Seven days down, twenty-three to go on Whole 30. Numerous friends, family members, and fabulous Instagram followers have been asking me all kinds of questions about how Whole 30 is going, so here’s the real deal folks. I’m breaking down the good, the bad and the ugly of week 1 on Whole 30.
Every person who has done Whole 30 before is going to crush me for doing Whole 30 this way, but it’s just the reality so I’m going to shoot you straight. I started Whole 30 knowing I would cheat 3 days. We had a company dinner one night & I’m going to the lake this weekend with some dear friends. Since I knew this going into Whole 30, I planned to do a Whole 33.
Yes, I’m aware that’s not how it works but as someone who usually eats clean anyway, the main purpose of me doing this is to break my body of sugar addiction and to reset my system to crave the good stuff again. I’ve been lax this summer and am ready to jump back into the oh so wonderful deep end of clean eating. (Now, that all true Whole 30’s want to crucify me at the stake, I’ll continue…) HA!
Day 1:
Breakfast: Almond Butter & Banana with Coconut Milk (from the can), Cinnamon and Coffee whipped in a Ninja to get frothy and delicious (I’ve had this everyday so far)
Pre-workout snack: Blueberries
Lunch: Shredded Rotisserie Chicken over Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Blueberries, & Zoe’s salad dressing
Dinner: Black Peppered Lemon Tilapia with Roasted Brussels
Day 1 was a struggle. I was hungry and cranky to the point where I felt lightheaded. I got some feedback via other Whole 30 people on Instagram that I shouldn’t be hungry on Whole 30 and to eat more. I promptly went home and prepped a ton of boiled eggs, veggies and fruits to take to work the next day to help satiate me.
Day 2:
Breakfast: (Same thing every day)
Lunch: Hard boiled eggs on a Cobb Salad with Zoe’s Salad Dressing
Pre-workout snack:Â Almonds
Post workout snack: Hard Boiled Egg
Dinner: Pan-Grilled Steak with a Baked Sweet Potato topped with Ghee, Cinnamon & Nutmeg and Salad
Day 3:
Breakfast: (Same thing every day)
Lunch: Taziki’s Mediterranean Salad (subbed salad dressing for Zoe’s, no chick peas, no cheese, add avocado, tilapia & olives)
Pre-workout snack: Blueberries
Dinner: CHEAT DAY:Â Company Dinner at El Barrio: Salmon with a side salad and here comes the cheat…. Watermelon Margarita & Cheese Dip with Chips!
Day 4:
Breakfast: (Same thing every day)
Lunch: Urban Cookhouse Berry Good Salad with no feta, no TO DIE FOR roll, Â Zoe’s dressing, & added shrimp
Dinner: Leftover Tilapia with a sweet potato & green beans
Day 5:
Breakfast: (Same thing every day)
Lunch: Mixed Greens with pepperoncini, cucumbers, and hard boiled eggs
Pre-workout snack: Almonds
Dinner: Monkfish with Roasted Greek Potatoes & Roasted Asparagus
Day 6:
Breakfast: (Same thing every day)
Post-workout snack: Pineapple, carrots, and melon
Lunch: Salad
Dinner: Baked Chicken Wings with Mixed Spices & Blueberries, Raspberries, & Strawberries
Day 7:
Breakfast: (Same thing every day)
Lunch: Urban Cookhouse Berry Good Salad with no feta, no TO DIE FOR roll,  Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing, & added steak
Dinner: Stuffed Baked Potato with Chicken, Salsa, Scallions and Butter
I would also like to give myself credit for turning down Church Street Coffee’s Breakup Cookies (one of my favorite treats in Birmingham!) at a baby shower, beer and homemade salsa and chips at a friends house for SEC football kickoff, and Jim ‘n Nick’s cheese biscuits. Those are all some of my VERY favorite foods and being around all those yummies for a holiday weekend was incredibly difficult. If I can turn those things down and feel in control though, I know I’m on the right track!
See what I ate on Week 2!
Fill me in…what questions do you have? If you’ve done Whole 30 before, what was your favorite Whole 30 meal?
I just started my Whole 30 today! Love what you did with your “cheats” – I have a couple of things planned and think I may do the same thing as you did. (seriously…what’s a birthday dinner without chips & guacamole?!) Thanks for pushing me to do this with you!
Author
YAY! Leila, so proud of you. Keep me updated with how it’s going. 🙂 SOOOO with you on the guac/cheese dip/ marg’s theme, ha!
So funny you’re doing this! My boyfriend and I have been debating whether to commit to Whole 30 after a summer living out of suitcases and unable to eat the way we’d like! I think this might be a sign. Two quick questions, do you blend the coffee and cinnamon hot? I’m always concerned about putting hot liquids in a blender. And, how do you eat the banana, coconut milk, almond butter? Is it mixed to a sort of oatmeal consistency? Thanks so much! I’m thankful you’re doing this just ahead of us!
Author
Hey Colleen!
So good to hear from you. 🙂 How funny! I’m on day 9 and loving it. I have done coffee and cinnamon and coconut milk (from a can) hot and cold. Both are good, just depends on what you want. The hot when blended gets kind of like a latte like texture.
I don’t eat the coconut milk with the banana and Almond butter. I just eat the almond butter on the banana. Maybe I should re-word that so it’s less confusing, huh? 😉
Let me know if you start!
Thanks for clarifying. I thought everything was thrown in a shake. I’d have to do apple with almond butter as I think the banana has too much sugar for me (I have reactive hypoglycemia).
When I get on a plan, I always write down how many temptations I avoided. It’s STUNNING how many high-calorie treats we come across every week.
Can’t wait to read more.
Hi! I am planning to start Whole 30 when we get back from vacation on the 17th. Zoe’s dressing, is that from the restaurant?
Author
Yes, it is! Enjoy and good luck!
It can be so hard to stick to an eating plan when live gets in the way. You were mindful the whole time which I think makes up for a lot. Good luck on week 2.
Do you eat eggs for breakfast everyday? I noticed it wasn’t listed but in the top picture with the rest of you items it looked like eggs in the bowl. Looking into starting Whole 30 myself and just trying to get meal plans together!
Author
No, I do not eat eggs everyday for breakfast. I normally do a banana and almond butter. I did eggs on Labor Day morning since I wasn’t at work and was out of bananas. 🙂
I am doing Whole30 this September so of course I had to come here when I saw this on the FBHEO forum. Good job on your first week.
One of mny favorite whole30 breakfasts is frozen blueberries drizzled with coconut oil (it gets hard), unsweetened sunbutter, coconut flakes, and pecans. One of my favorite dinners has been a potato, beef, and veggie skillet. It did not feel super whole30 esc as it had potatoes and last time I did it potatoes were not “legal” but I served it with a large salad too, so that felt better.
Omg I just found the comments – thought the banana went in the blender with the coffee!
Author
Ha, sounds like a great idea for a smoothie. 😉