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No Body Changes Day 18 - Frustrated!


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Greetings,

 

I'm on Day 18 and haven't noticed any change whatsoever in my body - and I'm frustrated.  I know WHOLE 30 is not about losing weight, but I have a lot of weight to lose (50 lbs) and, after reading so many testimonials, thought I'd at least lose a one or two pounds a week or feel some difference in my clothing (I've felt no difference at all).  I have been gluten free for almost a year, so am used to reading labels and being very conscious of the foods I eat.  I've been 100% compliant, making my own mayo,  eating protein, veggies, and eating a fat source with every meal. I've either used recipes out of the Whole30 book or had a simple meal of meat, veggies, and avocado (for an example). 

 

I have not been hungry at all between meals, which I find very refreshing and quite a change for me, but I, like other post or two I've seen, am wondering if I'm eating too much?  That  being said, I know I will not be able to eat on a program where I am feeling hungry all the time (been there, done that).  I also do have some health issues - Toshimotos thyroid disease (which I take pills for), and migraines.  When I started the program I had a pretty bad headache/and or a migraine every day the first 10-12 days.  Really sucked, but now seems like I've adjusted.  Not sure why that would happen, but glad it's over.  

 

Typical foods for me:

 

Breakfast:

2-3 eggs fried in coconut oil

1/2 to 3/4 cup stir fried veggies (mushrooms, peppers, onions) in either coconut oil or light olive oil

coffee with coconut cream

 

Lunch:

Salad - a huge plateful of mixed organic greens

chicken (pre-cooked in my crockpot)

olives

carrots

celery

handful of roasted walnuts

avocado

dressing: either whole30 ranch or balsamic vinegar/garlic olive oil

Water

 

Dinner:

Protein source

Roasted Sweet Potatoes (about 3x a week)

Stir fried veggies or grilled (in the oven) with olive oil or steamed veggies

Mayo (sometimes with hot sauce in it or fresh garlic)

 

Snack:

About 2x a week I've had an apple with almond butter in the evening.  I didn't see until a few days ago that I shouldn't be having fruit as a snack, so will cut that out.

 

I know the advice I will get, but decided to write anyway!   :)  I know it's only day 18 and I have 12 more to go - just barely over half way....and I need to be patient.  Especially with my health issues which could be complicating things for my body.

 

BTW: I remember doing Paleo about 3 years ago and losing 5 lbs the first week though, so thought I'd respond similarly.  When I did Paleo I started adding in a bunch of "treats" made with the allowed flours and then didn't lose any more weight.  With Whole30 I thought I'd lose and keep losing, since I'm not adding in any of those paleo muffins, etc that wrecked my progress.

 

I will continue to be vigilant and stick with whole30, but just wanted to hear any advice from folks.  

 

Thanks,

Tracy

 

 

 

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The fact that you spent the first 10-12 days suffering fairly hard are an indication to me that you have only really come through the transitory portion of your program about 5-6 days ago.  

 

You are not eating too much.  Why are you only having a half a cup of vegetables for breakfast?  The recommendation is 1-3 cups per meal and is a minimum.

 

You have an underlying condition and if your body is healing and rebalancing itself it is probably going to prioritize that over letting go of weight.  Only when one's body is hormonally healthy and feeling safe is it going to release weight.  That does not always happen in the first 30 days, let alone the first 18.

 

Stick it out.  Let your body heal itself.  If your meals are keeping you satisfied for 4-5 hours then you are doing just fine in portions.  

 

This is bang on, btw: I know the advice I will get, but decided to write anyway!    :)  I know it's only day 18 and I have 12 more to go - just barely over half way....and I need to be patient.  Especially with my health issues which could be complicating things for my body.

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Thank you for your quick reply.  I know the veggies are supposed to be consistent amount (a lot) for every meal, but when looking at samples breakfasts on the whole30 website, etc I see very little veggies (for breakfast).  I will try to amp that up.

 

Thanks for your support - it's nice to know you are there if needed!   ;)

 

Tracy

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Conventional wisdom about dieting assumes that you will lose weight if you eat fewer calories than you burn in energy. Unfortunately, that simplistic view is wrong in many cases. The real secret to weight loss is achieving a good hormonal balance and increasing your metabolism. You can't make your hormones and metabolism fall in line as fast as you can begin to eat nutritious meals and follow good health practices. Hormones and metabolism take time. In your case, longer than 18 days. Hang in there. Your streak of weight loss will come. 

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To expand on Tom's post, I'm sure at this point that we're all aware that stress can lead to weight gain and/or prevent weight loss. That's what kept our species alive for all these years. Your body interprets stress as a threat to survival. Before we started planting crops and settling down, one of the biggest issues with staying alive was ensuring that you could get enough to eat or, if times were lean, that you had enough fat mass to get through the tough times. Our bodies don't really differentiate types of stress, i.e. lack of sleep, illness, inflammation, etc. It's all just stress. And your body's #1 reaction to that stress is "I need insurance" and insurance equals fat.

 

Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disorder and autoimmune disorders always come with inflammation (stress). Odds are also good that if you have one autoimmune condition, you may have others which explains why so many people with Hashi's are also celiac. It also means that your body has more to overcome and more to heal before it comes to a point where it's "safe" to let the insurance lapse and for the weight to start coming off.

