My Whole30 – Week 1 Recap

Ah – The Whole30. Some people think it’s crazy – my husband and most of my family included. That’s okay, though.
We’re all a bit mad, aren’t we? We’ve all got “our thing,” right?

In my family, I’m the crazy food person. I accept it like a badge of honor.  But when this crazy food person started to experience some intermittent digestive upset a few months ago whilst training for my first marathon I decided that – post-marathon – the Whole30 would be my next challenge! As someone who eats a relatively healthy diet I figured it wouldn’t be TOOOOOO rough for me, and so far, I’m not wrong. Do I miss the milk in my tea and peanut butter toast – sure. BUT I know that I won’t come out of this regretting it. And after week 1 I can already feel myself being more aware of my legitimate hunger vs. just wanting to eat. It’s a pretty powerful feeling, and I’m all about it.

Here is a recap of my thoughts, feelings, and foods on the first week on the Whole30:

Whole30 Week One Thoughts

In general – I feel really great after this first week! I feel accomplished, for one. I’m pretty proud of myself for being able to resist temptation – and really – I haven’t even felt all that tempted this week! I ALMOST had a slip up on Monday night when I made Turkey Meat Sauce with Zoodles. I made the hubs and babycakes some pasta to eat with it and I almost popped a noodle in my mouth to test for doneness – because I know we ALL test a noodle to check if it’s done cooking – but luckily I realized it and was like “OOPS! Can’t do that this month” so I just poked it with a fork instead. I think it’s pretty incredible to realize how easy it is to eat mindlessly. I advocate mindful eating, of course, and I try to keep my mealtimes that way. But it’s so easy to just pop a few tortilla chips when your family is munching on them without thinking twice about it. I caught myself thinking twice A LOT this week. It’s definitely been eye-opening  – and I’m excited to see how the next 3 weeks play out!

Whole30 Week One Attitude

Day One: THIS IS SUCH A BREEZE! WHY DO PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS.

Day Two: Still feeling good. Good sleep. Good mood. Pretty good food, too. This ain’t no thang.

Day Three: Hmmm, belly, what are you doing today? You are awfully grumbly and gassy.

Day Four: All the gas. I have it. In my belly. Clear the room.

Day Five: I can totally do this for another 25 days.

Day Six:  I would really, really, really like pancakes. Nope – nope just shut up and eat your eggs.

Day Seven: Are my pants tighter today? What is this voodoo?

Whole30 Week One Meal Plan

So, even when I’m not doing the Whole30 I’m a pretty solid meal planner. I take some time on Friday night to peruse recipes and figure out what I plan to make for dinner all week before I make my grocery list. My husband’s diet is pretty consistent throughout the week – so that makes it pretty easy for me, too. Here is the plan I came up with and follow nearly to the letter. There were a few evenings this week where I got a bit hungry after dinner because I stayed up later than usual for some reason. One night I had half a banana  to quell that hunger and the other night I had a handful of raisins – just to get rid of the tum rums. I am pleasantly surprised that I am not hankering for sweets every night – which is my typical practice.

Also noteworthy is that I’ve been drinking a minimum of 32 ounces of water per day – but usually twice that – and about 3 cups of either green or herbal tea. I’m a tea drinker, and I usually drink it plain (unless it’s English Breakfast) so that hasn’t been too different or too much of an adjustment for me!

I’ve included some food photos below, too! Please forgive the quality as they came from my phone (this is why I use CC images most of the time!).

	Sunday
Breakfast	Sweet Potato, Bacon, Spinach Frittata + 1/2 Grapefruit
Lunch	Butternut Squash and Arugula Salad with Pomegranate, Pecans, and Balsamic Vinegar
Dinner	Roasted Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots, Brussels Sprouts
Snack Options	Apple w/ Almond Butter | Olives and Cucumber Slices
	Monday
Breakfast	Sweet Potato, Bacon, Spinach Frittata + 1/2 Grapefruit
Lunch	Leftover Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots, Brussels Sprouts + Kombucha
Dinner	Turkey Meat Sauce with Zoodles
Snack Options	Apples w/ Almond Butter | Olives and Cucumber Slices
	Tuesday
Breakfast	Sweet Potato, Bacon, Spinach Frittata + 1/2 Grapefruit
Lunch	Leftover Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots, Brussels Sprouts + Kombucha
Dinner	Fajita Chicken and Veggies with Guacamole
Snack Options	Olives and Cucumber Slices | Blueberries and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
	Wednesday
Breakfast	Sweet Potato, Bacon, Spinach Frittata + 1/2 Grapefruit
Lunch	Leftover Fajita Chicken and Veggies and Guacamole + Kombucha
Dinner	Lemony Garlic Salmon over Arugula + Leftover Roasted Potatoes
Snack Options	Banana w/ Almond Butter and Unsweetened Coconut | Carrots and Guacamole
Prep	Hard Boiled Eggs & Bacon — Bake Spaghetti Squash
	Thursday
Breakfast	2 Hard Boiled Eggs + 2 Slices Bacon +  Butternut Squash + Blueberries
Lunch	Leftover Turkey Meat Sauce with Spaghetti Squash + Kombucha
Dinner	Grilled Buffalo Chicken Breasts with Steamed Broccoli and Guacamole
Snack Options	Banana w/ Almond Butter and Unsweetened Coconut | Cucumber Slices and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
	Friday
Breakfast	2 Hard Boiled Eggs + 2 Slices Bacon + Avocado + Blueberries and Pomegranate
Lunch	Leftover Turkey Meat Sauce with Spaghetti Squash + Kombucha
Dinner	Thai Chicken Soup
Snack Options	Apple w/ Almond Butter | Carrots and Olives
	Saturday
Breakfast	Sweet Potato, Chicken Sausage, and Bell Pepper Hash with Eggs
Lunch	Leftover Thai Chicken Soup (ate all the chicken, added Salmon)
Dinner	Turkey Burgers w/ Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes and Romaine Lettuce w/ Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions
Snack Options	Apple w/ Almond Butter and Raisins | Cucumber Slices

Fellow Whole30ers – sound off!

What was your first week like?!

Let me know in the comments!