The War on Moderation

It hasn't been that long, but a timely bump ...

While I have your attention, the Hartwigs have a seriously warped view about food.  You see, when someone creates a product they can sell on their site by dubbing it Whole30 Approved, the usual rules go out the window.

In addition, no Paleo-ifying dessert or junk food choices. Trying to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold will ruin your program faster than you can say, “Paleo pizza.”  This means no desserts or junk food made with “approved” ingredients—no coconut-flour pancakes, almond-flour muffins, flourless brownies, or coconut milk ice cream. Don’t try to replicate junk food during your 30 days! That misses the point of the Whole30 entirely.

Unless we can make money selling it as W30 compliant.  Boggles the mind.

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Original Publish Date:  8/14/13

Recently in a Facebook Ad, the Whole9/Whole30 couple, Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, linked to the following post:  PLEASE STOP SAYING EVERYTHING IN MODERATION (all caps preserved).  Because of a ton of information and thoughts on this topic and recent Facebook posts from Melissa, I read that piece and just couldn't help but comment.  

NO food can possibly be as unhealthy as perpetuating this EATING DISORDER. This article reads like some sick mix of pro-ana and religious cult.

Reading that on Beth/Weight Maven's blog , I must admit it sounds rather hyperbolic.  So I'd like to flesh out the context.  For starters, the Whole30 is a program of 30 days of uber strict "clean paleo" eating:  no grains, legumes, dairy, sugar/sweeteners.  They wrote a book about it, It Starts With Food (which I personally can't recommend more strongly against).  In Chapter 1 [Kindle locations 151-154]  of that book they write:

We have a theory about food that directly influences the rest of this book. 

The food you eat either makes you more healthy or less healthy. Those are your options. 

There is no food neutral; there is no food Switzerland— every single thing you put in your mouth is either making you more healthy or less healthy.

Later they write:

So, how did we come up with our dietary recommendations? We combined scientific research with clinical experience. We have scientific studies to back up our recommendations. We have years of experience and documented Whole30 results to confirm that we’re on the right track. It’s the best of both worlds— the academic evidence and the boots-on-the-ground experience that comes from working with thousands of people and getting amazing results. Win-win.  [KL 300-304]

I have preserved their emphasis.  Their 30 days is modeled around the 30 Days from Robb Wolf's book which should raise a red flag in anybody's mind.  He can't even give a straight answer as to what paleo is any more.  The Hartwigs also cite Cordain who still promotes lean meats, but used to yet no longer promotes canola oil.  Which begs the basic questions:  What is healthy?  I don't see how anyone can even theorize that certain foods either make you more or less healthy when that term has such a nebulous definition and can surely mean different things to different people at different times.  To use an extreme example, sugary dairy is often part of the nutrient mix given to very ill people because of assimilation and it makes them healthier.  I also would love to see this scientific research about no neutral foods.  It's an absurd concept, and that mindset is ripe for eating disordered behavior.

But go along for the ride many do ...

So, a little while back, the Whole9/30 duo started a Dear Melissa advice column.  In the first installment there was a question from a "100% or nothing kind of guy".  The strict W30 works well when he's on the plan, but after the 30 (or he asdded 45 or 60) days are over,  he "falls off a cliff" ...

I go from 100% compliant with the Whole30 to elbow deep in a bag of chocolate chip cookies faster than you can say “Mister Christie.”

He goes on to explain that this is an issue in his marriage.  

My wife cannot understand the all-or-nothing rigidity that I have to put on my life to be successful. She would love for me to just “eat in moderation” but I have no success with “moderate” at all.

He has apparently read the advice of the Hartwigs several times

I have read and re-read the transition chapter in It Starts With Food and I have planned to follow the transition to a T, but when I open the door a crack, I have significant transition issues. For so many reasons, I feel like eating 100% W30 for the rest of my life but this may cause life issues (wife, family, friends, travel, etc.) but when I moderate… I forget the “moder” and just eat!

Melissa responds:

Let me tell you a little secret—just about nobody does well with “moderation.” It’s a bullcrap concept, to be honest, created by diet gurus who sell tons of books by telling people what they want to hear—that they can still eat all the junky foods they want, as long as it’s in “moderation.” (What does that even mean? Eat just one cookie a day? Or eat as many cookies as you want, as long as it’s only once a week? Or eat 7 cookies a day, as long as you only take one bite per hour? You see my point…) The truth is (and habit research shows) that most people do far better with a black-and-white goal. That’s why the Whole30 works so well for you—you know exactly what is expected of you, there is no grey area. 

