WHY THE WHOLE30 DIET ISN’T FOR ME
Let me start by saying I am not trash talking Whole30 diet or anyone who does it. I am just going to explain why I will never do this diet again. Ever.
I do think that Whole30:
- Is a great elimination diet! I know several people have found out they are allergic to certain foods because of the Whole30 diet.
- Teaches people the importance of eating whole foods. I can get into a bad habit of grabbing a smoothie or bar whenever possible and that’s not healthy. So I do appreciate that it’s made me cook and focus on real food again.
I, however, will never do this Whole30 diet again
- Because I miss bread. A lot. And I love bread. So YOLO my friend, because I do not want to meet my Maker thinking ” I wish I would’ve eaten more bread.” Also, carbs are good for you. I’ll get into that more later.
- Whole30 diet nazis- they honestly take the fun out of everything.
- Most of the people I know that have done the Whole30 diet (remember I used to be a personal trainer too) gained the weight back. I think this is because the diet is SO strict that people tend to splurge when they get to eat again. I mean, I’ve been dreaming of a Jimmy Johns sub for the past 30 days and I am absolutely getting one as soon as this is over.
- It cuts out important grains like quinoa- which is high in protein, fiber and iron as well as contains all nine amino acids!
- It doesn’t teach portion control, which is what a majority of the issue is for people trying to lose weight.
- It also allows for olive oil and nuts every single day, which are both high in fat.
I personally do macros- a 40 (carbs) 30 (protein) 30 (fat) split. That keeps me in shape and allows for all the nutrients I need to keep up my busy lifestyle. I don’t worry much about calories. I DID, however, use a kids plate for about a year to learn portion control. The big section is for my protein and the smaller two sections are for my veggies and carbs. I could heap as many veggies as I wanted in that little section, but the carbs had to fit nicely in their little corner. I’d love for you to try it and tell me how you like it!.
What about you? What was your experience with the Whole30 diet? Let me know in the comments below!
I totally agree. I’ve liked the whole 30 as I’m more aware of labels. But all this nuts and avocado oil is too much fat. I’ve counted macros before and although I don’t want to live that stressful life again I did find, limiting my fat helped in weight loss.
Thanks for your input
I love bread way to much to try whole thirty. I totally agree with “whole 30 Nazis take the fun out of everything. ” ? I’m ask for eating healthy but let me enjoy my carbs in peace lol.
Amen. I personally could never try a way of eating that completely eliminates bread. I’d be able to cut back sure but never eliminate completely. I choose healthy options that have high fiber and protein so it’s not completely empty carbs.
Love. This. Post. As a dietitian, this blog post has my full support! There can be some good that comes from Whole30, so I’m with you, I’m not knocking it completely. But, the bottom line is that it’s not a healthy lifestyle.
Love following your workouts!
I have not tried any of theses type of diets. I made it a month without dairy, sugar and bread but like you said you dream of the other side. I will just continue hitting the gym and eating in moderation.
That’s the same macro split I use – and I completely agree with you about Whole30. Actually, I believe the same can be said for any fad diet. The best way to stay healthy is to eat a healthy, wide variety of food.
Bread! I would have such a hard time with the bread as well! We try to eat the most natural and whole foods we can, but I couldn’t fully cut something out like this. Moderation and exercise have been working well for me for years now!
Great post, especially during this time of year when so many people are looking for the quick solution! I personally find that my body does best on “whole” foods, but not necessarily cutting out entire food groups. Grains are good in moderation 🙂
I’m right with you on the Whole 30! I did one 2 years ago and really missed having a piece of bread here and there. However, I did find some great recipes that I still use!!
I have never even wanted to try Whole30 for the exact reasons you mentioned. Any diet that is too strict will make me obsess over food and crave the restricted categories. To keep a diet going long term it has to be balanced and flexible.
I have friends that are half way through this diet right now and they are miserable but dedicated. I agree with you that things like quinoa are too healthy too eliminate from our diets.
I am not even sure what the whole 30 diet contains. I am really bad at doing anything strict with food because I’m too lazy hahah.
Great things to think about when making the decision about whether to go Whole30 or not. You’ve got to weight the pros and cons for sure!
YOLO for bread! Hahaha! I love it! I applaud you for trying it. I dont know that I could do it!
I have heard of a whole lot of diets out there and seen so many different people try and fail at all of them. I can understand what you are saying. The only thing that worked regularly for me was diet and exercise. But ultimately it’s about getting the balance in your life so you can exercise and eat the foods you want and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
I love #1. I’m on a “diet” and I hate that I’ not supposed to eat bread. It just makes me want to eat it even more.
Hold on. I just finished my second Whole30. I didn’t do it to lose weight but I did lose a respectable 5 lbs not being all Nazi about it either (pretty great for someone who already works out & eats cleanly). But Whole30 isn’t a diet & it’s not meant to be sustained. It’s about finding food freedom & that doesn’t include strict rules afterwards. So 30 days of restrictions while our systems reset & we break up with the habits is a small price to pay for long term sustained victory over feeling like food has power over me.
If you read It Starts with Food or Food Freedom Forever there is a lot of logic & science behind some of the silly things like removing nutritious options like quinoa for a short period of time because you might learn like I did that it upsets your digestion or you run to it when your hangry. I hope those of you looking to defeat Sugar Dragons & feeling helpless to certain times over your food choices will investigate further before writing off this step in your recovery.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s hard but it’s not forever.
I agree 100%. For all of the medical issues I have (PCOS, hypothyroidism, Hashimotos, diabetes), it’s incredibly important to find out exactly what is “triggering” my system to make me so inflamed & miserable. I’ve been eating like a jerk my whole life – I could easily cut things out for 30 days, reintroduce them to see what’s upsetting & go from there. It’s about being sure to check labels & be conscious of what you’re putting in your body. You don’t need bread or quinoa to live (insert facepalm). The research behind the purpose of whole30 makes so much sense. I guess it doesn’t if you look at it as a “miserable diet” and consistently tell yourself what you can’t have rather than what you can. It’s blogs like this that are so annoying & dis encouraging for people trying to make any sort of healthy change.
Enjoy your quinoa & bread, lady ??
The kids plate is SUCH a great idea for portion control!
I’m not a diet follower as I tend to completely crave what I’m missing and then it all backfires! Plus I believe in loving and enjoying my life. ? I love your kids plate idea. I’m going to try that! I definitely could use help in that area. I have seen so many Whole30 recipes lately and do think they look good. I’ve tried a few and have been happy but would add then to my regular diet as opposed to changing my life completely!
Not only will I not do a Whole 30 again, I won’t do primal or paleo, intermittent fasting or keto either. Everyone I know that followed any or all of these protocols gained every pound back with additional ones, usually about another 20 on top of what they originally weighed. Some messed up their metabolisms so greatly that any thing they eat turns to weight gain. I did the Whole 30 for several months. The minute you return to anything that resembles your former way of eating, all of the weight comes back rapidly. It’s a mistake and now I’m working on healing that metabolism without those strict ways of eating. The results were only temporary.
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