Year after year, more and more people discover the Whole30®, and change their lives just by changing the food they put on their plate. To make sure this Whole30 is your best Whole30, we’ve put together an unprecedented number of resources to help you succeed.
Planning and Preparation Are Key
As you’ve heard us say 1,343 times, planning and preparation are the keys to a successful Whole30, whether it’s your first time or your tenth. Here are some of the easy steps you can take to set yourself up for Whole30 success.
Read the Whole30 program rules
You’ll find a summary on http://whole9life.com/whole30 – or, read a much more detailed outline of the program in Chapters 17-19 of It Starts With Food. Familiarize yourself with the rules of the program so you’re not caught unaware by a sneaky ingredient or technicality.
Download our free PDF guides
You’ll find these at the bottom of http://whole9life.com/itstartswithfood. These guides—everything from our “get started” quick guide to the Whole9 shopping list to our original meal planning template—will help you stock your kitchen, create a plan for busy days, and stretch that grocery shopping budget.
Register for our free Whole30 Forum
Sign up at http://forum.whole9life.com. Connect with others doing the program, get support and advice, ask all the questions you want, and allow our awesome members and moderators to give you some much-needed accountability.
Sign up for the Whole30® Daily.
For even more accountability – and personalized tips, strategies, and exercises designed to help you maximize your Whole30 results – register for our Whole30 Daily newsletter service at http://daily.whole9life.com. Receive an email for every day of your program, packed with helpful information, motivation, and fun little “rewards” for making it through another day.
Get Good Food inspired with Nom Nom Paleo
Our friend Michelle (otherwise known as the genius behind Nom Nom Paleo) has rocked two successful Whole30′s… and has compiled a total of 60 days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to inspire you during your own Whole30. Check out her first 30 Days of Whole30 summary article and recipe log (from 2012), and her most recent 30 Days article from February 2013.
Stock up for success on Whole30® meals
We’ll warn you up front—you will have days when you’re too tired, cranky, frustrated, or stressed to want to cook a healthy dinner. The lure of take-out Thai, your favorite pizza restaurant, or dinner of microwave popcorn and Chunky Monkey will be tempting. But you are not going out like that! (Not if Pre-Made Paleo has anything to say about it.)
We’ve partnered with Pre-Made Paleo (the first Whole30® Approved meal delivery company), to create a special 20-meal Whole30 “success pack” to see you through those difficult days. That’s nearly half your Whole30 dinners, or three gourmet meals for your family of four, or two weeks of hot Whole30 lunches for your forgot-to-make-lunch-but-you-do-have-a-microwave office. (We’ll also throw in 10 Whole30 Approved trail mix snack packs for those on-the-go emergencies, and 15 breakfast skillets to make mornings a breeze.)
All meals are vacuum-sealed and frozen, and will keep up to six months in your freezer, or seven to ten days in the fridge. All meals include a 5-ounce serving of protein, and two vegetable side dishes (3.5-ounces each), for less than you’d spend on even your local neighborhood burger-no-bun joint. (Besides, you just know that place uses off-plan, less healthy ingredients.) Plus, did we mention these meals go from frozen to your plate in under 10 minutes?
Enjoy delicious protein options like Heritage Farms All Natural Pomegranate Molasses BBQ Pork, Plainville Farms All Natural Tomatillo Turkey, or FreeBird Free Range Grilled Jerk Chicken. Pair with vegetable sides like Bread Fruit Rice, Moroccan Parsnip Salad, or Roasted Root Vegetables. And bingo! Your Whole30 is saved, you’re no longer stressed, and your tummy is happy.
Are You Prepared For Your Whole30?
We hope these resources will help see you through your best Whole30 yet. Are you prepared? Share your best Whole30 tips, tricks, and strategies in comments.
YAY YAY YAY!!!
I was just thinking about what you guys were gonna do for the January W30, I did the one back in August, and was wanting something to get rid of this holiday, erm, bloat? Anyway, the new year is a great opportunity to get back on track with your eating, and am thrilled to get back on the horse as they say.
