Whole 30 program
40gottogo
Posts: 10 Member
Is anyone else following whole 30? I have lost 8.5 lbs since. Starting it July 10th. I'm never hungry, well almost never. Sometimes I get busy and don't have my food made in time.
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Not following it but would highly recommend it to those curious about it. One of the main reasons I'm not following it is because I'm experimenting how my body reacts to certain foods such as sprouted grains, nuts, and beans for now.0
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It's a short therm thing and these are always build to fail, because there needs to be an end.0
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Nope. I think it is one of the worst diet programs out there. What's wrong with legumes? Seriously, they are low in calories, full of fibre and high in protein.
"Rule one: eat real foods (except for all the real foods we tell you not to eat)"0 -
I had never heard of this so I Google'd it. At the end of the write up, it said "... but before you sign on board, it's essential to read their book..."
Yeah, so that's all I need to know. No thanks.0 -
I'm doing it. Some people like the ridged structure others won't. It is healthy and works it is just hard like all restrictive diets. Main issue is energy loss from the lack of carbs.
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In general I practice IIFYM but recently completed a Whole30 just to see what all the hype was over it. Its not meant to be a "diet" or a short term fix. Its meant to be a reset and allow you to learn about how different foods affect you. Some people lose weight, some gain, and some stay the same. They ask you to cut out foods for 30 days and then there is a reintroduction period for legumes, grains, dairy, etc. I was skeptical at first, but I found it to be a useful tool in learning about how your body responds to different types of food. For me personally, I found that I don't have any major issues with anything and am carrying on with my regular IIFYM eating approach now. I definitely don't find that I'm any less healthy for doing it. Yes its restrictive, but if you are creative with meals I found it to be a great way to eat good wholesome food.0
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Whole30 is just another diet fad. Here are some of their unfounded claims:
- Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? ...Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try?...Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff.
- Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing.
- Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making.
- Do not try to re-create baked goods, junk foods, or treats* with “approved” ingredients. Continuing to eat your old, unhealthy foods made with Whole30 ingredients is totally missing the point, and will tank your results faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” Remember, these are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, regardless of the ingredients.
You can't reset your metabolism. Your body doesn't know the difference between natural sugar in oranges and sugar in maple syrup. Your body doesn't know the difference between banana + oatmeal = cookies and eating a banana with some oatmeal.
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I've been interested in a whole30 approach. Removing all the allergens and then reintroducing.
I don't like all the rules about making 'non approved foods' with 'approved foods'
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Whole30 is just another diet fad. Here are some of their unfounded claims:
- Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? ...Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try?...Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff.
- Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing.
- Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making.
- Do not try to re-create baked goods, junk foods, or treats* with “approved” ingredients. Continuing to eat your old, unhealthy foods made with Whole30 ingredients is totally missing the point, and will tank your results faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” Remember, these are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, regardless of the ingredients.
You can't reset your metabolism. Your body doesn't know the difference between natural sugar in oranges and sugar in maple syrup. Your body doesn't know the difference between banana + oatmeal = cookies and eating a banana with some oatmeal.
I'm intrigued by the idea that legumes are "psychologically unhealthy." I mean, I love black bean soup, but I didn't think it rose to the level of a problem.0 -
I did it for the month of June. I hated it. I would never, ever do it again and I would never encourage someone to try it unless they needed an elimination diet for health reasons. Even then I probably wouldn't suggest whole30 as the way to do it.
Whole30 was my worst 'healthy' eating experience ever. The restrictions are illogical for most people and everyone I have ever talked to who did it lost around ten pounds and almost all of them gained it back within a few weeks. Water and glycogen store loss for me is basically that much.
I'm a big fan of a reasonable calorie deficit (200-500 based off TDEE), never eating below my BMR, CI/CO and eating whatever the heck I want provided it (mostly) fits my macros. I live a normal life, and I look better every day and I feel healthier and I happily eat a wide range of foods. It is not sugar or bread or beans or corn that made me fat. It was eating more than my body burned and ignoring my health.
Do I eat more colourful veggies and fruits since whole30? Yes. Do I cook more foods? Yes. Do I eat out less, yes. But I attribute it to making a lifestyle change, not to a restriction-based diet that forced me to consume more veggies and eat nothing processed and declare certain foods 'non-compliant' because it might cause a tiny percentage of the population allergic response, tummy troubles, or to retain water. Most people are not special flowers who get sick because they ate a slice of bread with their breakfast.
