cayenne Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I have a problem.I continue to gain weight and I am miserable. Long story short-in 2013-I began several months(6+)of W30 and did great losing 25 pounds. Last year,so glad it is over, was horrible for me with hubby in the hospital for a couple months and me not being able to work out consistently. So I gained all of it back very quickly. I know this is not a weight loss program. I have had good results in the past and have restarted multiple times without results this time. Having been used to the program for almost 2 years, I know what to eat, when etc. It is just not as effective, if at all, this time. I am still very stressed and not back into a consistent exercise. I believe this program is fabulous for long term health and want to return to it. My priority, right now, is to save my degenerating hip from a replacement that will be soon if I don't drop the weight fast. My question is what can I do to modify the plan to accelerate weight loss-no fruit or nuts? I am curious if a south beach diet style would jump start things.I have really reduced the starchy carbs a no fruit without success. I know, and appreciate, the other benefits of W9. Currently I am miserable due to my weight, tight clothes,and hip pain. The highest priority is to start dropping the weight. I have considered fasting, Atkins, etc to JumpStart. I appreciate any opinions. I know a healthy relationship with food is key and I thought I had achieved it, then a year of exceedly high stress came with the knowledge I really did not make that much progress. Having completed 2 ironman triathlons with the most recent 2012, I used exercise as a coping skill. Can't do that anymore so the issues are on the surface. Appreciate your time and patience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Have you explored consultation services with the Whole9 team or seeing a functional medicine practitioner? Has your thyroid been checked? These may be some possible next steps for you. I hope you find answers soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I'm sorry you are having a rough time. In addition to Chris' suggestions above, I would strongly consider implementing some stress-managment practices. Think about it: you are gaining/and or/not losing weight because of emotion and stress. Rather than adding to the stress perceived by the body by restricting calories severely or "going on a diet", make your project about nourishing and caring for yourself in every way you can. Meditation, good sleep, reasonable portions of nutrient dense foods (the whole30 is great for this), gentle movement that works for your hip, massage or physical therapy to help with pain and range of motion. These are the things that will allow for weight loss to start happening. I don't usually recommend books, especially not-whole30 specific ones, but I have a feeling this one might be good for you. Not about weight loss at all, but helpful in figuring out how to address these kinds of stresses and be calm: http://www.amazon.com/The-Chemistry-Calm-Powerful-Drug-Free/dp/1439129061 Personally I use some of his guidance and it has helped me. I ignore some food examples in his nutrition advice, choosing to increase starchy carbohydrate vegetables instead of adding grains, etc. Starchy vegetables and plenty of good fats (animal fats, ghee, etc) are healing foods for the anxious brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whole30 Certified Coach littleg Posted January 1, 2015 Whole30 Certified Coach Share Posted January 1, 2015 I'm no expert on this but I'm guessing you are going to get a lot of responses about this being related to a stress hormone response. Adrenals and thyroid likely. I don't understand the science well enough to say much on that topic though... What are you doing for relief these days (if you have the time) - anything gentle on your body - yoga? pilates? meditation? These might be a place to start that won't add additional stress to your body (like training for an IM would). Are you taking gelatin? I've found (and read many anecdotal reports that) it really helps with chronic joint pain. I buy mine on amazon and when I take ~1tbsp a day my chronic ankle pain goes away completely and returns when I get too lazy to make jello every 4 days I'd also cut yourself a little slack about your apparent lack of developing a good relationship with food. If life is beating you up right now you don't have to join in and beat yourself up. Sometimes coping strategies in the worst of times are not the ones that you would use in moderately stressful times and that is ok (and as an RN I know that when you are stuck in a hospital you do NOT have very good choices available to you). Maybe this is the time to simply get back to "being good to me" and not for losing weight. Maybe 30 days of good food choices (but not necessarily a W30 - again, it can be stressful - prepping, worrying about the oil in restaurants, etc) to just get your heading in the right direction...? And go buy yourself some new clothes. Just a few pairs so you can feel good about yourself when you get dressed - you can donate them when the weight comes off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cayenne Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Thanks so much for the fast responses.How do I go about getting a w30 consult? I sure would like to know what I am doing wrong. The stress thing is a huge issue- I work fulltime in healthcare as well and that alone is a nightmare currently. I will look into that book. Gelatin??? I take several supplements for my joints but have never heard of this....thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Do you have food logs posted somewhere? What's your current height/weight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Thanks so much for the fast responses.How do I go about getting a w30 consult? Visit here http://whole9life.com/personal-consulting/ or email [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cayenne Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 I don't have logs posted but here is a sample day- breakfast-3 eggs scrambled in coconut oil with veggies(low starch ie spinach, mushrooms, maybe some black olives etc Lunch-ground turkey or chicken with lots of veggies again low starch except some carrots Drive home snack-celery, peppers and almonds Dinner-big salad with chicken, veggies inc olives, 1/2 avocado etc. Now full disclosure-after a 2 hour workout I do have 1 larabar(convenience). The weekends I could have a teaspoon of natural almond butter added to above. I also have 3-4 packets of Truvia in my coffee in the morning. I am not saying I am W30 100%. I have done that in the past. I will look into the consults-money is tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cayenne Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Oh, I forgot the occas use of mayo(no sugar or homemade) for salads, coleslaw. My workouts have consistaed of 2 times weekly slow jog x 45 min, st bike x 60-75 min 2 times weekly, swim 30 min 1- 2 times weekly, and weight training 4 times weekly x 30 min. Certainly not ironman volume. Appreciate your time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 It does look like you could do with a little more starchy veg. Personally eating whole30-style I have to work to keep starch levels up to mood-supporting levels. Aim for at least one fist-sized portion each day, possibly two. Although very low carb works well for specific fit individuals (usually men) if you are having issues with low mood already I really wouldn't recommend messing with it. On the exercise: this is "not very much"? Holy volume woman! This is way more than I expected when you said you had to pull back. This is a lot, so I can imagine what you were doing before was much much more? If that's the case you may have some adrenal fatigue or just plain exhaustion going on. You might want to consider taking a real break--just walking, or gentle yoga or mobility work for a few weeks. I know it can be scary to do that but it might be just the thing to get back on track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cayenne Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 This volume of exercise is miniscule compared to what I was doing last year. My body is so geared to long slow distances that this short stuff does NOTHING for my mind re endorphins. With my much reduced volume of ex and weight gain, the joint pain has increased making it tough to get through even this amount. Most of what I do is get the joint fluid moving so the intensity is not there. I was eating winter squashes and 1 apple a day but stopped recently due to wanting to drop the weight or at least jump start it. i planned on adding it back as they are healthy. I can try adding a few more starchy veggies when I train. I DO appreciate all the feedback and suggestions.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 just to be nitpick for all the newbies that are flooding the forums with the new year, truvia is NOT whole30 compliant. I know that you've said that you've been on this train for a while, but I just want to make sure that's clear. As for your continuing issues, i really think that stress is a big factor here. Stinks, since it's the hardest thing to fix...but it is what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Before considering hiring a consultant, or contemplating factors of stress, adrenals, thyroid, cortisol, hormones, etc etc etc I'd weigh & measure your food for at least a week to determine exactly how much your consuming. I know I can tend to get pretty fast and loose with mayo, avocado, and other calorically dense items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyS Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Before considering hiring a consultant, or contemplating factors of stress, adrenals, thyroid, cortisol, hormones, etc etc etc I'd weigh & measure your food for at least a week to determine exactly how much your consuming. I know I can tend to get pretty fast and loose with mayo, avocado, and other calorically dense items. Again, for the newbies here, weighing and measuring food is not something we recommend for active Whole30ers. I would also suggest starting with stress, thyroid, and adrenals, as others have suggested above. My stomach sticks out at the end of each semester that I teach at college, and I make sure my diet is cleaner than clean during that time. There's nothing I can do about it. I go on vacation and my stomach pooch reduces with no effort. The effects of stress on the body are pervasive. Sending out some hugs too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cayenne Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 I know trivia is not w30 compliant and I don't think I said I was trying to be 100%. I have done many true w30s in the past so I don't feel the need to choke down black coffee to prove I can do it.One of the things I like about this way of eating is NOT obsessing about counting. I maybe eat 1-2 avocados a week and the mayo is for ease on the weekends- certainly not daily. Stress is something I dealt with through long distance running or bike riding and I haven't been able to do that this year. I guess I am out of luck!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Totally. I just wanted to make it clear for any newbies popping into this thread. For stress, try some yoga or meditation maybe? Really evaluate your life and figure out if there's anything causing you stress that you can dump. I had to draw a hard line in the sand at my office recently, because I couldn't handle the long hours plus the long commute. Obviously stuff like that isn't that simple for everybody, but something as simple as squeezing in a 30 min hike in the woods can do wonders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I guess I am out of luck!!!! Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Stress is something I dealt with through long distance running or bike riding and I haven't been able to do that this year. I guess I am out of luck!!!! I get that up until now you haven't been able to run or bike ride. So, decide to do something different about your stress this year. If not exercise, integrate other measures to build calm into your life. Off the top of my head: get outside, see friends and people you care about on a regular basis, dance, do gentle movement/stretching with your body, take bubble baths, do focused breathing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cayenne Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Thanks, most of you,for the good suggestions! Yes, I have to find a much less physical way of dealing with stress besides crazy exercise or overeating. I have been knowing that those days of 10-12 mile runs are over. I love to walk the dog, quilt, and do the workouts that I can do. It has been a long fall this year, and I certainly am thankful for the ability to stay somewhat active. It does suck having to change the view you have for yourself and to have to adopt a different self image. I am in health care and I see women much younger than me struggling just to get groceries. I sure would love to cut back on the long hours at work, but hubby is unemployed so that option is not there. I appreciate the suggestions and can and will adopt them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Swimming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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