Achieving the Whole30 diet is no easy task.
And while I can't promise your journey will be sunshine and roses (or even close to it), I can give you some of the most achievable advice that helped my husband and I successfully make it through the program AND reintroduction period.
1) Make sure you do it with someone — accountability is key.
This is crucial.
Before I started the program, I spent a couple hours browsing Whole30 recipes on Pinterest and saving a bunch of ideas to my "Whole30" board for future reference.
Once you've got a library chock full of Whole30 recipes to consider, I recommend listing out your entire meal plan schedule on a printable spreadsheet or your phone's Notes app — for the "whole" 30 days, PLUS an extra two weeks for the reintroduction period. This will allow you to have a game plan of what you're going to eat each week to complete the entire program.
When planning ahead, make sure you account for an ENTIRE week of meals when you grocery shop and meal prep. That's three meals per day, seven days per week, plus snacks and desserts. Because more than likely, you won't be eating out during the program and will need to take your own dishes to eat when you visit friends/family over the weekend.
As Whole30 mentions on their website, the diet is a science. It's the full 30 days (not one day less) and it requires full compliance to be effective.
The point of Whole30 is to allow you to have a successful, effective reintroduction period. Doing it all the way for the entire time is crucial for your body to do what it's supposed to do in that single month — fully detox to a state where the reintroduction period shows accurate results.
Whole30.com also reveals that if you decide one day, "One little scoop of ice cream isn't going to hurt," then you might as well start over to Day 1 because it'll totally mess up your body's detox process.
If it's your first time doing the program, my recommendation is to do it right, all the way — a.k.a. without any "cheat" alternatives.
The only "cheat" alternatives we used during the whole program were Primal Kitchen's Avocado Mayo and Vegan Ranch Dressing for a couple of meals. I don't consider using almond milk a "cheat" alternative based on Whole30.com, but if you consider that not a true whole food, then that's another item we used regularly for smoothies.
Did you know 100% cocoa powder is W30 compliant? And pumpkin? And coconut?
I went about two weeks into the program without any sweets around, thinking there wasn't anything worth making that was compliant.
9) Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
If we (gluten, sugar, and dairy-loving folks) can do it, then so can you.
Don't miss the full list of meals we chose during our entire Whole30 diet and the reintroduction period, including my rating and any alterations I made for each recipe.
Let's dive in!
10 Tips for Successfully Completing Whole30
Of course it is possible to do Whole30 by yourself. But what can I say, misery loves company.
Alright y'all, I'm joking. This diet is NOT miserable, but it isn't easy... especially for first timers and those who are used to eating all the things you can't have during the program.
My husband and I fit both of those descriptions when we started the W30 journey.
Having someone to do it with you (especially your spouse or roommate) is comforting to know you're not the only one going through the dips in mood, hunger pangs, and daydreaming about the things you can't have.
An accountability partner is your encouragement to keep going because you're not alone in this. They're also someone you can enjoy celebrating with at the end of the program who understands the pure excitement of drinking that first glass of wine or piece of gluten-packed bread.
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2) Plan ahead.
This is crucial.
Before I started the program, I spent a couple hours browsing Whole30 recipes on Pinterest and saving a bunch of ideas to my "Whole30" board for future reference.
I also created a "Making This Week" Pinterest board to add the recipes I planned on making that week for easy accessibility when it was time to start meal prepping. Don't forget to delete them off this board once you're done making the dish!
Once you've got a library chock full of Whole30 recipes to consider, I recommend listing out your entire meal plan schedule on a printable spreadsheet or your phone's Notes app — for the "whole" 30 days, PLUS an extra two weeks for the reintroduction period. This will allow you to have a game plan of what you're going to eat each week to complete the entire program.
While the meals you choose are flexible, the point of having it planned out ahead of time is to mentally prepare yourself to see it all the way through without failing, and make sure you have plenty of healthy snacks to keep your cravings in check.
Because "no plan" can become a failed plan.
When planning ahead, make sure you account for an ENTIRE week of meals when you grocery shop and meal prep. That's three meals per day, seven days per week, plus snacks and desserts. Because more than likely, you won't be eating out during the program and will need to take your own dishes to eat when you visit friends/family over the weekend.
It's better to have too many compliant options to eat at home than not enough.
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3) DO NOT CHEAT.
This is crucial.
As Whole30 mentions on their website, the diet is a science. It's the full 30 days (not one day less) and it requires full compliance to be effective.
The point of Whole30 is to allow you to have a successful, effective reintroduction period. Doing it all the way for the entire time is crucial for your body to do what it's supposed to do in that single month — fully detox to a state where the reintroduction period shows accurate results.
Whole30.com also reveals that if you decide one day, "One little scoop of ice cream isn't going to hurt," then you might as well start over to Day 1 because it'll totally mess up your body's detox process.
.....When I read that on their website, I said, "OH H*** NO."
That one fact kept me straight without falling into any temptations because I was not about to put myself through even one week of Whole30 just to give up on it and it all be a waste of time.
It's not worth doing at all unless you're going to push through it for the entire time and be fully compliant.
