How did you find Whole30?

[Sharon Simpson Thumann]

I'm always curious about other people and the title says it all.

I'm an avid gamer and I came across Whole30 on the general discussion forums of one of my favorite gaming websites. I did a lot of internet research, bought the book and read the forums here for about three weeks before making myself known and beginning.

What's you story?

[Susan W]

I am laughing right now. You amaze me every day. I love my angry birds but that is my only game.

[Pomme]

Fascinating topic! I can answer this -- I found Whole30 through the internet and often when you find things through the internet you forget how you did it. But it was recent enough that I remember.

I first learned about Paleo as a whole this summer when I was surfing Punchfork. Immediately when I discovered Paleo, I felt, "This is for me!" Then researching Paleo led me to (I think) Nom Nom Paleo which led me to Whole30, which initially I thought was o_O but after a few weeks of semi-Paleo eating I realized that the Whole30 would be part of my life at some point.

[AmyS]

A friend told several of us that she had just completed a Whole30, and in spite of a very stressful time in her life, she felt more mentally focused than ever. She gave a bare bones list of what was in and what was out for the Whole30.

I started my first Whole30 within 12 hours. I did my first Whole30 without any interaction with the forums, the book, cookbooks, anything, just her very basic list of what was in and what was out (which I later learned was pasted from one of the website articles). I loved it so much that I took a few weeks off and did a second Whole30, this time interacting with the forums. I loved that so much that I took a few days off (fewer than intended because I hated how I felt off of Whole30) and started my third, which is going to be a Whole100. This time I have cookbooks and I'm actually planning to read the book (I haaaate reading books about the science of food/eating. But I am going to read this one, dagnabit.)

I went, in 12 hours, from eating total junk food and feeling really unhappy about it but trapped about what to do; to eating Whole30 and absolutely loving it. I felt like I had discovered a way of eating that I'd always wanted to do but always felt it was somehow wrong. It was such a relief, really.

I expect I'll be Whole30ish from now on as far into the future as I can see. I have a major sugar dragon, and it kills my food budget - so I even switched what side of the grocery store parking lot I use - now I park on the side by the veggies, instead of the side by Starbucks and the bakery. Changing over from junk to veggies and meat was amazing for me.

It's funny because I don't necessarily believe that everyone is supposed to eat in this exact way (nor, I understand, is that the point of Whole30 - it's 30 days of clean eating after which you re-introduce foods gradually and make choices that will serve you life-long). But for me, this is like discovering something that I knew but didn't know. Something I really wanted to do but couldn't believe it could be right. I don't know exactly how to articulate it. It's just been really good for me on so many levels.

I almost never make hasty decisions, and usually when I make hasty decisions they go very badly for me and make me very unhappy. So I think this 12 hour switch from junk to Whole30 must have been subconsciously coming for a long time. Because it has made me very happy.

[the_wendy_house]

I found out about W30 in a pretty circuitous way. A friend of a friend was launching an online, facebook-based 30-day metabolism igniting programme based around the ME Diet, short, strength-based exercises, and also general wellbeing. She was looking for volunteers to try it (for free) and share their feedback and results for marketing and improvements prior to full launch. From recipes she posted I discovered Paleo (her way of eating was mostly paleo) and, through searching for Paleo recipes, discovered the W30!

I didn't spend long on the site originally - I was on the other programme and did it for two months (the weekly "cheat meal" and SWYPOs were the ruin of me but the rest was pretty good) and wasn't interested in trying something new. But that was months ago and W30 really played on my mind since then. I hadn't read much about it, but I just got it. I knew it was pretty extreme and would be tough but I kept coming back to it and thinking what a great challenge it would be and how it might actually address my issues with food.

Originally I wanted to do it in the 30-day run up to Christmas but my schedule was manic and the date just passed me by really. There was no way Christmas and new year were going to be compliant (though they weren't bad at all compared to usual), so I used December to get myself organised, get the buy in of my husband, and do some more research. Having that planning time has really been worth it and has made the process a lot easier. Really glad I'm trying it though!

[Sharon Simpson Thumann]

I am laughing right now. You amaze me every day. I love my angry birds but that is my only game.

