Whole30, Day 1: Eating With Intention

• jennaruns

Today’s topic may not seem run-related but it entirely is.

I always aim to set attainable yet scary goals with my running, so why not do the same with my nutrition?

I have never (ever!) done a “diet” before and I put that in quotes because I don’t consider this a diet, yet a change of eating habits. A change that I need.

I’ve been craving an unreasonable amount of junk and sweets lately. I start my day off with a sugary (healthy?) smoothie and find myself wanting things like Girl Scout Cookies, pretzels, cereal, and peanut butter… all. day. long. But it’s ok, right, because I run, bike, and do gym things! All the time! As much as I want to tell myself that, the answer is no. It’s not ok.

I’ve decided I need to change the way I think about food. I need to be intentional with what I put in my body. I’m not trying to lose weight and I think that’s part of the problem – due to my high activity level and genetics, I can eat practically anything I want and not gain weight. This may sound all good and dandy, but as you know – food affects how you feel. No matter your genetics or activity level. Lately I’ve felt bloated, sluggish, and “blah.” I 100% correlate this with my frequent cookie binges.

So, rather than just saying “I’ll eat better tomorrow.” I’m making some changes that are measurable. No, I will not be counting calories, carbs, pounds, or anything for that matter. I will be focusing on what to eat and what not to eat. I will east with intention. I will learn how to cook new things and make wholesome meals (unfortunately, oatmeal and cookies are easy, but not sustainable meals.) I will be committed by making it public, I will count the days, and I will get rid of junk food and replace it with good food. I will start Whole30.

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Last night I did my research. I have a grocery list, some recipes to get me going, and I have tomorrow off so I can meal prep (which is also 100% new to me!). Today, I will be reading the It Starts With Food book and getting an even better understanding of the importance of REAL, whole foods.

I committed to running one year ago. In that time, my running has improved immensely. I’m ready to take on new challenges, though, and I know that one step I need to take is a (huge) step forward in my nutrition knowledge, preparation, and habits.

If I can run a marathon, I can be intentional about my eating for 30 days.

I can do this.

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Have you tried Whole30? Or another “diet?” 

What tips do you have for a first-time Whole30-er?

What is something that you’ve done – besides running – to help reach your running goals?

10 thoughts on “Whole30, Day 1: Eating With Intention”

  1. Eating cleaner helps me curb those cravings. I’m still learning myself. But we just stopped buying processed food. Yoga/Pilates is great for stretching runners muscles. I recently did some reading on how runners can overwork the same muscles over and over again and need something to counter that repetitiveness on the muscles. I do yoga, Les Mills Bodypump and just started Les Mills CXWORXS. I really love all of Les Mills programs. You can get it On Demand and then at gyms (live) too. Check out the website, they even have a yoga program.

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    1. Awesome! Thanks for the tips. I have done Body Pump before – they have it at my local gym! I need to do it/other workouts besides running more in general for the reasons you mentioned. I’m sure the first few days/weeks will be tough without my sugary snacks but I hope to curb those cravings, too. They always come on late at night/when I’m home alone… snacking has just become a “thing to do.” Glad to hear clean eating has helped you!

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    1. Thank you! That sounds like me and cereal. I cannot keep it in the house or even go down that aisle in the grocery store. A great tip I read while researching Whole30 is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store – that’s where all the fresh food is! 🙂 Thanks again 🙂

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  4. I did the Whole 30 in March, and had a great experience with it! As long as you properly plan your meals, you’ll eat well and never be hungry. Eating out is a challenge, so I only did that for about three meals the whole month.

    But I will say that for me, as an amateur and not very fast runner, the lack of carbs does make it more difficult for going longer distances.. I was training for a half marathon while doing the Whole 30 (The Hapalua in Honolulu) and because you cannot have any added sugar, you cannot have GU. The 7-10 mile training runs were a struggle for me … but that being said, I think it actually helped me on race day (when I did use GU). I had a great race and easily beat the time I was shooting for.

    I went off the Whole 30 in April, but I have been eating about 90% of my meals with the plan. I am a big fan of it!

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    1. Oh that’s great! Yes I am very fortunate to work close to home, already used to eating all my meals at home – so I’m not too worried about the eating out part. I did bring my own food to Easter dinner just in case but no biggie 🙂 glad you loved the results! Like you, I plan do adopt all or most of these eating habits well beyond the 30 days. Are potatoes and fruit not a significant replacement for carbs if someone is used to getting carbs in other forms such as bread and oats? Thanks for the feedback!

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  5. Pingback: Whole30: Week One – Jenna Runs

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