Whole 30: Week One.

Picture by Maggie of Type & Title, my Whole 30 buddy. 

My first week was full of ups and downs. Though I had eaten primarily paleo in the past, the idea of no cheats for a month was daunting, and the day before I started Whole 30, I allowed myself the ultimate cheat day. Pizza, beer, ice cream- all the delicious treats that taste great but make me feel tired and bloated. 

Day one was so much fun. I'd gone shopping with my approved-foods shopping list, and cooking all my meals to the rules and restrictions was like a fun game. I always love time in the kitchen, but with so many great restaurants in my neighborhood, my husband and I tend to eat out more than we should. The Whole 30 allowed me to rediscover how easy it is to make all my favorite foods at home. Eggs! Avocados! Bison! 

I'd heard that the detox period was a killer, but my first day went by so quickly and easily that I felt invincible. This challenge would be a piece of cake! 

The next morning I woke up with the most intense migraine of my life. I was sick and nauseous the entire day! My body was definitely rebelling against all those poor choices I made two days prior. This was the kind of sick day that makes you promise to give up all gluten forever and ever if you can just stop feeling so awful. It was a terrible day, but recommitted me to my goal of finishing the Whole 30. 

The rest of the week was great. I felt better, slept better, and had much more energy throughout my workouts. I discovered the magic of ghee (click the image below if you aren't familiar with this extra flavorful clarified butter!) and used it to cook my eggs and flavor my heaps of broccoli. 

During the day, I was feeling great, but by the end of the week, I was having the most insane food dreams! I would have nightmares about eating donuts and other cheat foods, even though in reality I'm not really into donuts. The Whole 30 was mostly what I thought about, and I wondered how long it would be until eating clean was more of a second nature than something to obsess over. I teamed up with a friend for this challenge, and our daily texts were all about food. What can we/can't we eat, what are we craving, what are we dreaming about? What did we have for breakfast?

Stay tuned for my week two experiences and tips. Have you completed a Whole 30? How was your first week?