Seriously. This is going to be a brutally honest article, and if you are easily offended by straight-talk, stop reading now.
You’ve been warned.
I’m serious. Don’t read this if you think you might get offended by some very frank and honest discussion. I don’t want to hear excuses after you read this. You’ve been warned.
Twice.
I’m tired of people telling me, “I can’t do what you did,” or “I tried what you did, but I couldn’t lose the weight.”
Well, that’s because you didn’t do what I did. You cheated. You ate fast food. You drank alcohol. You ate cookies with your kids. You did things I wouldn’t allow myself to do for 13 months which is why I had so much success and you didn’t.
Don’t even for a second think that this is effortless. It may not require exercise and physical activity, but it requires honesty, dedication, and motivation. For me, those things were rather easy. I know for others, it’s not. However, just saying you’re eating well and then not eating well doesn’t do you or anyone else any favors.
Then, there is the fact that it takes at least a month before you will really see changes. Sherry didn’t lose weight until her third week on a Whole30 (yeah, we cheated and weighed ourselves). I lost most of my weight in the fourth week as well. If you are wanting instant results, think of this: did you pack on the weight in a month? How do you think you can lose it all in a month?
I lost over 110 lbs in 13 months because I stuck to a plan and didn’t allow myself to deviate from it unless it was for a special event, holiday, or celebration (of which there were fewer than five in that 13 months). I didn’t have “Cheat days” (because they’re dumb) and I didn’t allow myself to give in to weak moments (see Cheat Days) to derail my progress. I placed my health and weight loss above ALL OTHER PRIORITIES as it pertains to food and health.
I know sweets are delicious. I love pasta and pizza. I love bread. I especially loved my chocolate mochas in the morning. However, I decided that I LOVE BEING HEALTHY AND THIN MORE. There is NO FOOD out there that tastes good enough for me to risk being fat again. NOTHING. And this is coming from someone who absolutely loves food.
Some people think that you aren’t living if you aren’t eating foods full of sugar or carbs. I think those people are living for the wrong things. Food fuels us. Life happens after meals. Stop living on your butts while eating and live it on your feet. It’s a lot more rewarding.
If this post offended you, think about why. What are you doing differently than what Sherry and I did?
Paleo Marine 
I think you hit the nail on the head though when you said “For me, those things were rather easy. I know for others, it’s not.” Yes, all of us are capable of doing what you and Sherry did – but each of us have different strengths and weaknesses. So, in a vacuum or ideal world, we’d all have your willpower but many of us don’t. Nothing to be offended about though and I’m sorry some people choose to be offended. Eating can be like any addiction – some find it harder to change than others for a myriad of reasons, some which they can control, some which they can’t.
And although I do agree that cutting out the sugars and carbs will probably help most everyone lose weight, each of our bodies processes foods ever so slightly differently and even though most of us will lose on this diet, not all of us will lose at the same rate. There could be frustration at that as well. If you gave two comparably sized people the same exact paleo food for a month with no “cheats”, they would not both lose the same amount of weight at the same rate, cheating or not. Still, no one should be offended by that either. It’s just a biological fact.
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Preach!
People just need to be honest! I myself have not seen the results you have – (1) I haven’t been eating clean as long, (2) Albeit I was super strict for the first couple of months and lost ~15lbs, I fell off and have not been as strict since then, and (3) I’ve used my family as a crutch saying “oh it’s easier for you if you’re entire family is doing the same thing.” Let’s be honest – yes, it might be easier for you b/c all your household eats this way, but in fact I have total control of what food I eat and I don’t HAVE to eat what my family is eating.
Once we’re honest with ourselves and just call ourselves out for what we’re doing or not doing that is keeping us from our goals maybe at that point we can deal with those things and get past them.
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Thank you! I’m so happy that the message is coming across as I intended. I don’t now, nor ever, want to make anyone feel badly about their decisions or what they are doing, but honesty with one’s self is key to being successful at getting healthy after being unhealthy for a lifetime. I’m super excited about the changes I see in you, Elaine, and others who have started eating right and getting exercise. It’s really amazing and warms my heart that all of you will be around longer and healthier!!!
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Came over her from Reddit. Congrats on making the front page. I started researching Whole30 and I want to do it.
I am not sure I can do the Whole30 without actually removing all the banned foods from my kitchen and I am pretty sure my children, (adult male 25 with Down Syndrome and 14 year old daughter) will rebel. On the plus side, They are only with me 50% of the time, every other week. I think when they leave my house Sunday to go to their moms, I will empty my fridge and cupboard of all the rule-breaking foods, That gives me a whole week to figure it all out. But you have really inspired me.
Whole30, here I come.
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Scott – It really, really helps to clean out the pantry. We did that in preparation of Whole 30/paleo and when the food isn’t there to tempt you, it’s easier to stay compliant. Maybe keep a shelf of non-whole30 food for your kids that you avoid?
Also, the Whole30 page has some great PDF resources including a pantry re-stocking guide and various shopping lists that help you re-stock: http://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/
Good luck!
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Awesome! Please feel free to email, message, or direct tweet me with any questions you may have. Elaine is spot-on with her suggestions. That’s where I’d start.
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