Post Whole 30 and prediabetes

[jmed21]

I wasn't sure where to post this topic...I did my first W30 (which turned into Whole 45) at the beginning of March with the goal of weight loss. I followed the plan to a 'T' lost 3/4 of a pound but lost 11 inches and felts SO much better. Since then, I've been eating about 90/10 following the W30 guidelines.

To cut a long story short, I had been sick since the beginning of the year, remained sick thru my W45 and got sick again with a sinus infection/bronchitis. I went to the dr. a couple weeks ago, they did lab work and found that I'm pre-diabetic. I have a long horrible history of family diabetes and heart disease. So my LDL, resting glucose, cholesterol, A1C among other things were high but metabolism/thyroid was healthy.Even tho I didn't lose on my W45, I feel healthier, so who knows what my levels were before I did it!

I know the biggest culprit is the extra weight I've been carrying around since I had my babe (20 months ago, eesh!). Losing weight is the only answer. But after leaving the dr. they gave me so much info on lowering cholesterol and eating to treat prediabetes that contradicts what I've learned and experienced on Whole 30 that I'm so confused as to what I should be eating.I thought since the W30 I was doing the right things and eating right but now I'm confused.

My first whole 30 I didn't work out much. Since then, I've ramped up my workouts from 30 minutes to 60 minutes 6 days a week. But I'm wondering if my portions are too large and that's why I didn't lose weight. Can you combine Whole 30 with Weight Watchers? I feel like that goes against the logic of W30 but I'm just not sure. I love the way I feel eating W30, but unfortunately that's not enough, I HAVE to lose pounds too.

I do not want to end up diabetic and am willing to work hard to get the weight off! Any ideas, tips, help?

[jent103]

I'm not extremely familiar with the current philosophy of Weight Watchers and whether they're still emphasizing this, so my impression may be outdated, but their points system seems pretty antithetical to Whole30 - use your points on whatever you want, but once they're gone they're gone whether you're still hungry or not, vs. listening to your body and eating mostly the most nutritious foods you can with Whole30. Were you following the Whole30 meal template? That, to me, is built-in portion control, easy to measure.

 

What advice did you get from your doctor that seems to contradict Whole30?

[jmed21]

Right, it does seem like Weight Watchers contradicts W30 especially like you said in terms of listening to your body. I was following the meal template the first go round, but I'm sure there was/is room for improvement. Maybe I need to start there and really measure my portions, especially proteins and fats.

 

The doctor said to avoid eggs and keep meat and seafood minimal, to eat healthy whole wheat grains and other slow burning carbs. I really don't want to go back to eating grains, etc. as they make me feel bloated and gross. Without eggs, meat and seafood, what else is there to eat?!

[LadyM]

I don't think anyone in any official capacity here can tell you to go against your MD's advice without facing some serious liability issues, but I'm not a mod, so I can, and I will.

 

If you feel better and know you're making progress with W30 even if it's not reflected dramatically on the scale, but it is in terms of inches, then I think the smart thing is to continue it, at least until your next appointment and see how that has affected your numbers, especially blood sugars. Losing 3/4 of a pound every month will eventually lead to a healthy weight, and if W30/W9 makes you feel good, then you will be able to sustain it for the long haul.

 

The problem with shifting back to a portion-controlled measuring-obsessed system is it will drive you--and probably everyone around you--crazy and you will eventually quit even if it's making you lose weight more rapidly than W30. Then you'll be back where you started in no time at all if not worse off.

 

I think you can tweak W30 a bit. Make sure that you're really tuned in when you eat. Only eat to satisfaction, not to fullness or beyond. Cut out nuts and fruits, especially dried fruits and nut butters--and other food without brakes for you. Be a little less liberal with added fats and focus on getting proteins that already contain healthy fats (pasture-raised meats and eggs). Eat three template meals and no snacks. And anything else per your experience that you could obviously do better with.

 

That's my two cents. Take it for what it's worth!

[Tom Denham]

Your doctor is a conventional idiot. Most of them are. I am serious. An idiot. They repeat conventional wisdom that has overseen an epidemic of obesity in this country. Read It Starts With Food. Read it twice. The book explains why eating the Whole30 way really is the right thing to do and explains why the conventional wisdom is wrong. 

 

Note: I am not an MD. Your doctor, although an idiot, has been validated by the American Medical Association to give you advice about what you eat. Logically and legally, you should ignore me and listen to your doctor. Whether you do or not is up to you.

 

You cannot combine Weight Watchers and the Whole30. Not even a little. 

 

You say you lost 11 inches, but less than 1 pound of weight. That is curious, but possible. Losing 11 inches means you were on the right track. You say you followed the meal template, but think you can do better. You probably can. Many people don't seem to translate the meal template into appropriate meals as consistently as we would like. I wish I could view pictures of your food on standard-size plates and give you feedback on that. Getting the hang of portion sizes is important. And it is bad to eat too little. Eating too little slows your metabolism and makes losing fat very difficult. And doubling your exercise from 30 to 60 minutes 6 times per week may be a problem. Too much exercise makes your body cautious about releasing fat because it is under stress. And when you exercise more, you need to eat more. 

