Today’s post is dedicated to the thousands of people who officially end their Whole30 programs today. You may be asking yourself, “Am I really ready for this to be over?” You may be thinking, “I’m a little afraid of what Day 31 looks like.” Or maybe you’re just thinking, “I cannot wait to have my chocolate/wine/pizza/bread.” Either way, this post is for you.
The Whole30 Training Wheels
A universal truth: making good food choices is easy when you’re following the Whole30 “rules”, but much harder out there in the real world. We’ve talked to many a workshop attendee about this very topic (usually after they’ve fallen face-first into a box of doughnuts post-Whole30).
The rules of the Whole30 program are very specific, and completely non-negotiable. They narrow your (food) world, and remove some of the stress of making your own food choices. The program also gives you an easy fall-back when faced with social or peer pressures. For many, the rules of the Whole30 function much like training wheels on a bike, giving you all the support and back-up you need while allowing you to complete the program under your own power. But are you prepared to ride your big-kid cycle when your 30 days are up?
Let Us Run Your Life…
For many – especially those who have bounced in and out of different dietary plans in the past – the strict confines of the Whole30 program is comforting. It takes all the guesswork out of our expectations and your goals, and gives you clear objectives to achieve along the way. (“Start eating healthy” is a far more difficult challenge to wrap your arms around than, “Eat no added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes or dairy in any form for 30 days.”)
Your buy-in to the program also affords you a sense of community on our site and Facebook, even if it is virtual. You feel stronger, braver, more committed to your efforts when you know there are thousands of people doing the program with you, overcoming the same challenges you face. In addition, you’ve got a built-in excuse for why you don’t want that piece of cake or a glass of wine. “I can’t, I’m on the Whole30″ is your quick-draw response, your get-out-of-jail-free card when faced with social pressures. Yes, for 30 whole days, you get to give up the responsibility of making good food choices to us, and the rules we’ve set for you during your program. And for some, that feels wonderfully freeing.
Now Let Us Give It Back
But what happens when your 30 days are up? All the comforts of our rules, your built-in excuses, your sense of being a part of something bigger than yourself disappear with the end of your Whole30. Which leaves you with the desire to continue to eat healthfully, but no clear plan to make that happen. In many cases, nervous about re-entry into the “real world”, people decide to extend their program to a Whole60 or Whole90 – we’ve even heard of a few Whole100′s or more. But we’d ask you to think twice before making that decision.
Sometimes, extending your Whole30 is the right thing to do. For those who haven’t yet banished serious cravings, or who are coming out of serious metabolic derangement, injury or illness, we often encourage them to take their Whole30 just a bit further, to allow ample time for the body to right itself again. We hear many, many reports that participants didn’t really feel the “magic” until day 45, or even day 60. So if you’re still battling sugar and carb cravings or addictions, if you still have an unhealthy relationship with food, if you are still suffering from a disease or condition that will require more than just a month to improve, we encourage you to stick with the program as long as you need to see the results you are looking for. After all, what’s another two weeks, if it gives you a lifetime’s worth of health?
However, extending your program is NOT the right choice for those who are simply nervous about handling real life all by themselves. You can’t – and shouldn’t – live within the strict parameters of the Whole30 forever. Yep, at some point… you’ve gotta take the training wheels off the bike.
Ditch Those Wheels
The point of the Whole30 is to gain awareness – figure out how foods you used to eat are actually affecting you; create new habits, patterns and relationships with food; and learn to apply that knowledge in everyday, real-life scenarios for the rest of your life. The program isn’t meant to continue forever – it’s a tool to give you the knowledge and confidence to make good choices on your own. Think of the Whole30 like your dietary training wheels, giving you the support and structure you need while learning. And despite the fact that it’s scary to lose the structure and comfort of our “rules” and take on the big, bad, sugar-laden world all on your own – at some point for each of you, it’s simply gotta happen.
It’s Okay To Be Not Perfect
Here’s what most of you Whole30’ers can expect after your program is over. (Note, this is generalization, but also based on feedback from hundreds of people.) You’ll perhaps wait a day or two before reintroducing anything off-plan, nervous about taking that first step. Eventually, you’ll reintroduce some not-so-healthy foods, feel like crap and easily set them aside in favor of the usual Whole30-ish foods for your everyday meals and snacks. But slowly, eventually, inevitably, old habits and poor choices will start to creep back in. It might take a month, or two, or three… but eventually you will wake up and realize that (a) you’ve somehow slipped back into so-so eating habits, (b) you don’t feel very fantastic any more, and (c) it’s really time to clean things up.
Does that mean you’ve failed your post-Whole30 test? Not at all! Habits are hard to break, pressures are hard to resist and the temptation of delicious, unhealthy foods are everywhere. In the real world, it’s easy for things to backslide from “awesome” to “so-so”, and it happens to everyone – even us. And it will, at some point, happen to you.
