Oh yes, you read that right. I'm getting ready to do my first round of the whole 30! A whole month without sugar, carbs or dairy? Sounds like a challenge for sure! So how exactly did I get ready for such a big undertaking? Read on to find out...
I follow many teacher bloggers who have done the whole thirty so I've always been a little intrigued by it. In just two months I'll be standing next to ( or near....) my brother as he marries the love of his life in a cute little teal dress that may or may not actually zip all the way up right now.
So when a friend of mine suggested I do the Whole 30 with her, I was ready to jump in head first. Being the teacher that I am, I did a lot of research first. I quickly realized that if I didn't do some preparation upfront, I wasn't going to be successful. So here's what I did:
1. I gathered a support group.
I've already mentioned one of my friends, but I also rallied my mother and the teacher next door to me for the cause. I figured the bigger support group I had the better my chances were for sticking with it.
2. I pinned recipes like crazy.
And not just any recipes. Whole 30 recipes only. If you want to see our pin board you can follow me here and it's called "The Whole 30"
3. I formulated a menu plan.
Using the pinned recipes my friend and I spent a few facetime sessions putting together a plan that included a breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner for each day. This was no small task as we took into account several different schedules. We planned for easy crock pot nights when we knew we would have a busy day, and left the more labour intensive meals for nights we knew our husbands would be home to watch the kids while we cooked. We planned out two weeks and then decided we would repeat the two weeks for a total of four weeks.
4. I created a shopping list.
Using the menu plan I went through each and every recipe and wrote down all the ingredients I would need, with the exception of some spices I knew we already had. I made sure to list ingredients by store, so I could have a list for each stop. The list was huge and I started to get a little nervous about our budget, but I reminded myself that I was stocking up on a lot ahead of time, so this wasn't a normal grocery trip that would only feed us for a week. And also, that we were going to be saving money by not eating out for a whole month. Please note that this list does not list all of the spices used in the recipes. If I knew I had it, I didn't list it.
5. I stocked up on ingredients ahead of time.
Using the shopping list I had created, I set out to three different stores and our local farmers market and picked up everything I would need for the first two weeks. I have never bought so much produce in my life!! Two weeks in I'll make another trip for anything we need to restock.
6. I pre-prepped as much food as possible.
I pre-made and froze turkey meatballs, chopped veggies, etc. I don't usually cook that many nights a week, let alone three meals a day, every day so I knew it was going to be a challenge. The more I had done ahead of time, the less stressful it would be.
7. I printed out a countdown chart
I knew something about being able to cross off one day at a time and see how far I had made it without any cheats would be motivating. We hung it on the fridge where we would see it and be motivated. I found this one on pinterest and it's from Erica Bohrer.
8. I bought a jogging stroller.
This actually has nothing to do with the whole 30 but I figured if I was going to be eating right then I might as well exercise more to really jump start my weight loss. Because, you know..... the dress.
And that's it! The next 30 days are going to be interesting that's for sure! Here's to getting fit!!!!
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