8 Things to do Before Starting the Whole30 (So You Don't Fail)
Ready to start the Whole30? Here are 8 things to do BEFORE starting the Whole30 that will help you succeed: Get organized, mindset matters, know the rules, know what to expect, prep your kitchen, plan a week’s worth of simple meals, set up a system to hold yourself accountable and track your progress, and make a plan to assess your results. Read on for a step-by-step plan and Whole30 resources.
I first did the Whole30 almost exactly four years ago. I knew it would be challenging, but completing the Whole30 gave me some insights into how to make it more successful, doable and, well, pleasant.
In this post I’ll share:
What is the Whole30?
How to get organized before starting Whole30.
Get your head in the game, aka mindset matters.
Know the rules.
Know what to expect, physically and emotionally.
Prep your kitchen.
Plan a week’s worth of simple meals and create a shopping list.
Set up a system to hold yourself accountable and track your progress.
Make a plan to assess your results.
Whole30 Resources
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
What is the Whole 30?
It’s a 30 day clean-eating elimination diet. For one month you cut out inflammation-causing foods like alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, sugar, and processed foods. You focus on eating real, whole foods like good quality meats, seafood, and poultry, fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats like avocado and olives.
With the Whole30 you don't count calories, macros, fat grams, carbs, or anything else. You just eat real food.
Benefits of the Whole30
Most people think of the Whole30 as a weight loss diet, but weight loss is secondary, according to co-founder Melissa Hartwig Urban. Many people experience better digestion, regulated blood sugar, less joint pain, decreased food cravings (this was my experience!), more energy, less bloating, better sleep, etc.
If you’re starting the Whole30, you have the best chance for success if you plan and prepare before you begin.
Whole30 Resources:
There are some of the resources I used when doing the Whole30.
It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways (This is the book that got me inspired to try. In a nutshell it shows you the effects food and nutrition have on your body, your brain, and your overall health.)
The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom (This is the official 30 day diet plan with instructions, what to expect, recipes, a 7 day meal plan, and tons of recipes.)
The Whole30 Day by Day: Your Daily Guide to Whole30 Success (A daily journal to keep you motivated and on track - See tip #7 in this blog post.)
The Whole30 Slow Cooker: 150 Totally Compliant Prep-and-Go Recipes for Your Whole30 ― with Instant Pot Recipes (I have this cookbook and it is filled with delicious crockpot and instant pot recipes.)
8 Things to do Before Starting the Whole30 (So You Don't Fail)
1 - Choose a start date and get organized before starting Whole30.
Try to pick a 30 day period when you don't have a major holiday (Christmas and New Year's, I'm talking to you!) or vacation. Ultimately you can do the Whole30 any time of the year, but it's easier when you pick a lower-stress time of your life.
It's even better if you can find a friend to do the Whole30 with you! Having an accountability buddy, either locally or online, is a great way to keep each other on track. And you can get organized together.
Write your start date on the calendar and use the week before you start to get yourself organized with the tips in this blog post.
2 - Get your head in the game before starting the Whole30.
If you want to be successful on the Whole30, mindset matters.
Commit to all 30 days.
DECIDE you will complete the Whole30 NO MATTER WHAT.
When the newness and excitement wears off, and it will, you'll be tempted to quit. That's when you have to dig deep and tough it out. It's easier to quit but, if you do, you'll never know if the Whole30 worked for you.
Find your why (and write it down).
Why exactly do you want to do the Whole30? What do you want to accomplish? Be super specific about your reason and write it down! Look at that reason whenever you feel discouraged.
Remember YOU are the only one who decides what to eat.
No one can force you to eat something you don't want to. So there is never a time you "accidentally" ate mom's spaghetti and meatballs because you didn't have a Whole30 option with you.
You have to take responsibility for yourself and your health and your commitment to Whole30 by planning and preparing for obstacles.
Anticipate problems and prepare for them.
When I did Whole30 my biggest problems were mindset-related. I had a lot of mental drama: boredom, discouragement, feeling deprived. I’d see 20 year old Ashley on Instagram who lost 15 pounds her first week, and my scale hasn't budged and I'm cranky af. (This is totally a fictional example since we’re not supposed to weigh for 30 days, lol.)
I had to intentionally motivate and encourage myself daily.
Other problems might be a lots of restaurant meals during your thirty days, or your child's birthday party, or trying to watch the new season of Lost in Space without a bowl of popcorn and diet soda, dammit.
Brainstorm possible solutions to your problem, and act on them.
3 - Know the rules before starting the Whole30.
The Whole30 is super strict on the foods you can and cannot eat. They also have some interesting exceptions (like you can't have butter, but you can have ghee). It is critical you know the rules before you start.
