any Whole30 advice??
drabbits2
Posts: 179 Member
I am just toying with the Whole30 idea. Either that or vegan. Goodness knows I need something. My eating is out of control. My ideal weight is 140 and right now I am at 170--YUCK. I have started tracking my water with Aqualert on my phone, which is helping, but the food--zero self control. I am good with following rules and I understand that Whole30 may not be the right choice for the rest of my life, but if I had some rules to follow to get some control back, that would help me. Today I made a pot of brown rice and a pot of quinoa so I had the basis for some healthy meals, plus I made 4 jars of overnight oats with plain unsweetened soy milk and got tons of berries to put with the oats for breakfasts.
so--Whole30 opinions??
so--Whole30 opinions??
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Replies
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Some ideas of whole 30 aren't bad. I actually love NomNom Paleo.
That being said, if you're stuck between paleo and vegan, maybe trying a restrictive food diet may not be the right way to go. I am speaking from experience, and we all need to find our own paths. I sometimes feel like I don't have any self control, but I do. Every time I have tried a whole30 or South Beach or vegan, the same thing has happened. I reverted back to old habits, even worse than before. Now I am working toward maintaining a defecit while moderately including foods I enjoy. The moderate part is tough, but extreme is no way to live when it comes to,our fuel.
Do what works for you. If you want to lose weight though, eat at a defecit. That is all. It's simple but hard. If you love eating paleo foods, great. But maybe examine some if the relationships you have with yourself. You are the only one who makes decisions for yourself. Train yourself to make the best decisions for you. Only you can do that for yourself.4 -
The first week of Whole30 sucks and you most likely will feel like you will have the flu. Then after that you start to feel fantastic. There is a lot of meal prepping involved. I did not like that I wasn't supposed to have snacks. While I did lose weight and tried a bunch of great recipes, I couldn't do it long term because I like cheese and beer too much.1
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Isn't the concept of Whole 30 almost entirely contradictive to a vegan lifestyle? If I remember correctly, Whole 30 doesn't allow for grains or processed meat substitutes, while vegan diets rely on size able quantities of both.
Of the two, I prefer Whole 30. I'd take pastured meat over a pot of rice and beans any day.0 -
those are pretty different spectrums of eating... one heavily meat based that restricts grains, breads, pasta... and i think beans/legumes ect... and the other no meat and can rely on beans/legumes and grains. If you are gonna be vegan it helps to be ethical because restrictive diets are no joke. They take time and effort. If you are only concerned about losing weight and have no medical issues then you are beyond over thinking this... eat what u want in a deficit and your good to go.3
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If your eating is out of control, you need to get some structure to your eating. Some eating rules are good to create structure, but you don't necessarily need any particular diet. (I too wonder why your choice is between two extreme, and extremely opposite, diets.) You can set your own eating rules. You are most likely to follow rules that you find reasonable. So set reasonable rules/goals. Plan your meals in advance. You have a lot of prepared foods now - make sure you eat it up. You can make it into a game if you like that - it can be fun and rewarding to cook tasty food, enjoy the "fruits" of your effort, so to speak, and save money as you avoid waste, and lose/maintain weight at the same time.2
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Hi there, I'm on Day 13 of my Whole30 and have slightly modified it as I am pescetarian (not comparable to vegan, but closer?). I allow myself peanut butter and tofu, both forbidden on the Whole30, just a couple of times a week. And a couple vodka/sodas on Saturdays but that is a different story.
Whole30 was the right choice for me personally because I am NOT good with calorie-counting or portion control - if I am not satisfied after a meal, I am not happy, and that always leads me to giving up completely. A straightforward elimination diet works better for me. It's been almost 2 weeks and I have seen great results already.
It has absolutely made me more aware, and I hope to continue eating according to the Whole30 rules Mon-Fri after my 30 days are up. If you are going to attempt both, I would strongly suggest you try a round of Whole30 first and see how it goes. If nothing else, it will make you more mindful going into a vegan diet if that is what you ultimately choose to do.
