MY WHOLE 30 EXPERIENCE, SO FAR

the monday after #ldw, my boyfriend & I decided try the whole 30 diet. 
I have good news & bad news. 
I have some success stories, as well as some failure stories.

since summer started, I maintained an idgaf attitude towards what I ate. I moved into my apartment w/ my S.O. and we've been eating, drinking & laughing our way through jersey city. I regret nothing, except for this "bloat" I've had for the past few months. 

I can maintain a strict diet, but geeeez whole 30 tough. you can only eat protein (meats & seafood), fruits and vegetables. no: dairy, carbs, sugars. as raw as it gets ppl! eating like this not only requires a lot of will power, but it takes a lot of spending and prepping too.

I'm a little over 3wks into the diet and I've had some ups & downs...

UPs: I've lost 5lbs! and at 2wks, my abs starting to peep through w/o doing -any- workouts. as a matter of fact, I've hardly worked out since starting this dieta few 2mi runs, but nothing regular. 
DOWNs: after the first week, I felt like I had the flu. I've cheated 3x now, and every time I cheat I feel awful

while experts say to start over entirely if you cheat during the 30 days, I don't plan to. like I've explained in a past post, a strict diet backfires on me sometimes. so instead, I'm taking it as a loss & movin' on! I have another week left & because I did ruin a few days, I plan on eating whole 30 for at least another 2wks. 

whole 30 things i can’t live without:

+ RX bars - they help cure my sweet tooth, but heads up, they get stuck in your teeth
+ coconut oil - for cooking everything in!
+ coconut milk, unsweetened - great base for smoothies, & also a necessity in a lot of 'sweet' whole 30 recipes. (coffee drinkers, you'll need for sure!)
coconut flour - because you can't use regular flour! almond flour is compliant too.
+ chia seeds - add 'em to smoothies or better yet, make chia pudding
+ frank's red hot sauce - yes, it's whole 30 compliant & yes, I really do put that sh!t on everything 

stay tuned for my favorite whole 30 recipes & how I feel once I'm done after these next 2wks!
follow NICOLE LEIGH on instagram - my go-to spot for sharing what I'm eating, doing, etc.

23 comments:

  1. Yay for the "ups" of this diet + boo for the "downs!" Hopefully the hardest part of it is behind you now!

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  2. I already use coconut oil and haven't tried Whole 30 yet - I LOVE it! Huge difference in meals! I've been considering this program though, it looks like a really good one!

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    1. I'm definitely going to keep cooking w/ it even when I'm done - game changer! & it is a good one, I'd say try it if you've been considering. x

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  3. Props to you for doing that!! OMG I'm not sure if I could... I am way too picky of an eater and would miss carbs!

    xoxo A
    www.southernbelleintraining.com

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  4. Loved reading your thoughts on this. I have always wanted to try it. I do eat pretty much a whole 30 diet but not 100%. I love Franks sauce!

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    1. glad you liked! & I plan on being whole 30 most of the time once I'm done for good too, just because it's a great lifestyle choice. we should exchange recipes! x

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  5. Giggled about the hot sauce -- it's good, so maybe I can give this a try and put it on everything too.
    xo, Lily
    Beauty With Lily

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    1. LOL it makes a lot of things bearable, that's for sure! x

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  6. What a great post! So informative. I wish I could do the whole 30 but don't think I have the will power. Whaaa

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  7. I've heard so many great things about whole 30, I'm not sure I'd be able to stick to it though!
    -Nicholle
    www.nichollesophia.com

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    1. it's a struggle! I'll say once you get passed the first two weeks, you're in a good spot.

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  8. Props to you for doing this! I don't think I could lol.

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  9. I've never heard of the whole30 before, but I'm definitely interested in learning more!

    -Carine | www.rinnyandbean.com

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    1. you should check it out! I'll be doing a follow-up post, so hopefully you'll take something from that. x

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  10. I feel like this is something I need to try! It feels hard, because I can't live with sweet snacks. But at least I might give it a try for a week hahaha.

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    1. once you get passed a few weeks of no sweet snacks, I promise you won't think of 'em! you just need to "detox" your body from the sugars, and then wah-lah...no more sweet tooth. x

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  11. Yes, WHOLE 30 is SO SO hard to do but such a good experience! It shows you how much crap can be in regular grocery items you're used to purchasing and DEFINITELY teaches you how to cook!

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    1. yes on all of those accts! the experience teaches -much- more than a diet...so my boyf & I have learned. x

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  12. Way to go for sticking through it!! Not sure I could ever do whole30, but definitely trying to eat healthy lately.

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