Whole30 Week One Recap

Though not officially at the one-week mark, I’ve made it through five days and I have lots to reflect on.

I’ll give a quick recap on what the Whole30 diet is for those who missed my last article. For the next 30 days I will be following the Whole30, which is a diet that includes plants, animals, and fat, and excludes grains, dairy, sugar, legumes, and pretty much anything processed. The premise behind this method is that our bodies have not yet properly evolved to foods we now see in society, but instead can still only tolerate and digest the food our cavemen relied upon. (aka meat, vegetable, some fruit, nuts, seeds). Now doesn’t that just make sense?

And in just five days, I am truly loving how I feel. However, the past five days haven’t all been glorious and filled with rainbows and sunshine. There have definitely been a few lows. So here they are, my highs and lows of the Whole30 week one.

Whole30 Week One Highs

Highs: Overall, I feel GREAT! It has been so nice eating clean and my body is thanking me for it. I haven’t had one stomachache, queasy/nausea feeling, or any kind of upset and I strongly believe I can owe it all to the food I am eating.

I also love that I know exactly what I’m eating. Most of what I’m eating doesn’t require a label, as it’s mostly fresh produce, eggs, and meat. It’s refreshing to not have to worry about chemicals, and other weird additives in food and how it’s affecting my body.

Another great part about whole30 is how much cooking and meal prep is involved! For someone who loves being in the kitchen, this is the perfect challenge for me. And for those who don’t enjoy cooking, I highly recommend trying again. I could go on and on about how therapeutic it can be and I promise you, the food will taste better.

Whole30 Week One Lows

Lows: Now for some downsides. There’s no denying that this plan takes a lot of planning and preparation. Therefore, I’ve definitely found myself spending more time prepping meals than ever before. Which of course, leaves less time for other activities. I tried keeping my meals relatively simple this week to make it easier, but even my simple meals take longer to prepare than picking up something on my way home.

On day 2 I was ridiculously exhausted. I couldn’t understand why, since I was eating so well and getting enough sleep. However, whole30 provides a timeline of the 30 days and describes, pretty accurately, how we should be feeling on each day. And sure enough, I was right on track.

Many Whole30ers report headaches, fatigue, and general malaise during this part of the program. This, my friends, is completely normal. Your body is working its way through a whole host of junk it stored from the foods (or food-like-products) you used to eat.

I guess that cheeseburger and fries the night before I began was catching up to me…

Going into my second week, I am excited to continue cooking and eating well. I plan on meal prepping WAY more on Sunday, to give me more time during the week. Also, I’ve been chronicling my meals on a separate Instagram account and I would love for you to join my journey and see all I’ve been eating! @EatUpNY.Whole30

Here goes week two, wish me luck!

For any questions regarding Whole30 or anything else, please email me at Julie@eatupnewyork.com