Callan

Heh, I have a similar story. I sat down to have my lunch at the coffee shop I work at, and a regular customer asks me, "Are you a vegetarian? Because you seem like a health nut to me!" And I said, "Well, I am a health nut but I sure am not a vegetarian!"
To be fair, she wasn't a vegetarian either, but it's interesting how the common perception of vegetarianism is that it's the pinnacle of health. I used to think so, even.

When they have a "nightmare" about accidentally deciding to have pasta for dinner and ruining everything...
Yeah, my life has taken a turn for the strange.

Ha, that's so strange. What does he think gluten is?
Another thing: Whenever I tell people I only get sick once or twice a year, they tell me know lucky I am. I don't know how much luck has to do with my immune system; I just take good care of myself!

Someone in my family who has seemed to be taking my dietary and lifestyle changes very personally, for whatever reason, said to me today: "So, I hate to say this and do so begrudgingly, because that's how I am, but I recently determined that pizza really affects me negatively." She thinks that "pizza wheat" is somehow worse than other wheat, but I'm sure it's just the combo of wheat, low-quality cheese, and industrial oils that is bothering her...
After she went grocery shopping, she said, "Speaking of having less wheat, I got potato rolls today!"
Me: "But... Don't those have wheat in them?"
Her: "Maybe, but not a lot! *checks label* oh... It's the first ingredient."
Me: *facepalm*

When they have a "nightmare" about accidentally deciding to have pasta for dinner and ruining everything...
Yeah, my life has taken a turn for the strange.

When they have a "nightmare" about accidentally deciding to have pasta for dinner and ruining everything...
Yeah, my life has taken a turn for the strange.

Heh, I have a similar story. I sat down to have my lunch at the coffee shop I work at, and a regular customer asks me, "Are you a vegetarian? Because you seem like a health nut to me!" And I said, "Well, I am a health nut but I sure am not a vegetarian!"
To be fair, she wasn't a vegetarian either, but it's interesting how the common perception of vegetarianism is that it's the pinnacle of health. I used to think so, even.

Yeah.... It was called the Sauna... Lol.

THIS question is hilariously hilarious.
A friend asked me the same thing the other day. I said, "Wow, good question. Let's do an experiment. Let's each eat 4 cups of kale, 3 cups of spinach and 2 cups of broccoli every day for a week, and keep the rest of our eating habits the same. If neither of us poops more or poops better than usual by the end of the week, then I'll look into reintroducing grains to my diet."
She said she appreciates my dedication to science, but she didn't want to enroll as a subject in the poop study. Oh, well.

Just sharing a little mood booster - what if wild animals ate fast food.

Someone in my family who has seemed to be taking my dietary and lifestyle changes very personally, for whatever reason, said to me today: "So, I hate to say this and do so begrudgingly, because that's how I am, but I recently determined that pizza really affects me negatively." She thinks that "pizza wheat" is somehow worse than other wheat, but I'm sure it's just the combo of wheat, low-quality cheese, and industrial oils that is bothering her...
After she went grocery shopping, she said, "Speaking of having less wheat, I got potato rolls today!"
Me: "But... Don't those have wheat in them?"
Her: "Maybe, but not a lot! *checks label* oh... It's the first ingredient."
Me: *facepalm*

I have to post this. It's not really something stupid that was said - rather the opposite. Nothing said and nothing stupid...for once.
I've been paleo since Aug of 2011. I've been to see my parents (they live in FL, I live in Oregon) about 5 or 6 times since my switch because I travel to their area for work twice a year. I've been to see them three times now while on a Whole30 (I even put copies of ISWF in some stockings at the holidays this year!). Every time, it's a food battle with my mom and mostly because she likes to question me and my motives (not because she disagrees that my food is healthy). Every visit, I try to be as non-confrontational as I can and I often buy and prepare my own meals or dishes on the side.
This past visit, I arrived and she immediately pulled out all the stuff she'd bought for me: a big container of baby greens, organic apples and blueberries, compliant chicken apple sausages, a new bottle of olive oil and avocados!! My parents don't eat ANY of these things (except olive oil). I didn't ask her to prep anything either. She just got it all right, without having to ask. All these visits and what do you know...she was paying attention!
For dinner that night we had grass fed lamb chops, roasted veggies (in olive oil) and a greens loaded salad (my dad skipped the greens - he can't eat them for medical reasons...don't ask). No sugar. No bad oils. No grains/legumes/starches. I didn't even have to ask.
AWESOME. Truly. (plus, they loved the dinner and are eating more like that even when I'm not around!)