Just Jump Back On
So there you have it – the worst thing that could happen post-Whole30. You eat some crappy food for a while, and feel not so hot. Big deal! All you have to do to regain that awareness, reset those good habits and remind yourself how amazing clean eating makes you look, feel and perform is to jump back on the Whole30. And contrary to popular sentiment, you don’t always have to do the progam in full! There’s no reason why you can’t jump back on for a weekend, a week, two weeks… just long enough for your body and your brain to remember how good you feel, how delicious healthy food tastes, and how easy it is to feed yourself well. Once you’re back on solid ground, kick off your training wheels again. See? Easy.
It Gets Easier
One of the best parts of our program is that each one of your Whole30′s build on top of the last one. This means as you stay connected with our program, your awareness and your food choices, your periods of slipping back into bad habits will grow shorter and less frequent, and your clean-eating adventures will grow longer in duration (and easier). Your “cheats” will become more benign (think hummus and white rice instead of pizza and beer), your everyday meals and snacks will be effortlessly clean, and when you do choose to go off the rails, it will be easy to immediately right yourself and get back on track. And of course, should some special occasion, vacation or stressful event push you right off your bike, the Whole30 will always be there to give you some support and get you riding again.
So for all you Whole30′ers, be prepared for us to push your bike on down the road. You can always come back and see us if you should happen to fall down. For those of you who have done a Whole30 program, does this resonate with you? Can you testify to your progress from one Whole30 to the next, and offer some advice to those who are doing their first program now? Post thoughts to comments.
That post is spot-on. I’ve done a few Whole 30′s and the main thing I’ve learned is an occasional cheat doesn’t kill me, but stringing together a few cheat meals causes lots of discomfort. A day or two of going “Whole 30″ usually gets my body back on track.
So true. This is our second Whole 30. The first was so hard!!! Then we fell right back into our old ways. However, we righted the ship and ate Paleo for a few months. Then we fell again for a couple months before going back to Paleo. After our third trip into the junk food eating waters, we started the Whole 30 for a second time. It was so much easier this go around. Each time back on the ship has been easier to live on for longer periods of time. We are at day 22 and excited to live off the Whole 30. We have talked about eating Whole 30 during the week and have a little more leeway (Paleo) on the weekends. I’m chronicling my families journey at http://www.NapClan.com. We have one week before we see how the transition goes. It seems great in my head:-).
This is exactly what I needed to read! My husband and I are half way through our first Whole30 and talked just last night about what could/will happen when we finish. We feel great and agree that adding things back in, in moderation, such as rice and hummus (exactly!!) would be perfectly fine for us. Knowing that there will be ups and downs but we can always get right back into the Whole30 again is a comfort but a great source of encouragement to continue the journey we’re on. This again is why I am so inspired to complete my Whole30, because you have created such a supportive and informative environment for everyone. Thank you!
This article was perfect timing! I just completed a Whole30 on January 24th and decided to keep going until Day 40 or 45. I am currently on Day 36 and I feel great! I decided to keep going because I really do believe it takes longer than 30 days for most people to rid themselves of bad eating habits and sugar cravings. Prior to the Whole30, I followed a fairly strict Paleo diet but came off the rails for a couple of weeks during the holidays. The sweets/treats were my biggest downfall! In order to combat these “sugar demons” I elected to abstain from all fruit for the first 26 days of the Whole30 so there was no sugar whatsoever. Around Day 27, I introduced some unsweetened organic apple sauce, and guess what? It tasted really sweet! It really showed that maybe my taste buds are changing for the better and I’m not craving sugar.
The part about the training wheels coming off also definitely hit home. I do think a that a part of me is a little scared to venture back to a regular “Paleo” lifestyle. I feel so great and have lost 8lbs total and LOTS of inches. I do realize however; that a Whole30 lifestyle isn’t sustainable or practical for extended periods of time.
I have been doing so great with weight loss and an improved body composition since being on the Whole30, I really would like to see what happens in the next 10 days!
Thanks Melissa and Dallas for creating such an amazing program. I would recommend this to anyone!!
@Joe: We’re thrilled that you “get” the idea of mini-W30′s to get you back on track. I’ve actually had to LIMIT some folks (clients and friends) from doing another full W30, because after, like, 6 in a single year, you REALLY don’t need to do the program again – you need to take the wheels off your bike. Thanks for sharing.
Sarah: Love to see your family on board! I’ve kept up a bit with your blog and updates, please let me know when you post your wrap-up so I can see how you’ve done this time.
JennW: Thank YOU for participating, and contributing! I love seeing husbands and wives doing the plan together. Keep up the good work.
