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Anyone not lose weight during their Whole 30?


Jennypants

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I'm on day 21. I know that my decision to do this was about health and I'm feeling great! I was really hopefully that I would also lose weight while doing this. I don't feel like my clothes for any better so I weighed myself today. I have only lost 2 pounds! I only have about 25 to lose but I don't understand how it's possible I haven't lost more.

Is it possible I'm having too much fat? I know its the media telling me fat is bad. I just cant get it out of my head that im not losing weight because of it. What about sweet potatoes? I eat 1/2-1 a day. Is there something else I could be doing wrong? I'm really happy with how I'm feeling. I just can't help but be disappointed that my waist hasn't gotten smaller.

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  • Moderators

Sounds like you're right on track physically and that your expectations need adjusting. If you're feeling great and losing weight, albeit at a slower than rapid but utterly healthy and sustainable rate, what, exactly, is the problem?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I, too, have this problem. I did a Whole30 last summer and lost only 5 lbs and no more since although I want to lose more. I'm in my mid-40s and I've battled PCOS and hormonal problems for most of my adult life. After I completed the last Whole30, my doctor informed me I no longer have metabolic syndrome (although I'm still overweight) and I've quit taking BC and am now regular for the first time in my life. That woke me up to what is really important to me...feeling healthy and taking care of me. I am now on day 8 of my second Whole30 and although I have not weighed myself I am sure I'm losing weight. The difference? The first time through I snacked a lot on nuts, fruit, and nut butters. This time I only eat a few nuts and don't really snack much and I'm eating a little less protein and much more fat and veggies at each meal. Don't fear the fat, have patience, and remember this is about learning about YOU. You may need to tweak things until you find what works for you. And most of all, do not listen to mainstream media...even the Whole30 is being hailed as a weight-loss diet which is not what it is about. Focus on doing good things for yourself and don't get discouraged!!!

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Ok this post comes with my moderator hat firmly on my head but also a place of tough love.

 

First things first - get the scale out of the house! Not weighing yourself is not a program suggestion it is a program rule. No the Whole30 police won't come and bust down your door for it but there is a reason it is a rule. Weighing yourself mid program makes you question all sorts of things with your pre-W30 glasses on. You still have 9 days left in the program and different people's bodied react in different ways. So please please please ditch the scale.

 

Second - "just 2 lbs" in 3 weeks when you are close to goal weight is actually very reasonable. I myself only lost 3 lbs my first W30 but context is key. The people who lose a lot of weight on their W30 are generally very overweight and generally come from a drastically different diet.

 

Third - the scale is not a fabulous indicator of health as they other ladies have well pointed out. Here are the articles I read when I need reminding of this myself. 

http://everydaypaleo.com/attention-scale-addicts/

http://everydaypaleo.com/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/

http://whole9life.com/2012/03/5-reasons-to-break-up-with-your-scale/

http://whole9life.com/2012/08/new-health-scale/

 

As a recovering scale addict myself this is all the stuff I told myself so I get it. I personally waited to do my W30 a long time because I wasn't ready/willing to give it up. I've been eating like this for over a year and probably lost about 10 lbs in total, but I have people consistently telling me I look like I've lost more weight (and I teach group fitness so people spend a lot of time looking at me) and I feel leaps and bounds better than I did a year ago and I can do so much more in the gym than a year ago.

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Get rid of the bad habits first.  Get rid of the weight second.  That is, in my mind, the best recipe for long term success.  It would be great if both happened during the same Whole30, but for many it does not.  I gained weight.   :huh:  I know why I gained, but I gained nonetheless.  Still, the end result was reducing my hot flashes to zero, flattening my belly, stabilizing my mood and revealing some pretty severe food intolerances.  I have not been perfect by any means since my first Whole30 in March 2013, but I know what to do to get back on track now.  It has been a lot of trial and error to find what works best for me.  Not everyone follows a linear path to regaining health.  Try not to compare yourself with those who seem to sail through the changes.

 

I ditched the scale back in 2013 after my first Whole30.  Best thing I ever did!

