Frustrated with results

[msssheather]

I did the whole 30, didn't cheat once. Paid attention to not eating too many fruits per day, didn't eat anything with added sugars. I passed on so many tempting treats at potlucks and picnics. It was heartbreaking! Toward the end, I was feeling good. It wasn't so bad to just eat whole, good food and pass on the junk. It makes you feel better! But, I was expecting a little more in terms of weight loss. I stepped on the scale on day 31, just to see I had lost a measly 3 pounds. It's frustrating because in a span of 30 days, I have lost much more before following other "lifestyle diets" that include grains and dairy.

[amberino21]

I think the pictures show huge changes. Especially for something that isn't designed to be a deprivation diet plan for weightloss!

I think the weightloss for some is an added bonus, but its about trying to heal your insides. It's not about depriving yourself of foodlike things that you may enjoy eating, but filling your body with so much good, nutrient dense food that there's no room for anything else.

[GFChris]

So you lost 3 lbs instead of gaining 3 lbs, and you're feeling better. What exactly is the problem?   

Did you measure yourself?  From your photos, it looks like you lost inches too.

Take a look at this article: http://everydaypaleo.com/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/
 

It makes me sad to read about you feeling like you 'lost so much more.'  I feel there are so many options for what you can eat on a Whole30 (Robb Wolf's food matrix illustrates this well: http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/thePaleoSolution_FoodMatrix.pdf) You get to eat good real food and feel better - worth it to me!

 

[Tom Denham]

I never lost more than 2 pounds in a month and I was thrilled. I stayed with the program and kept losing 2 pounds per month for 15 months in a row. After losing 30 pounds, my body just stopped losing weight. I had reached my set point.

 

I believe you that you stuck to the menu of approved foods, but when you talk about how heartbreaking it was for you to pass on off-plan foods at potlucks and picnics and you complain that you lost more weight while eating dairy and grains (foods that make you less healthy) with other diets, it sounds like the past 30 days was just a diet with different menu choices for you. I just don't know what to say. If you are unhappy with losing 3 pounds while feeling better and not going hungry, I don't think I have anything for you.

[amberino21]

Tom, I think you said what I was thinking perfectly.

[cayenne]

I agree with Tom. I think this was just another diet for you with just a change in food choices plugged into the ________. This plan, from what I can tell, is about changing your relationship with food. Getting all the cravings under control and being able to make good food choices is the biggest "win" that will eventually lead to weight loss for most people.

[JJB]

There must have been a problem with the other diets, or you wouldn't have found your way to the W30, right? Those diets are all about temporary results. They are not sustainable long-term, and they do nothing for your overall health or well-being. This way of eating is just the opposite, but it's very difficult to maintain until you get in the right mind-set. You have to value how you feel and how healthy you are over short-term weight loss. It takes time. I'm still grieving the loss of my favorite processed food-like garbage, and it's been 6 months. But when I stick to the W30 plan and don't try to fit in "treats" and "cheats" on a regular basis, I eventually care less and less about that stuff. I'm a work in progress. Hopefully you are too. Think about how you feel right now vs. how you felt a month or two ago. It does feel good to lose weight, I agree...but for me, it's worse to lose the weight and then gain it right back then it is to either not lose it at all or just lose it slower than I want. Give it a few more months!

[sunnymama]

Good job completing the Whole 30. Honestly, I'd look at veggies (what kinds are you eating, how about leafy greens?) and cut out fruit entirely or to one serving and I'd also put together a challenging but reasonable (and fun as in things YOU like) fitness program. I'd also look at proteins-- are you eating good quality or are you eating meats full of hormone disrupters and other oddities? I'm not claiming to be an expert, those are just the next steps I would personally take. I definetly would NOT switch back to grains and dairy.

Your expectations were unreasonable it sounds like but guess what? You are far from being the first to be young and wrong about certain things. If there were a trophy I'm sure I'd win that one. ;-)

I really hope for your sake you don't come undone, that instead you keep building. You did good work, now keep going!

[3dayevent]

You worked hard to follow the program, and it shows; you look leaner.  I wouldn't get caught up in frustration about weight.  I am trying to overcome being so determined to have a certain number on the scale, rather than focusing on where my body needs to be.  Have you tried an exercise program?  Why not go for another Whole30 and join a nearby CrossFit?  If you lost three pounds this month, and you do look leaner, imagine what another month combined with exercise could do.  Just a suggestion!

 

Don't be discouraged, because you did it and you look healthier already!!

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

I know I can see significant changes in your face and torso.  For me, my chin is where i show any weight gain...or loss...first.  It's so hard when something we've built up in our minds just doesn't measure up, our expectations of events, food, dates, husbands  can be so high that the real thing just doesn't stand a chance.

 

Take a deep breath, sit down with something warm and comforting and make a list of everything that you felt went great last month, a list of everything you're proud of, everything that surprised you-in a good way-and then throw out that scale.  It's evil and designed to make you feel bad about all of those wonderful things of your list.

[mhaynes96]

I only lost 3 pounds in my 30 days as well, but I lost over 7 inches in total.  Additionally I decided to keep eating this way, and I'm continuing to lose weight.  But mostly my clothes feel better and I can see muscle tone now.  Keep it up!

