Whole30

alynns12
alynns12 Posts: 5 Member
edited October 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Alright friends it's a little TRUTH time. I am the queen of "Starting tomorrow I am going to eat healthy." "This is my last bad meal." "I want to be skinny!!" "Eating healthy is SO hard." "I can have one cheat day, I've earned it." But honestly all of these famous sayings of mine don't get me ANYWHERE. It's hard to have a cheat day because I NEVER go back to eating healthy the next day, the next week, or sometimes even the next month! It's time I stop complaining and do something to fix it. I am the worst at sticking to something I start. I love paleo foods but I don't love preparing them. I love paleo foods but taco bell takes 2 minutes through the drive thru. Enough is enough. I am starting the Whole30 challenge. I am going to Kentucky to visit my cousin and her fiancé and I will continue to stay on the Whole30. If any of you have completed the Whole30 I am asking for your support and motivation. I know I should be able to hold myself accountable but let's face it, I haven't been the best with will power. I want to be healthy, not skinny. I want to be happy, not skinny. I want to love my body and I want to be active, not skinny.

If you have done the WHOLE30 and want to share your experience, please comment below.
If you are in the same boat as I am, join me! What do you have to lose?
If you are joining me, add me as a friend and message me.
I encourage anyone reading this, that is feeling the same way, to put your foot down and hold yourself accountable. If you need help, I will be there, fighting with you.

Replies

  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    I say go for it!
    But go into it knowing that Whole 30 is quite a commitment- especially if you are true to the ingredients not permitted. That is a violent shove going from Taco Bell into Whole 30.

    Now those I know personally who have done it have had great results. So Im not being negative nancy. :)
    Some have better success with smaller changes/eliminations initially while getting accustomed to the long list of No-Nos- then once better habits established they go fully "whole".

    Not just in the terms of success but the empty fridge and pantry they end up with once they realize 90% of their kitchen has no no ingredients. Its something to consider-depending on your shelves today - having to buy all new W30 complaint stock.

  • alynns12
    alynns12 Posts: 5 Member
    I went paleo for 30 days and it really wasn't hard for me. On day 31 my roommate said "let's go to taco bell, you've earned it." I caved, and I never went back to paleo, not seriously anyway. Emptying out the fridge and shelves won't be an issue, I have nothing in there anyway! haha.
  • MommyMeggo
    MommyMeggo Posts: 1,222 Member
    alynns12 wrote: »
    I went paleo for 30 days and it really wasn't hard for me. On day 31 my roommate said "let's go to taco bell, you've earned it." I caved, and I never went back to paleo, not seriously anyway. Emptying out the fridge and shelves won't be an issue, I have nothing in there anyway! haha.

    LOL! Well good then! Save that $$$.
    Hope others reply and give you some good tips!
    Good luck!!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It sounds like the issue is all or nothing thinking -- for example, why was it hard to go back to it after a "cheat" day? It shouldn't be.

    Anyway, I am all in favor of healthful eating, although that doesn't mean you can never have Taco Bell if you like it (I don't find it a temptation, personally). I did paleo briefly, but stopped, not because I didn't enjoy it (it wasn't that different from how I like to eat anyway, and I don't care much about bread, although I did miss dairy and pasta), but because I couldn't square it with my understanding of what a healthful diet is. Why is pasta (say, whole grain, if you want) with some shrimp and lots of vegetables or a homemade meat sauce with (again) lots of vegetables unhealthy, rather than an easy way to structure a sensible balanced meal? What's wrong with some rice or whole grain bread or oatmeal or barley, etc.? Why is dairy not an acceptable source of protein or cheese (in moderation) a nice dessert or way to add flavor? And, most significantly, why not eat legumes, which are in most estimates extremely healthy foods that most probably eat too little of?

    As for Whole30, I considered it when doing paleo and read the book and was amazed at how they couldn't justify the restrictions in any sensible way -- not just the legumes and dairy or whole grains, but especially the no potatoes thing (which I believe has now been dropped, so I guess even they admit that it could not be).

    Anyway, I'm not knocking it if it's something you want to try, and I think some use it to try and determine if they have sensitivities (I think this was in the back of my mind when I did paleo, but I feel just as good eating any other sort of healthful diet), but I would disagree with the idea that "eating healthfully" and "Whole 30" are at all the same thing. Whole 30 can be done healthfully, of course, and that isn't hard to do, but I personally would focus more on actual nutrition than rather pointless and poorly reasoned rules about never eating certain foods (which are often whole foods, or only minimally processed, just like those included, and healthful).
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    alynns12 wrote: »
    I went paleo for 30 days and it really wasn't hard for me. On day 31 my roommate said "let's go to taco bell, you've earned it." I caved, and I never went back to paleo, not seriously anyway. Emptying out the fridge and shelves won't be an issue, I have nothing in there anyway! haha.

    So stop trying to do this whole thing in unsustainable ways. Are you seriously going to never eat Taco Bell again? Or the other foods that you enjoy, that you're going to arbitrarily cut out with your latest fad diet? You're over complicating things-run your stats and figure out what calorie deficit you need for your weight loss goals. Then continue eating the foods you enjoy but learn how portion sizes work, use a food scale set to grams, pre-plan your meals so you finish the day on calorie target and then watch the pounds go. That's it. Learning how to lose weight in a realistic, sustainable way will not only make the extra weight disappear, but it will also go a long way to setting you up for successful maintenance.
  • shelbyvance92
    shelbyvance92 Posts: 1 Member
    I think the Whole 30 diet is an awesome plan! I had been wanting to try it as well. I started out with it and went a whole day and the second day I was out and about with friends and decided, "I just started, and can always start back up tomorrow." And it never happened haha! I am the exact same way, I have great intentions just a horrible follow through record. If you do end up trying it I have a suggestion. Print the grocery list off of the whole 30 website. Look at it as "I can eat all of this!" My biggest issue when I first thought about trying it out was, I kept thinking, "but I can't have pasta, I can't have rice, I can't have milk or cheese..." I am italian! This is my diet lol. But there are so many options with the diet and some really great recipes that I have tried even though I didn't stick with it! Good luck to you and I hope you have great success!!
  • alynns12
    alynns12 Posts: 5 Member
    I completely understand where each of you are coming from. For those of you asking me "have you considered..." Yes, I have. For those of you telling me that eating well isn't a fight, I understand. For those of you who are telling me that I could be setting myself up to cave because of food elimination and restrictive diets, I completely understand where you are coming from. For those who are telling me that I'm trying to do this whole thing in an unsustainable way, I also understand you. For those who replied with something supportive, thank you.

    I have tried portion control, I've tried calorie counting, I've tried weighing all my food, and I've tried moderation. Doing all of these things, I have lost weight, including eating paleo. This is more than losing weight. This is me challenging myself. This is me wanting to feel better. This is me learning to have will power. This is me doing what I want to do because I want to do it. There are so many more reasons why I am doing this.

    I want to thank each of you for your comments to this post, I appreciate what you have to offer. :)

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