Anna Urman Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Today is Day30 of my 2nd Whole 30 ... and I think i'm missing some magic. Successes 1. more sleep (I have always loved sleep, I just now give myself permission to go to bed earlier, chores be damned). 2. waking up earlier = easier, without alarm clock 3. hubby says I look happier 4. I haven't GAINED any weight, and don't get a tiny little moment of panic right before I zip up my pants in the morning 5. I can go longer without a meal, if I need to, and won't settle on crappy concession-stand food because "well, that's my only choice" 6. I have resumed taking gym classes (Mon, Weds, Fri) - partially thanks to the sleeping, because 6am class is the only time i can fit it into my schedule. 7. I have the power of NO -- can avoid / reject non-plan foods with diminishing degrees of guilt. Blahs 1. I don't think I lost much (any) weight. I haven't broken out the scale yet, but I did sneak in a measurement and my waist is the same. (!?) 2. I may have a snacking problem: i tell myself that a couple of almonds or a couple of dates or a slice of prosciutto is ok, since they're all on-plan foods. (i did more fruit-and-nut snacking on my 1st W30, and lost 4lbs) 3. This magic thing... not seeing it. What am i missing? I know i am eating healthier. I would like to re-introduce dairy, maybe add honey to my tea again, and reserve gluten for special occasions. Not sure at this point whether I should strive for a W60 (is this magic thing going to happen, or should I just be happy with what I did accomplish?). Or maybe I should just transition my better choices and my huge Costco jar of coconut oil into an ongoing maintenance lifestyle. would love to hear from those with similar experiences -- was it a delayed reaction? Do i need more patience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicky145 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Nope, no magic here, either. I did my W30 28Feb-29March. Since then, I have been nearly all W30 with two off-road days and a tiny re-intro of dairy in the form of whole-fat, plain Greek yogurt. I took it back out and modified my "meal template" to accommodate my difficulty digesting vegetables. Here are my successes: 1) Lost 12 lbs during my W30 2) Usually wake up before alarm 3) No more bloat and abdominal pain (but see "blahs") 4) Hardly ever have cravings 5) Don't go hungry 6) Don't snack 7) Happier than pre-W30 8) Much better energy level than pre-W30 Blahs 1) Very difficult time falling asleep. I take Nature's Calm and eat sweet potatoes and butternut squash and I've done much experimenting with quantities and timing of all. I also stopped all caffeine on W30 and haven't gone back so I know that's not the cause. 2) Horrible dreams. I have extremely vivid terrible dreams and it started wth W30. I haven't actually had the bizarre food dreams that others talk about, though. The first minute upon waking is awful. I feel oppressed from the dreams but it quickly shakes off and I'm fine. I'd just like to have a "nice" night of sleep. 3) PMS is MUCH worse ('nuff said) 5) No Tiger Blood here. When I say I have much more energy than pre-W30 that's because I had pretty much eaten my way into a ditch and could barely function when I started. But 82 days into this way of living and I still get really tired many afternoons and when I take on physical projects I feel like I tire too quickly. I know I had a lot more energy a year ago than I do now. I was really looking forward to TIGER BLOOD! 6) MAJOR: I still cannot eat vegetables. I struggled to follow the meal template during the W30 but made myself do it. I have since cut my vegetable intake down and unfortunately eat a small variety because I refuse to be doubled over in pain for 8-12 hours. This is very discouraging to me. After reading ISWF, I thought my gut would heal and I would be able to eat veggies. Maybe I just need more time. On another thread there was a statement made that Whole30 is intended for "average joes" and will not fix all problems. I guess I am not an average joe. I was a marathon runner and serious weight lifter up until 2006. I suffered a major spine injury and could barely walk with a walker. After many surgeries, I have full mobility back and no restrictions on movement. YEAH! But the last fix, my spinal fusion, also caused a staff infection in my spine which required two more surgeries and a horrific onslaught of the strongest antibiotics (2008). I think my gut may still be damaged. But pre-W30 I did a probiotic regime suppervised by an endo dr so I really hoped this would be the final answer. Maybe it is. Sorry this is so long... Bottom line: Cutting out sugar, artificial sweetners, grains, legumes, dairy, and bad food additives like sulfites is defiinitely right for me. This was just the thing I needed to get started. I never would have been so vigilent with the rules if I