Whole30 Recap – Week 1

So, I wasn’t going to post about this Whole30 journey at all. But I have gotten so many texts, messages, snaps, and questions about it that I decided I should. If anyone else is doing Whole30, I would love to know how it’s going or any recipes you are loving. My first piece of advice is to please read both of the books above. They explain everything, what you can and can’t have, why the program is 30 days, why you can’t do a “mostly Whole30,” how to read labels, why you can’t have beans, etc.Week one is complete! I am already feeling SO much better. I have only had two cups of coffee so far in 2016. While I do feel tired- it’s a different tired. More of a body tired than a head tired if that makes sense. I think it’s because my body is adjusting to all these changes and is trying to adapt without the sugar, carbs and junk that it’s been used to for almost 30 years. I went from getting five hours of sleep a night to 7 or 8, which is my biggest victory thus far. I have struggled with insomnia and anxiety since I graduated college- and it feels so good to wake up in the mornings having slept a full night. I also haven’t needed to take my anxiety medication- which considering all of the 49er drama that has been happening, is a miracle in and of itself.

Shop Whole30:

I keep checking in with the Whole30 timeline because it is seriously dead on. It’s good to know that what I’m feeling is completely normal. My day two headache was realllly bad- but I felt better when I realized that was to be expected. The most hilarious phase to me is “kill all of the things”- thank god Joe is being so patient with me throughout this process and even eating all of my experimental recipes with me.

One thing that surprised me is you aren’t technically supposed to be working out, especially during week one. But I am too addicted to Barry’s to not go. Monday was my first workout while on Whole30- I felt weaker than usual, especially on my runs, but felt really good once class was over. The next day was leg day so I ate a bit more than I did the day before. My chorizo with eggs is like my special treat meal- so I made sure to eat it this day because I was going to be lifting pretty heavy and not running.

It has been so great to be doing this with other people too. I have about five or six ladies who are doing this with me and it has made it SO much easier. Jess (aka my life coach) who I met through Barry’s has basically been walking me through this step by step and helping me with any questions about labels, recipes, tips and tricks and for that I am so grateful. I literally text her 500 times a day- oops. And Joe’s mom who went to Whole Foods with me for hours reading labels and finding compliant items. It feels good to help each other out- we call each other from the grocery store, tag each other on really great recipes on Instagram, etc. This not only makes you accountable, it also makes it fun. Whole30 dinner party here we come!

I’ve been trying to snap all of my meals (be sure to follow me for updates @ashleyzeal)- but sometimes they look gross or are just leftovers. But here is a breakdown of what I ate the first week:

Day 1 (sick, ok, hungover)

Applesauce