Good question! Some of the things I wish I knew on my first Whole30 were:
- That there are TONS of recipes out there that are Whole30 compliant and many of them are very easy to make, tasty, and filling!
- That with an easy mind-hack, it could make getting past temptations easier. Once I discovered the concept of sabotage vs cheating, temptation became much easier to deal with. The concept goes like this: people consider eating things not on a diet cheating, but cheating is defined as gaining an unfair advantage over an opponent or competitor. Cheating on a diet doesn’t give you any advantage, but actually sabotages your willpower, progress, and all the hard work you’ve put in to get where you are. I don’t call eating off-plan cheating, I call it sabotage.
- That at the end of the Whole30, going Paleo is like staying on Whole30 but with SWYPO options. Don’t know what SWYPO is? Look it up on whole30.com or on Google.
- That I should be focusing on how I feel versus my weight. I know, Whole30 tells you that up-front, but I ignored it. At the end of my Whole30, I lost 20 lbs, but I was more focused on the weight loss than anything else.
Fortunately, I read up quite a bit about Whole30 before we started, and my wife did as well. Between the two of us, we had a pretty good understanding of what we were in for. Some examples include the flu-like symptoms, the first day of hell breaking free of the sugar addiction, and reducing our portion sizes.
There are many great journals written by previous Whole30 participants, and I encourage you to seek and read them before starting your first Whole30 so that there are no surprises for you. With that said, we’re all different, and your experience may vary quite a bit from mine. That’s okay and normal; just roll with it, and keep keepin’ on!
Paleo Marine 
My biggest concern about starting whole 30 or Paleo is the food, I’ve read so many people talking about food I’ve never heard of. Is it possible to just eat meat, veggies and certain fruits and it will still work?
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Absolutely! There’s no need to get into the exotic ingredients at all! Most of us who eat Paleo use the exotic ingredients to create recipes that are facsimiles of non-Paleo foods. Sticking to meat and vegetables and fruits is just as good, and will be just as effective. Using the exotic ingredients also allows for some more variety in the foods we eat which helps keep palate fatigue out of our lives which can be a limiting factor for some people as it is one of the most common causes of people going off a healthy diet. Great question!!!
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Hi,
I was doing a similar blog a few months ago – and you were very supportive. Unfortunately I reached my initial goal and then fell off the wagon a little – but back on it now I am pleased to say. I just read this article in the Globe & Mail (Canadian newspaper) which I thought you might like to share.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/minimal-carbs-lots-of-fat-incredible-results-but-no-science/article37402123/
I can’t wait for the new year to get going again! (Got to get through Christmas first!) Andrew
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It’s great to hear from you, Andrew! The good news is you’re back on it now, and well on your way to greater health! Many people go through what you went through. The difference is that you got back at it, and that’s important! You learn with each misstep so it becomes easier to avoid the pitfalls in the future. I wish you a Merry Christmas, and a GREAT New Year! Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help!
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Great article Andrew, thank you for sharing.
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