I'm a geek, what can I say? LOL

Great stories everyone.

[kb0426]

Interesting question Sharon! I like to think that the whole30 found me.

I used to (I will get back to this) write a weekly column on a calorie counting website. I know, right? One week I went off about the Paleo diet; not that I did not agree with Paleo, but the idea of Paleo treats. A treat is a treat in my book, whether made with sugar, honey, maple syrup or flour, coconut flour or almond flour. Too many treats, whether paleo of not, is simply not good for you.

Anyways, one of the comments was from someone that I respected and he talked about how he now eats Paleo. I told him I could not understand the "no grains or legumes", having been taught the old fashioned outdated belief that they were part of a healthy diet. He linked me to a whole9 blog manifesto. I read the manifesto, started looking through the site and then purchased It Starts with Food. After a 3 day read, I started the whole30.

Now, as for the column I used to write... I detailed my whole30 experience there, week by week sharing what I ate and how I was feeling. After I was done I made a statement that I believed others should attempt a whole30, especially for those that had sugar dragons of their own. 3 hours after I published that article, I was contacted by the site and told I was no longer a columnist!

Everything happens for a reason they say. Like I said, the whole30 found me, and now there is no turning back!

[Susan W]

My story is a little like KB's. I was very active on another site. It was a very restrictive diet where you ate 5 space food packets and one lean and green. I was very successful and lost 84 lbs. I transitioned to maintenance and there was a small group who became Paleo interested. I was fascinated. I read Robb Wolfs book and then one of the other members discovered the W9 site. I immediately bought the success guide. I don't think there was a book yet. This was August of 2011. I remember having a heck of a time downloading it and some guy named Dallas had to help me. He got a kick out of the story about our little group on the diet site. I have been a happy camper since August 1st, 2011. :0)

[glimmer]

I found out about paleo and then the whole 30 through a Facebook group for a popular online weight loss program here in Australia.

[Coffeeandshoes]

From Sparkpeople Paleo group. I had done Body for Life for years and everything else and was holding my own and usually did a detox type thing once or twice a year. I found Paleo and they were talking about whole30 and I wondered what's that. The first time I did it it was ok, the second time I failed it misrabley (poor planning) the third time it clicked and was awesome awesome, even though I had horrid two week withdrawal period. This time I feel strong and motivated. Since my last years whole30, I've been 80/20 paleo and maintained all the awesome results.

[EileenRBe]

From the blogger Gluten Dude. http://glutendude.com/

[AmyS]

From the blogger Gluten Dude. http://glutendude.com/

Whoah. I just lost about 30 minutes reading that site. Haha

[EileenRBe]

Whoah. I just lost about 30 minutes reading that site. Haha

My husband has celiac, so I get a lot out of GD's blog. I subscribe and read most of the posts.

[AmyS]

My husband has celiac, so I get a lot out of GD's blog. I subscribe and read most of the posts.

It's great, and super intense. It makes what we non-celiac Whole30ers go through a total breeze. If I mess up, I just start over. Some one with celiac, they mess up, they have days/weeks/months of pain. Intense. I love that guy's blog. And I love his wife. So. much. (I'm guessing you're the same kind of supportive wife to your husband, so kudos to you.)

[Sharon Simpson Thumann]

From Sparkpeople Paleo group. I had done Body for Life for years and everything else and was holding my own and usually did a detox type thing once or twice a year. I found Paleo and they were talking about whole30 and I wondered what's that. The first time I did it it was ok, the second time I failed it misrabley (poor planning) the third time it clicked and was awesome awesome, even though I had horrid two week withdrawal period. This time I feel strong and motivated. Since my last years whole30, I've been 80/20 paleo and maintained all the awesome results.

I have found most people on Sparkpeople to be insufferable and not even know what Paleo/Whole30 is about but they still bad mouth it. Rather infuriating when seemingly intelligent people don't educate themselves. I know not everyone on the site is like that, but reading the posts sometimes makes me want to smack people.

[Jessica M.]

