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Day 29 and just a little amazed at myself...


murraygold

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Yes, I've almost completed the Whole30 program...two days left.   And yes, I'm feeling a little amazed at myself that I have done this.   Not one single slip-up on the food...not even sneaking in a bit of french vanilla creamer into my coffee  :)

 

The first week saw an exhilarating drop in blood pressure which was so motivating to stick to the plan.   And here I will do my one confession...the one suggestion that I did not heed was to not step on the scale...that is just not in me to do.   Week 2 my weight stabilized and so did the blood pressure numbers, those even climbed back up a bit...but not to my beginning numbers.    Yet, my motivation stayed strong because three other things were happening...(1) my taste buds were alive and well, delighting in meals of fresh vegetables, crisp fruits, deviled eggs made with my homemade mayonnaise, chicken thighs with homemade marinara.  (2)  Evening snacking came to a halt!   No more listening to that voice in my head telling me it was time to open the refrigerator door and eat something, anything...actually it wasn't a matter of not listening to that voice...there was no voice!   Sugar and carb cravings were simply gone.  (3) And maybe most importantly was my mood shift.   Right now my husband is working out of town and gone for weeks at a time.  Before starting Whole30 I was experiencing some really low moods...who knew (I didn't) that sugar could cause/worsen depression.   I've been happy for the past 29 days...nothing beats that feeling.   

 

I was a pretty healthy eater before Whole30 but this experience opened my eyes to the hidden sugars and chemicals in processed foods.   Making homemade mayonnaise and salad dressings will continue.   Even healthy whole grains and legumes and dairy will be incorporated with moderation and forethought...not mindlessly.   Bring on the brussel sprouts slaw, the roasted butternut squash, kale salads and spinach in my smoothies.   

 

What a positive experience this has been!   

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Not stepping on the scale is not a suggestion. It is a rule. Something that we have found to be important through experience with 1000s of people. You were not an exception. You short-changed yourself by weighing. You let the scale guide your behavior and you did not learn important lessons that you still need to learn. I am glad that you had a positive experience over all, but frustrated that you did not fully engage with the Whole30 process. 

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When I wrote the original post of my experience as of Day 29, I was upbeat and happy, and glad to share my "success story".   Then I read the reply by Tom Denham, a Moderator for the Whole30 program.   If I had written a response yesterday, it would have been a short two word reply, but I decided to think about it and sleep on it.   I did both and here is my reply to Tom and to others.    Tom, you are implying that I did not complete the Whole 30 program and that I failed because I chose to weigh myself during the 30 days.  You couldn't be more wrong....and you can't take that achievement away from me.   I was 100% faithful to the food rules...let me repeat, 100% faithful. And for doing that, I was rewarded with many positive changes, physically and mentally.   Tom, if you had read my post with an open-heart, you would realize how wrong your statement was when you said that I let the scale guide my behavior...if that was true, I would have stopped the program on Day 7 or 8 when I stopped losing any more weight.    But I didn't stop because of all the other positive things that where happening, as I outlined in my original post.   You may think I was not fully engaged in the program and you are free to have that opinion...but I felt fully engaged and reaped positive rewards for my efforts.   The only negative experience I had during the past 30 days was reading Tom's reply which felt shaming and pious.  

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When I wrote the original post of my experience as of Day 29, I was upbeat and happy, and glad to share my "success story".   Then I read the reply by Tom Denham, a Moderator for the Whole30 program.   If I had written a response yesterday, it would have been a short two word reply, but I decided to think about it and sleep on it.   I did both and here is my reply to Tom and to others.    Tom, you are implying that I did not complete the Whole 30 program and that I failed because I chose to weigh myself during the 30 days.  You couldn't be more wrong....and you can't take that achievement away from me.   I was 100% faithful to the food rules...let me repeat, 100% faithful. And for doing that, I was rewarded with many positive changes, physically and mentally.   Tom, if you had read my post with an open-heart, you would realize how wrong your statement was when you said that I let the scale guide my behavior...if that was true, I would have stopped the program on Day 7 or 8 when I stopped losing any more weight.    But I didn't stop because of all the other positive things that where happening, as I outlined in my original post.   You may think I was not fully engaged in the program and you are free to have that opinion...but I felt fully engaged and reaped positive rewards for my efforts.   The only negative experience I had during the past 30 days was reading Tom's reply which felt shaming and pious.  