Ha, that's so strange. What does he think gluten is?
Another thing: Whenever I tell people I only get sick once or twice a year, they tell me know lucky I am. I don't know how much luck has to do with my immune system; I just take good care of myself!

Thank you for asking!
Most people lose weight during a Whole30. Eating only healthy foods tends to make that happen. However, the Whole30 is not a weight loss program, it is a health improvement program. It really works best if you focus on trying to improve your health and let the weight take care of itself. Therefore, it takes some trust on your part that this program is good for you and will yield good results. Unfortunately, if you focus on weight loss, you can mess up your Whole30 and either slow weight loss or hurt your health.
The key to this program is eating as much as is recommended in the meal template. If you try to speed weight loss by eating less food or less fat, it interferes with your hormones achieving a normal, healthy balance and often backfires. Here is a link to the meal template... http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf
Do not count points, track calories, or weigh your food. The replacement for that behavior is following the meal template and paying attention to your feelings. If you try to do both, you will fail at following the meal template and paying attention to your feelings. They may not seem your best choice now, but they really are what works for a lifetime of health and happiness.
I lost weight with this program starting in May of 2010. I lost 2 pounds per month for 15 months in a row. I ate lots of food and was never hungry. I made the mistake of trying to speed the process by skipping some meals. Back in 2010, stepping on a scale was not forbidden. What I discovered is that I sometimes gained weight on days I skipped meals. I don't understand why. I also tried to speed weight loss by exercising more than usual. I would add a 5K run to my ordinary workout. That did not make me lose weight faster either. Finally after a few months, I settled down and just followed the program. I kept losing weight until I was down 30 pounds. I went from 215 to 185. 185 was my goal weight. I wondered if I would keep losing weight when I reached it. Curiously enough, I got down to 184 one day, but never lost more. I kept eating exactly the same, but stopped losing weight.
Today, I weigh 195, but I am much more muscular than I was before. I have not had my body fat measured, but I suspect I remain as lean as ever, but when I started lifting heavy weights, my chest, arms, and legs got bigger. This program really works if you will let it. Just give it time.

I find that argument hilarious too, I spend at most 15/20 minutes making breakfast, let's be serious it takes no more than 5 minutes to fry up some eggs. My roommate has been so bitter towards me throughout this whole process and she just can't understand how I can enjoy cooking everyday, waking up early (because I have gotten a great nights sleep) and cutting out some of my old favorite foods. She is always passive aggressively asking me things like, "Don't you just wish you could not cook today" and "How horrible is it to not eat cheese anymore, I bet you really miss it". Today after I weighed myself I texted her my results, she didn't respond and when she got back home with her staple take out meal breakfast, didn't congratulate me or say anything at all about my success. I don't need the applause, but I find it so disappointing that someone can't be happy for someone being healthy and completing a goal successfully, simply because their own weight loss progress is at a standstill because of their terrible eating habits. I am definitely going to have to learn to shrug things off, not everyone is going to be supportive in my life, but that's okay, I think having a hater or two is even more motivational!

Agreed.

Someone in my family who has seemed to be taking my dietary and lifestyle changes very personally, for whatever reason, said to me today: "So, I hate to say this and do so begrudgingly, because that's how I am, but I recently determined that pizza really affects me negatively." She thinks that "pizza wheat" is somehow worse than other wheat, but I'm sure it's just the combo of wheat, low-quality cheese, and industrial oils that is bothering her...
After she went grocery shopping, she said, "Speaking of having less wheat, I got potato rolls today!"
Me: "But... Don't those have wheat in them?"
Her: "Maybe, but not a lot! *checks label* oh... It's the first ingredient."
Me: *facepalm*

Someone in my family who has seemed to be taking my dietary and lifestyle changes very personally, for whatever reason, said to me today: "So, I hate to say this and do so begrudgingly, because that's how I am, but I recently determined that pizza really affects me negatively." She thinks that "pizza wheat" is somehow worse than other wheat, but I'm sure it's just the combo of wheat, low-quality cheese, and industrial oils that is bothering her...
After she went grocery shopping, she said, "Speaking of having less wheat, I got potato rolls today!"
Me: "But... Don't those have wheat in them?"
Her: "Maybe, but not a lot! *checks label* oh... It's the first ingredient."
Me: *facepalm*

I love that story! My background is in dance and so sometimes I play creative movement games with my nephews. Once their father came out and just laughed at me saying "what crazy things are you making my son do?" but we have a great time. Last time I was in my hometown, the 5 year old wanted to workout with me in the backyard. We did box jumps, lunges, squats, push ups, frog jumps, sprints. Everything. And when i was tired, he said "do we have to stop?" It's so awesome to see and reminded me of how joyful every movement can be. We should always workout like children.

