After four years, four rounds, and a certification in Whole30 coaching, I am an official Whole30 pro. I know what products to buy, the recipes to include on my meal plan, how to grocery shop like a wizard, and when and what to meal prep.
But I’m going to tell you something you probably don’t want to hear.
It actually doesn’t matter how good at Whole30ing I am.
Sure, it’s helpful for YOU because I can get you through 30 days of clean eating. I know the tips and tricks. Plus, I am actually trained in this coaching stuff, so I can help you do it the way YOU need to do it. A YOU flavored Whole30.
All that Whole30ing doesn’t mean a damn thing if it doesn’t translate into real life. A Whole30 without the reintroduction is just another diet. If you’re not working on your Food Freedom when you’re not on a Whole30, you’re just yo-yo dieting. Doing a Whole30 only with the intention of losing weight is just another weight loss diet. You can be a really good dieter and NOT HEALTHY.
Ouch.
Maybe that’s where you’re at still, and you know what? I get it. I’ve been stuck in the weight loss cycle, too. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can find healthy habits that stick, enjoy food you love, and live a life that you deserve without the emotional rollercoaster with your scale. The Whole30 has been a tool for me in finding these things, and it can be that way for you, too, if you use it right.
So if you’re ready to quit the shame cycle with your food and create a life that’s worthy of how awesome you are, here are some ways to approach your Whole30 that will translate into LONG TERM SUCCESS.
Do a Full Reintroduction
The Whole30. Is. Not. Hard. I mean, it is a little hard. But it’s not hard compared to what comes afterwards.
I know, this part is tempting to skip. You’ve done 30 days of squeaky clean eating without your wine and your chocolate. You DESERVE to have a reward! Right?
WRONG.
What you actually deserve is to treat your body with respect and to keep the promise you made to yourself. And the Whole30 includes a full reintroduction.
But, you feel amazing and you don’t want it to end, so you’re just going to do Whole365 until you’re sick of it. That’ll work right?
Wrong again! You can feel great AND eat the food you love. And this is how you get there. You won’t get there by restricting forever and ever until you crash and burn into that bottle of wine and carton of Ben and Jerry’s. Because then you’ll feel shitty about yourself all over again because you’ve made this into a moral failure.
Reintroducing the food you want back into your life can be difficult! You get a little taste of your old ways and your brain clicks right back into unconscious mode. I have good news, though. I’m a Whole30 Certified Coach and am a Whole30 reintroduction pro.
Don’t Make it Complicated
Do you have time to cook three meals a day forever and ever amen? If your life is like mine, I doubt it. And yet, this is how I approached my first Whole30. I’d over prep and over cook, expecting that I’d have something fresh to eat every morning or lunch, as well as for dinner.
Over-complicating your Whole30 is a common trap to fall into, but it won’t do you any favors in the long run because those habits won’t be sustainable. The Whole30 is meant to help create a new way of approaching your food. You have to find what works best for YOUR life so that you can go forward into your new Food Freedom so that it sticks.
If you don’t like meal prepping…don’t meal prep.
Homemade everything not your jam? Get pre-made food and condiments.
Are organic and grass fed products jamming up your bank account? Break out your budget skills.
By keeping things simple, you’ll be more apt to keep what you learn during your Whole30 into your real life. For more on this, check out my Keep it Simple Guide.
Ditch the Scale
And I’m not saying for 30 days and then bring it back. I’m saying DITCH IT FOREVER. Ditch the idea that weight or BMI has anything to do with health. Your health is based upon so much more than a simple number.
It’s about how you feel physically, emotionally, mentally. Talk with your health care provider about labs and tests you may need. Health is not one size fits all and it looks different on you than it does on the next person.
Wellness is not even about the absence of disease.
What.
YOU get to define what HEALTH means for you. And let me tell you, it goes far deeper than your physical body.
And let me tell you, that stupid scale in your bathroom isn’t the place to find it. I ditched it for good six months ago and I’m not looking back. My health is so much more than that number. I suggest you do the same.
Stop Seeing Healthy Eating as an Ending
If you’ve completed a Whole30, but you keep diving back into your old habits, it doesn’t mean you’re bad or a loser or a failure.
What it means is that you’re human. You’ve lived your life a certain way and you’re not going to change it all up over 30 days.
You’re not even going to change it up after four rounds of Whole30 and four years.
Your relationship with food isn’t just going to click one day and you’ll get it and be perfect without any shame or guilt or overeating or under-eating. It’s a journey with no end. There’s no “I’ll be happy when” or “I’ll be healthy when.” There aren’t many people in this world who can say that they feel 100% awesome about what they eat 100% of the time. There will be periods of time when you “get it” and setbacks along the way. It’s just life!
You’re going to always be a work in progress, so find a way to be content with where you’re at right here in this moment.
Hire a Food Freedom Coach
Don’t you wish there was such a thing as a Food Freedom Coach?
Don’t you wish that there was someone out there who knew the Whole30 reset backwards and forwards, but really honored the process in a way that could help you create a Food Freedom that worked right for you?
I have super good news for you.
Is it Time for a Reset?
I hope you’ll take this tips moving forward into your next reset. If you need a little extra help getting through the 30 days and reintroduction, my program will get you there. I really emphasize these ideals in my program so that you can bring little habits into your life after the experiment. Go check it out!
May you be happy & healthy,
Lindsay
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