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I am on day 16 of my first Whole 30. I've tried to follow the recommended program very carefully but instead of feeling less bloated or like I'm losing weight, I feel the opposite. I should preface this by saying I used to eat a pretty healthy diet and I do exercise (cardio or Pilates) 5-6 days a week. I started Whole 30 to help me be more intentional about snacking and the types of food that I eat, and to try to reduce my craving for sugar. I feel like I'm eating much more than I used to for each meal and I don't feel that hungry between meals. I do often need some type of snack in the afternoon but stick to Whole 30 compliant items. I feel like I'm eating better meals than I used to, and fewer snacks, but I'm feeling heavier. Is it possible that this is just something my body is going through to adjust? Prior to do Whole 30, I ate very little red meat--I ate chicken and turkey, but also ate a lot of beans, lentils and other whole grains. Again, it seemed like a healthy diet if I just snacked less--but the difference this time is that I don't feel the same need for snacks. Typically I eat eggs and veggies for breakfast, a turkey/lettuce wrap for lunch (or something similar), veggies, and then some type of meat and veggie meal for dinner. I use sweet potatoes and more of the carbs around dinner. I love cauliflower but notice that makes me feel particularly bloated. I've also been eating nuts and coconut chips as snacks and fear I'm eating more than I should. Any suggestions from this long post? Is it possible that my body really isn't used to consuming the meat and fats that I'm now eating and just needs more time to adjust? Please advise. I enjoy this way of eating but if I'm gaining weight, I don't want to stray to far from what was previously working to at least help me maintain my weight. Thank you! Jessica

I completed my first Whole30 on May 19th, I loved every second of the program. I felt fantastic the entire time, had endless energy and just felt GOOD, it is a feeling that is hard to explain. I did not do this just for weight loss, but when I stepped on the scale I went from 147 pounds at day 1 to 151 pounds. I followed the program to the T but have been going back and forth in my head all of the possible reasons I may have gained. Maybe my body was not comfortable at 147 pounds (I was following Weight Watchers up until the start of Whole30) and the 150 mark is where my body just naturally falls? Maybe I put too much cashew butter on my morning banana? I was never hungry and sometimes skipped meals, could that have done it? I was doing PiYO, could it be just muscle weight? I actually finished out last week on Whole30 (so a total of 33 days) and then had some wine and some legumes, corn and cheese this weekend and it did not sit well with me, I felt very sick yesterday so I am back to my beloved Whole30 foods today. Question is, should I do another round of Whole30 and see where I am then? I guess I am just a bit confused since I have personally never seen anyone gain weight (I thought if anything I would maintain my weight) My husband did it with me, we ate about 90% of the same foods and he lost 10 pounds. Again this is not 100% weight loss for me, the other benefits of the program FAR outweigh a few pounds (I never have that gross full feeling, I wake up ready to go without an alarm, I have so much energy!) I just don't want to keep doing what I am doing and gain even more if I do a second round starting tomorrow. Any tips, advice would be appreciated!

So I'm a few days into my reintroduction and I'm thinking how successful my Whole 30 was, 4 lbs, 1 inch off my waist and an overall happy gut! I'm really only reintroducing a few things like oatmeal, sweetened creamer in my coffee and the occasional sweet treat (macaroons, yum!) so I'm wondering if by bringing these things back, am I making my body stop using its fat as fuel? Will it burn those cards instead thereby reducing my weight loss? I read that is what happens on Whole30, your body changes how it runs, so I'm worried that by reintroducing certain foods, it will stop burning fat in that way. Does anyone know the science around this? Is there a certain sugar/carb ratio to stay under to keep your body burning its fat for fuel?

I didn't get a response in the thread I commented in so I'll start a new one. I'm discouraged and frustrated. I'm on day 21 and the bloating and gas are awful. My clothes were fitting looser for a while, but now they are actually tighter. No tiger blood of any kind -- just exhaustion. I need more sleep not less. I feel horrible in the mornings and exhausted all day and I'm struggling to keep up with anything. The amount of time and energy I'm spending on food is just not doable for such disappointing results. I'm 42, have 11 children (10 still at home including a nursing baby.) I stopped really working out or playing sports after baby #7, and we homeschool so it's just gotten busier from there. I drink a lot of water all day, but don't keep track of exactly how much. I get as much sleep as I can but I've not gotten a full night's sleep in decades with this brood I have always been able to do well with limited sleep -- until whole30 it seems. I'm sure I could be told to get more sleep, but that's not always an option. I need a diet that will sustain me in my life rather than requiring me to make unreasonable changes so I can sustain it, if that makes sense. I always ate relatively healthy before (whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies) but I rarely ate meat and I did eat too much sugar and baked goods (I make AWESOME chocolate chip cookies and bread, sigh) so I've been glad to reboot and get rid of the sugar. The painful and horrible smelling gas and bloating combined with the utter lack of energy are making me miserable. I would be willing to stick through that if there were other gains, but the complete lack of weight loss (and what feels like a bit of weight gain, UGH!) is beyond depressing and making me lose hope that this is the right diet for me... A few typical meals Meal 1: Fritata with TONS of veggies (peppers, onions, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, asparagus, etc) served with an avocado and sometimes some compliant sausage. Meal 2: Giant cobb or taco salad. Tons of spring mix with various veggies and mango or other fruit slices. with balsamic and olive oil. Meal 3: Roast beef with onions, carrots, rutabega mashed potatoes prepared with plenty of oil and spices (whole30 compliant) and a few drinks of coconut almond milk. Meal 1: Super veggie Fritata with leftover shrimp or salmon and a baked sweet potato slathered in cinnamon coconut oil. Meal 2: Twice fried plantains (deep fried in coconut oil) with pico de gallo, leftover steak, celery sticks with a bit of almond butter and a few raisins and coconut Meal 3: Grilled Salmon salad. Tons of veggies and spring mix with Salmon and oil/vinegar. I've also used celery with a bit of almond butter and coconut and maybe a hard boiled egg as a small snack when necessary. And I've drunk some coconut almond milk when I felt I needed it (nursing mom.) Any help would be appreciated. I'm 5'10" and weigh probably around 175-180 -- size 14 -- and not losing baby weight like I used to. I'd like to lose at least 20 pounds, preferably 30 and two or three pants sizes. I would gladly settle for 10 pounds or so and one pants size on this go round.

