carlywand Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Well, I've finally made the decision and started Whole30. It's about time! I am obese, which is a hard word to accept and use in a public forum, but I'm proud to finally acknowledge it. They say acknowledging the truth is the first step to taking action. So, I have taken two steps - acknowledgement and starting the Whole30 Programme. On top of the obesity, I have several co-morbidities such as high blood pressure and sleep apnea. I am considering weight loss surgery, but wanted to give the Whole30 a try, not as a diet programme, but as a way of starting a new life based on wise lifestyle choices. Hoping this will give me the motivation and momentum to improve my life in many ways! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerwyna Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Welcome, and congratulations ... you've probably just made one of the best decisions of your life. I started round two yesterday, and I know there are a few people looking to start tomorrow, you should have plenty of company and support if you want it. I have found that the programme works best if you concentrate on what you can have and what you enjoy rather than what you have eliminated. Remembering also that this is temporary and that it is an experiment in finding out what works for you. Best wishes and good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Carly - WLS may not be the answer in the long run. I have 3 relatives who've had the surgery. WLS does not give you a head reset along with a food reset. Ten years post WLS and they struggle with rebound weight gain. Two are in the process of gaining all and I mean all of it back. There aren't any surgeries left for them to do. They struggle with the same cravings and food addictions pre WLS. Yes, they've had counseling. They can surgically remove stomachs but it does not fix the head and intense feelings about self-soothing with food for comfort. Short term, within a year - they did lose over a 100 lbs each. There were the mountaintop celebrations. Then the slippery slope back down the mountain when the cravings became too powerful to overcome. Yes, they eat pizza, pasta and sugar. They've even found workarounds for the limitations of the "pouch". They talk about their pouch as if it were a child now. My "pouch". A Whole 30 would be my recommendation...over WLS. A Whole 30 will smother cravings if you don't give into them with any snacks between meals. I mean zero. A Whole 30 can slay the Sugar Dragon and the Carb Monster. It will take thoughtful work but as you engage your entire being with the process, you will see wonderful improvements in your thinking and yes, the weight loss will happen. I would recommend the Whole 30 to anyone who is at the crossroads of choosing between WLS or making a permanent change in one's thoughts/feelings about food. Foods have been deliberately engineered to be highly craved. Salt, sugar and transfats are the trifecta of this food epidemic. Carefully tuned snacks lead to a lack of control that inevitably leads to making a mess of everything. A Whole 30 is reasonable restriction and not over-restriction. High quality proteins, vegetables and good dietary fats will slay and smother the Sugar Dragon. Snacking with dried fruits, nuts and nut butters, too many fruits inbetween meals does not work as well as going COLD TURKEY. That's the best way to begin this Whole 30 protocol. Throw everything out of the house and don't allow it in your vehicle. You can do this. Meal by meal, mile by mile and day by day, this process becomes easier...without cravings. You can move into serenity and peace with food. This forum is a great place for continued motivation and nudges to stay compliant along the way. I highly recommend Whole 30 for the BIG WIN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlywand Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 Wow, MeadowLily and Aerwyna, thanks for the best wishes and the encouragement. I know very well that WLS is not the magic wand, and I know an equal number of friends who have both succeeded and failed after WLS. One of those who succeeded has been following a similar forum such as this one and has accompanied the body reset with a total mind reset. WLS alone is not the answer, but it can help. I am on Day 4 now and it is going well. I do have some difficulties with mid-afternoon slump when I would normally reach for a snack, and also as soon as I get home when for some reason I am ravenous. What I have been doing is saving some of my lunch for the mid-afternoon slump, and starting to make dinner earlier, so at least I am staying active and not immediately sitting down in front of the TV with a snack in the evening. I also am trying to look at why I eat at various inappropriate times. I conclude that there are two main factors: boredom/nervousness and desire to self-indulge. If I can focus my mind on those moments when I have these feelings, and turn my energy to something else, I will be able to slay this dragon. Thanks for accompanying me on this great new adventure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted April 29, 2015 Administrators Share Posted April 29, 2015 as soon as I get home when for some reason I am ravenous. What I have been doing is saving some of my lunch for the mid-afternoon slump I would suggest you are almost on the right track here. Actually increase your meal at lunchtime though in order to make it through about 4-5 hours. Don't worry about portion control or sizes right now, just eat protein, veggies and good fats to keep you satisfied 4-5 hours. Have a quick mini-meal available to you if you need it while you are tweaking portion sizes. A hardboiled egg is an excellent one and can bridge that gap just before it's time for dinner. We're not about restriction, feel free to eat a whole lunch to keep you going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerwyna Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Its true, it doesn't take long for your body to get over the need to snack and to get the meal sizes to the correct proportions for you. You might also come to appreciate the slight feeling of hunger as the next meal approaches, when it becomes invigorating rather than enervating - that really is a great feeling, and becomes its own positive feedback loop. Hope you are having a great day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlywand Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 Thanks for the great points, LadyShanna and Aerwyna. Today I am on Day 5 which will be an interesting one because I am fasting. As a practicing Muslim and following the Prophet's (PBUH) recommendation, I conduct a full fast every Thursday from sunup to sundown, no food and no liquid. Right now, I am feeling my usual mid-afternoon slump but it is no worse than any one I've had before. The true test will be my breaking fast meal, which given my location, will be at 20:42 tonight. Quite late to be having a full on dinner. I will have to make different choices this time, as I often eat carbs at the breaking fast time. Will have protein instead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I was a bit stunned when my doctor described me as obese. I just thought I was a bit heavy or had some fat. When I looked up my numbers on a BMI chart, it really hit home. Not a good feeling. The hardest thing when I was calorie counting was sticking with it consistently. I didn't even realize back then how powerful some of those sugar and processed foods were in my body and how much they were seducing me to eat more of them which made it harder the next day to eat well. Calorie counting was the pits, though I did lose weight. I've been doing Whole30's here and there for a couple years and they have definitely given me a whole new life. I'm still chunky and my weight goes up and down, but overall, I'm eating better and I'm feeling better and I know so much more about the relationship between my health and my foods. It's a good journey to be on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlywand Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 Emma, you mention that you've been doing Whole30's on and off for a couple of years and they have given you "a whole new life". What keeps you from maintaining that lifestyle? I ask this because I could see myself maintaining this way of eating, with maybe some small tweaks, over the long term. I hope it's doable, and not just a pipedream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I go out to eat and have some rice or soy sauce or maybe a beer - things with sugars and then I go home and eat Whole30, but over time, I think the sugar addictions pull me to the dark side and I start snacking a little more and taking more liberties. And then I start having more burgers and fries instead of sushi and I start sliding off course. I actually did pretty good for quite a while. I was eating clean foods at home and only going out on occasion. And then I guess I got stressed or busy and lost focus and let the allure and addictions of baked goods and processed foods take over. Once I start eating them, I have a very difficult time stopping until I commit to something like a Whole30. Within days of starting a Whole30, though, I feel SO much better. However, even when I look back, my overall meals are so much healthier than the old days. My kids benefit because they are eating far more vegetables and clean meals than before. Yet, it's a process and one that seems worth it. I'm so much healthier and am much more hopeful about being healthy as I grow older. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.