Do I just jump right in?

[phoenixrising]

I basically decided to do this on a Monday and started on Wednesday, so I definitely jumped right in. I got rid of some foods and saved some stuff for after the Whole30 for my reintroductions. I recommend reading as much of the Whole30 website as you can, poking around the forums, and maybe picking up It Starts with Food and reading through it. It should not affect your running...plenty of elite athletes eat this way.

[wambam]

If it were me and I had a comp coming up, I would wait until after to start a W30. Unless you're coming from a place where you're already eating 80/20 paleo or whatever and all you'll be eliminating is treats and dairy, KWIM? It's a very different experience to start from that place than starting from eating a high-carb/low-fat/ or highly processed diet. So gauge where you are on that scale and decide from there.

ISWF recommends a pantry purge before you get started. This is more mental than anything else. Inevitably, you'll come home one day and the pasta will look SO easy compared to preparing a protein + fat + veggies meal and it's easier to avoid non-compliant foods if they're not there.

I would caution against going on a non-compliance binge before starting. It's tempting to eat ALLTHETHINGZ you won't be able to eat for the next 30 days, but it will make those first few days far more difficult than it needs to be.

[IrishBelle]

I'm not a runner but I do know friends who did a 5K while on the Whole 30 and they didn't have any problems. One friend actually beat her PB.

For me, I kept all that food in my house since my DH and DDs weren't changing their eating habits. All of the things that I use regularly are in a separate cupboard - oils, vinegars, coconut aminos, dates, etc - so this helps. I try not to make to many meals in our house so if I'm having a piece of meat and vegetables, I will cook a starch for them to have with it.

[lauralala]

I just kind of jumped in this week, although I had considered it before. DH and DS are not doing W30 with me, so getting rid of everything wasn't really necessary. The only thing about just jumping in is that prepping really does help: I had to do mine on days 1 and 2 instead of beforehand, but it has been ok (so far, lol - I am only on day 4).