Please do note that basically none of what you listed (oats, rice, quinoa, soy milk) is allowed on the Whole30 except the berries, and fruit is recommended to be limited since it has so much sugar in it. However, it is what you make it, so do what works for you.2 -
those are pretty different spectrums of eating... one heavily meat based that restricts grains, breads, pasta... and i think beans/legumes ect... and the other no meat and can rely on beans/legumes and grains. If you are gonna be vegan it helps to be ethical because restrictive diets are no joke. They take time and effort. If you are only concerned about losing weight and have no medical issues then you are beyond over thinking this... eat what u want in a deficit and your good to go.
This^
Temporary changes lead to temporary weight loss. I've been there. This time I won't cut out any foods that I don't intend to cut out for the rest of my life.
Keeping the weight you lost off is going to require lifestyle changes.2 -
I am on Day 21 of the Whole 30. Yes there have been pity parties along the way but I figure it's only 30 days. (which seems like an eternity sometimes). I decided to try the Whole 30 to get back on track and learn some discipline. I agree with one of these posts that if I am hungry I will fall off whatever band wagon I am on. I am not hungry between meals and no longer have the 2:00 slump. It is great that you do not need to measure or count your foods. But also as mentioned, you do need to be organized and have food on hand. Nuts seem to be my go to which are high in calories so I am trying to cut back on those. But you can only crunch on veggies so much. The biggest challenge is cheese, bread, peanut butter and alcohol. Not that alcohol is a big part of my diet but it is sure nice to enjoy a cold beer on a hot Saturday or a glass of wine with a bbq steak. (this is where the pity party and discipline come in) I recommend the Whole 30 but you do need to know it takes a huge amount of discipline to hang in there. Good Luck on your decision.
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OP, if what you're looking for is structure, why not pick a diet that fits with how you like to eat rather than these extremes that you don't see being a lifestyle for you?
When I first set out to lose 30 lbs, my nutrition knowledge was lacking and I didn't know where to start. I knew the Mediterranean diet was considered healthy, so I looked up a bunch of recipes and stuck with that for a while. It was easy because I really liked the food, found it filling, and there was enough flexibility that I could still eat out with friends or throw quick meals together. Then I learned more about macros, got better at moderation, and broadened my diet.
If you really want to do Whole30, do your homework and be well-prepared. My mom did it and struggled the entire time because it was too restrictive for her traveling lifestyle. Make sure it's something you can reasonably do - your diet shouldn't make you miserable.2 -
those are pretty different spectrums of eating... one heavily meat based that restricts grains, breads, pasta... and i think beans/legumes ect... and the other no meat and can rely on beans/legumes and grains. If you are gonna be vegan it helps to be ethical because restrictive diets are no joke. They take time and effort. If you are only concerned about losing weight and have no medical issues then you are beyond over thinking this... eat what u want in a deficit and your good to go.
Could not have said this better.2 -
Thanks everyone for the input. I am flailing about in the food area right now. As is evidenced by the two opposite plans I zeroed in on...
I really just need to get my OWN eating under control using my OWN brain and self control. There is not one thing medically wrong with me that should prevent me from doing that.1 -
Hi friends,
I did a Whole 30 last year and liked it, although it wasn't quite as awesome as I expected--I kept hearing about people whose skin cleared up, tummy problems disappeared and who lost 15 lbs. I never really felt much different and I lost a whopping four pounds on it. I mean that's good solid weight loss of a pound a week, but I kind of wanted more dramatic results for the amount of effort and discipline I put into the diet!
Jajaberg--oh man I agree, alcohol was definitely the toughest part for me. I was traveling a lot for work at the time and it was actually semi-easy for me to stick to the Whole 30 food-wise. If you're eating out, if worst comes to worst you can usually have a burger with no bun or a grilled chicken salad with no dressing, cheese or croutons (sigh, all the best things). But the group I traveled with loved to get drinks after work and it was really tough abstaining. The other hard part was breakfast, for which I love oatmeal or PB toast. On Whole 30 it was pretty much eggs, eggs and more eggs.
Speaking of that... just seconding what Midcitycat said above... you can't have soy or grains of any kind on Whole30, so I would wait to start it until you eat up all your rice, quinoa and oatmeal!