Hi, I’m confused because we are told to listen to our bodies to determine whether we need a snack or extra fat etc. But not to listen to our bodies when we’re not hungry? I’m on Day 3 and have been compliant but I am eating much later in the evening then I normally do, because I’m just not hungry but am forcing myself to get the three meals in. Eating just before bedtime packs on the pounds for me. I’ve noticed that not only has my face broken out in acne , my double chin is more pronounced, and I’m concerned that forcing three meals with fat when I’m not hungry and eating late is to blame. Can you not eat if still full from breakfast at lunch, or from lunch at dinner. I am following the meal template as I am transitioning from an (unhealthy) vegetarian diet and want to be sure I’m compliant, but feel like I’m forcing myself to eat and it’s resulting in noticeable weight gain or bloat, acne as welll as constipation. Can I not eat if not hungry and if I can reduce portions of the template where Can I do so? Also is bulletproof coffee with ghee and mct oil allowed and if so, what should it be eaten with?

Hi, 5 days ago was my first day off of Whole 30 and I have eaten so much and so badly everyday since then, worse then I did even pre-Whole 30. I am talking almost two pizzas, 3 cupcakes, cookies, 6 glasses of wine. I have 14% body fat and am not overweight. Pre Whole 30 I was 16% body fat and not overweight. I drink a lot of wine usually, and eat a lot of sugar. I love food. I am really stressed that after doing Whole 30 I am not going to be able to control my eating habits and eat like I have been for the past five days and gain a ton of weight and lose control of my relationship with food. I feel like crying I feel so stressed out and my pants are tight!!

Hi, I'm on Whole 30 day 9, and I feel like I'm gaining weight. On day 3 I felt amazing and looked leaner, but now my thighs are touching (which they didn't pre-whole 30), and my chest doesn't look as lean as it did on day 3. Can someone provide me with a meal plan that I can follow for weight loss?

My boyfriend and I are wanting to start the Whole30 together but he fears loosing weight during it. He is about 6'0 and 130lbs. He has been trying for years to gain weight but struggles with it even with weight gain protein powders. He is an ICU nurse and often doesn't get the opportunity to eat and heavily relies on some type of protein drink to keep his daily intake up. Yes he does eat when he is off work more than I can sometimes keep up with. He has an extraordinary metabolism. Can anyone suggest a good protein powder he can have on the whole30? or possible options that are high in calories that he can eat while on the go in a hectic pt care area? It would need to be things that can't easily spoil aka keep in his pockets for hours at a time without refrigeration.

I know this has been asked before, and I have read a lot on this forum. But I'm wondering if I could get advice based on my size and what I've been eating. I'm feeling good physically, but nothing dramatic. I was off caffeine and alcohol and sugar before starting the Whole30 for about a week. I think my temperature is hotter, but this could just be due to the weather. I know I have gained a lot of fat. I haven't weighed, measured or anything, but it is obvious from my clothes. If this is what my body needs, OK, I get it. I used to not eat so much last year (I got leaner with the Venus Index program which is strength training and eating 1000 calories for my size for 5-6 days a week and 1350 for the rest), but since January, I've been eating a lot more, not counting calories, and reducing stress, and increasing sleep, and started meditating (and I did gain six pounds). I feel like my metabolism healed. So now, I started the Whole30 to clean up my eating (it was starting to veer into major sugar territory and also a lot of packaged foods and fried foods). But I find myself eating way more than before! Hence the weight gain, probably.... I'm wondering if I'm eating too much. At the beginning of the Whole30, I was snacking on nuts (almonds and macademia nuts) and eating fruits after meals. I've since stopped that for the past two weeks. I still eat some seeds and nuts, but only in recipes (sunshine sauce, pesto, etc.) to get snacky cravings under control. I try to only have fruit as an ingredient in a meal, not as dessert, and not that much. But I STILL seem to be gaining. I could barely take off my ring tonight to mix some meatloaf. And I have muffin top which I didn't have before... Since I'm not very active at the moment, and I'm so small in stature, do you think I should cut back on the food? Maybe starchy carbs? I usually try to limit the yam one after I workout. I usually don't have potatoes all the time... Any insight would be really really appreciated!!!! My background: I'm physically small - 4'10", weight fluctuates between 100-105 lbs (in the past - haven't weighed). I wear kids' sized gloves and socks. 51, female, not very active right now due to a couple injuries. Slowly making my way back to strength training, but had to stop for almost a year. My meals are usually something like recently: PWO: 1/2 deviled egg (made with Whole30 mayo) (every day) WO: simple stretches and body weight movements or light weights (due to a 50% torn elbow tendon sustained last year) for about 45 minutes, walking for about 30 minutes at 3.8 (slightly torn hamstring tendon prevents faster walking/running) (about 6 days a week in the am) ************ B: 2 eggs (I can't hold 3 in one hand), 1/3 roasted yam, a cup of cauliflower rice, sauteed with olive oil and ghee with roasted zucchini, leftover tomato paste, water, couple sips of kombucha. L: celery and carrot sticks with 3 tablespoons sunshine sauce, leftover curry (one palm of meat and a cup of veg with coconut milk, spices, fresh chives and parsley and a 1 1/2 cups cauliflower rice), a couple of slices of banana glass of plain seltzer with collagen powder (for tendons and joints) with some fresh lime juice D: Slow cooker chicken and carrots and potatoes, green beans sauteed with hazelnut rosemary ghee, salad of arugula, chopped apple, cucumbers, carrots, sunshine sauce for dressing. B: 1 1/2 deviled eggs, 1 1/2 cups leftover green beans, 1/3 yam L: Salad of romaine, cucumbers, roasted zucchini, riced cauliflower, cashew pesto, half an avocado, chicken salad made with Whole30 mayo, a couple of pieces of chopped nectarine and white peach (salad was in a huge container) glass of plain seltzer with collagen powder (for tendons and joints) with a 1/4 cup of kombucha D: Riced cauliflower, rest of leftover chicken, rest of curry, green beans, celery and carrots and cucumbers, sunshine sauce Today was: B: 1 egg and 1 white scrambled (had deviled egg before workout) with spinach, last of cauliflower rice, a big dollop of cashew pesto, handful of fresh parsley, L: celery and carrots, sunshine sauce, salad of romaine, cucumbers, chicken salad glass of plain seltzer with collagen powder (for tendons and joints) with a 1/4 cup of kombucha D: will be beef meatloaf with roasted tomatoes, onions, carrots, and potatoes, arugula salad with chopped apple, cucumber, carrot and sunshine sauce thinned with coconut milk *********** Usually we take a leisurely stroll through the park and back (about an hour walk). I take a multi vitamin, wobenzym (for arm but stopped during my antibiotics recently -- I had oral surgery), I drink between 7-8 glasses of water a day ; I salt my food liberally *******