If you want to use whole30 to kick start a healthier lifestyle, do it. But don't expect the world to be all kinds of sunshine and rainbows. The magical boost of energy they claim will happen didn't for me, rather I was exhausted by six in the evening. My life was a low-burning rage for the last half of the 30 days. If you take their claims with a grain of salt then it probably won't hurt you.0 -
I did it, and recommend it. I lost 9.5 pounds without measuring food or counting calories. I am in the reintroduction phase now. Those who have a problem with the premise most likely haven't read the book nor keep up with functional medicine and the new research on our microbiome. The legume restriction is to experiment with your body to see if you have an intolerance to legumes, the no "paleo-fied" foods is to break the cravings to those foods. Refined sugars react very differently in the gut through the gut flora than do sugars from fruit and veggies. They promote different types of bacteria to flourish, some of which are being shown to promote metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, anxiety, and depression. Youtube "functional forum" and watch about the microbiome. This is the new frontier of medicine. This program is based on that new research. Anyone who is nay-sayer without having explored the research, I just ignore.1
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snickers061703 wrote: »The legume restriction is to experiment with your body to see if you have an intolerance to legumes,
Assuming an intolerance with no symptoms seems totally...if you'll forgive the bluntness...stupid to me.0 -
I tried it and liked it as well, but it's definitely not for everybody. The research behind it is very sound, however. Please remember that it is not a permanent way of eating, simply a way of resetting your taste buds, metabolism, etc. Nor is it a weight loss diet, as there are no caloric restrictions. People who "gas out" and lose energy probably haven't substituted enough protein for the other food they have cut out. Or, they are seriously addicted to carbs and don't know it, thus experiencing carb withdrawal or "carb flu."
Here is a short, easy to understand break down:
1) Whole30 is not a permanent eating style nor a weight loss diet.
2) Purpose: To rid your body of possible food allergens, break sugar and carb addictions, break bad food habits.
3) What is excluded from the diet: all grains, all dairy, all legumes (including peanuts & soy, but green beans and sugar snaps are allowed), all sweeteners (even stevia), all "bad" oils & fats (like canola, grapeseed, corn, soybean oil).
4) What is included: all meats (organic/grass fed), eggs, all vegetables, all fruits, all good fats & oils (nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil).
5) Pros: Even if you don't have food allergens, understanding how specific foods effect your individual body, genetic make up, and lifestyle is valuable information. I found out that lowering my overall carb consumption and replacing those calories with protein caused me to eat less food overall. The diet also helped me to figure out what bad foods I overate in order to get through the day (in my case, peanut butter) and forced me to totally reconstruct my plate for every meal (a pro and a con).
6) Cons: This diet is STRICT! Therefore it is very difficult to stay on track if you do not have adequate time to plan meals, grocery shop, and cook. And you have to read every friggin' single label because wheat gluten, high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil is in just about everything that you buy pre-packaged. The no sugar/sweetener or dairy in my morning cup of coffee just about did me in. One more con - I hated the book. It was written in a cutesy, cheerleader style that turned me off.
7) Using MFP with Whole30: If you decide to try this, you should go to your settings and significantly raise your protein and fat percentages at the expense of the carbs. You could also adjust your daily calorie intake as needed.0 -
2) Purpose: To rid your body of possible food allergens, break sugar and carb addictions, break bad food habits.
And since the vast majority of the population has no food allergies and sugar and carb addictions are not real things, it would seem to be a poor choice of plan to follow.
And if you DO have a food allergy, I would suspect you've already (hopefully) cut those things out of your diet - no goofy, special plan necessary.0 -
ceoverturf wrote: »snickers061703 wrote: »The legume restriction is to experiment with your body to see if you have an intolerance to legumes,
Assuming an intolerance with no symptoms seems totally...if you'll forgive the bluntness...stupid to me.
That depends on what you think a "symptom" is. Joint pain, intestinal discomfort, fatigue, foggy-brain, irritability, etc. can all be explained lots of things other than food allergies. However, research clearly shows that food allergies can cause all of these issues as well as many other common, daily complaints. This strict diet is simply a tool to use to learn more about your particular, individual dietary needs. It isn't a magic bullet or a cure, just a simple tool.
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You cannot reset your metabolism.Please remember that it is not a permanent way of eating, simply a way of resetting your taste buds, metabolism, etc.
