Worried...weight and cholesterol.

[Alisa25]

I'm on day 15. Very proud of myself for doing this. I'm 52 , 5' 3" started weight of 120. Three years ago I had a hysterectomy and have put on 10 lbs. I really want to lose about 8lbs. Around day 7 I was really feeling like I was "thinning out"... But lately not so much. Right before I started I had been eating an Atkins diet, except still having a cocktail nightly... And my beloved diet coke!... I had been wanting to break that habit and feel really good that I'm on my way. Also I recently had my annual visit to Dr and got my cholesterol back... It's jumped to a whopping 335! I'm waiting for all the results to be mailed... He of course wanted to put me on statins which I will not do. So.... I'm doing this to be healthier.... Want to lose some weight, I'd be happy with just 4-5 lbs. if I gain, which I have been reading about some who do... I'll be really upset. I feel like I'm eating right, but have begun to think maybe I'm adding to much fat. Here's a typical day.

Breakfast, 2 eggs cooked in Coconut oil, 1c broccoli , 1/2 c rutabaga , 1/4 avocado. Black coffee.

Lunch, 1 chicken breast cooked in 1-T CO, 1 baked sweet potato w/ 1 t ghee, 1 c broccoli , water

Dinner, 4-6 oz steak cooked in 1/2 T CO, 1 c Brussels sprouts, 1/2 c rutabaga , 1/4 avocado . Water.

All my veggies I sauté in either some ghee or coconut oil, about a tablespoon.

I'm to the point where I don't feel hungry much between meals. I've been guilty of not getting much exercise , which I plan on correcting for the next 15 days. I'd love some feed back from anyone who might have some of my same worries/ issues!

[Robin Strathdee]

Hi Alisa25!

 

First of all, I'd like to suggest taking your focus off of the number.  120 is an incredibly healthy weight (on paper) for someone your height, but it doesn't tell you anything about how your clothes fit, how you feel or how healthy your body is. So, let's start with those markers.

 

Secondly, you have a background of medical issues - that's going to have some impact on how your body responds to your Whole30. Especially since your issues involve your hormone levels. There's no way for us to tell how your body is going to respond in relation to the scale. But eating this way WILL begin to make your body healthier from the inside out, so keep that as your primary focus.

 

Finally, having come from an Atkins background and with no context of how much you were eating before, it's impossible to say if your body is going to gain before it loses - or even if it just needs to gain a little in general.  But I'd encourage you to look for other  markers of improved health, as Whole30 isn't a weight loss program.

 

Your fat looks good - if you're satisfied between meals, keep it there. If you're hungry between meals, add a little more fat.  

[Alisa25]

Robin,

Thanks for the reply. Ido feel healthier and have definitely noticed improvement in my digestitive health which has been a bother to me for years... Anyone with constipation issues I really think the sweet potatoes are a huge help. It was my choice to have the hysterectomy due to my Mom dying of Ovarian Cancer, which I regret now... But that's a whole other story. So my clothes still feel the same and I realize this is not a weight loss program.... But a few pounds would be ok! I'll continue on... This is teaching me how much better I feel eating this way.

[ABS32013]

I'd encourage you to give yourself a break and some time!  There's a reason the program is 30 days - or longer for some people.  There's a complex process going on.  Think about what it's like when you decide it's time to re-organize your closet.  You have to dive in and not stop until it's done, and sometimes you have to make a bit of a mess before things look better ;-)

[connie_m]

Don't be afraid of eating a bunch of coconut oil.   It's actually been amazing for improving my cholesterol levels.   Not that mine were horrible, but in 3 months of eating loads of coconut oil (probably a tbsp per meal, plus some avocadoes, and grass fed ribeyes and things like that), cutting out vegetable oils and processed meats, processed food, etc. - my cholesterol dropped 35 points and 34 of those points were LDL.    And my total was well under 200 before I started, so it's not like I had a ton of room for improvement.

 

I remember having a discussion with some friends where we worried that all that coconut oil might not be good for you, but at least in terms of cholesterol levels, it apparently is!   Stick with it.