Life changing? Not sure...

[cmccoy]

I've been spending a lot of time on these forums the last couple of days.  I just wanted to see what kind of experience everyone else has been having, and a constant trend I've been noticing is that many people "breeze" through their first Whole 30 but then their cravings and habits become worse than before and they have trouble getting very far in their 2nd attempt...

 

If this program actually changed lives then why would they be so adamant to jump back into their old bad habits? This concerns me greatly because the main reason I started this was to develop life long habits, and a lifestyle change.  If I'm going to regress once the 30 days are over then I'm not sure I want to finish this.  My husband is a firm believer in not making 180 degree changes and he'd much prefer I cut out things one at a time...first grains...then dairy...etc. in a very slow process.  I"m wondering if I should take his advice instead?  The last thing I want to do is become even more carb-dependent than I was in the past.  Thoughts?

[Physibeth]

The only one who can determine if you return to your old habits after your 30 days are over is you. A lot of how easy that is depends on how you view your Whole30. Personally when I did my first Paleo challenge (from Practical Paleo - little less strict than W30) I said "it's just 30 days what do I have to lose" when I started, but once I saw everything I was gaining I changed my mindset to one of a permanent lifestyle change. I also have noted in some of these stories that along with a temporary diet mentality people wanted to do the program their way, didn't eat enough, etc. 

 

My advice is give it a shot. Commit to it entirely. Follow the meal template. Read the book. When your 30 days are up do careful introductions to determine what is and is not worth it. Read this article too: http://www.whole9life.com/2012/10/six-reasons-why-the-whole30-didnt-work-for-you/

 

I've been mostly Paleo since March now with one Whole30 under my belt. My introductions showed no major reactions so I enjoy some off plan foods when I deem it is worth it and/or special. As one blogger puts it 100% Paleo 80% of the time. Whether this is worth it for you or not cannot be determined until you try.

[GFChris]

How anyone does post-Whole30 is hard to predict. Sometimes 30 days is enough, sometimes people need to stay on longer to slay their sugar or bad carb dragon.

 

When you do a proper reintro, then you can decide how you want to eat going forward. Some folks do just fine riding their own bike, others slip back into unhealthy eating habits.

 

A lot, I believe, depends on what you ate like pre-Whole30, the results you get when you complete a Whole30,  and the ability and environment you have to continue to support you eating this way.

[Tallulah Wolf-Angel]

Sometimes it takes longer than 30 days to get the new lifestyle to stick. Finding your balance after Whole30 can be challenging, and everyone's experience is different. Just because some people find themselves falling back in their old routines doesn't mean you will. I did 90 days on strict AIP, and have continued 2 more months about 95% Whole30-compliant. I have loosened up just a bit, and that opens me up to old habits creeping in, especially my sugar dragon, which is still alive and kicking. But so far I am being strong, and for every day I feel tempted, I have multiple days of feeling SO MUCH BETTER that it continues to be worth the effort. If it's worth the effort for you, you will do it! You won't change until you're ready, and only you will know when that is.

[jent103]

Aside from what the others have said - I think it also depends on how you view the Whole30 in general and your Whole30 in particular. The people who do it with the deepest intentions of the Whole30 - including getting to a healthy relationship with food, resetting hunger hormones and that kind of thing - seem to stick with the concepts for the long haul more often. The people who do it to resolve a certain issue - say, eczema or arthritis or acne - might figure out that it's really gluten or dairy that triggers them, and will keep that item out but add in others pretty regularly. (I have one friend who's taking this view, but has also said that doing it has caused her to realize how unbalanced some of her meals were and adjust that. So even if you have a short-term mentality, there can be benefits!) The people who are in it mainly for weight loss or do everything they can to be technically compliant (lots of Lara bars, for example) are often the ones who rebound, I think.

 

My experience is similar to Bethany's. I kind of went 2/3 Paleo for a month before my Whole30, but begrudgingly realized I needed to go whole hog for a few reasons. I didn't lose 15 pounds or have dramatic results, but I feel good enough that since the end of my Whole30, I stick to a lot: I still keep everything I cook for myself compliant (and I cook a lot more); I eat a much bigger and more satisfying breakfast; I rarely snack; I often choose different dishes at restaurants than I did before, even if they still include some off-plan ingredients like sugar in a dressing or soy sauce in a marinade. And sometimes I eat totally off-plan things because they're delicious and I miss them, or I'm in a situation with few choices. For me, going gradual left me too much room to "cheat" and not see how good I would feel with everything gone. I know the general idea is not to say "I eat 80% Paleo" or whatever, but if I had to guess I'd say I eat 85-90% Whole30-ish, without giving the third degree to restaurant staff about what they grill their steak with. If you're in it to change your habits and are committed to it, your likelihood of success is good!

