Unsure....Day 30

[Shupostekud]

Today is day 30 and I've got to say I'm a little disappointed. 

 

I have lost weight and I do feel a bit more energetic, but only in contrast to a few weeks ago, when I felt terrible. Since then I've been waiting to have the elusive 'tiger blood' and something to show me I wasn't wasting my time, but nothing.

 

My main focus was my digestion/toilet time, which has definitely worsened. It wasn't brilliant before but it's debilitating now, my trips leaving me feeling quite sick. 

 

All the benefits promised have not really shown face or only a little, though even the weight loss can be attributed to the 30 day shred we (my girlfriend and I) were incorporating. 

 

I know the stock response will be along the lines of 'my expectations were too high' or I 'need longer', but the former shouldn't be an issue the expectations were lower towards the end, and I've no enthusiasm for the latter as there has been nothing to inspire me to do protract it. 

 

I apologise; I am being very negative - it hasn't worked for either of us - least not in a way for me to recommend it. Conversely, I do feel as though because I've commited to something like this, I don't necessarily need to eat all the nonsense I was eating all the time and my relationship with food has had a bit of a paradigm shift, only because the meals we were cooking were delicious. I don't feel this change can be attributed to the omission of certain foods though. That is a good point in favour - the meals we made were quite fantastic. Here's snapshot of what I was eating

 

Breakfast: 

3 egg ommlette usually with, peppers, tomatoes, spinach and leftover meat (if available). Black coffee. 

 

Mid afternoon lunch (included after my shift at work changed and i couldn't wait until 4pm for lunch):

Mashed sweet potatoes and a banana

 

Lunch:

Salad with leaves, tomatoes, onion, peppers, tuna. apple. 

 

Dinner:

Meat (fish/beef/pork) with sweet potatoes and roasted veg. 

 

PWO:

Can of tuna with boiled eggs. 

 

This was staple but we did have special nights sometimes, like burgers with portabello mushroom buns. As I say, can fault the meals. 

 

Sometimes I would have more than 2 bits of fruit and more than a few nuts, but it's be 1 day at the weekend. 

 

Anyway, I have maybe made a few of you who are still doing it a bit sad and discouraged, but this is just our perception (I'm certain my GF feels the same). To summarise:

 

Pros:

 

Ace meals - meat was great

Week 3 slump has been rectified

Energy levels shifted and regained (I think)

Skin better due to water consumption

 

 

Cons

 

Digestion worse than when I began

Felt really low

No 'turn around' or amazing feeling. 

Denied myself a lot of nice things for no little equivalent trade

Spent LOADS of money on vegetables (and time planning)

Ultimate sadness when our big adventure hasn't provided the goals promised. 

 

I'll stop there. I may update latter when I've had a chance to think more. 

 

Thanks for any responses!

 

 

[Carlaccini]

I would like to respond here but I am not too sure how to respond.  I am sorry that you feel the program did not work for you. 

 

After noting your list I did however make the following observations:

you include little or no fat in your meal plans - that could possibly contribute to your lack of energy problems.

Lay off the nuts - this is a big one for me (and a lot of other people around here)

You could include some saurkraut (natural probiotics) or digestive enzymes to help things along.  I found that these are key in  the begining.

 

On a side note: I get a lot of negativity and frustration from this post.  I was going to recommend to possibly add some more time because you feel the way you do.  But it seems that you don't want to give it more time. It also seems that I sence impatience with you and that you want everything to happen now.  However in this world of convenience not everything happens right away or when we want it to.  Especially when you are trying to heal your body. You clearly look at the standpoint of trying to deprive it of food rather than a healing process.

 

Just as a final note. I suffer from dibilitating chronic migraines that will last days at a time.  I have done 3 whole 30's and I still suffer from them.  They are getting better.  They are shorter in duration and the pain is not as bad anymore.  I do not need to spend 3 days in bed just to deal with them. I CAN FUNCTION. But clearly I have more work to do.  Why haven't I given up - because I have seen all of the other benefits it has done for me.  They were huge in itself. 

 

I would say focus on your positives - they are huge....and you sound like you are working in a very positive direction except it also sounds like you have given up... because it hasn't happened the way you thought it should.

[GFChris]

I'm not sure what type of feedback you're seeking - thought this article was relevant to your disappointing experience and might interest you: http://whole9life.com/2012/10/six-reasons-why-the-whole30-didnt-work-for-you/
 

[Teebs]

Hi,

 

I'm girlfriend of shupostekud and I thought I'd add my thoughts.

