WLC: Lifestyle and Lifestyle Vegetarian

I like to refer to Lifestyle as the "I need to read labels and remove all sugars from my diet" level. The

Lifestyle Level is the middle ground of the WLC nutrition levels. You need to pay detailed attention to your food choices but you will have more flexibility especially when it comes to eating out.

In order to try to prevent having 53155 blog posts on the WLC nutritional levels, I have condensed the Lifestyle and Lifestyle Vegetarian into one list.  So I ask forgiveness from our veggie friends for the inclusion on meat and dairy products in the list.

NOTE:  Like my Kickstarter review, these rules apply to the January 2018 WLC as it applies to Team BFF.

What CAN you eat with no deductions:
-- Meat including bacon (even if sugar is an ingredient)
-- Deli meat that is only meat, water and seasoning
-- Fermented soy (tempeh, miso)
-- Vegetables (with the exception of the yucca and taro)
-- Legumes with the exception of soybeans (including tofu)
-- All fruit except for dried fruit with added sugar
-- All nuts
-- All oils except for hydrogenated oils
-- The following grains:  oats, quinoa, amaranth, rice (all types) and buckwheat
-- Corn tortillas
-- Stevia, monkfruit, and coconut sugar/nectar
-- Butter, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese and whey protein
-- Fried sweet potato fries
-- Baked white potato fries
-- Baked vegetable chips (white potato, sweet potato, veggie)
-- One glass of wine/spirits per week

What you CAN NOT eat without a point deduction:
-- Lunch meat that additives such as carrageen, nitrates, etc.
-- Tofu and soybeans (edamame)
-- Yucca and taro (also called cassava)
-- Hydrogenated oils
-- Bread, bagels, flour tortillas, muffins, etc
-- Grain flours and potato starch
-- Cornmeal and polenta
-- Pasta (even the commercially available ones that contain lentils, chickpeas, black beans, etc)
-- Barley, couscous, farro, and wheat berries
-- Milk, cream, cheese, buttermilk, etc
-- Fruit juice, Beer, and soda/pop
-- Alcohol except for 1 glass of wine/spirits per week.
-- All sweeteners but stevia, monkfruit, and coconut sugar
-- Additives including MSG and nitrates
-- The following snack foods: popcorn, fried white potatoes and fried chips (all types, veggies, etc).

Lifestyle FAQ
I also highly encourage you to reach the Kickstarter FAQ as questions #2-5 also apply to the Lifestyle level.

1) I am out to dinner and am planning on ordering a salad.  Can I have eat the the salad dressing that is served with the salad?  Unlike Kickstarter, the rules for Lifestyle do NOT allow for any sugars or sweetners other than coconut sugar, stevia and monkfruit in all foods - both savory and sweet.  So you would need to ask if the salad dressing contained sugar (and as a FYI most commercially available ones do).

This questions really highlights the complexity of eating out.  To follow the WLC rules exactly, you would need to research the ingredient lists online (for chain restaurants) or ask your server a zillion questions about cooking oils, marinades, etc.  It has been Team BFF's opinion that at the Lifestyle level, you should do your best with determining what has sugar and what doesn't.  Use your best judgement when ordering and make the best decisions you can when eating out.  Avoid items that you know traditionally contain sugar (mayo, salad dressing, ketchup, bbq sauce, sweet marinades like teriyaki, etc) and make smart food choices.  Note:  this opinion changes when you move to the performance level.

2) Do I really need to read the labels for everything?  IMO, yes.  There are hidden sugars and additives every where these days - canned tomatoes, pasta sauce, canned veggies, etc.  It will take some time at the beginning to sort out what brands have sugar and what don't but almost always you can find a sugar free variety at a traditional grocery store.  Gone are the days of having to go to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's for all your WLC shopping needs.  The "whole foods" craze is taking over and you can find many many compliant foods at national chain grocery stores, big box stores and even Aldi.

3) And speaking of labels, the nutritional label says there is 5 grams of sugar but sugar (or another name for sugar) is not listed in the ingredients, it the product compliant with Lifestyle?  Yes!  WLC does not eliminate natural sugars (like those founds in fruits), only added sugars.  So read those ingredient labels.