little_muffin Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Okay, here's the thing. I started paleo about 18months ago following my 2nd pregnancy and I feel 100% better all round. I have completed my 2nd W30 and didn't have to make drastic changes as I was used to the 3 meal planning etc. However... Part of my reason for doing my 2nd W30, besides altering my relationship with food, was to lose weight which I had all but shifted, then got ahead of myself, ate far too much sugar and put it all back on :-( I had a whopping 28lb to lose and thought that initially it would fall away quite quickly (1st W30 I shed 10lb) but I lost 6.5lb, still a loss but no were near enough. This is baby weight so it's not like I don't need to lose it at 160lb. I need help, I have not weighed or measured the food I have been eating and eaten until I am full 3 times a day but am thinking that maybe I got the portion sizes wrong, e.g. Today Breakfast; diced chicken thigh with spinach and red pepper and 2 scrambled eggs all cooked in coconut oil Lunch; left over salmon fishcake & turkey burger heated through with coconut oil (our dinner and children's dinner yesterday), a boiled egg and half a plate of salad(lettuce, tomato, cucumber, radish, pepper, celery, avocado mixed in 2tbsp olive oil and 1tbsp balsamic vinegar) Too much fat? Protein? I haven't done a massive amout of exercise but I've done 1 aerobics seesion a week, 2/3 weights sessions (reasonably light weights as I'm a newbie) and a few chillout mediation sessions. Please help me as the more frustrated I get with my weight (I know, focus on health not weight but it's difficult when I've so much to lose) the more I'm inclined to do a radical weight loss program instead of one that gets my biochemistry right. Please help and sorry for the long post. Thanks Jenni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 So you lost 6.5 lbs on this last Whole30? What if you kept eating Whole30 style, losing weight at 6.5 lbs a month? Are your meals keeping you satiated for 4-5 hours? Do you feel overstuffed? If you wanted to play with portion sizes, maybe cut back on the protein (eating a minimum of one palm) and up the veggies. The fat portions look fine.Also, are you staying sufficiently hydrated? Aim for drinking water, in the amount of at least half your body weight in ounces, daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msssjenna Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Honestly I would drop the 2 eggs in the morning and replace with a sweet potato. I would also increase the spinach. Same for lunch, drop the HB egg and eat a whole plate of salad. If you are looking to lose weight, increase your exercise and make sure you are eating before/after workouts, if intense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 6.5lbs in one month is a healthy rate of weight loss. Assuming you are not highly inflamed or retaining water (like many people going whole30 after eating a SAD diet), then I would not expect or even hope for anything more than 2lbs per week, even just 1/2lb per week is great! Can you be patient here? Time will pass. Live life as you are living it now, being as healthy as you can be, and the weight will go at a healthy sustainable rate. Steps you might take to speed things up (eating less, exercising more, cutting fat, etc.) are all likely to backfire. Be patient. ps. I lost 4lbs on my whole30 in January. I consider it a success. EDIT: to respond a bit to Jenna. Increasing exercise might help if the context is right, but it is just as likely to hurt. Try to tune your activities so they alleviate stress and don't add to it. If more exercise does that, then sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted February 5, 2014 Moderators Share Posted February 5, 2014 I never lost more than 2 pounds per month when I began eating Whole30-style. I lost 2 pounds every month for 15 months for a total of 30 pounds, but never lost more than 2 pounds per month. Your expectations about how quickly you should lose weight need to be adjusted. The more you lose, the slower your weight loss is likely to become. You can do a radical weight loss program and make fat go away quickly. Unfortunately, doing that radical program WILL screw with your hormones and you will probably rebound and gain a lot of the weight back, leaving you in worse shape than you are in now. There are no quick fixes. Every quick fix has consequences that must be paid and they are expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninglawyer88 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I don't think you need to change your eating at all...just your expectations a little bit. You've lost basically 1.5 pounds a week this last go round. That means that you have 21.5 pounds left to lose and at the same rate it would take you 14 weeks to lose it--that's sustainable and healthy. I wouldn't go restricting and set yourself up for rebound binge eating. Weight loss takes time, consistency, and patience. You've made excellent progress even if it's not as fast as you'd like. So, I think you're eating well and you should continue doing so...the weight will take care of itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyB Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 One thing I've noticed about weight loss (and yes, I broke the rule about weighing myself...) My weight fluctuates a pound or two on a daily basis. It's not an accurate barometer of how much I'm actually burning. I think that is why it is recommended not to weigh yourself till the end. You can get discouraged and distracted by the numbers on the scale. Another thing I've noticed is that I feel thinner the next day if I take a walk right after dinner. Don't know if that walk helps boost my metabolism or what. Also, you might try to eat bigger meals in the beginning of the day and smaller meals at the end. Shift a majority of your food consumption to the earlier part of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrayS Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 One thing I've noticed about weight loss (and yes, I broke the rule about weighing myself...) My weight fluctuates a pound or two on a daily basis. It's not an accurate barometer of how much I'm actually burning. I think that is why it is recommended not to weigh yourself till the end. You can get discouraged and distracted by the numbers on the scale. Yes, exactly. Weighing