This is my first time starting Whole30. I am a 36 years-old female and struggling with chronic sciatica down both legs. My blood-work is normal outside of low B12. MRI shows minor herniation, but not bad enough for surgery or even the pain and numbness I am experiencing, and yet I still have this darn sciatica since Nov. 2015. Sounds like a long time? It is, which is why I am here. I am 5'2" and 133#. I used to be between 105-110, but since I quit smoking several years back, that number keeps rising. That may not seem like a lot of weight, but every lb matters when it comes to the spine I am told, so I am hoping this diet will also help me shed some pounds along with some unwanted inflammation. Anyone else have an experience they want to share with me to provide me with a little hope? I am pretty groggy and down today, so would love some inspiring words. Thanks Whole30ers!

Hello Whole30ers, I need some help. I am on day 22 of my whole 30. I am 5'5" and weighed somewhere around 140 lbs before starting this program. I put this in the athlete category since I workout daily but I would not currently consider myself an athlete. I was a professional dancer that got a day job where I sit at a desk all day. Woo. What do I need your help with? I feel like I am gaining weight and bloating more than normal (it is that time of month but this is exceeding my usual discomfort). I am also having a really hard time not snacking. I have eaten totally compliant foods but have wavered a little in portions depending on if I workout or not or what meals are available to me. I do typically eat about a palm and a half size portion of my protein. I cook most of my veggies in coconut oil or olive oil with salt and pepper. If I eat avocado, I only eat half. For a while I wasn't eating hardly any fruit. I have started to incorporate dried fruit as snacks (maybe that is part of the problem?). I was snacking on cashews prior and I was probably overdoing it (more like 2 servings at a time than one). I just started tracking what I eat in myfitnesspal to get a better idea of what is going on. I had a dental implant on Friday so I am eating acai bowls for breakfast since they are easy to consume but that is also a new thing for me. Here is a breakdown of the last couple days: Sat, May 20: -no workout; still healing from surgery -M1: Green Bowl w/paleo topping (the bowl is blended coconut water, coconut yogurt, kale, spinach, avocado, banana, mango blended with toppings: almonds, cashews, cacao, hemp seeds, coconut shavings, bee pollen and strawberries. All organic. Black coffee afterwards. -M2: Mostly snacks - homemade tostones (plantains, coconut oil, garlic, salt), 1/2 c of watermelon, handful of dried mango -M3: About 1 1/2c of roasted Brussel sprouts and cauliflower in olive oil, Gingerberry Kombucha -M4: Paleo burger (lettuce, meat, mustard, tomato and onion) Sun, May 21: -Walked for an 1 1/2 in the AM post meal 1, casual pace. After Meal 2 I had a 3 hour dance/theater rehearsal (nothing too straining but moving). Walked another hour or so after Meal 3. -M1: Almond Butter Acai Bowl w/paleo topping (bowl is House-made almond mylk, almond butter, pure unsweetened acai, blueberry, banana with same toppings ^). Black iced coffee afterwards. -M2: Snacks - handful of dried mango and 1 c watermelon -M3: Green Chef (delivered paleo box) meal - Pork Burrito bowl w/cauliflower rice, pepitas, avocado and chimichurri -M4: Paleo burger, shaved Brussel sprout salad with small slices of apple, hazelnuts and vinaigrette. Mystic Mango kombucha. Prior to my surgery, I was having more eggs scrambled with a meat and veggies for breakfast. The green chef meals vary but they are all organic and paleo. The portion sizes seem correct. I also work 8a-5p Mon-Fri. I eat breakfast when I get to work, have a preworkout snack around 11a (usually a handful of cashews or dried fruit), eat lunch right after workout, eat another small snack around 4pm and have dinner around 7. My workouts are BBG (30 min high intensity circuit training) M/W/F and 30 min on elliptical on Tues/Thur. I am just starting to go to the bathroom regularly. Prior to whole 30 I had a lot of trouble with constipation. What do you guys think? I am having a very hard time feeling satisfied. No real cravings - just always wanting to feed myself. Thanks for any advice!!!

