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Relationship to food and how long???


Carrie

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How long should I do a strict whole 30 or 60 or 100 or whatever in order to truly have a long term better relationship with food in the area of stress reactions... I find that when I'm stressed I want to eat what I shouldn't and have a coke or mocha (with hemp milk) or sweets or whatever...? What kind of Whole9 program should I set up for myself? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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There's no specific answer - everyone is different. However, the longer you stick to the program, the better your chances are of long term success and improved health - IMO. My first Whole 30 was actually a Whole 100. It took about 60 days for me to start seeing health benefits and another 30-40 days to get the food obsessions to a minimum. Nine months after the W100, I am still healing from some issues. In January I did a Whole 45, and I'm now in the middle of another Whole 30 or Whole 60. During the "off" times, I'm still mostly compliant (a good 90%+)to the program. For me, the food/sugar addiction is overpowering and I will always have to keep it in check. I have given up a lot of foods completely; soda, bread, pasta, chocolate, etc. I'm also a stress eater, so some foods are just not allowed, even in the smallest amounts. I dabble in a little bit of dessert on the rare occasion, but it always makes me sick. It takes about 3 days to recover, and another week to get the sugar cravings under control. When off W30, I will have an occasional glass of wine, and a little grass-fed cream in my coffee. I also won't stress when I go out to eat, but will still stick to meat and veggies.

I believe it's about trial and error and what works for you. But as Dallas and Melissa say, food either makes you more healthy or less healthy. I try to keep that in mind with everything I eat. I hope this helps. :D

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Thank you LRM. I have a convention coming up in a week-ish... So to make it less stressful since I'm completely busy morning to late night and out of town for it, I'll eat as compliant as I can then do a whole 100. I have some go raw life pumpkin bars coming. I know they have a tad of agave which isn't the greatest but I think it's better than crazy food offered in function location. I am planning meals (cobb salads, easy meat and fruit/vegetable sides and I bought primal pacs jerky and mixed bags as well.... I think for that weekend I'll focus on making sure I eat mostly compliant but make sure my water intake is good... So on a whole 100, do people keep is same strictness as the whole30 or do they make some changes??? What's recommended?

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I'm not sure what others do, but for me, a Whole 100 was 100 days of a Whole 30, and I was 100% compliant. I look at it this way - either I am doing Whole 30 or I'm not doing Whole 30, regardless of the number of days. It's fine either way, but there are certain, specific rules for the program, and I follow them completely during that time. Okay, occasionally I get snacky, but that is something I am working on, and constantly improving. However, my food is always on plan. Off the program, I can do whatever I want. Even if I'm mostly (99%) compliant, I'm still not doing a Whole 30, during those times. If I'm faced with an impossible situation, I do the best I can and start over. This works well for me, but perhaps a mod or someone with more experience will chime in as well. Have you read It Starts With Food? I would definitely recommend getting a copy. It explains the program (and the reasons why) in so much detail, and has been enormously helpful.

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I think it is great to keep going after 30 days, but I don't like to see people make long-term commitments to following the program 100 percent for long periods. The chance of something coming up that will take you off road is high and I don't like to see people commit and then not follow through. Basically, I like to see people eat Whole30-compliant most of the time and off road only when they have a good reason. In practice for me, that means I eat something off plan once or twice per week when I am in a restaurant. And that off plan food is generally dairy or sugar in a sauce unless I am at Greenwood's on Green Street in Roswell, GA. Then I might eat half of my wife's pie. :)

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I read "It Start's With Food" during my first Whole30 and it was great...I think I'll re read it just to keep my mind up to par. Yes more input is great! Chime in. Thank you LRM. So I also have vitamins that aren't 100% compliant that I take... During my whole30 I didn't take them to test how they affected me and stopped taking a few of them that have milk and wheat in them... The others I still take. I think I will probably do a true Whole100 the whole30 way after my convention...

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So a good way to do this long term is be in the 90th percentile eating wise and then once or twice a week give yourself permission to go off road whether for fun sake or for circumstance sake? I know what you mean Tom about the not following through thing. It's pretty disheartening and discouraging... I know I just did that this week and it's easy to stay in "failure" instead of getting back up more because of the emotional disappointment... More tips?

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I think a positive attitude is key. Eating clean has to come from a place of taking the best possible care of yourself and loving yourself enough to say "no". I think cultivating that love is what will keep you on the right path beyond the confines of the W30 rules. It's what allows you to have a little bit of this or that without going of the rails for an extended period. I did 60 days straight (though I restarted for some pretty silly reasons and didn't actually feel I completed a WHOLE w30) and took a week off to off-road and I didn't stray too far because I had gotten accustomed to feelig great and I wasn't going to let food or drinks take that good feeling. When I restarted on the AIP, I decided to do it for 30 (ok,33) days and then be done. I'm ready to ride my own bike because I can now. Even though I might dabble in some honey or something my 3 squares will continue to be meat + veg + fat because its the most logical way to eat.

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I agree that committing to a Whole 100 can be a daunting process, and a possible set-up for failure. When I did the W100, it was never my intention. I was barely certain I could make 30 days, and once I did that, I just kept adding in 5, 10 or 15 day increments. It wasn't until about day 75 that I decided to push through to 100 days. Fortunately, during that time, work was slow, and there weren't a lot of major social events, so I was able to stay compliant. I don't think I could ever do 100 days again. Perhaps just focus on a successful W30 for now and go from there. As for vitamins, I have found that I don't need them anymore. My diet is so well-rounded and healthy that supplementation is no longer necessary. A little magnesium (Natural Calm) and some extra Vitamin D, but nothing else.

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I also did a W100 (this Sat is day 100) and while some will disagree, I don't recommend it to most. I had a fairly easy time of it but it got old being hyper vigilant for that long. I agree with Tom. Many dropped out of our group and many of those were on their first W anything. I know that not making their goal can't feel great to some of them.

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I was in that same group as Susan, and for me the 100 days was absolutely necessary. I had done 3 Whole30s previously, but the lessons didn't stick for long. I had the discipline to do 30 days, but I was treating it like a diet--something to jump on, and hop off. When I'd hop off, I'd quickly derail and in no time be back to my unhealthy ways.

I needed much longer than 30 days to set this as a way of life, not a temporary 'diet'. And now that it's over (today was Day 101) there is very little of my old diet that I want back. I no longer fantasize about pizza, I can't imagine eating a sandwich, even my nightly glass (or two) of wine no longer holds any allure. I love my life, I love my new found health, I love the foods I eat, and I see little reason to change, or in the case of a few things that always had no brakes, I see no reason to tempt fate. YMMV

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I also just completed a whole 100, having done a W45 (my first) last Fall. I think it took me about 70 days to get to the point where I have fully incorporated a new lifestyle. And we will see! I completed the remainder of the 30 days because I said I would and I learned alot more about myself in those 30 days that was not related to food. While i do not know if I will ever do one again, I do recommend it.

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So a good way to do this long term is be in the 90th percentile eating wise and then once or twice a week give yourself permission to go off road whether for fun sake or for circumstance sake? I know what you mean Tom about the not following through thing. It's pretty disheartening and discouraging... I know I just did that this week and it's easy to stay in "failure" instead of getting back up more because of the emotional disappointment... More tips?

I am saying that your going off road once or twice a week should leave you in the 90th percentile. If you reintroduce off-plan foods into your regular diet and then go farther off plan with special occasions or other circumstances, you will easily find yourself in the 80th or 70th percentile. I figure, that if I eat Whole30 compliant at home all the time and as best I can when I am out, then I don't have to worry when things come up and I want or need to eat from a questionable buffet or have a piece of lemon meringue pie.

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