min, or until potatoes are done.  Store them in the  refrigerator once they have cooled.

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2. Keep it simple

It can be overwhelming at first when you start to meal plan. For the first 2 weeks, I kept it very simple

  • Breakfast: eggs and fruit.  I either did hard boiled eggs or I would saute veggies like spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc and add eggs in and scramble.  You can buy frozen veggies to save some money.
  • Lunch: I used my pre-grilled chicken to make colorful salads with tons of fruits and veggies.  I also made my paleo chicken salad that you can find here.
  • Dinner: I grilled basic meat or fish and changed it up with different salsas to top it with.  I also tried to eat a different type of veggie side dish each night.

3. Make extra

If you make any sort of recipe that can be reused the next day, make extra for your breakfast or lunch. For example, when I make my spinach and bacon turkey burgers I always double the amount so I have leftovers for breakfast (eggs everyday can get old).  Also, save leftover veggies from dinner and add to scrambled eggs for a quick breakfast.

4. Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s really helps make meal prep easier! They have tons of organic pre-cut veggies and salad mixes.  I love the pre-cut butternut squash, pre-peeled and steamed baby beats and organic broccoli slaw.  They also have a huge variety of raw nuts for good prices. Trader Joe’s also carries a nice selection of organic produce for cheap prices. I will often buy Larabars there as well.

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5. Read the books

I recommend reading the book “It starts with Food” before you began.  It helps to understand why you are not supposed to eat certain foods.  Also, Whole 30 isn’t just about a set of pre-approved food.  There is also a certain way you’re supposed to eat: 3 large meals a day rather than smaller meals throughout the day. You are also allowed a pre and post work-out snack.

5. Pick a start date

Pick a start date a few days or even a week away.  This will allow you time to stock your fridge and pantry and prep some food which will make your 1st 2 weeks much easier!

6. Drink Herbal Tea to help with Sugar Cravings

7. Find a friend to do Whole 30 together

8. Use Instagram

I follow a lot of paleo and whole 30 bloggers on Instagram. They are a great source for recipe ideas, meal planning and general motivation. My favorite Instagram pages are Whole30, whole30recipes, nomnompaleo, paleomg, stupideasypaleo, and dianesanfilipo. You can also use hash tags on Instagram to search for things  such as #whole30recipes or #whole30.

9. Have emergency food/snacks

Keep food in your purse, car, workout bag and/or office that you can eat in case the day gets busy or you are not able to eat a normal lunch, etc.  Life can get busy and hectic and it’s not good to skip a meal as it sets you up to overindulge later in the day or to fall of the bandwagon and eat a non whole 30 food because it’s more convenient.  I personally  always have a larabar (be sure to read labels) or 2 in my purse and workout bag. Other options include nuts, RXBar, PrimalPacs, and Epic Bars.  Remember that these are for emergency use only and should not be used on a daily basis.

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10.Don’t be afraid of fat

I had a hard time at first buying into the whole eating fat won’t make you fat concept. Nutritionist have pushed a low fat diet for so long that it can be hard to get out of that mindset.   I can tell you from first hand experience that adding fat into my diet made me leaner and more defined then I have ever been in my life!  I always had healthy fats incorporated into my diet but I wasn’t eating enough to fuel me through the day. Adding more healthy fats has allowed me to eat 3 meals a day without needing to snack (other than a pre and post workout meal)  I don’t feel hungry or tired everyday around 3pm like I used to. My body has now become adapted to using fat rather carbs for energy.

9. Give it time!

I say this because you may need more than 30 days to reset your body. I saw results pretty quickly after 2 weeks on whole 30. My body started to become more defined, I had higher energy levels during the day, I was sleeping much better, and wasn’t getting headaches. I still however was craving sugar after dinner. This did not fully go away after 30 days so I continued and did another 30 days of whole 30. And let me tell you, the 2nd 30 days is where I was really blown away with my results.  After 60 days, I am more in tune with my body. If I am still hungry after eating my dinner, I get another serving! Sometimes an hour after dinner I am still hungry -so I get more food!! I am an endurance athlete so depending on my workouts I may need more food. I am now able to listen to my body and know when I’m actually hungry and need more calories vs. just having a sugar craving!! I think that is pretty amazing!!

 

Good Luck!!!  You got this!!!