Only ONE Month — Join Me for a Health Recovery Diet and RESET (And weight loss!)

Join me for a ONE Month Health Recovery Diet (and lose some weight too?!)

First a little update as of February 2022:  I no longer trust the people behind Whole30.  Recently they announced that MSG is off their “do not eat” list because it's racist to the Chinese to keep it on there.  What the????  Never mind the dangers, let's not offend the Chinese!!!  I'm not even going to link to their article about this and give them more “Google juice”.  Read more about MSG dangers here and here.

And NOW an August 2024 update –> look what just happened:

So if you see a recipe from them moving forward, be AWARE and skip it completely!

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If you'd like to know how it went for me, click here: How the One Month *Really* Went: My Results After the Whole30 Diet & What I ATE!

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Part of me was somewhat resigned to those 10 extra peri-menopausal pounds hanging around.  “At least most of my clothes still fit, and wearing size 8 jeans instead of size 6 isn't the end of the world“, I'd tell myself.  “Maybe it's just part of aging, and if so, whatever, life is about so much more than our size.”  (See Are Extreme Menopause Symptoms Normal? Should We Embrace Our Muffin Top?)  “Besides, I eat pretty well, not perfect, but not bad most of the time, and I'm usually good about getting in my 10K steps a few times a week.”  (See Benefits of Walking vs Running — How to Find the Time and Get Peace in Your Life.)

But lately I've been really tired in the afternoons, like fall-asleep-at-my-desk tired.

What could be affecting my energy levels like that?  Normally I'm go-go-go with great energy!  And Kent and I have been sleeping in separate rooms for a few weeks now, because while I had gotten used to his snoring (I can sleep through a lot), my snoring was starting to mess with his sleep, and he's got a lot on his plate everyday and can't afford to be sleepy.  (He's still loving his new job, thankfully!)  What could be causing that extra congestion in the back of my throat?

Then I got an email from my friends at Real Plans, saying they've just partnered up with Whole 30.

Whole 30 is a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.

Certain food groups, like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes, could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition, like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues, that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat—even the “healthy” stuff.  (More of these details are below.)

I would add to that list, are you anxious or depressed?  Do you have auto-immune system issues?

So I started reading about it and wondering if maybe I should give it a try, for all the reasons above.  Since I knew the biggest part of any “health reset” is getting your food ALL planned out ahead to set you up for success, and now that Real Plans added all of the Whole 30 recipes, it would be SO easy to pull all of that together!

Click here to sign up for Whole 30 and Real Plans, then start picking which recipes you want to eat the first week.

That will automatically generate a grocery list for you, and you're ready to go shop and get started, so simple!

Real Plans even has the Whole 30 reintroduction recipes for once your month is over, to help you carefully move forward from there and slowly add foods back in!

In case you're wondering, yes, I did have some misgivings about eliminating whole food groups like wheat and dairy, when I don't have any clear signs of being intolerant to these foods.  Especially my beloved BUTTER, for goodness sake, what harm could butter do?!  So I toyed with the idea of doing everything except giving up dairy, but then I realized I need to give this a full and complete shot.  That way, if it doesn't clear up the congestion in my throat for example, I won't have to always wonder how it would have been if I gave it my all.  At least ghee is allowed, phew!  I found it that it tastes just like butter, because it's just butter without the milk solids.

From Whole 30:

The only way this will work is if you give it the full thirty days: no cheats, slips, or “special occasions.” This isn’t us playing the tough guy. This is a fact, born of education and experience. You need such a small amount of any of these inflammatory foods to break the healing cycle—one bite of pizza, one splash of milk in your coffee, one lick of the spoon mixing the batter within the 30 day period and you’ve broken the “reset” button, requiring you to start over again on Day 1.

You must commit to the full program, exactly as written. Anything less and we make no claims as to your results, or the chances of your success. Anything less and you are selling yourself—and your potential results—short.

Coffee is allowed, HALLELUJAH!

Only black coffee, which I love anyway, and I'm thankful I've never liked sugar in my coffee.  I've always said, “If you don't like coffee without sugar, you don't like coffee.”  🙂  From Whole 30:

It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You’ve done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.  (More details below.)

Keep in touch via Facebook!

I'll be posting daily on my Facebook page on my progress, and I hope you'll join in and let me know if you're doing it too AND how you are coming along as well.  (If you're reading later, links are below.)