Somehow I stumbled upon 100daysofrealfood.com, and that blogger mentioned It Starts With Food; started reading and reading and wound up putting the book on my iPhone Kindle app that night. Read it on the phone and my hubby's iPad the week between Christmas and New Year's, underlining way too much and hemming and hawing about whether I had it in me to try this right now (like last year, had planned on trying South Beach again come Jan 2).

[EileenRBe]

It's great, and super intense. It makes what we non-celiac Whole30ers go through a total breeze. If I mess up, I just start over. Some one with celiac, they mess up, they have days/weeks/months of pain. Intense. I love that guy's blog. And I love his wife. So. much. (I'm guessing you're the same kind of supportive wife to your husband, so kudos to you.)

Amy, GD's wife is a-mazing. Unlike her I still have flour and bread in the house, but I am very careful with it and am phasing it out. I do work hard to try and keep him from getting sick. I eat much better than I otherwise would have.

[missmichelle82_]

I love reading these stories!

I found out through my friend who is also on these boards (shortqtpie!). I was telling her how I hated that I'm starting off my 30's feeling fat, unmotivated, and like I'm so far down the rabbit hole that I can't get out. So she suggested Whole30 (not sure where she heard it from) and at first I snapped at her because I wasn't ready to face the harsh reality that *I* needed to turn my life around and change my eating habits for the better. After I did some research, i apologized and was totally on board. We started the very next day.

[kb0426]

I have found most people on Sparkpeople to be insufferable and not even know what Paleo/Whole30 is about but they still bad mouth it. Rather infuriating when seemingly intelligent people don't educate themselves. I know not everyone on the site is like that, but reading the posts sometimes makes me want to smack people.

Honestly, Sharon, I have to confess to being one of those former ignorant people (not on sparkpeople, mind you). There is "not getting it" and then there is a lack of desire to understand it. Being closed minded to the possibilty that there is a way to way OTHER than the standard American diet is what is paralyzing.preventing so many people from seeking and being healthy!

[GLC1968]

My story is long and convoluted.

I've been a weight fighter and food-obsessed for pretty much my whole life. About 10 years ago, I stumbled upon a site called the Leanness Lifestyle which was primarily body composition focused. I was a big proponent for awhile but then had a bit of a disagreement with the founder and I left. Anyway, he often used a bastardized paleo diet to help people break through plateaus. That is where I'd first heard of Loren Cordain and read his book. I tried that disfunctional version of paleo and hated it. Then I read the paleo diet for athletes and tried again a couple of years later...and again failed. Fast forward about 8 years and I was nearing the end of a weight loss challenge at another site. I had to post my final photos but I hadn't lost much weight and was afraid I'd look the same so I turned to paleo again. I figured that I could stick it out for a week or two and at least lose some 'bloat'. BUT, this time, I did more research. Robb Wolf had since written his book and there were about about a billion blogs out there, including Everyday Paleo. I bought all the cookbooks that were in print and jumped in, head first. I did lose that bloat and gained a bunch of other benefits, not the least of which was to no longer be obsessed with food.

In fact, I was so paleo gung-ho that I wanted to convince all my friends (yes, I was one of *those* people!). I also read every new paleo book that came out and was constantly trolling the internet for more information. I'd heard about Whole30 as a program through some friends at work who were into crossfit and had learned about it from them. I'd previously read random manifesto's or Whole9 blog pages, but didn't really put all the pieces together that Whole30 was a comprehensive program. When these coworkers and I realized we were all eating the same things, we bonded pretty quickly and I finally realized that Whole30 was more than just another paleo blog.

Then when It Starts With Food came out, I bought it right away hoping to find some good selling points for convincing my friends. What I got was inspiration do my own Whole30 just two days later! I also learned that it was better for me and my relationships if I gave up trying to convince anyone, so I did. Quite the opposite of what I'd expected when I bought the book!

Now I tell people I'm Whole30 instead of telling them I'm paleo. Much better connotations associated with it!

