I have a lot of weight to lose

[Quiver0f10]

Hi everyone!

 

I just joined the forums today and this is my first post. My husband and I plant to start our Whole30 on Friday. We ordered the book, which should arrive tomorrow. I have been reading the forums a bit and read that this isn't a weight loss program, but a change in the way we eat. I really like the idea of eating real, while food an we are looking for a way of eating that we can do for life. However, we both have a lot of weight to lose and I am worried that we won't lose weight or we will lose some then stop. Any advice as we begin? Thanks!

[misshannah]

Hi Quiver0f10,

 

I, too, have a lot of weight to lose. But even more than that, I have a lot of loving acceptance of my body to do. And for me, that starts with learning how to feed myself, really feed myself, in order to maximize my health and minimize disease and discomfort. I have to trust my body, and that means that believing that if I eat whole and nourishing foods, take care of my sleep and stress in a healthy way, move my miraculous machine of a body as it was designed to move, then whatever I weigh really doesn't mean all that much to me. 

 

So, here's my advice. EAT*. Let yourself eat. Don't count things. Use the template. Trust the process. Believe the timeline. Allow your relationship with food to change. Don't think of yourself as being deprived or limited in any way. Embrace the liberation...you get to be free of things that are likely hurting you, and have been for a long time (if you're anything like me). 

 

Do not worry. Your journey is a positive step. If you falter, get up and start again. If you don't falter, great! But not only is this not a weight loss program, it's not even really a "diet." I had to quit thinking of it as something I'm "on" or "off." If you can do that, it might be transforming.

 

Everyone's body is different, everyone's life circumstance is different. By doing this program, what you get to find out is how food affects YOU. It's powerful and empowering information, especially if you have struggled with what feels like addiction or out of control or disordered eating in the past. And frankly, who hasn't? 

 

My last piece of advice: take the guidelines seriously. Eat at a table with your husband and/or family, if possible. Talk to each other about how your Whole 30 was that day. This helped me and my husband feel like we were on a team, and we were making these changes willingly and together. 

 

You (both) can do it! It's exciting and scary and fun! 

 

edited to add: *eat compliant foods, of course. Read labels! Purge your pantry and fridge. Make it as easy on yourself as possible. Keep it simple.

[amberino21]

Great advice, miss Hannah!

Quiver, don't go in to this worrying about what may or may not happen - stress is really detrimental to your health, and the worry may actually impede your results.

Instead, focus on the positives - better health, more energy, delicious food that is doing your body good instead of making you less healthy, better relationship with food etc. If you need to lose fat, that may well happen, but don't focus on that for the 30 days!

Enjoy the process!!

[Applegirl]

Hi Quiver and Welcome!  I have nothing to add except encouragement.  Stick with your W30.  The rest will follow.  

[ShannonM816]

Hi! I also have a lot of weight to lose (over 100 lbs), and I just recently finished my first Whole30. I was nervous the whole time that I would gain weight, I couldn't tell that my clothes were looser or anything, and it was all I could do to follow the rule not to weigh myself for a month. At the end of it, I'd lost 7 lbs. I wasn't exercising before Whole30, and didn't exercise regularly during the month either -- I'm sure that would have made a big difference, but I chose to focus on the food without worrying about exercise. Just cooking so much was a big change for me. While I didn't lose as much as some people lose, I was happy with my result, especially since the food is so much better than any weight loss plan I've ever tried before! Plus, I just generally feel better than I did before I started, I have more energy and I've noticed some aches and pains that I had before are not bothering me anymore. I'm trying to stick to mostly eating Whole30 now, but not worrying about what might be in sauces or seasonings when I occasionally go out to eat. I'm hoping that I'll continue feeling better and losing weight.  My advice would be to just try to relax and follow the template for your meals, and don't worry about the weight. 

[Guest Andria]

Congratulations to you and your husband for taking the steps to improve your health!! Everyone, thus far, has given you excellent advice. I wanted to add that we, collectively, have it backwards thinking that we need to lose weight to get healthy, but in reality what we NEED to do is get healthy FIRST in order to lose the weight. So take what everyone has said to this point and focus on getting yourself healthy first and everything else will follow in due time.

Trust AND enjoy the process. Good Luck!

[Carlaccini]

My advice - is kind of similar to everyone else.  Relax.  Do NOT stress about weight loss.  It will not really help in the long run.  Focus on sleeping better, focus on getting healthy - the rest will just follow.

[Quiver0f10]

Thank you all! My book arrived this morning so I am looking forward to reading it. We start tomorrow morning! I am excited!