What has been your most lasting food habit after Whole30?

[samalope]

For me, it was making a proper breakfast before work rather than stopping someplace for a donut and coffee/energy drink.

Also, having protein with every meal.

 

What have you noticed that Whole30 has helped you start doing/stop doing?

[ladyshanny]

Definitely having a properly balanced breakfast is a big one. Balancing meal composition properly has always stuck too which means that meal timing (4-6 hours apart) mostly also stuck. 

[Juice06870]

I agree on breakfast.  Taking the time to cook a proper, balanced breakfast has been a habit that has stuck for a few years now.  Also trying to make sure I have a couple of different vegetables with every meal.  

[ladyshanny]

2 hours ago, Juice06870 said:

I agree on breakfast.  Taking the time to cook a proper, balanced breakfast has been a habit that has stuck for a few years now.  Also trying to make sure I have a couple of different vegetables with every meal.  

Oh, yes, that! I feel like my meal looks weird and sort of lacking if there are not at least two vegetables!  

[ElizabethG]

I love this question! I've had a rough couple of days with food choices, and really committing to getting back on track today. One of the ways that helps me stay positive and move forward is taking a few steps back to realize how much good change I've made since my first WHole30 almost 2 years; remember this is a really long journey, with lots of ups and downs. That being said, one of the most lasting changes for me has been cutting way back on mindless snacking. Work used to be a black hole of bad choices, but now, most days I am able to walk right past all the junk food, and recognize I'm not actually hungry. 

[jen c]

My first W30 was more than two years ago.  Since then, I've never gone back to putting sugar in my coffee or tea and when drinking them at home, I use canned coconut milk as creamer instead of 1/2 & 1/2.  Having protein with every meal has stuck strongly too. 

[GoJo09]

I'm on the breakfast train also - having protein, fat and vege instead of porridge or cereal for breakfast is the major consistent change over the years, as well as vege with every meal (I don't stress about it if I'm eating out, but I definitely note it and try to make up for it at the next meal). And like @ElizabethG said, the mindless snacking at work is practically non-existent (the weekends are not quite so clear cut though ).

I'm also pretty consistent with excluding the things I've identified as being less good for me over the years - gluten, yoghurt and milk, and now hummus and halloumi. None of these things will kill me, so I do have them on rare occasions, but on the whole in my "at home diet" I don't have them at all.

[Rebe_J]

I did my first W30 in August, 2012. I have not been as consistent as I would like in following most of the ideals, but a few habits have stuck:

• I don't keep non-compliant foods in the house except for special occasions or planned splurges.
• We eat three meals a day and rarely have snacks.
• Vegetables are the star of the show at every meal and protein is highest quality available and affordable.
• I try to find a new recipe or method every week or so
• I have a routine for weekly meal plan, prep, and cook-up
• I am loyal to local farmers whenever possible.

Now that I'm retired, I am free from the stress of work and the food temptations that ambushed me regularly there. I have quite a bit of fat to shed, and now I'm getting on track with more compliant eating without doing official W30 again.

[Amy Rose]

I've truly embraced the habit of weekly meal prep, so much that if I would look in the refrigerator and NOT see an array of containers with colorful food choices -- I'd know I was having a nightmare.

A daily breakfast of protein & veggies is a basic part of my life now. And I've turned my back on all things dairy -- it's not worth the suffering.

[RandiW]

On 6/2/2018 at 12:40 AM, jen c said:

My first W30 was more than two years ago.  Since then, I've never gone back to putting sugar in my coffee or tea and when drinking them at home, I use canned coconut milk as creamer instead of 1/2 & 1/2.  Having protein with every meal has stuck strongly too. 

Me too! I thought I'd never adjust to black coffee and I haven't had sweetener in my coffee now since Dec 30th 2016!

[peak]

My biggest focus now is being a slave to the "ingredient list."  If the food that I am buying is not fresh, non-processed single items then my reading glasses go on and my eyes right to that packaging label!  Most of the time the item is returned to the shelf because it has some sort of sugar in it. 

