I know it's been said over and over

[tinman57]

I know it's been said over and over and over again but I felt compelled to say it here as well as everywhere else in the known Universe.

 

I really REALLY appreciate the fact that this book takes "Paleo" to another level.  I love Robb Wolf and Mark Sisson but I am not a debater nor am I a nutritional anthropologist or what not.  I'm a former art historian turned computer nerd.  And I'm old.  I would prefer not to have to defend my choices to people within the context of "Well, yeah but we haven't evolved that much in 10-40,000 years.  Take you for example."  It just tends to get contentious after that.

 

I like the fact that the concentration is on why we should or should not eat food and not on various fun puns about Fred Flintstone and brontosaurus burgers.

 

Thank you very much for this book and this program and the support you provide those of us who want to follow it.

Ya done good.

[beachchica]

I agree. There is no debating the nutritional value of this program. And even though I personally subscribe to what Mark Sisson has to say, there are others who balk at his conclusions, and some cans of worms just don't need to be opened at every single meal. I guess that's why I am sometimes taken aback when someone accuses me of being on the "caveman diet."

1. I don't eat this way because our ancestors ate this way. I eat this way because it's healthy.

2. It's not a diet in the sense of a short-term fix to lose weight. It's a long-term plan for life-long health.

[tinman57]

Agreed!  I had a conversation with a Jazzercise instructor who started off the conversation by saying to me "You have chicken legs and a round body" (not an auspicious start).  I smiled and said "Well, I've lost 23 pounds now but I still have another 20 at least."

 

"Gee," she says. "How did you do that?"

 

"Er, um," say I. "Well I guess I do primal or paleo."

 

"What's that?"

 

I said, "Well, it's really excellent protein, dynamite fat, lots of veggies and some reasonable amount of fruit.  Of course I exercise.  Have to, you know.  I have a lot of energy!"

 

Of all that, the only thing upon which she could comment was "What, no breads or pasta?"

 

I didn't stick around to tell her I hadn't taken an allergy pill for 6 or 7 months.  Or that my moodiness was gone.  Or  . . . well -- you all know the rest.  I cut my losses because, in addition to being antihistamine free, my mental acuity has increased.

 

The conversation died a merciful death.

[Ravin]

I'lo be honest, I'm going into this as a skeptic. I want to do the whole30 so that I can see for myself what Neolithic and industrial foods actually have a negative impact on me personally. I will be able to do that by careful reintroduction after the whole30 is over.

[Kirsteen]

I'lo be honest, I'm going into this as a skeptic. I want to do the whole30 so that I can see for myself what Neolithic and industrial foods actually have a negative impact on me personally. I will be able to do that by careful reintroduction after the whole30 is over.

 

I think that's an absolutely brilliant attitude to have. I've always wanted to know the science behind everything but, at the end of the day, it's how it actually affects me that really counts. Good luck

[tinman57]

I agree. There's nothing wrong with a healthy skepticism. I'm not a scientist but I can at least gauge my own, and only my own results!

[beachchica]

I think being a skeptic (aka scientist) is healthy and will only strengthen your Whole30 results. When I slip and eat something I shouldn't, and I feel bloated and sick for hours after, I actually value that feedback. It strengthens my resolve to continue eating Whole30-approved foods, reminding me why I'm doing this in the first place. This isn't about what foods I can't eat. It's about what foods make me healthier, allowing me to enjoy the best life possible.

[Miriam]

I'm almost to the end of my first Whole 30 and I really value what I have been doing here.  I need to do some tests in September of some foods for me personally, as I develop my own paleo-ish plan.  But for 25 days now I have known that I was eating paleo food and I could observe my changes. 

 

Sleep improvements, massive.  Feeling better and happier for no reason.  Not needing my emergency asthma inhaler, even in situations that usually trigger.  Digestion improvements.  Smoother skin. Smaller pants (from my closet, in the back!  Although I gave up and bought new bras yesterday.  Would you believe 4 inches smaller in the band size?  But that's probably from the last few months of eating healthier and not just these 25 days.).  A new confidence as my cravings (although not totally gone) take a back seat to the rest of my life.  More vegetables than I have ever eaten in my entire life (even when vegetarian). 

 

I'm so happy, and now I'm off to blanch and freeze kale and chard and cook meat...

[Hans Guerin]

After a whole 30, eating "conventional fare" makes you feel sick. My Wife and I had pizza delivery after eating clean for a long time and we both had headaches and both of our hearts were racing. I can't recall If we had that reaction from it before figuring our how to eat.  I heard a good analogy on that. Think of a muddy puddle; add more mud and you don't notice much change. If you are in clear, clean water and add mud; you really see it. 

[Ilovefat]

Great analogy, Hans!!

[tinman57]

Hans, that is terrific.

 

Just so everyone knows: I had to restart my Whole30 yet again.  Sheesh.  It's a wonder I keep restarting.  On the one hand bad for me but on the other hand, clearly I believe there's something to this way of eating that I keep coming back to it and reading it like a thirsty man in the desert.

[beachchica]

tinman57: I too had to restart. No shame in that. There's a reason sugar is so hard to ditch- it messes with our brain chemistry. Just keep coming back every time- even a few days of really clean eating is better than the alternative

 

Hans: Love the analogy of the muddy puddle. It's so true. My husband, who hasn't read "It Starts with Food" noticed that I felt really ill after eating something processed the other day. He said, "So, the Whole30 makes you weaker then." He had a sly smile on his face- I think he was prodding me, trying to get me going for some reason Anyway, I gently (or kind of gently) reminded him that my body is just more aware now of how foods are impacting it. That I probably had all those internal reactions all along, but now I'm aware of them and can do something about it. That got him thinking ... and then he ate some bread. Oh well- the proof is in the pudding. When he continues to see how much better I feel and look, he'll try it too. Plus, I'm the cook in the family, so he pretty much has to eat what I make

[lisawhip]

I so hear everyone on the arguing the science behind whatever our prehistoric ancestors ate--"YEAH THEY WERE SKINNY BECAUSE THEY RAN AROUND SO MUCH AFTER MAMMOTHS ALSO THEY SO TOTALLY ATE GRAINS SO IN YOUR FACE." I usually just shut it down by saying, "I don't give a **** about the prehistoric ancestors. I eat this way because when I do, my eczema disappears and I stop tooting all the time."

 

I have a doctor friend who was all concerned because he thought I wouldn't get any fiber. And I'm all "seriously? Um, fruits and vegetables?" Turns out he thought it was just Atkins without dairy.

[Fenderbender]

I get such a laugh when people freak out over the fact that 99% of the time I don't eat bread or grains and that includes alcohol . I just plain ole feel like crap when ever I eat grains.... Rice and oatmeal are very mild as far as inflammation for me goes, but that's the worse because it sneaks up on me.

Nobody ever freaks out if someone says they don't eat vegetables because they don't like the taste!!!

I love sushi , I love a bagel, but I choose not to eat them most of the time because its like putting water in my high octane gas tank....

[tinman57]

My husband, bless his heart, has adapted both his meat balls and his marinara sauce in order to feed me correctly (he's mostly retired so he does week day cooking).  He is the first one to feel the brunt when I'm off-paleo.  My mood becomes Ugly.  Seriously Ugly.

 

I just got the "Well Fed" book today.  Maybe he'll take a look.  Haha hahahahahahahaahah.  This is a man who doesn't use recipes.

[lexes42]

My BF doesn't use recipes either... but I tell him stuff from the Well Fed cookbook... he likes to look at cookbooks away from the kitchen!  It's a great 'male' cookbook actually because it is so meat focused!