Whole30

urloved33
urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
edited November 23 in Food and Nutrition
I have just begun the Whole30 program and would like to know if anyone else has ever completed it (one month) and could give us some tips.

Replies

  • appalachia28
    appalachia28 Posts: 1 Member
    I just finished mine yesterday. I'm in the reintroduction process right now. My best advice is to plan ahead! :) I had a menu planned for the whole month (pinterest has great ideas), and I would cook a lot of protein at once so I had leftovers. It was difficult mentally at first, but after awhile, it got easier. Now, after 31 days, I don't have any cravings (MAJOR sugar addiction before), I feel so much better, I sleep better, and I lost over 16 lbs! :) Feel free to add me on mfp. I'm Appalachia28. My diary is public to friends if you would like to see what I ate on the Whole30.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    I so appreciate your feedback. Its been 3.5 days and it is a big adjustment. Ill add you thanks so much.
  • aerae
    aerae Posts: 6 Member
    Hi! Appalachia28 can I add you as well? I just started the whole30 for september. I've done it once before and have "reattempted" several times without success. I would love to see some of your meal ideas
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    My wife did it and she wasn't too happy with the process (as an outside observer, she was always hungry and not very happy). You essentially drastically reduce calories and you do lose weight, but she found that doing a sensible plan for caloric reduction and exercise was MUCH more enjoyable. However, to make it work and stick it out we planned things out for days in advance and set out measured containers of stuff when we could. We did all food prep stuff on Sundays and Wednesdays, which seemed to get her through.


  • kellytime2lose
    kellytime2lose Posts: 62 Member
    I am starting the whole30 plan as well ...going to add Appalachia28 and aerae as well! So tired of feeling gross from processed foods. Need to kick a sugar addiction to and want to lose some weight!
  • queenbcronen
    queenbcronen Posts: 158 Member
    I have done it. The first two weeks were hard. By the 3rd week, cravings and taste preferences changed!
  • chickiboom
    chickiboom Posts: 8 Member
    Hi, Appalachia28. I'm going to friend you as well. I am on day one of the whole30 and would love to see what others ate during the process!
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    edited September 2015
    This is a difficult thing for me simply because one of my daily staples is a sandwich...and this program has no bread so I really feel at a loss. This is my second week and the I have been getting snappy....and so has my daughter (She is doing the whole30 program too,)
  • abetterluke
    abetterluke Posts: 625 Member
    Chaelaz wrote: »
    My wife did it and she wasn't too happy with the process (as an outside observer, she was always hungry and not very happy). You essentially drastically reduce calories and you do lose weight, but she found that doing a sensible plan for caloric reduction and exercise was MUCH more enjoyable. However, to make it work and stick it out we planned things out for days in advance and set out measured containers of stuff when we could. We did all food prep stuff on Sundays and Wednesdays, which seemed to get her through.


    Are you sure she was doing whole30? I looked it up and it doesn't talk about reducing your calories at all. In fact it states not to even count calories for the duration of the 30 days. You are simply supposed to eat meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables, and healthy oils. I don't know about you but those things are certainly not drastically reducing anything. I could easily eat 2000 cals per day on those.

  • KarenEnglish42
    KarenEnglish42 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi! I'm on Day 17! I definitely had a few snarly days in the beginning (around Day 8, which was later than they say). I'm putting my meals in MFP, but I'm not really paying attention to portion sizes, I'm only tracking so I don't forget what I ate and so I don't have chicken at every meal. :-)

    I'm getting the hang of it now. I make extra at dinner and have that for breakfast the next day. Lunches are usually protein + spinach salad (with lots of avocado, olives, slivered almonds.) Or tuna salad (with homemade mayo, celery, grapes, sunflower seeds.)

    I also recommend making several emergency meals: ground bison/onion/celery/green peppers/tomato sauce. Or ground pork, onion, cubed sweet potato. Or plain turkey burgers. I freeze those and grab when nights don't go as planned.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    karen6364 wrote: »
    Hi! I'm on Day 17! I definitely had a few snarly days in the beginning (around Day 8, which was later than they say). I'm putting my meals in MFP, but I'm not really paying attention to portion sizes, I'm only tracking so I don't forget what I ate and so I don't have chicken at every meal. :-)

    I'm getting the hang of it now. I make extra at dinner and have that for breakfast the next day. Lunches are usually protein + spinach salad (with lots of avocado, olives, slivered almonds.) Or tuna salad (with homemade mayo, celery, grapes, sunflower seeds.)

