megan722 Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 I did my first whole30 in January. I had great results on it. Lost about 8 lbs, felt great and really cut down on my insulin (I'm a type 1 diabetic on a pump). Unfortunately, I quickly spiraled down hill. I had convinced myself I could eat "mostly whole30" and really couldn't. Once I started eating off plan foods, I went right back to my old (bad) way of eating-although, I have not had 1 soda since January and still use coconut cream in my coffee instead of milk. I started my second whole30 last week. I feel great so far. I've learned how to make sure I'm actually eating enough so I don't want to snack and I'm filling up on veggies. I've also learned that saying no to food is ok. We went to the beach yesterday with friends. My husband just assummed I would go off plan since we were packing lunches and eating out. Instead, I packed hard boiled eggs, fruit, veggies and a trail mix of almonds, raisin and coconut flakes. I filled up on that and when we went to dinner, I ordered a lettuce wrapped burger with avocado and a side of fruit. I bypassed the milkshakes everyone else was having and honestly didn't miss it! So, I'm trying to figure out how to keep this up long term and I really feel like I can now BUT I don't feel like I can eat whole30 my WHOLE life. I don't think weekends off would work because I would quickly spiral. I'm wondering if anyone has just stuck to it the majority of the time with the rare slip if needed/desired? I'm thinking I can eat like this at home for sure (and I work from home so I'm mainly at home). The times I'm thinking I would slip are eating at friends house (happens occasionally-we are going to a coworkers house for dinner tonight and I have no idea what they are serving...I'm hoping I can stay on plan but we'll see), my kids bday (have to have a piece of the cake Grandma makes them!), holidays, and maybe the rare splurge. Will I continue to see the good effects I've seen if I eat this way? I don't want to give myself a cheat day each week because I KNOW I will go overboard then but I do want the permission to go off plan now and then. I'm just not sure how to go about it... I know for sure I will stay away from gluten (my blood sugars are amazing without it!) and dairy (horrific stomach issues with it). I don't consume much sugar anyway and plan on following the whole30 template for my meals. Has anyone succesfully stayed on whole30 about 90-95% of the time with good results? Thanks Megan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted August 4, 2015 Moderators Share Posted August 4, 2015 You might find this article on Riding Your Own Bike helpful, and this one on Nutritional Off Roading. It can definitely be a lot harder, not having rules to follow, so maybe using those articles, the information you've found out about how foods affect you through reintroductions, and reading through some of the Post-Whole30 logs here on the forum, you can come up with your rules. I do agree with you that having a designated cheat day, or saying you'll be W30 during the week, but the weekend is anything goes are both bad options that will leave you open to getting really out of control, unless you're a whole lot more disciplined than I am. Whatever you choose to do, don't beat yourself up if you're less than perfect. You're human, and you're working on overcoming a lifetime of eating habits -- it's going to take time, and it's not going to go in a nice straight line with no backtracking and no mistakes. As long as your overall trend is toward healthier eating, call it good and keep going. If you feel like you're really falling back into bad habits, maybe you need another Whole30, or at least a Whole7 or Whole15, just to kind of reset and refocus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 I did my first Whole30 over 2 years ago. What has evolved for me is that I pretty much keep Whole30 in my home, with the occasional quality dark chocolate and glass of red wine (significantly less of both since pre-Whole30). While dining out or at someone's home, while I'm militant about not eating gluten (been off it since 2006), if something unique and special has dairy, gluten-free grains or legumes, I'll loosen the reigns a bit on those other items. That situation might happen a couple times a month. That first Whole30 I lost 4.2 inches and 5 pounds. I did another Whole30 at the beginning of this year. With those two Whole30s and eating the way I do when I'm not Whole30'ing, I've lost and kept off 20 - 25 pounds total. Very happy where I'm at and feel like I found a way to eat for the rest of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinSpin Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 I am a type 1 diabetic, and I did my first whole30 just about 3 years ago (my anniversary is tomorrow *squee*) and I love how I feel eating this way. I stick pretty close to the plan, I don't do grains, rarely do dairy -- if I do, it is a touch of heavy cream or a spoonful of plain, full fat greek yogurt, I don't do beans or soy. I don't do cheat days. I do loosen up a bit if I am at a friends house, but they pretty much all know how I eat and are pretty good about having meals that I can enjoy-- hamburgers, and I just skip the bun and have the toppings -- things like that. My parents have gone paleo so it is all good there as well. I have dropped my insulin by quite a bit -- I do injections -- Humalog before meals, Levemir once a day before bed. I have been able to drop that from 100 units a day to 40, and my Humalog from 100 units a day, split into 3 meals, down to less than 15 a meal -- typically 10 units or so and often far less. Back in