Thoughts on Whole30?

napilibay

I'm considering following this with MFP.... Thoughts?

Sabine_Stroehm

For what purpose? It's a great way to find out if you have any intolerances to foods etc. but isn't really designed (or wasn't) as a diet/weight loss approach. For me, anything that gets you looking at the ingredients in the modern SAD is a good start, but it's not a diet, and isn't meant to be one. Does that make sense?

3dogsrunning

The Whole 30 discourages you from counting calorie (it does encourage portion control). It isn't even meant for weight loss.

My thoughts -
I tried it because my husband wanted to. I am generally against diets that eliminate whole foods groups but he goes along with all my whims.
I liked it. I followed Whole 30 as written. I used to be a 6 small meal a day and was worried that 3 meals plus a snack after workout, wouldn't be enough. I was never hungry. I loved the food. I lost weight. I actually didn't miss a lot of the foods that were eliminated that I thought I would

What I didn't like was it took a lot of pre-planning or prep. It was hard to find meals on those days where you are rushed if you didn't plan ahead. Going out to eat was difficult (one restaurant here did have a "paleo menu" so that helped). While I didn't miss a lot of the foods, there are still somethings I wasn't prepared to give up permanently. And like I said, I don't believe that the eliminated foods were necessary.


I eventually gave it up mostly because of the prep issue. I also ended up pregnant and my cravings were pretty much the opposite of paleo. I still build my meals around the basic principles, a protein, a little bit of fat, lots of veggies, I still use a lot of the recipes. But I no longer eliminate foods.

Overall, it isn't a bad way to eat - lots of protein, a good amount of fat and tons of veggies. I just don't feel the elimination aspect is necessary.

mikehull14

I've done a Whole30 in the past and soon after became curious about the scientific research provided in the book, It Starts With Food. As I am a student studying nutritional science and currently work as a researcher, I decided to review the citations the authors provide for each chapter of the book and see if the science matched up with the claims being made.

Unfortunately, I found that a majority of the cited claims were very misleading or completely false. This book can substantially mislead people about what a proper healthy diet looks like due to this inaccurate information. You can read some of my chapter reviews of the book here:
http://nutritionasiknowit.com/whole30/

If you are looking for a more evidence-based approach for an elimination diet, see this article here:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/elimination-diet-infographic

Asher_Ethan

I did the Whole30 before I started MFP and I gained weight on it. Obviously I was eating at a surplus but I was told by countless people that if I did the whole30 I could eat as much as I wanted as long it was those certain foods and I would loose weight.
If you're logging while doing whole 30 you will be fine, but what's the point then? The whole premise of whole 30 is you get to eat as much as you want and lose weight. I would rather log everything at a calorie deficit.

3dogsrunning

Asher_Ethan wrote: »

I did the Whole30 before I started MFP and I gained weight on it. Obviously I was eating at a surplus but I was told by countless people that if I did the whole30 I could eat as much as I wanted as long it was those certain foods and I would loose weight.
If you're logging while doing whole 30 you will be fine, but what's the point then? The whole premise of whole 30 is you get to eat as much as you want and lose weight. I would rather log everything at a calorie deficit.

No, that's not the whole premise. It encourages portion control.

Protein is 1-2 palm size portions. A thumb size or two of fat. And the rest veggies.

You start out lower and add on if you are hungry or larger.

http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

You do usually create a deficit, usually because it is portion controlled, helps with satiety and eliminates a lot of foods people tend to overeat.

tnm7760

I've done numerous rounds of Whole30. I did not do it to lose weight, which was good because I only lost about 2lbs each time.

My reasons were two fold--I had a lot of friends doing it and I was convinced I could NEVER give up grains, dairy, legumes, all sweeteners, preservatives, etc. But I started wanting to try just to prove to myself I could.

Also, I had a skin condition no dermatologist could diagnose/treat. I itched uncontrollably incertain places (especially my scalp and right hip). We tried lotions, potions, soaps, shampoos, antibiotics, etc. it went on for years. I'd itch until I bled. Anyway, I wondered if it was a food intolerance (my sister had recently been diagnosed with Celiacs, so food issues were on my mind).

