ang11 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 let me start this by saying, I KNOW it's now about weight loss. but... I am overweight. I am 5'3, about 190 lbs. I used to be REALLY overweight - over the past two years, I have lost 110 lbs by generally eating less/eating cleaner and exercising. I hit a serious plateau, and haven't lost weight the past few months. Then, over the holidays, I got completely off track and was eating tons of stuff I normally stay away from, especially sugar (candy, desserts, donuts, you name it, I ate it). I felt out of control and like I needed a plan to get back on track. A friend suggested Whole30 - not to lose weight, but to get back to clean eating. I started on January 2 and so far, so good. So, I know it's not about weight loss, but because I am overweight of course in the back of my mind I though, well, of course I'll lose weight! Here I am on Day 13, and while I am not weighing myself, the fact that my clothes aren't looser - in fact, the other day my jeans were TIGHTER - is getting to me. I'm afraid at the end of 30 days, if I weigh myself and haven't lose anything - or worse yet, gained weight - then I'll feel like a failure and there is no hope for my to lose weight again. I'm not sure I can separate weight loss with what I'm doing here... and I'm wondering, should I even? If this ISN'T about weight loss, and I do need to lose weight, maybe I should be doing something else? Just feeling frustrated and anxious about it, and was wondering what others who may be overweight thought about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Have you seen the timeline? Your pants can feel tighter right around the time you mentioned: http://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/ You're on day 13 - almost half-way there. What's 17 more days, even as an experiment, just to see what happens for you?I would also suggest posting 2-3 days worth of your food log here to get feedback on whether you're on the right track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ang11 Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Thanks! I think that's a good way to look at it - as an experiment. Besides, even if I don't lose weight, eliminating this stuff from my diet can't be bad! Maybe this isn't for me, but I am going to stick to it for the 30 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurajfrog Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I'm on day 14 and my pants feel tight, too. I feel very heavy and bloated. I'm trying more water and more veggies. I also have a lack of energy the past two days, but I've realized I haven't had any squash or sweet potatoes. Bingo. If nothing else, stick with it and have it as a learning experience. We've gone too far to give up now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Posting your food log for critique can be really illuminating. I was all spacey, posted my food log, and we decided I wasn't eating enough and also pointed out some ways I need to follow the template better (at first I felt defensive like "I have already changed so much!" But why do it if you're not going to DO it?) 17 days of this is not going to slow down your weight loss in the big picture, even if you don't lose a single pound. Are there really NO other changes you can take away from your experience so far? Even not body related...like I am eating WAY more veggies and being more adventurous with how I cook them, and that's a change that I feel good about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Ang11, Are there other reasons that you decided to do a whole 30 other than weight issues? Were you hoping to get better sleep, have more energy, cure cravings, work on some other health related issues? The reason why I ask, is just focusing on the weight issue has a tendency to give us stress. Stress usually causes our bodies to a cortisol response. What does cortisol do? It saves fat. So try not to focus on this one and only thing. There are so many other benefits to doing a whole 30. I did it to rid myself of migraines. Which it did help (But I also had a lot of weight to lose - I still would like to lose another 20lbs or so - just so I can be under the 200lb range) I am still tweaking my diet a bit in order to make this happen - but since this is your first whole 30 try to focus on other things you are hoping to fix rather than the weight. For me - the weight loss was a very nice side effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ang11 Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 I decided to do this because my eating (and drinking) got completely out of control over the holidays and I felt like absolute crap. I saw this as a way to stop the craziness. I am on day 16 now and yes, I do feel much better with no sugar, grains, dairy, alcohol etc in my diet. So that is why I'm doing this. Because I am overweight, though, it's hard not to think about weight loss. I am trying not to focus on that, but it's hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaraP Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Drink LOTS of water!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLC1968 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I decided to do this because my eating (and drinking) got completely out of control over the holidays and I felt like absolute crap. I saw this as a way to stop the craziness. I am on day 16 now and yes, I do feel much better with no sugar, grains, dairy, alcohol etc in my diet. So that is why I'm doing this. Because I am overweight, though, it's hard not to think about weight loss. I am trying not to focus on that, but it's hard. I get that separating what you eat from the idea of losing weight is really hard when you are overweight. It's even harder when you feel like you are resisting some of your previously favorite foods. Maybe you would be better off just changing the focus? Yes, you need to lose weight. But maybe the Whole30 fits into that goal not as a way to actually lose the weight, but as a way to make it easier to make the commitment to lose the weight once you are done with it. As you said, you started this to get your eating back under control, right? If you think about it, how much easier would cutting calories be if there were no cravings? Whole30 can do that for you (eliminate cravings). It can also teach you to better understand your hunger and to reset your hormonal response cycle - both things that can make 'dieting' easier. So focus on what the benefits will be at the end...once you go back into 'weight loss' mode. And in the meantime, you'll get all the other health benefits, you'll learn some things about yourself and maybe you'll discover a new recipe or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ang11 Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 thank you all for your replies. I am on day 29 now and still pretty sure I haven't lost any weight - but I feel good. I don't have any cravings at all. I've made some changes that I think I can stick to long term. i'm a little worried that I may have actually gained weight, which if so, will probably cause me to have a meltdown. other than being anxious though, I am proud of myself for sticking to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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