WHOLE30 Life Change for 60 Days:

Life after whole30 the first time didn’t really stick all the way: I love my craft beer, rock star and Michael’s Sourdough sandwiches. I do have to say though that the whole month of May I felt like my allergies were worse, I was stuffy, coughed, and had somewhat lower energy.

I decided to really get my body into some good shape and start eating super healthy. I Began a whole life change, 60 day challenge. The first few days were your typical long, drawn out days, where I felt a little tired. As time went on, all I did was cook, and I actually fell down my stairs and twisted my ankle severely, so was laid up for a whole week.. so that sort of made things easier on me mentally and tougher at the same time. I had a lot of time to think about sweets. One I was able to sit by my stove, I continued to cook. One important factor, I found, is keeping busy. Use Pinterest for ideas and check out my recipes for new ideas, great tastes, and ease!! I have a few new recipes up my sleeve so be sure to keep in touch and check out what’s happening in my kitchen!

Week 1:

So far, like I mentioned above… and getting tired earlier is one major thing. I am on day 7 now and woke up very groggy, feeling like I slept very hard and was tired for the first few hours of the day. It’s just your body detoxing from the lack of sugar and anything else you’re used to eating. So for me, to top it off, I am starting to cut out caffeine. Stay tuned on how that goes! I have been reading a lot about how it produces more cortisol in the body that leads to access belly fat, diabetes, and infertility. So AH-BYE-BYE!  Which is kind of sad because I just mastered the cold pressed coffee…. Oh well.

During this week I have been bringing my bag of food: cashews, cuties, cut cucumbers, soups {homemade of course}, and these amazing “calui-couscous” bowls I have been making. Oh and kale chips!! Check out those recipes here!!

I am on a mission to lose 60 pounds!

Started off to a great start, though I went to a friends house for a birthday party and while I was really good about reading labels on waters and drinks, I decided the aioli was okay because he is a chef and it’s homemade… well, it was not. Even chefs need a break sometimes. So I’m not kicking myself in the bum about this, it was literally about 2 tablespoons worth of olive oil mayo mixed with siracha… I’m not going to fret. Lesson learned: Either don’t be afraid to insult someone by asking the question, “what’s in this?” or just don’t eat it. This is why I cannot stress enough: bring a bag of food and drink everywhere you go!!

Week 2:

Finally getting over the sugar slump. Crazy dreams, and starting to feel a lot more energy. My mood is awesome and my overall energy is very calm. I have lost a lot of weight. I know you are not supposed to get on the scale until the end, but I just cannot help it! I do have ton recommend though, if you feel like you’d be disappointed if you do not lose weight then stay off the scale! Still cooking a lot, finding new things to try and making some really yummy stuff. Check out my recipe section for some delicious whole30 complaint foods.

Week 3: 

My energy has been amazing and my mood has been so great, nothing brings me down. I feel very positive. My time is spent cooking and planning snacks and meals. I spend about 4-6 hours in the kitchen everyday and then try to spend time writing recipes for the things I cook. That has distracted me from wanting to eat cheese and tortillas :). Those have been the hardest thing to forget about, but I have done it! Mashed cauliflower is my new love, I use it every day almost and its super easy to make delicious. All in all this week I have felt more like myself this week than previously.

Week 4:

I have felt even more like myself again, more than before and better than ever! My attitude is getting better and better, things are great, happy, fun, and awesome! Eating clean has really cleansed my soul I feel like. I am being more mindful of the things I put in my body, the people I talk to, and the way I spend my precious time {because now it really is precious}. Sleep is a priority…I can never have enough sleep and I am getting tired around 10:30pm daily and usually fall asleep by 11pm if I don’t go to be earlier. Needless to say, I have missed a lot of good shows lately :). I wake up early and barely ever want to hit the snooze button. My energy levels are higher and I am getting a lot done. I feel so accomplished every day. It’s a cool thing. I highly recommend doing Whole30 and trying to stick with it for longer because I think this will only get better. I am also down 19 pounds.

Coffee Update: I am not off the coffee, but I am kicking the caffeine this week and switching to decaf. I have talked to my holistic doctors and done some research, it’s actually the caffeine in the coffee that is bad and can create the belly fat through extra cortisol and can cause infertility. So… I am on the hunt for the perfect decaf coffee. Any ideas? I will share my findings. It’s important with cold pressed coffee to use a flavorful bean because all of the flavors are extracted during the process and the coffee is extremely concentrated so those flavors, whatever they are, will be intense.

Week 5:

Decaf coffee only and it’s going OK. I have still been cooking a lot but finally finding a balance between my time in the kitchen, with my husband, and exercising. I have loads of energy, I feel super positive, and everything is awesome.

Week 6:

Things are going great and smooth. Still really great energy, I have added in daily hikes with my pup, and that’s adding to my positive attitude. Still going strong on the no coffee front, and have spent some time making new and exciting meals. i purchased a few new books for some inspiration: the whole30 book {the latest NEW one} and Well Fed.

I have had a few cravings for cheese and teriyaki sauce but made a killer beef and broccoli dish that curbed my cravings for soy products. I’ve lost 24 pounds and feel amazing. I wake up every morning with tons of energy and a clear head. Eating clean has really changed my outlook on food. I never thought it would but it has. I have been a foodie for as long as I’ve been able to put food in my mouth and now I realize that I have to be more mindful of what I choose to eat because each food I put in my body affects me in some way and some of those ways are not good. I will find more out in June when I reintroduce foods to my diet, but I am suspecting that the removal of gluten has contributed to my clear head. It’s unfortunate because that means beer…. but we shall see.

Weeks 7 and 8:

Basically after giving up cheese and coffee too… once I got to this point, things because much easier. I was in my groove and not eating certain things just didn’t matter. It still remains difficult dinning out- that’s just the way it is. It’s hard not to feel like a snob too when asking for no bread or cheese and the sauce on the side, but who cares what anyone else thinks, it’s your health. That’s the way I see it. I feel SO much better, a million times better. I feel cleaner, healthier, lighter, brighter, and happier.

So now that I completed my goal, I have taken a short break and will get back on whole30 again. I used to think 30 days was a long time and enough to get hooked, well, I urge anyone who is considering whole30 to do 60 days, that’s when you’ll really get hooked! I feel like it’s just a way of life now. It doesn’t feel like I am depriving myself of anything. There are just certain foods I don’t eat, period, and that’s ok.