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June 2, 2018

Why I’m Doing The WHOLE30 Challenge

As you may have noticed, I like real, homemade food. I really LOVE eating seasonally, and always try my best, when it comes to healthy food choices (especially snacks). But, this wasn’t always the case. My life turned upside-down 10 years ago, and I was “forced” to change my diet. I am going to share with you my story, which is one of the main reasons why I’m doing the Whole30.

***Some of the links that I am using are affiliate links. That means if you follow them and purchase something, I will earn a little commission at no extra cost to you. I use affiliate links so I can promote products and services that I use and think are excellent. It also helps me monetize this blog so I can keep on creating content for you.***

While I was still in high school I was diagnosed with a kidney stone. It was one of those big ones, that are really hard to get out on their own. The doctors also (for some reason) didn’t recommend the laser treatment, so my only options were natural medicine (herbal teas, and other alternative methods) and painkillers (I took more Advil than I dare to admit) 🙁

For more than two years I was having severe kidney pains, at least once a month. I wasn’t able to relax, because I thought my kidney will start to hurt again.

Why I'm doing the Whole30 Challenge - Here I share my food story and how I started with homemade food in order to eat healthy(ish). Read my story and share your thoughts with me. | #whole30 #whole30challenge #healthydiet | simplyanchy.com

It all culminated in the April 2008, when the stone got stuck, and the pain wasn’t durable at all. The only way doctors were able to help me is to take the stone out. Luckily, it was a very quick procedure with a cystoscope. When they took the kidney stone out, the doctor said that I need to change my diet in order for kidney stones not to return.

That’s when I started to do the research on the different foods and what they can do to our bodies. I realized that we eat too much salt and too much sugar. And, to be honest, I really really loved salty food, especially potato chips. Then I made a decision – I will start to make my own food and STOP eating junk and fast food. 

Fast forward till today, I am more than 10 years kidney stone free, and my kidneys work like nothing ever happened.

So, why WHOLE30? And why now?

There are three reasons why I’m doing the Whole30:

  • I want to FEEL and BE HEALTHY and get rid of the seasonal allergies that I’ve experienced for a couple of years now.
  • I want to help my husband who has some digestion problems.
  • I really want to defeat the Sugar Demon and clean up my diet.

I wanted to do this challenge all by myself because I didn’t want anyone to feel obligated to a very strict diet (my husband is really tough when it comes to dies changes). But a few months ago, he said that he wants to clean up his diet. I just couldn’t believe! That’s why I made a decision to start the whole30 now when there are a lot of fresh fruits and veggies available.

I know how different types of food can affect our bodies. Through the research, I came across the Whole30 and read about it. I really LOVED the idea of mindful eating and training our brain to think differently about food. Most of the times we don’t eat because we’re hungry, but because we feel stressed or bored. And I want to stop doing that. I want to eat because I need to fuel my body.

What is Whole30?

Whole30 is an elimination diet, and you commit to eating whole foods for 30 days. That means you eat all types of meat, fruits, and veggies. You eliminate all the sugars (real and artificial), all the grains (yes quinoa too!), legumes, dairy products, and alcohol for thirty days. You also learn how to read labels on packaged foods, and which additives are bad acceptable and which are really bad for you. After 30 days you reintroduce eliminated foods and watch for the effects.

If you’re interested in full details of Whole30 and how it works, I would recommend you go to the official website. There, you will find the answers to all the questions you might have about the diet.

And after that, if you would like to dig even deeper, here are the links to their most popular books:


They explain everything you need to know about food and how it fuels our bodies, and much much more.

Why I'm doing the Whole30 Challenge - Here I share my food story and how I started with homemade food in order to eat healthy(ish). Read my story and share your thoughts with me. | #whole30 #whole30challenge #healthydiet | simplyanchy.com

Since I love my bullet journal and don’t go anywhere without it, I’ve decided to make a whole spread about the diet. I wrote down all the information that I think I might need for the upcoming 30 days.

The inspiration came from the Boho Berry. She is really great, and if you would like to learn more about bullet journaling and setting goals, you should definitely visit her website.

Do I have any concerns about the challenge?

Short answer – YES!

Long answer – My biggest fear is that my husband will get lost in all the “NOs” and that he’ll give up, or break the rules. But, I will be committed and make all the meals he needs (plus the emergency snacks), so I really hope he’ll stay on track.


I’ll be posting a weekly check-in with my thoughts, meal-prep ideas, recipes etc. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below or to contact me here.

I would really like to know if you would like to see recipes that are Whole30 compliant? Right now I do have one –> 30-Second Homemade Mayo.

Also, I will be taking before and after measurements. But be sure that I am not doing this to lose weight. I feel really comfortable in my skin, and I’m happy with my current weight. But more on that in later updates.

Love,


Check out my weekly updates:

>> My WHOLE30 Journey | Week 1 | Detoxication

>> My WHOLE30 Journey | Week 2 | Energy

>> My WHOLE30 Journey | Week 3 | Tiger Blood

>> My WHOLE30 Journey | Week 4 | Now, What?

>> My WHOLE30 Journey | Week 5 | Reintroduction

Have you completed the Whole30 Challenge? How it went? Good or Bad? I would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below.


Why I'm doing the Whole30 Challenge - Here I share my food story and how I started with homemade food in order to eat healthy(ish). Read my story and share your thoughts with me. | #whole30 #whole30challenge #healthydiet | simplyanchy.com


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4 comments

  • Nanette
    December 27, 2020
    Anchy--- I noticed on your grocery lists, a number of high oxalate foods that can increase the chance of calcium kidney stones. I need to manage my diet now since I have had calcium stones--any suggestions since you share the same challenge?
    Reply
    • Anchy
      January 23, 2021
      Hello, Nanette! I'm sorry, but I'm not in a position to give any advice on that :( I can only share my own experience. Since I stopped eating processed foods and started making my own food and drink a lot of fluids, my kidneys are much better. When you are constantly flushing the kidneys, nothing can stick too long to start forming a stone (that's how I figured). And mush say that in March it will be 13 years since I'm kidney stone-free, just by drinking a lot of water and not eating processed foods. Hope you get better soon!
      Reply
  • Heidi Holmes
    July 26, 2021
    You are very lucky if you have been able to avoid kidney stones while doing Whole 30. Whole 30 includes high oxalate foods like spinach, almonds, beets and potatoes to name a few. Couple that with a diet that restricts dairy and some on whole 30 may not be getting the recommended amount of calcium that is needed to prevent those oxalates from making their way into their kidneys where they can combine with calcium in the kidney to form a stone. Anyone who suffers form kidney stones should avoid spinach and almonds as though they are allergic to them. The oxalate content is just too high.
    Reply
    • Anchy
      September 18, 2021
      Hello Heidi, thank you for the comment. Even though we tend to eat oxalate-rich foods, that doesn't mean that we should also stop eating it because of that. There are other calcium-rich foods out there, that don't contain milk. Sesame seeds are just one of them :) Also, whole30 is made so that people could find out which foods are causing the problems in their bodies. And one more thing, I have been kidney stone free for almost 20 years now, and never stopped eating spinach, almonds, beets, or potatoes :) and my stones were oxalate stones. Please, just be careful with the information you read and spread. I am not a doctor, and I wasn't giving any medical advice in this post. Please consult with your doctor or nutritionist if you have any concerns.
      Reply

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And all of my friends call me Anchy. Welcome to my food blog where I share simple recipes for everyday cooking. I hope that you will find what you are looking for. Read more about me here…

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