Point of Whole30?

What's the point of the Whole30 diet (yes I'm too lazy to Google the specifics lol)? A friend, or acquaintance is probably the better description, is doing it. After reading her daily updates it sounds like she's restricting the f**k out of her diet and she's been having mini panic attacks because there's such a limited list of things she can eat... Not to mention the food pics she posts are B-O-R-I-N-G! Oh, she also claims to have lost 15 lbs in the first week (I'm pretty sure most of which was water retention). I just don't get it... Of all the things I've learned both in here and with watching my own weight go up and down several times, restricting what you eat to that degree doesn't work out so well in the end.

Thoughts?

ETA: I don't mean to undermine her success; she has lost over 100 lbs through watching what she eats and exercising, which is fantastic, but she's on those last 20 lbs and has been trying these new-age diets and if she drops weight, it comes right back.

Replies

  • It's possible she lost that much if she was super bloated before or ate a ton of packaged/processed foods. As far as I understand it the Whole30 cuts out just about everything that could cause inflammation or water retention, so the first thing to go will be all that water. The people I know who completed the Whole30 did it as a "reset" to teach themselves how to make way more whole foods, or to see if they had intolerances to one of the things cut out.
  • mycupyourcake
    mycupyourcake Posts: 279 Member
    The point of the whole30 is to find out if you have a food intolerance and to reset your eating habits. You can't eat anything packaged on that diet.
  • sh1vster
    sh1vster Posts: 3 Member
    Whole30 really isn't as restrictive as you think, there are a huge amount of foods you can still have, but if you focus on what you can't have instead of what you can, then yes you are not going to do well on it.

    You really should read the book "it starts with food" so you can understand the science behind it all. It really does make sense.
  • Calamity_
    Calamity_ Posts: 43
    Meals are not boring. I eat more than before but eat more good stuff, I'm not starving myself with Whole30.
    Don't have pop tarts for dessert is not restrictive ... Eat fruits instead is a great way to stay healthy.
    I post my meals on instagram (zazahellphi) and hope they're not Boring... They're not for me :)
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    Whole30 is more restrictive then the PALEO diet which is restrictive enough. Whole30, no dairy, except certain type of butter, and not old butter, you have to follow the Butter Manifesto. As I read through it, when I see Manifesto I usually stop. I kept reading through the sites and blogs and for the most part it is spinoff of PALEO. To each their own, and it is a fair amount of label reading, which isn't a bad thing, just another step you'll have to do to adhere to the guidelines of the diet.