I have always struggled with my weight…like always. I was “the chubby kid” until sometime during junior high when I thinned out a bit, but even then my weight always fluctuated. As a result, I’ve spent a good chunk of my adult life trying out various diets and supplements and while some of them technically worked, they weren’t always the most healthy and they usually felt overwhelming and time consuming. I spent a lot of time eating pre-packaged and chemical-laden products that touted the words “low fat” on their labels and spending an agonizing amount of time writing out exactly what I was eating and calculating calories and points or whatever else the fad at the time happened to be. It was exhausting.
After I had Clive (my second little one) though, I discovered the Whole30 way of eating. I had gained 65 pounds while carrying my not-so-little guy and I was anxious to shed those pounds. Thanks to Whole30/Paleo eating I shed 60 of those 65 pounds by the time my baby was 4-month-old! It was seriously insane how fast the weight fell off and how simple the whole process was – thanks largely in part to my Lazy Girl approach to Whole30. I had a few skeptics, but because I am no stranger to weight gain and loss I knew that these results were atypical for me and could truly be attributed to this new way of eating (I’ve addressed commonly asked questions from skeptics here).
Fast forward to now… I had my 3rd baby a little over two months ago and gained 50 pounds in the process. I lost 20 pounds in the first few weeks postpartum, but then everything came to a stand-still. With 30+ pounds left to lose to get to my pre-baby weight and 50 to get to my goal weight I knew that it was time to start putting in the hard work of chipping away at those LB’s…a little bit at a time. So once our meal train of delicious casseroles and desserts came to an end I started another round of Whole30.
I realized pretty quickly that things were a LOT more challenging with a third kid in the mix and I realized that sometimes it’s OK to be flexible and adapt something to work for you. Because I’ve done a few rounds of Whole30 in the past I already know how my body responds to certain things, so at this point I am mostly doing it for the weight loss and the plan in the future is to segue into an 80/20 version of Paleo eating.
When people hear that I’m eating Whole30, while juggling three kids four-years and under, the response is typically “HOW?!” And the answer is: very lazily. A few of my Whole30 hacks (and let’s be real…a few cheats for the sake of sanity…):
1. I’m not actually doing it for 30 days
Because I’ve already done Whole30 before and stuck to it for the alotted amount of time, I know the drill. I also know that it’s going to most definitely take me more than 30 days to get where I want to get health wise and weight wise. So, while eating Whole30 indefinitely is certainly “possible”, it’s just not sustainable (or let’s be honest – very fun) for me. My plan is to eat Whole30 as often as possible, but when special occasions come up (i.e. a couple of weekends ago when we were childless and went on a brunch date, or my birthday, or whatever other occasion I deem “special”) I can treat myself.
2. I’ve made a few concessions
Since I’m in this for the long haul, I’ve decided to make a few concessions that are not Whole30 compliant:
– I’m drinking store-bought almond milk in my morning coffee. Yes, I could make a compliant version myself, but ain’t nobody got time for that. I buy the Califia Farms version, because it doesn’t have as much extra junk in it and they sell it at my nearest grocery store, but I just read that that The New Barn’s unsweetened almond milk is actually Whole30 compliant, so I’m gonna give that a try!
– I’m allowing myself to enjoy an occasional drink in the evenings. A glass of wine or hard cider or a cocktail that isn’t super sugary are all on my list. I’m a super Type-A person with three children and some days I just really need something to take the edge off when I’m being super uptight and feeling frazzled. This doesn’t mean I’m drinking all the time or anything, but one drink a few times a week for my sanity and enjoyment of life is a worthy concession (for me personally anyway).
Other than these things I’m trying to stick as closely to true Whole30 eating as I can.
