sharonm Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I have been paleo since Nov. 2011. I finished my first Whole30 a few weeks ago. I try to avoid scales, but I compete in martial arts, so I know what my weight was in June because I had a weigh-in for a competition. Because I am typically smack in the middle of my weight class, I didn't do anything out of the ordinary to prepare to weigh in. I simply didn't need to. Today, I went to the doctor and I have gained 12 pounds since then. Backing up a bit, I am 5'4". Back when I was a scale-loving Zone-er, I weighed between 111-114. My mom passed away suddenly two years ago, and I gained probably 30 pounds. I went back to faithfully following the Zone and much of it came off, but I only got to where I was fluctuating between 120-125. After starting the paleo way of eating, I stabilized and quit fluctuating so much. I was 116.8 at my competition 4th of July, again with no special prep. Obviously I skipped breakfast right before, but that's it. I did my Whole 30 from July 9-Aug 8. Since finishing, I have had an occasional glass of wine or dark chocolate, but nothing overboard. I do martial arts a few times/week and cross train with weights twice/week. Today at the doc, I weighed 128. I have always had a flat stomach gain in my hips/thighs. I now have a little spare tire. I know I should ignore the scale, but my clothes are tight, too. I'm just not sure what to do. I had insurance bloodwork recently, and everything was fine, with the exception of my cholesterol going up, which I expected given the diet. I was healthy before I started, I was just looking to lose those last few pounds and in a way where I was healthy while doing it and could maintain energy while working out. And that weight gain changes my weight class, so I really have to do something about it. I want to cry. I guess I should try to start with smaller portions? I'm not sure what else to do. I'm wondering if I fall into the "it doesn't work for everyone" category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara Branch Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I am feeling the same way. I feel better,, I honestly do. But I am not loosing anything,, pounds or inches. Considering that I am 5' and about 220 lbs it's not that I just need to lose that last 5 lbs. I did the whole 30 in July and in August I have only eaten out once for my bday and other than that stayed pretty much on plan. Before that I was eating mostly paleo but not terribly strict and still had some sugar/sweetners. I am sticking to the palm size portion of protien unless I am still very hungry then I add a little more. I Crossfit 3 to 5 times a week and yes I have improved performance there but can't believe I am not losing inches or SOMETHING! I am very frustrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtm815 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Does anyone answer these questions?? I'm dealing with same things and see alot more of this burning any answers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Rtm815 - We do have a team of moderators who answer these posts, but please keep in mind that members outnumber us moderators significantly. In answer to the above issues: Are any of you maintaining a food log? It is really hard for us to venture a guess into what may be going wrong without knowing what you're eating. There are also several other factors that play into weight loss/gain that have nothing to do with food - stress, sleep, activity level, systemic inflammation (from non-food sources), previous hormone dysfunction (if you're trying to overcome a lifetime of poor food choices, 30 days isn't going to solve the problem. It's a great kickstart, but your body needs much longer to heal.) If you can give us more details about your situation, we may be able to help you figure out a plan. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtm815 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Robin, thank you and I understand. I've been eating clean pretty consistently for three years. I have food logs dated back that far. I also have more recent FLs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke91 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Robin mentioned sleep and stress - these are 2 crucial elements. 8 hours of quality sleep in complete darkness makes an enormous difference. There are quite a lot of previous posts on sleep and stress that I recommend checking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 This is a really annoying message to hear, but often times weight will refuse to come off until you stop trying to lose weight. This is especially true when you don't have a significant amt to lose, and it's just 10-15 lbs. I refused to hear that message, went over everything I was doing with a fine toothed comb, trained 5 days a week (weights, not cardio) and STILL couldn't lose the 5 lbs I needed to fit into my ideal weight class. Know what did it? Taking 6 months off from the gym, prioritizing other things, making sure that my food choices stayed compliant. And it happens FAST once you get there. I went from hovering under 180, enjoying my vacation in mid July with good food, to 165 in just over a month. I NEVER WENT TO THE GYM. Seriously. If it didn't happen to me, I would not believe it either. Rest. Relax. Eat well. Ignore the scale. Be happy with your life and all your choices. It's like that stupid adage of, "you'll finally find love when you stop looking for it" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNP21 Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Wow Renee, this post really got me thinking about the role of training in my weight loss. I do mainly weight lifting as well (olympic lifting) and just competed in a competition this past weekend. I was worried about taking too much time off because 1) exercise obviously contributes to weight loss and 2) it is such a mood booster / day-turn-arounder for me. I assume that taking time off from training is basically decreasing cortisol? Robb Wolf talks a lot about this...I would love for you to comment more about this or point me in the direction of some info. I am starting chiropractic college in a few weeks and am really worried about the amount of stress that will come with it (kind of ironic...) Thanks for the inspiring story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahG Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I am on day 28 and i really don't feel any thinner.i still have a spare tyre and to be honest i am really quite despondent. One of the main reasons i did this was to loose a few kilos which I have been struggling to loose for years.i seem to have tried every diet.other people who have done the whole30 that I know just drop huge amounts of weight. I know the point of this is more than loosing weight. But i was a pretty healthy