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I wasn't sure where to post this so it just seemed like a post in the forum for starting out might be appropriate. I've been reading a lot of posts in different forums and the issue of having lost weight (or not) on the W30 - and, if so, how much - is a recurrent theme.

 

I'm only on day 12 so I don't know whether I've lost any weight or not. I do know that my clothes fit better. So, I'm writing not from the perspective of having lost or not lost at the completion of a W30. Rather, I'm writing as someone who has spent years on this "diet" or another, or trying this new way of eating or another. And, at the end of it all, I'm still overweight.

 

I know that Dallas and Melissa ask that we not focus on weight, but we all know that for many of us it's an issue. A big issue. And, the truth is, some of us do need to lose pounds. Even if I look better and feel better, if I don't lose any actual poundage, there's still an unhealthy stress on my joints. So, my first thought is that we shouldn't obsess about weight loss, but we should acknowledge that some of us do need to lose weight.

 

Second, I've seen some folks write about weighing, e.g., 124 pounds and being disappointed in having lost only a few pounds. If someone weighting 124 pounds loses 4 pounds that's 3.2% of original body weight. If I lose 3.2% of my starting weight, I will have lost 6.9 pounds. I'm no arithmetic whiz, but I think that's right. The point is, when we see stories of people who have dropped 20 pounds they tend, on average, to have had far more weight that needed losing. I am convinced that our bodies know what is our ideal weight and adjust accordingly. Metabolism is an interesting thing. Please note that I mean 'ideal' in terms of physiology, not contemporary culture and societal dictates.

 

Third, men tend to lose weight more readily than do women. This is especially so if you are a menopausal or post-menopausal woman. There are lots of reasons for this and it doesn't mean it's impossible, but there are hormonal and lifestyle factors that come into play. The W9 actually addresses a good deal of these and age is not insurmountable, at least not with regard to weight!

 

Fourth, I've seen posts that refer to "this diet." The context of those expressions make it sound like the author is writing about "this diet" as a weight loss program. I try to be careful and talk about "diet" meaning how I am eating and not "the diet" or "this diet" as in a temporary way of eating meant to promote weight loss. Don't think about the W30 as "a diet."

 

I know I'm preaching to the choir, in many instances. And, there's a ton of great information on the site about ditching the scale or beating it to smithereens. There are also great posts about how to approach the "W30 experience." But, having just spent about an hour perusing different threads and seeing some people express major disappointment in not having lost more weight, I wanted to post something. 

 

Am I seeing positive results already? Yes. Will I be disappointed if the number on the scale doesn't drop? Yes. Regardless of how my clothes fit or how I feel, if I were to lose nothing it would still mean 216 pounds of mass exerting pressure on my knees every time I take a step. So, yes, the loss of actual poundage is meaningful to me. But, will I conclude that the W30 was a failure? No way. I've probably eaten more vegetables (not my favorite) in the last 12 days than in the last six months! Seriously. That's a good thing no matter what the scale tells me.

 

The W30 is about a lifestyle change. The loss of weight is a lovely residual effect for many people. But, keep it in perspective. If you are a woman who is 5'6" and you weight 148 pounds, there's a good chance you don't need to lose weight to be healthy. You might want to lose weight. But, physiologically, you may not need to lose weight. That will have an impact on what you do lose.

 

Please don't send me up in flames. I'm sure that some will disagree with me and that's fine. But, really, at the end of the day, our emphasis should be on how we feel and can 'be' in the world, not some relatively random notion of what the 'right' poundage is - no matter what our (Western) doctors and their charts say. ;)

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I needed to hear this, and from someone else. I have so many thoughts, I hope my reply isn't too rambly and disjointed.

 

First, on my first Whole30 in January, did not lose any weight. Not even an ounce. However, my body changed. I was firmer and more toned. I probably lost fat and gained muscle. But I was still disappointed that the stupid arbitrary number didn't change. Cue the "no matter what I do I can't lose weight" monologue. Then I did some thinking. I don't really want to lose weight. I want to lose fat. The scale will not tell me how much fat I have. It can only display the Earth's gravitational pull on me, which isn't a number I really care about.

