How do you do W30 long term? Do you?

[JustAMom]

I just finished my first W30 the weekend of mothers day and was very impressed with the results.

I have another 30ish pounds to lose. Also, I have tried a few things over the last week or so that we're verboten on W30, and they did not settle well or cause mood swings. Idk if I might have some gluten or dairy or idk what sensitivity or what. And it doesn't matter bc either way, I'd like to avoid the cause.

But doing the W30 was HARD and extremely time consuming. And I wasn't a purest following it even. I gave up milk and sugar in my coffee, but I use Kerrygold to make bulletproof coffee. And I use very small amounts of honey or agave in some recipes. I started my W30 by permitting high quality yogurt, but within a couple weeks I had no problem giving it up. Lastly, I have bought a couple things this week to sub for condiments I can't have, like coconut amigos for soy and I made a dessert with coconut milk. This is a BIG deal, because I really HATE coconut.

Does anyone stick to the W30 always? I'm thinking of sorta combining it with the No S philosophy that one day a week or a very special occassion, it's okay to splurge.

If you do W30 for life, how does that look like for you? Does your entire family do it? My dh is type one and needs more carbs than I have been having. And all my kids are beanpoles who eat like a black hole vacuum. Not only do I not know if I can afford to feed them W30, I don't know if I can feed them enough W30 to keep them fueled. So far, most of the time everyone has been eating the same as me, only more of it and they also have pasta, rice, or potatoes with it.

[CaseyD]

It took some time for me to fully accept, but I do eat a very strict paleo diet now. I have to because I have LOTS of food reactions (I think it is because I have an autoimmune issue). I've gotten to the point where I can't have eggs, shellfish, and nightshades, and have to really limit nuts and seeds because I react to these on top of the big ones - wheat, dairy, sugar, and soy. So, my diet now is literally a Whole30+autoimmune protocol. I'm getting over my negative mindset on this.

However, I don't think most people have to go that extreme. I think it's simply this: if you react to a food in any way, then that food doesn't belong in your diet. It is causing you harm every time you eat it (and maybe more so than you realize). To be clear, the Whole30 is a strict 30-day elimination diet. Usually, people who eat a paleo/primal diet full time will follow the principles of this clean eating protocol most of the time, but allow occasional use of foods like honey/maple syrup, sometimes corn products (like tortillas), sometimes dairy, sometimes rice, or other things that are less healthy to eat, but they don't react to, when the occasion is worth it. I'm hoping somebody will link the post about how to best make that determination in your thread.

As to how to afford this long term, that's where you have to start getting creative. To save money, my family buys bulk meat (as in quarter cow, etc...) from local farmers who raise pastured animals. If even that is too costly (or not an option for you), you can buy bulk of leaner cuts of conventional meat. Manager specials at grocery stores are also a great thing to run across for this. We get produce from a farmer's market and a Co-op. Some use a CSA. We don't buy organic produce because our food dollars are very limited and pastured meat is more important to me than organic produce. I get things like coconut oil off Amazon.com subscription service because that's the cheapest place I personally can find it. I also no longer make very many fancy paleo recipes that include a lot of nut flours or expensive paleo ingredients (coconut aminos cost a fortune around here) in order to save money.

Growing a garden is also a big way to save money. I am getting into canning and freezing stuff, which allows me to optimize what I grow. Sure, it's more work, but the more you do it, the faster you get at it and the more it just becomes a part of your daily life. Plus, I think self sustainability is an important thing for kids to learn, so put your kids to work! Honestly, the more "homemade" you get, the cheaper eating paleo becomes.

[MrsStick]

I am in the same boat with CaseyD. I no longer eat what bothers my system, and I eat what doesn't, although not all the time. Gluten, for example, makes me feel like I'm being stabbed. No gluten anymore (I'm sure there's been some cross contamination, but 99% clean). Corn tortillas, legumes, and dairy don't bother me, so I ate the taco dip a friend brought when we had game night at our house. I don't eat corn often, dairy I eat a max of one serving per day, and legumes are once a week, if that. Generally to use up the dried/frozen prepared beans in my house since I'm doing an intercontinental move in 3 months and can't ship any food...