eater ,except i ate bread and cereal and very little protein I havnt found the past few weeks easy,not because I missed sugar and carbs but because I feel slightly sick all the time from the eggs meat and chicken At this point i need a bit of motivation to carry on I had planned to do more than 30days but this morning i don't even feel like doing 30 Can not face another egg for breakfast Interesting concept,though from Renee.maybe it's time I stopped this extreme desire to loose a few kilos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 SarahG, if on day 28, you're still feeling sick or uncomfortable eating meat and eggs, I think you may have some other stuff going on with your situation. If you want, start a topic in troubleshooting and link me, and I'll see what I can come up with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahG Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Thanks Renee How do I link you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I found it Sarah. I just didn't want you to post and then have it get lost in a sea of unread posts on my feed. CNP, you know...I've had a bunch of things change in the last 6-7 months, so there are a ton of variables to consider. My boyfriend keeps asking me what I think I can credit the results to, and the honest answer is, "I just don't know." My stress levels actually increased during the period (work stress level has been huge, AND I just bought a house), so I don't know if you can credit my recent results to cortisol. I also started taking public transportation into work, which added up to about 3 miles of walking a day. Finally, my calorie intake has probably decreased since I stopped training. I may have been overestimating my caloric requirements to fuel my workouts and recover effectively from them? It was nice to just eat when I was hungry until I was full and not think/worry about how it would impact my training the next day. I also sorta changed some food habits. I have the predisposition to grazing. Come home from work/the gym, not make an actual meal, but keep passing the kitchen and grabbing something to munch on, hour after hour until I'm ready for bed. I'd always tried to force a hard stop of, "No food after 6pm," but I never wanted to be crazy anal about it, so it never really stuck. With the new house, and the commuting times, and some other lifestyle developments, I didn't have enough time to graze anymore. I'd roll into the house around 8:30 or 9 and just crawl into bed. All I know is that the last thing on my mind the last few months has been my weight. I had no competitions coming up in the near future (I'm a weightlifter too, CNP), so it really was of little concern to me. I really was just super conscious of my food choices, and focused on other facets of my life, like you guys on this forum! Things just sort of fell into place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahG Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Interesting ,i find i always loose weight when I go away for a few weeks.this could be due to the fact that my husband and i spend most of day walking ,looking at the sights,we eat three meals a day,no snacking cos there is no food in the hotel room.I am so busy having fun that I don't even think about dieting and weight So that supports what you experienced I always plan to live like that when we get home but I live in a city that has very bad public transport and i really have to drive everywhere but I could do the no snacking and no stressing about weight loss. I do think I am eating bigger meals ,having seconds and picking at food a lot .could be because i am still getting used to giving up carbs When I eat a meal with carbs I get bloated quickly so feel full and consequently eat less so I think it's time for portion control Lots to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNP21 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Renee, Thanks for sharing. Even though you couldn't exactly pinpoint what helped you lose the weight, I think the overall message is awesome. I sometimes feel like I am a slave to the kitchen or that I need to really control my meal times due to training, but I love the idea of a more laid-back approach. And also, you can still be compliant and reap the benefits while focusing on other things in your life and being "busy"! At the time I read this thread, I was feeling really discouraged. After reading what everyone had to say (and especially your earlier post Renee) it inspired me to persevere with compliant eating. Feeling great, sleeping great, and having energy everyday should be enough to keep eating with whole30 compliance and if I end up losing my "last 10 pounds" that will be the cherry on top. I am changing my focal point! Thanks again, and good luck with everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahG Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Interesting how so many of us are trying to lose those last ten pounds So let us all focus on the other benefits of the W30 and stop this scale fixation Let's support each other Have a good healthy eating happy day.celebrate our strong,fit gorgeous bodies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mare Bear Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Would this be a healthy nudge to losing more weight on the Whole 30: - eat green vegetables at every meal - eliminate fruit (for a whole 30 to lose weight) - have fewer sweet potatoes & other carby veggies (root veggies, winter squash, carrots, etc.)? (maybe once or twice a week)? - have only fish, lean meats like turkey; no sausages - have enough fat - but the minimum recommended It's stricter - but it's only 30 days. And boy would it feel good for my pants to fall off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Mare Bear - I see a few problems with those restrictions: 1) Your energy levels (and overall happiness, and thus willingness to be compliant) will take a serious hit without starchy carbs or fruit. If you are even moderately active, you will feel drained all of the time. (on another note, if you are not at least moderately active, you need to be.) 2) Eating W30 approved fats WILL NOT MAKE YOU FAT. Cutting back your fat intake is like cutting back your body's energy supply. For this program to be really effective, you want to train your body to use fat as fuel. 3) You will be miserable with the restrictiveness of the program. The W30 is challenging to begin with, and adding these restrictions will only make it more so. 4) This does NOTHING for your relationship with your body. Stop trying to beat it into submission. Stop stressing about your weight. Relax, be kind to your body, and give it time. It took years for you to take on the extra weight - W30 is not a magic bullet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahG Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Thanks