I think I did the whole 30 wrong...start over?

[Caitie]

Hi all! Im on day 12, and im about to go to the store and buy a whole loaf of sourdough and a whole wheel of brie. I guess i didnt read everything about meal templates and getting a ton of servings of veggies a day....i havent cheated but my meals look nothing like the templates and im horrible about eating 3 meals a day. i usually eat my first meal at about 2pm.  Im 22, 5 4" and 127 lbs 36-27-36. I was hoping yall could advise me if i should scrap this attempt and start over. My main reasons for doing this was to lose about 20 lbs, clear up moderate acne and fix my zero energy in the morning and high energy at night problem, and find out if any hidden food intolerances were to blame for these problems. Maybe i should do the AIP protocol? Sorry for the length and thanks in advance for any help.

Heres my food log:

day 1: Can of sardines, smoothie(blueberries, 1 banana, 5 cherries, 1c spinach, .5 can coconut milk)

Kale &spinach salad w walnuts, dried cranberries, olive and Balsamic'

1 sweet potato and chicken chorizo sausage and some olives and steamed broccoli
DAY 2: Same smoothie

.5 cup sauerkraut

BBQ chicken & pork, .5 avocado, some tomatoes, and some roasted fingerling potatos

1 mandarin orange

DAY 3: Salmon, maiche & chard salad w EVOO&balsamic&.25 avo

burger patty, .25 avo, 1 summer squash, roasted potatoes

2 clementines

sunbutter & cacao nibs

DAY10: 1 apple, 1 can sardines

1 banana

1 sw potato

DAY11: 3 eggs & 1 sw potato

[Tom Denham]

Oh I am sorry. I do think you need to rethink things.

 

If your main goal is to lose 20 pounds when you weigh 127 and have an hour-glass shape, the Whole30 is probably not the right approach. The Whole30 is designed to improve your health. I am concerned that losing 20 pounds might degrade your health. Maybe you are very petite and are carrying excess fat, but weight loss is a side-effect of the Whole30. Not material for a main goal.

 

The way you have been eating is far enough away from what we advise during a Whole30 that you have gained little from the effort. The little you have gained is the elimination of problem foods from your diet. That is important, but not enough to create magic.

 

If you do decide to start a Whole30, follow the meal planning guide closely: http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

 

Smoothies do not fit in to Whole30-meal planning. Liquid food digests faster than whole foods, so you do not get good satiation from smoothies. It is best to minimize fruit during a Whole30. While cacao nibs are technically compliant, they really don't belong on the menu. 

[Caitie]

Thanks for your input! Ill take a couple takes to regroup and plan meals in line with the guidelines and restart it. Could you please explain why cacao nibs dont belong on the menu, though? Is it because theyre a bean, or more that it goes against the spirit of whole 30? Also, yes im quite weak and deficient in muscle so my body composition is worse than my weight would make it seem.

[MeadowLily]

Thanks for your input! Ill take a couple takes to regroup and plan meals in line with the guidelines and restart it. Could you please explain why cacao nibs dont belong on the menu, though? Is it because theyre a bean, or more that it goes against the spirit of whole 30? Also, yes im quite weak and deficient in muscle so my body composition is worse than my weight would make it seem.

http://whole9life.com/2010/09/the-great-cocoa-debate/

[Carlaccini]

Cacao nibs are kind of a grey area in terms of a whole 30. 

 

They are "technically compliant" but they don't really fit into the grand scheme of things.  For example - you are craving chocolate and therefore eating chocolate nibs in order to qualm that craving.  (Just FYI - I have chocolate nibs in my cupboard at home and I *used* to use them for that).  Now if you made them part of a recipe whatever - they would work.  But on there own they don't really belong.  You see the whole 30 is so much more than changing the way you eat.  It is also about changing your relationship with food.

 

The amount of food listed is what some of us eat in one entire meal.  So yes you need to eat more.

 

And the fact that you eat your first meal at 2 pm is kind of a clue that your hormones are really out of whack. So it is more important to have 3 whole meals a day rather than eat randomly.  And make sure that each meal fits the template of 1-2 palm sized portions of protein (If eggs are your protein they should be the number of whole eggs that you can hold in your hand without dropping any), 2-3 cups of veg, 1-2 thumb sized portions of fat.  And then if you still have room - have a fist sized portion of fruit.  Do that 3 times a day and you will be golden.

 

The whole 30 gives you permission to eat.  Rely on hunger cues and not starve yourself.  Your body will come to happy and healthy place on it's own if you consider to do this.

[ultrarunnergirl]

I highly recommend reading It Starts With Food.

 

While you can do the Whole30 without reading it, there are so many key explanations and details (and great QUICK recipes on how to throw a meal together when you are at your wits' end).

 

Things like hormones and why it's important to eat within one hour or waking every morning, and why we ask you to eat full meals that allow you to give your digestion processes a 4 - 5 hour rest between meals.

 

It's fascinating and helpful, and it will give you a much more solid understanding of what you are doing and why.

[shortystylee]

Tom touched on your goals a little bit, while I know you started this thread mainly about your food choices, I'm a bit worried that a 20 pound weight loss - especially if you are looking for it within 30 days - is not realistic and in general may not be healthy for someone of your height.

 

I'm 4'11 and currently weigh 120 pounds, and while we most likely have entirely different body compositions, I have been at 100-105 pounds before. It was not good - done through calorie counting, 1200 cal (or less) days, with exercise on top of that. It wasn't sustainable for me in the long run.

 

Is there a reason why you want to be 20 pounds lighter? You seem very close to your healthy weight, and I don't want you to be disappointed if at the end of your Whole30 that the weight hasn't fallen off like it does for some people who have more to lose in the first place.

[Caitie]

Thanks for the responses! Ill pick up It starts with food, it would be great to have explanations of hormones and how to fix them. I know i should eat breakfast but its hard when im not hungry at all and i dont even feel fully awake until the afternoon. and then, i havent had enough calories by the end of the day and i feel ravenous and end up eating 70 percent of them around midnight right before i go to bed. And on days off and holidays, i cant help it and my sleep schedule immediatly flips itself around. Ive always been more a nightowl even as a kid.

 

Shortystylee, i didnt mean that i expected to lose it all in 30 days, i was going for more a jumpstart and then losing it over a few months. And i plan on gaining muscle as well, so itd end up being more like 10 lbs if i gain 10 lbs of muscle. (my extremely uneducated guess) I just have a stubborn lower belly pouch that i want to get rid of, and the only time it was flat was at the beginning of high school when i was 112. Also, my calories are so low because i havent been exercising (horrible, i know) Im a student and have a desk job so im sitting all day and extremely sedentary. On days when i do get exercise my cals go up. I always eat until im full.

 

Ill come back after reading the book and update if it helps my sleep and hunger cycles normalize.

[ladyshanny]

Thanks for the responses! Ill pick up It starts with food, it would be great to have explanations of hormones and how to fix them. I know i should eat breakfast but its hard when im not hungry at all and i dont even feel fully awake until the afternoon. .

This is actually a high sign that your hormones (specifically cortisol) is out of whack. The best way to help them rebalance is to eat a full template breakfast within an hour of waking. I know you aren't going to feel hungry in the morning for a little while but keep making the meal, eat as much as you can, pack it up and take it with you and eat off of it as soon as you feel able. It won't take long for your body to regulate. It really is one of the most important changes that you can make for your overall health. Do try.