Jump to content

losing weight the whole9 way?


Vian

Recommended Posts

So, my story in a nutshell: At the beginning of 2012 I was 270 lbs. (I'm female, 5'9" with a "sturdy" build) I set my mind to lose weight and started counting calories, exercising daily, and generally being hungry all the time. By the end of 2012, I was down 45 lbs, but didn't see a big change in the mirror. Beginning of 2013, I discovered paleo/primal and jumped in head first. I stuck to a fairly strict primal diet (more or less whole30 plus dairy) stopped counting calories, and just ate when I was hungry, and lost 15 pounds in 2 months and suddenly I saw a huge change in the way I looked. 

 

Then I got knocked on my ass for 5 weeks by a chicken-pox-like virus, even went to the ER once. I had spots all over my body and my knees swelled up so I couldn't walk. I was given an 8 day course of prednisone, which made me feel amazing at first and helped my knees eventually, but every time I stepped down the dose of prednisone, I was wracked with horrible anxiety. I still to this day struggle with that anxiety, as well as heart palpitations and other symptoms of anxiety. Since that time, I haven't really exercised and have gained about 10 pounds, eating too much junk and sugar.

 

The last day of 2013 I was at 218lbs. I don't have a specific goal weight in mind, though I have a general estimate that around 170lbs. would be a healthy weight for me. I really don't care what the scale says so long as I can see progress in other ways, like my pants getting looser, able to do more pushups or squats, etc.

 

I want to start working out again - doing something active every day, and I want to lose fat. Is sticking with the whole30 way of eating, no sugar, junk food, grains, etc. and eating intuitively without calorie restriction enough to lose the extra fat? I'm so afraid that I'll spend another year not making any progress. I'm afraid that I need to count calories and restrict calories (even if I'm eating on a paleo/whole30 template) to lose weight, and I really don't want to go back to that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why do you think it won't work if it has worked for you before?

 

Personally, this is the only way to eat for me. I'm on my third W30, and plan to carry on (for the most part) for ever now. I have done weight watchers and slimming world for approximately 20 years and spent most of my life hungry and/or eating dysfunctionally (I remember not eating any food so I could save up all my WW points for wine and chocolate) ... and no, I have never been VERY overweight (with the exception of the year after I had my twins) but I have always been of a BMI of about 26 - 27. This is the only way of eating I have ever done when I don't think about food ALL THE TIME, and I know I am eating healthily. I figure my body will reach a weight it is happy with balancing appetite and activity and me taking cues from my body about how much and when to eat (and I have much more faith in that now).

 

I'm just approaching the end of this W30 and I will be weighing myself tomorrow. I think I've lost weight ... I would guess 5 - 7 lbs, which would take me to a BMI of just over 25.

 

I will carry on ... and if I stop losing weight and still feel like I need to address my fatness (!) then I may tinker with the way I am eating: be a little more circumspect about snacking (nuts, dried fruit) and pulling in my fat consumption (mayonnaise! coconut oil!) ... but not yet, because at the moment, eating as I am (which is delicious and satiating and makes me happy) I am still losing weight that is clearly excess.

 

So ... eating like this isn't just about weight loss. It's about eating in a way that is good for your body and your head. You will lose weight if you need to. There may come a point when the weight loss stops or slows down, but I would bet by that stage you would not be unhealthily overweight. You may still have some weight to lose if you choose to, at which point you could adjust what you eat if you wanted to. But in any event you would be HEALTHY. You may not be celebrity stick thin, but really, who wants that anyway?

 

Good luck -- I cannot recommend this way of eating enough. I love the fact that I do not battle my inner demons on a daily basis, and just eat when I'm hungry until I'm full and do not beat myself up about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There were articles in the paper last year about calorie counting, and supposedly some calorie counts are really far off what they calculated when they came up with the calculations back in the 1800s. Besides, how many calories does your body really need... I don't think there's really any way for us to know that with enough certainty to rely on calorie counting to lose weight.

 

If you're eating healthier than you were before and doing more exercise than you were before, then barring some sort of issues with your metabolism you should lose weight.  Unfortunately more slowly than any of us would like.  I'd give it a good six months and then re-evaluate.

 

Personally, I'm convinced that this is the only way I'm going to lose weight.  Bread, rice and pasta don't fill me up in the same way as Whole 30 food does so my servings of those tend to be far too large and I don't want to snack when I'm eating three Whole 30 meals. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, I'm near the end of my first Whole30 and looking into ways to keep moving in the right direction. Sounds like I have about as much to lose relative to my height as you do, Vian. My views are in line with Annabel's and Semolina's.

 

I've been looking into the Perfect Health Diet for continued loss and maintenance. While on the Whole30, I've been "intermittent fasting" a la Chris Kresser (Your Personal Paleo Code) because I couldn't face eggs at breakfast anymore and I'm just not hungry for breakfast after my mug of green tea with lemon. I think that's helped so that I'm about 15 lbs down since starting to eat this way.

 

Here's what I have planned: I'm reintroducing cream first and only cream since I miss it for coffee in the afternoon (no food-without-brakes like cheese for me until I'm near a healthier state). I might add some white rice (Perfect Health Diet). That's it. And, oh, I will start exercising which I haven't yet. I'm finding that I'm more in tune with my satiety level so that my portions are shrinking on their own. I'd like to avoid weighing and calorie counting, so I'm thinking in terms of proportions on my plate and stopping when I'm satisfied (which I could NEVER do as long as I was eating bread, pasta, etc).

 

To promote weight loss some sources say reduce carbs further, some say reduce fats. I will probably pare back on some of the fat (like ghee and fatty meats) when I hit a plateau, but there's a lot in favor of keeping coconut oil a big percentage of fat intake because of the way it's metabolized. 

 

What do you think? I'd love to check in to hear what's working for you all and say what's working for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just re-read a story that's been very inspirational to me in the past (here) and at the endish it said that if you eat a normal amount of calories and do strength-building exercise, you will be able to maintain muscle and lose fat. I believe in a diet that is low carb, high fat, moderate protein. Not necessarily low enough carbs to get into ketosis, but no carbs from anything but veggies and a little fruit (maybe 75-100g carbs a day), and healthy fats from coconut, grass fed butter, grass-fed pastured meats, eggs, etc. Basically I shoot for about 100g protein a day, 75-100g carbs a day, and the rest of my necessary calories from fat. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to control my sugar cravings enough to give such a diet a try to see if it would really work for me. I think now I might be able to thanks to the whole30.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got the kettlebell and video (Iron Core) all ready to go. I don't see myself going the Cross Fit/heavy lifting route like Staci in the story, but I have had experience with some weight training routines (like Power Flex) and they feel good as well as work. Just have to use my habits check list to get that going. I have a start date set on my break coming up (I'm a teacher).

 

I'm inclined toward further limiting carbs, too. I did a pretty low-fruit (no dried fruit) Whole30 and didn't snack at all, so I feel like I'm in a good spot to move forward.

 

I think sugar is always going to come calling--it's everywhere you turn and there are just so many powerful/pleasurable associations with it and it does taste good--so I take one moment of temptation at a time. Most of those sweet things just aren't worth it. Stare them down and walk on! (Yes, easier said than done.) I will say that, though it's still an "addiction", my after-school cup of home made coffee is good for being my me-time/down time "treat." I look at it more like a ritual transition from school to home. Sometimes I have tea instead. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am trying to find a doctor who is open to natural medicine/homeopathy and treating me in ways that I am comfortable with (aka: NOT prescription drugs - that's how I got into this mess) But I haven't been to one yet. I only got insurance at the start of this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...