My Whole30 Journey - Week 1

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Whole30 is a lifestyle shift that focuses on eating whole foods, specifically ones that don’t affect hormones for 30 days. Some would call Whole30 a diet, but I don’t like that term because it implies there is an end to the challenge. When I first considered doing Whole30, I knew I needed to change my eating habits – I have a major sweet tooth (thanks Dad). I wouldn’t say I’m the absolute worst when it comes to diet but I am a big fan of Chick-Fil-A + I can’t refuse the gas station candy isle during long trips. I do believe in balance, but I noticed I was eating more junk food than I was whole foods. That’s why I chose to start Whole30.

Some things I wanted to focus on for this challenge included: my overall energy + mood + my acne. I am wondering if my acne is caused by potentially triggering foods. I’ve struggled with cystic acne for a few years now – I’ve tried multiple topical treatments + even went on Actuate during graduate school. It worked while on the treatment, but here I am 2 years later with the same problems I had prior to taking the medication. I was also on Spironolactone at multiple points in my life. In fact, I used that for my wedding as well as a temporary steroid topical cream to help alleviate any inflammation for the day. While that helped with the wedding day, I know long-term that I do not want to be on a daily medication if I can control it.

Prepping for Whole30

The preparation for any diet change is absolutely critical for success. Especially for those who love to snack – which this challenge tries so hard to get away from. I had to create a weekly meal plan so there was no guessing + wondering what to eat. I started at the beginning of week 1 with a full list of recipe ideas that I wanted to try + planned them out so there were enough servings for dinner + lunch the next day for both my husband + I. This also made it 10 times easier to not order out.

I ordered my pantry staples from Thrive Market, which is a company that offers wholesale prices for foods. I love Thrive Market because I could search for foods by category (YES there is even a Whole30 category!) but there is a wide variety of options for a wide variety of diets!

Week 1 Review

I knew going into the Whole30, this would not be an easy challenge. There are some pretty strict rules for this challenge + the rules for the Whole30 Challenge can be found here. Starting with week 1, days 1 + 2 were relatively easy! I didn’t notice anything different in my hunger but I did notice how easily tempted I was at snacking on candy. The clinical coordinator at work always has candy on her desk + I would visit it a few times each week. This was a habit I became used to + didn’t realize just how often I went to that candy bowl! I also noticed that every night when I get home to cook, I snack while cooking. I realized I would turn to gummy bears or chips to snack on which are practically empty calories.

Days 3 + 4 were much harder. I had a headache at the end of day 3 that carried over into day 4 + my cravings were pretty strong too. I wanted pizza + burgers. It didn’t help that my husband mentioned those in a conversation earlier that day. My mind stayed fixated on those food items all day! I made sure to drink enough water + tried to replace the carbs I usually eat with healthier alternatives each day. Day 5 was much better + the headache was completely gone! The remainder of the week was easier and no side effects lingered!

In terms of daily energy, I haven’t noticed anything yet. However, I didn’t anticipate see a change this early. The inflammation around my acne has decreased a little. Although, again, I am not sure if that is due to this week’s eating habits. I am tracking progress to see the transformation over this month + am still so excited about the end result. But unfortunately, nothing to report in either of these areas yet.

Breakfast

Mini Breakfast Casseroles by The Defined Dish – this doesn’t take a long time to prep + lasts through the entire week! Next time I make it, I will not use the green chiles (taste preference for me). But the blend of potatoes, ground pork, + eggs is so yummy + I feel full after eating a serving! To make this Whole30 compliant, I did not put cheese in the dish.

Lunch

For lunch, I opted to eat the food that was prepared the night before. The only day that did not have a prepared meal was the 5th day of my plan because there were plenty of leftovers from earlier in the week. For this lunch I had a salad with rotisserie chicken, dried cranberries (with NO sugar added to be Whole30 compliant), apple slices, + Primal Kitchen’s Ranch Dressing.

I also helped my husband’s coworker move on the 6th day. We went out to eat and I opted for the lemon pepper chicken with steamed broccoli. Both of which I requested not be cooked with butter. So overall, I felt very accomplished for the first week of my challenge!

Dinner

For dinner, this is where I could get really creative!

Crockpot chicken, avocado, + lime soup by The Defined Dish – this was good but I prefer to have more avocado with the soup. Also it says 4 servings but there were more like 8 for us!

Spinach stuffed salmon + Green Beans by The Defined Dish – this dish was also good but make sure you don’t overstuff the salmon. I had too much spinach in each bite but ultimately ate it because I knew it was good for me!

Taco Spaghetti Squash Boats by The Defined Dish – I swear this has to be the best dish I have EVER cooked! I made spaghetti squash once + was not a fan but I was determined to try it again + I am so glad I did! The meat has a lot of flavor. We also had a lot of left overs with this meal. I would say it had 6-8 servings for us.

Chinese Chicken + Broccoli by The Defined Dish – this dish was very good but we were only able to get 2 servings out of it.

Meatloaf + Mashed Potatoes by The Defined Dish – another favorite for the first week! Nothing will compare to my mother’s meatloaf, but this Whole30 approved version did not disappoint! I found that this dish served 4.

Here is a breakdown of what I ate every day: