5 Healthy Habits to Stick with Post-Whole30

The Whole30 may be over, but there are five healthy habits I’ve been sticking with that I wanted to share with you.

Hey hey heyyyyy. How’s it going? I will say, I am in a super great mood as I write this because we had some GORGEOUS weather here in Michigan over the weekend. The sun was out and it was in the 60s with bright blue skies!! IN FEBRUARY.

I mean… I guess the fact that it was up to 65F in February here in Michigan may not be the greatest thing for the earth’s climate… but I won’t get political on you.

What I AM here to talk to you about is some healthy habits I’ve continued post-Whole30. As much as I complained about the Whole30 diet dismissing chocolate, there are some small lifestyle changes that haven taken place since finishing the Whole30. As I have taken the time to reflect on these little changes, I realized that there are some healthy habits I want to keep in my life–for good.

1. Drink more lemon water

During the Whole30 I made a point to have lemon water at least once, if not twice a day. It helped me make sure I was getting enough water, but also helped with digestion and bloating. Instead of going for more caffeine in the afternoon, I would boil some water for tea and squeeze in half of a lemon. This hot lemon water also helped keep me from snacking when I didn’t need to.

2. Eat more savory breakfasts

It’s been a few weeks since I finished the Whole30 and I can tell you I am craving more savory, whole foods breakfasts in the morning. Even though we have some yogurt in the fridge again that I will fall back on, and I still resort to my almond butter banana toast combos every once in a while… I actually find myself really wanting eggs of some sort. Even before the Whole30 I would often keep a savory breakfast option in rotation, that was nothing new. But now it is as though I don’t feel fully satisfied without a hearty combination of eggs, kale and potatoes. Oh, and avocado (duh). So more savory breakfasts will be had!

See this post for 11 Savory Whole30 Breakfast Recipes you must try

3. Eat more fulfilling meals–Less Snacking

I lurrveee me some snacks–as you all know. I mean, who doesn’t? But when you get in the habit of snacking just to snack, that is no bueno. It can mess with your system, both mentally and physically. During the Whole30, you are supposed to limit your snacking by making sure you’re eating enough at your main meals to be satisfied. This was hard for me to get used to, as I was used to those “6 small meals” and then being hungry every couple of hours. However, when I made a point to fill up my plate with loads of veggies and protein, and some complex carbohydrates at each meal, I didn’t NEED to snack. Did I want to? Sure. But if I listened to my hunger cues and stayed mindful, I realized the extra snacks weren’t as necessary as I thought. So now I am doing my best to eat enough food at each main meal to feel satisfied, and keep my snacking to a minimum.

4. Be more mindful of Sugar intake

Ohhh sugar, sugar. “Dun dun dun dun dun dun…Aw honey honey…You are my candy girl…” Sorry, couldn’t help it. Too many years of watching Now and Then and listening to that soundtrack on repeat.

Anyways. SUGAR.

IS. IN. EVERYTHING. And it is obnoxious as hell. I mean, truly effing obnoxious. It is in so many foods and packaged products you actually wouldn’t even expect it to be in. And that is what is frustrating. Baking with sugar is one thing… but finding it in salsa, vegetable/chicken/beef stock, sauces, etc. WHY. Ugh.

So something I’ve been doing since the Whole30 is really being more mindful of various added sugars. One big thing being I have stopped buying coffee creamer with added sugar. Califia makes these amazing coffee creamers (i.e. hazelnut, vanilla, pecan caramel) and I love them all dearly. Buutttt they also have added sugar. And I totally love my coffee with a lot of (unsweetened) nut milk and a couple splashes of flavored creamer. But during the Whole30 those sweetened creamers were not allowed. So I had to get used to my plain, unsweetened milky coffee. But truthfully, it’s been fine. Do I miss having that flavor and bit of sweetness with my coffee? Yes, absolutely. But is it necessary every morning? No. It is something I can live without. Plus if I look at it from a dollars savings standpoint, it makes the decision easier.

5. No more tracking

So I haven’t tracked my macronutrient intake–carbs, fats, proteins–or quite some time. But during the days of my obsessive “clean eating” habits, I tracked almost every macro. It became an unhealthy obsession for me. (That is not to say it can’t be a great tool for some people. But it unfortunately controlled my life for a point.) And some of those habits that come with tracking food are hard to break. Even if I wasn’t physically tracking my macros, I was mentally noting in my head if I had a carb heavy meal. Or I would worry that I had too many fats during a meal. But with the Whole30 I honestly let all of that go–finally. There were a few days here and there where those thoughts would sneak back in, but I wasn’t truly worrying about it. I was just focused on getting in real food at each meal and eating enough to where I was satisfied. No more tracking.

Little changes in 30 days can eventually lead to a big healthy lifestyle change. Whether I’ll do another Whole30 or not, I can’t say. But I am thankful for my journey and what I’ve learned, and the healthy habits I’ve developed over time in part to doing a Whole30.

Let’s Chat

• Have you ever done a diet and/or challenge and developed healthy habits you stick with today?
• Do you have any “healthy habits” tips?

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