 

Weight loss is not a linear journey and it's pretty common/normal for it to happen in fits and spurts. Keep doing what you're doing and eventually it will happen. Eventually, it'll probably stall and then restart and you'll have no idea why and that's okay. There is still a lot for us to learn about metabolism and whole body health.

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Thank you.  Yes, I may have celiac, but it hasn't been confirmed through the actual biopsy test because I 'd have to eat gluten for many weeks and just don't see the point, since I know it makes me sick.  

 

The main change I HAVE seen in 18 days is not being hungry and not having cravings.  That alone is kind of a miracle in and of itself!   And my gut feels better too...which is very nice.  Even though I am gluten-free normally and very careful, I do read occasionally that even gluten-free items are not so well regulated and I could be getting gluten - so I have digestive issues fairly often.  Eating no grains at all has definitely helped get my gut in order.

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So even without visual changes in your body or changes in how your clothes fit, you're still seeing positives AND your noticing how different foods impact your body. And that's just as important. :)

 

 

I absolutely feel you on the celiac testing. I have Hashimoto's myself and with as reactive as I am to gluten, I wouldn't be surprised at all to find that I have celiac disease. But if my doctor were to request a gluten challenge in order to confirm the diagnosis, I'd tell them to take a hike. I already know exactly how gluten impacts me after eliminating it and then trying to reintroduce. Whether it's celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity doesn't change the fact that I was laid up for two weeks with horrific stomach pain the last time I (unknowingly) ate a piece of wheat bread. For me, nothing in the world is worth repeating that experience.

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Troo--congrats on making it 18 days and seeing some changes! I just wanted to let you know that I have been doing this for about 2.5 years (3 years in August) and I was Paleo and Primal before that. I have diabetes and Hashis is along for the ride. In the last 6-8 months I have lost 50 lbs. Obviously, my body has needed a lot of healing! 30 days is just the beginning. I have also had my insulin dialed back quite a bit. 

 

Let me share with you some pictures of MY meals--I eat upwards of 9-12 cups of veg a day, large salads, 3-4 eggs in my breakfasts, and sometimes they show up again at other meals.... 

 

The pictures are mostly breakfasts, with a couple lunches and 1 dinner. 

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I'm really glad to see this post (even though I'm late in seeing it) because I'm feeling a little discouraged myself.  I also have lots of weight to lose and other health issues but I'm not seeing any of the amazing benefits folks are talking about yet! Though I don't get hungry between meals, that's about it. Thanks for the encouragement for TRoo (and by extension, me). It took decades to get into this health predicament so I guess it will take more than 30 days to get out.

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I'm really glad to see this post (even though I'm late in seeing it) because I'm feeling a little discouraged myself.  I also have lots of weight to lose and other health issues but I'm not seeing any of the amazing benefits folks are talking about yet! Though I don't get hungry between meals, that's about it. Thanks for the encouragement for TRoo (and by extension, me). It took decades to get into this health predicament so I guess it will take more than 30 days to get out.

Howdy, Cheyemo.

 

You can't be discouraged.  The condition of your body coming into a Whole 30 is key when determining just how fast you're going to see results.   Most of them are internal.    Healing works it way from the inside out.   Not only physical but mental well being.

 

As you've said...'lots of weight' and decades to reach your current state of health.  The body can only release weight when all of the stars align and hormones are in balance.   Work on this for 30 days and don't even think about how many pounds you want to fall off in a month's time.   

 

Do you know how many people drop it like it's hot in one month and gain all of it back over the next month or two?  Ooooo,  you don't want to know. 

 

The only thing that matters to me is if I can stick the landing.  Anyone can drop it like it's hot on any ole extreme food restriction diet.   How many of them can say three years out that they're still sticking the landing?   Not very many.   That's where the true gold medal is.  Weight stability for the long haul.

 

So don't give two hoots about what you can do in a month's time.  Work on establishing some new healthy food habits that you will gain from your Whole 30 Food Reset.  The Mind Reset that you will gain will take you much further....like waaaay into your future.    Four pounds is a good pace for a month.  

 

I could tell you how the body's lean muscle mass can only adapt to about a one pound a week before you're looking at diminishing returns.    You want fat loss while retaining your lean muscle mass.   Go any faster and you're losing mostly lean muscle mass.

 

If you rebound with weight gain  from periodic dieting...off and on, it all comes back as fat.  That puts us that much further in the hole and no one wants that.   So think slow and be grateful while you're hanging onto lean muscle mass.  It will preserve your skin.   You want that, too.   Skin can only handle so much periodic dieting before the elasticity is gone, gone, gone.

 

Slow.   Stick the Landing by opting for the  Whole 30  Slow Roll Reintro.    Happy Awareness. 

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Thank you MeadowLily! I feel inspired.  I've never been a yoyo dieter, I just like food! Well, I LOVE food and I could never see myself restricting anything for a long period of time.  This Whole30 way of eating has helped me do something I never thought I could do--not eat bread OR sugar! I like the control it gives me so I hope to continue this way of eating long past my 30 days although it's taking up a lot of time and brain power planning and cooking every meal.  I wasn't into a lot of fast food before and I love to cook but sometimes you just want to open a can of beans and mix it with ground beef and seasonings for some quick chili, know what I'm sayin'?? And I can't do that here! :( Anyway, I'm just looking forward to the benefits--the increased, jumping over walls kind of energy that everyone talks about.

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