 

As said, I was also quite disappointed with the overall results of the whole 30. Though I cannot deny we have had some great benefits, I definitely look less tired, and though I still feel tired, it's just normal tired as oppose to the same exhaustion I felt before. I've learned that I do have willpower and I don't need to eat that chocolate biscuit or drink that fizzy juice and I am getting fuller with smaller portions which is always a plus and there has been weight loss but as Jason said - this could be down to our strict exercise regime. I'm very thankful for these positives and I do think the whole 30 will help me make healthier decisions in the future and become a healthier person overall which is a huge benefit. 

 

However, I think our disappointment lies in the fact that these changes are relatively small in terms of what was promised to us. I'm sure people will argue nothing is promised and our expectations were too high but the way the diet is promoted 'this will change your life' 'get ready to feel tiger blood' etc etc is designed to get you pumped and excited and ultimately, for us, it didn't deliver the way we felt it had lead us to believe it would. 

 

Sometimes, I feel no difference and sometimes I feel worse. Before whole 30 I was fairly regular in terms of going to the bathroom with occasional cramps and ibs. During the whole 30 I either went for days without anything or I'd have a terrible time in the bathroom! Not to mention for the last week or so I felt nauseous for a large portion of the time.

 

Maybe this is our bodies just beginning to work ourselves out, but this diet costs a lot of money and we don't have that kind of money to spend. Also we have given up a lot, we're both in our 20s and lead fairly sociable lives and haven't really been able to do that on this diet and I don't think that's something we're willing to give up any longer for something we don't have a lot of faith in and didn't give us much in return. 

 

Also, I did read that post about why the whole 30 didn't work for you, and I felt like it was blaming us for the fact it didn't work. We sacrificed a lot and put our all into this diet, never ever slipping up despite being offered cakes and biscuits and all sorts practically every day (our work colleagues were not particularly supportive), spending lots of money on good foods and donating a lot of time to planning as well as doing a hell of a lot of exercise yet we still didn't achieve these super fantastic results everyone seems to rave about - isn't it possible that just maybe this diet doesn't work for everyone?

 

In summary, there were some benefits and I will focus on them and hopefully they'll stay with me in my bid to become a healthier person but there were cons and I do feel like we were promised big things and given grand statements that didn't deliver which is why we're feeling so let down at the moment.

[KitchenWitchy]

It's hard to say based on your message what may have gone wrong. I experienced two weeks of BM issues, gas, bloating, cramping midway through my w39, and they have since resolved themselves. At this point I am at 11wks eating mostly compliant foods based on the template, and have cut out nuts and nut butters. This is what worked best for me, ymmv.

Re- things not working the way you thought, I would suggest you keep trying. Maybe switch to some other types of produce or less fruit and nuts. Also more fat!

In my experience its possible to follow the template and eat only compliant foods but still feel crappy if I eat the wrong things for my own body. It took me more than 30 days to get it right for me.

If you don't want to keep trying, nobody is going to force you... but you will more likely find the support you seem to be asking for if you approach this way of eating not as a snake oil you were swindled into buying, but as a process that is ultimately an individual journey to better health, and that is different for each body.

[JJB]

I have seen a few people make the comment that maybe this diet just isn't right for everyone. I don't get it. How can eating whole, unprocessed, healthy foods not be right for anyone? There are a few pieces of the puzzle missing here. You said your digestion wasn't great before but it's worse now. How has your diet changed on the W30? As someone already mentioned, if your raw veggie intake has increased dramatically, that could be causing you problems. I also agree that you have either forgotten to mention your fat portions, or they are missing. That could make a difference. Also, how is your sleep? Your stress levels? Is it possible you have medical issues that could be aggravating this? Sometimes it takes more than a diet change to solve difficult problems.

 

Everyone is different. If your digestion was bad before, it could certainly take more than 30 days to repair. You could also be sensitive to something new you've been eating this past month. In these cases, it can take a lot of testing and perseverance to figure out what's going on. I can understand why you have lost some motivation to continue with the program, but many of us have not experienced the tiger blood. Maybe you can continue with a modified version of the program that will ultimately make you healthier than you were to begin with, yet not cause you so much anxiety over what you feel that you are losing by following the program to the letter.

[Beets]

The w30 can be life changing, but it's not a magic wand. If you were exhausted and feeling horrible when you started, you probably need more than 30 days of eating right to get where you want to be. I never felt tiger blood either, but I was coming from a badly damaged gut and severe chronic sleep deprivation. That said, it was transformative for me and I'll never go back to eating the way I did.