Don't forget to weigh and measure yourself beforehand!

You don't have to do this, but I like to so I know what progress I've made.

The last glass of my lovely wine for a month…

So last night Kent asked if I wanted to sit and have a glass of wine with him and I thought, “Yep, my last one for a while!”

How to start!

Begin by clicking here to sign up for Whole 30 and Real Plans.

Start playing around in there and setting up your meal plans.

Get all the Whole 30 details here:

Whole 30 is a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.

Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it.

Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat—even the “healthy” stuff.

So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you? Strip them from your diet completely.

Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health.

We cannot possibly put enough emphasis on this simple fact—the next 30 days will change your life.

It will change the way you think about food, it will change your tastes, it will change your habits and your cravings. It could, quite possibly, change the emotional relationship you have with food, and with your body. It has the potential to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. We know this because we did it, and tens of thousands of people have done it since, and it changed our lives (and their lives) in a very permanent fashion.

The physical benefits of the Whole30 are profound.

More than 95% of participants lose weight and improve their body composition, without counting or restricting calories. Also commonly reported: consistently high energy levels, improved athletic performance, better sleep, improved focus and mental clarity, and a sunnier disposition. (Yes, more than a few Whole30 graduates said they felt “strangely happy” during and after their program.)

The psychological benefits of the Whole30 may be even more dramatic.

Through the program, participants report effectively changing long-standing, unhealthy habits related to food, developing a healthier body image, and a dramatic reduction or elimination of cravings, particularly for sugar and carbohydrates. The words so many Whole30 participants use to describe this place? “Food freedom.”

Finally, testimonials from thousands of Whole30 participants document the improvement or “cure” of any number of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions.

high blood pressure • high cholesterol • type 1 diabetes • type 2 diabetes • asthma • allergies • sinus infections • hives • skin conditions • endometriosis • PCOS • infertility • migraines • depression • bipolar disorder • heartburn • GERD • arthritis • joint pain • ADD • thyroid dysfunction • Lyme disease • fibromyalgia • chronic fatigue • lupus • leaky gut syndrome • Crohn’s • IBS • Celiac disease • diverticulitis • ulcerative colitis

Yes: Eat real food.

Eat meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re totally natural and unprocessed. Don’t worry… these guidelines are outlined in extensive detail in our free shopping list.

No: Avoid for 30 days.

More importantly, here’s what NOT to eat during the duration of your Whole30 program. Omitting all of these foods and beverages will help you regain your healthy metabolism, reduce systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly impacting your health, fitness and quality of life.

• Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.
• Do not consume alcohol in any form, not even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)
• Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels.
• Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).
• Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception of clarified butter or ghee. (See below for details.)
• Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30.
• Do not try to re-create baked goods,  junk foods, or treats* with “approved” ingredients. Continuing to eat your old, unhealthy foods made with Whole30 ingredients is totally missing the point, and will tank your results faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” Remember, these are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, regardless of the ingredients.

One last and final rule: You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program. This is about so much more than just weight loss, and to focus on your body composition means you’ll miss out on the most dramatic and lifelong benefits this plan has to offer. So, no weighing yourself, analyzing body fat or taking comparative measurements during your Whole30. (We do encourage you to weigh yourself before and after, however, so you can see one of the more tangible results of your efforts when your program is over.)

*A few off-limits foods that fall under this rule include pancakes, bread, tortillas, biscuits, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, pizza crust, waffles, cereal, potato chips, French fries, and this one recipe where eggs, date paste, and coconut milk are combined with prayers to create a thick, creamy concoction that can once again transform your undrinkable black coffee into sweet, dreamy caffeine. However, this list is not limited to these items—there may be other foods that you find are not psychologically healthy for your Whole30. Use your best judgment with those foods that aren’t on this list, but that you suspect are not helping you change your habits or break those cravings. 

The Fine Print

These foods are exceptions to the rule, and are allowed during your Whole30.

