Whole30 FAQ

Welcome! If you’re here, you’ve probably read my Whole30 post, if not feel free to do so. I still get a lot of questions about my Whole30 experience so I thought I’d try and put together some of the most frequently asked questions here. I do try to respond to questions about my experience as well, but I mostly do maintenance on this site and less new content- so I apologize if there is a time-delay. Good Luck!

Have you done a second Whole30?

Yes! I started round 2 on January 11th of 2016- you can follow me on Instagram to see my progress. I will update my post as soon as I’ve finished with anything that may be relevant for the second timers.

My weight and eating habits are a constant struggle for me. I wish I could say that everything was fixed after my Whole30 and I lost a ton of weight, but that’s just not the case- it will always be something I have to work on and Whole30 definitely helped me with some allergy realizations and non-scale victories. It isn’t always about the weight with Whole30, which is why weighing is not allowed.

Potatoes are now allowed, will I have the same results?

You will never have the same results as someone, so try not compare. You need to decide why you are doing a Whole30 and focus on that: maybe you feel horrible and want to identify food allergies, maybe you have aches and pains caused by a leaky gut- there are a lot of reasons Whole30 can be helpful. You’ll need to decide for yourself if potatoes are ok on your Whole30. If they are SWYPO and make you want french fries and hashbrowns all day long, maybe your should consider leaving them out- as with anything.

What is SWYPO?

This is actually “sex with your pants on”. It’s the Whole30 way of saying that you’re satisfying a craving or the sugar dragon rather than starving it. For example: baked goods using Whole30 approved ingredients are considered SWYPO. Your brain can’t tell the difference between a Paleo/Whole30 brownie and a regular brownie- it’s just thinking “mmm, brownie!”, and you’re not really breaking that addiction, you’re feeding it. At some point you’re going to really just want to real thing, with pants off! More info about that here.

Can I use Isagenix, Visalus, Shakeology, etc on Whole30?

No. All for different reasons, but none are approved. You’ll have to put those programs on hold while doing your Whole30. If you’re following the steps correctly with veggies, protein and fat you should be getting enough protein that you don’t need to supplement. More here, search “shakeology”.

Can I still use stevia in my coffee?

According to Whole30 all sweeteners, artificial (Splenda, Stevia, Equal) and real (honey, maple, sugar, etc), are off limits. If you’re really trying to rid your system of toxins and give yourself a reset, Splenda every morning in your coffee will hinder that (SWYPO!). Here is an article on sugar, http://whole9life.com/2010/06/sugar-sugar-sugar/. The book would go into more detail on why artificial sweeteners of all kinds aren’t allowed.

Do I have to use grass fed, organic meat? What if I can’t afford that?

As far as I know they recommend getting the best quality meat you can afford and find. We don’t have a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods where I live, so I was stuck with what I could find at my local grocery store or butcher. I did try to buy the best, but when that wasn’t an option they recommend meats with less fat, since toxins are stored in the fat, and taking into consideration how the animal is treated while alive. Here is the guide with Best and Alt choices, http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-grocery.pdf.

What’s the point when I’m finished with Whole30, can anyone really eat this way forever?

As far as the reason, it really depends. Whole30 is an elimination diet- the idea is that whatever you put in your mouth is either good for your body or bad, nothing is neutral. So by eliminating anything that may be causing an issue (for multiple reasons outlined in the book) you are resetting your system. When adding foods back in, according to the reintroduction phase, you will learn what effects you negatively and how. The idea is then to eliminate those foods permanently or eat them and know the consequences. Whether or not it’s practical to eat that way your entire life is based on you. You can definitely learn a lot about your cravings, food addictions, as well as the negative impact food has on your health.

Can I do a Whole30 while pregnant?

Yes! Tons of info on that here!

If I’m missing anything read It Starts With Food, go to the site, it’s the best resource. I’ll updates as I can. Thanks!

[disclaim]Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or an expert on Whole30. I have simply done the program as well as researched it a lot. These are my experiences and I am not responsible for your experience being different than mine. It is your responsibility to do your own research on Whole30 and decide if it is right for you. I make every effort to make sure the information I am giving is accurate, but sometimes things change.[/disclaim]