If you have possible food allergens, see an allergist. They can do a proper elimination-style diet, skin test, blood test, oral consumption test. If you think you might have a food allergen, eliminating black beans because a book said so is completely ridiculous. How will you break sugar and carb addiction if you can eat fruit? Fruit is full of sugar and carbohydrates. Which bad food habits are you breaking? The urge to make pancakes with bananas and eggs?2) Purpose: To rid your body of possible food allergens, break sugar and carb addictions, break bad food habits.
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ceoverturf wrote: »snickers061703 wrote: »The legume restriction is to experiment with your body to see if you have an intolerance to legumes,
Assuming an intolerance with no symptoms seems totally...if you'll forgive the bluntness...stupid to me.
That depends on what you think a "symptom" is. Joint pain, intestinal discomfort, fatigue, foggy-brain, irritability, etc. can all be explained lots of things other than food allergies. However, research clearly shows that food allergies can cause all of these issues as well as many other common, daily complaints. This strict diet is simply a tool to use to learn more about your particular, individual dietary needs. It isn't a magic bullet or a cure, just a simple tool.
Those are also symptoms of stress and not getting enough sleep and a lot of medical conditions.
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You cannot reset your metabolism.Please remember that it is not a permanent way of eating, simply a way of resetting your taste buds, metabolism, etc.
If you have possible food allergens, see an allergist. They can do a proper elimination-style diet, skin test, blood test, oral consumption test. If you think you might have a food allergen, eliminating black beans because a book said so is completely ridiculous. How will you break sugar and carb addiction if you can eat fruit? Fruit is full of sugar and carbohydrates. Which bad food habits are you breaking? The urge to make pancakes with bananas and eggs?2) Purpose: To rid your body of possible food allergens, break sugar and carb addictions, break bad food habits.
Do not take my comments as an endorsement of Whole30. I am not trying to convince you that this diet is better for you than whatever you are doing now. The poster wanted to know people's opinions of it and this is mine. There are better written books/plans with much better information out there. Did I mention that I hated the book? I like to experiment with food, recipes, diets, and 30 days wasn't too long. However, the basis of the plan, which you seem to be questioning, really is backed up with years of research - although it is presented poorly in the book.
Sugar & carbs: Study after study after study has shown that when given equal calorie amounts of a fat-based diet vs a glucose (carb/sugar based) based diet, the people on the fat based diet lost twice as much weight over the same amount of time - even though the caloric intake was identical. (This is the bulk body of evidence for every single low/no carb diet out there).Your body will either burn fat or glucose, depending on what you feed it. If you only eat fruit all day long, you will still risk an insulin resistant state, thus causing glucose dysregulation. Diabetics, for instance, most be careful of how much fruit they consume. If you pare out all other sugars except fruit, you shouldn't have any problems. Some studies have shown that you can quite literally retrain your taste buds via elimination diets - so much so that a donut tastes flat and metallic while a fresh summer peach (at peak season here in the US) explodes with sweetness.
With regards to legumes: legumes are roughly 60% starch and contain very high amounts of phytic acid which actively bind minerals and eliminates them from the body. They also contain protease inhibitors which can damage the body's ability to completely digest protein. They also contain goitrogens which are thyroid-inhibiting substances. Again, some people are completely unaffected by this, and some people find legumes in their diet problematic.
If all you are concerned about is calories in/calories out, then all of the Whole 30/keto/paleo/primal/Atkins stuff is not for you. Nor am I necessarily recommending it - I tried it, it has its uses for some people. If you are interested in a good, well researched book on the subject, Primal Body, Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas is much, much better than Whole30 in that it goes deeper into the research, the metabolism issues, and the health issues associated with carb based diets.
Once more with feeling people - Whole30 and its ilk are just tools some people might find helpful, not an evangelical conversion. Read, learn, try, eat, drink and be merry!
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I haven't done it myself, but I've watched Internet friends do it, and almost every single one of them lost weight and then regained it within a month of leaving whole30. I'm looking for a more long-lasting change in my eating habits. One of the most useful pieces of advice that I hold onto is that if you aren't willing to give up something for the rest of your life, then don't give it up during a weight loss diet. You have to learn to fit it into generally healthy eating habits.0
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It's not for everybody and you're definitely not going to get much support from the MFP forums but I've just started my second Whole30 and it works for me personally. I lost 16 lbs the first time I did and I felt really good. I had more energy and my skin looked better. I have bursitis in my hip and that felt better. It really cut back on my sugar cravings. I have no proof that this was a direct result of Whole30. Most of all it just changed the way I looked at food. It's definitely a personal thing though. I respond well to strict dietary guidelines. The hardest part for me was the alcohol which was surprising. I really did lose my sugar cravings. Again this is my opinion and what worked for me.0
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kyrannosaurus wrote: »Nope. I think it is one of the worst diet programs out there. What's wrong with legumes? Seriously, they are low in calories, full of fibre and high in protein.