ChrissyV: AMEN!!! I’m so happy when folks realize they need more time on their own. When your time is right, you’ll know it… and you’ll reintroduce some foods, learn from the experience and move on. I’m going to draft a post about how we eat on a weekly basis to help people understand that aspects of the W30 are sustainable forever…. but the full program is definitely (probably) not.
Best,
Melissa
I’ve had great success on the Whole30! I’ve lost at least 10 pounds and I feel fabulous. But I don’t feel the need to continue strict adherence indefinitely. I know that an occasional glass of wine, bite of chocolate or other indulgence won’t send me entirely off track. My plan is to stick with a Whole30 style of eating fairly consistently during the week and then ease up on the weekends. (Except when it comes to wheat. We are not friends.) Thanks for the very rational advice/approach!
Hi. I don’t normally comment on webstuff cause I don’t want to sound stupid. However, I’m on day 22 of a Whole 30 Challenge that my gym is sponsoring. The owners and members of GroundZero Crossfit are awesome and super supportive. Thankfully my husband has been supportive from Afghanistan. He’s been eating as clean as he can from the chow hall, and encouraging me everyday we get to talk. I’m so thankful for all the support and information that is available and given. I am seeing a big difference in my habits and recognizing why and when I eat. It has been awesome to say, “No thanks I’m on Whole 30.” And then getting to explain to others what that means. There are two people that I dearly love that have a serious need to make a transition in their eating habits, even though we loaned them The Paleo Solution book they’re just unable to jump on board. I’m doing Whole 30 to show them what it can do. My only known medical condition is that I felt fat. On day 22 I don’t feel fat anymore. I still have unhealthy weight to lose, but I don’t feel fat. I also don’t have quite as much to lift up on pull-ups.
That brings joy to my heart, and I want to say thank you for sharing this knowledge and ongoing doses of motivation!
Great post and very helpful. I shared this article with my clients as they are finishing up their first 30 day Paleo challenge. Most are new and a few just needed to clean up their Paleo diet after the holidays. Everyone has done amazing and I am so happy for them. I love your information and I look forward to my clients trying the Whole30 next.
Just finishing Whole30 – I’ve lost 6 kg, one inch off bust, waist, hips etc, BGL 5.1 this morning – the best in a long time and it took the whole month to come down, even last week it was still in the 6s. (Prediabetic)
Psoriasis on scalp is reduced, but not gone; rosacea on cheek/forehead flared!!!! Oops- too much tomato I think, and also the ghee seemed to be a problem. Clearer thinking, but not really much more energy. (Pilates is going well though, much better muscle control)
So, yes, I am going to continue with a Whole29 for February- dairy free completely, tomato free. I think I will benefit from continuing for a while longer, still more weight to lose although that will take a few more months, really hoping my energy levels will come up.
I didn’t feel deprived at all, it helps that I love meat, really didn’t miss anything except a little bit of chocolate as an after dinner snack!
We finished up the Whole30 on the 30th of January and we feel great. The behavior in our children have improved drastically (my oldest has PDD so the absence of gluten and sugar has been a God sent in our lives). We’re not afraid of what’s out there but since starting, DH and I have become very aware of our health, nutrition and GMO’s and we really enjoy eating this way. We don’t plan on being as strict when we get together with friends or go out for the occasional dinner, but eating healthy is our number one priority when it comes to food in general.
A few of our friends have started after seeing and hearing about our results so I’ve shared with them my board of Paleo approved foods (http://pinterest.com/bnalong/healthrevolution/) to show that there are so many options out there and they don’t have to eat plain salads to see results.
Thank you for such a fabulous jump-start to a new me!
I’m curious about this. What types of food do you add back in after the whole 30? You mention that you wouldn’t recommend a diet this restricted long term and I wonder why? If a person is feeling great and getting nutritional needs met, what would be the problem with living the Whole30 approach?
I only just started today, but I was trying to think of what I would add back in when I’m done. Possibly wine on occasion? Other than that I really can’t think of anything other than a couple grains that I will miss (oatmeal, popcorn) but don’t plan on eating regularly because of what I’ve learned about grains. I really can’t think of anything other than an occasional treat made with maple syrup or honey…
So tell me veteran Whole30 peeps, what do you most look forward to adding back into your diet?
@Bonnie- I just finished my Whole “40″ on February 3rd. I can tell you that the only non-Whole30 foods I have added on a day-to-day basis is grass-fed cream and grass-fed butter (such as Kerrygold). I am a little lactose intolerant but seem to tolerate both those products without issue. Aside from that, not much else has changed. I will add wine or some dark chocolate in from time-to-time for certain occasions but I do plan to keep my main meals Whole30 compliant especially during the weekdays when I am Crossfitting almost every day. Like you, I feel great and don’t feel the need to really change anything. It’s especially important with all the Crossfit that I am getting the correct amount and quality of fuel my body needs. I find that when I stick to Whole30 food choices, I eat less throughout the day but my meals are far more nutrient, protein, and fat dense which keep me satiated for longer periods of time. It’s interesting because my body really has regulated itself! I now consider “dessert” to be some organic unsweetened applesauce. Coming from a former sugar-addict, it’s a huge change and I no longer crave sugar (even the Paleo “approved” kinds such as honey or agave nectar). As I said, I plant on keeping a very clean diet even after Whole30 with the exception of certain occasions (birthdays, etc).
