5 Keys to Success for the Whole30

Committing to completing a Whole30 can be overwhelming. If this is your first one, you may feel a little freaked out at the thought of leaving behind those bagels and pasta and cereals. But seriously, if you complete the Whole30 completely, your life will be changed. As you can read about HERE and HERE, our family has noticed dramatic changes by cutting out these inflammatory foods. So, here are 5 tips to help you succeed in your journey!

5. Clear out all non-compliant foods in your house–even though you may feel you can “resist” the temptations, your life will be much more enjoyable if they’re not staring you in your face and beckoning you, and right now the point isn’t to “resist temptation” but to reset your body into new eating habits.

4. Keep a Whole30 “journal.” You may not be a man (or woman) of many words, but jotting down a few words on how you’re feeling each day will help you in the long run, and you will be encouraged when you look back on it and see your progress!

3. Keep a stash of Whole30-approved snacks with you at all times. Moments of weakness while you’re out running errands and drive by Krispy Kreme can set you back big time. Keep a bag of almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios, a boiled egg or some other high-protein snack, and you will beat those cravings to the ground.

2. Know that you may feel like crap (excuse my language) for awhile. Depending on how far away from “clean eating”  you were, you may experience withdrawal symptoms, crankiness, bitterness, or a general distaste for every person around you. Or, you may do just fine. Each person is different. But give yourself some grace if you’re in a bad mood, and warn the people around you that you may not be at your best for a little while. (This doesn’t mean you have free reign to treat the people in your life like crap–excuse my language again.) It will get better.

1. Don’t freak if you’re not perfect (which you aren’t–neither am I). If you fall off the wagon, weigh how much of a slip it was and decide whether you need to start your reset over. Don’t beat yourself up or throw in the towel. Don’t tell yourself, “well, I already ate that doughnut, I’ll just go ahead and indulge the rest of the day.” Just pick up your britches and move on.