Robin When I read that the only way to lose weight is to eat greens and protein I felt very miserable I agree we should be aiming to feel good about our bodies and not be so fixated on the scale. For me it's about eating a healthy diet and giving up the habit of snacking. I am working on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alm613 Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Thanks Robin!!! I appreciated seeing that- a nice reality check. Every time I see that I need to cut down or eliminate fruit to lose weight, I go into panic mode. Fruit is not bad. The second we start viewing fruit as a bad food, it's because we're only seeing food as a conduit to weight gain or loss, and that's neglecting so much of the picture. I realize this is in a specific forum about weight loss, but I feel like there has to be another way to drop extra pounds. Avoiding fruit can't be the only way to successfully lose weight! I just can't accept that! The reason I love Whole30 is because I'm not dieting, just enjoying real whole foods. To me, fruit is happiness. It just seems mentally damaging for me to start viewing something natural, hydrating and full of nutrients as "bad." We as a community need to stop hating on the fruit! Obviously 12 apples a day, or 6 bananas, or 4 bowls of grapes aren't doing anyone any favors. But 12, 6, 4 of anything isn't conducive to weight loss, unless you're talking about glasses of water. I'd do almost anything to avoid giving up a refreshing, satisfying serving or two a day of fruit! A big part of my first Whole30 was realizing that nourishing my body and eating only what it needs is the best start to getting to and maintaining a healthy weight. On Whole30, even with no treats and booze, I wasn't even nearing the 115-pound twig I desire to be. But that's okay, because I WAS still at a healthy weight and FELT healthier. I had to come to terms with the fact that here I was, losing weight in the best and healthiest way possible, but 115 is just a pipe dream unless I want to become anorexic. This is not meant to anyone particular in this thread, but sometimes I wonder if we all just are too focused on what we want to weigh rather than what we can achieve and maintain while also living a full life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 This is not meant to anyone particular in this thread, but sometimes I wonder if we all just are too focused on what we want to weigh rather than what we can achieve and maintain while also living a full life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccreations Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 This is all so very interesting. Day 8 on W30. I lossed 48lbs on Jenny Craing 3 years ago, and have kept the weight off, building my own meals during that time. I still weigh in once a month at the JC center, otherwise no scale. My motivation to W30 is systemic inflamation, depression, and the dicipline required to eat right (my head is always thinking about the next meal) . I believe I do hurt less after only 8 days. Energy levels are up and down, but I beleive the mental front is calming down is many ways. I don't expect to "lose", but I hope not to gain. Although, fluctuations in weight don't scare me (+/- 6lbs). I biggest change for me w/ the W30, no sweetner of anykind- only olive oil - nut choices (I had the nuts in opposite order of most desirable to least) - the addition of coconut (nice!). I'm not sure if it is true for everyone, but I'm reading the the "IT STARTS W/ FOOD" cover to cover to get the complete picture. God Bless, fingers crossed! Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitgirlH Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 i would pay attention to overtraining and not getting enough rest, cortisol levels; when high will create that spare tire even though you are still working out and eating properly. research Cortisol on robb wolfs website or in his book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 This is a really annoying message to hear, but often times weight will refuse to come off until you stop trying to lose weight. This is especially true when you don't have a significant amt to lose, and it's just 10-15 lbs. I refused to hear that message, went over everything I was doing with a fine toothed comb, trained 5 days a week (weights, not cardio) and STILL couldn't lose the 5 lbs I needed to fit into my ideal weight class. Know what did it? Taking 6 months off from the gym, prioritizing other things, making sure that my food choices stayed compliant. And it happens FAST once you get there. I went from hovering under 180, enjoying my vacation in mid July with good food, to 165 in just over a month. I NEVER WENT TO THE GYM. Seriously. If it didn't happen to me, I would not believe it either. Rest. Relax. Eat well. Ignore the scale. Be happy with your life and all your choices. It's like that stupid adage of, "you'll finally find love when you stop looking for it" Renee - thank you so much. The situation you describe sounds just like my own. I'm trying so hard to lose those last pounds of belly fat I don't think I could possibly try any harder. In my case taking 6 months off from the gym would quite literally ruin my life since just about everything that fills it with joy comes through my friends and the great community at my CrossFit box. Anyway, I will try to focus on other things than weight loss, rest if my body tells me to do so, and just focus on eating goods foods until I'm satisfied. What would you recommend for filling up an empty stomach if I'm still not full after finishing what I had planned for my meal? Can you overeat on veggies?? Consider that I've stayed whole30 compliant for the best part of two months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucket Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Renee - thank you so much. The situation you describe sounds just like my own. I'm trying so hard to lose those last pounds of belly fat I don't think I could possibly try any harder. In my case taking 6 months off from the gym would quite literally ruin my life since just about everything that fills it with joy comes through my friends and the great community at my CrossFit box. Anyway, I will try to focus on other things than weight loss, rest if my body tells me to do so, and just focus on eating goods foods until I'm satisfied. What would you recommend for filling up an empty stomach if I'm still not full after finishing what I had planned for my meal? Can you overeat on veggies?? Consider that I've stayed whole30 compliant for the best part of two months. Oh, this is a good questions. I would like some information on this too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 you cannot overeat veggies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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