First round, skin cleared up. But started again after I reintroduced foods. But I wasn't able to determine what (if any) food caused it. I felt fantastic. Had loads of energy. Enjoyed FANTASTIC meals. Lost 4lbs. Probably all water weight. But I did have noticeably less bloating. I mostly noticed how I turned to food all the time. Bored. Happy. Mad. And I seemed to always feel like I wanted a treat/sweet. I felt like I discovered a lot about my belief that I needed treats/rewards, my cravings, etc. I learned that it was okay to go without.

Second round, 6 months later, mostly same as the first. But my attitude was less enthused so it seemed like a burden. I had conquered it once, so it was less of an accomplishment. Lost 2lbs.

3rd & 4th rounds, I felt the TIGER blood like crazy! I was unstoppable! And my itchy skin vanished during the 3rd round and has yet to come back, 7 months later. Not sure if it was a food problem or just a coincidence.

I still try to focus on whole foods. I figured out a lot about my relationship with food/junk/treating myself/indulging, etc. I learned that I can do REALLY hard things if I put my mind to it. It was hard for me (especially the first time). But I was SO proud of myself that I always felt it was one of the best things I ever did for myself.

But don't do it for weight loss. You'll miss a huge portion on the reasoning behind it. And if you do it, read the book so you understand the reasoning behind the "rules." At first I thought they were so dumb. But after a couple rounds I realized that they did actually help in ways I never realized.

Sounds hokey, but it can be useful. But don't do it for weight loss. If you love the lifestyle and that way of eating (but not following it 100% forever, because they're not advocates for that), and weight loss is a side effect, then great. But that's not the reason for the program.

You can eat so many good foods, but many are also calorie dense. So if you're not an intuitive eater, very careful and eat fewer calories than you burn, you'll still gain weight. Message me if you have questions or want to know more.

angelexperiment

tnm7760 wrote: »

I've done numerous rounds of Whole30. I did not do it to lose weight, which was good because I only lost about 2lbs each time.

My reasons were two fold--I had a lot of friends doing it and I was convinced I could NEVER give up grains, dairy, legumes, all sweeteners, preservatives, etc. But I started wanting to try just to prove to myself I could.

Also, I had a skin condition no dermatologist could diagnose/treat. I itched uncontrollably incertain places (especially my scalp and right hip). We tried lotions, potions, soaps, shampoos, antibiotics, etc. it went on for years. I'd itch until I bled. Anyway, I wondered if it was a food intolerance (my sister had recently been diagnosed with Celiacs, so food issues were on my mind).

First round, skin cleared up. But started again after I reintroduced foods. But I wasn't able to determine what (if any) food caused it. I felt fantastic. Had loads of energy. Enjoyed FANTASTIC meals. Lost 4lbs. Probably all water weight. But I did have noticeably less bloating. I mostly noticed how I turned to food all the time. Bored. Happy. Mad. And I seemed to always feel like I wanted a treat/sweet. I felt like I discovered a lot about my belief that I needed treats/rewards, my cravings, etc. I learned that it was okay to go without.

Second round, 6 months later, mostly same as the first. But my attitude was less enthused so it seemed like a burden. I had conquered it once, so it was less of an accomplishment. Lost 2lbs.

3rd & 4th rounds, I felt the TIGER blood like crazy! I was unstoppable! And my itchy skin vanished during the 3rd round and has yet to come back, 7 months later. Not sure if it was a food problem or just a coincidence.

I still try to focus on whole foods. I figured out a lot about my relationship with food/junk/treating myself/indulging, etc. I learned that I can do REALLY hard things if I put my mind to it. It was hard for me (especially the first time). But I was SO proud of myself that I always felt it was one of the best things I ever did for myself.

But don't do it for weight loss. You'll miss a huge portion on the reasoning behind it. And if you do it, read the book so you understand the reasoning behind the "rules." At first I thought they were so dumb. But after a couple rounds I realized that they did actually help in ways I never realized.

Sounds hokey, but it can be useful. But don't do it for weight loss. If you love the lifestyle and that way of eating (but not following it 100% forever, because they're not advocates for that), and weight loss is a side effect, then great. But that's not the reason for the program.

You can eat so many good foods, but many are also calorie dense. So if you're not an intuitive eater, very careful and eat fewer calories than you burn, you'll still gain weight. Message me if you have questions or want to know more.

Itching can also be because of anxiety/stress. I do it it took awhile to figure out tho.