[goddesslynne]

My story is a little like KB's. I was very active on another site. It was a very restrictive diet where you ate 5 space food packets and one lean and green. I was very successful and lost 84 lbs. I transitioned to maintenance and there was a small group who became Paleo interested. I was fascinated. I read Robb Wolfs book and then one of the other members discovered the W9 site. I immediately bought the success guide. I don't think there was a book yet. This was August of 2011. I remember having a heck of a time downloading it and some guy named Dallas had to help me. He got a kick out of the story about our little group on the diet site. I have been a happy camper since August 1st, 2011. :0)

And it was this group that led me to Whole30, and the Whole9life site! I lost weight on that program as well (95 lbs), but floundered at maintenance and now need to re-lose about 50. Sad, but I'm glad I'm here now!

[ladyhoward]

My son got grounded - that's how I found Whole30!

Last summer, he (long story short) got grounded from TV for the remainder of the summer. He's 11 so it's like I cut off his right arm by taking away TV. Being the super awesome mom I am, I went online to find him a list of all the amazing things he could do without TV. Google linked me to the "174,203 things to do instead of watching TV" article on the Whole9 site that was written during the Kill Your TV challenge. So, I clicked on the link, read the article, and then decided to look around the site a bit, as it was not one I had heard of before. Saw the link to It Starts With Food on Amazon and it was during a time when I was avidly trying to figure out how to eat better. I read all the reviews of the book on Amazon and ordered the book right away - I even paid extra for expedited shipping! Read the book that weekend and did my first Whole30 a couple months later (I gave myself time to research the specifics, find some recipes, etc).

I'm a Christian, so I truly believe that God led me here, but no matter how you explain it, I'm just glad I found the Whole9 site and all of the virtual friends I have made on this forum!

[Renee]

I too would like to say that Paleo, then Whole30 found me.

It started more than a year ago (September 2012 maybe?) when I bough a coupon deal (off a group-buying website) for homeopathic HCG drops. Yeah, I can see your eyes rolling! But I didn't know any better. I had always eaten a low-fat diet, rich in processed sugar and carbs, and (obviously) never succeeded at loosing weight. So I started the HCG diet and participated in the forums. I lost about 14 pounds in 3 weeks, and while I didn't suffer bad conseuqences of this 500-calorie diet, it didn't feel healthy. Someone on the HCG forum had posted this video:

. I watched the full hour, and challenged everything I thought I knew. Paleo was mentioned somewhere in the comments I think. I was hooked. I read everything I could, starting with Primal Body Primal Mind and tons of Mark's Daily Apple articles.

I eventually bought Well Fed, in which I learned about Whole9 and the Whole30 program. At first I thought "No stevia??!! No paleo treats??!! There's no way I'm doing this!"

In September 2012, I had pretty much fallen off the wagon and couldn't control my cravings for sugar and fast asian food (did anyone say General Tao chicken?) So I searched for a way to help my cravings and loose the weight I had put back on. I remembered the Whole30 program and my bf and I decided to start November 1st! I'm currently on my second W30.

[Susan W]

And it was this group that led me to Whole30, and the Whole9life site! I lost weight on that program as well (95 lbs), but floundered at maintenance and now need to re-lose about 50. Sad, but I'm glad I'm here now!

I was hoping you'd find this thread and remember the good times we all had on that particular thread. I have to specifically thank LL for all of that. I must have asked her 1000 questions before my success guide and other books arrived.

[Becca In Cle]

My boyfriend had been looking into the Paleo Diet for some time with some resistance from me. I couldn't justify or rationalize a diet that gave cheats for your favorite foods (i.e. Paleo Pizza). It seemed like a lot more work for nothing to me.

Then, I developed chronic autoimmune urticaria and angioedema. That's a really fancy way of saying my body attacks itself in my sleep so I wake up with my eyes swollen shut, my lips looking like botox-gone-wrong and leopard-spot hives all over. The doctors put me on several meds with awesome side effects like racing heart beat and body tremors. They told me that since it was not an allergic reaction, and instead an autoimmune disease, that there is nothing we can do but treat the symptoms.

I refused to accept this fate. So, I started checking forums and looking up diet and environmental changes I could make to help. Through the grace of the google algorithm, I found this place. I promptly bought the book, read the book and started the plan. I'm two weeks in and haven't had an outbreak, my joints don't hurt and I feel like a normal 28 year old again. Oh...and my boyfriend finally took the Paleo plunge too and started the W30 himself.