Whole30 +7...feeling very good but, also, discouraged!

[eileenbf]

I started Whole30 on June 8 and have continued on since getting to day 30 last week. I do feel very good and certainly have much more energy and more focus throughout the day. I don't even have an afternoon slump like I previously did before Whole30. I have felt discouraged as I don't feel or look any slimmer, and my clothes all fit the same. 

 

It was suggested that I post some sample meals that might need a tweaking -

 

Some sample days from this week: 

Yesterday:

M1  2 HB eggs, 2 T almond butter, lots of celery, (1/2 bag), cutup jicama, 1 red pepper cut up,  small sweet potato, 12 cherries,     decaf coffee/iced black

 

M2  about 3 ounces of ground turkey breast, 3 peppers cut up, 1/2 onion, spices all cooked in EVOO and put on top of 1/2 of steamed spaghetti squash, 1 whole cutup jicama, 10 cherries, large handful of almonds

 

M3  1 chicken breast in a BIG salad with greens, spinach, roasted eggplant, roasted zucchini, onions, 1/4 avocado, small amount of jicama,  large handful of slivered almonds, blueberries, EVOO and balsamic vinegar 

 

Sunday:

M1  1 chicken breast in a BIG salad with greens, spinach, large  sweet potato, onions, 1/4 avocado, small amount of jicama,  large handful of slivered almonds, strawberries, EVOO and balsamic vinegar, blueberries, large iced black decaf coffee

 

M2  piece of leftover grilled salmon in a salad with greens, carrots, onions, a few slices of avocado, green cabbage slaw (from Whole30book) with Sunshine Sauce made with almond butter, some jicama, large handful of slivered almonds, strawberries, EVOO and balsamic vinegar, too much watermelon (difficult to resist)

 

M3  portion of London Broil that was marinated in Whole30 Chimichurri sauce, grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, grilled peppers, green cabbage slaw in Sunshine Sauce made with almond butter, green salad with slivered almonds, strawberries, red onion, EVOO and balsamic vinegar.

 

I do tend to eat at least 1 if not 2 sweet potatoes each day and lots of jicama.

 

Most of my meals are combos of the above foods - I don't mind eating the same things repeatedly as long as I like them!

 

I try to drink about 70 ounces of water /day.

I go to the gym 3 x's week for 1/2 hour with trainer and do cardio 3-6 times a week, usually treadmill or outdoor walking.  I don't feel hungry to have a pre and post WO snack. 

 

Thanks in advance for any and all help and advice.

 

 

 

 

 

[GFChris]

The amount of water would be appropriate if you're currently 140 lbs, as we recommend 1/2 an ounce of water per pound of body weight, daily.

Are you bloated? Nuts, nut butters and raw vegetables can cause bloating. You might try dropping the nuts and switching to all cooked vegetables for a while to see if that changes things.

 

In general, I see a lot of nuts. Nuts are recommended to be limited on a Whole30.  I'd suggest swapping in other varieties of fat.

When eggs are your sole protein, the serving size is the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand without dropping them. For most folks, that's 3-4 eggs.

3 oz of turkey breast sounds small: the recommendation is 1-2 palms of protein per meal, where a palm is the length, width and thickness of your palm. 

Could your body also be giving you feedback that your current size is fine? 

[Tom Denham]

I am concerned that you are not eating enough and your metabolism has slowed to keep you alive. It is extremely difficult to lose weight even if you need to lose weight if you do not eat enough. You are light on protein and heavy on nuts. It might help to eliminate nuts and double your protein. There is some protein in nuts, but I find that it does not produce the same results in the body as meat. The fact that you train 6-9 times per week and do not eat bonus (pre or post-workout) meals tells me you are not eating enough too. Some people cannot trust their hunger signals to tell them how much to eat until they have completed a remedial program like the Whole30 successfully. Therefore, we recommend that you study our meal planning template and never eat less than the minimums recommended.

 

How much to eat

http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

[eileenbf]

Thank you both (GFChris and Tom) for your replies... I agree the nuts need to go and I severely need to limit almond butter. I don't necessarily feel bloated but will also make an effort to incorporate more cooked veggies and more protein. It's much easier for me to have a weight ( 4-6 ounces) vs. a physical size. I am about 140 lbs and only 4'11" and definitely need to lose at least 20 lbs. Of course, I have been on tons of diets all my life. 

 

You didn't comment on the sweet potatoes so I assume the amounts and frequency are fine.  I had a great salad today for lunch with olives and NO nuts!

 

Thanks again.

[Britishgal]

It's hard to give required weights for food...my 6'5" cousin would obviously need more than 5'8" me and I'd need more than my 7 year old but no one plan can provide such individualised measurements for what food to eat. It is why the hands provide a good way of telling you your portions as they are in proportion to your body size.