Look, if you don't like to use the current US population as an example, go to France or go hang out with some old people or talk to your grandparents if they are still alive and watch some old movies.  The VAST majority of people do/did well with moderation.  I've been on this kick for a while, but look at those centenarians like George Burns lived to be, or even this cute couple (who are only in their 90's) that eats pancakes every day.  Seriously, what IS health to these people?  

The diet and fitness industry is a mess.  There are good guys (gender nonspecific sense) out there, but they are few and very far between the profiteers and scammers.  The paleo crossfitter and low carb slow burner types like to portray themselves as "different" from the mainstream scads.  Sorry, most are not.  Many are even worse because they couch their schemes as scientific when they are really not.

OK, back to the Dear Melissa advice.  Over on Facebook, they wrote: "As for Riot's comment, ever heard of The Zone? Moderation at its finest. Remember when Sears told boxer Evander Holyfield he could still eat at McDonalds, as long as he only ate five fries? Yeah, that's great advice. Then again, he's sold a bazillion more books than us."    Huh?  The Zone??   

Full disclosure:  Never tried that diet, but I considered it at one time.  Here's a Cliff Notes version.   Basically the macros are P/F/C = 30/30/40, thus it is lower carb than the USDA dietary recs but not a low carb diet.  Lowish fat.   Those macro ratios should be met in each meal or snack which is what makes compliance difficult.  In order to simplify that there's a block system where 1 block is C = 9g, P = 7g, F = 1.5g  ... dieters figure out their total blocks and break them down.  Sears believes large meals promote inflammation so Zone tends to be one of those eat 5-6 times a day plans.  He's pretty adamant that the macro ratios must be kept for each time you eat, and weighing/measuring is part of the deal.  However, I never got the impression that this had to be nit-picky exact and surely someone can get the hang of it and eyeball and such.  One of the reasons we hear about Zone in this general community is because it is the original diet promoted by Crossfit.  See:  Crossfit Journal Zone Meal Plans.    Here are a few excerpts:

[General recommendations are adequate ...] but more accurate and precise prescription is necessary to optimize physical performance. 

... Diet is critical to optimizing human function and our clinical experience leads us to believe that Barry Sears’ “Zone Diet” closely models optimal nutrition. 

CrossFit’s best performers are Zone eaters. When our second tier athletes commit to “strict” adherence to the Zone parameters they generally become top tier performers quickly.

Melissa apparently developed an eating disorder eating a CrossFit version of neurotic Zone, but blames that diet per se for problems with moderation.  I found this out because a link to Zone Gone Bad landed in my Inbox from someone who saw my FB comment questioning the 5 french fry thing.   That article was written in 2009 before Byers became Hartwig.   Interestingly, it begins quite similarly to an article written in early 2012 The Whole30 Gone Bad.  A recanting of her sister becoming obsessive on the Zone.   We'll get to that in a moment, but for now:

Her experience mirrors that of many Whole9 readers, with our Whole30 program.

For those with a history of disordered eating, food addictions or other dependencies, the Whole30 may prove more stressful than helpful. Something that starts off as healthy and balanced slides into dangerous territory, where diet defines you, food is the enemy and self-worth comes straight out of your refrigerator. ...

... Many readers of this site have at one time or another had body image issues, disordered eating behaviors or flirtations with harmful eating habits. Often, these habits are born out of an inherently healthy desire to feel and look better—to become more fit, or leaner, or more muscular. Some people just go about approaching this healthy quest in an unhealthy way, and unfortunately, ingrained, unhealthy behaviors can rise again when someone with a history of disordered eating or other addictions takes on a super-strict program like the Whole30.

For many of you, whether you have a history with “real” eating disorders or simply have had issues with food, diet is a sensitive subject. Old habits are hard to forget, and some of those habits may play a role in your Whole30 experience. ... {emphasis from article}

Now I guess they are none too happy that I posted the great comment at right on my FB page and have been a bit on the case of these restrictive regimes such as with this tweet.

Paleo ApprovED watch https://t.co/EvOOgnchV2 A new Whole30 starts today. If you struggle with binge eating, please DO NOT sign on!
— Evelyn (@CarbSane) August 1, 2013

In the run-up to the latest group Whole30 challenge that began on August 1, do the Hartwigs warn their followers to be careful?  That restriction may not be a good approach for them.  Of course not.  But I'm going to call foul on their response to my comment (stole/hot linking Beth's image)

You are apparently too busy to give a damn about those with eating disorders, but please, don't listen to the "cohort" warning you about us.  How about you put your own warnings front and center?!  No, that might lose a few book sales in exchange for providing responsible advice.

