Any stories of long term W30/Paleo success?

[Donna]

JP: for what it's worth...here is my personal experience.

I have done W30's 4 times. Then I have tried to do the 80/20 plan recommended in Paleo world. That is 80 percent paleo/20 percent off road weekly. You can work that any way you want. Per day, per week. For me...when I off road it is a slippery slope. When I slip, I slide....If I introduce as much as a carb, it's off to the races. When I eat bad, I have guilt. I know how bad the SAD is for me and when I start eating junk, I go crazy. So I am not a person who gets moderation. I look at this plan as food sobriety for me. It has to be so. And I take it a day at a time with honesty. So if I cheat, I start my day count over....Today I am on day 25 of my 4th W30. I feel fabulous. But I know my demons and I come to the forum for my 'meetings' to keep me accountable and on track. We will trudge the road of happy destiny together.....

[jpketz]

Donna--your personal experience is worth a lot...so let's get that out the way. The rest of your post got me nodding furiously. I find moderation amusing. And I hear some people can do it. Truthfully...not drinking alcohol is a walk in the park compared to dealing with sugar. After all alcohol is only one of many forms of sugar clamoring for my attention on any given day. Less so since W30 and beyond, but still, I've found myself Googling "Paleo desserts" more than once even while eating 95% strict W30, and planning grocery buying trips around who has the most interesting selection of LaraBars (have you tried Coconut Cream? I'm so screwed).

So because I LOVE the idea that the perfect should not get in the way of the good, the occasional LaraBar on a walk or ride is sure an upgrade from the midnight trip to the store to score ice cream...several nights/week. It's all a big, ugly, beautiful work in progress, definitely to be taken ODAT and I, like you, plan to keep on coming back. Thanks for sharing.

[almcc]

I am on day 9 and decided it was time to start thinking about what I am going to do after W30 and if there is an after. After reading the latest contributions to this discussion about moderation- I know I have to be really really honest with myself. I am easily distracted by sweet things and regular consumption is unwise. So I don't think 80/20 is going to work for me at all. I'm going to try to figure out what 95/5 looks like. At the moment I only really want milk for my coffee and an occasional drink. I don't have cravings for much else. But that will most likely change.

Anyway - thanks for being willing to share.

[JJB]

LaraBars (have you tried Coconut Cream? I'm so screwed).

Oh my gosh, yes. They are amazing. I wish I could keep LaraBars out of my house period, but my boyfriend thinks he has to have them...and I'm just so grateful he's (mostly) on this diet with me that I don't want to make a big deal of it. I almost bought the 16 or 20 pack of the coconut cream right after we tried them...luckily I did not. I hate to think how many (few) days those would have lasted!

Truthfully...not drinking alcohol is a walk in the park compared to dealing with sugar.

This really got me thinking. When I was younger, I had absolutely zero desire to try alcohol. I was actually scared of it. I always told people "well look at how I am with sugar...if I tried and liked alcohol, I'd probably become an alcoholic immediately!" I never had a drink until I was maybe 24. I quickly found the effects of being drunk to be so overwhelming and out of my norm/comfort zone that there was just no way I could ever do that on a regular basis. If only unhealthy foods caused such an immediate and obvious response!

I sure hope that 6 months from now, if someone else posts a question like this, I'll be able to say "yep I've been eating this way all year and this is how great I feel..." Maybe visualizing my future success will help me stay on the right path.

[jpketz]

I am on day 9 and decided it was time to start thinking about what I am going to do after W30 and if there is an after. After reading the latest contributions to this discussion about moderation- I know I have to be really really honest with myself. I am easily distracted by sweet things and regular consumption is unwise. So I don't think 80/20 is going to work for me at all. I'm going to try to figure out what 95/5 looks like. At the moment I only really want milk for my coffee and an occasional drink. I don't have cravings for much else. But that will most likely change.

Anyway - thanks for being willing to share.