    I also recommend making several emergency meals: ground bison/onion/celery/green peppers/tomato sauce. Or ground pork, onion, cubed sweet potato. Or plain turkey burgers. I freeze those and grab when nights don't go as planned.

    pork w apples and onions in the slow cooker was a killer meal. we made a ton of it and froze it. Thank for the additional meals and information!
  • KitKat214
    KitKat214 Posts: 1 Member
    Hi all! I've just restarted my whole30. I wasn't successful on my first try (began Oct 1) partly because I didn't plan as much as I should have. I thought since I had links to several very good websites, had several whole30 books & ebooks, etc., was part of a whole30 group all of whom were starting Oct 1, and was sick and tired of being sick & tired, I would be successful.

    One of the things I really didn't take as seriously as I am now is the strength of my sugar (dare I say) addiction. For me, my downfall was in the middle of the night. Since I usually get up to visit the bathroom & replenish my bedside water bottle, I sometimes would get a little snack of a few gluten free pretzels, fresh fruit, or some greek yogurt & frozen berries. Once on the whole30, I removed the pretzels and yogurt as snacks and carrots, grapes, peaches, apples, cucumbers were my snacks. However, my downfall was me thinking i had it under control. Two nights later in my sleepy state, I then ate some pretzels and dark chocolate. ?. ARRRRRGH

  • mrswheat2014
    mrswheat2014 Posts: 2 Member
    Would love to add you too! I'm on Day 8 and I love it so far! I really needed to snap myself out of the sugar/carb addiction funk.

    I haven't been tracking on MFP, but I'm keeping a notebook. Having to log everything is one of the things I hate about other diet plans.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    edited September 2015
    abetterluke wrote: »
    Chaelaz wrote: »
    My wife did it and she wasn't too happy with the process (as an outside observer, she was always hungry and not very happy). You essentially drastically reduce calories and you do lose weight, but she found that doing a sensible plan for caloric reduction and exercise was MUCH more enjoyable. However, to make it work and stick it out we planned things out for days in advance and set out measured containers of stuff when we could. We did all food prep stuff on Sundays and Wednesdays, which seemed to get her through.


    Are you sure she was doing whole30? I looked it up and it doesn't talk about reducing your calories at all. In fact it states not to even count calories for the duration of the 30 days. You are simply supposed to eat meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables, and healthy oils. I don't know about you but those things are certainly not drastically reducing anything. I could easily eat 2000 cals per day on those.
    If you are losing weight you are reducing calories wether you count them or not. Programs like Whole 30 that remove entire food groups reduce calories by default, that is why they work. Are they necessary, that is debatable...
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    This is an elimination diet, not a weight loss plan. It happens to reduce a lot of people's calories, and functions as such without intending to, but unless you have allergies, what's the point?
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    kkenseth wrote: »
    This is an elimination diet, not a weight loss plan. It happens to reduce a lot of people's calories, and functions as such without intending to, but unless you have allergies, what's the point?

    health
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    urloved33 wrote: »
    kkenseth wrote: »
    This is an elimination diet, not a weight loss plan. It happens to reduce a lot of people's calories, and functions as such without intending to, but unless you have allergies, what's the point?

    health

    So, eating things other than the whole 30 diet is unhealthy?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Yes, lentils are terrible for you.

    (Kidding.)
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Yes, lentils are terrible for you.

    (Kidding.)

    Hahahah. Oh goody.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    KitKat214 wrote: »
    Hi all! I've just restarted my whole30. I wasn't successful on my first try (began Oct 1) partly because I didn't plan as much as I should have. I thought since I had links to several very good websites, had several whole30 books & ebooks, etc., was part of a whole30 group all of whom were starting Oct 1, and was sick and tired of being sick & tired, I would be successful.

    One of the things I really didn't take as seriously as I am now is the strength of my sugar (dare I say) addiction. For me, my downfall was in the middle of the night. Since I usually get up to visit the bathroom & replenish my bedside water bottle, I sometimes would get a little snack of a few gluten free pretzels, fresh fruit, or some greek yogurt & frozen berries. Once on the whole30, I removed the pretzels and yogurt as snacks and carrots, grapes, peaches, apples, cucumbers were my snacks. However, my downfall was me thinking i had it under control. Two nights later in my sleepy state, I then ate some pretzels and dark chocolate. ?. ARRRRRGH

    what I think I missed the most was bread..."hey what is gonna hold my meat on my sammich"


  • KarenEnglish42
    KarenEnglish42 Posts: 4 Member
    I'm done with the Whole30 now and my thoughts are that it is a worthwhile exercise in trying to break habits and get into cleaner eating. Look at labels and see how much sugar is in things. I don't believe I have any food sensitivities or allergies, so eliminating gluten didn't change much! I've had some sugar- but more in the deliberate form of cake at a party rather than it sneaking into my other foods. I've brought back Greek yogurt, 8oz 1% milk a day, legumes. But have kept pasta, breads, soy off my daily menu for now (although I did have bread when at a restaurant recently.)

    I think I felt more full and more satisfied with fewer calories when on the plan then on one with more breads/carbs/gluten. Overall, I FELT better and slept better when on the Whole30 plan.
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