mssmith2711 Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Hello! I'm new to the Whole 30 - jump started in a couple of weeks ago - then read the book and realized I was making some mistakes and this probably isn't the best time for me to do the Whole 30 with what is coming up in my life over the next few months. However, even with the "mistakes" I've made (cured bacon being the major one I think) I feel much better and would like to do a "modified version" until I actually do the Whole30 starting in mid-January. My plan is to continue on without the dairy, just a few legumes (peanut butter), very limited grains and limited added sugar (like the cured bacon). My reasoning (justification?) is that I would still be eating much better than before - and ultimately that is the goal of the whole 30 in concept, right? Understand, I realize that in the next 2.5 months I will likely eat something with cheese in it and have popcorn. My questions: Does this make sense or am I just justifying doing what I want to do? If my main concerns of this interim plan are 1) to not let the sugar dragon take back over and 2) to still get my body used to using fat for energy, what do I need to be most careful about making sure I really limit? Obviously added sugar (soda, candy, and watch what is in other foods). Would the grains be the next biggest concern? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted November 4, 2015 Moderators Share Posted November 4, 2015 There is no such thing as a 'modified version' of Whole 30. You're either doing it or not doing it. That's not to say that making your own plan for the next few months isn't a good idea, but no one here can give you advice on a 'modified version' because that doesn't exist. Knowingly eating cheese, popcorn, sugar filled bacon and legumes are in direct contradiction to Whole30. The 'concept' of the Whole30 is that you remove the main known anti-inflammatory foods that are known to be disruptive for 30 days and give your gut a reset. Then you reintroduce those things that you think you might want to add back in (no sense introducing soy if you know you never want to eat it again) to see how they affect you personally and then you make decisions based on that data. It's difficult to say whether grains would be a concern because until you DO a whole 30, complete with the reintroduction, it's impossible to know if you personally are affected by grains or not. If your goals are to kill the sugar dragon and become fat adapted then you need to steer away from eating sugar. You need to eat proper food when you're hungry and not lean on fruits and nut butters on their own as a snack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mssmith2711 Posted November 4, 2015 Author Share Posted November 4, 2015 Thank you - perhaps I should have phrased it as a "modified diet" rather than implying I thought I was doing a modified version of whole 30. Then maybe I wouldn't have received a "lecture" as a response. As I said, I'm new here, but I will certainly be more careful about posting questions in the future. I do thank you for the guidance at the end - I will be more focused on limiting my sugar intake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThyPeace Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 So... I'm not as hardcore as many here. I do agree that what you're doing isn't a Whole30 (because that's trademarked and all that jazz). At the same time, moving to a healthier and more clean diet is always a good thing. Your choices now will make the shift to a Whole30 much easier, and there is a good likelihood that you'll have a lot less of the awful symptoms that people who go from Standard American Diet to Whole30 can often have. I would add to the advice you got above that if you work hard to eliminate sugar, grains (which are a gateway food for me), dairy, and legumes, and at the same time boost your intake of vegetables and good sources of protein, you're going to really immensely improve your health. Not as much as a Whole30, maybe. But still a whole lot. ThyPeace, awareness is really good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewer5 Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 (because that's trademarked and all that jazz) It's not because it's trademarked and all that jazz. It's because the Whole 30 is a specific program, with a specific set of rules, to ultimately achieve a specific goal -- which is re-introduction of specific foods to see how they affect you. If you are not doing a Whole 30, then you are doing your own thing. It really is that simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparrowGal2014 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I just started last Monday, reading the book & doing the program. I accident made 3 mistakes...a bite of peas (I was so tired & confused!-day 3). And went for lunch w/ a friend at a chain restaurant thinking sure grilled chicken on plain greens. AFTER I read up on the ingeredients, rice flour & sugar on the chicken-WHAT??? So I started over on Sat. You can do anything for 30 days if you do it one day at a time...school for 22 years, work so far for 29 years...anything is possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpunkyBug Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 I've seen this a lot in the comments: Folks want guidance for the "best" or "least bad" way to eat outside the context of a Whole30, and most moderators and advanced members are reluctant to provide it. I understand the reluctance to go off message, but at the same time... If Whole30 is primarily "a specific program, with a specific set of rules, to ultimately achieve a specific goal -- which is re-introduction of specific foods to see how they affect you," isn't it also a campaign to get people to eat better for the rest of their lives? What if someone didn't have any adverse reactions to any of the foods they reintroduced? Would it be wise for them to go back to eating/cooking with sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, vegetable oil? What about the long-term effects of these foods, aside from whether or not one has a real-time reaction to ingesting them? I would say that removing grains and dairy helps make room for more nutrient-dense food -- would that be reasonable advice? I have been told by people outside the Whole30/Paleo world that beans are actually very healthy for you, and that they have been consumed