JJB - I'm no expert but I can say without a doubt that there is definitely an "after". Although I understand why it's tempting to stay 100% W30 24/7/365. I'm just not sure it's realistic for myself (although percentage-wise I'm probably 95-5 at W30 + 55 days). Sorry for all the numbers.

In fact (and again, this just my take) the "after" is the whole point of Whole30. Most anyone can white-knuckle their way through thirty days of coconut-cream-with-coffee and Pellegrino in lieu of IPA—as it says in the book, "It's just not that hard."

But what happens "after" is where the rubber meets the road, and you're wise to start thinking about it now. For me, Whole30 was just boot camp. The real-world battle happens every time I leave the house to buy groceries or survey the dessert table at a family event. But, "boot camp" gave me a battle plan and it's at this point I should really drop the military analogy if for no other reason than food is really not the "enemy". That's the whole point. It's not an "us" against "them" situation, well unless we're talking about the food industry, and even then, they don't see it that way. And I've never been in the military so I'm not really qualified anyway.

Let's just say between feeling 100% better overall, sleeping like a rock, being 15 lbs. lighter, having a community to connect with for support, and my wife being 100% on board...I feel like I can BE in the real world of delicious non-Paleo food, stay on my "bicycle", and not go off on regular food benders. And if that happens, I've got W30, or W3, or W7 to fall back on.

And hopefully, what you experience as a craving on Day 9 or 10 will change by Day 30. I predict it will. My cravings haven't disappeared, they've just lost their ability to get me into my car late at night and propel me down the road to the "24-hour-all-you-can-eat-oasis-of-love-and-all-things-nurturing-sugar-palace" aka the Grocery Store. So I got that going for me.

Willingness to share--not a problem. Verbosity--maybe a problem.

[jpketz]

Oh my gosh, yes. They are amazing. I wish I could keep LaraBars out of my house period, but my boyfriend thinks he has to have them...and I'm just so grateful he's (mostly) on this diet with me that I don't want to make a big deal of it. I almost bought the 16 or 20 pack of the coconut cream right after we tried them...luckily I did not. I hate to think how many (few) days those would have lasted!

This really got me thinking. When I was younger, I had absolutely zero desire to try alcohol. I was actually scared of it. I always told people "well look at how I am with sugar...if I tried and liked alcohol, I'd probably become an alcoholic immediately!" I never had a drink until I was maybe 24. I quickly found the effects of being drunk to be so overwhelming and out of my norm/comfort zone that there was just no way I could ever do that on a regular basis. If only unhealthy foods caused such an immediate and obvious response!

I sure hope that 6 months from now, if someone else posts a question like this, I'll be able to say "yep I've been eating this way all year and this is how great I feel..." Maybe visualizing my future success will help me stay on the right path.

I keep my Larabars in the garage next to my bike stuff so at least they're being consumed to offset high intensity exercise. But yeah...Lemon Bar, too? It's like they read my thoughts when they develop new flavors. Maybe I should start wearing that tin-foil helmet...or not.

I'm convinced that you've got more of a shot at being healthy and eating clean at 6 months than you think. While visualization is pretty powerful so is re-setting your hormones. Not to mention, having this newly earned PHD on your own body and its sensitivities is kinda profound. I'd say there's every reason to be optimistic, and I'd guess lots of other forum posts will back me up.

[almcc]

In fact (and again, this just my take) the "after" is the whole point of Whole30.

I agree and it's got me quaking in my boots. And I can do it and I will do it and it's going to take some planning and support. And so I am preparing for battle - not against food but my culture, my habits, my demons..... It certainly helps to feel better!!

[Guest]

I am on day 9 and decided it was time to start thinking about what I am going to do after W30 and if there is an after. After reading the latest contributions to this discussion about moderation- I know I have to be really really honest with myself. I am easily distracted by sweet things and regular consumption is unwise. So I don't think 80/20 is going to work for me at all. I'm going to try to figure out what 95/5 looks like. At the moment I only really want milk for my coffee and an occasional drink. I don't have cravings for much else. But that will most likely change.

