Day25- How to Know if another 30 is needed

[Acer75]

Hi- Just finished eating a late lunch of curry chicken breast made with curry, turmeric, sea salt, garlic, onion, celery ,coconut milk and olive oil, served over a bed of leafy greens.It's super yummy and one of my favorite lunches while I have been doing this whole 30..

I only have a few days left on this journey . It's only been in the last week or so that I could really say that I am feeling 100% better than I did when I started this. I have noticed some things. I sleep better, I wake up more alert, my energy sustains throughout the day, and my workouts and recoveries are much improved. No more light headedness or dizzy spells that I was experiencing while working out . I am back to strength training and as of this week I kissed those pink and purple girly hand weights goodbye and moved on up to some real iron....well..for a girl anyways....I can use 15 lb for bicep curls and 10 lbs for shoulder /tricep work. I am doing lots of push up and lots of core work and feeling very strong. It's a beautiful thing.

So, all this has got me thinking...how do I know if I should keep on keeping on with this? I am still having some cravings every now and then. Yesterday and today have been those kind of days in fact. Not sure what that is all about but I am sticking to my guns and just trying to feed my cravings with fats and protein if they get to where I really do want to eat that fish and broccoli dish... I am thinking the increased strength training could be where things are going wrong for me and I may need more carbs (veggies)??? Today is an off workout day but I am super hungry so I am eating a few more colorful veggies like mini peppers and squash. Tonight I am making sausage/beef meat sauce served over spaghetti squash. I can hardly wait.. it's one of my favorites.

I think I want to do another 30 days but my overall question is :

What kind things should we be experiencing , in general since everyone is different , at this point in the game? If I am still having cravings is that one of those definite YES, I should continue with another 30 or are cravings just going to happen no matter what from time to time?

Thank everyone . This has been both one of the hardest yet more rewarding things I have done for myself.

[EileenRBe]

I think I want to do another 30 days but my overall question is :

What kind things should we be experiencing , in general since everyone is different , at this point in the game?

I'll be watching for a response to this question too. I'm on Day 22 and think I'm starting to slim down and have more energy but neither to the extent I'd like to see.

My husb wants to add 7 days because he thinks he ate gluten cross-contaminated bulk trail mix around Day 7, so I might add at least that much.

P.S. Your food sounds really good, acer! And I'm with you on this being hard (for me mostly because it's a lot of work prepping and packing food) but rewarding.

[Tom Denham]

I can't say much about cravings because I rarely have had any in my life. I will say that working out harder may mean that you need to eat more in general and add more carbs like sweet potato in particular. Many people experience cravings when they are hungry, so having them now may be related to your using your muscles more in the gym and needing to eat more. I really like that you have been feeding cravings with protein and fat and not fruit!

I did something like a Whole120 before I ate anything off plan. I kept going because I felt so good and did not see any reason to do anything that might mess that up. I eventually started to taste desserts or eat something off plan occasionally. Some people find they need to keep following the program strictly for several months before they are comfortable deciding how much to go off plan on their own. I figure that I eat at least 95 percent Whole30 almost all the time.

[aim911]

Just for the benefits of feeling great, I'm thinking of continuing on this too. I do have cravings for things that are "off plan", but usually only when I'm hungry or tired and have found that once I eat my normal meal or get some rest, I'm fine. I have had to throw in an occasional snack but always something Whole 30 compliant and that fixes the craving.

[Brighteyedkat71]

I'm no expert, but I know that one of the main reasons I started a W30 was to address my unhealthy relationship with food.

I hit 20 days and realized I was using fruit to sugar binge, which is cheating for my purposes, and had to start over. I intend to do a full 30 more days, without sugar bingeing, and then see how my cravings are at that time. If they persist, I will keep going and make it a W45 or W60.

You sound like you're getting results either way, so that's awesome!!!

[Kirsteen]

I think this is a very personal thing. I was ill during my first W30 (purely coincidental, nothing to do with the W30) so decided I would continue it longer. I did a W60. I then began to realise I was still sticking to it because I was afraid to *ride my own bike* so I came off it. I was already gluten and dairy free and everything I'd read made me realise I really didn't want grains, legumes or nasty chemicals in my life. I stayed fairly compliant but introduced the odd bit of miso, honey or dark chocolate. When I realised I'd graduated from the odd square to positively expecting some after my dinner and craving it if I didn't have any, I thought 'Uh-Uh, time to do another one' so I am.

If you're getting the Whole30 Daily emails then Day 30 really goes into detail about whether to stay on or come off. In a nutshell, if you're still looking for medical conditions to improve or you're still experiencing cravings, it's probably best to extend it. If you're just terrified of reintroducing other foods, then it's probably best to try them as per reintro to see how you feel. If you just feel great and want to continue then that's totally your choice. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Acer75]

@Tom- Wow a whole 120? That is impressive and really no cravings?? I am interested to hear what you attibute this to? What was your diet prior to WHOLE 30? I had long since given up grains, bread, pasta , etc prior to doing this W30, when I went primal 4 years ago so that part has not been difficult for me, however I was probably consuming alot more fruit than I needed to on Primal. I am seriously considering another 30 . I figure why not?? Right. Besides, I feel like I am just getting to "the good stuff" with this whole paleo things, despite the intense chopping and preparing and making sure I am keeping enough veggies on hand. I am still missing dairy. I really miss my half and half in my coffee every morning. I considered just opting to consume the half and half in my morning coffee (2 cups) in my second 30 but then it wouldn't b e a true whole30. But I wonder if it would really change things? Curious if anyone has any thoughts on that. I have found it surprising that I dont miss wine or beer at all. I was generally having 2 glasses of wine 3-4 nights a week with dinner prior to whole 30. Yes, for me its the dairy as my weakness. Not sure I will ever stop wanting cheese and half half.

[LTsurf]

This is all really good info, thanks everyone. I am on day 25 and feel great but not sure if I'm feeling as great as I want to feel. I'm thinking about continuing my whole30 for at least another 10 days and see what happens. Maybe I will weigh myself on Day 31. Who knows! I think even after I do whole30 I will maintain a strict paleo diet with the occasional glass of wine here or there.