Bonnie,
We don’t advocate for planning cheats, and we also don’t advocate for planning 100% compliance for the rest of your life. If there were some foods or drinks that you really missed during your Whole30, add those back in carefully and systematically so see how they affect you. If you don’t miss something that makes you less healthy, then don’t add it back in – simple!
We believe that holding yourself to the strict standards of the Whole30 forever is unrealistic, and sets you up for failure. Are you really never going to eat ketchup ever again, or have a bite of your Mom’s chocolate chip cookies? On the other hand, planning your treats and cheats DOES set yourself up to fail on a regularly scheduled basis. We prefer a more organic approach – as outlined in our Nutritional Guide to Off-Roading. http://whole9life.com/2011/04/whole9s-guide-to-nutritional-off-roading/ Decide if it’s worth it, then make the choice.
Best,
Melissa
Chrissy and Melissa,
Thanks for your answers!
I wasn’t sure if there was a health reason for not staying on the Whole30 as a lifestyle. Now I see where your coming from.
I think I have sugar issues too. I am very good about telling myself no for long stretches of time, but when the time I’ve specified is over I tend to binge and it throws everything of. I end up feeling out of control and almost not caring about my diet until I feel so crappy that I have to do something drastic to regain control. I was diagnosed with a fruit/sugar combination intolerance a year ago, so I’ve avoided refined sugars for awhile. I do however indulge in maple syrup or honey sweetened things at times. I LOVE to bake and my downfall is baking for my boys and then consuming the majority of it myself!
Melissa, your comment about not “planning cheats” really resonates with me. I’ve never thought of it that way, in fact I’ve always planned my cheats and it usually leads to a two week out of control binge of sorts. It’s usually something like popcorn and wine for at home date nights… and then that turns into social occasions were a glass of wine (or two!) seems appropriate and before I know it everything is out of whack.
I’m so sick of the cycle and excited about a this Whole9 approach and the support and education resources offered on this site.
Thanks again!
Bon
Thank you so much for posting this! My husband and I were talking about this issue as our Whole 30 ends in 4 days. So far I have noticed a lot of my body “moving around” and I’ve definitely lost inches. We’ll know the tally in a few days. My biggest difference is my skin. SO smooth and so much clearer. We used the Whole 30 as a stepping stone to go Paleo. Crossfit Ft. Vancouver has changed our lives and this program gave us the extra boost we needed for our nutrition. And wow the education I have on agribusiness after researching. Sickening. So thankful I now have my head screwed on for my daughter’s nutritional sake. Keep it up guys!!! Changing the world one person at a time!!!!
Oh MY GOODNESS I forgot, NO VITILIGO outbreaks since I cut dairy out with the program!!!! Needless to say, I won’t be going back!
I have a question that may seem sort of silly: What is the difference between eating Paleo and doing a Whole 30?
The Whole 30 program is a short term step to re-program your mind and body on what should and should not be going in it. It is MUCH more strict than a Paleo diet. It would be good to use as a stepping stone to switch to a Paleo lifestyle. It worked really well for that purpose in my family and there are things that are “paleo” that I won’t put near my mouth just because you really learn what your body likes and does not like during the Whole 30 transformation. To compare, see an “approved Paleo foods” list VS. a Whole 30 list. Whole 30 is pretty much nothing but lots of healthy veggies from many different “families”, lean grass fed red meat, fish, chicken…and whatever else that has legs and is not “factory farmed” on a filler diet. No dairy except Ghee…the list goes on and on, do a little searching on this HIGHLY informative site and you will see the challenge! It’s completely changed both my family and my own relationship with food. Good luck!
Jessica’s got it.
The Whole30 program is based on the concepts of a Paleo diet. While there are some general common themes in a “Paleo” diet (the elimination of grains, legumes and most dairy), the precise definition of “Paleo” varies based on who you ask.
Our Whole30 program is a short-term nutritional “reset” designed to help you figure out how the foods you are currently eating may be affecting your health and quality of life. It’s based on eliminating most “non-Paleo” foods, but the essence of the program is about far more than just not eating things our cave-man ancestors may or may not have eaten. We’ve designed the program to help people change their relationships with food, and to act as a jumping-off point to building new, sustainable healthy eating habits for the rest of their lives. Those healthy eating habits will likely look a lot like a general Paleo diet, but for reasons of health, not history.
Hope that helps!
Melissa