Anyway - thanks for being willing to share.

For me, the 30 days were meant for physiological healing and for development of new habits. Reintroduction is not that difficult if you follow the book, so I read that part on day 28. I want to keep my mind in the game and let the Whole30 life become a way of life, before revisiting foods to check for reactions and then evaluating which ones are really treats that are worth it.

I stayed immersed in the Whole30 while I was in it. I did the reintros by the book and about a week later, I miss it. My mind has to wrap itself around letting go of a few things (including a trip to see family) and then I'm putting the training wheels back on for a good while.

[Renee Lee]

Little late, but to the original question. Most, if not all, of the mods are long term W30 success stories!

The longer you have this view of food and what real food is, what you deem to be "worth it" changes. Even Melissa's changed over the years. This was her originally Healthy vs. F off scale: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cfW84M45aZE/SOVCOcV8JLI/AAAAAAAAADc/0iAlNIv0oVc/s1600/HFU+Scale.jpg Here's the new one, two years later: http://whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Whole9-Healthy-F-Off-V-2.0.jpg

So yeah, some of us will relapse; Johnny and I both just finished an additional W30, because we were enjoying ourselves and letting things slide in the name of social situations a little too much, but we have the tools to get us back to where we need to be, whenever we need it!

[jpketz]

@Renée. Good to know you guys have ups and downs, too. I have a lot of experience trying different regimens from Atkins to Weight Watchers, to simple Low Carb. Actually I found the most joy after reading Younger Next Year (where I actually went to the gym every day for a year!) but their food advice is basically "Don't eat crap." Which isn't wrong, just overly simplistic. So eventually, even with all that regular exercise, the lax eating habits and food addictions won out. So sustainability is a big deal for me. And that's what excites me about W30. And that's why I bothered to start this thread. And every comment so far, including yours, confirms that W30 is a refreshingly rational, doable approach.

[Donna]

my motto as a former long distance runner....you can't outrun a bad diet!

[jpketz]

my motto as a former long distance runner....you can't outrun a bad diet!

True story.

[bon]

Really late to this thread, but I read nearly all of it:)

It's been 14 months for me (Paleo/Primal hybrid) and I really don't struggle with gluten or grain at all. I'm starting another Whole30 tomorrow to get my sugar under control. Dark chocolate with almonds is my weakness. I have no brakes when it comes to this... it will start with once in awhile and before I know it I may have it several times per week. Other than that, I'm amazed at how far I've come. I can finally say that gluten and grain (aside from rice on rare occasions) is out of my world for good. I've also successfully transitioned my three boys to eating this way. It seemed mission impossible in the beginning, but wow! It has been so good for them and they are doing great!

I wanted to mention that I created a recipe binder with my favorite Whole30 recipes. I bought a binder and some page protectors. There are two rules for my binder: #1 All recipes are Whole30 compliant (or easily adaptable) #2 They have to be recipes I tried and enjoyed. This has been so great! When I find myself making the same 5-6 meal rotation I flip through my binder and am inspired by something I made and enjoyed before. I did this back when I did my very first Whole30; it really motivated me to try new recipe's so I would actually have something in the binder!

[Susan W]

Nice job Bon. How old are your kids? We have a few parents struggling with moving their kids to W30.

[bon]

My boys are 9, 6 and 3. I think the coolest thing about them eating this way is that their "pickiness" has gone away. My younger two were becoming very picky. Now? They eat nearly everything I give them without complaint. I cannot tell you how wonderful the peace that surrounds meal times is! They recently started going to school (we homeschooled before) it's funny to hear my oldest especially talk about the foods he see's other kids eating, He has a friend who had some raised eyebrows about his meals, but this boy has started asking questions about his food ("what's that?" - bell pepper, cucumber, etc.) and has been trying some of my son's food. Love it.

