My Whole30

[reptileink]

It's been an awesome 30 days doing the "Whole30" challenge. I am proud to say that I stuck to the plan 99.9% only really "cheating" in the last week when sick (toast, Cherrios) and yesterday when I had a couple crumbles of feta in my salad and then cheese, small dab of mayo and a wrap last night with my steak/onion/mushrooms. I have "re-wired" my body to no longer crave sugary snacks, and I have zero plans to ever walk into a fast food restaurant again. Milk/cream will most likely stay out of my diet but small amounts of cheese might stay. Breads are pretty much out aside from maybe a wrap here and there. I think even alcohol is going to be very limited for me, which is a big deal because I am a HUGE fan of microbrews. I have not had coffee now for 8 straight days and I am not even craving a coffee. My body feels great! I have NO bloating, less joint pain, less "gas" issues, I barely even burp anymore..lol. I have more energy, feel more alert, and am able to hop out of bed most days not feeling tired. I have done a lot of abuse to my body in the past 10 years or so, and it's taken me this long to get really serious about it. One month ago, my doctor gave me a goal to lose 10 lbs by today (my first official appointment with the new doc).

And now the moment you are all waiting for!!!!

Today was my first weigh in since April 1st. I am proud to say, I have lost a total of 21 lbs!!!!!! Still a long way to go, but to drop that weight in one month has given me inspiration to keep going and now start to add physical workouts.

 

One of the biggest differences is my blood pressure. Along with meds, I was able to lower my BP to a normal number. I visited my doctor's office on May 1st, and he wants me to do another Whole30, but now add lifting weights to my regimine.  I did allow myself an ice cream cone on Sunday, and pizza Saturday night, but neither of them has spurred any "wantings" further than the meal. I am doing a "light" Whole30 this week. I will abide on all fronts except this Wednesday when my wife and I will go out to lunch for our 9 year anniversary, and then I have my niece's birthday on Saturday and Mother's Day Sunday. However, the following Monday I am going to do another 30. It's not going to be much different than what I am doing now/have done, but back to the strictness.

 

Not going to lie, I am scared of life after Whole30, but I am enjoying eating and more importantly, FEELING this way much more than a quick fix from a Butterfinger bar...lol

 

Oh, and I just ordered "It starts with food", so I am looking forward to reading that.
 

[ladyshanny]

Congratulations on your results!  

 

Forgive me for pointing out the hard truth though, there is no such thing as a "light" Whole30.  There is Whole30 as written and there is whatever you choose to do.  Unfortunately you did not actually complete a Whole30 with the various off plan choices that you made.  Certainly it may be better than what you were experiencing prior to attempting the program but I would really and truly encourage you to do a Whole30 exactly as written.  The psychological benefits and learning that comes from truly making the commitment to stick with it at all costs is life changing.

 

Regardless though, congratulations on achieving your goal!

[reptileink]

I understand what you are saying, but when you are tied to a toilet for 4 days straight, chicken breast isn't going settle a stomach. I had the cheese on the last day of the Whole 30, and the toast was about day 27, so I feel I did a great job considering I ate mostly processed foods and fast food for many meals (sometimes more than once a day).

[reptileink]

Thanks for pointing out my faults though

[ladyshanny]

I apologize that you feel that I was pointing out your faults.  Without doubt it would seem that you are night and day difference from your past behaviours and those that you are currently adopting.  However, we are very clear and very specific about what constitutes a Whole30 and what does not.  At its core the Whole30 is an elimination program designed to tell you how various foods affect your body.  Without a 30 day clean slate, you cannot know this information.  Further, when we have new people coming on board and reading around the forum it is important that they understand that while you did a complete about-face within your own life, which is commendable, including things like cheese or wraps or commercial mayonnaise is not a successful Whole30.  

 

And finally, we do not place virtue, respect or value upon foods.  The fact that you chose off plan foods for whatever reason, sickness, desire, personal choice, whatever, is not a fault in you as a human being.  It was a choice that you made.  That's all.

 

I'd also like to add that it is entirely possible to stay compliant on Whole30 even with a multi-day stomach bug; we have folks doing it right this moment as a matter of fact.  We generally don't recommend putting irritating foods into an already irritated system.  If you ever are looking to complete the Whole30 as written and end up getting sick, bone broth, sweet potatoes, tea with ginger are just a few options that are all excellent for stomach upset.

[reptileink]

ok, please delete this then, I guess I am not a success story. Thanks for enlightening me.