 

Second, I read something somewhere that stated to lose weight, you first have to get healthy. Once you're healthy, then your body will adjust to where it's supposed to be. I'm very caught up in the fat loss aspect of it all, and I have to remind myself of the abuse I've given my body all of these years and it's not going to turn around in just a few weeks. This is probably part of the reason why I didn't see the weight loss I expected the first time around - my body was just starting to heal after years of sugar bombs going off all the time. I am working on changing my goal from "fat loss" to "just get healthy".

 

With all that being said, I alwasy feel weird focusing on the fat loss aspect of Whole30. In a way, I think using it as a fat loss tool alone is going against the spirit of the program. I'm definitely guilty of this, so if you think I'm calling folks out, I'm calling myself out as well. It sucks that we minimize so many other benefits of this lifestyle and lament that "I don't look good naked yet." This is not a magical panacea. If you spent years/decades beating your body up, it may take years to get it back up to snuff. I'm pretty sure that's my case, and I'll need several Whole30's and minimal off-roading to heal my busted adrenals and get my gut working as designed.

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Oh I have tons of weight to lose but I really love the logic of the first Whole30 as a time to reset.  I am using this as a time to breathe deeply, nourish my body via foods the very best I can right now, and reflect and plan for the next Whole30 which is when I will begin including habits that result in weight loss.

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Well said!

 

I like to think about my body 'releasing weight' rather than 'losing' it.  I think it more accurately depicts what is going on.

 

While I agree with the perspective that we should value our bodies no matter the size and that there should be no moral or value based judgement based on an ideal body type, I also agree that often extra weight can be hard on our joints, organs, etc etc and for some people can be a symptom of ill health (although not all)

 

I tend to think of my extra fat accumulation as a symptom of something larger going on.  When I sort out the root causes, the symptom will sort itself out.  The way my body sees fit to 'land' with regard to composition may end up different than I had anticipated, and that is ok too.  In the end, I feel fortunate that my body sends me such a clear message when it is out of balance (I gain weight very easily when my diet or lifestyle is out of whack) - my brother, on the other hand, stays thin (i.e. the societal ideal) no matter how much fast food he eats, which makes it easy to keep on eating that way since all our culture seems to value is how thin we are.

 

What I do know is that I am committed to being DONE with obsessing over my weight.  I am DONE with waiting to live my life until I am the 'right size'.  I am DONE with basing my value on the way my body looks.  I am also DONE with using food to numb the difficult parts of life and making myself sick in the process.  I say all of this with conviction although it is still a work in progress and I regularly have to remind myself of these convictions.

 

What I am trying to say (and not very succinctly) is that I think we can care about our excess fat accumulation at the same time as not defining our worth by that same measure.  It isn't an either or proposition.  Hurrah for that!

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What a great post and string of replies! There are so many factors of the Whole30. What I've truly taken away, from reading the forum, is that it takes time to see all results. I am only a bit over my conventional logic "ideal weight" but it took time to get a bit over and I'm not going to reset myself in just 30 days. I feel like this is the beginning of the journey. I'm on day 31 and I can't imagine going back to the way I was eating before. I feel great and can only imagine how I'll feel over more time. I will reintroduce when it's time (day 38) but do not plan to reintroduce my prior lifestyle.

Again - great post!

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Wow, I needed to read these today.  I am on day 11 and threw out my scale several years ago because it would send me into a major depression.  It was so bad that when my husband and I joined weight watchers, if I went up in weight, even though I was counting and exercising, I would eat myself into a terrible way from being up.  Needless to say, I am very happy with the progress my body is making with Whole 30.  Like the previous writers, I have been on this diet or that diet for years always trying to get to what I think should be the desired body weight.  Who says my body wants to be that weight?  Someone told me something that I keep in my mind, what is going to be different for you at a particular body weight than where you are now?  What makes that number the be all of numbers.   Thanks for the moral support this morning and posting this so timely.

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Thanks so much for the positive response. I was a tad worried... 

 

Hope everyone has an awesome Day X. For me, it's 13. But, I'm already planning on a two day "modified" W30 at the end and then resuming focus. I'll be on vacation so I'm just not going to stress if my eggs are cooked in butter. I've already started to think about this as a lifestyle change and I'm not going to be so strict as the "actual" W30 for the rest of my life, but I will use the guidelines to keep me in check.

 

Happy cooking!

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Well said!