by people in healthy cultures for centuries, etc, etc. So, are beans healthy for you in the long-term as long as you don't have an immediate reaction to them? I'm honestly not sure, and I've been reading this forum for more than a year. I think people are genuinely curious: When riding our own bike, what's the healthiest way to do it? Maybe this isn't the right place to ask that question, but it seems like it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 There is no one size fits all. That's why there's no maintenance plan or detailed menus of how to eat after a Whole 30. You have to figure all of it out on your own. I was busy looking for both of those items on my first Whole 30. What in the world do I do afterwards? I searched every nook and cranny of this forum for the best tips. I reposted many of them but I realized the best way is going it alone. Everything needs to be individualized and taylored to your culture and lifestyle. Cheese munchers will probably incorporate cheese and legume lovers will add those back in. Those who do well with rice will continue on in their very personal way. Testing is the only way to go. If you don't have the reintro knowledge under your belt, you're at a loss of what to add back in. It's not only physical but emotional as well. If trigger foods make you crazypants, you'll probably lay off those to stave off cravings. Honor your hunger. Eat real food and lots of fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafarer Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 SpunkyBug.... I hear what you are saying but honestly, if you look at the size of these forums, the numbers of topics, the sheer volume of people asking questions, seeking advice, and asking for help.... there really is no room for individual advice on something that's Whole30-"ish". Not only is there no room, it would seriously confuse the people who want to do a proper Whole30 so they can get the best results possible, and then ride their own bike. This program, as Brewer5 said, is very specific. What happens afterward is up to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted November 25, 2015 Moderators Share Posted November 25, 2015 I've seen this a lot in the comments: Folks want guidance for the "best" or "least bad" way to eat outside the context of a Whole30, and most moderators and advanced members are reluctant to provide it. I understand the reluctance to go off message, but at the same time... If Whole30 is primarily "a specific program, with a specific set of rules, to ultimately achieve a specific goal -- which is re-introduction of specific foods to see how they affect you," isn't it also a campaign to get people to eat better for the rest of their lives? What if someone didn't have any adverse reactions to any of the foods they reintroduced? Would it be wise for them to go back to eating/cooking with sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, vegetable oil? What about the long-term effects of these foods, aside from whether or not one has a real-time reaction to ingesting them? I would say that removing grains and dairy helps make room for more nutrient-dense food -- would that be reasonable advice? I have been told by people outside the Whole30/Paleo world that beans are actually very healthy for you, and that they have been consumed by people in healthy cultures for centuries, etc, etc. So, are beans healthy for you in the long-term as long as you don't have an immediate reaction to them? I'm honestly not sure, and I've been reading this forum for more than a year. I think people are genuinely curious: When riding our own bike, what's the healthiest way to do it? Maybe this isn't the right place to ask that question, but it seems like it should be. Obviously, the hope is that people will do a Whole30 and then continue to eat better for the rest of their lives, not lapse back into any of their old bad habits. The Hartwigs have provided a fair amount of information on why they would say eating Whole30 style is the best way to eat forever, if all you're looking at is the foods themselves. It Starts With Food lays out their arguments in a fair amount of detail, and they've written a series of posts they've dubbed Manifestos with basic summaries of why to avoid certain foods. They've also been clear that there's more to it than just the foods -- that there are traditions around food that are important (discussed in this article about Thanksgiving for instance), and that there are emotional reasons we eat certain things (Melissa has been pretty open about her love of Cadbury Creme Eggs around Easter because they remind her of her childhood). So they acknowledge that it's not as easy as just Whole30 all the time -- there are, and maybe should be, times when you have non-Whole30 things. Whole30 helps you figure out what reactions those non-Whole30 foods may cause and helps you decide whether they're really worth it. They've also actually provided a fair amount of guidance on what life after your Whole30 might look like. Start here, and read through all the links. Read the Dear Melissa: How Do You Eat? series that starts here -- there's a link at the end of that to part 2, and at the end of part 2 to part 3. If you're on Instagram, I know Melissa posts pretty regularly, although it's not always food stuff. Check out some of the post-Whole30 logs here on the forum to see what other people are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Personal context. Your quality of health or medical condition before a Whole 30 is another driver for what you'll want to take with you after a Whole 30. Coming out of T2 and breaking away from a future lifetime sentence filled with blood sugar blues, I don't take bites of refined sugars...here or there or anywhere. I do eat fruit in limited amounts because it's real food. Better to eat real food with fiber and elements the body can recognize than refined sugars and upside down artificial sugars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 I think people are genuinely curious: When riding our own bike, what's the healthiest way to do it? Maybe this isn't the right place to ask that question, but it seems like it should be. GFChris gave her answer here: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/32478-im-not-a-great-cookcan-i-really-do-this/#entry353058 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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