[AmyS]

OK champ, since it looks like you're new around here, lemme tell ya how it goes 'round these parts.

 

You remember those Rocky movies from back in the day? Well, turns out, YOU'RE Rocky. I know, impressive.

 

Now we, the moderators, are the coach. Old, grouchy, given to wearing gray sweats and grumbling about everything while encouraging on the sly (well, that's me, other moderators may be more stylish).

 

In the ring with you is a series of increasingly weird and aggressive opponents - high blood pressure, your sugar dragon, junk food addiction, inactivity, etc.

 

So you had a great first round. Excellent! You come over to check in with your coaching team in the corner. Here we are. You get a few squirts of water in your mouth, you get toweled off, someone puts some Bactine on the rope burns you got on your back when your opponent (stomach flu) threw you around a little.

 

Now we're all giving you advice for the next round, because the opponent you face next is that weird Soviet guy with the blond buzz cut and the jaw of iron. If you wanna bring down the entire Union of Soviet Bad Health Republics (and we assume you do or you wouldn't have done all of this training or gone this first round with him), we're gonna tell you stuff you gotta do as soon as you take a step back in the ring.

 

So here are a few more squirts of water, here's another toweling off, and let's see you stand up and bounce around. Pupils dilating normally? No broken bones? Bam! In goes the mouth guard, and with a few more shouted words of advice, we give you a hefty smack on the back and send you back in the ring.

 

Eye of the Tiger, my brother. Eye of the Tiger. You got this. Back in the action with you, off you go! Come back here for more whenever you need it, and count on us to tell you the stuff you need to hear so you can make that weird buzz-cut guy go down, down, down. Got it? Good. Now get back in there.

[SugarcubeOD]

ok, please delete this then, I guess I am not a success story. Thanks for enlightening me.

 

Slow down... success is defined by whether or not you met your goals.  It sounds like you did and that you've completely overhauled your way of eating and your food lifestyle.  The rules as to what defines a Whole30 are very strict and no one gets a break... that's the 'tough love' part that Melissa Hartwig talks about all the time and the beautiful thing about Whole30... 

[jrm85]

Yikes that was unfairly rough. You did amazing and are the perfect success story. You're health is better and you feel great that is all that matters. I'm an emotional eater so the last thing I would need is non encouragement when I need it most to stay on track. Good luck with life after whole30 make yourself proud ☺️

[SarahRoseyCheeks]

Yikes that was unfairly rough. You did amazing and are the perfect success story. You're health is better and you feel great that is all that matters. 

 

I'm sorry, but I really don't feel that was unfair or rough. They definitely did do an amazing job. Anyone who takes on this challenge should be commended for making it all the way through. That being said while I do feel this is a success story given the monumental achievements it is not a perfect story. Yes there were some detours and yes the rules are set and strict for the good of those participating. As someone still fairly new to this (24 days in) I have to appreciate the moderators and their ability to impart the tough love aspect of this. If you come in to this new and read about a success where someone detoured on day 27, you will feel it's ok to do so and therefore compromise your own whole 30 success. I think it is great that you're going for another round and I hope you meet more non-scale victories and other set goals. Good luck and great job! 

[AuntJane]

Well said, SarahRoseyCheeks.  I appreciate that Whole30 doesn't just tell you no cheating, they tell you why there is no cheating.  It's not like the only thing at stake is a potential weight loss, like on WW.  I could cheat on WW every week and still lose weight.  That's not the point of Whole30. 

[Carrots&Blueberries]

I'm sorry, but I really don't feel that was unfair or rough.

I agree! The clarity of W30 is a lot of what makes it such an amazing tool for us, and the tough love of the moderators is an incredible blessing. Doing a different program is fine, using some of the ISWF principles and making it yours is fine - but that's not Whole30. W30 is what it is, and we can't apply that name to our own personal variations.

 

ReptileInk, I hope you stay with it and that you love reading ISWF, which I think will clear up a lot of the confusion. Congratulations on such wonderful progress so far. I think an update after you've completed a W30 would be a terrific addition to the success stories! Best wishes to you -

[bmob]

Congrats! Sounds like you had a lot of non-scale victories in addition to your impressive scale victory! Keeping doing what you are doing! It is a struggle daily, I know this firsthand. I think reading both books does help alot. I also watched some documentaries on the effect that terrible eating has on us on netflix on a day that was particularly hard for me. Coming here for support is great! Strength in numbers! Nice to get advice from those who have gone before us.