Alix B. Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Ok, I hope I haven't posted to the wrong place. Just some quick background. 5 years ago, I lost 40 pounds doing the calorie restriction. I was at a weight I was happy with. Then, my husband and I read 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' by Michael Pollan, and radically changed our eating. We have a share in a farm now, and get almost all of our food from there (meat, milk, eggs, veg, fruit in season, etc.) Well, the change was great! Migraines disappeared for him, my nails and hair grow faster and stronger, and we are all about buying sustainable food... BUT, unfortunately, I've gained a lot of the weight back. It's almost impossible to eat whole foods and severely restrict your calories (for me, anyway.) And I don't want to go back to that whole calorie-counting thing anyway! I am convinced it isn't the way we were meant to function. Present Day, we've just finished our first Whole 30, and we both feel great. My husband may re-intro some foods, but I'm pretty happy staying right where I am. I'd still like to lose the excess weight, however. So my question is, does anyone have any advice for me on how to do that? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Glad you don't plan to return to calorie-counting! If you're happy "staying where you are," I assume that means you plan to eat Whole30 style eating for a while? Follow the meal template for each meal, aiming for 3 meals a day, where each meal satiates you for 4-5 hours.Beyond that, are you getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep nightly? Drinking at least a 1/2 oz of water per pound of body weight daily? How's the stress level in your life? Are you moving consistently (i.e., performing some form of consistent cardio or strength-based exercise)? How's your overall health? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alix B. Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 GFChris, Thanks for your reply. Sorry, I realize I was a little unclear! Yes, I mean I'd like to stay eating Whole 30. I get enough sleep, and my stress is low. My job keeps me pretty sedentary, although I do get walks in. My health is excellent (even better after my Whole 30!) I lost a few pounds over the 30 days, but I'd like to lose more. How should I eat according to plan, and what kind of exercises should I do, in order to achieve this? I'm afraid to cut the food too far back, but that's really the only way I know to lose, so I'm at a loss. I've never been terribly athletic, so I don't know what exercises would be best for me to incorporate into my life... I don't have a gym membership, and would prefer not to incur that cost; also, between my job, making the food, cleaning the house, and practicing (I'm a professional musician,) I really don't have very many more hours in the day! Should I eat to template, and buy some weights? What kind of weights? What exercises should I do with them (I'm sorry to sound so ignorant; I've never really done anything like this before!) Any advice is greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Ok, so you did lose some weight on your Whole30. Cool - thanks for clarifying that. You could continue to eat just as you've been doing. Chances are good that, if you have weight to lose, you will continue to lose at the same rate of so many pounds every 30 days.Eating according to plan is following the Whole30 rules and meal template of 1-2 palms of protein, 1-3 cups of veggies and the appropriate amount of compliant fat per meal, ideally 3 meals a day. Adding exercise could be as simple as doing more walking every day. Invest in a pedometer: aim for a minimum number of steps per day. Here's an article to guide you on the number of steps to shoot for. Do you have a bicycle? Cycling is another good form of exercise. Have access to a pool this summer? Swimming is great too. Find something you enjoy and stick with it. On the weights, you could start with something as easy as finding two 14 oz cans of whatever in your cupboard and lifting those with slow controlled motions: over your head, arm curls, etc. From there, you can graduate to heavier weights to lift with your arms, and ankle weights. There are all kinds of videos and instructions on the web for simple weight lifting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alix B. Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Thank you so much! The cans thing especially is very helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjule Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Sorry for barging in on your thread but this is very helpful for me too. I recently finished my first Whole 30 and I lost about three pounds. My goal is to lose 10 that I have put on since getting married so I'm getting there but not there yet. In the past I too have lost weight just by eating a lot less and I don't want to do that again since it's not sustainable and not fun to be starving all the time. And like you Alix, I don't have a ton of time for exercise (I have two small kids). I'll work on incorporating more weight training in small doses and try to follow the template. Thanks Tom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whole30 Certified Coach littleg Posted May 2, 2014 Whole30 Certified Coach Share Posted May 2, 2014 If you haven't already seen this fitness download from Marksdailyapple I think that is a great way to get started with body weight movements to help build strength. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-fitness/#axzz30Z1KBJaW To be honest I downloaded it 3 years ago - it was good then, I assume it still is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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