yourself on a W30 is also not allowed because it can, consciously or subconsciously, affect your food choices. My suggestion is to get off the scale, and throw it away. Even after your W30. I am a reformed scale addict. I haven't stepped on a scale since the last time I went to the doctor, about five months ago. And yes, I have excess fat to lose also and it isn't disappearing as quickly as I would like it to. But just like I didn't need the scale to tell me I gained weight over the holidays, I didn't need it to tell me I lost a very small amount of weight during my January W30. Not knowing the # of pounds I lost is great because I'm much more focus on the other improvements - in my sleep, energy, and general well being. I only wish I had lost the scale sooner. Here's some motivation: http://whole30.com/2012/03/5-reasons-to-break-up-with-your-scale/ http://whole9life.com/2012/08/new-health-scale/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glennith Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I WAS going to put up a post about why I hadn't lost weight after my 30 days on Whole30 but now I won't! I have been 99% Paleo for 14 months, had lost weight and felt great. At the beginning of November I went in for an ankle operation and had to eat poor hospital food. On returning home, I was back to good food - then my mum had a fall and subsequently died. I stayed with her in the hospital, I was still on crutches. Again, eating only when necessary and what I could get. Then a very dismal Christmas. I had put on 1/2 stone and felt dreadful. I went on the Whole30 to get myself back on track and have found it fairly easy to follow and I have felt better in myself - but the weight has stayed. After reading the posts above, perhaps I just need to give myself some time, body and mind to heal first (the ankle is still proving a problem). It is noticeable that my siblings are all complaining of colds, aches, stomach upsets, none of which has afflicted myself. So, feel good first, then perhaps look to do something about the extra pounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toriellie Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Glennith, I'm so sorry for your loss! I think your conclusions are good - feel good first, then worry about the extra pounds sounds like an excellent strategy for your W30! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyB Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I had a little ''scale revelation" when I first started on the Whole30. I was telling someone about the diet and they asked "What is your target weight?" I paused for a moment and said "I don't know." They said "How can you not know?" They seemed a little perplexed about how I could be on a 'diet' but not have a goal (well, a goal in their sense of the word.) I thought about it and finally said "My goal is to be able to see some stomach muscles"....because frankly that is the truth. I want to get leaner so I have more of a waist and some definition. (I'm not talking totally ripped here....just something other than a 'mom' tummy.) So whatever weight I am when that happens is the weight I'm happy with. I did start doing pilates three times a week as well. So I've been adding muscle. Being focused on a numerical value produced by the scale will be misleading because I'm losing fat but gaining muscle. Give your ankle time to heal but be sure to do any exercises or rehab the doctor recommends. I had foot surgery almost a year ago and it took longer than I thought to get back to an active lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little_muffin Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Thank you everyone, your responses have made me see some sense. 6.5lb is a good start, not where I want to be but this is a marathon not a sprint. I want to lose it and keep it off. This month is difficult as I have a few events and my birthday so I am not committing to another 30days but am committing to eating W30 style outside of these events. My sleep has been great, though I may say excessive, that is one of the reasons that I've not done more exercise. I am just so exhausted after a full day with 2 children that I generally want to eat then bed. One day I'm sorry to say that I put the children to bed, skipped dinner and went to bed myself at 7:45. I didn't have the energy to even do myself a boiled egg. Most days I'm even mnaging a half hour nap so I wouldn't say my energy levels have increased any. The exhaustion levels are a little worrying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcrash Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Exercising might actually help with energy levels assuming you don't overdo it. Perhaps, low intensity exercise, like going for a walk (as someone above suggested) might be invigorating. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061101151005.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bep0819 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Great thread! I broke up with my scale after my 2nd Whole30. I only weight at the beginning and end. The big revelation was that I didn't care what my scale said. I knew I felt better and my clothes fit so much better. Definitely a marathon - 26.2!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noelle Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Do not underestimate the effect of caring for two children on your stress levels! Even if you're feeling good, being with little ones all day can be draining. That will affect weight-loss too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktsimons Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I would give my right arm to loose 6.5 pounds this month. As screwed up as my system is, that might be the only way I CAN loose - LOL! I lost 50 pounds on a very low calorie, no carb diet in 4 months - I stopped that diet 1 year ago and with the help of Paleo and a good dose of exercise, I kept all but 8 pounds off for a year...I count that as a win. However, I feel like I destroyed my poor body. My thyroid was always bad but now I have to change my meds every three months - up, down, up...cant seem to get it right. I went on a 2 week vaca to South America over Christmas and packed on 15 pounds - yep, that would be a pound a day!! I am trying to come to grips with the fact that I may only be able to get my body to shift weight with starvation. I am hoping