[CRCBN]

I do understand your frustration. But, even if you didn't lose weight, your pictures show a much slimmer body. I think you look great!  I bet your clothes fit better and, since you are feeling better too, it was totally worth passing up on sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes and dairy.

[Physibeth]

Everybody else has said what I would say. I'll add that I too "only" lost 3 lbs but I lost almost 4 inches (didn't measure both arms and both legs) and have had more people notice changes in the past 30 days than in all the other time I've been losing weight. Feeling better, getting stronger, and getting trimmer are so much more important than numbers on a scale.

 

And the only thing I find heartbreaking now about watching other people eat huge quantities of "food-like" substances is knowing that they are putting those things in their bodies and making themselves less healthy.

[beachchica]

I know how hard it is to break up with your scale. I'm one of those former daily-weigh-in people. But eventually I learned to put that sucker away (ok, the batteries died and I didn't feel like replacing them, but still ...) and it has made all the difference in how I feel about myself. No one else knows your weight (unless you tell them), so they certainly aren't judging you by a number on a scale. So why do we do that to ourselves? From your photos, you look like you lost significant inches, and I'm sure your clothing is fitting looser than before. Instead of focusing on the scale, which fluctuates too much within one day or week to be trusted, focus on the healthy habits you're building and how they make you feel. I like the suggestion someone made to go "Office Space" crazy on your scale with a sledge hammer in a field with "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster" playing in the background

[Bethany Lannon]

I know how hard it is to break up with your scale. I'm one of those former daily-weigh-in people. But eventually I learned to put that sucker away (ok, the batteries died and I didn't feel like replacing them, but still ...) and it has made all the difference in how I feel about myself. No one else knows your weight (unless you tell them), so they certainly aren't judging you by a number on a scale. So why do we do that to ourselves? From your photos, you look like you lost significant inches, and I'm sure your clothing is fitting looser than before. Instead of focusing on the scale, which fluctuates too much within one day or week to be trusted, focus on the healthy habits you're building and how they make you feel. I like the suggestion someone made to go "Office Space" crazy on your scale with a sledge hammer in a field with "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster" playing in the background

So many things I want to say... You look so much leaner in your after photo! I wish you had done body fat tests to see what improvements you made there, because you obviously improved! I can all but guarantee you gained muscle mass!

As for the scale, I had to break up with mine. My scale demon, as I call it, is waaaaaaaaay bigger than any sugar demon I deal with (and those little bastards are pretty strong!). And I feel like I had an epiphany with what the above poster said... If other people don't know your weight (unless you tell them) so therefore aren't judging you by it, then why judge yourself over it?! That's the key! When I broke up with my scale, I decided to go instead by monthly body fat checks to gauge my progress (maintenance when I get into maintenance mode). Why? Because I could weigh 110 lbs and be "skinny fat" with 40% body fat or I could weigh 150 and be at a healthy body fat level and have a heck of a lot of lean muscle mass on me. So why let the scale determine my progress?

You did great!!! Great job at completing your first Whole30! (BTW, I "only" lost 4 lbs - similar to your size - but I also lost 2% body fat, which I'm betting you lost something similar to that).

[ultrarunnergirl]

For some it is slower weight loss than others. Remember, that's just a side benefit! You may need to go a little longer strickt Whole30 -- don't give up, you have made incredible progress. Agree that your photos show more difference than "just 3 lbs."

Remember to give yourself credit for STICKING TO THIS for 30 days, and changing your relationship with food. Keep up the good work, I have a feeling you'll only see more good results coming your way.

[mandm]

I know how hard it is to break up with your scale. I'm one of those former daily-weigh-in people. But eventually I learned to put that sucker away (ok, the batteries died and I didn't feel like replacing them, but still ...) and it has made all the difference in how I feel about myself. No one else knows your weight (unless you tell them), so they certainly aren't judging you by a number on a scale. So why do we do that to ourselves? From your photos, you look like you lost significant inches, and I'm sure your clothing is fitting looser than before. Instead of focusing on the scale, which fluctuates too much within one day or week to be trusted, focus on the healthy habits you're building and how they make you feel. I like the suggestion someone made to go "Office Space" crazy on your scale with a sledge hammer in a field with "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster" playing in the background

Love Love Love!!!!  I need to break up with my scale...  doing it the way of office space is a great idea (one of my favorite scenes in that movie by the way)

[MeadowLily]

I never lost more than 2 pounds in a month and I was thrilled. I stayed with the program and kept losing 2 pounds per month for 15 months in a row. After losing 30 pounds, my body just stopped losing weight. I had reached my set point.

 

I believe you that you stuck to the menu of approved foods, but when you talk about how heartbreaking it was for you to pass on off-plan foods at potlucks and picnics and you complain that you lost more weight while eating dairy and grains (foods that make you less healthy) with other diets, it sounds like the past 30 days was just a diet with different menu choices for you. I just don't know what to say. If you are unhappy with losing 3 pounds while feeling better and not going hungry, I don't think I have anything for you.

This is too good ...looking backwards to the good ole days that weren't really that good.