• Clarified Butter or Ghee. Clarified butter or ghee is the only source of dairy allowed during your Whole30. (Plain old butter is not allowed, as the milk proteins found in non-clarified butter could impact the results of your program.) Refer to our Butter Manifesto for details.
• Fruit juice as a sweetener. Some products will use orange or apple juice as a sweetener. We have to draw the line somewhere, so fruit juice is an acceptable ingredient during your Whole30.
• Certain legumes. We’re fine with green beans, sugar snap peas, and snow peas. While they’re technically a legume, these are far more “pod” than “bean,” and green plant matter is generally good for you.
• Vinegar. Most forms of vinegar (including white, balsamic, apple cider, red wine, and rice) are allowed during your Whole30 program. The only exceptions are vinegars with added sugar, or malt vinegar, which generally contains gluten.
• Salt. Did you know that all iodized table salt contains sugar? Sugar (often in the form of dextrose) is chemically essential to keep the potassium iodide from oxidizing and being lost. Because all restaurant and pre-packaged foods contain salt, we’re making salt an exception to our “no added sugar” rule.

Give Us Thirty Days

Your only job during the Whole30 is to focus on making good food choices. You don’t need to weigh or measure, you don’t need to count calories, you don’t need to stress about organic, grass-fed, pastured or free range. Just figure out how to stick to the Whole30 in any setting, around every special circumstance, under any amount of stress… for 30 straight days. Your only job? Eat. Good. Food.

The only way this will work is if you give it the full thirty days: no cheats, slips, or “special occasions.” This isn’t us playing the tough guy. This is a fact, born of education and experience. You need such a small amount of any of these inflammatory foods to break the healing cycle—one bite of pizza, one splash of milk in your coffee, one lick of the spoon mixing the batter within the 30 day period and you’ve broken the “reset” button, requiring you to start over again on Day 1.

You must commit to the full program, exactly as written. Anything less and we make no claims as to your results, or the chances of your success. Anything less and you are selling yourself—and your potential results—short.

It’s only 30 days.

It’s For Your Own Good

Here comes the tough love. This is for those of you who are considering taking on this life-changing month, but aren’t sure you can actually pull it off, cheat free, for a full 30 days. This is for the people who have tried this before, but who “slipped” or “fell off the wagon” or “just HAD to eat (fill in food here) because of this (fill in event here).” This is for you.

• It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You’ve done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.
• Don’t even consider the possibility of a “slip.” Unless you physically tripped and your face landed in a box of doughnuts, there is no “slip.” You make a choice to eat something unhealthy. It is always a choice, so do not phrase it as if you had an accident. Commit to the program 100% for the full 30 days. Don’t give yourself an excuse to fail before you’ve even started.
• You never, ever, ever have to eat anything you don’t want to eat. You’re all big boys and girls. Toughen up. Learn to say no (or make your mom proud and say, “No, thank you”). Learn to stick up for yourself. Just because it’s your sister’s birthday, or your best friend’s wedding, or your company picnic does not mean you have to eat anything. It’s always a choice, and we would hope that you stopped succumbing to peer pressure in 7th grade.
• This does require a bit of effort. Grocery shopping, meal planning, dining out, explaining the program to friends and family, and dealing with stress will all prove challenging at some point during your program. We’ve given you all the tools, guidelines and resources you’ll need, but take responsibility for your own plan. Improved health, fitness, and quality of life doesn’t happen automatically just because you’re now taking a pass on bread.
• You can do this. You’ve come too far to back out now. You want to do this. You need to do this. And we believe that you can do this. So stop thinking about it, and start doing. Right now, this very minute, tell someone that you are starting the Whole30.

We want you to participate. We want you to take this seriously, and see amazing results in unexpected areas. Even if you don’t believe this will actually change your life, if you’re willing to give it 30 short days, do it. It is that important. We believe in it that much. It changed our lives, and we want it to change yours too.

Read the “Whole 30 ‘but can I have this' Q&A here.

I hope you'll do this health recovery diet and RESET with me!

I'm going to add links to my FB update posts here, so you can see what I was eating, to catch you up on how things are going, and to see what others are saying:

• 10/7/16
• 10/8/16
• 10/9/16
• 10/10/16
• 10/11/16
• 10/16/16
• 10/20/16
• 10/25/16
• 11/2/16

More you might like:

• Begin by clicking here to sign up for Whole 30 and Real Plans.
• Soy sauce isn't allowed, but this is and they say it tastes the same!
• Butter isn't allowed, but ghee is and it does taste the same!  (Note that cultured ghee may taste different, however, some like it better.)
• Get the Whole-30 book here.
• The Best Breast Test: My First Breast Thermogram with Pictures (A Mammogram Alternative)