a few 30's will help regulate my system. I plan on 3 consecutive 30's with a week break between only going to paleo, not back to SAD. Please, give yourself time...whatever you do, use a low calorie plan as an absolute LAST resort...I really feel like I will never quite recover from the trip down the starvation trail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie_s Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 This has been a really helpful thread to read, thanks everyone. I've been telling myself I'm going doing this W30 to get myself feeling better, and that's partly true, but I've also been quietly harboring a focus on losing weight. Reading everyones comments has helped me to remember what is really important to focus on. If I feel good, I will look better anyway. So today's goal is to treat myself with kindness, not self-criticism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tj V Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Are you supposed to GAIN weight on the W30? I need to lose at least 35 lbs. and I know I'm gaining! It's Day 5 and my clothes are actually tighter and I feel as though I can't catch my breath sometimes. I haven't weighed myself....yet, but I'm depressed about all this and I know things often get worse before better, but if I'm going to gain weight, then I'm seriously considering stopping the W30. I cannot afford to gain weight. I'm miserable as it is, can't bend over and breath, etc. Plus, I'm on a limited income and certainly cannot afford new clothes! Did anyone actually gain weight at the beginning? Is that normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninglawyer88 Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 In 5 days you can't have gained more than a pound of actual weight without seriously overeating which is a bit unlikely if you're not overdoing nuts and dried fruit. A pound also wouldn't impact your clothing size--so although you feel heavier I highly doubt that you've gained any considerable amount of weight. Give it the 30 days and then evaluate your results --there are many reasons you might feel bloated and heavy but this feeling will likely go away as you get used to eating this way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Are you supposed to GAIN weight on the W30? I need to lose at least 35 lbs. and I know I'm gaining! It's Day 5 and my clothes are actually tighter and I feel as though I can't catch my breath sometimes. I haven't weighed myself....yet, but I'm depressed about all this and I know things often get worse before better, but if I'm going to gain weight, then I'm seriously considering stopping the W30. I cannot afford to gain weight. I'm miserable as it is, can't bend over and breath, etc. Plus, I'm on a limited income and certainly cannot afford new clothes! Did anyone actually gain weight at the beginning? Is that normal? You are likely experiencing bloating, which is very common where you're at on a Whole30. Take a look at the timeline to get a better idea of what to expect as you go through the process. You can also post 2-3 days worth of your food log in the Troubleshooting section, to get feedback on what you've been eating, to ensure you're on the right track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tj V Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks! I'm just bummed about it all and now I find out that even though I haven't cheated, even once, I've been using California Blend Garlic seasoning, on my eggs every morning and the graph with sodium etc. doesn't even list sugar, then when you look further down, the list of ingredients says "modified CORN starch" and about 4-5 more ingredients down.....SUGAR!So now, it looks as though I have to start over and I really don't want to have to click "I messed up today and need to restart my Whole 30". This makes me look like I intentionally cheated. So blasted mad right now!! I can't believe I didn't read the whole dang label!!! Ugh!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks! I'm just bummed about it all and now I find out that even though I haven't cheated, even once, I've been using California Blend Garlic seasoning, on my eggs every morning and the graph with sodium etc. doesn't even list sugar, then when you look further down, the list of ingredients says "modified CORN starch" and about 4-5 more ingredients down.....SUGAR! So now, it looks as though I have to start over and I really don't want to have to click "I messed up today and need to restart my Whole 30". This makes me look like I intentionally cheated. So blasted mad right now!! I can't believe I didn't read the whole dang label!!! Ugh!!!!!!! Accidentally eating corn and sugar in this manner does not merit a restart. Shelve the seasoning for the remaining days of your Whole30 and press on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tj V Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you, GFChris!! You've made my day! And thank you for the timeline. I'd read it before I started this journey and forgot where it was. So, I'm on Day 5 and experiencing Day 8-9 stuff, but everyone is different right? You've renewed my hope. Thanks again!!One more question: Why must we eat when we aren't hungry? I'm usually having to force myself to eat even a little lunch and then I feel so full, it's hard to eat dinner. For instance, today, I had a very small arugula and baby spinach salad, with some home made mango salsa, home made, W30 compliant dressing and a hard boiled egg. This was at noon and it's now 6 p.m and the thought of eating dinner makes me want to puke. I'm not used to eating lunch. I realize it's probably to promote the body feeling like it isn't starving, but even when I was reading all the stuff about Paleo, they said, if you aren't hungry, don't eat. Wondering what gives with it. I scanned through the ISWF book and couldn't find an explanation, but maybe I missed it. Thanks again for all your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 The idea is to eat 3 meals daily, ideally 4-5 hours apart, to balance your hormones. If you can at least manage to eat the low end of the template, that would be a place to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tj V Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Ok, I'll shoot for that. Thanks for the info and explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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