The Whole 30.

speakerjones said:
I think I'm gonna do this. I've been looking for a sustainable weight loss plan. This may have some added benefits for some health issues that I suspect may be related to my poor diet.

This will be a pretty big challenge for me, as I'm a big lover of pasta, pizza, burgers, etc. and have a sweet tooth. But, hey, I quit smoking. I should be able to pull this off.
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It is very rewarding. It's tough at first, but it gets easier as time goes on. I found the best thing to do is not to focus on what you can't eat, and instead focus on all of the things you can eat.
 
reverend1 said:
It is very rewarding. It's tough at first, but it gets easier as time goes on. I found the best thing to do is not to focus on what you can't eat, and instead focus on all of the things you can eat.
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Great comment. My wife was absolutely against it at the beginning and all she talked about was what we couldnt eat. Once you get rolling and you are eating steak, seafood, eggs, fresh vegetables, etc. you start to really look forward to your next meal. She finally came around this year and is down 30lbs. and her bloodwork has improved drastically.

As much as I thought I would miss certain foods, I've never been happier or more satisfied by my meals.
 
The no booze thing will be a bit tough too. I only drink one night a week, typically, but boy do I thoroughly enjoy that one night.
I'm going through the shopping list now. Probably an expensive trip to Whole Foods to start, but should be pretty easy after that. Anybody tried any of the "approved" pre-packaged foods on their list? http://whole30.com/whole30-approved/

Shooting to start either Thursday or Friday depending on when I can get to the store this week. I'm going on vacation to Cape Cod in a just over a month. I'd like to be finished with this by then. Not that I think I'll be going back to pounding beers and eating ice cream, but I'd rather not be restricted so much while on vaca.
 
We didn't do anything prepackaged. Made everything from whole foods. It's time consuming so you'll have to balance some pre packaged in there. If sugar or some derivative of sugar is in there, you gotta pass on it.
 
Nothing pre-packaged here either. Although it was a pain sometimes, when we had time we enjoyed stopping at the fresh produce markets for most of the grown things.

I've probably mentioned it earlier but the other thing we did was promise ourselves we would eat well. In other words, we werent going to treat it like a diet where we were eating bland chicken breast and salad all the time. We bought good steak and seafood and made really nice meals that fit the criteria. The grocery bill was a little scary at first but if we compared it to what were speding out, we still come out way ahead.

Do the 30 days strict. It is more about learning how your body reacts to food than it is weight loss. If you cut it all out and add back the reasonable things one at a time you can isolate the things that cause you issues. Treat it like a cleansing experiment.
 
So, I'm 4 days in. Not too bad. I'm not used to doing this much cooking. The meals have been great though. I'm already sensing I have more energy, especially in the morning and late afternoon.

Eating a big breakfast is very different for me. I've been doing 3 eggs. usually with some diced veggies, a couple pieces of fruit, and a black coffee. Lunch has been a big salad or a chunk of meat and some mix of veggies. Tonight for dinner, I did a stir fry with zucchini, yellow squash, onions, pears, red and green bell peppers, and shrimp with garlic, lemon and pepper. I've been cooking everything in coconut oil. I'm pretty much drinking only water, after my coffee, with the exception of an occasional pure coconut water with a meal. Snacks have been minimal - almonds, cashew, a little fresh or dried fruit. Sometimes I get home pretty late, so the whole "stop eating a few hours before I go to bed thing can be tough. I really wanted to have some tasty craft brews when I got together with my bros tonight to play music and clean the studio.


Looking forward to following through with this though. I think it's the most significant thing I've done for my health since quitting smoking cigarettes.
 
I've been watching my portion size... trying not to eat complete shit for breakfast and lunch (I sometimes can't help myself at dinner)... and the scale said 200 lb on the nose this morning for the first time in... shit... 5 years? :shrug:
 
Their Taco Bowl and offering so many crunch taco options have helped. I can eat two tacos and enjoy my lunch instead of eating two big ass burritos and feeling like I want to take a nap.
 
Day 8 - I will fight any of you motherfuckers for a beer and a slice of pizza. JK, I'm actually doing great. A couple of cravings here and there, but nothing terrible at all. It's not nearly as bad as I thought. I've snacked a bit between meals, which I guess you're not supposed to do, but it's been a handful of nuts, or some fruit or something like that. This morning was scrambled eggs with grilled chicken and onions, a piece of cantaloupe, and black coffee.

