I’m going on my first trip in OVER 1 YEAR at the end of this month and I want to look my best. I figured that this shortened time frame would be a perfect opportunity to do 30 days of whole foods. A new challenge - how very me. This entails eating foods that remain close to their state in nature. They do not have added sugars, starches, flavorings, or other manufactured ingredients (Verywell Fit). One of my favorite takeaways from Run Fast Eat Slow, the cookbook philosophy that I live by, is to eat as many whole foods at your body’s discretion as possible. The cookbook is against dieting, stating that calorie counting leads to obsessing about food which is likely to result in overindulgence vs moderation, which is intended (RFES). I experienced this firsthand the past four months as I tried to restrict my calories to lose weight. It also left me in this constant cycle of starving myself which made me tired and cranky, but then I would end up eating more than I needed because my body was deprived. This resulted in depreciating self-worth and stagnant weight. No bueno. However, one of the best things about taking on these new challenges as monthly goals and reflecting on the journey vs. destination is that I’m able to learn what worked and what didn’t going forward.

This 30 Days of Whole Foods challenge ended up being one of my favorite ones. I felt more mentally clear than I had in a while and I finally feel satiated after longer than I can remember. It’s forced me to eat more but eat cleaner. I’ve also learned to listen to my body – something I would convince myself wasn’t true. I would think that hunger was just temporary and listening to it was me being ‘weak’ and giving in to the cravings.

While most people do the Whole30 diet, my version was a little different. I decided to just eat whole foods because the objective was similar, but I didn’t want to be as restricted as the Whole30 diet is. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with consuming natural grains or beans. My consumption wasn’t 100% perfect: I had one cheat meal, one salad from Mendocino Farms, salami that was leftover in the fridge at the beginning of the month that I didn’t want to waste, oat milk from the store before I ran out and made my own, and coffee (could NOT survive without caffeine lol). Additionally, I also stopped my challenge on Day 29 because I was in Boston, MA traveling at the time. No regrets at all. Overall, I was able to eliminate alcohol, sugar, processed sugar, and refined carbs which was a success in my eyes!

They aren’t kidding when they talk about the crown jewel of weight loss and the notion of abs being made in the kitchen. I noticed more visible results in these thirty days than I did over the past 4 months of calorie counting and excessive training for a Sub-2 Half Marathon. I was also able to be more mindful during my workouts, resulting in more enjoyment and pushing myself further. Going forward, this challenge/reset is totally something I would do again just to cut out cravings and reset my nutritional system. 

Sources:

Dolson, Laura. “What to Eat on a Whole Foods Diet.” Verywell Fit, 30 June 2021, www.verywellfit.com/what-is-a-whole-foods-diet-2241974.

Kopecky, Elyse, and Shalane Flannagan. Run Fast Eat Slow. Rodale Press Inc., 2016.