AW: Day 31 & Plans after W30?

[maddiepaddy]

I made it! Yesterday was day 30. I weighed in today and have lost 14.3 lbs. I wish I had taken before pictures and measurements because I think those would be even more telling. 

I decided to do W30 to help myself get a grip on sugar and carb (mainly bread) cravings. I, of course, also wanted to lose weight. I am feeling like it was a success on both accounts. I also quit caffeine, coffee was never my problem, but I could down Coke Zero all day long. As far as the whole, you will feel amazing, every aliment will be improved... part of W30, I'm not totally convinced. I guess I feel normal? I suppose I have a bit more steady energy through the day (less slumps) but it's not like I feel like a new person. Maybe I felt overall pretty good to begin with?

Anyway, now that I've made it 30 days, I am working on figuring out what my plan will be going forward. I'm going to do the reintroduction plan as described in ISWF first. Then, I'm thinking that I'll stick mainly paleo, but loosen up on the oils, etc when eating out, have a piece of bread, treat, drink, etc every now and then. I have another 25 lbs I want to lose, so I want to keep up the momentum but be realistic about it. I won't lie though, I am a little worried about the freedom and possible slippery slope if I allow myself to indulge now and then. 

I'm curious, what are your plans for post W30?

[spankswife]

That's awesome! 14+lbs is so great!! Even completing it is an accomplishment in itself!

What is the difference between paleo and whole 30?

I do know I want to add back dairy (at least some milk). But honestly, DH and I really enjoy eating this way. I will be more flexible on eating out (I miss sushi with rice).

[asoctoberfalls]

Congratulations! You actually sound a lot like me. I did a whole 30 back in June, lost 14 lbs, and felt great. I also quit my disgusting Diet Coke habit. I also didn't feel a whole lot different except eliminating energy slumps, like you mentioned. I didn't notice any ill effects when I added foods back in, except grains. I did notice grains made my eczema worse.

And... I'm TOTALLY with you on the slippery slope. I did fine with the dairy re-intro, and with everything. But once I re-introduced grains and wheat, I went on a total binge that I've been on ever since. I need to just do another whole 30 and wean myself, but my life has been crazy and stressful and I've been "rewarding" myself with foods I like. It's a really bad situation.

SO... as soon as I can actually get myself started on the whole 30 again, I plan to stay away from grains after it's done. They're my downfall.

[maddiepaddy]

Aug 22, 2014 10:49:18 GMT -5 spankswife said:

What is the difference between paleo and whole 30?

Thanks, ladies!

From what I can tell, W30 is basically a really strict version of paleo. It looks like the biggest difference is that W30 allows for no deviations and no consumption of paleo 'Treats' (the banana/egg pancakes, paleo baked goods, etc.). I also think using honey and other similar sweeteners might be okay on paleo when it's not on W30. I guess that you can eat primarily paleo and deviate now and then without feeling like a Paleo failure? Semantics, maybe...

[Marmee]

Congrats!! Thanks for the summary. I'm on day 5 & still mostly just feel tired (I quit coffee & diet coke). I'm not sure what I'll do post W30 but I'll probably trial foods. I have an autoimmune disease (psoriasis & my sister has celiac) & I notice that when I eliminate grains my skin is decent without the daily medications. I'm hoping the trial proves if this is true or coincidence. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

[mac08]

Great job maddiepaddy !

I am not sure what I'll do beyond the reintroduction phase.  I am thinking about sticking to paleo mostly, with maybe 2 "cheat meals" per week.  I figure it's pretty good if I have 19 out of 21 meals per week that are paleo.  I am worried about the "slippery slope" though because that has been a problem for me in the past.

[mac08]

Aug 22, 2014 14:27:52 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

Aug 22, 2014 14:23:48 GMT -5 mac08 said:

Great job maddiepaddy !

I am not sure what I'll do beyond the reintroduction phase.  I am thinking about sticking to paleo mostly, with maybe 2 "cheat meals" per week.  I figure it's pretty good if I have 19 out of 21 meals per week that are paleo.  I am worried about the "slippery slope" though because that has been a problem for me in the past.

I have a related question . Post whole 30, would you guys consider paleo treats and baked goods to be "cheats"? Like, if you were doing two chest meals per week would paleo waffles and maple syrup count as a cheat or a "healthy" meal?

I wouldn't consider that a cheat for myself, personally.  But sweet things aren't that much of a temptation for me personally so I don't know that I would really have the paleo pancakes or baked goods very often.  I am planning my cheat meals to be more serious cheats, like pizza or macaroni and cheese.  I will have to experiment with that though to see if I can handle it without going completely off the rails. Or maybe after 18 more days I won't even want pizza and macaroni and cheese!

[maddiepaddy]

jenny1980

I kind of agree with mac08 . I don't think I would count things like paleo waffles or pancakes as a 'cheat' for myself, although I doubt I would make them often.

As far as dessert-type treats, I think I'd rather indulge in the real deal once in a while (1-2x per month) unless I find I can't tolerate wheat/grains/gluten or dairy. In that case, I think I would count paleo desserts (brownies, cookies, etc) as treats at least as long as I'm in weight loss mode.

[asoctoberfalls]

Aug 22, 2014 11:45:22 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

Grains seem to be problematic (in terms of the whole slippery slope thing) for a lot of people. It's why I think I am going to just stay off them completely (outside of maybe a few special occasions/year like Thanksgiving, Christmas and my bday).

I think I will, too.  It's funny how straight up sugar doesn't seem to be a trigger for me, but grains are.  Guess I'll have to make ALL the paleo treats! 

[cgpm]

I've thought about this too. I think limiting grains will continue to be essential to my success. I don't miss alcohol, so I'll probably not reintroduce that. I am going to need to indulge in real ice cream or a homemade cookie once in a while to make this sustainable.

Previous to this I was doing WW with my mom and MIL. Tracking wasn't working for me, but eating paleo is very compatible with their ismply filling plan. I meant switch over to that to help budget for occasional indulgences

[crumbs]

I finished last week, and honestly they only thing I truly missed was pizza. The no alcohol thing didn't even phase me, I had two smallish glasses of wine Friday night and felt so hungover on Saturday morning. We took a weekend vacation to an amusement park, and while we didn't go crazy and eat everything in sight I definitely feel pretty awful eating "normal" food.

We plan on sticking to a Paleo-ish diet now that it's over, I can't say ill never drink again but I really think cutting out processed stuff and bread/grains will help me lose the pounds that I want and feel better.