 

Eating 90/10 is not very good. Eating 90/10 means you eat 2.1 meals of unhealthy foods every week if you are eating 3 meals per day. That is a lot if you have other alternatives. 

 

Finally, losing weight through the Whole30 is often a hormonal process. When you eat the right foods, eat when you get up in the morning, manage stress, and start sleeping decent hours at night, your hormones get to a good place and fat starts to melt away. Some people get to a good place with their hormones within a few days, but some can take weeks and weeks to get where they need to be. My guess is that were not yet where you needed to be when your Whole45 ended. 

 

I recommend coming back to the Whole30. Log your food here on the forum and get feedback to make sure you are eating enough or too much. 

[jent103]

What Tom and LadyM said.

 

The advice for whole grains was probably because compared to refined grains, whole grains don't spike your blood sugar as much. This works to a point in some situations; I have PCOS and insulin resistance, and lost about 50 pounds starting 11 years ago largely by avoiding sugary things and replacing the white grains I was eating with whole grains. If you're starting from a standard American diet (which most of your doctor's patients probably are), it's a switch people can get their heads around. BUT replacing those grains with vegetables and healthy fats is even better for you - you've seen the proof of that.

 

The eggs/meats/seafood advice (he's probably thinking red meat) is probably because those things can be high in dietary cholesterol. ISWF addresses the difference between dietary cholesterol and the stuff in your blood. Basically, I'd probably ignore the doc too, do what you've been doing and keep an eye on the numbers. You'll be able to tell if you're still headed in the right direction.

[jmed21]

Thank you everyone for your responses and advice, seriously!

I felt like I lost a lot more than less than a pound and the inches lost didn't make sense in comparrison. That aside, I felt like I was going in the right direction so that's why it was so confusing/discouraging/frustrating to see those test results. But without a 'before' picture of my bloodwork, who knows where it was and how it improved because of Whole 30.

Anyways, I just re-read ISWF again but I think I need to go back through it again because you all brought up very good points. I don't think my hormones are at a good place still but they were a whole lot better when I was 100% Whole 30. I also didn't think about eating 90/10 that way. 2.1 meals is a lot of unhealthy stuff!

I think I need to really look at my portion sizes. I was just looking back on some of my W30 meal pictures and they look very large. I'm not sure how to post pictures here though for feedback?!

After being reassured by you all and listening to what my gut said (the doctor was wrong!), I'm going to commit to another 30 and see how things go this round. I'll be coming back here for support! Thanks everyone!

[Tom Denham]

Robin says this is how to post pictures:

 

Okay: Here's what you've gotta do.  

1. Choose "More Reply Options"

2. At the bottom left, choose Attach Files

3. Navigate to the file

4. Select Attach This File (below Attach Files)

5. Above Attach Files, you should see a thumbnail of your photo. Underneath it, select Add to Post.

6. Some text will appear in your post. Then, when you hit post. Voila!

[jmed21]

Thanks Tom! Here are some typical meals I was having.

 

Round plate: tilapia, cauliflower rice and a mango salsa i made

Egg tacos with pulled pork, sweet potato hash browns and guac

salmon with brocolli and balsamic

egg bun with some meat, guac, sunflower sprouts and 1/2 mango.

[MeadowLily]

Can you combine Whole 30 with Weight Watchers? I feel like that goes against the logic of W30 but I'm just not sure. I love the way I feel eating W30, but unfortunately that's not enough, I HAVE to lose pounds too.

 

You cannot combine Weight Watchers and the Whole30. Not even a little. 

 

You say you lost 11 inches, but less than 1 pound of weight. That is curious, but possible. Losing 11 inches means you were on the right track. You say you followed the meal template, but think you can do better. You probably can. Many people don't seem to translate the meal template into appropriate meals as consistently as we would like. I wish I could view pictures of your food on standard-size plates and give you feedback on that. Getting the hang of portion sizes is important. And it is bad to eat too little. Eating too little slows your metabolism and makes losing fat very difficult. And doubling your exercise from 30 to 60 minutes 6 times per week may be a problem. Too much exercise makes your body cautious about releasing fat because it is under stress. And when you exercise more, you need to eat more. 

 

Eating 90/10 is not very good. Eating 90/10 means you eat 2.1 meals of unhealthy foods every week if you are eating 3 meals per day. That is a lot if you have other alternatives. 

 

Finally, losing weight through the Whole30 is often a hormonal process. When you eat the right foods, eat when you get up in the morning, manage stress, and start sleeping decent hours at night, your hormones get to a good place and fat starts to melt away. Some people get to a good place with their hormones within a few days, but some can take weeks and weeks to get where they need to be. My guess is that were not yet where you needed to be when your Whole45 ended. 

 

 

These type of health issues take longer than 30 or 45 days.   It may take a year to heal...and longer than that to maintain all health gains.

W30 protocol and WW weight loss program...oil and water.