First Whole30....Starting July 1st!!

[ariana.sheridan]

Yea, I know that start day is a bit of a ways away....but I'm a planner, so I'm getting everything all set up (in my head at least) in advance. I'm also slowly eliminating things, then I'll do a "true" Whole30, and then slow reintroduction. Plus I'm a little OCD, so I like starting on the first of the month. 

 

My main dragon to put to sleep will be the sugar dragon. He's everywhere. So I think for me, this means no Larabars and little fruit. Probably some berries with breakfast, but that is likely to be it. I stopped drinking soda last October, and I'm working on doing tea with no sweetener at all. 

 

I'm a bit concerned with how I'm going to eat around workouts. I usually workout first thing in the morning on an empty stomach because that is what feels good for me. Any time I eat before working out, it makes me feel sick. My workouts generally start about 6:30 and go to 8 or 8:30 or so. And sometimes I pop in an extra workout later in the day. I'm not sure how I'm going to schedule meals. I know it's best to eat within the post-workout window. So I'll probably do breakfast about 9, lunch around 1-2, and dinner about 7. 

 

I am also trying to figure out what to do calorie-counting wise. I've been roughly counting--as in I know about how much I'm consuming daily and making sure to be at a deficit--since January and I've lost 5lbs/month. I don't want that to stop on whole30. I know that it isn't a weight loss program and that shouldn't be the focus. Is it still in the spirit of whole30 if I plan some things beforehand so I know a rough ballpark estimate of how much I'm consuming? My background is in Exercise Science and Nutrition...so no one is really going to get me to believe I can lose weight if I'm not at a deficit...but I think that will come naturally with eating whole, clean, healthy foods. 

 

I'm trying to get my mom and sister to do this with me (across the country) but I would love to find some other people who are starting in July!

[Tom Denham]

The Whole30 is a comprehensive approach to eating and you can't leave parts out and claim to have done a Whole30. It is much more than a specific menu. You have to give up counting calories to do a Whole30. If you plan your meals to be at a calorie deficit, you will not be doing a Whole30. 

 

When you follow our guidelines and eat enough to fully nourish your body, your hormones begin to work for you instead of against you. Your metabolism speeds up and you lose weight when you have weight to lose. Trying to game the system by counting calories and trying to stay at a deficit gets in the way. 

 

I suppose it was easy for me when I came to the Whole30 in 2010. I had never been on a diet and did not have strong opinions about how to lose weight. I was just frustrated that intense exercise was no longer removing fat from my body. A coach told me to try the Whole30 program, so I just did what the Hartwigs told me to do. It worked then and it still works now. 

 

We encourage trying to eat a bite before workouts - a few nuts or a single boiled egg. If you can't stand it, it is okay to exercise fasted. It is important to eat lean protein quickly after a workout. If you combine your post workout meal and breakfast, you will be skipping a meal. Post workout meals are meant to provide extra nutrition to cover the demands of a workout. It is a mistake to skip meals. Doing so keeps your metabolism from running as fast as is ideal. It is fine to eat a post workout meal and then eat another meal very soon afterwards. I sometimes eat a can of tuna immediately after a workout and then start preparing my lunch when I am working out mid-day. 

[ariana.sheridan]

So just to double check, my post-workout meal and breakfast can't be the same thing? Is there a section in ISWF I can reference for pre and post workout meals?

 

I'm not planning on counting calories during my 30 days. What I meant was planning a few meals ahead of time according to the meal template, and then seeing how much they were, just so I mentally know. And I would adjust during Whole30 based on how I feel...i.e. still hungry so I know to add more fat next time, etc. I've been operating at a deficit with 2 workouts/day, so I'm still consuming enough nutrition and I'm not worried about over-consuming or anything, I just want a general idea.

[SpinSpin]

One thing I would look at is keeping fruit out of breakfast and have it with a later meal. There have been several discussions about it and several people have found that eating fruit in the morning causes blood sugar spikes for them and hunger later in the day-- the snacking dragon basically. If I have fruit, it is as a component of a meal--a sprinkling of berries in a green salad, grapes in a chicken curry salad, mixed in with my protein and fat to keep that sugar hit at bay. Just something to think about! 

[Chellesdoingr8]

I started the Whole 30 on May 30.  This is Day 8 for me!  Yay!! 

 

I have tried everything from soup to nuts in regard to losing weight.  Now I have come to a point where I want to have energy, feel more positive and optimistic, while feeding my body wholesome and health foods.

 

No longer am I a slave to the calorie counting or weighing myself every single day!!  I trust this program and will let everyone know my results on Day 31.  I didn't measure myself, however, my clothes, along with the positive comments I am getting from friends and co-workers, is telling me something is working.

 

All I need to do now, is commit to an exercise plan

 

Cheers!!