[pjena]

Also, if you are concerned that some foods negatively impact you, the fastest way to find out is to cut them all out right away and see if you feel better.  If you cut out one at a time, you might not find out for a long time which foods impact you because it might be more than one food. 

[faulknerhorn]

It's pretty clear in the outline that 30 is the base minimum " some people do a whole 60 or 90" to clear their cravings. If you're coming to the end of your 30 and stoked on eating a cupcake, chances are you're not there yet? That's my understanding anyway. Don't loose heart. It's your whole whatever, you'll make it what you want. Nothing's magic.

[tdugmen]

I was primal (paleo+dairy) before I did my first Whole30. I'm on day 8 of my second now (first one was in may/june). I won't say that it totally change my life, but it has helped me to identify some problems (I.E. my breakfasts were too tiny and my habit of munching fruit during the morning to compensate for it won't be enough when the cold starts and the body starts calling for something that would stick to the ribs). I'm starting my second one to reinforce that. When I'm not in a Whole30 I might have something non compliant at all with any of this lifestyle currents (like a piece of cake) but I make sure 1. it's a really special ocasion and 2. is homemade. Just a year ago I could eat industrial pastries like if there was no tomorrow, so it's a huge improvement. And I go back to eating "clean". I didn't lose a lot of weight on my first one (maybe 2 kilos?) and I don't think I'm losing it now, but that was not my main focus.

 

What I'm trying to say is that, yes, this can help to identify your problems with certain foods or with food in general... once you have that information, it's up to you to actually do something about it. 

[melbournegirl]

I have completely changed my view of processed foods. In the year or so I have been pretty much following whole30 I have had a week here or there offroading or a couple of pig outs on work sweets which I always regret but I no longer see these foods as real foods that are part of my diet, just blips along the way so the change is definitely enduring even if not 100% all the time.

[Zoodles]

For me, once I'd completed my first Whole30 and come out the other end feeling great, my logic seemed to be that all the other foods were therefore bad nasty foods that did terrible things to my body. So then I fell into all or nothing thinking.

 

Unfortunately, we are going to have to deal with, and probably eat those foods at some point in our lives again post W30. They're everywhere, and a lot of them are pretty delicious. So what I found hard is being able to eat a little of these foods once in a while without spiralling into thinking I'd done something terrible and so I may as well just write off the rest of the day and start afresh again the next day. And that one day of gluten/carb/sugar bingeing would lead to more cravings and then eventually after several months, I'd got myself into some pretty bad eating patterns.

 

The 2nd Whole30 is always harder because you kind of know what to expect. You already know whether gluten/dairy etc seriously affects you, and if it doesn't, it's easy to think "a little bit won't hurt". The first time around because you don't know what the results will be, the experiment is more fun.

 

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with W30, and it will make you feel much better (well most people do). W30 helps you work out what you can get away with and what you absolutely can't, and also how good it's possible for you to feel. The learning how to eat in a healthy but sustainable way for the rest of your life bit is the hard part. I'm working on that now.

[Physibeth]

Zoodles touched on another important aspect of Whole30 that I think greatly effects your post-W30 attitude. For me taking the morality out of my food choices was key to post-W30 success. I try not to use the words "good" and "bad" applied to me personally based on my food choices anymore. When the choice I make no longer determines whether I am a good or bad person than it loses some of its power over me. There is no longer rebellion attached to it. I can eat whatever I want! Anything! My choice may or may not be healthy but it doesn't impact my self worth. That allows me to eat say a pint of gelato and know afterwards it was probably not the healthiest choice I could make but not trigger a spiral either.

[megR]

If you are looking at it as a lifestyle change, you can make it a lifestyle change. If you are looking at it as a 30 day diet, I think that is what it will be.

As far doing the 180 in cutting out food groups... This was actually much easier than I anticipated (and easier than with other eating programs I have used). I personally find that "cutting back" takes alot of discipline and "won't" power. Once I was past the carb-flu, my cravings and stress related eating really went down, and it was much easier to pass on non-compliant food.

I am on day 31. It took me 71 days to put together 30 straight that I was pleased with. My sugar dragon is not dead yet, so I am going to continue on plan until I feel I have put a stake through it's heart!

My experience has been this is a great BEGINNING to a lifestyle change, but I am the one who must make the effort to continue down this path. Trust me, nobody at my house is going to make homemade mayo or read every lable in the deli department FOR me. I am going to keep doing it FOR me because I feel WELL.

[megR]

Great post, btw.