Hey everyone! I finished my second whole 30 yesterday. I did my first round this past January and loved it! I lost about 5lbs the first round and had tons of other NSV's. I had the same NSV s this past round and love how I feel while on whole 30. However, this time I gained 1.8 lbs! I ate pretty much the same things as the first time. Lots of eggs, veggies, sweet potatoes, healthy oils, and protein. I feel great and even thought I was starting to lean out the last week or so. I weighed myself this morning and saw that I gained. I was so disappointed. I took my measurements before and after and they stayed exactly the same. Any thoughts as to why this happened or advice?

Hello, Please excuse (most probably) rookie query. I'm feeling like I'm rapidly gaining weight and am a bit (very) concerned. I'm on day 5 of Whole30 and am finding the eating realtively simple (adding a breakfast in is somewhat of a challenge as I'm used to intermittent fasting) but otherwise all good. A bit of history (feel free to skip alllll this!)... Over the past few years I've thrown myself head first into all sorts of diets all with relatively good success... paleo, primal, perfect health diet, plantbased, high carb low fat vegan, raw vegan, low carb, all mostly out of curiosity and to see if I could help my running and recovery along. This time last year I was following a raw vegan diet and was doing really quite well but then I started experiencing health issues. I found some fantastic info through Denise minger's website rawfoodsos.com which made me realise I'd been following a doctrine that really wasn't too good for me. So I went back to high ish carb vegan and then paleo ish (still with loads of raw veggies) and started to feel better and my running and racing was pretty good with a great 100k race and a good time in a half marathon. Then I started learning about ultra runners who are fat adapted and thought I'd give it a go to see if it could make me run for more sustained periods without having to carb up. So I went low carb and then keto all while training at a low base rate. Then in november last year I ran a surprisingly fast and strong 10k while fat adapted. With the benefit of hindsight I think this is when I broke myself (set off the wheels for adrenal fatigue) as I didn't replace the glycogen from the really quite hard effort and just carried on with keto. By December I was starting to feel burned out and my running and general energy was lacking.[oh I need to say too that I'm a mum of four, run a pretty successful home based business, run most days (well I did before I broke myself) and am/was generally healthy] . I was craving energy so decided to go back to what I was good at (and had given me good results in the past) and went hclf. But after a few weeks this wasn't helping either and I was thinking that it might be the anaemia I tend to suffer with. So in January I decided to do keto properly (I thought maybe I hadn't done it properly or something before). The first few weeks were okay and my energy was lowish but I expected that so wasn't too worried. I practiced intermittent fasting and didn't feel too hungry (apart from just before meals when i was ravenous). As my energy wasn't picking up I decided to do an extended fast to kick my bod into some sort of shape. I felt pretty good during the fast (72 hours) and even managed a run at the end of it as my stomach felt happy for the first time in weeks (no heavy feeling) and my energy levels seemed to be coming back... yay! Alas it didn't last. Once I went back to keto eating I just couldn't stomach the meals. The fatty foods were making me feel sick and my morning bpc went out the window (nearly literally!) So I added more carbs in but still no energy. then out of desperation I went back to plantbased for a week which gave me a bit more energy but not great. And then I found It starts With Food last week and thought Yessssssss! What a revelation - and it makes perfect sense. But even though I'm eating according to the Whole30 plan, I'm finding that I'm gaining weight. This is really quite demoralising. I realise I'm not training at the moment (apart from around half an hour every other day of uphill walking on a treadmill and half an hour of kettlebells and maybe a little stretching). And it's starting to get me down. If there's anyone out there that's still actually reading this and can give me some pointers I'd be most grateful. Here's what an average day's food looks like... Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled in ghee with loads of sauteed spinach and a couple strawberries (sounds odd but is so good!), lunch: huuuuge salad with palm sized protein and homemade mayo/vinaigrette, also sometimes half an avo, dinner: similar to lunch but normally with less salad and more cooked veggies. No snacks. loads of water (mainly in the of hot water with slices of lemon), 1 or 2 decaff coffees. Ugh I never realised how a bit of extra weight can have such an effect on me. If it's one of those things that will pan out then I can go with it. But at the moment my heart is telling me just to eat less. Or revert back to a high carb diet. I need energy. And I need less of me!

I did my first Whole30 and was very pleased with the results. I had a number of significant NSV's and lost 16 pounds. Since I was so pleased with round one, I decided to stay on a totally compliant whole30 for the second round. Today was day 31 of the second round. I got up first thing and weighed myself. I had gained 4 pounds. I am sorely disappointed. I knew something was awry. My wedding band was not slipping off as easily as before and starting a couple of weeks ago I noticed that my clothes were not fitting as loosely as they had been. What has changed between the first and second Whole30? 1) I started snacking on macadamia nuts in the evening. 2) I started snacking on dried apricots in the evening. I am DETERMINED to make this work for me. I am VERY happy with the diet I am eating. So here is what I am going to do. I have two unavoidable dinner dates in the next two weeks. Most of what's on the menu is non-compliant. I'm going to excercise restraint and eat as little if the non-compliant food as I can at each of the dinners. Starting today and for the next 30 days, except for those dinners, I'm going to be doing whole30. One of the really good NSV's I've noticed is the lack of appetite. I'm going to use that lack of appetite to cut my evening meal in half, and completely STOP the macadamia nut and apricot snacking, in fact, all snacking. let's see what happens.