 

Michelle

[jmcbn]

So just to double check, my post-workout meal and breakfast can't be the same thing? Is there a section in ISWF I can reference for pre and post workout meals?

 

I'm not planning on counting calories during my 30 days. What I meant was planning a few meals ahead of time according to the meal template, and then seeing how much they were, just so I mentally know. And I would adjust during Whole30 based on how I feel...i.e. still hungry so I know to add more fat next time, etc. I've been operating at a deficit with 2 workouts/day, so I'm still consuming enough nutrition and I'm not worried about over-consuming or anything, I just want a general idea.

If you work out then you get to add a preWO & postWO meal as a bonus.

Pre & Post WO meal options hae been discussed many times on the forums. The best way to search is via Google - type in Whole30 + your topic of choice & it should bring up any previous threads.

Pre WO you should aim for protein & fat, and post WO should be  protein & starchy carbs - avoid fruit both before and after.

As far as figuring out ahead of time how much meals are so you mentally know - forget this, just go by the meal template, and remember that the template is the minimum recommendation, so don't be afraid to eat more if you need it. You need to leave your old habits at the door and know that if what you're eating is keeping you satiated for 4-5 hrs then you're on the right track. If it's not then you need to eat more - that's all you need to know. Most people who come here from a background of calorie counting tend to under eat in the first days. 

[ariana.sheridan]

SpinSpin- thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind. I'm planning to only use fruit as a complement, like on salads and such. I usually have fruit whenever I have eggs because of the taste/texture and flavor balance. Hopefully I can get away from that.

 

Chelles & jmcbn- thank you for the tips! It's going to be difficult for me to not thinks about calories in amounts consumed and working at a deficit, but I won't plan meals based on counts and I'll try not to think on it. I'll keep in mind the undereating and try to pay attention to that as well. Breakfast, pre-WO and post-WO seem like a lot of food in a small time.

[jmcbn]

Breakfast, pre-WO and post-WO seem like a lot of food in a small time.

If you're working out for an hour & a half you will need the extra food. Pre we're talking as little as a hard boiled egg. Post we're talking maybe a few bites of chicken & a few bites of sweet potato immediately upon finishing, with meal one 45mins to an hour after that. Pre & Post WO's may not be necessary for WO's done later in the day as what you've eaten already during the day may carry you. The days I WO early in the day are most definitely the days I eat most - and I'm hungry for it.

What type of WO do you do?

 

[ariana.sheridan]

In the mornings I run or swim, in the afternoons I typically strength train (squats, deadlifts, cleans, etc).

[jmcbn]

You can play around with the pre & post for the swim as it's not so strenuous. For the run I'd say you may be okay with just a postWO, but be prepared to struggle with speed for the first two weeks or so as your body becomes fat adapted.

Re the afternoon sessions as I said before you'll probably be okay without a preWO provided it's not been a HUGE gap since your last meal, but with strength training I'd always opt for a postWO meal even if it's just a few bites (protein & starchy carbs - not fruit or fat) before showering, then followed up with a meal three a bit later on. Your body will thank for it.

[MeadowLily]

Ariana - remember if dieting and calorie counting worked so well, we would not see the forum filled with refugees from said dieting.   It doesn't work...at all.   If we do what we've always done, we'll get what we've always gotten. 

 

Many try to combine all of their former or current branded dieting tools and apps alongside Whole 30 rules.   That doesn't work either because it doesn't compute.

 

The best thing to do for sugar cravings is go Cold Turkey.  Melissa said so.  She's right.  Playing with sugar in increments doesn't usually work because it's like playing with fire.  For those of us who've been working on our health because of Diabetes,  we know that a calorie is not a calorie.    Branded diets have all kinds of 100 calorie snack packs but they do little for your satiety.   Proteins and Fats are the ticket to freedom from sugar cravings. 

[ariana.sheridan]

I suppose I'll just have to play around some with pre and post WO meals with the swim and run. It's just for fitness, not competition, so I'm not worried about time or speed. I tend to swim harder than a run, so I might add a postWO meal there.

 

Thanks for the sugar tip MeadowLily. I've had good success with no soda since October, and I'm doing better with no sweetener in my iced tea. I plan to stop sugar cold turkey once my whole30 stops...and I plan to not binge right before either. 

[CharlotteZ]

You gotta get out of this heavily managed diet mindset. It's not what the Whole30 is about. Don't count the calories and don't worry about deficits and compensation. Just follow the plan and you will be surprised at how easy it is once your body has the right fuel. It's not a weight loss plan but a way to live. And sugar is gone as pRt of the Whole30 so you'll already be through the "cold turkey" part. Take my advice based on personal experience. Don't start it up again. Sugar is the devil.