I also spent about a year being on-and-off vegan. For me, being vegan was way harder than the Whole30 and I actually gained weight while being vegan. I love veganism for ethical and environmental reasons, but I don't think it should be used as a weight loss diet. A ton of junk food is vegan: French fries, (most) potato chips, OREOS, bean burritos from Taco Bell (those are bomb actually). I think you absolutely CAN eat healthfully as a vegan, but if you're looking for a diet that automatically cuts out things that are likely to cause you to gain weight, that's probably not it.3 -
Thanks everyone for the input. I am flailing about in the food area right now. As is evidenced by the two opposite plans I zeroed in on...
I really just need to get my OWN eating under control using my OWN brain and self control. There is not one thing medically wrong with me that should prevent me from doing that.
Ive done just about every diet you could imagine.. mostly for research purposes when I was getting my masters in nutrition. Lasted on paleo about 2 days. Low carb/ket0 a few hours. I was a vegetarian as a kid because I loved animals but I became severely anemic due to a broken artery. Im Italian so i basically live off of pasta, risotto, and fresh baked bread. Some people do great on restriction diets and function well. I am not one of those people. I could be vegetarian again with no issue (i would miss fried chicken and pot roast) When you are having a hard time with a "diet" or your weight, you think to yourself the only way you can do it is by restriction. Then you start googling all of these people who had great success on these diets. And yes there are people who have, but again its not for everyone. Counting your calories is pretty simple if you love all foods. Some days I'm amazing and somedays I ate ice cream chips and beer, all fitting in my calories. You have to figure out if you want these diets because you believe it is right for you and will give you optimal health, or if its because you think restricting will result in fast weight loss.1 -
Thanks everyone for the input. I am flailing about in the food area right now. As is evidenced by the two opposite plans I zeroed in on...
I really just need to get my OWN eating under control using my OWN brain and self control. There is not one thing medically wrong with me that should prevent me from doing that.
One approach to consider: Log what you eat, just the way you eat now.
At the end of each day, review your diary. Which foods helped you meet your objectives? Which were a waste of time & space? Do you want to be getting more protein? Eating more veggies/fruit? Healthy fat? (Personally, at first, I asked myself which foods were not worth their calorie "cost" in terms of satiation, tastiness or nutrition.)
Pick a food or two that isn't carrying its load, and replace with something that you like, that better meets your goals. Maybe look at the MFP blogs, health-oriented web sites or magazines, that sort of thing, to get ideas. Maybe try some new foods, even, to see if you like them.
Rinse & repeat. Over time, you'll be eating better, and eating things you like.
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I am on Day 21 of the Whole 30. Yes there have been pity parties along the way but I figure it's only 30 days. (which seems like an eternity sometimes). I decided to try the Whole 30 to get back on track and learn some discipline. I agree with one of these posts that if I am hungry I will fall off whatever band wagon I am on. I am not hungry between meals and no longer have the 2:00 slump. It is great that you do not need to measure or count your foods. But also as mentioned, you do need to be organized and have food on hand. Nuts seem to be my go to which are high in calories so I am trying to cut back on those. But you can only crunch on veggies so much. The biggest challenge is cheese, bread, peanut butter and alcohol. Not that alcohol is a big part of my diet but it is sure nice to enjoy a cold beer on a hot Saturday or a glass of wine with a bbq steak. (this is where the pity party and discipline come in) I recommend the Whole 30 but you do need to know it takes a huge amount of discipline to hang in there. Good Luck on your decision.
I think you nail it here in this description. I'm on day 24 and I am truly ready to enjoy some of the finer things lol. Cheese, beer, coffee creamer etc. whole 30 takes a lot of food prep and time in the kitchen, but so far it's been worth it. More than anything it has shown me that I can go a day without grazing and exert good self control. I couldn't sustain it for the rest of my life and wouldn't want to. I believe in a little bit of everything in moderation is good. From you post talking about oats and rice those are both a no no, losing carbs like that has been tough. I will say the results thus far have been fantastic. I didn't feel like I had the flu the first week but I haven't ever gotten the burst of energy the book spoke of! Good luck in whatever you chose to do and you'll be successful if you stick to it!!0 -
OK, I know better, but I can’t resist.
