OK-time to give it up

[cayenne]

Hi all. So I have had a bad year falling off track and gaining all the weight back, as well as other issues seemingly resolved by W30. I am so frustrated by the lack of progress with me being 95% compliant-I could just cry. I eat compliant 100%-I just dont drink compliant ie diet soda, truvia in coffee and tea, occas glass of wine. Could this be the stumbling block to my weight loss? I eat well, to template, but I have relaxed the rules around diet soda and adding art sweetners to drink.

Because of the bad year I have had, I wanted something to taste good and sweet-like a bit of comfort in the craziness that was 2014.

Things are better now-but I am miserable with my body. The scale has only gone up as well as the back and hip pain.

I am gently exercising but I am hanging on to the feel and taste good drinks. I look forward to the coffee with 2 truvia in the morning, tea with the same and then the diet mountain dew to lanuch the day. In 2013-I did a W100 +/- and lost 25 pounds and felt great.

I have noticed that the cleaner I eat and drink, the higher the cost when I don't. Much higher cost than before W30. Seems normal from what I read here.

So...What do you guys think about the drinks being a source of weight gain even if they are calorie free(not the wine, I know). Am I now so sensitive to this stuff that it triggers weight gain just like real sugar???

Good grief.....

[kirkor]

No, it's probably not the artificial sweeteners themselves, but you are just eating more than you are burning. Whole30 template "often" results in weight loss for people, but is not in-and-of-itself a weight loss program. One can eat compliant and still gain weight.

I believe in the calorie equation. Yes there are little tricks and hacks we can perform to make the equation more user-friendly, but if we overeat we gain weight, period.

[Guest Andria]

I agree with Kirkor that the calorie equations is real.  There is evidence to show that the consumption of artificial sweeteners can lead to weight gain by overconsumption of other foods as the result of incomplete activation of reward pathways:

 

Sweetness decoupled from caloric content offers partial, but not complete, activation of the food reward pathways.

 

Lack of complete satisfaction, likely because of the failure to activate the postingestive component, further fuels the food seeking behavior.

 

From full abstract here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/ 

[Tom Denham]

Maybe the artificial sweeteners are fooling your body into having an insulin response that stores the calories you are eating as fat. There is a reason we don't tell people they can drink 0 calorie diet drinks during a Whole30. Part of it is your needing to reset your taste buds and part of it is the potential of fake sugar to produce a reaction as if it were real sugar. 

 

You suggest that aside from fake sweeteners, the rest of what you are doing is fine. I dunno. Wanting to start your day with a big dose of caffeine with coffee, tea, and Mountain Dew suggests that your hormonal rhythms are off. Are you eating a big breakfast with protein, fat, and veggies within one hour of waking in the morning. If you are following the plan, you should be waking up alert and hungry, not needing a caffeine buzz to launch the day.

[Brewer5]

I agree with what has been said here.

But what Tom says REALLY stands out to me. I have reduced my caffeine intake naturally on all of my Whole 30s. It just happens as a result of feeling better -- my tolerance to caffeine becomes less and less. I do not need it as a crutch, in fact my body lets me know quite well that it really would feel better without it, thankyouverymuch.

I say you are eating things that are not affecting your body in a positive way. Regardless of whether they are compliant or not. There are A LOT of things that are compliant that I do better without. Fruit, dried and fresh, nuts/seeds/butters of these. Potatoes -- white and sweet. Tomato sauces. Onions and garlic. These have all had to go. What else have I not discovered yet?

As far as the artificial sweeteners... Well, as you are learning, the commercials may say they are some sort of magical concoction... Without consequences, right? But I think we all know better.

[MeadowLily]

[cayenne]

This last year, I have not been sleeping well due to "issues". So, when I dont get to sleep till 4 am, I need caffiene to get to work for 10 hours. I dont drink caffiene after 11 am.

 Yes, my hormones are off. Tough cycle I am in.  My breakfast is 3 eggs in coconut oil with a ton of veggies. I limit the starchy veggies and fruit. I have one serving of nuts a day.

Appreciate the feedback.

[ladyshanny]

This last year, I have not been sleeping well due to "issues". So, when I dont get to sleep till 4 am, I need caffiene to get to work for 10 hours. I dont drink caffiene after 11 am.