the 'old' days I grumbled a bit about not having ice cream or what ever, but I have gotten over it and I really don't want it. Of course, my driving factor is my mom. My mom passed away 16 years ago due to congestive heart failure. She was a brittle diabetic, who was blind and a double amputee, and I do not want to loose my eyesight or any of my limbs. THAT is what keeps me in line THAT is what keeps my sugar dragon at bay. I have made the choice not to indulge. I have also lost 60 pounds as well -- when I was diagnosed, I really packed on the pounds from the insulin opening all my cells to the free ranging sugars in my system and I ballooned up and it has taken some time to take off the weight. It is a choice I have made. We eat at home 98% of the time, and if we go out, I know what I can have and the places we go are pretty good about making adjustments. I choose to eat the way I need to eat, and if that means I cook most meals, I am ok with that. Hubby is fine with it too -- he actually prefers my cooking to going out anyway! This is the way I am going to eat for the rest of my life, I am much healthier because of it. My blood pressure is in normal ranges (which really surprises the nurses) and my blood sugar is bang on. It is a choice you have to make. I have done the rare off road, but I am right back on the path with the next meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Megan...I concur with SpinSpin ^^ and Travel Photo Writer for T1. "As a Type 1 diabetic (31 years) who is more healthy by all tests than most every "normal" person I know, I am a living test-case of any argument about impact on blood sugar, as I completely regulate my blood sugar manually So I'm just giving input into your pondering from the point of view of rise/fall of blood sugar... White sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup & honey, raw or not, all create a quick spike in glucose, nothing "slow" or "low" carb about any of them. " "For EVERYONE, bread/starches, lactose (dairy sugars), white potatoes, corn, etc increases blood sugar. The only items that keep my glucose even-keeled are Proteins (meat), low-starch veggies (the ones approved on W30), healthy fats, and sparing low-sugar fruits (like berries, NOT like mangos or bananas). No amount of avoiding these items temporarily will have them break down any differently when they are consumed. If you want great #s to continue, your great habits need to continue. Personally, I "triage" things that up my glucose. Example: mashed potatoes are absolutely NOT worth it to me, so I don't eat them, EVER. I never drink sweet beverages (lemonade other than made with stevia, regular soda, glasses of juice, "sport drinks," etc), as none of them are "worth it" to me. The book It Starts With Food (a.k.a. ISWF) goes into some pretty eye-opening description of what dairy does to blood sugar! Yikes, I didn't know when I was slamming quarts of it the years before my diagnosis...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan722 Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 You might find this article on Riding Your Own Bike helpful, and this one on Nutritional Off Roading. It can definitely be a lot harder, not having rules to follow, so maybe using those articles, the information you've found out about how foods affect you through reintroductions, and reading through some of the Post-Whole30 logs here on the forum, you can come up with your rules. I do agree with you that having a designated cheat day, or saying you'll be W30 during the week, but the weekend is anything goes are both bad options that will leave you open to getting really out of control, unless you're a whole lot more disciplined than I am. Whatever you choose to do, don't beat yourself up if you're less than perfect. You're human, and you're working on overcoming a lifetime of eating habits -- it's going to take time, and it's not going to go in a nice straight line with no backtracking and no mistakes. As long as your overall trend is toward healthier eating, call it good and keep going. If you feel like you're really falling back into bad habits, maybe you need another Whole30, or at least a Whole7 or Whole15, just to kind of reset and refocus. That's really helpful. We went to a friends house (that we haven't seen in years) for dinner tonight. I had no idea what they would be serving. I at first had told myself that I would just let myself eat whatever and worry about getting back on track tomorrow. But, I know that's how I spiral-by giving myself permission to overeat for no reason. So, when we got there and I saw that the meal was a big green salad (with lots of veggies and avocado), chicken parmesean and pasta, I made (what I hope was) the smartest decision I could. I ate a huge salad (3 helpings) with no dressing. I put some chicken on my plate but between feeding my 3 kids and talking, I didn't eat any. Dessert was peach cobbler. I had my youngest on my lap while eating it and gave him all but one bite of just a peach (I'm sure it had a bit of sugar on it but no breading). I'm going to not beat myself up over the one bite and instead look at this as something long term I am going to be doing. I'm proud of myself for making the best choice I could at the time and not using tonight as an excuse to indulge (I don't even really like chicken parm or pasta but used to eat it just because!). I'm sitting her enjoying my banana and almond butter right now as I was still hungry since I had no protein with dinner. Megan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan722 Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 I did my first Whole30 over 2 years ago. What has evolved for me is that