My partner and I are on Day 40 (I think?) of Whole30. The only thing we've reintroduced is alcohol a few times after we finished the 30 days, otherwise we've remained 100% compliant. At the end of the Whole30 I had lost 10 pounds and felt great. More energy, clothes fit better, less bloating. No change to skin (actually it got worse) or anything like that, but the energy and clarity has been awesome. My partner lost 30 pounds (you men, I swear), hasn't been falling asleep on the couch every afternoon, etc. Well I've wanted to reintroduce foods, per the Whole30 protocol, but he's dead set to "keep going, don't give up," as if reintroducing is stepping off the wagon. I was totally fine with continuing that the first week - really, no issues as the food has been delicious and I've been feeling great - but the last few days I've hit a total food rut, tired of the staples, I'm-over-this-and-just-want-a-piece-of-bread-without-feeling-guilty status. And wanting some time back...oh my god, the amount of time spent cooking and cleaning and shopping is just out of control and annoying. Especially as I work full time, am in grad school, and we have our amazing kiddos every other weekend. I just need some time back. What's more, over the past week I've somehow gained 4 of the 10 pounds back which is just utterly maddening. I think my body has adjusted to eating the same staple foods I've been eating the last 40 days (even though I've been trying to switch it up frequently), and it's just downright depressing. So now I'm at a loss of what to do. I feel like choosing to reintroduce foods might continue the weight gain. I'm scared to reintroduce them. And I'm worried his "all or nothing" personality will mean he'll just go completely nuts and back to his half a gallon of milk and a candy bar, every day, habit and I don't want to be a "bad influence." Open to ideas, suggestions, tips...we're amazing communicators, but I think my own depressed feelings over missing foods I love, and being tired of feeling cooking is my new 3rd job, are making it hard to figure out the right answer.

Hi! I am starting day 14 a bit frustrated. I subscribed to the Real Plans meal plan, because I'm mostly pescatarian and I knew that I wouldn't be able to stomach all the meat in the "average" whole 30 recipes. I've followed the meal plan almost exactly, except that time has required me to sub in meals of chopped raw vegetables and boiled eggs 3 times. (I don't love the plan, btw, but that's another topic). I have felt normal/fine the entire time. Diet hasn't been tricky because I'm used to cooking all of my meals and, despite my holiday behavior, I generally eat food that makes me feel good which sometimes means restrictions on what I'd enjoy eating. My workouts have been basically the same as always, except for a bit of joint pain the past couple days that I'm not used to. I started this to reset myself after an overindulgent holiday season and more importantly to try to get to the bottom of my eczema/psoriasis. I was born with it, but went roughly 20 years without having it. For the past 3+ years I have periods of it being severe on my hands. I thought the winter would be a good time to try Whole30 to get rid of it, because it's generally not as bad in the cold weather months, and I knew that a flare-up could occur during the early "detox" phase. I've tried AIP, Paleo, Vegan and Keto diets (I think that's all of them) in the past to get rid of this and none of them have done the trick. So here's where I am: Eczema on hands is roughly 20% worse than it would normally be in January I have not-terrible eczema on parts of my body that haven't been affected for years (scalp, behind knees, face) Lots of energy (but this is normal for me on my usual diet, just kinda got sluggish over the cookie-laden holidays) LOTS of weight gain. Like a lot. Like my period pants are tight. This concerns me, because it's hard for me to lose weight, so I normally just don't gain it through basic, sane, diverse, thoughtful eating and exercise. No real appetite or cravings. Normal for me when I'm not eating processed sugar. My digestion, which is normally great (I eat fermented vegetables daily), was a bit off from days 5-8 but is back to normal. I'm kind of at the point where I feel like this probably isn't for me, but I'm willing to hold out until day 30. I am starting to get a little stressed because I have an important conference a week after Day 30 and I would really prefer not to have a muffin top pouring out of my pants and skin flaking all over people while I'm there. I'm guessing the people in my situation have moved on to greener pastures and aren't lurking in these forums, but if anyone here has had a similar experience and made it through, I'd love to know about it. Thank you for any help you can offer.

Hello! I am on day 23 of my whole30 I come from a long history of restriction/macro tracking/ body building competitions/ ect. I have trouble because I was on a very low calorie plan before starting the whole30, i was trying to reverse diet up from a competition in October. I was having trouble staying on track because I had been dieting for 17 weeks, losing 25 lbs overall and increasing cardio decreasing my intake of food during that time. Not trying to bash competing, just giving a background. Lately its been difficult to not want to fall back into my old habits of weighing and measuring because that worked for weight loss, but not for sustainable practices and happiness. The purpose of my whole30 is to have that good healthy relationship with food and though Im nearing the end of my journey I feel like I still want to track what Im eating, and I have considered doing a whole60 instead of a whole30 to help rid myself of that "diet mindset". I was searching through the forums and found some information about comparing intuitive eating vs calorie counting. This was posted from and admins (I think) form 2015 that really put it into some perspective. "If you are starving one day after lunch, do you go ahead and eat some healthy, whole foods and respect that signal? Or do you check and see how many calories you have left in the day, make an assessment about what is for dinner, how much that food will "cost" and then decide if you can nurture yourself? Similarly, if you have 200 extra calories left before bed, do you go ahead and eat them even though you aren't hungry, just because you "can"?" It was very eye opening because thats something I have been struggling with. Ive posted once before talking about my hunger. I have been able to get very close to having just 3 meals with Pre/PWO meals and not being hungry in between, but there are still some days for sure where I am hunger than others. I just am hoping I am still on the right track, I know I may be one of those folks come day 30 who may gain weight because of my history. I do sleep oodles better, almost rock like. My skin is clearer and I have a lot more energy throughout the day, more self-efficacy not quite tiger blood yet! I am a teacher so am on my feet a lot moving around, and I work out for about 2 hours a day. That includes intense weight lifting and cardio! (maybe training for a half marathon!) This is a what I eat during the day - M1: 4 eggs, 1/2 avocado, handful of roasted potatoes/ cooked in ghee Coconut milk in my coffee M2: 2 servings chicken, 1 hardboiled egg, 1/2 avocado, drizzle of olive oil, mixed greens Pre Workout :1/2 turkey patty, avocado mayo Post workout : 1/2 turkey patty, 1/2 medium sweet potato M3: 2 eggs, 1 serving of ground turkey, 2 thumbs of avocado mayo, 1/4 avocado, mixed greens I don't eat fruit because of the sugar dragon and I have found that nuts make my stomach urpy so I don't do a lot of that. Any guidance or tips will definitely help, it was also nice to just write it out! Thank you!