wasn't following the Whole30 program, especially with artifical sweetners. I am not experiencing magic. But I'm not going back! ETA: I mentioned my energy level a year ago because I had started Paleo in Mary 2012 and had a lot more energy. But, I also made up my own rules that eventually led me into a food ditch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7babies Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Ok, feeling better about not feeling magic. I'm not done and I feel good but I felt good Pre-whole 30. I was really wondering what is wrong but maybe nothing it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicky145 Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Ok, feeling better about not feeling magic. I'm not done and I feel good but I felt good Pre-whole 30. I was really wondering what is wrong but maybe nothing it seems. I think this is a great thread because I was starting to obsess over why am I not feeling the magic and Tiger Blood. I've calmed down about it and accepted that I do feel better and this is a much better way to live and hopefully I will conitnue to feel better as my body continues to heal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Urman Posted May 22, 2013 Author Share Posted May 22, 2013 Evening of Day30: broke my foot. This is the universe clearly telling me something! (like: exercise is bad for me?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicky145 Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Ouch! Evening of Day30 I was diagnosed with pneumonia, flu, and an ear infection! It was a very miserable way to "celebrate!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa Urban Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 First, I really appreciate how Bicky145 mentioned that the basic Whole30 program is meant to help as many people as possible get as healthy as possible - but it's not a magic bullet for everyone, in just 30 days. I also appreciate how everyone listed their positives first - it's obvious that the Whole30 worked in several ways for you, and that's encouraging. I can't speak to why the original poster isn't feeling "the magic" without a lot more information about where you came from - what your health history looked like. As with everything, context matters tremendously in Whole30 results. Gut healing often cannot take place fully in just one month, especially if you've been damaging it for decades with poor food choices and potential sensitivities or gut-related health conditions. And weight loss is even trickier - hormones don't all magically realign with just dietary changes, unfortunately. Perhaps this article will help: http://whole9life.com/2012/10/six-reasons-why-the-whole30-didnt-work-for-you/ I encourage those of you who saw improvements (but not enough for your liking) to continue with the program for another 30 days, if you're willing and able. Often, these things just take more time. Of course, you may also require some intervention as outlined in the above article - but a healthy Whole30 diet is always going to be the foundation of those targeted treatments. Best, Melissa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Urman Posted May 22, 2013 Author Share Posted May 22, 2013 Thanks Melissa, I wasn't saying it was a 'failure' - and maybe if i didnt read all these magical 'i lost 25lbs and ran a marathon' stories, my results would have seemed less puny by comparison. Without requiring HIPAA compliance, brief health overview: I am very overweight, had a c-section 8 months ago, but other than that, all my vitals are great, and I am in very good health.. My Urgent Care visit today (broken foot) measured my blood pressure as 100/79 =) Sure, I need to exercise more, which I hope I can resume SOONER rather than later. I would like to continue with a 'mostly' Whole30 plan - I would like to add an occasional dairy, and really dislike interrogating the restaurant servers on the type of oil they use to grill with... Would that be good enough? Especially since it looks like i won't be able to stand long enough to cook anything for a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7babies Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Evening of Day30: broke my foot. This is the universe clearly telling me something! (like: exercise is bad for me?) Oh no, hope it heals quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7babies Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 I appreciate what Melissa said. Things take time. I come to Whole 30 feeling well, being in shape and not having known problems. I have learned things about myself ( mindless eating anyone) so I guess my " magic" is psychological. On the positive side it hasn't been difficult to follow so far which leads me to think I might be in a good place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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