I pretty much keep Whole30 in my home, with the occasional quality dark chocolate and glass of red wine (significantly less of both since pre-Whole30). While dining out or at someone's home, while I'm militant about not eating gluten (been off it since 2006), if something unique and special has dairy, gluten-free grains or legumes, I'll loosen the reigns a bit on those other items. That situation might happen a couple times a month. That first Whole30 I lost 4.2 inches and 5 pounds. I did another Whole30 at the beginning of this year. With those two Whole30s and eating the way I do when I'm not Whole30'ing, I've lost and kept off 20 - 25 pounds total. Very happy where I'm at and feel like I found a way to eat for the rest of my life. That's very encouraging! That's what I'm hoping to do. I don't have a ton of weight to lose-I'd be thrilled to lose 15-20. I think with eating this way I can. I just feel so good eating this way and want to find a way to keep in up while still having a bit of flexibility at times. I am a type 1 diabetic, and I did my first whole30 just about 3 years ago (my anniversary is tomorrow *squee*) and I love how I feel eating this way. I stick pretty close to the plan, I don't do grains, rarely do dairy -- if I do, it is a touch of heavy cream or a spoonful of plain, full fat greek yogurt, I don't do beans or soy. I don't do cheat days. I do loosen up a bit if I am at a friends house, but they pretty much all know how I eat and are pretty good about having meals that I can enjoy-- hamburgers, and I just skip the bun and have the toppings -- things like that. My parents have gone paleo so it is all good there as well. I have dropped my insulin by quite a bit -- I do injections -- Humalog before meals, Levemir once a day before bed. I have been able to drop that from 100 units a day to 40, and my Humalog from 100 units a day, split into 3 meals, down to less than 15 a meal -- typically 10 units or so and often far less. Back in the 'old' days I grumbled a bit about not having ice cream or what ever, but I have gotten over it and I really don't want it. Of course, my driving factor is my mom. My mom passed away 16 years ago due to congestive heart failure. She was a brittle diabetic, who was blind and a double amputee, and I do not want to loose my eyesight or any of my limbs. THAT is what keeps me in line THAT is what keeps my sugar dragon at bay. I have made the choice not to indulge. I have also lost 60 pounds as well -- when I was diagnosed, I really packed on the pounds from the insulin opening all my cells to the free ranging sugars in my system and I ballooned up and it has taken some time to take off the weight. It is a choice I have made. We eat at home 98% of the time, and if we go out, I know what I can have and the places we go are pretty good about making adjustments. I choose to eat the way I need to eat, and if that means I cook most meals, I am ok with that. Hubby is fine with it too -- he actually prefers my cooking to going out anyway! This is the way I am going to eat for the rest of my life, I am much healthier because of it. My blood pressure is in normal ranges (which really surprises the nurses) and my blood sugar is bang on. It is a choice you have to make. I have done the rare off road, but I am right back on the path with the next meal. Good to hear from another Type 1 this has worked for! I wear a pump and normally take 45-50 units a day. I'm down to 30-35 now with fantastic blood sugars. I plan on keeping this up long term as well. I like the idea of having the rare of the road and then back on path the next meal (not the next day, week, etc., like I used to do). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan722 Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 Megan...I concur with SpinSpin ^^ and Travel Photo Writer for T1. "As a Type 1 diabetic (31 years) who is more healthy by all tests than most every "normal" person I know, I am a living test-case of any argument about impact on blood sugar, as I completely regulate my blood sugar manually So I'm just giving input into your pondering from the point of view of rise/fall of blood sugar... White sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup & honey, raw or not, all create a quick spike in glucose, nothing "slow" or "low" carb about any of them. " "For EVERYONE, bread/starches, lactose (dairy sugars), white potatoes, corn, etc increases blood sugar. The only items that keep my glucose even-keeled are Proteins (meat), low-starch veggies (the ones approved on W30), healthy fats, and sparing low-sugar fruits (like berries, NOT like mangos or bananas). No amount of avoiding these items temporarily will have them break down any differently when they are consumed. If you want great #s to continue, your great habits need to continue. Personally, I "triage" things that up my glucose. Example: mashed potatoes are absolutely NOT worth it to me, so I don't eat them, EVER. I never drink sweet beverages (lemonade other than made with stevia, regular soda, glasses of juice, "sport drinks," etc), as none of them are "worth it" to me. The book It Starts With Food (a.k.a. ISWF) goes into some pretty eye-opening description of what dairy does to blood sugar! Yikes, I didn't know when I was slamming quarts of it the years before my diagnosis...." Yep! Agree with all of that. I know that it's not worth it to eat white potatoes for me (even if they are ok whole 30). I see a big difference when I eat those vs sweet potatoes. My blood sugars are much better with eating this way and I do plan on keeping it up long term Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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