By the time the holidays rolled around, I looked and felt awful. My skin was dull and breaking out constantly, I felt bloated and slow, and I had definitely put on a few pounds. This did not exactly do wonders for my self-esteem, especially at a time when I was already stressing about my job situation. Something had to change. And since there’s nothing like the possibility of starting fresh every January, I resolved to try Whole30 and see if I could get my relationship with food back on track. My boyfriend, who wanted to overhaul some bad dietary habits of his own, decided to join me in the adventure. (Never diet again and still lose weight with this plan that naturally retrains your fat cells! Here’s how.) I made it through the entire 30 days—and learned some interesting things about myself in the process—but I also screwed up more than a few times (including once when I realized I had inadvertently broken the rules, but more on that below). Read on for the biggest mistakes I made so you can learn how to side-step them.
Mistake #1: Not having compliant snacks on hand
Technically, you’re supposed to minimize snacking on the Whole30 in favor of a three-meals-per-day schedule, but I was an avid snacker beforehand and had a harder time going cold turkey than I anticipated. In my defense: I have hypoglycemia and generally find that eating five small meals each day suits me better than eating three big meals. Sure enough, my desire to snack didn’t change, and everyday as soon as the 3 PM slump hit I’d find myself desperately searching through my cabinets or the fridge trying to find a compliant snack. After the first week, I made sure I always had green apple slices and almond butter in the fridge, along with nitrate-free turkey slices, lettuce, and pickles, which I’d eat rolled up like a mini-wrap. Prevention Premium: 4-Berry Blast Smoothie For Weight Loss
Mistake #2: Not planning out meals ahead of time
For the first week, I wasn’t diligent about meal prep. Big mistake. Without fail, I’d find myself standing in front of the fridge at lunch or dinnertime, starving, and trying to will a meal into existence. For the remaining three weeks, my boyfriend and I would take an hour on Saturday morning to map out every single meal we were going to eat the following week and stuck the list on the fridge where we could see it. Then we’d do any required food shopping before our weekend plans/laziness got the best of us. (Here are 5 Whole30-approved recipes to get you started.)
Mistake #3: Trying to re-create my favorite unhealthy snacks
The Whole30 creators call this “sex with your pants on” (SWYPO) because, well, why bother if you can just have the real thing? They’re strongly against the “Paleo-fication” of junk food such as muffins, cookies, chips, or pizza, because the point of the Whole30 is to examine your relationship with food, not simply “shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Paleo mold.” For me, the “SWYPO” that was hard to give up was baking. One of my favorite things to do on a free Saturday is make a pot of coffee and bake some scones, muffins, or cookies. It relaxes me, and I didn’t feel like myself if I skipped it. But even when I was able to find a Whole30-compliant version of whatever baked good I was craving, I never felt satisfied—I was just left craving the real thing more. I eventually realized that I was better off finding an entirely new stress-busting habit. I ended up buying a fancy new journal and scrapped my Saturday baking time for a creative writing session. I’m not swearing off baking forever, but it’s nice to have an outlet that doesn’t entail any added sugar or calories.
Mistake #4: Thinking that just because something was Whole30-compliant, it was okay to eat all the time
For example, bacon is technically allowed on the Whole30, but is it really a good idea to eat it every single day? Same with almond butter: Yes, it’s healthy, but the calories can quickly add up. While the point of the Whole30 isn’t necessarily weight loss—you’re not allowed to count calories or weigh yourself—it is to be mindful about the choices you make, and mainlining almond butter from the jar (guilty!) when you’re bored probably isn’t what the plan’s creators had in mind. MORE: 6 Ways To Stop Feeling So Anxious Around Food, From The Co-Creator Of Whole30
Mistake #5: Not double-checking labels
Halfway through the program, I realized the half-teaspoon of vanilla extract I was adding to my coffee wasn’t compliant. Until that point, it hadn’t even occurred to me that it might be off-limits, because I knew the extract didn’t contain any added sugar. But I hadn’t considered the fact that—duh!—it contains alcohol, which is verboten on the program. The fact is, almost everything you buy in a package contains some kind of alcohol, added sugar, or artificial preservative. Ultimately, it pays to double- and triple-check those ingredients lists. (Here are 14 foods nutritionists never eat.) Here’s what alcohol does to your body:
Mistake #6: Underestimating how hard it’d be to go out with friends
Do you realize how much socialization centers around booze and food? A lot! There are happy hours after work. (If you love a good happy hour, try ordering these 6 nutritionist-approved drinks.) Birthday parties with cake and ice cream. BRUNCH. It straight-up sucks to be the only person at brunch sipping on water, tea, or coffee, while you watch everyone else enjoy their mimosas. It also gets old having to constantly explain to people why you suddenly can’t eat anything on the menu at your usual happy hour haunt. Since we were only going to be super restrictive for one month, my boyfriend and I simply began declining plans as politely as possible. (I do want to give a shout-out to our friends who invited us over one night for a dinner party and actually made an entire Whole30-approved menu. You guys are the best.) MORE: 8 Things That Happen When You Finally Give Up Diet Soda
Mistake #7: Not realizing how much of my life revolved around food
RSVPing “no” to happy hours wasn’t the only thing that was hard. One of my favorite things to do with my boyfriend is walk over the Williamsburg bridge on a Sunday and try a new restaurant for lunch or dinner. We also essentially plan our vacations around where we want to eat. It’s not as though we don’t enjoy other hobbies, but sharing the cultural experience around food is one of the aspects of our relationship I treasure most, and it was hard to suddenly cut it out entirely. (Try these 10 things connected couples do.) The good news is that trying Whole30 gave us more of an opportunity to develop healthier habits together. We started taking long walks with the dog after dinner that didn’t end at Oddfellows or Milk bar for dessert, and we’d walk into the city and see a movie or go to the bookstore instead of grabbing lunch. And now that the Whole30 is over, I’ve realized that the times when we do occasionally try a new restaurant or bar together are more meaningful—and the food is much tastier—than ever before.