 

Oh, and most likely those 2 pounds you lost are real!  Not water weight or the fact that your belly wasn't full after a meal.  If your clothes feel tight in the waist you are not imagining things.  Even though my pre-Whole30 diet was high in fiber and cruciferous vegetables, my gut went through a rebellion (reset?) phase that lasted about 5 weeks.  I was gassy and bloated and generally pretty unsettled.   Think of it this way:  if you continue to lose 2-3 pounds a month... in a year you will reach your goal plus some.  Stop fantasizing about it happening in a month.   :wub:   Whole30 has never been a weight loss plan from what I know.

 

Some trouble-shooting (I base this only on my experience):  eliminate nuts, nut butters and dried fruits.  drink more water.  make sure your portions are following the template.  stop snacking.  weight train.

 

Hang in there. 

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I am not a nutritionist or whole30 expert. I am having a similar issue. I just read marks daily apple, carb curve and feel that I may be one of those people that needs to keep any eye on my carbs. When I was doing my last whole30 I was eating about 150 grams of carbs per day. Mark suggests to eat less than that for weight loss. Although I am not doing a whole30 I have noticed that I am less bloated since I have reduced my carb intake. Actually I am doing this every other day and not to the extreme. I try not to eat any fruit or sweet potatoes on those days. Stay tuned . . .

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Sometimes the case is that you may not be losing weight but you might be getting smaller, even if you may not notice it. Before I got on the Whole30, I used to exercise like crazy and eat "heathy" (I still ate grains and beans. Very different from what I eat now in the whole 30 program)..I got frustrated that in the first month I lost nothing at all. My parents used to tell me I was getting "smaller", but I did not believe it since I was weighing the same. Well turns out, that I was smaller. I lost INCHES and not WEIGHT. Even now, being on day 8 on the Whole 30, I have not really lost weight (I ditched my scale but was tempted  to weight myself when I went to a friend's now).  But I see that I am slimming down.

 

So maybe you are losing? Have you taken into consideration that you may be losing inches and not pounds? This is just a thought since I used to have a dietitician and she explained to me that I may not instantly see weight loss, but I still might lose some  inches.

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  • Whole30 Certified Coach

If you search for why aren't I losing weight posts you'll find about 6 by me :)  

 

I have been primal for about 3 years but leading up to my W30 cheese and compliant chocolate made up about 75% of my caloric intake I think... it was pretty bad.  My clothes had gotten tighter and I knew I needed a reset.  I had a few lean friends who became super-lean via W30 so I figured it was time to buckle down and ditch the cheese and chocolate and find my abs.  30 days later... -1 lb.  I was devastated.  My father (in his early 70s) decided to do it to - he lost 15 lbs.  My husband, almost 20.  The disappointment was overwhelming.  BUT - I truly felt better.  Sleep, energy, cravings, binge eating (I'm a recovering binge eater), menstrual symptoms, GI issues.  There was not a single thing in my life that was not improved by the W30 - except that stupid number on the scale.  Some wise people on here suggested I just do a W60.  So I did.  By the end of that I finally saw some movement on the scale.  I was down about 3 lbs total.  I'm maybe 80ish (still W30 foods with the exception desserts here and there) days out now and I just randomly got on the scale this morning - I'm down a total of 5 now.  

 

BUT - the habits and changes in state of mind over the last 80 days are not just for the "diet" - they are truly mine now.  I choose to nourish my body as best I can. I think that the W30 forces you to do things better - spending time thinking about where your food comes from, spending time preparing it, spending time enjoying it.  Because my "diet" didn't just end in 30 days I've become a person I'm prouder of and that wouldn't have happened had I magically dropped 7 lbs in 30 days.  So, I guess my advice is that for some people it takes a little longer - usually women who are pretty close a weight they've decided is right for them.  But sometimes that disappointment can really lead to something better :)

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Sometimes health is a factor too. I did lose some my first Whole30, but not as much as I'd wanted to. But over a year later, my health is better than it has been in years and I'm finally losing weight now my poor body is recovering (grains and dairy make me really sick and I had no idea before Whole30).

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It's so reassuring to know I am not alone worrying that I will be the one who does not lose weight , 4th attempt at whole 30 and am at day 24 feeling bloated and definately do not think I have lost any weight am scared to be honest that I have put weight on !!

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I have been keeping a food diary and first it was too many nuts now I think it's too much fat in the form of coconut ? It's day 29 now for me and my clothes are tighter ! Not weighing myself and considering a whole 60

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