Challenge Accepted: 30 Days of Clean Eating

Posted October 22, 2017

Green Gingham Sportsbra | Green Gingham Leggings | Nike Juvenate Sneakers | Similar White Zip Up Jacket

I loved the gingham trend all summer, so I’m happy to be bringing it into fall with this adorable dark green two-piece set. I’m wearing an XXS in the sports bra and and XXS in the leggings (also comes in black: top here, bottoms here). And these are my #1 favorite shoes to work out in. Exact pair is sold out, but here they are in white, grey, and black.

Ok guys, so yesterday I decided to start The Whole30 challenge.

Believe me (!!) a week ago I would’ve rolled my eyes at anyone who told me they were doing this. But, I was convinced it’s a good thing to try and I’m actually very interested to see how I feel at the end of these 30 days. In a nutshell, the Whole30 challenge is cutting: sugars, grains, legumes, dairy, and alcohol out of your diet for 30 days…

5 Reasons I decided to jump on the Whole30 train

“Everyone else is doing it” My best friend Linds, my boyfriend, my photographer, and now my roommates are doing it. Conner just started and he wanted me to do it with him for ‘moral support’. John has been doing it all month and keeps talking about how great he feels. And Linds is a registered dietician..so she’s not exactly doing the Whole30, but a strict paleo diet.

Motivating Quote from the Whole30 site: “It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your ‘struggles’.” Ok, well said.. challenge accepted. This quote is said to be the main motivator of the Whole30 Challenge.

Headaches. I’ve been dealing with a cycle of at least 5 headaches a month that last the entire day. They start in the morning right when I wake up and last until I go to sleep at night. Over-the-counter meds don’t help and neither does napping or drinking a bunch of water. The way you feel is directly linked to the food you put in our body, so I’m hoping eating clean will have a positive effect on these headaches!

Cravings – I have a package of peel apart Twizzlers in my desk drawer at all times (seriously, ask my roommates.. it’s a problem). Every time after I eat I crave some kind of sugary candy, and I’m pretty sure I could live on french fries and cereal. I do love all kinds of healthy foods, but most of the time I make excuses for how I’m too busy to prepare it. It’s time to put away the sour patch kids and work on curbing the constant cravings. So goodbye for now, candy aisle.

Bloating – It happens to all of us, and just makes you feel gross. Your body has so many negative reactions to the food you put in it – especially dairy, grain, sugar, and alcohol. Giving this challenge a test run to see how well it eliminates bloating. Maybe then Rachel and I will finally stop complaining about it, haha.

Here’s a picture of everything we bought at the grocery store this week that’s Whole30 approved. I’m going to be very up front and honest about how this challenge makes me feel and how hard it is because I’m the #1 most skeptical person when it comes to stuff like this. Thank you guys for following and I’ll keep you updated.. stay tuned! Comment below or on this Instagram picture if you have any advice for me, how it worked for you, and any other comments/questions. I’d love to hear from you!

Bananas

Green, Red, Orange Peppers

Wonderful® Pistachios

Sweet Potatoes

Guacamole from Mariano’s

Large Eggs

Silk Almond Milk

Aide’s Chicken and Apple Sausage

Blueberries

Simple Truth® Almond Butter

Carrots

Bacon

Honeycrisp Apples

Zucchini + Squash

Lara Bars Whole30 Approved: Apple Pie, Banana Bread, Carrot Cake, Cashew Cookie, Cherry Pie, Chocolate Coconut Chew, Coconut Cream Pie, Key Lime Pie.

(Not pictured: chicken breast, ground beef, orange juice)

Olivia Rink

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