Whole30 May 2018

My fitness journey has been a roller coaster. Everything goes smooth until I travel somewhere and go off the rails. This may, I’m planning to start Whole30. Anyone with me?

Replies

  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    Whole30 is HARD!
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    Been there, done that, lost 8 pounds, gained it all back. No thanks.
  • notafatmommy
    notafatmommy Posts: 29 Member
    edited April 2018
    I am on a round, but plan to keep going. Thinking of doing a whole60. Feel free to add me.
  • DianeKBishop
    DianeKBishop Posts: 1 Member
    Just started Whole30 today! I'm most nervous about the time I'm going to need to invest, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Just started Whole30 today! I'm most nervous about the time I'm going to need to invest, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.
    Just curious - why do you think it will be worth it?
  • jesguinn
    jesguinn Posts: 94 Member
    Good luck to you, OP. I completed a Whole30 this January, and while I can't say that I buy a lot of the "science" in the book about why you should do Whole30, I really suck at self-moderating what and how much I eat (especially coming off of the holidays), so I found that having some clear direction on what to eat helped me break my junk food and wine habits and reduced my cravings for high calorie and sugary foods significantly. I will say that I continued to track calories and stayed within my calorie goals throughout my Whole30 because ultimately that's what matters for weight loss. I just found that following the Whole30 rules was a good way for me to get back into the habit of eating satisfying and nutritious foods and staying within my calorie goals rather than scarfing down high calorie junk and saying screw logging for the day. Whole30 is very restrictive, more restrictive than is typically necessary, but those first couple of tough weeks really did help me retrain myself to see food as fuel and not reward/comfort/social/whatever. I lost about 12 pounds in January (a good bit was surely water weight from my holiday debauchery!) and have continued to eat about 80% paleo (with calorie tracking) since just because I've found that this is the best way for me personally to achieve my nutritional goals and what makes my body feel strongest. I have lost another 15 pounds or so post-Whole30.

    All of this to say, if you're going to do Whole30, I'd encourage you to really carefully consider what your goals are and how you expect Whole30 to help you work toward them before you get started. You'll definitely need to remind yourself of your goals when the going gets tough! Before you reach the end of your Whole30, have a plan for how you're going to continue working toward your goals once Whole30 is done. Most importantly, don't forget that calories are king if you're hoping to lose fat. There really is no getting around that! Good luck!
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    I did it once. it is hard.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited May 2018
    Having a good plan is essential for everybody, and it's sad that sticking to a plan sounds like restrictive or deprivation (I believed so too) - because it isn't. I resented the idea myself for way too long, thinking it meant that I could never make my own decisions, but it's the other way around. I have to plan my meals in order to eat healthy, tasty and cheap - planning makes my life more predictable so I can be more flexible, and I get the most out of everything - and eating at scheduled intervals makes me less prone to random eating, aka disciplined.

    This couldn't have happened without a total shift in attitudes, though. I too used to fear sugar and everything nice, and tried to avoid as best as I could. This made my desire soar, and I would overeat when I couldn't take it anymore, when nobody looked, whenever I felt sorry for myself, whenever, there was always an opportunity and reason. Now that I understand that sugar is just a simple carb, found in many foods, for instance fruit and milk, and that "added" sugar is made from plants, too, it's not frightening anymore, and I feel in control of my food intake, I enjoy everything I eat, and I'm not afraid of that enjoyment.

    I also believed that a lifestyle change was a dramatic shift into something extreme, but in reality it's just been normalizing my extreme lifestyle. This insight gave me mixed feelings - I was so excited, and then all of a sudden, I was supposed to just live an everyday life? What was all the fuss about, then? Reading up on marketing, psychology, nutrition, and learning how we've been fooled, and continue fooling ourselves, has been extremely empowering.
  • getfitwith_aish
    getfitwith_aish Posts: 44 Member
    I’m not trying to lose weight here. Just want to eat healthy with a healthy mindset.
    crazyravr wrote: »
    whitpauly wrote: »
    Whole30 is HARD!

    Easy. Done it many times as a challenge to myself. Nothing weird happens in the end, at least for me. No magic. You still have to count the calories you consume or you will gain weight.

  • sparky00721
    sparky00721 Posts: 113 Member
    I am starting today with a Whole30 attempt. I was on it quite a while ago, ended before 30 days just because of circumstances (had to travel for work, too difficult to handle the diet as a result), but while I was on it, I felt really good with tons of energy, and looking forward to trying a full 30 days this time and then introducing back gradually a more balanced diet afterwards.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    edited May 2018
    crazyravr wrote: »
    Thats not the purpose of doing whole30. Not at all. Maybe before you start anything, do a bit of reading on the subject?
    I have hardly ever seen any posts on here about doing whole30 for it's actual purpose. Isn't it an elimination diet to determine food intolerances?