Hello, I'm a 37-yr-old femaie who has completed 4 whole30s, and recently a whole100. My main reason for doing these was to deal with some frustrating health issues (some resolved, some not), and to lose some weight. I'm feeling overwhelmed during this post-whole100 phase. 1) I actually find the restriction of whole30/whole100 easier than the options to choose my own eating plan. I tend to make quick, poor choices when I'm letting myself eat "mostly whole30" etc. When on whole30, I am good as gold, and I am cooking for my family of 5, while I am the only one doing whole30. So there are plenty of food choices I handle every day that I am not allowed to eat while on whole30. Has anyone else felt like it's easier to restrict what you eat rather than letting yourself enjoy treats, etc. in moderation? 2) Also, I lost about 9 lbs on my whole100, and in the last month since I stopped, I have gained about 5 lbs. I'm discouraged about my inability to control my eating post-whole100 and frustrated that weight is so slow to come off and so easy to gain. I know this is about the journey and it's a marathon, not a sprint. It's just tough. Anyone have any thoughts?

I'm in tears, here, so please be gentle. I know weight loss isn't the main goal of the Whole30. I know this. I have NSVs a mile long. I'm beyond thrilled with my NSVs. I've been so thrilled with my NSVs that I didn't let my lack of weight loss bring me down. But my lack of weight loss getting really old, now, and I need some ideas or suggestions. I'm was going to post anonymously (but I guess I can't) because I am a huge supporter of Whole30 and if someone were to come across this post who knows me would think I have a beef with Whole30 after all. Which I don't. I recommend it to everyone and brag about it (and all of my NSVs all the time). I know there's gotta be something I'm still doing wrong but I just can't put a finger on it. I started my first Whole30 on 9/1/14. By the end of the 30 days, I felt so amazing I never wanted it to end. (No more numbness & tingling, no more foot drop, MS symptoms, skin cleared up, mood stability, no more headaches, etc ... just to name a FEW.) So I continued with Whole30. I relaxed a smidge on Thanksgiving day and off and on through the Christmas season. I wasn't feeling awful, but I wasn't feeling quite as good. So I started up again with a strict Whole30 on 1/1/15. My husband started his first at the same time. He wasn't feeling amazing by the end of 30, so we continued ... all the way through Lent. I was lax a bit in April and then got back on strict for May & June of last year. Lax a bit for vacation in July and then back on strict Whole30 from August - Thanksgiving of 2015. Started strict again on 1/1/16 and have stayed that way for most of the year. I would say I'm 100% strict for about 80% of that time and 80% strict for the other 20%. I never go back to gluten grains in those off moments and I try really hard to steer clear of dairy, soy, and refined or artificial sweeteners always. My latest strict Whole30 has been since August 1 to date. I think the first knot I got in my stomach recently was the week the kiddos went back to school. Two of the teachers had visibly lost weight. Both of them commented that all they had done was started walking 10,000 steps a day and it really help shed the pounds. I walk 10,000 steps a day! I won't go to bed unless I have at least 10,000 steps and at least 10 floors. I actually average around 12,500. I walk everywhere. I run for about 20 minutes about three times a week. I'm a busy & active mother. I eat a perfect Whole30 MOST of the time (and often in 30+ day spurts). I'm not obsessed with the scale. I don't even own one. But between doctor's visits, I've seen that I've barely lost 10 pounds in the past two years. I haven't lost any pants sizes, either. It just doesn't make sense. I eat two or three full meals a day. I try to eat in an 8 hour window. I have about a palm-sized amount of meat and fill the rest with veggies. I don't do too many of the starchy ones. I use coconut oil, olives & avocado for fats. I rarely snack. If I do, it's an occasional Larabar or handful of nuts or an apple. I've read the books cover to cover and I tell everyone about how amazing I feel. And I DO. I'm so happy to feel so amazing. But I just can't stand still being so heavy. It brings me to tears. It's about the only thing that saddens me once in a while. I have spiritually uplifting practices. I journal. I have an amazing & supportive husband. I'm busy and have much on my plate but I'm not stressed. I just want some ideas. Is there something through all of this that I'm still missing? Do I just need to accept that I was made to be 5'5' and 175#? Any input? Any support? Any advice? I truly appreciate it!

Hi Whole30 community. I am nothing but disheartened. I am a very clean eater to begin with. The only BIG change for me has been incorporating protein into every meal, which is a big change! But... For the past five years, I pretty much only eat organic, whole foods with the exception of some vacations and weekends here or there. I did Whole30, in part, to try to jumpstart my system to lose some weight. I have subsisted on mostly carbs (fruits, veggies, and grains) for quite some time. So: I'm doing lots of eggs and chicken! But I'm on Day 16 and my face is puffy, my belly is bloating and all my pants are so tight, I can barely wear them. There has been FOR SURE no weight loss yet. I am trying to keep positive but. A typical day is like this: Breakfast: chia seed pudding with some banana, walnuts, coconut milk, Vital Proteins collagen peptides Lunch: large salad with chicken breast, Whole30 approved and homemade pickled vegetables and avocado and sweet potato Snack: apple, nut butter, Whole30 approved turmeric latte Dinner: three eggs veggie scramble with avocado After dinner snack: raspberries I have had a couple of RXBars because of my crazy schedule and some dried fruit here or there, but that's it. I've been meticulously adhering! Please tell me what I'm doing wrong and if I should be as down in the dumps as I am! And thank you so much in advance!

