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Middle-aged female, very discouraged--weight gain


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I'm at day 19, and I really appreciate some of what the Whole30 has delivered: more steady energy, better sleep, and no more reliance on sugar as a reward and/or source of comfort. Those are really great benefits to the program.

However, my jeans keep getting tighter and tighter. I know this is not a weight loss diet. Although I'd hoped to lose about 5 pounds, right now I'd be thrilled with maintenance. But I really do not want to outgrow my whole wardrobe in a month. I was not overweight to start with, but I was definitely not underweight, either. I have the dreaded potbelly that has gone down in the past with low-carb diets (that make me feel ill) or strict WW (which leaves me hungry).

Here's a typical menu:

B: Two or three eggs cooked in olive oil, assorted roasted veggies, coffee with Nutpods

L: 4-5 oz turkey burger or 1 1/2 chicken apple sausages, another large serving of roasted veggies, small sweet potato or similar amount of butternut squash

D: Similar to lunch

I've tried not to snack, but most afternoons I've had an apple and 1 or 2 T of almond butter

Early on, I ate some nuts and one or two pieces of fruit in addition to the above. I cut that down to one piece of fruit and the almond butter in hopes the perceived weight loss would stop.

I do weight training twice a week and try for about 5-7K steps a day. Between work, commute, and kids, not much time for anything more.

Any advice, particularly from other middle-aged, small-boned women? Maybe the suggested template is just too much food for someone my age and size?

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3 minutes ago, Marie McCabe said:

roasted veggies

another large serving of roasted veggies, small sweet potato or similar amount of butternut squash

D: Similar to lunch

 

Hey @Marie McCabe - can you be more specific about what veg you are eating?

Are you experiencing any bloat/wind/gas?

The nuts/nut butter is pretty calorie dense and can cause some bloating. We recommend limiting any kind of nut product to a closed handful every other day max. Along with the nut pods you're exceeding that limit so I'd definitely start there, but it could be that you are sensitive to somethinng you are eating and that it is causing inflammation/bloating.

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Thanks for the reply. The veggies are mostly cabbage, carrots, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower. I looked into FODMAPS, but I have always eaten those frequently and not had issues. I could cut out high FODMAPS for the remainder, though, if you think it would help.

I will say this all feels like real weight gain and not just bloating.

I hadn't thought of the Nutpods as "counting" as nuts--I will limit that and certainly cut out the almond butter for the reminder. Thanks for these suggestions.

Oh, I forgot to add (and this is important): I always add olive oil or avocado to my meals. The first 10 days, I probably exceeded the thumb rule. Cutting back didn't seem to help, though.

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The 'thumb' rule doesn't really apply to avocado - a serving is more like a half an avicado unless your avocados are HUGE. And it's tough to over-eat fat anyways as it's particularly satiating.

The thing about FODMAPs is that it's all about dosage, so even if you've eaten those types of veg regularly you may well be eating them in higher quantities now, which may well have taken you over your tolerance threshold.

Avocado, almonds, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, & sweet potato (plus garlic & onion if you're using those in cooking) are all high FODMAP.

I'd start with removing the nuts & their by-products first & see how you go from there. If there's still no improvement then cut out the FODMAPs.

Let us know how you get on!

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3 minutes ago, Marie McCabe said:

whole30 FODMAPS list

>This< is a MUCH better FODMAP list (scroll to about half way down the page) - it breaks them down into specific sugar type groups - if you're going to cut out the high FODMAPs try eating from the green section only for a week or so and see how you feel....

Hope this helps :)

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  • 4 months later...

How is it going? I'm curious. I feel I'm gaining weight too. Not sure because I'm not weighing, but I can tell from my clothes and just how I look. It's strange because when I was eating everything, including some junk, I felt less bloated and huge because I was eating less. I'm assuming I'm healthier now. 

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15 hours ago, Melissa123 said:

I felt less bloated

What stage of the program are you at? Some bloating isn't entirely uncommon, but some people are more prone to bloat when they eat certain foods. If you'd like us to suggest some possible tweaks please feel free to post a few days worth of your food intake, along with how much water you are drinking, activity levels etc.

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I just saw this. Thank you! I actually did recently post on what I have been eating but not due to bloat. I legitimately have gained fat around my middle since starting the whole 30. I'm in the third week now. I'm wondering if due to my size, I should be eating less. Like kids' sized portions -- I can wear kids clothes because I am small (4'10", weight has fluctuated in past from 98.5 to 105)...…? 

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On 09/09/2017 at 0:57 AM, Melissa123 said:

Like kids' sized portions

How does the protein you are eating relate to the size of your palm? That is how you should be estimating your portion sizes.... 1-2 palm sized pieces - that is YOUR palm size, not anyone else's... ;-)

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Yes, I am. I'm trying to follow the meal template as closely as possible. See my post called Day 22 and Still Unsure for break down of meals. I use a lot of fat in cooking and then add a thumb size fat extra to meal, but maybe that's too much, if my cooking includes a lot of different things with added fat (pesto, mayo, sunshine sauce...) 

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3 hours ago, jmcbn said:

How does the protein you are eating relate to the size of your palm? That is how you should be estimating your portion sizes.... 1-2 palm sized pieces - that is YOUR palm size, not anyone else's... ;-)

Jmcbn, maybe continue this discussion on my thread/post (Day 22 and Still Unsure in this forum). I feel bad about high jacking this one!! Sorry Marie McCabe! Thanks again, jmcbn!

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