Let’s talk Whole 30! I have struggled with IBS and other stomach issues since around middle school, I have tried various diets and cutting things out to try to see what helps me feel better but, with IBS it always just seems random. Stress and diet are my contributing factors, so last year, near the end of my husbands deployment I couldn’t stand it anymore. I tried a new doctor who suggested I try a gluten-free diet, I cut back on dairy, and manage my anxiety a little better. I have tried being gluten free before and it didn’t last long because, well, hello who doesn’t love dipping toast into their runny eggs or, a good slice of pizza. But, this time I was determined to feel better, I hate always feeling crappy. I get nauseous when I eat certain foods, and am always tired. So, I started doing research on different diets and things I can do to help me feel better, enter Whole 30.
About this time last year I was scrolling through Instagram and stumbled upon the Whole 30 page as well as a few other Whole 30 pages. I eventually found some other Whole 30 food bloggers and started reading these books:
The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom
The Whole30 Fast & Easy Cookbook: 150 Simply Delicious Everyday Recipes for Your Whole30
It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways
At first I never thought I could do it, a whole 30 days without sugar, grains, legumes, and dairy but I was also determined to not feel like crap all the time. After doing A LOT of research I decided I would do it in July, the month of my husband’s last underway (YAY!) that way I would have something to distract me while he was gone and he wasn’t there tempting me with ice cream and pizza (hehe). So I started the day he left and finished the day he got home a perfect 30 days, but it wasn’t easy. The first week was awful I had this dull headache for 3-4 days from not having sugar, I was super grouchy and desperately craving an ice cream cone, but by day 9 I was feeling so good (tiger blood they call it). I had so much energy that I had trouble going to sleep at night because I was not tired (I will take that over being tired any time), even though I didn’t sleep well, I woke up ready to go the next morning. I stopped putting cream in my coffee and just added a couple scoops of collagen Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides and surprisingly it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The biggest success to my Whole 30 adventure was changing the way I do breakfast, before I would have a bowl of cereal, a breakfast bar, or protein shake but since these things are not Whole 30 approved, I had to find a new alternative. In walks my new favorite breakfast item….the sweet potato. I had been a sweet potato hater most of my life because both my parents dislike them, so I thought I did too, but I was wrong! I love sweet potatoes, I could eat them for every meal but I especially love them for breakfast because paired with a couple eggs and they keep me full until lunch time. One of the best parts of Whole 30 is that it isn’t a diet program, it is about eating “whole foods” (and no, not the grocery store) for 30 days. This means no cheat days, no counting calories, no weighing your foods, no counting points because as we all know diets don’t work! At the end of my 30 days I felt so good I planned to keep going, I hadn’t been nauseous since day two, I didn’t have any stomach emergencies, I did have a few bad stomachaches, but I think that was from too much broccoli and brussel sprouts (I have a hard time digesting some green veggies)
After the 30 days you are supposed to reintroduce each of the things you took out seperately to see if any foods cause you problems. I had to do a shortened reintroduction period because we were moving and I had one last visit with my GI before we left Connecticut, so I reintroduced the two foods I thought were the issue first, dairy and grains. Dairy didn’t end up being that big of an issue, I had ice cream and yogurt the first day plus cheese on my eggs. I had a bit of a stomach ache but nothing too bad, I don’t eat much dairy now just save it for “worth it” foods, like the occasional ice cream or yogurt, or a really good meat and chesse plate! But, I learned what I pretty much already knew, grains and my stomach do not get along. Eating a sandwich, toast, pasta or taco’s with flour tortilla’s make me so nauseated for the next couple of hours and I feel so groggy and tired after. So, I try to only have those things when it’s something that is really worth it for me because I don’t want to deprive myself from a good slice of pizza or the occasional donut.
During your 30 days you are not supposed to step on the scale or take any measurements, I definetly cheated on this and weighed myself a few times just to see where I was at. At the end of the 30 days I had lost 10lbs and 3 inches off my stomach and hips. I met my goal in weight loss for the month, but I had so many non scale victories (NSV) that the weight loss was kind of second bonus. I felt so good, I had enough energy to keep up with my 18 month old all day. I felt like I had a clear head, none of that brain fog, my skin was amazing, no breakouts during the 30 days. All in all it was a good experience, I am glad I did it, I learned a lot about food and my body. I still try and stick to a Paleo, Whole 30 lifestyle about 80% of the time.
I also wanted to include my favorite breakfast recipe that you can make so many different ways, I make it in a big batch and it usually lasts me 2-3 days. My awesome Mother in law introduced me to this when she was visiting in January, while she was doing her Whole 30 and I have been having it pretty much every day since.
~1-2 large sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped)
~1 Russett potato (peeled and chopped)
~1 Apple
~2 links of chicken apple sausage, sliced (I use Aidell’s, but you can basically use any meat you would want)
~1 handful of spinach or kale
~2 tbsp olive oil
~ seasoning of choice (I use Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning)
1.) Wash, peel and chop potatoes. I keep the skin on my apple but you can peel that too. Slice the sausages and wash your spinach or kale.
2.) Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add in olive oil. Once warm add in the potatoes, apples and sausages, sprinkle with desired amount of seasoning and stir in the pan to coat. Once coated add a lid and cook, stirring occasionally until the sweet potatoes are tender, they usually take the longest so i use those as much judge, about 20 minutes.
If you have any questions about any of this please let me know!