3.I’m cutting some corners
I realize that the whole goal of Whole30 is to eat real food and as little processed foods as possible, but let’s be real…with 3 kids I need all the short-cuts I can get. Ideally I would be able to spend time in the kitchen prepping all my produce and making sauces and such, but I am honestly lucky to get any type of nutrition into my body some days in between dealing with tantrums and dressing and un-dressing tiny people and wiping ALL THE BUTTS. I figure that if there are lovely companies out there making convenient foods with real ingredients then there’s no shame in me eating those foods. I pinned this quote once on Pinterest and it said: “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” In order to make Whole30 feasible for me I need all the help I can get. God bless the wonderful brands that make Whole30 possible for busy mamas (and basically everyone else too!). Here are a few of my go-to foods that help me in the corner-cutting, lazy girl department:
*Tessemae’s sauces. If Tessemae’s didn’t exist I would never be able to survive Whole30 eating – I would literally die of food boredom. I don’t love to cook in the first place, but going above and beyond to make my own sauces and dressings? NEVER GONNA HAPPEN. God bless Tessemae’s for making my food less boring. Honestly a good portion of my meals are centered around Tessemae’s sauces because I love them so much. Their Lemon Chesapeake Dressing & Marinade on grilled salmon is a fan favorite around here and it’s actually included in the *Savor Summer Whole30 Grill Pack which is filled with our absolute must-haves. (*They’re actually hosting a Savor Summer BBQ Sweepstakes where you can win tons of cool stuff, but more on that at the end of the post!)
Because I talked about them incessantly during my previous Whole30 journeys they’re actually partnering with me on my clean eating journey which we are super excited about because it means we get plenty of free samples of the products we already love and use. Even still, I am constantly running to the grocery store to buy more when we run out, because my family devours this stuff like it’s going out of style!
OK…end excited rant. Moving on…
*Larabars. Larabars are my saving grace. I stash them in my diaper bag and in my car and all over my house. Any time I’m out and about without any chance of healthy options I grab a Larabar. Obviously eating a well-balanced meal is preferable, but a Larabar is better than a drive-thru. I also eat a Larabar as my breakfast about half of all mornings, because I am forever running behind (who knew wrangling three children was so time-consuming?). My favorite compliant flavor is the cherry pie Larabar. Pairs nicely with my morning coffee as I wolf them down in the car.
*Whole Foods Prepared Foods. The pre-packaged “zoodles” (zucchini noodles) at Whole Foods have saved me on more than a few occasions when I was slacking on my dinner plans. Also, their “naked chicken” rotisserie is a great option too (note: the other varieties of rotisserie chicken aren’t compliant). Sometimes you just need someone else to do the prep work for you, ya know? And as an aside, their almond butter – the kind you grind yourself – is the absolute best. You need it in your life.
I figure that eating mostly Whole30 is a whole heck of a lot better than just sitting on my couch and eating ALL THE SWEET THINGS. Doing something is better than doing nothing…and guess what? It’s still working! I’m down 13 pounds since I started. Slow and steady…I’m getting there!
4. I’m giving myself grace…and time.
It’s really easy for me to fall into the trap of weight loss stress and self-loathing. This time around, I am reminding myself that I am imperfect and that’s OK. I am not a celebrity with a nanny and a personal trainer and I cannot expect to bounce back immediately. These things take time and a lot of hard work. The real goal is healthfulness and a consistent lifestyle – not just crash dieting and gaining it all back.
So there you have it…an intro into this Whole30 journey of mine. I hope you’ll follow along and I hope I can provide some inspiration to those of you who have been intimidated to try it in the past. It seriously is so doable…even for lazy/busy girls with a brood of children like myself. I’m super excited to be partnering with Tessemae’s to bring you guys more Whole30/clean eating content in the coming months!
AAANNNNDDDD….speaking of Tessemae’s…be sure to go enter their Savor Summer BBQ Sweepstakes and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that someone we know will win ALL THE THINGS. I really want that cute little green egg! It ends August 21st, so get on it and enter here!
xo
Lauren
*Note: This post was created in partnership with Tessemae’s. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies and products that we love.
Glad you see you posting this because, as we talked about, it was because of your Lazy Girl’s Guide to the Whole 30 that I tried it. Love Tessemae’s. I’m now a devotee.
You had me at “glass of wine.” lol. That’s literally the only reason I haven’t done it yet (pre prego obviously). I’m totally pinning this for post baby! Good luck and kick some butt!
Thanks for sharing about your post-pregnancy Whole 30 experience! I am in my second trimester have gone from a pre-pregnancy veggie-eating fiend to someone who can’t stand the thought of putting vegetables anywhere near my face. Hoping that the aversion will disappear in the coming weeks, but I’ve been feeling discouraged about how I will ever manage to hop back on the healthy eating train after having a newborn. Thanks for the concrete tips!