Since the beginning of time, everyone has made resolutions to lose weight and get back in shape in January. I decided to reset my metabolism by doing Whole30 and completing a 20 day yoga challenge. Both challenges got off to a late start because I delayed my return to spend more time with my family in Arizona. Instead of going on a diet, my decision to reset my metabolism was inspired by one of my coworkers who wanted to do Whole30 and asked if I would do it with her. I had done this in the past and ended up feeling great by helping my body detox and fill up on nutrient dense foods.
What is WHOLE30?
The easiest way to describe Whole30, it is a stricter form of paleo, by additionally eliminating sugars, seeds, legumes (beans) and grains for 30 days. After Whole30, you would reintroduce those food groups slowly to see how your body reacts. Taking 30 days to eliminate these foods helps your body’s metabolism to heal and reset itself. You can read more about the Whole30 Program Rules. The entire goal of Whole30 is to get rid of “psychologically unhealthy, hormone unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups” for a full 30 days.
You can read more about shopping lists and meal plans at the official Whole30 website.
I’m going to document what I’ve eaten, workout for the day, what could be better and what went well along with how I’m feeling each day.
Bulletproof coffee (1 tbsp Kerrygold grass-fed butter, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1 cup coffee, throw everything in a Nutribullet or Ninja blender and blend)
LUNCH
This lunch was from Pete’s Paleo, which is generally Whole30 compliant since it is gluten-free, soy-free, sugar-free, grain-free
Seared Pepper Steak (417 calories: 48g protein, 1g carb, 23g fat)
Parsnip Mash (136 calories: 2g protein, 33g carbs, 1g fat)
Sauteed Peppers (68 calories: 2g protein, 14g carbs, 0g fat)
SNACKS
1 avocado with sea salt & cracked black pepper (234 calories: 2.9g protein, 12g carbs, 21g fat)
Dried apples (only ingredient was apples, no added sugar)
DINNER
Banh Mi Chicken Salad (590 calories: 30g protein, 27g carbs, 41g fat)
Dinner was homemade from the Sunbasket meal delivery service. To make this Whole30 compliant you would make the following tweaks to the marinade, brine and salad dressing.
- Chicken marinade base (substitute the gluten-free tamari with coconut aminos)
- Quick pickle brine (don’t use the brine since it contains coconut sugar, add the cucumber and carrots to the salad)
- Dressing base (omit gluten-free white miso or substitute coconut aminos)
EXERCISE
Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Time: 40 minutes
Calories: 350
What could I have done better?
Since the Banh Mi Chicken Salad had premade sauce, not pickling the cucumbers and carrots was a step in the right direction. However, it wasn’t until I looked up all the ingredients in the chicken marinade that I realized I need to restart Day 1 tomorrow because it contained miso which is not allowed on Whole30.
For the rest of the week, I’ll need to double-check the ingredients in meals before cooking them.
What went well?
I was hungry after an afternoon meeting and asked Nicole, my friend/nutritionist for what fruit I should have as a snack. I wanted to find the best fruit to fill up with a low-glycemic index and was filling. Unfortunately, we didn’t have almond butter at work so an apple with almond butter wasn’t an option. Instead, she found a hidden avocado so I had that with sea salt and pepper. I really wanted Sriracha on it except Sriracha has sugar, so that was a no go.
Follow Nicole @wise_and_well on Instagram, she’s always dropping knowledge on super foods and has helped me take baby steps to clean up my diet. She is a great source of nutrition inspiration.
What are your thoughts?