 Yes, my hormones are off. Tough cycle I am in.  My breakfast is 3 eggs in coconut oil with a ton of veggies. I limit the starchy veggies and fruit. I have one serving of nuts a day.

Appreciate the feedback.

 

It sounds like you are in a tough spot right now but it also sounds like you have some....er.....dragons that need slaying.  Mountain Dew is chemicals.  In a can.  Designed by food scientists to make you want and need more and more of it and those food scientists do not care about you.  That's not good, friend.  Truvia is made by Cargill.  Cargill is heavily involved in the fight AGAINST mandatory GMO labelling (ie, they do NOT want you to know what goes in your food). Cargill is also a major player in the global sugar trade; they probably made truvia to continue to get money from folks who know that sugar is bad for them.  They do not care about you.

 

I'm really not trying to make you feel badly about your choices, I'm not.  I guess what I'm saying is that you are saying you have some weight gain and sleep issues and that you would like to clear up....but you are unfortunately polluting your already stressed body with chemicals that it might be having trouble processing.

 

Obviously we would recommend you do a full Whole30 but if you can't do that right now I would suggest trying to wean off your chemical sweeteners.

 

Best of luck to you...because we actually do care about you and we want you to feel amazing and bullet proof and healthy and happy and well rested!  

[cayenne]

Ooops-when I said give it up-I meant the artificial sweetners!!! Sorry to mislead you. So I do need to to a full w30-w90. I am in a stable period right now-stressed but stable. I will not be any more miserable without the 'dew or the Truvia so out they go. I also have to give up chewing gum which is a big stress reliever for me at work. This weekend will be a good time to start the habit in the morning when I don't have to get up so early.

I have looked at South Beach, 17 day diet, back at weight watchers, jenny craig etc but I have been most successful on this plan-I know it is said that it is not for weight loss-well I lost 25 pounds in 6 months and weighed what I did in jr high school. I want that back.

Thanks for the support!

[Bluebonnets]

Sleep is directly linked to metabolism.  You are not sleeping well, and that is a large reason your metabolism is completely off, and that you crave these artificial sweeteners and caffeine.  Mountain Dew is the perfect product for you; they make millions on people like you.  I'm not throwing stones, as I used to have an entire fridge shelf for Diet Coke.

 

Somehow, you have to figure out how to get some great quality sleep.  Not sure of the issues affecting it, but it's a really important part of our health.

[cayenne]

Well, This week has been completely off artificial sugar/sweetners and NO diet soda at all. No SF gum either. I am sleeping a bit better, I think and overall doing OK. Now, I am in this to be healthy which includes weight loss. I am trying to avoid a hip replacment and it is key to lose the 20+ pounds that have found their way back last year. So I weigh weekly(I don't say I am w30 in that respect-I know I am not supposed to:))-I had hoped to see a modest decrease but of course NOT. If fact another pound shows up.

Granted, this is not advertised as  a weight loss program, I know that. I am following the same program that helped me drop the weight less than 2 years ago. And now-no responce from my body. Yes, it is only  a week of no art sweetners  but this is well over 2 months of compliant eating prior to that.

What I have found out is my body adapts quickly to any routine-be it exercise or diet-then it just accomodates then doesn't budge. So I know I need to mix it up to confuse it-just don't know how to go about that.

[Brewer5]

You may have your metabolism in a crappy place from years of yo-yo dieting.  It happens.  A lot.

 

If you've been eating like a bird and caffeine-ing your way through your days... and your body has adjusted to this... what do you think is going to happen when you add in a lot more calories?  Give your body time to make some healthy adjustments.  That is not a WEEK.

 

Did you weigh yourself on your previous Whole 30?

 

You aren't following the rules of the program by doing this, and you know it.  Seeing that number on the scale just wiped out any other good feelings you were having about this Whole 30.  Seeing that number on the scale DOES affect what you are eating, how you are eating, how you are taking care of yourself.

[SugarcubeOD]

So I weigh weekly(I don't say I am w30 in that respect-I know I am not supposed to:))-I had hoped to see a modest decrease but of course NOT.