"Rule one: eat real foods (except for all the real foods we tell you not to eat)"
One of the many reasons I decided to not go full paleo. Peanuts and black beans are among my favorite foods.
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janejellyroll wrote: »Whole30 is just another diet fad. Here are some of their unfounded claims:
- Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? ...Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try?...Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff.
- Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing.
- Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making.
- Do not try to re-create baked goods, junk foods, or treats* with “approved” ingredients. Continuing to eat your old, unhealthy foods made with Whole30 ingredients is totally missing the point, and will tank your results faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” Remember, these are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, regardless of the ingredients.
You can't reset your metabolism. Your body doesn't know the difference between natural sugar in oranges and sugar in maple syrup. Your body doesn't know the difference between banana + oatmeal = cookies and eating a banana with some oatmeal.
I'm intrigued by the idea that legumes are "psychologically unhealthy." I mean, I love black bean soup, but I didn't think it rose to the level of a problem.
I know right? I looked the Whole30 up a while ago and that jumped off the page at me? WTF does "psychologically unhealthy" even mean in that context?0 -
Ceoverturf wrote: "And since the vast majority of the population has no food allergies and sugar and carb addictions are not real things, it would seem to be a poor choice of plan to follow."
I do have a sugar and carb addiction so I guess the fact that you feel they are "not real" addictions is mute. Since I have been on the Whole30 program, not DIET, I have been able to control those addictions. Americans in general are addicted to sugar and carbs, it's in everything, just read the labels. Why is it put in everything? Likely to make it addictive.
I also suffer from IBS and this way of eating has proven to be of great benefit to me. I have dealt with this issue for 33 years. Not wanting to take prescriptions which have side affects that in my opinion are far more devastating than the actual condition, I choose to control it with diet.
In addition, my husband had developed a "beer belly" that had him looking 6 months pregnant and feeling quite poorly about himself. He has been doing the Whole30 program for only 5 days now and has lost measurably from his waist. He is already looking better and feeling better.
Not all programs or "diets" are right for everyone, find what works for you and stick to it but don't knock the efforts of others who are, at least, trying. Good success on your journey people
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Congratulations Op on your weight loss. I'd suspect that like any diet when people come off W30 they tend to splurge because of the lack of restriction after 30 tough days. If people go slow and reintroduce new foods while watching their intake they won't gain the weight back. No different than any other diet. To the naysayers at the end of a day a diet that focuses on fresh veggies, organic proteins, and healthy fats is at least as good as Weight Watchers points or Slimfast shakes.0
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I've done it twice. I lost weight both times and my allergies and sleeping got better during it. I also found out I am sensitive to dairy. But like others have said if you aren't careful the reintroduction can be detrimental to your weightloss efforts.
I'm glad I did it but I won't do it again. Also you DO NOT need the book to do it. I never read the books. There's plenty of information on their site and recipes everywhere.0 -
Started it yesterday. I do have an autoimmune disease and health reason for doing this. It is very important for people with autoimmune diseases or other chronic diseases to remove from your diet anything that would cause inflammation and further increase your body's "response" to itself. Also, important to note that people with AITD (like Hashimoto's) see if you are gluten-intolerant, as many (1/3) are and this will increase your thyroid antibodies.
In a lab test for a gluten intolerance, it may not even manifest unless your gut is pretty bad already (there's science behind this, too, but you can look it up if you're curious). So, take 30 days to figure it out, or spend hundreds on a test that may or may not even be accurate in the end... I'll just take the 30-day challenge.
Cheers to you for doing it and on your way to completing it! Wish me luck LOL!0 -
TrailBlazinMN wrote: »Not following it but would highly recommend it to those curious about it. One of the main reasons I'm not following it is because I'm experimenting how my body reacts to certain foods such as sprouted grains, nuts, and beans for now.
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It's working great. Down 13lbs. in 28 days0
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I should also add I haven't been on here for a while because I don't need to obsess over calories and track everything on whole 30. I've lost 4½ inches off my waist this month. I'm going to keep eating whole 30 and have occasional cheat meals. Lucky for me, I actually like most veggies and I'm a meat eater. Nothing wrong with good steak a couple times a week...yummm! Of course, not a bad idea to keep a log if what I eat just for reference as to what food choices really works the best for me.0
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