 

I like to think about my body 'releasing weight' rather than 'losing' it.  I think it more accurately depicts what is going on.

 

While I agree with the perspective that we should value our bodies no matter the size and that there should be no moral or value based judgement based on an ideal body type, I also agree that often extra weight can be hard on our joints, organs, etc etc and for some people can be a symptom of ill health (although not all)

 

I tend to think of my extra fat accumulation as a symptom of something larger going on.  When I sort out the root causes, the symptom will sort itself out.  The way my body sees fit to 'land' with regard to composition may end up different than I had anticipated, and that is ok too.  In the end, I feel fortunate that my body sends me such a clear message when it is out of balance (I gain weight very easily when my diet or lifestyle is out of whack) - my brother, on the other hand, stays thin (i.e. the societal ideal) no matter how much fast food he eats, which makes it easy to keep on eating that way since all our culture seems to value is how thin we are.

 

What I do know is that I am committed to being DONE with obsessing over my weight.  I am DONE with waiting to live my life until I am the 'right size'.  I am DONE with basing my value on the way my body looks.  I am also DONE with using food to numb the difficult parts of life and making myself sick in the process.  I say all of this with conviction although it is still a work in progress and I regularly have to remind myself of these convictions.

 

What I am trying to say (and not very succinctly) is that I think we can care about our excess fat accumulation at the same time as not defining our worth by that same measure.  It isn't an either or proposition.  Hurrah for that!

Wow! So well said...I am a lifetime Weight Watcher that although I have numerous successes in my life- marriage, work, family, lots of loved ones- I have de-valued myself over the stupid numbers on the scale.  I am even so ridiculous that even with great physical ability...98% on my military PT tests! I still beat myself up!  really appreciate the Whole30 and Whole9 ideas of food as nourishment and the true path to health! I can only second that weight loss would be great...spent years trying, but I am in this for the health, so bye-bye scale and hello healthy life and self-acceptance! I choose to marvel at the things I can accomplish (sprinting, lifting, loving) rather than discount myself because of a number!!!! Finally...only 47 years to get there :)

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I started this plan early April and have been 99.9% compliant.I have forgotten what # day it is as I am not counting anymore.

 I admit, I started this as a diet to lose weight, and fast, with the side benefit of decreasing joint inflammation. With a recent hip MRI showing significant degeneration, I was desperate. I  love long distance running and will do anything to keep that up. So, after looking at the website on and off for at least a year, I tried it. My thought were there is NO WAY this low carb plan could sustain long distance training and I had not been in a position recently to try low carb with a race right around the corner. With the hip injury, I had to cancel the spring so I had time to try this out.

Weight has always been a big deal to me-for decades. My heaviest was 248 at 5'6". I switched to long distance racing so I could continue to be dysfunctional with food(at least I was burning calories). Not until recently(W30), have I actually gotten a grip on my relationship with food.

I hate to say, but it is true, that I probably would not have stuck with it this long if I hadn't lost some weight. I admit it. But I am glad I did show weight loss soon and after a few weeks, I could function with longer distance cycling. It makes a difference to me what the scale says as that is PSI on my joints. A ten pound weight loss means 30 pounds of decreasing joint stress. That is a big deal.....it also means I can be as active as I want which in turn makes me healthy, and happy.

I understand and agree that this lifestyle is much more about health, relationship with food and long term acceptance of your body etc. It is also about healing the damage we inflict on ourselves either on purpose or not, and being able to nurture ourselves appropriately.

Sometimes the reason we are drawn to something is not why we stay with something. This road has many forks in it(ewwww, that was funny) and no matter why we start originally, hopefully we end up with loving ourselves enough to take care of our bodies. No matter what the scale says......

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There are so many facets to the weight issue and I am SO thankful for my W30 I started the New Year off with as it has changed my life. I have gone from 245 when I started low carb right before my W30 until now at 183 with muscle so I'm no stranger to eating this way and needing to lose weight! I was in large amounts of pain, barely able to walk up my stairs without being winded, falling apart at the seams, when I started. My body was wrecked. So I know how weight can weigh the health of our body.