Since I started a W30 eating plan as my basis for nutrition, I have only reintroduced dairy and alcohol.   Thus far, I do not feel the need to reintroduce the other no-no's, but I do long for the day when I can sensibly enjoy a plate of good 'ol spaghetti.  I am being careful on the grains because I did notice some discomfort after having wheat toast with breakfast a few weeks ago... I hope gluten is nit an issue.

..BUT I do not plan on ingesting sugar if I can help it!  Because of my self-moto of "no sugar" it forces me to spend more time in the produce section of the supermarket... and, I do not need my reading glasses there in order to know if I am selecting compliant foods.

[EllieHH]

On 7/1/2018 at 10:22 AM, peak said:

My biggest focus now is being a slave to the "ingredient list."  If the food that I am buying is not fresh, non-processed single items then my reading glasses go on and my eyes right to that packaging label!  Most of the time the item is returned to the shelf because it has some sort of sugar in it. 

Since I started a W30 eating plan as my basis for nutrition, I have only reintroduced dairy and alcohol.   Thus far, I do not feel the need to reintroduce the other no-no's, but I do long for the day when I can sensibly enjoy a plate of good 'ol spaghetti.  I am being careful on the grains because I did notice some discomfort after having wheat toast with breakfast a few weeks ago... I hope gluten is nit an issue.

..BUT I do not plan on ingesting sugar if I can help it!  Because of my self-moto of "no sugar" it forces me to spend more time in the produce section of the supermarket... and, I do not need my reading glasses there in order to know if I am selecting compliant foods.

Let me tell you - the spaghetti isn't worth it (have attempted this maybe twice in the last 6 months).  The yum is in the sauce anyway and for me the gluten in the noodles messes me up for DAYS and I think "why did I do that?"  Just do the zoodles and be happy for the rest of your life .  

[chichi]

On 10/5/2018 at 2:17 PM, EllieHH said:

Just do the zoodles and be happy for the rest of your life

Yessss. It's all in the sauce. 

For us, and I say us because how I eat has changed the way our household eats even though my partner didn't ever actually do the W30, the biggest change has been meals built without grain products. Our dinner rotation used to be basically pasta, nachos, curry or stirfry w/ rice, soup w/ bread, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. And breakfast was toast, oatmeal, bagels, muffins, pancakes etc.  I don't think I had a grain-free meal in my life before my W30 (3 years ago).

Now, all of our together-meals are pretty classic W30 plates. (Though, obviously, my own meals get weird, because leftovers. The rest of the taco fixin's on a plate of mashed potatoes with some green olives? Sure.) 

[AnitaC]

Label reading. I've fallen off the wagon pretty badly but I can't stop label reading and I cannot even consider a frozen meal of some sort.

And adding protein to my meals

[ladyshanny]

On 11/8/2018 at 2:50 PM, chichi said:

 The rest of the taco fixin's on a plate of mashed potatoes with some green olives? Sure.) 

Haha, that sounds darned good, actually!

[Seafarer]

As I prepped for my next W30, I was (as is my habit) beating myself up for “falling off the rails”. I was reading through literature that I had previously gathered, and I realized I hadn’t “fallen”… just leaned a little! A lot of ingrained habits have stuck. And just like the bad habits that crept in over many years, so too will the good habits (but faster!). I (we all) should stop being so hard on myself. For now: Always breakfast. Always protein & veg for meals. Not afraid of fat, but fussy about which ones. Seldom smoothies & when do, always add a “chewable”. Usually staying hydrated. Still avoiding dairy. If I am feeling lethargic, I can turn that around in a couple of days. Not a bad place from which to begin again, and discover some more soon-to-be-ingrained habits, methinks.

[Wendy104]

Today is day 59!! Yep, loved the way I felt so much on my first W30, I just kept going.  So, I've enjoyed this question and all of the answers. 

I'm kind of freaking out..want to do the Re-intro, just not really sure what I've actually missed that much.  (Spaghetti does sound good!) But, I feel so good without the grains, the sugar (yes, drinking coffee with "Nut Pods"- YUM!) I was a Starbucks latte addict before!!   That was usually my breakfast, so it's nice to see how many of you have said that breakfast was the game-changer.  I totally agree!  

I also cannot imagine not reading labels, just to see what crap I'm thinking about putting into my magnificent body!!  