    From the official website: https://whole30.com/step-one/

    "Founded by Melissa Hartwig (and Dallas Hartwig) in April 2009, the Whole30® is designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutrition reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system."

    I think OP wanting to change her mindset about food falls under that umbrella.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    This thread is going to be derailed, so I am not going to reply anymore, but there are no healthy or unhealthy habits. If an adult or even a child has allergies to food of any kind, its already been determined by a real doctor, not a "certified whole30 coach", and knows what to eat and what not to eat. Simple.

    Healthy life style is simple. Eat anything and everything in moderation (CICO).

    If whole30 was such magic than why do ppl keep on coming to it for a "reset"??? Im guessing its because it did NOT "help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits".

    As someone who enjoys a moderation/balanced approach to eating and fully supports CICO/calorie counting... I just don't see the point in being diet police.

    If someone wants to try keto, go ahead. Give it a go.

    Want to try Whole30? Sure, why not.

    If it's not dangerous, who cares. Maybe they'll discover a new found love for cauliflower that they never had before.

    Obviously the only downside is if they come back to the forum whining about how they somehow gained weight eating keto... but I really don't see the harm in experimenting with different ways of eating in hopes of finding new systems that work for you.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    This thread is going to be derailed, so I am not going to reply anymore, but there are no healthy or unhealthy habits. If an adult or even a child has allergies to food of any kind, its already been determined by a real doctor, not a "certified whole30 coach", and knows what to eat and what not to eat. Simple.

    Healthy life style is simple. Eat anything and everything in moderation (CICO).

    If whole30 was such magic than why do ppl keep on coming to it for a "reset"??? Im guessing its because it did NOT "help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits".

    How can you claim that there are no healthy and unhealthy habits? My habit of stopping at McDonald's every day for their signature foods was definitely unhealthy.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    Whole 30 is a wonderful program, but it certainly is not for the faint of heart, especially if you are coming off a SAD. I think it's great for people who are looking to make a long term change and who are trying to incorporate more nutrient dense whole foods in to their diet both short term and long.

    It is also very beneficial for those looking to break the sugar habit.

    It also is helpful for people who might be suffering from unknown and/or undiagnosed food intolerances. Once you have completed the program, if you feel that you might have some food intolerances, it is recommended that you reintroduce foods one at a time to see how they affect you. It is very possible to have an intolerance to a food but not be "allergic" to it. A true allergy is a reaction to the protein in a food. Many people are Lactose Intolerant, Lactose is a sugar. Yes, you can also have a true milk allergy so the two should not be confused.

    I don't think that Whole 30 is for everyone, however, it sounds like it is a great plan for the OP who asked the question.

    It's important to remember that Whole 30 is not intended to be long term or a permanent fix, it is simply a springboard that many people utilize to jump in to whatever-they-deem-to-be a healthier lifestyle.
  • sparky00721
    sparky00721 Posts: 113 Member
    Hey aish, if you were able to get started with Whole30, I hope it is going well for you. I am on day 4, down 6.8 pounds (which is not entirely unusual for me for the start of a new diet), mostly feeling good apart from having a two-day long headache days 2 and 3. Made mayonnaise yesterday - my favourite thing to do on the Whole30 diet.
  • sparky00721
    sparky00721 Posts: 113 Member
    edited May 2018
    crazyravr wrote: »
    Hey aish, if you were able to get started with Whole30, I hope it is going well for you. I am on day 4, down 6.8 pounds (which is not entirely unusual for me for the start of a new diet), mostly feeling good apart from having a two-day long headache days 2 and 3. Made mayonnaise yesterday - my favourite thing to do on the Whole30 diet.


    crazyravr, I don't understand what you were intending to communicate with your post.
  • sparky00721
    sparky00721 Posts: 113 Member
    Day 5 - now down a total of 8.6 pounds. Headaches gone but feeling generalized fatigue to a degree. Never really feel hungry. I recall when I briefly tried the Atkins Diet years ago, I dropped about 10 pounds in approximately the first week before quitting. I figure currently I am about 55 pounds heavier than my target weight.

    Low carb approach seems to work at least in the short term really well for me. My difficulty has been sticking to a diet approach for longer than a short period of time.