Whole30 Wrap-Up, 5 Keys to Success, & the BEST recipe EVER

I just wrapped up my second #januarywhole30, and it was all over the map. I think like many people experience I had some real highs and some SERIOUS lows.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's my foray into Whole30.

I kicked some cravings. I scaled back my need for quick pick-me-ups (sugar, caffeine, and afternoon snacks). My portion sizes came under control.

Here was my major low - I stopped enjoying...

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...the social part of eating. I grabbed nourishment and went on about my day. This became my new habit, and I'm still doing this to some extent. It saddens me to not sit down and really enjoy my husband's company over breakfast or a slow dinner. During our Whole30 experience, we often ate standing up at the kitchen counter. This is not a habit I want to foster!

Overall, I dropped 6 pounds. Not bad for one month! However, I must reiterate what the book states. Weightloss is NOT the ultimate goal. It's about breaking addictions to poor nutritional sources. It's about genuinely feeling, sleeping, and functioning better. I felt all of these. I'm so happy with that.

Favorite / most relied upon food: HEB's sweet potato chips. This is not strictly inline with the book recommendation to not rely on snack foods; however, it's what kept us going. We also relied heavily upon Lara bars and egg muffins.

What didn't work for us: mocktails. No, just no. ​

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Here are my 5 Keys to Success on Whole30 Program:

1. Do it with someone or join a support group.
This is #1 rule in my book. No way would I hold my own feet to the fire on those long, arduous days! You need a support network for this. Someone that feels what you are feeling.

2. Meal prep. Meal prep. Meal prep.
Ugh, this gets SO old. But the one week you skip it, you quickly realize the mistake you have made and you spend the whole week scrambling. It's imperative that you prep on the weekends to set yourself up for a smooth week. Or you end up eating sweet potato chips for dinner like we did one night.

3. Mix it up. And keep it simple.
This key to success can be in conflict with itself some weeks. I wanted to mix it up and make all the elaborate, modified recipes that looked so pinterestly yummy, but reality is that a simple grilled chicken breast, broccoli, and a baked sweet potato could get me through just fine. Having said that there I would have quit on day 3 if I had to eat grilled chicken breast each meal, so I had a rotation of 4 or 5 mainstay dinners in the rotation.

4. Lara Bars
These weren't my favorite at the beginning, and here I am now post-Whole30 challenge still eating them. They satisfied and STILL satisfy my need for ANY sweets. I CANNOT believe that I do not have chocolate in my house to this day.

5. Sweet potato chips
Man, I hate to be the cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater here, and technically it's not cheating. But truth is that we live in a society where snacking happens. We got to happy hours. We feed our kids. We race out the door to an appointment and have to eat on the way. So replace whatever Whole30 compliant snack you want for sweet potato chips, just keep a snack on you and in your pantry at all times in case of emergency snacking.

While I recommend Whole30 completely and would probably try it again one day (NOT in 2018), I do not enjoy losing my enthusiasm for dining. What a wonderful part of life! I'm not willing to sacrifice that. BUT that motivates me to keep up my improved food choices and not allow sugar and dairy addictions to rule my palate.

As far as the rest of the family, well, the husband was a constant source of motivation. He stayed the course when everything I saw turned into a glass of red wine. (I saw red wine mirages EVERYWHERE in the dry desert of Whole30 land. I mean, come on, TODDLERS) . He was willing to continue on with the strict regimine, but I bailed out at 30 days. And where one of us gives in to temptation, the other soon follows. The kids? No, not a chance. The toddler mafia wanted their mac n' cheese and french fries and were not going to hear any different.

Overall, SO successful and SO worth it. Not a chance in HELL I'm doing this again anytime soon though. 

The winning recipe of the 30 days whether you prepare it Whole30 compliant or not is {drumroll} here. It is aptly named "your new favorite pork chops". I vouch for that name! John does too!

Up next...new home gym I'm coming for you! Right now it's a garage full of boxes and baby clothes.

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