I've "missed" a few things, but usually when I'm just having a pity-party for myself.  Usually, when it's right there in front of me (like chocolate on Valentine's day--I just wanted ONE piece, but didn't do it!--wanted to cry though!)  

This program is literally a life-changer. I'm grateful to be a part of this!!  Thanks for all of the shares!

 

 

[megbeveridge]

Eating a full breakfast, not just some cereal, has been a huge change. It has lead to some other changes sticking with me, too. Since I have a full breakfast, I don't snack before lunch. Since I don't snack before it, I eat my whole lunch and don't snack before dinner. After dinner, unfortunately, is a free-for-all, but I'm trying to rein that in. Drinking a lot of water has been a big change and I've kept my water bottle with me almost every day. I think the most important one of all though, is that I went from vegetarian to omnivore. While people like to say that vegetarianism is easy on a budget, it really isn't if you want to eat fresh food. So instead, I ended up eating a lot of processed food with giant ingredient lists. Now I can't justify putting any of that in my body, so I've continued eating meat every day. Come spring I'll be able to appease my ethics by buying local and humanely raised meats at the farmer's market, so in the end I'm not really giving anything up.

[EllieHH]

I'm a year post w30 now and:

- agree on breakfast!  my mom asked me the other day "do you still eat kale and eggs for breakfast every day?" and I pretty much do.  i remember the early days of my w30 and the "so.many.eggs." moments but now i really miss them - and the kale - if I'm out and have to do something else.  travel is the hardest thing - it's tough to get veggies for breakfast in hotels and such (besides potatoes) but getting easier I've found.

- agree on coffee and coconut milk (though starbucks coconut milk is sweetened and kind of weird so I do go whole milk latte there - dairy doesn't seem to be a big problem for me personally) - love putting spices in the coffee grounds to make it more interesting

- love love love the meal template.  every single meal I'm like "veggie, protein, fat? - check" - I mean, how much easier can it get?  that is really what keeps me on track, I think.  if it's not one of those things, why am I even looking at it?  if i am craving something else that's not in that group - i usually just grab a little more of one of those 3 things (protein, veggie, fat) and eat that and get on with my life.  did I mention i love the meal template?

[JenX]

After my 2nd whole30 I pretty much lost all taste for pasta, grains and breads. I honestly prefer my hamburgers and turkey burgers either wrapped in lettuce or on a grilled or baked Portobello mushroom. If I actually have bread in the house (a rare occurrence) I keep it in the freezer because it will mold before I ever get around to eating it.  I have rice with sushi on the rare occasions I go out for sushi, that's about it.

[JenX]

Ohh! also mayo. nothing by my own homemade mayo in the house. I absolutely love it.

[SchrodingersCat]

I haven't had any artificial sweeteners since I started my first round in January. It's the only thing that didn't come back between round 1 and 2 and I have no intention of bringing them back, not for any big reasons, I just feel like they'd taste gross now that I'm not used to them.

 

Oh, and agree with the above - I'm NEVER buying mayonnaise again.

[Keen On Clean Fuel]

People think you're crazy when you say your taste buds change after whole30 -- but it's proving to be very true as I continue to learn how others don't go back to previously "loved" items.

[Pandora Black]

I love y’all but I’m getting some gluten free grains for reintroduction. Sorry but for me, it IS about the pasta!

Things that will stick: proper breakfast (though I cannot even look at an egg rn), the meal template in general and I’m not going back to drinking soda. I will not be reintroducing gluten or dairy.

[MeadowLily]

We can learn to moderate ourselves with foods and portions.  I don't suffer with  food sensitivities so a small portion of a wide variety of foods doesn't mess with my  overall health and well being.  I've been maintaining an 80 lb weight loss since 2016.   

When your W30 is over, give yourself permission to create your own positive food management plan that you can live with for the rest of your life.  There's really no such thing as the Finish Line when it comes to your quality of health.  Finding long term stability with your relationship with food is where the rubber meets the road.

I no longer start over and over again. No more rebound weight gain with friends.  I threw all of that dieting dogma out the window.  I keep looking forward waaay into the future.   Life is too short to keep looking back over your shoulder or to start the new day with yesterday's broken pieces.