I don’t get it. Why, oh why, does anyone adopt a way of eating that makes them “feel like they had the flu”, that can’t be sustained for life, where you can’t eat “all the best things”, that requires “pity parties”, and that “seems like an eternity”?
Frankly, it reminds me of (newly) religious penitents that used to scourge themselves with brambles, wear hair shirts, and move into dank caves for a month to change their lives. It’s like there’s some mortal sin that needs to be expiated.
I’m not particularly picking on Whole 30 here – various other restrictive diets seem to make (some) people feel this way . . . even people who think those diets are a good thing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a junk food booster: Been vegetarian for 42 years (adolescent whim gone permanent), eat 10+ servings of fruit and veg most days, don’t eat many “white foods” . . . because that’s how I enjoy eating.
You can eat better (health-wise) and eat less (lose weight), and still enjoy eating. It’s unnecessary to do penance for past habits. Gradually find a different way of eating that is healthier, and that you enjoy. Experiment with different timing & composition of meals & snacks until you feel satiated, and are well-nourished, within your calorie goal, using foods you like.
You can develop self-discipline (doesn’t take much of it, if you’re satiated & happy), enjoy your food, and still begin to “feel fabulous”.
End of rant.
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OK, I know better, but I can’t resist.
I don’t get it. Why, oh why, does anyone adopt a way of eating that makes them “feel like they had the flu”, that can’t be sustained for life, where you can’t eat “all the best things”, that requires “pity parties”, and that “seems like an eternity”?
Frankly, it reminds me of (newly) religious penitents that used to scourge themselves with brambles, wear hair shirts, and move into dank caves for a month to change their lives. It’s like there’s some mortal sin that needs to be expiated.
I’m not particularly picking on Whole 30 here – various other restrictive diets seem to make (some) people feel this way . . . even people who think those diets are a good thing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a junk food booster: Been vegetarian for 42 years (adolescent whim gone permanent), eat 10+ servings of fruit and veg most days, don’t eat many “white foods” . . . because that’s how I enjoy eating.
You can eat better (health-wise) and eat less (lose weight), and still enjoy eating. It’s unnecessary to do penance for past habits. Gradually find a different way of eating that is healthier, and that you enjoy. Experiment with different timing & composition of meals & snacks until you feel satiated, and are well-nourished, within your calorie goal, using foods you like.
You can develop self-discipline (doesn’t take much of it, if you’re satiated & happy), enjoy your food, and still begin to “feel fabulous”.
End of rant.
I find this fascinating too. I think it's human nature, or maybe a Christian/Jewish thing; but penance diets seem to attract the less religious, paradoxically, or maybe it's logical - something's gotta give.
This diet is so healthy! It may not make you live to 110, but at least it'll make you feel like that
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kommodevaran wrote: »OK, I know better, but I can’t resist.
I don’t get it. Why, oh why, does anyone adopt a way of eating that makes them “feel like they had the flu”, that can’t be sustained for life, where you can’t eat “all the best things”, that requires “pity parties”, and that “seems like an eternity”?
Frankly, it reminds me of (newly) religious penitents that used to scourge themselves with brambles, wear hair shirts, and move into dank caves for a month to change their lives. It’s like there’s some mortal sin that needs to be expiated.
I’m not particularly picking on Whole 30 here – various other restrictive diets seem to make (some) people feel this way . . . even people who think those diets are a good thing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a junk food booster: Been vegetarian for 42 years (adolescent whim gone permanent), eat 10+ servings of fruit and veg most days, don’t eat many “white foods” . . . because that’s how I enjoy eating.
You can eat better (health-wise) and eat less (lose weight), and still enjoy eating. It’s unnecessary to do penance for past habits. Gradually find a different way of eating that is healthier, and that you enjoy. Experiment with different timing & composition of meals & snacks until you feel satiated, and are well-nourished, within your calorie goal, using foods you like.
You can develop self-discipline (doesn’t take much of it, if you’re satiated & happy), enjoy your food, and still begin to “feel fabulous”.