[Teebs]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe we would feel differently if we added some more days on but it's not entirely feasible for us on the income we are on and to be honest, for me personally, I don't really want to.

 

As I said, there are definitely good things I'll take from this experience and I don't regret doing it and I will cut down on the amount of processed foods I eat and limit grains and 'bad carbs' but I believe in everything in moderation including alcohol, sugar and dairy. 

 

Also, in terms of this being healthy whole food so how can't it be for everyone - how about the cost implications for one? And it maybe wasn't for me personally because not being a fan of nuts and avocados, I need to get my fat elsewhere and the fact that many foods cut out on the whole 30 have proven health benefits so long as you don't go overboard admittedly. 

 

I don't think we were particularly wanting to get support as such, just wanted to share our experience and see what others thought and if anyone had a similar experience. We're in no way trying to discredited the whole 30, it's obviously had awesome benefits for other people and undeniable smaller ones for us, I think we just needed to vent elsewhere than to each other. It's just we were so excited and pumped up for starting this diet and we feel a little let down after all we put in and wanted to get that off our chests and maybe get a little reassurance that it wasn't something we did wrong. 

 

I do appreciate the replies and the advice, I'll definitely take it on board and I'll be taking some of the ideas of the paleo lifestyle but I'm very much looking forward to being able to drink a beer whenever I chose! 

[Shupostekud]

Thanks for the responses - very helpful and passionate - albeit a little defensive and patronising; which is understandable. If someone has negative things to say about something you have found helpful and has been a big part of your life, you will defend it and find ways to presume they are wrong. I take no offence. Sorry for the negativity though; as my wonderful partner eloquently put, we're just venting to someone other than ourselves. 

 

It's not as though we've entered this with the grandiose expectations of having our lives completely changed; 'Change you life in 30 days' is a clear tagline which prefaces the plan - I am aware this is hyperbole, though I would expect things to change enough to encourage a continuation, which is the 'whole' point (pun intended).  

 

It's likely I will continue eating healthily - but this is no different than before I started. Cutting out carbs like bread definitely had a negative impact, re-couping those elsewhere was costly and inconvenient. After eating toast and cereal today my crippling headrushes have stopped. 

 

Delete please.

Intended for your post or the thread?

 

Again, this will be a disagreeable topic for the enthusiast, but please accept this might not be for everyone. If you're referring to a deletion of this thread, I should strongly disagree. Both negative and positive stories should be available to those considering and undertaking the Whole 30; it'd be pretty ignorant to just delete anything bad? However, if you're referring to your post, nevermind!

[JJB]

We are not allowed to delete posts (only mods). Beets probably wrote something and then changed her mind, but she was unable to delete the post. I have seen a lot of people do that...I'm sure she didn't mean your thread should be deleted!

[Shupostekud]

Ha! I thought so! 

[kaiser179]

This thread is interesting, and I appreciate your willingness to put your story out there.  Not everyone will experience the same results, and it is good for people who are considering the program to understand that their results may be less than stellar.

 

I can appreciate that this lifestyle can be very expensive, especially depending on how you were eating before the W30.  I admittedly have not been purchasing grassfed meats or much organic produce in an effort to save money.  There are also a number of pantry items that I purchased that were costly, but now that I have a good supply, I can repurchase over time and spread out the future cost (ie: coconut aminos, varous oils, spices, etc.)  I do think that this lifestyle can be achieved for reasonable cost but you have to plan your purchases, watch for sales, and buy in bulk/freeze when possible.

 

You mention not liking nuts/avocados and having to search for alternative sources of fat.  Did you try coconut oil?  There are some very reasonably priced brands.  Lard is also very inexpensive.  How about coconut milk, tallow, etc?  There are a lot of options which may be worth trying.

 

You also mentioned headaches that seemed eased by eating toast and cereal.  Perhaps there was a lack of starchy carbs in your W30?  I saw in your sample meal that sweet potatoes were included, but if you were feeling ill, it might help to increase those starchy carbs a little more.  Try squash, carrots, etc.

 

I certainly don't want to be defensive of the program, but I think that if you are encountering an issue, it is worthwhile to try alternative compliant foods to see what works for you.  Based on your statement that you plan to eat less processed food in the future, it sounds like it was life changing after all.  Maybe not tiger's blood, but life changing nonetheless. 

 

Good luck and thanks for sharing!

[pjena]

Or a double post.  That happens a lot, too.