Since I'm drinking so much water, I bought myself a nice stainless steel Thermos bottle for it. Keeps water ice cold for way longer than it takes me to finish it off.

I went to Whole Foods last night and spent way too much money. Grass-fed, free-range rib-eye steaks, shrimp, scallops, salmon. Mmmm.
 
It's funny how when you get your mind made up how easy things can be. When I initially did the Whole 30, I did it 100% with no waivering. I have been trying lately to do another run but not as worried about being perfect and guess what. I'm not being perfect. My cheats are small and likely harmless but it annoys me little cravings are whipping my butt.

Great job though. You will be glad you did it.
 
Day 15 - Just about half way through. Last week was a challenge, as we went on a little mini vacation for a couple of days, and I didn't have long to prepare. We ate several meals out. I think I did good. I asked what I think were all the right questions of the servers. Nothing tasted off, and I'm starting to get pretty sensitive to that. I packed myself a few different veggies and healthy snacks to make it through.

I'm doing a little better with not snacking, although I've discovered Larabars which are pretty delicious, and most of them are compliant. In anticipation of Day 31, I've read the reintroduction instructions. Those of you who've done it, did you go by their guidelines for reintroducing foods?
 
speakerjones said:
Day 15 - Just about half way through. Last week was a challenge, as we went on a little mini vacation for a couple of days, and I didn't have long to prepare. We ate several meals out. I think I did good. I asked what I think were all the right questions of the servers. Nothing tasted off, and I'm starting to get pretty sensitive to that. I packed myself a few different veggies and healthy snacks to make it through.

I'm doing a little better with not snacking, although I've discovered Larabars which are pretty delicious, and most of them are compliant. In anticipation of Day 31, I've read the reintroduction instructions. Those of you who've done it, did you go by their guidelines for reintroducing foods?
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I did follow their instructions. I found that dairy and legumes were problems for me so I eliminated them from my diet. I also don't drink pop anymore except when paired with rum.
 
I did pretty well over our vacation at first, sticking to fruits, veg and decent lean meats. But in the last days of vacation, I let go for a few days and snacked on crap. Having too many late nights with more than usual amounts of beer contributed to that. fatigue/sugar cycle. Back on it now.
 
sunvalleylaw said:
I did pretty well over our vacation at first, sticking to fruits, veg and decent lean meats. But in the last days of vacation, I let go for a few days and snacked on crap. Having too many late nights with more than usual amounts of beer contributed to that. fatigue/sugar cycle. Back on it now.
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Well the beer would be a violation anyway, so might as well enjoy the vacation and start fresh when you return.
 
reverend1 said:
Well the beer would be a violation anyway, so might as well enjoy the vacation and start fresh when you return.
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Yeah, that is what happened. Back on it now. But really I should not be posting in this thread so much as I am just using some of the Whole 30 concepts as a guideline for long term diet changes I started with my cleanse a couple months ago. I tried to not completely go overboard with crappy food on my trip (mostly it tastes like crap to me now anyway) and I did a pretty good job until the end of the trip. Back on the path now.
 
The way I see it, if you go on a trip and survive fairly well, you are a winner. Vacation type trips are where I tend to just go bonkers. We went to South Carolina for about 5 days recently and the only "bad" meal was a seafood buffet. And I didnt really eat and bad food, just far too much good food. In my defense, I am cheap and it was an expensive buffet. Just wanted to get my money worth.
 
Day 22 - There's a vendor-sponsored pizza truck parked outside of my office window right now. I can see all of the people enjoying great, free pizza. Fuck them. Anyway, I'm still doing great. I'm pretty numb to the foods I'm not supposed to have. I'm not sure if I've lost as much weight as I hoped. I'm skinnier, but maybe not as skinny as I'd hoped. These things take time, and the fact that I've had next to no time to work out these past few weeks, and that I'm still snacking (albeit on healthy stuff) probably has something to do with. I'm probably eating more fruit than I should. I know this diet is about more than that though, and the other benefits I'm experiencing alone make it worthwhile. I'm looking forward to day 31, and the reintroduction process to see what it is I should keep out of my regular diet, and what I can once again enjoy in moderation.
 
Day 30 - Wooooohooo, I made it. Lost 9 pounds and learned a lot. I will probably not ever eat the same way I did 31 days ago. Let's see what sticks. Reintroduction meal plan for tomorrow - Breakfast: White Ale, Lunch: IPA, Dinner: Porter.
 
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