Jump to content

After the 30


deuce

Recommended Posts

Hi.

Myself and my wife are on day 13 of the whole 30. I also bought the book and am getting through it bit by bit. I feel that I needed to know all the ins and outs of exactly what is happening because it will definitely help me.

I've read about 2/3 of the book, but haven't read anything about after the 30 days (or whatever amount you'll be doing it for).

I've never had a real problem with the majority of foods, but do prefer to eat healthy stuff anyway (although my wife is different). I did start to get a bit of heartburn and some stomach cramps now and again, leading up to the start of this. I'm glad to say that this stopped within a few days.

The only reason for eating some of the junk was convenience. However we now are a lot more organised and prepare food in advance, so we don't have to just grab something unhealthy.

There are a couple of things that I would like to know.

It states in the book that they will not advise you on which type of sugar is the best to have. I will never use artificial sweeteners again, but if we do need to use something to sweeten things, what would you use. I'm guessing that honey would be the best option. Is this correct.

My other issue is with Alcohol. The main reason for me starting this was to lower my consumption. I would drink alcohol 9 times out of 10 on a Friday or Saturday night and maybe another night in the week. Apart from my health, it was affecting other things (productivity the next day and my sleep).

Drinking alcohol once a week will not return, however I will never give it up 100%. I'll drink once, twice at the most per month. Again it doesn't state which is the best alcoholic drink to have.

I've got no intention of having Gluten again. I know that it is not good for you even if you are not intolerant to it and I can do without the foods that it's in quite anyway. Beer will be a no no then.

It also states in the book that you shouldn't plan when you are going to have a cheat meal, but I feel that I will be more consistent and likely to stick to this lifestyle than if I didn't.

I'm just trying to understand exactly what the point of the 30 days is for. No disrespect to the people who do suffer from food addictions and psychological effects from food, but how does this differ from someone that doesn't get affected.

I am not completing the 30 days for the psychological aspect or weight loss, it is purely for health benefits. However my wife is doing it for all those things.

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Sugar is sugar is sugar in your body, so whatever you choose will be about the same. That said, I would probably go with honey or plain granulated sugar if I were going to add sugar.

You are right that the gluten in beer can be a problem apart from alcohol. You might experience similar issues with rye whiskey, etc. However, apart from the issues from things like grains, there really is no less bad alcohol. It is pure empty calories any way it is made. I suggest you choose something you like if you are going to drink.

I don't plan cheat meals, but I eat off plan whenever it suits me. However, it doesn't suit me very often. I order meat and veggies when I am in restaurants. I don't worry if there is dairy in sauces. I rarely order desserts because now that my taste buds have adjusted, most of what is available just isn't good enough to satisfy me. For me to eat sugar, it has to be really excellent. So most weeks I probably am 95 percent Whole30-compliant. When I am traveling and have less control of what I eat, I might slide to 90 percent or 85 percent. I don't see any reason to plan a cheat meal.

The reason the program is set for 30 days is that most people heal from the damage caused by eating off plan foods that irritate them within 30 days. Many heal after about 2 weeks, but some need 30 days to heal. Some people take longer than 30 days, maybe 45 or 60, but most people "feel the magic" within 30 days, so the program is Whole30. By waiting until your body has fully healed and then reintroducing off plan foods one by one, you can identify which foods bother you and which foods don't. Then you can decide with full knowledge of how the food affects whether you will eat it in the future or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm just trying to understand exactly what the point of the 30 days is for. No disrespect to the people who do suffer from food addictions and psychological effects from food, but how does this differ from someone that doesn't get affected.

Thanks.

For me I could have sworn I had no sensitivities to dairy or gluten, for example, before W30, so I expected no reaction when I reintroduced them. Wow, was I wrong. Dairy gave me immediate G.I. distress and wheat/gluten made me slightly nauseated and light headed. Go figure. So what changed? Did I magically develop sensitivities to these foods in just one month?

The point is we're not often the best judge of what's bad for us while we're eating what's bad for us. We have to stop eating it for a while. And as Tom says, sometimes it takes a much longer period for an accurate assessment. The 30 days also allows for a period of time in which to weaken the stranglehold that certain foods can have over us, making it possible to consider new relationships with those foods based on choice and not compulsiveness. This has been a major post-W30 win for me personally, changing a lifelong love affair with sugar into something truly optional.

I'm no expert on anyone else but me, but I think many of us who assume we're not affected by dairy, wheat, sugar, legumes, because we don't "normally" react in a dramatic way, in fact walk around in a state of low level reactivity, if we eat a typical, "American style" diet, and even a pretty healthy version of that diet.

We simply acclimate to a set of vague, ambient symptoms (energy swings, moodiness, headache, etc.) caused by an underlying, chronic, systemic inflammation. It makes weight loss really hard and effects our lives in a host of small irritating ways, eventually motivating us to seek out a solution, like I did, and like you're doing.

So I would piggyback on what Tom said and not make any predictions about what to limit, include, or eliminate until you've completed the W30 and a reintroduction. You may be surprised by what your body tells you in terms of feedback. I see that phenomenon all over the forum.

Sugar-wise, I agree with Tom, sugar is sugar, wheat is sugar, alcohol is sugar. I treat all of it the same. I do use maple syrup and coconut syrup in cooking for the flavors they impart and honey does have some anti-allergy properties, so there's that.

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guy's for the info/advice.

Although I agree that sugar is sugar and alcohol is alcohol, surely there has to be a best option in these food groups. Beer is something that I like, but it has Gluten in. I'm not sure to stay away from it or see how I feel after I drink it. I've got no intentions of drinking like I was.

I will definitely add in the 4 allocated days after the 30 days to check how I feel after certain foods, but I have no intention of ever consuming high amounts of these, if at all.

I'm on day 18 now and it feels really good changing to this way of eating. I feel more energetic (my workouts are much more productive), I'm sleeping better and I just feel good overall. I'm having Coconut milk in my morning coffee and I will add honey after the 30 days. Is Coconut milk a healthy choice? They all seem to have something other than Coconuts and water added.

I was reading about a person who changed his ratio of Cholesterol through drinking raw milk and was thinking of using that instead. I have high Cholesterol and the ratio isn't that good either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You need to get the canned coconut milk, which is usually found in the Asian foods section. The coconut milk that comes in cardboard boxes is actually a "coconut drink" with all kinds of baddies in it, and it is not W30-compliant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...