Click to download and print the rules from the official Whole30 website: Whole30 Rules
What you CAN eat on the Whole 30 (i.e., "real food"):
meat like beef, pork, bison
seafood
eggs
veggies, including white and sweet potatoes
fruit
natural fats, like coconut, olives, and avocados
herbs and spices
Also know WHY these foods are permissible, and in what form. For example, you can eat a baked potato but no fries or potato chips. The WHOLE 30 BOOK goes into all these teeny tiny questions you may have.
Now cue M.C. Hammer, because…
You can't touch this! At least on the Whole30:
added sugar, either natural or artificial (this means honey, brown sugar, agave, and stevia are all NO's) Natural sugar, occurring in fruit, is fine.
alcohol
grains (such as gluten, oats, quinoa)
dairy
legumes
additives like MSG, carrageenan, or sulfites
baked goods or sweet treats of any kind, even if made with Whole30 legal ingredients like dates, fruit, coconut, nuts
Other non-food Whole30 rules:
Don't get on the scale (or take body measurements) until the 30 days is over.
If you "mess up" (i.e., eat an Oreo, take a bite of your kid's Big Mac, or have JUST ONE BROKEN TORTILLA CHIP on Taco Tuesday), you have to start all over. With Day One. That's the rule.
4 - Know what to expect, physically and emotionally, before starting Whole30.
You know that super excited feeling when you start a diet? You just know THIS WILL BE THE DIET THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. You're pumped about weight loss, you've seen incredible before-and-afters, you've read amazing testimonials. You. Will. Rock. This.
Sadly that excitement and motivation is fleeting, especially when your body is rebelling.
Icky, but common, Whole30 side effects.
In the beginning you may experience:
headache
lethargy
brain fog
sleepiness
cravings
crankiness
digestive issues
Fun, right? These symptoms aren't unique to the Whole30, it's what happens when you make radical changes to your diet. The healthier you've been eating up to this point, probably the less likely you are to be, ummm, miserable.
They are also temporary, and usually disappear after the first two weeks.
The Whole30 book (see page 32) lays out a timeline of exactly what to expect. It doesn't make the symptoms any more fun, but it’s reassuring to know what you are experiencing is normal.
Free printable fitness calendar.
Track goals and workouts for an entire month!
5 - Prep your kitchen before starting the Whole30.
Assess your equipment.
Like it or not, you will be spending more time in your kitchen preparing meals on the Whole30. So do a quick kitchen clean up before you start. You don't need an Instant Pot or high end cooking gadgets, but it's good to have a few basic kitchen essentials. Think a chef's knife, measuring cups and spoons, a decent cutting board, glass containers to store prepped food or leftovers. You probably have all of these things in your kitchen already. I love this article about the six kitchen gadgets every minimalist kitchen needs.
One thing I really recommend for simple meals is a slow cooker. I used it quite a bit when I did the Whole30. There is even a Whole30 Crockpot cookbook, which I own as well. LINK
Clean out your pantry.
You may be surprised I won't tell you to take a giant trash bag and dump every single non-Whole30-compliant food in it.
While it's less likely to be tempted to eat off plan without tasty treats in the house, many of us live with other people. And we need to be respectful of the food THEY want.
If you live alone, feel free to toss crackers, cookies, potato chips, a half-empty box of pancake mix from 2018. But keep the rice, steel cut oats, and quinoa.
Why? Remember the Whole30 is a 30 day plan and you will gradually re-introduce foods into your diet to see if you tolerate them. Unless you plan to never eat grains or legumes, keeping a can of black beans and your wine stash is perfectly fine.
If you live with other people, just remember you are the only one who chooses what you will and won't eat. Your son's Flamin' Hot Cheetos will not sabotage you if you make the decision not to take a bite. It's pretty simple, actually.
You can definitely designate a special shelf or area to store your Whole30 grab-and-go foods.
Stock up on Whole30 legal pantry items.
Read labels carefully to be sure they have no added sugars or other non-Whole30-approved ingredients. If in doubt, check with your Whole30 book or on the official website.
Here are some Whole30 pantry items:
applesauce
olives
coconut (no sugar added)
extra-virgin olive oil
dried fruit like figs, dates, and raisins (be sure there is no added sugar)
canned veggies (the veggie must be the only ingredient)
dehydrated fruit such as apples and peaches (read labels!)
coconut oil
hot sauce
unsalted nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans
chicken, beef, or veggie broth
canned tomatoes or tomato paste
mustard
nut butters (except peanut, which is a legume)
canned meats (think tuna, salmon, chicken, etc.)
coconut butter
vinegars
dried herbs and spices
6 - Plan a week’s worth of meals and create a shopping list before starting the Whole30.
Definitely plan a week's worth of meals before starting the Whole30! Trust me when I say you won't feel like planning, prepping, and grocery shopping when the Whole30 blahs hit. Or when it’s 5pm and you're hangry and tried.
