The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom

Hi, my name is Meg and I'm a chronic failure when it comes to dieting. (hi, meg!)The absolute BEST thing about Whole30 is that it simply is not a diet. I first stumbled upon Whole30 after two different friends--from two different friend circles--discussed this 30 day "plan" they were completing. As one girl whined and moaned about not being able to chew gum, I naturally took that as a challenge and thought: I'll do this Whole30 and not be such a baby about it. I read the Whole30 blog, I used Instagram as a means to gather additional recipes and helpful hints, and ten days later, I began day one. Surprisingly, I found it to be the BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED to my little round self. I gained confidence, learned that I do have the ability to say "no" to food cravings, discovered a myriad of new recipes, cured all of my PCOS symptoms (regular menstrual cycles for the first time in ten years and no cysts), and as a bonus, dropped 2 pants sizes. As a child, I was in and out of the hospital with stomach pains and problems (I'll spare all the details) and after following Melissa & Dallas' Whole30, I ate sans stomach aches for the first time EVER. Truly, I did not know that was possible. For my entire life eating a meal meant some level of pain/discomfort while my food digested. Not anymore! Also, chronic migraines: gone!Whole30 can be a challenge, but it isn't hard. It's worth it.About this book: LAWD, HAVE MERCY! It's beautiful. I'm leaving it on my coffee table forever. (Confession: I did, in fact, walk back and forth from my kitchen to my coffee table while I cooked tonight because I didn't want to risk getting food on the new pages. It's brand new and I'm in love, okay?) It presents all information necessary to complete Whole30, informs one about all rules, discusses the importance of following the rules, and provides a plethora of recipes and resources. (They went above and beyond here, people.) The photography is amazing. The typography is stunning. The recipes are delicious. And, may I say again that the book is just so incredibly BEAUTIFUL?From one wonder woman to another wonder (wo)man, you must buy the book. Give Whole30 a try. (If all else fails, you'll have a stunning book on display to let all your guests see how "healthy" you are.)But really, Whole30. Just do it.(Also, I'd love to answer any additional questions you may have regarding this book or the purchase of this book. instagram: @roemeg)

Whole30 review, y'all, for anyone interested. It's long. If not interested, just move along. Nothing for you here.I completed my own vegetarian version of Whole30 yesterday. 30 days. I am having a glass of wine right now. Here is what happened, and here is what I learned.Reason for doing Whole30: Trying to be healthier. Would be nice to lose weight, but goal is to feel healthier and more energetic.Modifications: My own vegetarian mods. Real Whole30 wants you to eat a lot of meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and animal fat, but no dairy (except ghee). I did not eat meat or chicken. Ate more fish than I have eaten for a long time, especially salmon and water-packed solid albacore from the Door to Door Organics - Colorado. Would eat a whole can for lunch. Substituted olive oil for the animals fats Whole30 seems to like so much. I did just order some pasture-raised ghee from Amazon. I did include Greek yogurt (2%), eggs (and LOTS of egg whites), legumes (mostly cooked myself), extra firm tofu, and edamame. These are modifications for vegetarians suggested by Whole30, but they still prefer vegetarians switch to meat for the duration and don't do yogurt, legumes, or soy. Oh, well. Worked for me. I am not convinced that lots and lots of animal fat is good for you.I did not count calories, and I was never hungry. If I got hungry, I ate something. I learned to recognize the feeling of being satisfied. The diet is relatively high in healthy fats (ate a lot of avocados, olive oil, almond butter and almonds).Feel healthier?: Absolutely. No doubt about it. Much more stamina when walking and biking--climbed Mt. Elbert and Boulder 1/2 marathon is in a month--just speed-walked 11 miles in training for that. Began yoga and continuing daily planks. Still need to work on upper body strength. Sleeping much better. Post-nasal drip still there, but controlled with herbal meds. Probably has nothing to do with diet.Lose weight?: 7 pounds. Not nearly as much as I would have liked in 4 weeks. Sad considering all the changes I made. Clothing seems more than 7 pounds looser. You aren't supposed to weigh yourself for the 30 days, and at the end of 30 days, I was expecting a lower number.frown emoticonCravings: Totally lost cravings for my big three "no brakes" foods: "healthy carbs" (like whole wheat bread, whole grain cereal, granola), cheese, and sweets. Like a lot of people who give up sugar, things like carrots and LaCroix water taste really sweet to me now. I go through those little packs of baby multicolored carrots really fast. Hank and Maya help. No gluten, of course. I know I'm not allergic to gluten and it isn't a health problem for me, but it's entirely possible it induces cravings. I am not planning to reintroduce these deliberately, but will eat them if the occasion arises (followed by 2 days of Whole30 plan to see what happens). You learn really quickly what your cravings are. Almond butter is allowed on the diet, but if you find yourself hoovering almond butter out of the jar, that is craving to be aware of.SWAPO: "Sex with your pants on." This is what Whole30 calls pseudo-desserts and treats that are made with Whole30-compliant ingredients but resemble cookies, candy, etc. They are forbidden on Whole30 because they keep you looking at treats as rewards. (Think paleo cookies or Chocolate Covered Katie--and I love her recipes!.) I mostly did not eat SWAPO food with the exception of a banana-eggwhite concoction I made a lot for breakfast and Chocolate Covered Katie's Seedy Protein Balls. I also made Capello's delicious almond flour pasta, which is considered SWAPO. Also took Larabars hiking Mt. Elbert. None of these made me want to run out and eat a pan of brownies. I am looking to introducing a few more of Katie's SWAPO foods with moderation, now that the 30 days is over.Wine: Didn't really crave it, but missed it, especially if Steve was drinking it and praising its glories. The problem with wine is that 2+ glasses awakens the "sugar and carb demon" and dissolves inhibitions and willpower. Sticking to 8 glasses/week and no more than 2 glasses a day. Counting glasses on Livestrong! Focusing on quality rather than quantity. Get the expensive stuff.Water: Plan to continue to drink more water instead of wine and/or coffee. I have also come to love kombucha and it seems to curb appetite. I have found that I don't miss wine if I have a glass of LaCroix mineral water (especially the pineapple strawberry flavor). Just want something in a glass.If you are interested in doing Whole30, get the book (and read it) and subscribe to Whole30 Daily on the website. The recipes are excellent! These people are totalitarian. If you cheat during the 30 days, you have to start over. If you want to modify (like my vegetarian mods), set it up at the beginning and don't cheat after that.

Although this came from overseas the wait was longer only 3 weeks. Program and recipes excellent.

El libro explica las reglas del Whole 30 que es más que una dieta, un periodo de desintoxicación de 30 días, después del cuál, reintroduces de manera ordenada y mucho más consiente los alimentos que consideres buenos o que valgan la pena para ti. Busca además romper con malos hábitos relaciinados con la comida, como quien come por ansiedad, estrés, o adicción. Es un programa no fácil, pero sí que vale la pena.

Ottimo!

well structuredthe explanations are greateasy-to-use conversion tablesmost of the ingredients are easy to findif you want to try the diet, all you need is in this one book.I'm not following the programme at the moment, but I still refer to the book for a few recipes that I've particularly enjoyed.I do wish I could have gotten one with metric measures instead of imperial. To get around this I ended up making a LOT of notes next to the ingredient lists of the recipes I used most often.

AMAZING! Great recipes and all the information you need to reset your body. Really loving this. Highly recommend.