Will eating fruit and sweet potato during my Whole30 slow weight loss?

[Farah]

Hello

 

I'm on Day 3 of my Whole30 experience and this is my first post as I am really struggling with whether I should have 1 piece of fruit and a daily serve of sweet potato with my meals if I hope to lose weight on the program? 

 

I am doing the Whole30 for the overall health benefits but I am also hoping to lose weight. I have about 20kg in total to lose and I hope that the Whole30 will set me up with good, sustainable habits to lose the weight and feel healthier this year. I am 5'2", 80KG and am not currently very active.

 

I would love to hear from more experienced participants and the moderators about whether including 1 piece of fruit and a daily serve of sweet potato would slow my weight loss significantly? Or would they help me enjoy the program more, and therefore help with compliance?

 

I have to admit, its causing me a bit anxiety!! Thanks.

[victoriad13]

Hi Sarah, I am definitely no seasoned veteran of the Whole30. This is my first time doing it and I am on Day 5. yay! I can tell you I eat maybe 2 pieces of fruit a day and sweet potatoes every day because they're just so good and I have so many haha But I have notice a couple non scale victories in just 5 days. Such as I'm a belt notch tighter and I wore a pair of pants yesterday that I haven't worn in 3 years. I am also doing some small workouts at home. Nothing to extravagant because by the time I get home I'm exhausted. I hope that helped a little bit, but like you, I am wondering the same! Good luck on your Whole30 journey!!

[missmary]

ok, relax.

 

An appropriate amount of fruit is 1-2 pieces, max, per day. You can have less, and occasionally more and it's fine, just make sure fruit doesn't push vegetables off your plate.

 

We recommend one "fist-size" serving of starchy vegetable daily for starters. Try that, and see how you feel. Restricting starchy veg only works for some people. Most people, especially women, need some starchy vegetable in their life. do not fear it. Increase to 1 fist-size portion at two or even three meals if you are feeling "carb flu" or low energy or depressed or about to have your period. DO make sure starchy veg isn't the only kind of veg you eat. Keep on with non-starchy vegetables at every meal as well.

 

I know the feeling of wanting to lose weight and being afraid it might not happen, but the conventional wisdom that less food means more weight loss actually doesn't hold. Personally, one of the big changes I made between my first whole30 (where I didn't lose weight) and the next wholeWHATEVERs where I did, was setting minimums on protein and vegetables. When I made sure I had at least a palm-size of protein and at least 2-3 cups of veg three times per day, I did better (I suspect I just needed more time, as well, but these changes helped).

[Farah]

Thanks for the quick reply and for sharing your experience victoriad13.

 

That's great to hear that you are experiencing such positive results so quickly! Congrats on your progress and hope the rest of your journey goes well.

[Farah]

Cheers missmary. I was definately close to having a sweet potato conniption

 

I think part of my journey will be accepting that some fruit and more carby vegies can be part of a healthy eating program which also results in weight loss.

 

I've just perceived them as not great food for weight loss (due to the sugar/carb content) for some time now. It's hard to let go of those ingrained beliefs!

 

Thanks for your response.

[Carlaccini]

I will second everyone above in not to be scared of sweet potatoes or starchy veggies.  For most people they are a very good thing.  

 

I have had hormonal issues for years.  I discovered during multiple whole 30's and paleo in between is that starchy veggies keep my hormones balanced.  If I go too low carb my body rebels and actually gains weight.

 

I somehow managed to lose 35 lbs in 7 months by including and not being afraid of starchy veggies.

[Munkers]

In general, I eat two servings of sweet potato plus two, maybe three, servings of fruit each day and I am significantly leaner now than I was prior to my latest Whole 30. Like others, I've realized that starchy vegetables are important for my body and helping to keep my health issues in check. I also respond much differently to vegetable based carbs as opposed to grain based carbs. Grains work against my weight loss efforts. Sweet potatoes seem to promote weight loss for me.

[ladyshanny]

I've found that including at least one serving of starchy carb (for me, japanese sweet potato) every day has assisted in killing off my sugar dragon which I think goes a LONG way into promoting more long term weight loss/maintenance because there is not that drive to find sweets and treats which will, for me, inevitably result in a sugar binge.

[Rebe_J]

I'm happy to read this thread. I finished my second successful W30 on Jan 31. My weight loss was half what it was the first W30 and I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed. I won't give up the Paleo nutrition plan, though.

 

I have been eating some fruit every day: 1/2 grapefruit or less with meal 1, homemade applesauce or melon or pineapple at other meals. I may have a total of 2 servings over the course of the day. I would hate to cut it back or out.

 

I'll add a starchy vegetable more often and see how it goes. I really need to shed some fat to complete the success of my new way of eating.

[Farah]

Thanks Carlacinni, Munkers, ladyshanny & Rebe J for sharing your Whole 30 experiences. Also, a big congrats Carlacinni on your 35 pound weight loss. That is fantastic.

 

I was quite pleasantly surprised to hear that the starchy veg actually keep hormone issues in check for a few of you. I had always assumed that the lower the carb count the greater the weight loss (assuming one could comply with a very low carb count for a sustained period of time).

 

Is that something that is discussed in the book It Starts With Food or elsewhere on this site? I would be very interested to hear if other people have had similar experiences - ie people who have found that including some carby veg actually has assisted their weight loss. 

[GFChris]

I'm another success story of eating carb-dense vegetables and losing weight and inches.  In my Whole30, I lost 4.2 inches and 5 pounds. After reintroductions, I stayed close to Whole30 style eating for a while and lost another 5-6 pounds (and equivalent number of inches) over a couple months. I've kept that weight off since fall of 2013 by eating this way most of the time: I have a baked sweet potato, on average, every day.

 

Tom Denham (another moderator here) lost 2 lbs per month on a continuous Whole30 for several months.

[Farah]

Thanks GFChris. I just added a small sweet potato cooked in coconut oil to my lunch meal today.

[dawnd]

I noticed as well that if I didn't add sweet potato or pureed butternut squash, that my stools were so loose!!  You might not be there yet, but once your guts starts doing its thing for real, they might be beneficial in that area too.  It was NOT fun figuring that out!!!