Where to find Whole 30 meal plans.
There is a 7 day meal plan in the Whole30 book.
Google "Whole30 meal plans"
Search for meal plans on Pinterest
The Whole30 official website has lots of recipe ideas
Make your meal plan super simple.
If you're creating your own meal plan, I recommend using the "pick two" approach. Choose two recipes for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks and then alternate them throughout the week. I generally choose about 4 dinner and then double a recipe if needed so I have leftovers for another day.
Have simple grab-and-go options for times you don't feel like cooking.
Choose things like:
baby carrots
fruit (fresh, dehydrated, or dried)
canned meats and fish
"clean" beef, bison or turkey jerky
hard-boiled eggs (this egg cooker changed my life) LINK
unsalted nuts
Save your meal plans.
Save your meal plans each week so you don't have to recreate the wheel each time. You can tweak or modify, or use that meal plan in the future.
Have a simple system to streamline meal planning.
For a paper meal planning option, I recommend this printable meal planning system: Printable Meal Planning Bundle.
I use Plan to Eat to plan all my meals and automatically generate a shopping list. It makes meal planning super simple and now I can plan meals in 10 minutes. You import recipes right from the web and can access your recipes, meal plan and shopping list on a computer, tablet, or phone. Try it out free for a month (no credit card necessary): Plan to Eat
7 - Keep a Whole30 journal to track your food and progress.
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to record your Whole30 journey. When I did the Whole30 I kept a simple food journal so I could see how foods affected me. I wrote about physical symptoms, and how I felt emotionally. It is amazing to look at what I wrote, now four years later, and see exactly what I ate each day, how foods affected my body and my mood, how I went from sweet cravings to being satisfied with just fruit, and other cool bits of data.
My Whole30 journal is how I can tell you, four years later, that on Day 1 I had chia pudding with raspberries and banana for breakfast and was craving gum. It’s how I know I went grocery shopping on New Year’s Eve, the store was crowded, it took FOREVER to read labels, and I couldn’t find Whole30-compliant bacon.
It’s how I know that corn was the first food I introduced on Day 31.
Here’s the benefits of keeping a Whole30 journal:
A journal helps you remember important (and trivial) data.
A journal helps you see how foods affect your body and your mood.
A journal shows you any little food “addictions” and if you overcome them.
A journal can help you through the reintroduction of foods process, beginning Day 31.
A journal is fun to look at after you’ve completed your Whole30.
A journal can help you decide if you want to make Whole30 a lifestyle, if you want to do it in the future, or if you didn’t find it helpful.
I kept my Whole30 in Evernote. Evernote is a free notes app you can use on your desktop, tablet, and phone. I’m glad I kept an “online” journal because, when writing this blog post, I was able to search through Evernote and find it! If I had journaled in a paper planner or notebook the odds are it be lost in a stack of clutter.
Another journal option is Whole30 Day by Day. It’s a mini book and journal, written by Melissa Hartwig, with tips, advice, inspiration, and space to record your food, energy level, sleep quality, cravings, and much more. I thought I did a good job of journaling, but this is truly amazing. If you don’t want to free flow your journal, consider this option. Click to see the current price of Whole30 Day by Day on Amazon.
Things to track in your journal:
before pictures, weight and measurements
date and what Whole30 day number you are on
what you ate
any cravings (and how you dealt with them)
any physical symptoms, like tiredness, nausea, brain fog, energy (or lack thereof), etc.
any emotional symptoms, like boredom with food, irritability, happiness!, deprivation, etc.
add inspirational quotes or memes (my friends sent me tons of Whole30 funny memes!)
your favorite Whole30 recipes (and ones you wouldn’t make again)
after pictues, weight and measurements
anything else you want to write about.
8 - It’s a wrap! Make a plan to assess your results before starting Whole30.
Take your final stats and measurements.
It’s time to celebrate your progress! Be sure to hop on the scale and take your measurements.
Take (smiling) “after” photos.
No matter what your Whole30 results SMILE for the camera when you take your after pics. You completed a really hard 30 day diet. Be proud!
Start the reintroduction process.
Don’t forget that the Whole30 is more than just a 30 day “diet.” After completing Day 30 you begin the reintroduction process, so definitely check out in information in the Whole30 book, or see the Whole30 website.
Wrap up your journal.
Add any important thoughts or feelings you have about your Whole30 diet. Anything you would share with a friend or want to remember in the future.
There you have it…. 8 things to do BEFORE starting the Whole30 so you don’t fail! I wish I had known these things before I did Whole30 the first time. Being prepared is such an important part of your success.
If you are ready to embark on your Whole30 journey, best of luck to you!
Don’t forget to PIN this post so you can find this post in the future!
