Whole30 Program - Is it hard?

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LeanerBeef
LeanerBeef Posts: 1,432 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm on day 13 off the The Whole30 nutrition program and so far so good. If you're not familiar, it's similar to paleo but very strict for 30 days (or as long as you want it to go), no sugar, no grains, no legumes, no alcohol, etc. A lot of people I've talked to about the program keep telling me “it’s too hard” or “I could never do that” or that I’m nuts – that last part is not news. ;-) So, I grabbed a couple of lines from the Whole30 website that addressed the “too hard” mentality.

From Whole30 site:
• It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard.
• Unless you physically tripped and your face landed in a box of doughnuts, there is no “slip”. You make a choice to eat something unhealthy.
• You never, ever, ever HAVE to eat anything you don’t want to eat. You’re all big boys and girls. Toughen up.
• So stop thinking about it, and start doing.

I think this applies to whatever nutrition or exercise program you are following, actually, it applies to most life decisions. Whether it’s getting healthy or pursuing a different goal – it’s your choice, you decide.

Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are correct.

Replies

  • mkblum814
    mkblum814 Posts: 2
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    I am on day 8 of Whole30...with some exceptions. I am trying to follow it as closely as possible. I have successfully removed all grains, all dairy, and almost all sugar & alcohol (a few slips, but I am trying hard!) My question is this...I am having a difficult time reaching my calorie goal. Each day, I am 200-300 calories under my goal and on top of that, I am doing a hot power yoga class which burns anywhere from 500-1000 calories...which cannot be healthy. The weight is falling off, which I love, but I want to be doing this in the most healthy way possible. Suggestions??:glasses:
  • EricCowperthwaite
    EricCowperthwaite Posts: 450
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    Are you eating pre and post workout snacks as called for in Whole30? Are you feeling sated, foodwise? Basically, trust your body on this. If you aren't feeling starving hungry, you are doing fine.
  • Tw1zzler
    Tw1zzler Posts: 583
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    It's hard.. not so much because you are hungry but because you are changing old habits.
  • onezeronine
    onezeronine Posts: 37 Member
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    I did it once. Just to see what would happen. It wasn't hard. I ate chicken and cabbage for a month. I didn't count calories or anything. I lost like 7 pounds in the month but obviously it came back on after I started eating grains and dairy again. It just seems like a weird arbitrary thing now to me. Nothing profound happened. If you're not getting enough calories then duh, eat some more fat. Nuts? Plant oils? Avocado? Can't possibly be THAT hard.
  • AggieLu
    AggieLu Posts: 873 Member
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    I've done it... not hard at all :) I felt amazing doing it and after.
  • LeanerBeef
    LeanerBeef Posts: 1,432 Member
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    I am on day 8 of Whole30...with some exceptions. I am trying to follow it as closely as possible. I have successfully removed all grains, all dairy, and almost all sugar & alcohol (a few slips, but I am trying hard!) My question is this...I am having a difficult time reaching my calorie goal. Each day, I am 200-300 calories under my goal and on top of that, I am doing a hot power yoga class which burns anywhere from 500-1000 calories...which cannot be healthy. The weight is falling off, which I love, but I want to be doing this in the most healthy way possible. Suggestions??:glasses:

    I've had the same problem with getting enough calories. I've been cooking everything with ghee and adding it to my veggies sometimes to get some more fat/cals. Also, I've just been trying to eat a little bit bigger portions and I do try to grab an extra handful of nuts.

    Kinda funny that getting enough calories is now a problem, lol, but it's all really a learning process i guess.
  • EricCowperthwaite
    EricCowperthwaite Posts: 450
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    I eat a primal type diet, pretty close to Whole30. In fact, except for alcohol sometimes and butter, it really is Whole30. I rarely eat my calorie goal per MFP, which I have set at sedentary lifestyle, 1 pound loss per week and include my workouts. I end up eating pretty much all of my normal goal, but never my exercise calories, mostly. And I'm not hungry, tired, etc. My energy levels, concentration, workouts, etc are all good. I stopped worrying about my calories because it really detracts from the approach to food that you are trying to achieve. That's my best advice ... as hard as it is .... don't worry about calorie counting or scale counting. Focus on healthy eating and lifestyle, exercise, sleep, relaxation, play ... calories and scale will take care of themselves if you do. :-D

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