Whole30 Diet Review

I’ve never enjoyed “diets” before. I mean, who does, really? Usually they are packed with restrictions, poor food options, and little to no long-term benefits. Not saying those other diets didn’t help me lose weight or eat cleaner for a while, but they always left my body wanting more.

I would eat paleo about 80 percent of the time, but it was the other 20 percent that was preventing me from seeing what I wanted to see in the mirror. I’m less concerned with numbers on the scale; instead, I focus on body composition and the way I feel during peak activity.

I’m a very active guy, very much into CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting, and recently began dabbling in triathlon training, but as any nutritionist will tell you, the body you want isn’t just about the exercise you put out, it’s primarily tied to the food you put in. You can’t expect your body to perform or look its best if you’re filling it with, well, crap.

So with all of this in mind, I knew I needed something that was going to not only shock the system and help me get closer to the body composition I was looking for, but more importantly, not leave me at the end with a walk of shame to habits that would eventually take me back to ground zero. 

Whole30 was a program I had heard about from friends at the gym and it always seemed so daunting. It’s a 30-day commitment, and every time I thought about it, there was always a holiday or a wedding or a vacation coming up and I knew I wouldn’t be able to honor that commitment.

But then I talked to a CrossFit friend of mine who shared my fitness goals and was already a few weeks into his Whole30, and he said to “get in the mindset that you are the only person that is in charge of your body and you have absolute control over what goes in it. If you want it to look, feel, and perform like a Ferrari, treat it like one.”

That was all I needed to hear. I targeted June 1, 2015 as my start date, ordered the book so I could have a tangible guide with appropriate recipes, and started reading all the dos and don’ts.

That’s when I started to think: “what did I get myself into?”

No gluten. No dairy. No legumes. No alcohol. No added sugar (real or artificial). No grains. No carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. No desserts recreated with approved ingredients (say bye to delicious paleo pancakes). No bacon (nearly all commercial bacon is cured with sugar; there are some out there that aren’t, but good luck finding them). No stepping on the scale.

That’s a lot of no, but I didn’t let that discourage me; I knew I could do this and I knew it would be good for my body. I wanted to change my relationship with food. I no longer wanted to eat purely based on desire, but rather hunt for what would fuel my body the best while also pleasing my taste buds.

“As an RD and lover of real food nutrition, I am a supporter of the Whole30,” said Erica Giovinazzo, Head Coach and Nutritionist at BRICK CrossFit. “It's based off of real, good, nutritious foods, that don't stimulate inflammation.

I spoke with Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, founders of the Whole30 program and Certified Sports Nutritionists (CISSN), to understand what the secret to success was for this seemingly rigorous plan. “Three words: ‘planning and preparation’” said Melissa.

“The Whole30 means you’ll be shopping for, preparing, and cooking three meals a day. You’ll need a plan when dining out, traveling, or stuck in a long business meeting. How well you prepare for stressful situations, long days at the office, peer pressure, and family dinners will make or break your Whole30.”

She couldn’t have been more correct here. The old adage of “failure to plan is planning to fail” reigns true when it comes to this way of eating. I remember one time, on a business trip to San Francisco, I didn’t plan my breakfast the morning before a long meeting and walked around the office for about 30 minutes before searching for some damn eggs. Nothing. I walked down every street, was vigorously searching on Yelp, nothing around that I could eat. I ended up with a banana from Starbucks until lunch. Case in point: plan ahead for success!