When they have a "nightmare" about accidentally deciding to have pasta for dinner and ruining everything...
Yeah, my life has taken a turn for the strange.

I, too, have a positive! My aunt, the same one who was comparing this to Atkins when I discussed it with her, read the book I gave her. Her and her boyfriend are both doing Paleo now. I am so excited when she texts me about them experimenting with different veggies and meats. I feel less alone now. My mom called me yesterday and they want to have a Paleo meal for my brother's B-day! I come from a very stubborn family (I am stubborn myself) and I think it will be really great to see that same determined stubbornness used in application for a lifestyle change such as this. They all have really terrible health problems too (IBS, Crohn's, depression, CFS, high blood pressure, Type II diabetics). I hope this sticks. I fear for my brother's life, it's that bad. I just keep putting out the example, giving resources, and hopefully the people I love will see the positive change and want it too.

Ha! I'm sure there is so much avocado in those chips.
On a positive note. I have a friend who recently read wheat Belly so is off the wheat but constantly asking me about Whole30. Last night, she had plans for what to make for dinner but instead said "hey! why don't you come over and we'll make something from Clothes Make the Girl." Such a refreshing exchange.

Heh, I have a similar story. I sat down to have my lunch at the coffee shop I work at, and a regular customer asks me, "Are you a vegetarian? Because you seem like a health nut to me!" And I said, "Well, I am a health nut but I sure am not a vegetarian!"
To be fair, she wasn't a vegetarian either, but it's interesting how the common perception of vegetarianism is that it's the pinnacle of health. I used to think so, even.

~ when your husband opens the fridge and says:
"It looks like a garden puked in here!"
"OMG!!! Honey, we're turning into a couple of hippies with all of this organic stuff... WHAT IS THIS THING?"
"Where is the bacon. WHAT-> YOU DIDN'T BUY BACON????"

This is a list of the most commonly used acronyms on the forum. If you see one we're missing, you can note it below and a moderator will update the list.


W9: Whole9

W30: Whole30

SAD: Standard American Diet
This is the diet that typifies the western attitude toward food - processed foods, low fat, "sugar free", food-like products, fast food...

W30D: Whole30 Daily
The Whole30 Daily is a 32 day (you get days 0 and 31) subscription email service packed with tips and resources for you during every step of your Whole30 journey.

SWYPO: Sex With Your Pants On.
Pancakes, cookies, muffins and other paleofied junk foods that are never as satisfying as the real thing and often lead down the slippery slope to "real" junk food.

ISWF: It Starts With Food
Best-selling book by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (creators of the Whole30 program) that details both the ins and outs of the Whole30 program AND the science behind their many recommendations.

WOD: Workout of the Day
Primarily CrossFit terminology used to refer to the assigned group workout of the day. Many folks around here use it to describe their daily workout, CrossFit or not.

Pre-wo: Pre-Workout/ Post-wo: Post-Workout
Generally used in reference to what foods are best to eat before and after a workout

AIP: Autoimmune Protocol
This is a reference to the autoimmune protocol – a larger and more specific set of dietary restrictions for those suffering from autoimmune conditions.

FODMAP
We won't worry about the sciency words the acronym stands for. These foods are easily broken down by certain bacteria in the gut and can cause digestive troubles for some folks.
MDA: Mark's Daily Apple.  ~ A good go-to if you can't find the info you need here or on our site, whole9life.com.
BP Coffee: Bulletproof Coffee ~ A coffee drink made with ghee and coconut oil, blended in a blender or with an immersion blender.
NSV: Non-Scale Victory - like clearer skin, better sleep, less joint pain, clothes fitting better -- anything other than the number on the scale
JERF: Just Eat Real Food
FWOB: Foods without brakes ~ less healthy foods you can't seem to stop once you start
ACV: apple cider vinegar
EVOO: extra virgin olive oil
OTF: Orange Theory Fitness - a popular gym/fitness program