Yay! I am excited to do this in January!
If we signed up for the Whole30 daily in August, is there a way that we can restart it in January?
I completed my first whole30 mid nov. all my friends/family heard how it changed my life and have been very interested. I have been spreading the word and started a group. We are startimg our jan whole30 on jan 8th!!! I am so excited to do it again and see how it affects my friends/family! Excited to share these new resources with them!
So…we can use this coupon from you guys to get free shipping regardless of if we do not have a local host? I was looking around the website and kept coming across local host stuff. If I put in your coupon code, I qualify for free shipping then?
Amanda, we are working on how to encourage you to subscribe again to stay motivated (at a discount). Stay tuned.
Haley, the coupon code entitles you to 10% off AND free shipping, even without a local host! The discounts will all be applied at check-out.
Happy to have you all in board with us!!!
Melissa
Awesome! I can’t wait!
My family is doing a whole30 right now (Saturday after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve). I know you’ve advised against it, and we had many family discussions debating whether we were up for the challenge. In the end, we didn’t want to wait only to add on holiday lbs, bloat and worse health. Plus, it’s an easy excuse to avoid the compulsorily slice of Christmas cake at work while allowing us to eat the sentimental dishes actually served on both holidays. Anyway, so far it’s been tough but our biggest problem is cost and lack of seasonal produce. I know this is something W30 January will face as well, so could you give us a sneak peak on the best ways to reign in spending during the cold off-season?
Collette
Collette, we only advised against a holiday Whole30 if the reader wasn’t prepared for that level of commitment and stress, and if the reader didn’t have the support of their family. Sounds like your family had all of the above covered, and we applaud you for your efforts!
Veggies in winter can be difficult, but sticking with the seasonal model (more winter squashes, kale, and year-round veggies) and avoiding most fruit is the cheapest way to go. Frozen veggies and berries might be another cost-effective idea. For next year, maybe consider canning and pickling some veggies for wintertime as well – cost-effective, and it means you can eat fresh, delicious salsa year-round!
Best,
Melissa
So is there an official start date for the January Whole30?
Can’t wait! My husband and I are travelling from Va to Crossfit Love for this workshop, and I’m super excited to see that there is a challenge tied with it.
@Anita: Thanks for asking. The start date is January 1st. Hope you’ll join us!
I’m starting day 6 on a Whole30 autoimmune protocol right now… doing very well thus far. Planning is 100% key for sure! I love that everyone is starting up in January – perfect time to do it. I may do a Whole60 depending on how I feel. I’d love to join along .. plus I’ve got quite a number of health problems that could probably benefit greatly from another month of being strict. Kudos for the meal delivery service – how freaking cool! I hope it helps a lot of folks!
Whoop! Whoop! Can’t wait! Trying to get the hubby on-board but he travels so much for work he doesn’t think he can do it. Oh well.
Is there someplace we sign up?
I just finished my first whole30 with amazing results! I plan to take a break through the holidays, and by break, I mean i may indulge in some of grandma’s gravy on my turkey and not feel guilty about it and then I’m going to do it again starting Jan 1. This time around I feel that I am much more equiped with things like meal preperation and label reading. It will be my improved whole30. My boyfriend will be tagging along for my second time around as well!
I was all excited to start Whole 30 #2 in January……until I remembered it’s my 40th birthday on Jan. 15th. I might have to do a Whole 14 and then another Whole 30.
I can’t NOT party on my 40th!
Will the Whole30 Daily have new content in January? I really enjoyed it when I did my whole30 in November.
@VB, the Whole30 Daily won’t have new content, however, if you signed up for it before, you can sign up for it again at a discounted price of $4.95. Visit https://daily.whole9life.com/renew to sign up again. (Make sure you use the same email address for your second go-round, as the system will automatically check to ensure you’re a second-timer.)