My suggestion would be to not weigh yourself... maybe not ever but certainly not for a while. I did a whole 30 before Christmas... actually it was 68 days. I weighed the same when I finished as when I started... only my clothes are looser, my rings are looser and my tummy is flatter. I always knew the scale wasn't a good judgement of anything but a number but once I saw that, it was pretty eye opening!

You may be doing 100% compliance, but when you've got that disappointing number in your head, you may be subconsiously eating more than you normally would.. also, stress makes it difficult to let go of extra pounds and if you're constantly putting yourself under unnecessary stress by worrying about the number, you're making it harder... Just my two cents

[MeadowLily]

If at the end of 3-6 months,  an individual eating a healthy protocol of Whole 30 foods  had virtually stopped all thrill or binge eating....AND were able to maintain this new lifestyle going forward on a very positive health journey - would you consider it a successful strategy?

 

Think long term success.   Try gentle change.   Gentle permanent change for the WIN.

Whole 30 is a gentle change for many of us...especially after one week.      Individuals can be champions of the binge followed by make-up for binging by stripping meals which is really self-induced starving  - plus doing a bunch of super intense cardio followed by yet another binge cycle.

 

Fasting is part of this over-restriction binge/cardio cycle.   Over-restriction leads to a life of  binge eating.   Individuals who've put their bodies through these kind of paces will have to edge their way down slowly.   They'll have a much better shot at getting there and staying there.

 

Individuals  give themselves permission to give up.   The Whole 30 will be here long after many have decided to throw in the towel.   The Whole 30 doesn't give anyone permission to give up....because it's our personal choice.

 

The gentle approach is far more effective without lots of pain.    Over-restriction  is folly and a recipe for failure.

 

It's so important to keep making good choices so you can heal.   Embrace this gentle approach with every fiber of your being.    

[cayenne]

Thanks all, for the responses! Appreciate the effort and suggestions.

I have been really thinking and problem solving this weekend. I am not currently saying I am on whole30 so weighing myself,although not a great idea, is something I am doing for the fact that weight(pounds per square inch) does matter in the joint replacement world. I am aware the other benefits of self/body image does not revolve around a scale. That is a given. It is also true that every pound lost,or gained, is 3-4pounds on the joint itself.

That is top priority right now.

I have had a weight problem all my life, the highest at 250 and the lowest,thanks to w30,135#. I felt good, the best ever in my adult life.

So I want to continue most of the philosophies here but, in "riding my own bike", I feel like I need to alter a bit.

I will eat 2 compliant meals a day monitoring my fullness rating and decreasing overall portions. The 3rd will be a snack at night(heavy protein) in keeping with the breakfast like a king,lung like a prince,dinner like a pauper theme. All meals will be template. Just the size of that 3rd meal.

I have been extremely active these last 15 years running marathons and triathlons that are long distance averaging 10 to 15 hours of training a week. I can't do that due to my hip- actually some days it is hard to walk 45 min and I always have a limp. I am doing what I can....stationary bike, swimming, weight training but the volume is not there.

So I am not convinced I need 3 square meals a day. I will try 2 meals and a snack preferably before 7.

I also am drinking green tea throughout the day.

My biggest thing I will try going forward is to not eliminate entire food groups...but to trust my ability to chose wisely and mostly w9 like. For example, last night we ate out at an Asian restaurant. I chose wisely- beef and veggies, no rice. Felt proud of myself.

For once in my life, I have to trust myself around all food. I am 56 and have never had that feeling. I have been anorexic and bulimic before the terms were even used. I have counted every damn thing there is to count. I,most recently,have exercised the food issues away and now I can't hide behind a 100 mile bike ride.

So here I am. Restricting entire groups of food but also realizing that some foods are not in my best interest is sugar, grains in particular.

My goal is to talk to my stomach and ask questions before I stuff it. I want to know at the end of each day that I can make good decisions.

So it seems I am raking several philosophies and rolling them into "my plan".

Isn't that what this plan is all about? Seeing what is an issue, honoring that, and trusting yourself?

I will continue to weigh myself, and I will loosely count calories keeping the protein, fat and veggies as cornerstones.

I will give this a while and see what happens.

In the scene of things, numbers don't matter, but occasionally they can factor into the equation.