As Whole30.com also gracefully puts it: "Having a baby is hard... Losing someone you love is hard... spending a month [and a half] doing a healthy diet IS NOT HARD."
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4) If it's your first time, try doing the "true" Whole30 way.
If it's your first time doing the program, my recommendation is to do it right, all the way — a.k.a. without any "cheat" alternatives.
As mentioned previously, the purpose of Whole30 is to have a successful reintroduction period or reach a specific outcome — whether that's to lose weight or to find out which food groups cause issues for you to consider removing or limiting in your future diet. The latter is the main reason I personally decided to do this program.
I'll expand more on that later.
If W30 is more of a lifestyle for you, then sure, I'm all about using "cheat" alternatives like using Almond Flour so you can still bake treats and make pancakes. You can also use W30 compliant brands of mayo, ranch dressing, etc.
But a pancake is still a pancake, and finding "cheat" alternatives definitely won't be beneficial for those who want to get the most out of this program.
My recommendation is to try your best to focus on "true" WHOLE FOODS that are unprocessed, organic, high quality, and totally natural for the best results. That means lots of pure veggies, fruits and unprocessed meats.
However, I understand that can be very limiting sometimes, so just do your best to limit "cheat" alternatives and not substitute everything to be compliant ingredients in order to keep eating the same stuff you were before the program.
The only "cheat" alternatives we used during the whole program were Primal Kitchen's Avocado Mayo and Vegan Ranch Dressing for a couple of meals. I don't consider using almond milk a "cheat" alternative based on Whole30.com, but if you consider that not a true whole food, then that's another item we used regularly for smoothies.
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5) Be careful about using recipes that say "Whole30" but aren't truly Whole30.
I can't tell you how many times I found "Whole30" recipes on Pinterest that definitely included non-compliant ingredients. You gotta be on top of your W30 game and look at all the ingredients (on recipes and labels) to make sure everything listed is compliant.
If you come across a recipe that has non-compliant ingredients, your options are to either:
- totally omit that non-compliant ingredient from the recipe (which I did plenty of times and it still turned out delicious),
- find an alternative to make it compliant (i.e. use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce),
- or omit the recipe all together.
Or maybe you're like me and discover a really delicious-looking recipe on Pinterest that isn't W30 compliant. But instead of totally skipping it over, do a little extra research to find a similar recipe that's W30 compliant.
For example, when I was craving a protein energy ball for snacking that didn't have the typical peanut butter or oats inside, I just searched "Whole30 energy bites" on Pinterest and found lots of compliant recipes that were similar to what I was going for.
If you're really craving something, find a compliant recipe that will fit your needs.
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6) Cook something that you can look forward to each week.
We chose Friday Steak Night as our tradition so we could enjoy something a little extra fancy (and obviously delicious) each week.
Since we wouldn't be eating out at restaurants or drinking any alcohol during the program, we budgeted that money savings into buying something extra nice to cook over the weekend.
For us, steak was something we already cooked at least once or twice a month, so during Whole30 we decided to spend a little extra on top quality meats — everything from Prime Filet Mignon to Lobster Tail to Snow Crab legs — and it was amazing. Who said Whole30 couldn't be fine dining?!
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7) You can make dessert and eat it too!
Did you know 100% cocoa powder is W30 compliant? And pumpkin? And coconut?
I went about two weeks into the program without any sweets around, thinking there wasn't anything worth making that was compliant.
Boy, was I wrong.
Even though I never fell into temptation for breaking the rules, it was difficult not having anything to satisfy my sweet tooth. My only source of sweetness was fruit — and during that time I had never wanted to eat watermelon and oranges so much in my life.
However, I found out after those two weeks that there was actually CHOCOLATE and PUMPKIN dessert recipes that were Whole30 compliant... and it made my life so much better. Especially being early autumn when I started the program, I loved being able to enjoy pumpkin-flavored things.
Anytime I felt an itch for a sweet craving, I knew I could safely enjoy some healthy desserts without any sugar, dairy, gluten, grain, etc.
I found some great compliant desserts to satisfy my cravings, like:
- baked cinnamon apples with coconut milk drizzle
- fruit sorbet (sugar free)
- homemade pumpkin RX bars
- "brownie" bites
- baked sweet potatoes slices with cinnamon pecan topping
- etc.
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8) An Air Fryer and Instant Pot will be your best friends.
There are so many great meals you can make super fast with these bad boys. I used them all the time pre-Whole30 (said goodbye to the oil fryer and crockpot), but was so thankful to have them handy during the program...
...like making perfectly crispy chicken wings in less than 20 minutes using an Air Fryer (a.k.a. no greasy oils used).
...or using an Instant Pot to make all the great soups in approximately 10 minutes and fall-apart pot roast in an hour.
Yes please and thank you.
I also used my cast iron often to make the perfect seared steak, sautéed veggies, and so much more.
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9) Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
When looking at the things you can have during W30, be mindful about your diet and what you choose to eat.
Just because you can have potatoes and 100% cocoa powder, doesn't mean your meal plan should be filled with potatoes and a chocolate dessert for every meal.
Eating a well balanced meal with a variety of healthy fruits, vegetables, meats and other compliant ingredients will get you the best results.
