When to start 2nd Whole30 program

[cwright]

This question is for anyone who has continued his or her Whole30 program longer than 30 days… (I tried to find an appropriate board to post this on and this is the best I could come up with)

 

I'm on day 26 and while I feel good, I haven't exactly had the life changing results I'm hoping for. For example- weight loss. I'm 5 foot 8 inches and started the program at 154lbs. Is there a "typical" weight loss/ anyone in my similar situation out there? I can tell my clothes are looser and I'm excited about that, but I expected more. I have followed the program without any cheats of any kind, but I do know that I love my fruit (always loved fruit- not necessairly a sugar-craving-replacement thing). I really only have vegetables at lunch and dinner and I get bored with them very easily. I'm committed to doing another round of whole30, but not sure when to start. Do y'all recommend I start right away? Like October 1 is a brand new day 1/ day 31? Or do you think by waiting a week or two I will be ok and not drastically put myself behind? I'm not craving anything crazy. Honestly I just want a slice of pizza, bowl of spaghetti, and scoop of peanut butter with my apple slices then I'll be back and ready for round 2. Other than that I don't really have cravings or even find my “old†food appetizing.

 

I do have company coming into town and a wedding to attend in the first 2 weeks of October… if that sways anyone one way or another.

 

I could use your advice. Thanks guys!

[amberino21]

I did a whole 60, just because. I already ate pretty healthily before starting my whole 30, and didn't have to change a lot, but was enjoying the freedom of the program and the food. I didn't feel ready to reintro anything at day 30 so just continued.

 

the whole 30 isn't a weight loss program. many people do experience weight loss, but that's not the plan. there are so many factors that would determine how much weight someone may or may not lose. Weight is somewhat irrelevant to body composition, and as you stated you've lost size. that's important! you may be close to a healthy size for your height. whether you love and appreciate your body at that size is a different subject.

 

have you experienced any other benefits? I found I slept a lot better, had more consistent energy throughout the day, and was more satisfied with 3 meals a day than I was eating 6-7 times.

 

besides weight loss, what is your motivation for doing another whole 30? are you planning on doing a proper reintro?

you say you have no desire for your "old food", but want pizza, spaghetti, and peanut butter. Many people find that just jumping back in to their old favourites leads to more poor choices.

 

I suppose I see the whole 30 as something that leads to a lifestyle. learning to want to make better choices because of how you feel when you do (or how you feel when you don't). it's something you do for good health. Sometimes food that makes us less healthy is worth it....pizza, spaghetti and peanut butter isn't, IMO, special enough, or worth the sacrifice! having guests or a wedding isn't going to stop you staying compliant - unless you let them. you make the choice about what you put in your mouth.

 

At the end of the day, you need to work out why you're doing a whole 30 and whether you need to continue to experience the benefits or to overcome any issues you're having.

[HeatherM]

cwright, I'm 5' 9" and weighed about 15lbs more than you when I started.  I'm on day 26 and I don't feel like I've lost a significant amount of weight.  I do feel like my digestive system has worked hard to repair itself as I've had extreme bloating and discomfort for pretty much the past 2 weeks.  I'm continuing on past Day 30 for 2 reasons:

 

1.  My digestive system is still healing and needs a bit more time before I start reintroducing potential irritants.

2.  The only thing I still have consistent cravings for is wine and cheese.  I would like it if this craving would subside a little more before reintroducing the source.

 

Things I am noticing:

1. My wedding band is really loose.  I know that I had bad issues with fluid retention before starting the program and that's where I'd feel it most so I'm thinking that I have fluid retention under control.
2. My acne (which I was told was hormone related) is almost completely cleared.  This makes me very happy and I hope it continues.
3. I'm content with 3 meals a day and I don't always think about food.  When I'm hungry I crave meat instead of chips or junk.
4. My moods are more consistent and I'm generally feeling more balanced and happy.

Things I need to see before I stop:

1. Significant weight loss.  I'm overweight and that needs to change.  I'm trying not to be fixated on a number but I feel like I should drop about 20 - 25lbs to be healthy.  If a higher number looks good in a lower size then I'll be happy with it but body composition has to change.
2. Reduction in cravings for wine and cheese.  I don't want my cravings to control me.  Whenever I find myself planning for reintroduction of these items I feel like I need to add more time.

 

One of the great things about Whole 30 is that you can tune it to fit your expectations.  If you want to have a meal of pizza or spaghetti the Whole 9 lifestyle will afford you to do that through off roading.  If you feel like you are strong enough to have those one offs and not revert to your old lifestyle then I think the idea is that you are Whole 9 lifestyle ready.   If you find one meal turns into another and has a snowball effect I believe that you are supposed to go Whole 30 for 7 days or so to get things back on track.  You will still loose weight this way if you are carrying excess body fat.  It's not meant to be Whole 30 for life.

[HeatherM]

This may be helpful for you if you haven't seen it already:

 

http://whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Whole9's-Guide-to-Nutritional-Off-Roading.pdf

[lexes42]

One thing I found useful about take a few weeks between the next W30 is re-discovering how bad I felt before - particularly around moods, sleeping, cravings/snacking and bloated / puffiness.  I lost 6 pounds and mostly gained them back - and I can assure you that volume wise I was eating much MORE on W30.

 

If it's stressful for you to be on w30 for the wedding and hosting guests, I wouldn't do it.  I think it's useful to see how a few reintros affect you.

 

On the other hand, there's no need to reintro right away  if you don't feel like it.  You could wait to have a glass of wine (for example) until your special occasions.  I WOULD however carefully reintro dairy and grains before having wedding cake or reception food.  You don't want to end up sick because your system rejects them.  I became very.... um.... gassy in the reitntro... and I'm very glad I didn't have to wear a tight fitting dress and / or be out at a party!

 

Remember, the point really isn't to lose weight - especially when (as in your case) you don't have much to lose.   If you lost more than 5-9  pounds in 26 days I'd say you were retaining a LOT of water from something.  You're not going to 'be behind' or undo all the good things you did in the first 30 days.  But you may feel the effects of that first week again if you go off for a few weeks.