Hi Murraygold, sorry that you feel that Tom's answer was shaming.  I don't agree that it was at all.  He stated some truths without flowery language that are, perhaps, not sitting well with you.

 

The Whole30 is very clear.  Follow all the rules for 30 days and you have done a Whole30. Break a rule and you have not.  Weighing is a rule.  The mere fact that you do not believe it was "in you" to not weigh yourself for 30 days is a clear sign that you are allowing yourself to be ruled by a $20 piece of plastic.  Were you not, you would have had no problem putting it aside for 30 days.  This is not meant to be condescending or rude, just the truth that we have experienced with thousands of members.  You aren't the first person to have trouble with the scale, that's why it's a hard rule of the Whole30.  

 

Whether you allowed the scale to dictate your behaviour is only yours to know....but you obviously have a deep seated need to know what that number is and the only way to really understand "WHY" for yourself is to give it up for 30 days.  That is why Tom says you short changed yourself.  As women in this crazy, social media, everything on display culture that we live in are taught that our value and our worth in the world is directly linked to our size, weight, body shape, physical appearance.  The smaller we are the more we believe and are told that we deserve love and happiness and I'm sorry, that is just bullshit.  You don't need to know your body's physical gravity response every day, you really don't.  The fit of your clothes, the deepness of your sleep, your skin, hair, eyes and heart know if you are on the right track.  

 

It may seem a silly rule; don't weigh. Until you really look at why that is part of the Whole30 and then it makes perfect sense.  Breaking up with sugar and breaking up with scale are given the same importance in this program.

 

Finally, as I said, you are not the first person to ever feel overwhelmed by the idea of not weighing yourself every day, you're not.  But for every single person who struggled through 30 days of wishing that they could stand on the scale but digging deep and breaking that addiction/pattern, allowing someone to claim victory when they blatantly disregarded the rules isn't right.  It's not fair to stand and say that whatever you do that's better than it was before is a successful Whole30 because it's simply not true and it's discourteous to those that actually did follow the rules.

 

I'm sorry that you didn't like Tom's response, he is our resident "no bullshit" expert and tends not to sugar coat anything.

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Yes, I've almost completed the Whole30 program...two days left. And yes, I'm feeling a little amazed at myself that I have done this. Not one single slip-up on the food...not even sneaking in a bit of french vanilla creamer into my coffee :)

The first week saw an exhilarating drop in blood pressure which was so motivating to stick to the plan. And here I will do my one confession...the one suggestion that I did not heed was to not step on the scale...that is just not in me to do. Week 2 my weight stabilized and so did the blood pressure numbers, those even climbed back up a bit...but not to my beginning numbers. Yet, my motivation stayed strong because three other things were happening...(1) my taste buds were alive and well, delighting in meals of fresh vegetables, crisp fruits, deviled eggs made with my homemade mayonnaise, chicken thighs with homemade marinara. (2) Evening snacking came to a halt! No more listening to that voice in my head telling me it was time to open the refrigerator door and eat something, anything...actually it wasn't a matter of not listening to that voice...there was no voice! Sugar and carb cravings were simply gone. (3) And maybe most importantly was my mood shift. Right now my husband is working out of town and gone for weeks at a time. Before starting Whole30 I was experiencing some really low moods...who knew (I didn't) that sugar could cause/worsen depression. I've been happy for the past 29 days...nothing beats that feeling.

I was a pretty healthy eater before Whole30 but this experience opened my eyes to the hidden sugars and chemicals in processed foods. Making homemade mayonnaise and salad dressings will continue. Even healthy whole grains and legumes and dairy will be incorporated with moderation and forethought...not mindlessly. Bring on the brussel sprouts slaw, the roasted butternut squash, kale salads and spinach in my smoothies.

What a positive experience this has been!

Congrats on your completion of Whole30! What a great success story! I have enjoyed reading about your great results that included crushing your cravings, lowering your weight and blood pressure, and feeling happier overall.