Hello! My boyfriend and I are on Day 15 of our first Whole30! So far, so good, except my boyfriend started this with me in hopes to achieve some of the non scale health benefits (i.e., more energy, less brain fog, hopefully fix some digestive issues and hopefully find out what foods he's sensitive to) since he's already blessed with a very active metabolism, he really can't afford to lose any weight. However, he's down 4 pounds and you can actually see the ribs on his back now...it's to the point where we're tempted to throw in the towel because it's just not healthy for him to lose anymore. I honestly want to throw him a box of cookies and force feed him until he starts to gain again! (Don't worry- I promise I won't do that!) A typical day looks like Breakfast: Eggs, fried potatoes and homemade apple sausage (sometimes with a banana and almond butter); Lunch: usually leftover dinners- could be chicken with potatoes and carrots, "taco" meat stuffed bell peppers with sweet potatoes, goulash or stew; Dinner: basically the same thing as lunch and will usually get a nice steak with cauliflower mashed potatoes and broccoli at least once/week. I know we're not supposed to snack a lot, but he does eat a lot throughout the day. He'll usually snack on fruits (bananas, apples or pears), veggies, sweet potato with tahini sauce, almonds, cashews or larabars. I feel like we get plenty of protein and carbs, but maybe I'm wrong? Also, he's slightly allergic to avocados so eating those for extra fat isn't really an option either. He'll hike anywhere from 4-10 miles once a week and his job can be physically demanding so he definitely does get some activity in but isn't really the cross fit or gym type. I know we're not supposed to weigh ourselves, but we decided to keep the scale for him just in case he drops to an unhealthy weight, which we're just about at....any advice?? :-)

Hello! My my name is Maria. Summary: My goal is food freedom and fat loss. Last 2 years I was a bikini competitor (bodybuilding) and I quit because I was really unbalanced in every way with my diets and overtraining. I've been 100% complaint I'm in day 13 now I exercise 6 to 7 days a week (4 weights and 3 days of 1 hour of intense cardio) I follow the template and recommendations I've been eating healthy for years I haven't felt a difference except headache, bloating and WEIGHT GAIN :(... I'm freaked out.... This is my story: (please guide me I'd really appreciate the help) I started the whole30 to be honest because of 2 main reasons, loose bodyfat and food freedom. I'm in day 13 today and I have gained so much weight that my shorts are SOO tight I cannot wear them anymore. For me this is Big and I'm really frustrated... I feel nothing is working on my body... And I've been feeling so stuck, and tryed sooo many things... I'm really sad and confused... I feel I have no clue and I'm becoming desperate by now... The thing is... For the last 2 years also I've been a bikini competitor. I consider myself a "nerd"... Or overachiever and I'm very disciplined, so I do always things by the book and have a lot of will power. Although I looked better than ever and I was a champion and my carrear was ramping up like crazy in this which I considered a hobbie I decided to stop because of how unhappy I was while doing this.... You see, Since I started dieting for competitions my hormones went crazy even leaving me without my period for 6 months one time, and the psicological effects of competing for me where devastating, to a point where I was really questioning my own existence, and that's when my partner who was suffering my depression and mood swings also, and me, decided to quit our diets and competitions. The negative effects of competing and taking all the suplements, shakes and fat burners for bodybuilding for me where amongst others: -depression, obsession with food and my body, loss of self confidence and self esteem, extreme mood swings -extreme cravings for things I've never craved before, crazy weigh gain after my competitions, hungry all the time (so much that I could not sustain my diets any more) -developed an intolerance to dairy, eggs and other food and a really low intestinal movement wich made me constipated so much that I was bloated ALL the time. So....Most of the last 2 years I've avoided alcohol, sugar and baked or processed foods (besides quest bars and protein shakes)... And it's been impossible for me until now to sustain a fit look, every time I binge back it's worse. I'm used to excersice 6 to 7 days a week combining intense or heavy weights with hiit with cardio. I stoped the weight for the last 2 months and got into a vegan diet combined with 5 to 6 days of intense cardio after my last binge... Because I even stoped enjoying the gym... But now with starting the whole 30 I came back again and I'm really over that, I'm enjoying the weight a lot again... (My last competition was this March 2016) From January 2015 until now I lost 15 pounds in 10 months, gained them back in 2 months, lost them again in 10 weeks and gained even more in the following 4 months (going up and down in this last 4 and ending up where I'm now, worse than Jan 2015... And really confused) my height is just 1.57 m so weight is easy to be noticed in my height. I love nutrition and to learn but right now I'm overwhelmed with learning and nothing seems to be a sustainable way to eat, feel and look good. I either feel or look, never both... So, I don't know if I'm eating too much although I'm following the template and I'm eating just 3 times plus post workout, I've been sleeping 7 to 8 hours, I always drink water, I retired from work young (I'm 32 years young) so I'm not stressed or running and I'm reading the book for the second time....I'm freaked out because I really don't know how to be healthier or if I even don't want to be and prefer to be fit... Because it seems not possible to me to do both. Id really appreciate your support, I don't know if I'm a weird case but I do feel like I need help to figure this out... Thank you

After having my first successful run with Whole30 in January, I have encouraged my family to try it with me starting the day after Mother's Day! DH is finally onboard and ready to commit. DS is willing to give it a go, but a little scared, especially the thought of having to commit to 30 days (he did a 7 day sugar/gluten cleanse when I started my W30 in Jan). My main reason for pursuing this with my family is to alleviate some symptoms I've noticed in my son's health (low energy, weight gain, moodiness, mild gluten allergy, dairy intolerance, not hungry in the a.m., adult-sized appetite). Aside from the usual advice about reading the Whole9 literature about Kids doing the program, I would love some general tips and tricks from those of you that have had success with Kids' Whole30 or are in the process right now. Is there a mantra that helped you guide your kids through the program? A kid-friendly recipe website you couldn't live without? Did you modify the program at all for your kids? How did you explain the program to your kids to motivate and educate them? How did you manage slip ups? Any other words of wisdom to help with a 9 year old? Any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated!!

I SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED MY FIRST WHOLE30!!! (kind of) I say "kind of" because I did complete it. No slip ups, No cheating, No sugar, dairy, grains, legumes, or alcohol of any kind. On day 31 I was feeling so great!!! 7 pounds and 11 inches down, and an endless list of Non-Scale Victories were mine! However, Half way through my re-introduction I fell off the wagon, and HARD. I went to a family baby shower and I did not hold back. My plan was to indulge during the shower, then go Whole30 for a week, then continue my re-introduction (all I had left to re-introduce was dairy and gluten grains). So on day 38, I completely -voluntarily- ruined the re-introduction process. I actually didn't feel SUPER terrible the next day (just bloated and a tad guilty). So I figured it wasn't a huge deal. Fast forward almost two months Post-Whole30 and here I am... Sugar Dragon extremely awake, food ruling my life, and all 7 pounds and 11 inches back (if not more.. I'm scared to look. EEK!) Lesson Learned: The sugar and overcarbsumption slope is a VERY slippery one. I don't think my Whole30 was for nothing. I have learned SO MUCH through It Starts With Food and the Whole30 book. I still restrict myself sometimes (a little bit every day, a Whole30 approved recipe here and there, buying organic), but I gained ALL my weight along with other health problems back in the same time it took me to lose it! The Whole30 was the hardest thing mentally I've done in my entire life, and I'm extremely disappointed in myself for letting this happen. I gained all my weight back after a loss for the umpteenth time. Basically, what is a happy medium between COMPLETE RESTRICTION and eating WHENEVER, WHATEVER? I don't believe it is possible for me personally to cut out dairy, legumes, alcohol, sugar, and grains forever. I'm trying to change my life. Lose weight and keep it off for good. What worked for you? Is anyone else struggling with post-whole30 weight gain? Any advice would be appreciated and helpful!

Hi there, I have just completed my very first Whole30. I am extremely proud of myself for completing it. I was eating semi-Paleo before and before that was "low-carb" for years but never took the deep dive to try heal my body and really focus on getting all the rights foods in; it was always about eliminating the wrong foods. I was SO excited to start. I listened to It Starts with Food on Audible, read the Whole30 and stocked my pantry. I was confident it was going to be pretty easy for me as I love meat and vegetables and I love to cook. The Whole30 was pretty easy despite a few cravings here and there. I discovered amazing new recipes that I now like more than their non-Whole30 compliant versions and I realized I can live without dairy. Unfortunately, I have not gotten any of the other benefits that was described in the book; no boundless energy, in fact I was plagued with fatigue almost the whole time, no amazing skin and, to make it all so much more disappointing, I did not lose a single pound. I could have cried; actually I did. I know the Whole30 lifestyle is not a diet but I really needed it to help me lose weight. I was truly hoping this way of eating was my answer to overcoming years of body abuse, body shaming, yo-yo (sometimes extreme) dieting and basic hatred of my body. I followed it to a T. I did overindulge in unsweetened banana chips a few days in a row back in week 2 when I quickly realized what I was using them for and threw the bag out. I have had NO sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes or dairy for 30 whole days...if you don't count several dreams about ice cream I kept my fruit consumption to 20-25 berries 1-3 days a week and only had 2 sweet potatoes, 1 acorn squash and 1/2 butternut throughout the 30 days. I measured nothing else except eyeballing palm size this and thumb size this. I overcame my original fear of fat and added coconut oil to cook in and made amazing mashed cauliflower with cream of coconut. I exercised 3 days a week mixing weight training and walking. I am 5'6" and 180 pounds. I am a large framed woman with a curvy body type. I'm lucky to have a flat-ish stomach but I carry the all those extra lbs on my hips, thighs and arms. I am so sick of not fitting in my clothes. I am so sick of seeing my reflection in a window as I walk by and hating what I see. I have about 20 lbs that I should lose to be in a normal weight range for my body but the weight will not bulge. I am so unhappy. Now that I have completed my 30 days, I was hoping there was some advice you could give me to help along my weight loss. I know I wasn't supposed to count calories on the Whole30 but should I start now? Do you have any recommendations or advice? I am going to keep going and try for Whole60 and see what happens but I wanted to see if you could give me some words of encouragement or advice that will help me move toward reaching my goal. I appreciate you taking the time to read my post today. Sample meal plan: B: 3 eggs cooked in ghee with mushrooms and spinach. 3 cups black coffee L: can of tuna with 2 tbsp primal mayo and 3+ cups salad, olives, 1/4-1/2 avocado, balsamic vinegar and olive oil (sub protein with chicken salad or grilled chicken). Sometimes a handful of blueberries. D: large protein serving (beef, chicken, salmon, pot roast etc.) cooked in coconut oil or ghee and 2 heaping servings of vegetables. Plenty of water - 80+ ounces/day If I had a snack (rarely): handful of macadamia nuts or whole30 compliant beef stick Thanks again!