Now back to Zone and such.  You see both "gone bad" articles begin with the story about Melissa's sister.  What is missing is that in 2009, Melissa related the story of how "The Zone" went bad for her.

Her experience mirrored my own. When I first started with CrossFit and the Zone in December 2007, I enjoyed the precision of weighing, measuring, and tracking my intake. There was no guessing or estimating; the plan was well outlined and easy to follow. And I saw positive results quickly. My energy was better, my workouts were strong and I was continuing to build muscle. But unlike Kelly, I do have a history of unhealthy eating behaviors, and those behaviors began to rear their ugly head just a few weeks into my Zone experience. Slowly, my brain began to take the healthy activities associated with the Zone diet and twist them back into my prior disordered behaviors. I stopped eating anything unless I could measure it. I spent hours on FitDay (a free online diet and fitness journal), plugging in different food choices to arrive at the perfect balance of ratios. I began to obsess over my body composition, spending far too much time in the mirror. Food began to rule my life, and before I knew it, what had started as Zone had morphed into a Zone-inspired eating disorder.

And then as I read the Whole30 Gone Bad I started having de ja vu.  This all started to sound familiar.  I've made a little table for you.   

Red emphasis mine, all other emphasis Melissa's

You see, Melissa didn't forget about the article she wrote previously, she just tweaked it a bit, left out her personal issues and attributed the same words to "you" and "others"  and changing the source of self worth.   Gone is the admission of her personal experience with the whole deal.  

This is dishonest any way you cut it, and I'm calling you on it Melissa.   Especially when now you lash out at those of us who point out that restrictive programs are likely not the best for people with a history of eating disorders.  First of all, YOU HAD AN EATING DISORDER MELISSA HARTWIG.  Not "two steps away",  but full blown eating disorder.  Just because you didn't stick your finger down your throat, or exercise excessively (I presume) or restrict so severely that you were technically anorexic doesn't mean you didn't have an ED.  You had one.  I know, because I had one too and the behavior you described in the Zone Gone Bad article is *classic* ED behavior even if the chart wouldn't have been stamped with anorexia or bulimia.  

Further, I do not know what sort of ED behavior you may have exhibited prior to the Zone, but you yourself say your sister had NO history of this.  And yet Zone "caused" her ED.   Do you see the cautionary tale here?  Not even just a little?  People with a history of ED should stay the frig away from plans like Whole30, and those who do not should still go in (if they must) with eyes wide open because as Kelly showed, it is that damned easy for things to turn south.  For me it started with a calorie restricted diet.  Yours may not be calorie restricted but it is WAY MORE restrictive in every other imaginable way.  Do you remember when your relationship with food got broken?  Do you consider it fixed?  Where is the warning?  Let us change your life?  Do you have any, A.N.Y. , sense of responsibility for those who might have gone down this path because of your program?  How about Crystal Fieldhouse??   (Minor Update:  As of 11/30/13, there has been zero update on Crystal's condition.  There are two recent posts.  One is for a 6 Week Sugar Detox.  Sigh.  Meanwhile she is still promoting paleo under the banner of "Primal Shift".  Unconscionable really.)

What was so interesting, was that the first comment on my FB page in response to my comment was:

So... eating whatever the heck you want, whenever you want, is healthy as well? I'm not completely on-board with this article, but I've done a Whole 30 and it made a TREMENDOUS difference in how I felt and looked. I lost 7 pounds, and several inches. I'm planning on doing another one in September, because when I quit following Paleo guidelines, and started eating sugar and carbs again, I gained everything back plus more. Just because you don't agree with Paleo diets or the Whole 30 doesn't make it an eating disorder. Also, I'm curious what your background in nutrition is? Do you have one? Or are you just a contentious carb-lover who doesn't like to be told what to do?

How interesting.  Lost weight and started eating the "bad stuff" again and gained it back and then some.   About that paleo thing ... restrictive programs that last a certain number of days are at their very core so unpaleo.   We know this because hunter gatherers are opportunistic folks.  They hunt and gather and EAT what they can.  Which doesn't mean a dozen donuts is the way to go, but does kinda make the random rules of restriction for things like white potatoes or rice seem awfully silly.  

Thanks commenter.  You made my point.

So that was then, and now?  

Here's the Whole30 Program from their website.  

Since April 2009, tens of thousands of people have successfully completed our Whole30 program with amazing results. Here are the official program “rules,” and a few resources to help you maximize your Whole30 results.

