The only tip I have is to plan ahead so that you have enough to eat! I had terrible sugar cravings in the afternoons, so I made sure to have some nuts, cut up veggies, or fruit ready to go so I wouldn't hit the vending machines. We tried to plan ahead so we knew what we would eat each night and have enough for leftovers for lunch. Chopping vegetables ahead of time for recipes and snacks saves time at night, when we were tired and cranky and still had to cook dinner without resorting to pasta or pizza. Nom nom paleo and The Clothes Make the Girl have great recipes and tips.

Good luck!

Thank you 11:28!
I'm not sure if I'll find anything "problematic", but I really like the idea of a reset, and as limited as it seems, I don't know if it's that limiting.

Did you find any pitfalls? Any tips for a newbie? I think I'll try and start tomorrow... I have most of the foods in the house and can easily do a market day in the coming days.

I would definitely give Whole30 a try if you are having trouble with motivation and need the structure. I lost about 8 lbs and my husband lost 11. We didn't find that we had any specific foods that were causing problems, but we liked the program and still incorporate many of the recipes and avoid most grains and sugar. We do eat some beans and dairy now, but I feel that our eating is much, much healthier than beforehand.

Pp, thanks so much for your reply.
Is there a reason you don't follow primal all the time? I guess I'm hoping after resetting, I can keep most of the principles while living a tiny bit more moderately (I do love a glass of red wine!)

How weird. That is not paleo at all. I used to eat a ton of lentils too, and after an 8 week stint on paleo a few years back, I did the slow reentry as suggested and legumes were my biggest irritant. Now I eat them very infrequently and only if I don't have to be 100% that day.

Anonymous wrote:I did the whole 30, and I enjoyed it. I have done paleo and primal for several long stretches and I always feel better when I am. My husband drops weight on them. I don't. But I do feel better.

I have no idea what you are talking about with omni v veggie though and lentils aren't allowed on any of these diets.

whole 30 has a vegetarian option. Beans and lentils are allowed as the protein source.
I'm just thinking it's better to go "whole hog" for 30 days and see if the legumes are contributing to my sugar cravings, etc.

I did the whole 30, and I enjoyed it. I have done paleo and primal for several long stretches and I always feel better when I am. My husband drops weight on them. I don't. But I do feel better.

I have no idea what you are talking about with omni v veggie though and lentils aren't allowed on any of these diets.

I'm not sure if this is more of a health question, but I'm just wondering if anyone has experience they'd like to/ be willing to share about their success (or lack of it) on Whole 30, or on a longer term paleo/ primal lifestyle.

I've been mulling a Whole 30 all weekend, since tripping across it on this thread searching for something else. I like the idea, but am wondering if doping the "omni" or veggie protocol would be better for me. Omni would serve better from the standpoint that I could cook one meal for DH and I - I like the idea of e veggie because I live by lentils. Both directions would clean up my diet, which is the ultimate goal. I'm having some trouble cleaning things up on my own without structure, so I'm thinking this may help.

Any food prep tips to get going in either direction? I checked out the Whole 30 forum, but it seems it's really just the mods answering the questions with the same information (which makes me a little fearful for how helpful the program itself really is).

Thanks in advance for any insight!