Are dates killing my Whole 30?

[Sandra100]

I've been on the Whole30 for 10 days now.  I feel better and have better mental clarity but I don't feel like I've lost any weight.

 

I've been super dedicated.  Each day I've been having 3-4 dates as a treat.  Could the dates be sabotaging my weight loss? 

[SugarcubeOD]

The Whole30 is not a weightloss diet and even if it were such, it's the Whole30, not Whole10.

Dates are sabotaging your ability to tame any sugar cravings you have and getting out of the treat mindset.

Weightloss is often (but not always) a side effect of following the Whole30 but it's not guarenteed and the program is not designed around maximizing weightloss.

In 10 days you feel better and have better mental clarity. Those things are amazing!

[Cbg84]

Congrats on the NSV! That is amazing in itself.

I could be wrong, but I think that any food that is labeled as a "treat" may not be the best thing for a whole 30. Why do you feel the need for these dates? Could you replace them with a non food related treat (like a bubble bath maybe?)

[jmcbn]

Dates are about as close to candy as you can get on a Whole30.

To give you an idea of just HOW close to candy one medjool date contains more sugar in the form of fructose than a Mars Bars which is made up of chocolate, nougat & caramel.

Fructose can only be processed by the liver - after it's dealt with any available glucose - and it tends to get stored as fat.

 

I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but you are not a dog, you do not need treats - maybe now would be a good time to think about why you feel you do....



The official take on dates:
 

Dates: Yes

Dates are a great way to add that hint of sweetness to a sauce (like the Char Siu pork from Well Fed), or stuffed with almonds and wrapped in (compliant) bacon as a fancy-schmancy appetizer.

Tip: These little sugar bombs pack a big punch—they’re as close to candy as you can get on the Whole30. We recommend against using them as a “treat” to feed your sugar dragon.
 

If you are seeing NSV's after 10 days just imagine how things could be at the end of 30 days.....

[praxisproject]

For me, I find dates to be a disruptor to my blood sugar if I eat them as a whole date, rather than used in a recipe.

I also do much better with fruit when I eat it to the template, rather than on it's own as a snack.

 

Note that many of the bars which have compliant ingredients are very high in dates also (but you can find ones without dates).

These are intended for emergency use rather than as a treat (stuck on a flight or in a traffic jam).

 

Are you having any fresh fruit? Something like pineapple is also very sweet, but also contains lots of fibre and water and other nutrients.

There's lots of great recipes where the fruit is a part of the template meal, like a pineapple salsa (this may sound strange but this was new for me, I'd only ever eaten fruit by itself before my first Whole30).