You don't have to stuff yourself full at every meal, either.
Portion sizes are important for losing weight if that's your goal for doing this program — you won't lose much weight if you eat a boat load of potatoes and heavy dishes every day.
But since we're on the topic... I have a disclaimer.
I did eat potatoes every day, did eat a (compliant) dessert at least once a day, and never worked out the entire program — a.k.a basically without trying, I still lost almost 15 pounds by following these tips. And most of that weight loss was from my stomach (some from legs and butt). Not mad about it!
I totally understand that everyone loses weight differently and I wasn't at an overweight state for my 5'8" height when I started Whole30. As I've said before, I didn't do the program primarily to lose weight. All I'm saying is that if I was really interested in losing weight during those 30-45 days, I would have worked out every day and limited both the potatoes and desserts I ate during the program.
That's why I included this tip.
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10) Be prepared for anything to happen during reintroduction.
I've heard stories of people going everything from lactose intolerant to gluten sensitive after doing W30. But news flash — that's possible with any intense diet program: Whole30, Paleo, Keto, etc.
Detoxing your body from all the unnatural, highly processed foods, sugars, chemicals, preservatives, etc. is super important to do at least once a year, in my opinion. Whole30 is especially great for jumpstarting that detox process in a short period of time.
However, because your body has been "deprived" of all the potentially harmful or non-healthy items for over an extended period of time (even one month), it may react differently to those food groups during reintroduction than it had affected you before.
Because again, don't forget that the Whole30 program is designed to get your body to a detoxed state where you can accurate determine which food groups affect you the most.
During the reintroduction period, if your body reacts negatively to something, you should listen to it. But don't freak out and automatically assume you can never have that type of food ever again.
Here's a personal example I experienced:
About a year ago, my husband and I decided to try out the Keto diet for a short month (but we could actually have dairy during this diet). We didn't even hit "ketosis" but it was a good, short diet to try out. Once we completed that one month, we celebrated with a BBQ sandwich and beer for dinner.
But then it happened...
Quickly afterwards, our stomachs ached and we felt instantly fatigued that we had to end the night early and go straight home. No, it wasn't food poisoning — it was because we suddenly had so much gluten that our bodies basically rejected it, and it took months for us to be able to normally eat gluten again.
Even with this experience, we didn't freak out and assume we were forever doomed from eating gluten again... because by golly we were going to eat bread and drink beer again, one way or another.
We just learned it was a food group we needed to limit in our diet and be mindful of the possible side effects if we decided to eat it. And although those side effects did ease up over time, those sensitivities remain true to this day.
Again, it's only a possibility it could happen to you — it's not a sure fact. Just be prepared in case your body does decide to reject something during the reintroduction period.
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Bonus Tip: Make it bold or spicy!
There are a lot of W30 recipes that are just plain boring. Not that it's a bad recipe — it just tastes very much like a "Whole30" meal.
Make sure to mix in recipes each week that you would want to eat any time, even after the program... like pot roast, chicken skewers, steak and more. It will make your 30-45 days of the diet go by so much easier.
If it's a bland Whole30 recipe, find a way to spice it up with compliant ingredients.
Plus, recipes with a lot of flavor (and even spice) will help you feel fuller longer and stump your temptations to snack throughout the day.
As an example...
For the "meh" Shrimp Scampi zoodle meal I had during week one, here's what I would have done differently to make it more exciting:
- found a compliant zesty dressing that had a bolder flavor for the zoodles
- added spicy seasoning to the shrimp
- added in more vegetables to the pasta like mushrooms, onions and garlic.
You can also add something as simple as Everything Bagel Seasoning to your eggs, salads, avocados, etc. to add flavor and make it more interesting.
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Extra Bonus Tip: Stay stocked with healthy snacks.
One thing I noticed about doing W30 is I was more hungry throughout the day than ever before. Maybe that's because I was used to being "full" after each meal I ate.
Needless to say, we weren't great at portion control when it came to eating food.
Keep in mind:
If you want to lose weight, view your growling stomach as "progress" to teach your body not to eat every single time you're hungry. Eventually your stomach will learn to thrive without constantly needing food in it.
But if your goal is just to "get through the program" for the purposes of the reintroduction period (which is why I did it), then make sure to keep healthy snacks around the house to guiltlessly munch on in between meals as you get cravings.
Sure, you might prefer chips to a handful of natural almonds, but it's better to keep eating compliant snacks than to be tempted to ruin your entire diet with a cheat day.
Make sure add plenty of diverse, compliant options (from sweet to savory) to your grocery list for you to snack on each week.
Ideas include, but not limited to:
- sliced celery and carrot sticks with compliant homemade dip
- natural almonds
- plenty of fruit (apples, bananas, watermelon, oranges, etc.)
- medjool dates stuffed with walnuts
- compliant homemade energy bars
- compliant deviled eggs
- compliant smoothies
- compliant homemade chocolate truffles/dessert
- un-charcuterie board with only olives, nuts, fruits and veggies
- homemade veggie or kale chips
- etc.
Don't miss the full list of meals we chose during our entire Whole30 diet and the reintroduction period, including my rating to each meal and any alterations I made for each recipe.