 

Hippiechick's comment "I tend to think of my extra fat accumulation as a symptom of something larger going on" is one that people need to remember. Our weight is a health issue that our body needs to resolve. It needs nutrient dense food and a fair amount of it to heal that problem. At the same time though, WHEN in our nutrient dense food journey our body decides to choose that as it's major problem to heal is the body's choice. Sometimes we have hormone issues or joint issues or autoimmune issues that our body decides it wants to heal before our weight. And that's okay too! It doesn't mean that we are doing something wrong, eating off template, etc. It can mean we could be overstressing our body due to lack of sleep, stress management, overexercise, etc. but it's not a failure of the W30, or paleo diet in general. Our body has lots to work on in finding true health.

 

We need to keep weight in perspective. Focus on HEALTH and go from there. Good well rounded nutrient dense diet, move your body functionally, hydrate, sleep, recover, de-stress, laugh, and let your body heal. It will. Stop caring so much about the scale as you do those other things. The scale will eventually move in the right direction when those things get in order so our body can repair the damage we've done to it.

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  • 1 year later...

I started this plan early April and have been 99.9% compliant.I have forgotten what # day it is as I am not counting anymore.

 I admit, I started this as a diet to lose weight, and fast, with the side benefit of decreasing joint inflammation. With a recent hip MRI showing significant degeneration, I was desperate. I  love long distance running and will do anything to keep that up. So, after looking at the website on and off for at least a year, I tried it. My thought were there is NO WAY this low carb plan could sustain long distance training and I had not been in a position recently to try low carb with a race right around the corner. With the hip injury, I had to cancel the spring so I had time to try this out.

Weight has always been a big deal to me-for decades. My heaviest was 248 at 5'6". I switched to long distance racing so I could continue to be dysfunctional with food(at least I was burning calories). Not until recently(W30), have I actually gotten a grip on my relationship with food.

I hate to say, but it is true, that I probably would not have stuck with it this long if I hadn't lost some weight. I admit it. But I am glad I did show weight loss soon and after a few weeks, I could function with longer distance cycling. It makes a difference to me what the scale says as that is PSI on my joints. A ten pound weight loss means 30 pounds of decreasing joint stress. That is a big deal.....it also means I can be as active as I want which in turn makes me healthy, and happy.

I understand and agree that this lifestyle is much more about health, relationship with food and long term acceptance of your body etc. It is also about healing the damage we inflict on ourselves either on purpose or not, and being able to nurture ourselves appropriately.

Sometimes the reason we are drawn to something is not why we stay with something. This road has many forks in it(ewwww, that was funny) and no matter why we start originally, hopefully we end up with loving ourselves enough to take care of our bodies. No matter what the scale says......

Cayenne...this is a great post.  

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Well said!

 

I like to think about my body 'releasing weight' rather than 'losing' it.  I think it more accurately depicts what is going on.

 

While I agree with the perspective that we should value our bodies no matter the size and that there should be no moral or value based judgement based on an ideal body type, I also agree that often extra weight can be hard on our joints, organs, etc etc and for some people can be a symptom of ill health (although not all)

 

I tend to think of my extra fat accumulation as a symptom of something larger going on.  When I sort out the root causes, the symptom will sort itself out.  The way my body sees fit to 'land' with regard to composition may end up different than I had anticipated, and that is ok too.  In the end, I feel fortunate that my body sends me such a clear message when it is out of balance (I gain weight very easily when my diet or lifestyle is out of whack) - my brother, on the other hand, stays thin (i.e. the societal ideal) no matter how much fast food he eats, which makes it easy to keep on eating that way since all our culture seems to value is how thin we are.

 

What I do know is that I am committed to being DONE with obsessing over my weight.  I am DONE with waiting to live my life until I am the 'right size'.  I am DONE with basing my value on the way my body looks.  I am also DONE with using food to numb the difficult parts of life and making myself sick in the process.  I say all of this with conviction although it is still a work in progress and I regularly have to remind myself of these convictions.

 

What I am trying to say (and not very succinctly) is that I think we can care about our excess fat accumulation at the same time as not defining our worth by that same measure.  It isn't an either or proposition.  Hurrah for that!

 

I like to think about my body 'releasing weight' rather than 'losing' it.  I think it more accurately depicts what is going on.  

 

 

This is the only  way I allow myself to verbalize it.   Release rather than "lose".    Who wants to find it again. :P  :P 
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