Whole 30

Icyy037

Hi All,

I'm starting the Whole 30 tomorrow, anyone do this? if so any advice, success stories?

deblc6836

I have been doing it since Jan 28, although in the past 2 days I have added back my whey protein. It has helped with my tendonitis and plantar fasciitis, improved the quality of my sleep, cleared up my skin, made my energy level more consistent, and eliminated cravings. Although they recommend not logging or counting calories, I felt like doing so helped me to create balanced meals (in Whole30 terms, not conventional terms). Follow the advice of eating meals that are big enough to sustain you without snacking between, and don't shortchange yourself on healthy fats. I have only lost 6 pounds since starting, but it has changed the way I think about food, and I believe the weight loss will follow. Stick to it for 30 days -- don't cheat at all.

anifani4

I never heard of this so looked it up. I wish you luck. It seems you don't have to count calories....just stick to their list of allowed foods for 30 days with no cheating and you will be transformed. Because it eliminates so many categories of food (all grains, legumes, and dairy), a person would naturally be eating fewer calories with this plan. They claim their main focus is health rather than weight loss.

deblc6836

Since I am still tracking on MFP, I know that I am not eating fewer calories at all. You are encouraged to eat significant quantities of healthy fats, good quality meats, fish, and eggs, plenty of vegetables, and some fruit. The book (It Starts With Food) is well worth the read. It talks a lot about chronic systemic inflammation and how certain foods cause it. I have had tendonitis in my elbow for over 10 years...I never would have thought that dietary changes could help that, but I can now attest to that fact. The plan also seeks to reset the hormones that play a role in metabolism and weight. I would agree with the statement about focusing on health rather than weight loss...with the understanding that a healthier body with normal hormone function will naturally begin to return to a healthier weight.

jessiecasper

I completely agree w/ what debcl6836 says! If you plan to continue to log to the MFP diary, as strange as it may seem, go ahead and change your macro numbers to 25% carb, 25 % protein, and 50% fat. Yes, you read that right, 50% fat!! Don't get hung up on the amount of calories just eat (good food) until you are full. According to the book you should eat a thumb sized portion of healthy fat per meal...if you are an average size person and of average activity. If you are larger and/or more active you should eat two thumb size servings. The book also states that you should err on the side of MORE healthy fats rather than less. You might be wondering how in the world you can do this...use organic coconut oil or ghee in your coffee (no cream) or tea, eat avocados, saute your veggies in coconut oil or ghee. Note how debcl6836 states SOME fruit. As tempted as you will be to replace your sweets w/ fruit (or **ahem** LARABARs or their equivalent homemade snack bites), the body processes all sugar as sugar. This includes the sugar in fruit. Eat your fruit servings WITH your meal. You are training your body! Training is hard, but the rewards are astounding!! I, too, have lost 6 pounds, but this is not the goal. The goal is to retrain your hormonal response to food and make a healthy body. Wishing you lots of success w/ the Whole30 and a wonderful journey to good health through good food! **Full Disclosure** I know debcl6836 personally, and can attest to the benefits she has obtained through retraining her body. She has been the paragon of virtue w/ sticking to the program and such an encouragement to me and my sister (whom introduced us to the Whole30 program). One thing that my sister said the other day really resonated w/ me..."Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a peasant, and supper like a pauper." This has helped me to stick to the plan better because I start my day out w/ a belly full of GOOD FOOD.