Debating coming back...

[bookworm05]

I did the Whole30 successfully (in that I completed it) over a year ago. I did not have a good experience. While I stayed off the scale, I was very disappointed in the little weight I lost by the end (2lbs) and how generally bad I felt the entire time. By about halfway through the idea of eating any sort of meat or eggs was enough to make me sick. I felt bloated and groggy and cranky and Tiger Blood never appeared. I didn't go off plan as far as I know and tried my best to follow the meal template set out in It Starts with Food. Nothing improved and for ages I had no desire to even contemplate doing this program again... And as someone who has struggled with disordered eating for many years, I actually found the notion of "perfection" to be quite triggering for me personally...

 

But the more I see the testimonials the more I think I should give it a try...I have PCOS (and about 40lbs of excess fat to lose) and have always had difficulty losing weight but I feel like I must have done something wrong or screwed up somehow. I don't want to start triggering any ED behaviours, but I also want to feel like I gave the program a fair shot since it's been life changing for so many people... Is it worth trying again? What about doing the AIP? Has anyone with PCOS found that to be effective? 

[MeadowLily]

I detect a pearl in your oyster.

 

Most of the changes that occur in 30 days are internal.  You may not see anything outward...There's a reason you have a hankering to start again. You relate you have PCOS and have always had difficulty losing weight.  It's going to take longer than 30 days to see these changes you want to make.  Many are following the AIP protocol and it's the only way they feel relief from symptoms.  They've embraced it because they've made their health a priority.  It sounds like you want that, too.  

[evaq]

Hey bookworm (and fellow T-dot'er)! I don't have any insight or experience with PCOS, but was wondering: Did you try reaching out to any other whole 30ers when you did your first reset ie. PCOS? I'm just trying to get a handle on whether your bad experience (bloated, groggy, cranky, disappointing weight loss) was due to a whole 30 that needed to be better tweaked/adjusted to suit you...or whether the PCOS added an extra curveball to your whole 30 last time. Either way, I'm sorry to hear that it was rough going for you. I hope you can track down some some answers and get to a better healthier, happier place.

[ladyshanny]

Very often when there are other major, underlying issues, the body prioritizes healing those over letting go of excess weight. We love our program and 30 days can be life changing for folks......but it's also just 30 days which is a drop in the bucket of life.

Regarding feeling lethargic and bloated and cranky.......we hear from people every day that need help tweaking their intake to turn those feelings off and get to a better place. We request lists of what they are eating, how they are sleeping, what exercise, what stress, what underlying conditions and then we help them try to tweak their Whole30 to see if they can fix up these issues. Very often it works and with a few small changes they feel better. That's what we're here for!

So if you do decide to do another, I would encourage you first to make a list of all the things you would like to see happen outside of weight loss (sleep, better mood, better skin etc). Then I would encourage you to join in the forum, find a thread you like that is starting around the same time as you and get involved with the community.

PS....sometimes it's as simple as removing nuts or adding sweet potatoes.

[bookworm05]

I do remember posting and it was suggested it didn't seem like I was eating enough food, but I honestly couldn't have imagined eating any more with the way I felt. It would've been force feeding myself. That's the only advice that really stood out for me. 

 

I think (and I said this before) I could've been at peace with the minimal weight loss, understanding that other great things were happening and the weight loss would follow eventually, but I didn't feel like anything else good happened and weight loss was my most objective measure at that point. I do wonder if I was overdoing it on the fruit or sweet potato since I was training for a race at the time... 

 

Thanks for your input; everyone on here is so encouraging it always makes me feel like I should try again. 

[MeadowLily]

I do remember posting and it was suggested it didn't seem like I was eating enough food, but I honestly couldn't have imagined eating any more with the way I felt. It would've been force feeding myself. That's the only advice that really stood out for me. 

 

I think (and I said this before) I could've been at peace with the minimal weight loss, understanding that other great things were happening and the weight loss would follow eventually, but I didn't feel like anything else good happened and weight loss was my most objective measure at that point. I do wonder if I was overdoing it on the fruit or sweet potato since I was training for a race at the time... 

 

Thanks for your input; everyone on here is so encouraging it always makes me feel like I should try again. 

PCOS and the AIP protocol...when the body becomes balanced,  weight can be released.   It might take months before the body is in that state of healing to accommodate that.   There are weight loss diets galore but they don't heal the body.  There's a brand new one that recommends women restrict down to 800 cal/day.   Yes, you will lose lots of things like weight, and that's all I'll say about that.    

 

I don't know how much fruit you were eating or at what times but with T1 or T2,  too many fruits do not help sugar withdrawal or level out the blood sugars.  There will be rough patches but with patience and a gentle approach, you'll have a much better chance of actually getting there and staying there.

 

I come from a family of veteran dieters.   Some have been at it for 45 years, while others have resorted to WLS (weight loss surgery).  They've all regained almost everything back and then some.  Many have T2 now.  All have wild UPS and downs with rebound weight gain.  Dieting, counting, measuring, testing has consumed the best years of their life.

 

I've opted to get out of this diet h.e.l.l.   that they're living in.    The Whole 30 has helped me plumb the depths of my soul for answers.   I'm working on building a better relationship with food without the negative repercussions.   I have a mountain of momentum that's now swinging my way.

 

For those that have medical conditions,  I suggest using that mountain of momentum from 30 Whole days to carry you through until you see relief from said conditions.    I didn't stop on Day 31 because I knew my body needed longer to heal from T2 insulin resistance.    Think long term success.   Try gentle change for the permanent WIN.

[AuntJane]

I was disappointed with the results of my first Whole30 too.  I didn't have much weight to lose, and I actually felt great from the neck down, but the issues I had hoped would be helped by the Whole30 (multiple chemical sensitivity, facial angioedema) did not improve.  I decided to give Whole30 another try because a) my health issues probaby require more than 30 days, and I feel better when I eat this way.  I have a history of eating disorders too, and while I do think eating this way can be helpful in that regard, I also know that there is a slippery slope back into disordered eating if one is not careful. 

 

I think you should give it another try, since you are considering it strongly enough to post about it here.  If you find it's not working for you, you don't have to continue and you can always try again later. 

[bookworm05]

MeadowLilly - not sure if you mean T1 or T2 diabetes, but I have neither and no issues with blood sugar currently. A1C, fasting and random glucose are all normal, as are most of my labs, with the exception of my total cholesterol being a little high for someone in their 20s (my HDL is excellent, though). My HOMA-IR is also elevated. That's why I'm kind of unsure as to whether I need the AIP or not. 

 

I've considered the fact that possibly I did need to do it for longer, but honestly I was dying for it to be over. I just felt miserable the whole time. It was an uphill battle the entire time. 

 

AuntJane - That's true. Knowing I can stop at any time if I'm not feeling the results might take some of the pressure off. I totally agree that this type of program could be helpful, but it could also start you down a slippery slope which I really want to avoid.