[jpketz]

Bon — This is so encouraging! I have two nephews who really need to eat this way but who were raised on a typical "beige diet" of mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and potatoes, etc. It's a hard sell to get them to try anything that smacks of real food, so I've been hatching a diabolical plot to introduce Paleo cuisine at family dinners. They're uber picky but who knows? Baby steps.

[melbournegirl]

Just checking back in with an update. 13 days post 100 and its going better than I expected. I am finding it super easy to avoid sugary treats. I didn't open the lolly jar at the airport lounge and take any, even though no one would know... It was easy to think of the contents as not real food, instead I had tomato juice as a treat with my cold meat and salad. So that inspired me to open the 2.8kg of jelly beans that I got at Christmas for the rest of the family.... They have been waiting (im)patiently for months... And still not tempted.

I have twice had some slightly sweet treats (cassava chips 8% sugar) and a gf quinoa mini cake, neither woke my dragon... Plus a small amount of wine a few times, don't really like it any more. Tried corn twice, once as popcorn which seemed okay, another time as corn on the cob which went straight through. Made a swypo pancake but without sugar, and homemade chocolate without sugar.

I am no longer strict with my bacon and olives, they sometimes have 1% sugar... And that's probably it. Nothing else on the radar to change or try. I managed two trips away with no issues... took some tuna and dried tomatoes to supplement fruit lunches etc. And I have actually been more consistent with three daily meals... On the 100 I often had four or five.

Hope every one else is managing well

[shelley417]

Hi JP! I just complete a W100 having done my first W45 last Fall. It's day 103 now and except for a glass of wine and a tiny bit of cheese on a salad at a great restaurant o day 101 I continue to be compliant. My intention is to remain compliant at home and only off road when it is really worth it. I didn't have much of a sugar dragon but I was a cheese freak. In feel so much better and in control of my eating that I find no reason to reintroduce grains, dairy or legumes. The only food that bothers my stomach is soy so the others are eliminated just by choice.

Join Pinterest for an amazing array of Paleo recipes. When you do follow me at Michelle Lobovits and you will see all of my paleo boards nicely careegorized. I also recommend going to Nom Nom Paleo website or app and The clothes make the girl website and/ or buy Melissa's book, Well Fed-- it's a whole 9 bible of sorts. There are several other sites I frequent including civilized cave man and PaleoOMG (because they are funny and have good recipes but they do have non-w30 compliant recipes so be careful there.

Hope this helps.

[jpketz]

Juzbo. shelley417. You guys are truly amazing and inspirational. I'm at Whole30 + 63 days (so nearly mostly W100 but not strictly because of the same 1% bacon...sorry not gonna pay $10/lb. for bacon...and the occasional side trip to the land of homemade or otherwise store-bought ice cream...not worth it...too sweet...blech!)

The 2.8kg bag of jelly beans, however, would be the ultimate test of courage and W30 fortitude for me personally.Well done you!

And thanks for the resources list, shelley. I'll check out your Pinterest board ASAP. I've sampled almost all of the above sites and use NomNom every day plus subscribe to her blog. Michelle has a real, unique way with Paleo food.

Well about to meet a training partner for a ride this morning so cheers, and may we all keep up the good work! Thanks for sharing your success(es).

[Marceeruns]

Nico. Whatever you got, I'll take it!! Thanks, so much. Just need a culinary kick in the pants.

It's mainly main dishes and the first meal of the day in particular. I use nonnonpaleo.com blog a lot and the ipad app and have probably had the most overall success there. I've also been to Tom's site and various other blogs. I usually start with my ingredients and do a search to see what the Paleosphere turns up. I'm trying to collect my top 30 or so faves so I can spread the joy around a little more but so far I probably have 10, tried and true main dish recipes. Especially would love to get some good slow cooker recipes cuz so far, either epic fail or just unspectacular in that arena.

Would love to get your recipe compilation when you finish it Thanks for posting this thread!