That says version 2012.  Is there a link to Whole30 Gone Bad?  Cautions to those with previous ED?  Any attempt to steer people who might be getting themselves into trouble towards real professional help and away from a program that is harming them?    No.  This program is marketed to those who have eating disorders, because what else is changing how you view food?  Ahh but the stunning testimonials, those you link to.    At some point the magic happens.  Just like for Crystal, right?

But while your Moderation post included words like "believe" and "eat as little as you can", the W30 post gets even worse in the end.  It is full, as most of your writings are, of language that screams eating disorder and religiosity.  It's for your own good, tough love -- or you'll never get to the life changing stuff, it's not hard (but sugar is like alcohol, but don't you go whining until you talk to a real addict ... ummmm), you must be perfect don't even consider slipping, at your best friend's wedding you DON'T need to eat that cake!!!   I'll let others read that for themselves.

All of which wouldn't be quite as maddening were it not for yucking it up with Robb Wolf over eating a lot of ice cream (paleo of course, agave syrup is one step away from the tequila Robb and Amy Kubal never cease to tweet back and forth about) while the next you are confessing to obsessing over a cupcake on FB.  

What is this psychological impact of which you speak?  I read about these psychologically damaging foods in your materials.  Do refried beans damage your brain?  How about corn on the cob?  Seriously, a bowl of oatmeal with cream and honey?  Dare I ask what psychological impact a banana split might have on a person...

Sorry but as someone who could have written that above post decades ago, I think I have a little insight here and its your thinking that causes the impact, not the food.  Thinking that is surely more anxiety-ridden by looking at certain foods as "unhealthy" and therefore going to harm your body.   Thinking that imparts powers on foods that they most certainly do not possess.

Eating in moderation is about fixing your attitude about food.  It has nothing really to do with what foods you ultimately eat or don't eat.  Stop hiding behind the ruse of food allergies and autoimmune diseases, etc.  NOBODY IS SAYING THAT ANYONE HAS TO EAT ANY PARTICULAR FOOD.   The concept of all things in moderation simply means you can have anything (that is not truly harmful to your body) .   Stop with the strawmen that people lay around eating ice cream morning noon and night.  That's the moderation part.  Its mindful eating, not obsessive cupcake fears and fits.  It's knowing that you can have ice cream again tomorrow if you want it so you don't need to finish the whole gallon today.  It's finding that you don't want the ice cream after all sometimes.  

Now I know my critics are snickering with their usual she's fat and Melissa's thin .. so there!  Here's news for you.  Most people with eating disorders suffer for decades and never get overweight.  Many are underweight.  Some DIE.  Their teeth rot, their hair falls out, their skin gets bad, their digestive systems no longer process food properly.  A seriously high percent of people in Hollywood and the modeling and fitness industries suffer from eating disorders.  And a whole lot of youngsters.  They can be so awful I wouldn't wish one on my worst enemy.  And it is FRIGHTENING just how easily it starts.  If I had a daughter I would be in agony when the day came she went on a diet.  Seriously because that's really all that happened for me.  A little pudge with puberty so some body image issues, a diet, some success, more diet, more success, ... I estimate I went from normal relationship with food to full blown disordered in no more than three months.  And it didn't begin nearly as restrictive as this Whole30.

This is serious stuff, and this used car salesman schtick is not so cute if you buy a car with the brakes out and end up dying in a crash.    And you know what?  Oddly enough, most of the obese DON'T have eating disorders, though many like myself became that way when our bodies were stronger than our minds.    I'll share more thoughts in the coming weeks, but I did want to say a few words here.  

In conclusion...  

The Whole30.  Why?  Don't do it.  Please.  If you must try it once and it sticks, good for you.  If you're genuinely happy with a restrictive lifestyle that doesn't interfere with your enjoyment of friends and family members and other social interactions.  Go for it.  

But there are those who are starting their 2nd, 5th, 10th or more(??) W30.  That is a clue.  This is yo yo dieting and its just an eating disorder disguised in doing something "healthy".  Don't kid yourself.

If you suspect you have a food allergy or intolerance, go on a proper elimination diet and/or get tested.  If you have a lactose issue, you'll never know by cutting everything out of your diet and getting sick when you binge on cheesecake on day 31.  If you are not intolerant, then there is no reason to avoid these foods entirely.  

If you want to clean up your diet?  Do it.  Eat more foods prepared at home.  Fresh, real, whole foods.  When your base diet is a good one for you, there is room for the rest.  All of it.  In moderation.  And just think of all the mental energy you'll have left over for other stuff, or just to enjoy some food.  It's not a sin you know.