End of rant.
I find this fascinating too. I think it's human nature, or maybe a Christian/Jewish thing; but penance diets seem to attract the less religious, paradoxically, or maybe it's logical - something's gotta give.
This diet is so healthy! It may not make you live to 110, but at least it'll make you feel like that
Yep, many people feel the need to punish themselves for letting themselves become overweight.. as if being overweight isn't punishment enough.
I think OP is more the type who just wants some structure, or a strict plan to follow because moderation without guidelines is difficult for some.1 -
OK, I know better, but I can’t resist.
I don’t get it. Why, oh why, does anyone adopt a way of eating that makes them “feel like they had the flu”, that can’t be sustained for life, where you can’t eat “all the best things”, that requires “pity parties”, and that “seems like an eternity”?
Frankly, it reminds me of (newly) religious penitents that used to scourge themselves with brambles, wear hair shirts, and move into dank caves for a month to change their lives. It’s like there’s some mortal sin that needs to be expiated.
I’m not particularly picking on Whole 30 here – various other restrictive diets seem to make (some) people feel this way . . . even people who think those diets are a good thing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a junk food booster: Been vegetarian for 42 years (adolescent whim gone permanent), eat 10+ servings of fruit and veg most days, don’t eat many “white foods” . . . because that’s how I enjoy eating.
You can eat better (health-wise) and eat less (lose weight), and still enjoy eating. It’s unnecessary to do penance for past habits. Gradually find a different way of eating that is healthier, and that you enjoy. Experiment with different timing & composition of meals & snacks until you feel satiated, and are well-nourished, within your calorie goal, using foods you like.
You can develop self-discipline (doesn’t take much of it, if you’re satiated & happy), enjoy your food, and still begin to “feel fabulous”.
End of rant.
Yasssssssssss!
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Since you asked for our personal "opinions"...
I have coworkers who regularly cycle through Whole 30 and are all 30-40 pounds overweight- they have yet to make a lot of progress in their goals. I've reached the point where I've fallen in various places in a 10ish pound range over the past few years. I come back to MFP whenever I gain 10 pounds and I lose the weight by logging calories. The weight doesn't sneak up on me- I make a conscious decision to relax my calorie counting. To be fair, I can also say that these same people often "cheat" on Whole 30, and goodness gracious who could blame them? It's awfully restrictive and I think it would be hard to follow if your only reason for trying the plan was weight loss.
More power to the people who stick with it and love it. It's not the plan for me.
*Edited for grammar- who can take my light rant seriously if I've made a grammatical mistake 2 -
extra_medium wrote: »I think OP is more the type who just wants some structure, or a strict plan to follow because moderation without guidelines is difficult for some.
That's why I advocate moderation with guidelines, tailored to the individual, and the individual him-/herself will be the most competent tailor in 99% of instances, barring real and diagnosed medical issues that warrant a particular diet, and in those cases, the person will already be under the care and guidance of professionals and hopefully be given an appropriate plan.
I understand that MFP can feel overwhelming and confusing for some. But I don't understand why anyone would choose to work with something they find not only utterly overwhelming and confusing, but also diametrically opposite to what they consider logical, intuitive and necessary, and don't want to challenge their views of what's logical, intuitive and necessary.0 -
extra_medium totally nailed it when she said the OP is the type who wants some structure. I am the OP and I really really thrive on structure!!!! I am not a moderation girl in any area--if there are cookies I will eat ALL of them, not just one or two which is a normal, sustainable thing. Please don't yell at me and say no foods are bad, you can have everything you like--I know this is true, but at this moment I just cannot with the cookies. Nothing is wrong with me that self control wouldn't fix. I am making my own choices--I get it. I have 30 pounds to lose...again...and I get tired of thinking so much about food. I know there are folks here who feel the same way. I also know there is no way around the cold hard truth--eat less, move more. I know. Just flailing a bit...0
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Then don't eat cookies. You don't need cookies. But not eating cookies doesn't have to mean that you can't have beans, or meat, or dairy, or grains, or nuts. And you can plan once and eat 1000 times. I think that's all we are trying to say.1
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