 

I didn't experience magic, either.  I'm sticking around for a bit, though, because this way of eating is helping me battle some emotional eating / binge eating / obsessive calorie counting / etc.  It's a relief not to think about food so much.  I am not convinced, though, that this is the only healthy way to eat.  For me, the point was to cut out everything that could cause problems and then slowly add things back or tweak to come up with what works best for me.  I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak.  I'm working on keeping the parts that work for me (the template) and easing back on the parts that don't (adding back some of the foods that were cut out, trying to cut back a bit on the meat, etc).  I'm glad you both saw some good results.  I think anything you can do to eat whole, unprocessed food is a good thing.  Good luck!

[Beets]

Oh. Yeah. I posted something I meant for somewhere else. That's all!

[smurphy]

I'm on my last day of a Whole 50 (considering going to 60).  I also didn't get the results I was looking for.  At the end of 30 days, my sleeping was worse (I had been sleeping 9 hours a night - through the night - before the Whole 30), my digestion and BMs were worse than before the Whole 30, I had only lost 1 pound, and I actually gained .5 inch around my waist.  To say I was disappointed was an understatement!  

I read the article http://whole9life.com/2012/10/six-reasons-why-the-whole30-didnt-work-for-you/ but none of the reason applied to me.  I didn't cheat, I felt like I was focusing on the right stuff, I didn't have any stress or sleeping problems prior to the Whole 30, and I felt that my expectations were pretty reasonable.  The only one that was left was that I needed longer.  

So I extended my 30 days to 50.  In those extra 20 days, I talked with some people on the forum and figured out that my sleeping was worse because I wasn't eating enough starchy veggies and it was causing my body to wake up every night due to a lack of glucose.  I also found that eating more starchy veggies helped my BMs become less...loose.  I also was able to figure out ways to make food prep easier and faster, and find recipes that worked for my family (I'm still working on the less expensive part).

I guess what I'm trying to say, in a very long-winded kind of way, is that sometimes you do need longer - not just to heal what's wrong inside, but to figure out what to tweak for your body and your way of life.  

 

P.S.: I'm on day 50, and still no tiger blood.  But, slowly but surely, I'm finding ways to tweak my diet/way of eating so that it works for me.

[smurphy]

P.P.S:  You don't have to eat pasture-raised, grass-fed meat and organic veggies.  It is the best option, but not the only.

[cayenne]

I think YMMV-of course, with anything. Just like following a 5k or a marathon running plan gives different results for each person that tries it. Not everyone, for whatever reason, can run a marathon in 3-4 hours no matter if they do the exact plan as the next runner. Body type, stress level, age, all that come into play and I am sure that with eating plans this is the same. Sorry you guys didn't feel like you got what you wanted out of the program-thats too bad.

I have looked into, and been on, hundreds of plans from vegan to Jenny Craig. I would have liked to have gotten all the promises each plan talked about but I didn't. And I never got tiger blood here either and I have been following since early April. The good definately outweighs the not so good and if that is the case, it is a success.

Good luck!

[hojo]

Honestly, I don't think Whole30 does work for everyone.  I don't think that any one diet plan can work for every person on the planet.  And I don't think Dallas and Melissa think that either.  What I have learned is that you really need to listen to your own body.  Whole30 is a starting point to getting healthier but ultimately every metabolic type is different.  For example, I learned by listening that I don't need any starch at my breakfast meal, I need quite a bit of starch at noon and a little at supper.  This helps me with energy/cravings/overall balance.  But I listened to my body to figure that out.  I also agree with the above posters about time.....If a person has been eating a certain way for 20 years....30 days might not be near enough time to heal the damage.  Ultimately each of us needs to make the best choices we can for our situation while also remembering our emotional needs regarding food.  i hope you figure out what works for you!

[Robin Strathdee]

Shupostekud and Teebs,

 

I - like the others - am sorry to hear that you didn't get out of your 30 days what you wanted/hoped/wish you had.  Most of this has been covered already, so I won't say much. I would like to add that there are so many factors that play into the areas you're having trouble with.

 

For example, you mentioned IBS-like symptoms pre-Whole30.  Did you, perhaps, take on the IBS protocol mentioned in It Starts With Food? That plan eliminates specific foods that are known to trigger IBS symptoms. On first glance, it looks to me like you weren't eating enough. And, if you were having IBS-like symptoms, there's an excellent chance you weren't absorbing what you needed from what you DID eat. That could be the biggest contributor to the problems you experienced.

 

I know you've said you don't want to give the program another chance, and I respect that.  However, I'd love to see you give it another go with a different game plan and some help and support from the forum members and moderators. There are so many hints and helps here about everything from budget-friendly meal planning to life without nuts or eggs.