I'm really interested in trying out Paleo- I've been doing South Beach and I think I need to take it to the next step.

I found this website and I'm reading Gary Taubes and listening to Robb Wolf's podcasts: http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

Who's up for starting this challenge in April? That gives us a week or so to plan.

Here's how I'm imagining this would be: April 1st (no fooling!) we post our stats: Height, weight, measurements. We take our before photos. We don't have to share those.

Then we write in each day to check in. No weigh-ins until April 30th. But, no cheating either. We follow the plan as specified.

Eat real food – meat, fish, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re natural and unprocessed.

More importantly, here’s what NOT to eat during the duration of your Whole30 program. Omitting all of these foods and beverages will help you regain your healthy metabolism, reduce systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly impacting your health, fitness and quality of life.

* Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in all kinds of ways.

* Do not eat processed foods. This includes protein shakes, pre-packaged snacks/meals, protein bars, milk substitutes, etc.

* Do not drink alcohol, in any form.

* Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, millet, oats, corn, rice, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. (Yes, we said corn!) This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels.

* Do not eat legumes. This includes beans (black, kidney, lima, etc.), peas, lentils, and peanuts or peanut butter. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).

* Do not eat dairy. This includes all cow, goat or sheep’s milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, whey, ice cream, etc.

* Do not eat white potatoes. It’s arbitrary, but they are carbohydrate-dense and nutrient poor, and also a nightshade.

* Most importantly… do not try to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold. This means no “Paleo-fying” less-than-healthy recipes – no “Paleo” pancakes, “Paleo” pizza, “Paleo” fudge or “Paleo” ice cream. Don’t mimic poor food choices during your Whole30 program!

We can share recipes and NSV with each other and encourage each other to step away from the cupcakes!

Would you be willing to have a buddy if I'm not 100% on board? I'm not ready to make the total leap, but I do plan to cut out most dairy, all grains, sugar, and most fruit except berries. I am planning, however, to make things like bread, waffles, and pizzas using ingredients like almond/flax flour, eggs, stevia, and cream cheese. Recipes like the ones on http://marianutrition.com/

If you want some support, let me know. if you'd prefer someone who is doing it 100%, I understand.

Sorry, her blog with the recipes is http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/

Hi Uscarchie - I've been eating primal/paleo for almost one year - it's fantastic.

I did a whole30 in January and felt great and lost 4 lbs (bonus). February was my birthday month and Valentine's, and I knew I was going to have a few occasions where I would want to have some wine, so I wasn't strict paleo that month. My plan for March whole 30 fell through because it's been an incredibly busy and stressful time at work.

However, I'd love to do a whole30 with you in April - I will need to cut out the Kerrygold butter, occasional cheese/HWC, wine, and dark chocolate (I have now maybe 3x per week as a treat).

I will be able to start Tuesday, April 5 and go strict for one month or more. I will be out of town next week - Tuesday (spring break), and I know there will be wine involved , so I want to start after I get home. We would still be doing most of the month together. Ilene, Kel, and I (from the primal/paleo thread) did the Jan one together, and it was indeed nice to have someone to check in with. I think Ilene and I both lost 4-5 lbs, and Kelly lost maybe 10 or so. So, yes, I'm in.

The good thing about whole30 is that after I really tightened up my compliance, I never had much desire to slide back, except for the occasional glass of red wine or chocolate treat. Before I did it, I was much more of a primal way than paleo (regularly bought and ate cheese, used butter to cook, etc.). So cutting the dairy and the treats was the biggest change for me, but it really wasn't that hard. It can easily turn into whole60, whole50, whole120, etc., which is a wonderful thing!

Amazing! Welcome Ann72 and Walking2Lose! We can do this! I don't care if you don't do this 100% Ann, but I think it's important for me to do this clean, and I appreciate the support.

I'm starting today with a plan to grill hamburger patties and asparagus for lunch. And I'm really looking forward to it!

Tomorrow will be my last weigh in for 30 days. I'm a little freaked out about not stepping on the scale- but this isn't about the weight, per say, this is about being healthy and avoiding the things that are making me gain weight to begin with.

Thanks for joining in! I think this will be an amazing experience and I love the support I get at this site!

Call me Claire Why don't you join us at the primal/paleo thread - it's where we all hang out and swap successes, struggles, recipes, support, etc.

I'm still starting the 5th and actually really looking forward to it!

Okay, maybe I need this, too. Right now, there are some chocolate chip cookies sitting on the counter and they've been calling my name. I'm trying not to listen.

I've been low carb since Sept of last year, and I lost a lot of weight. I found primal around January, and it has helped get things going again. Lately, I've been struggling. I haven't gained any weight, but my blood sugars are creeping back up, and I need to strengthen my resolve.

Are you doing this here, or on the primal thread? I'll go look over there.

Thecandes--you can do this!!! Dont give into the cookies. Throw them out or, if you can't, just put them away. That's just way too tempting.

Hey, if you haven't made lunch yet, I really like chopping up some portobellas really fine and throwing that in with the ground beef. Yum! Enjoy.

I just started a thread in the Carb Counters Main Forum- I'm well on my way! We can do this!

Okay, thanks! I'll go over there.

Ann, I know! It's bad. I bought them yesterday because my kids were begging for goodies. It's the first time I've had them in the house since I started low carb.

Someone I know from another forum just completed this said she felt great! I've started a Primal lifestyle since Feb ... so maybe i will try this out too!