Looking forward to a second whole30. I eat primally, 99% of the time, but did stray slightly here and there over the holidays. Got a few extra tummy pounds and “blah” feelings to prove it! Working my way to January by using the last of my heavy cream in my coffee and eating the last stuffed mushrooms in the next couple of days. Otherwise, let’s do it!
@Chrystal: Welcome!!
I’m in! Yay!
I am looking at the possibility of a surgery in January (will know more tomorrow) and know I won’t be able to do this while in the hospital. I am reading the book now… I basically have been doing paleo since Feb 2012… and just had Spinal Fusion surgery in August… so I slipped some and have decided to attempt the whole 30 to get back on track… 61 of 100 ish lbs goal lost.) is it better to wait til after the possible upcoming surgery to start? will there be another whole 30 group in Feb or March?
Tammi, there are folks starting every day of every month, so you won’t have a hard time starting with a group of your own. You can post in our Whole30 Forum (http://forum.whole9life.com) to find a buddy or twelve on your chosen start date.
Best,
Melissa
Oops, so I set day 1 as Jan 3rd – am I still part of the January Whole30? or can I set my start date back to 1/1/13? It incents me to be part of a group program.
I’m in! This will be my second Whole30. After a VERY debaucherous holiday, I cannot wait to get back on track. I have a “Cooking WOD” planned for tomorrow to get me off to the right start!
@Johanna G: please email daily@whole9life.com to reset your date.
@Julie: Welcome! I LOVE the idea of a cooking WOD and want to hear more…
Thanks Erin! I got the idea from Melissa Joulwan’s “Well Fed” cookbook. As a working mom, I don’t get to spend a lot of time with my kids as it is, so in the interest of saving time but still putting in the effort to get as much of my meals prepped for the week ahead, I did a “Cooking WOD”. I chopped, cooked, grilled and sauteed as much as possible in 60 minutes – just like a Crossfit WOD. I managed to get the following done:
2 pounds chicken thighs roasted
Roasted spaghetti squash (at the same time as the thighs)
browned 1 pound ground beef with onion and garlic browned
Steam sauteed:
baby bok choy
1 head red cabbage
1 head broccoli
1 bag baby carrots
made homemade olive oil mayo
boiled 1 dozen eggs
Having all of this on hand will save me between 30-60 minutes of meal prep most nights this week (I use the ideas from “Well Fed” to do hot plates most nights. I can also use these pre-prepared ingredients for breakfast and lunch as well!
Okay, I’m officially on day 2 of my whole 30 and I’m posting here for accountability. Actually I started around the 27th, but chose to have wine on New Year’s Eve so am starting over. I’m hoping to get rid of the last bits of lingering pain and inflammation that haven’t gone away with 6 months of paleo diet. I’m adding nuts and eggs to the no-no list as well since I’ve got some autoimmune issues. Here’s to a great start to 2013!
I am just looking in to doing a 30 day cleanse and a whole30 specifically, Having never done anything like this before and being in the early stages of educating myself and PREPARING, which I know is crucial, I’m not sure when exactly I will begin my whole30. Hopefully it will be in January, but clearly not eary January. Is there another group next month? What do you advise? Thank you!
I did a Whole 30 back in October and was delighted to get blood work results that showed my PCOS-related insulin resistance was gone! PCOS is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I was so delighted with my results that I stayed on the Whole 9 all through Christmas. I am delighted to tell you that I have gone from having irregular, anovulatory cycles, to becoming regular – and I just found out this weekend that I am pregnant!!! Woo hoo! This is going to be a Whole 9 pregnancy, and I look forward to having a brand new primal baby in October. Thank you so much for your help!
I love this concept and I appreciate the way, “It Starts With Food,” lays everything out! Especially the “science-y” parts! I’ll be documenting my experience on my blog theoakfin.com : everything I eat and how I feel. I’m only on day 2, but I can tell it’s going to be great learning and eating experience. Delicious too! Thanks Whole9!
@Ashley, wonderful! Keep checking back in and we’ll do the same on your blog. Go get ‘em!