I, like you, disagree with Tom's post. It also goes against studies that show that people who weigh themselves more often are less likely to gain weight back in the long run. I can understand Tom's point if you were doing this just for weight loss, but it was obvious from your post that you gained so much more from whole30 than just some weight loss. Congrats!

I don't see how weighing is any different than looking in a mirror and seeing obvious results, or checking your blood pressure, or putting on a pair of pants that you hadn't been able to fit into for awhile because you realize your others have become to big. All of these are tangibles signs of the health benefits of whole30, and they should be celebrated IMO, not shunned.

So again I say congrats! Continue to live healthy and reap the benefits of it. Don't let others bring you down.

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Good for you, Murraygold!  Personally, I think it is more dangerous to get tied up with doing something perfectly than to do the best I can.  I would hate that someone in the future might miss out on the amazing benefits of this program because they can't weigh themselves.  That said, I am a hard-core rule follower and did NOT weigh.  I have years of food "issues" (to say the least) and I am happiest when I don't weigh AT ALL.  I figure if I do what's right for my body, my weight and shape are none of my business.  This is so freeing!  My husband, on the other hand, weighs daily and is completely normal.

 

All the rules aside, you did an amazing job and should be very proud of yourself. Congratulations!

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I, like you, disagree with Tom's post. It also goes against studies that show that people who weigh themselves more often are less likely to gain weight back in the long run.

This is not really a valid argument... there are studies that also show that whole grains are good for you and dairy is a necessary component of a healthy adult's diet and yet, those are rules that the original poster 'chose' to follow. No one here is saying she should never weigh herself again (altho most people that complete a Whole30 end up breaking up with their scales for good). Tom was saying that it's frustrating that for 30 days, she chose to follow SOME rules and not others. Would you say the same if she said she did a whole30 but decided to allow herself International Delights coffee creamer? No, of course not. The Hartwigs understand that how we TREAT our bodies/minds is just as important as what we put IN them... hence the no scale rule. After a Whole 30, people are free to weigh themselves as much as they want... but knowingly and blatantly breaking a rule is not a successful completion of Whole30 and the people that come by here in the next days, weeks and months looking for an 'excuse' to break the scale rule should read this discussion and know that it's not acceptable.

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  • 3 years later...

I think you did great!!! Maybe your next whole30 you won’t weigh in or maybe you will either way I’m happy your happy!! I’m not a big forum user because of some of the same responses you have gotten. I came from WW where yes the rules aren’t the same but if you “slipped” up the community didn’t remind you, you did it wrong they supported you only is getting back up and trying again. Now again I know this is a different program and there are rules but following the food side of things 100% to me is a whole30 so I’m happy for you! Congrats! Also a Side note. My first whole30 I smoked... yes I know same situation here I didn’t follow one rule and followed all others but my second I didn’t. And I wouldn’t have wanted anyone to downgrade my progress, which is why I didn’t post about it on here because it would have made me feel bad and maybe I would never have tried again. 

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18 hours ago, CassieK said:

I think you did great!!! Maybe your next whole30 you won’t weigh in or maybe you will either way I’m happy your happy!! I’m not a big forum user because of some of the same responses you have gotten. I came from WW where yes the rules aren’t the same but if you “slipped” up the community didn’t remind you, you did it wrong they supported you only is getting back up and trying again. Now again I know this is a different program and there are rules but following the food side of things 100% to me is a whole30 so I’m happy for you! Congrats! Also a Side note. My first whole30 I smoked... yes I know same situation here I didn’t follow one rule and followed all others but my second I didn’t. And I wouldn’t have wanted anyone to downgrade my progress, which is why I didn’t post about it on here because it would have made me feel bad and maybe I would never have tried again. 

Murraygold.  This is my very first post.      Cassie K - What a great response.  I am on Day 2 of my 3rd Whole30 and debating about the weighing issue. Like muyrraygold I did weigh during my first two efforts.  Apparently only attempt, in some eyes, once I weighed periodically.  I still had a great experience and remember THA far more than the pounds I dropped.     I do not have a bad relationship with the scale as I often go weeks or months without weighing.     I decided based on this thread to not weigh until Day 30 but rather have a piece of clothing or two I put and and relish in the new found comfort.         CONGRATULATIONS  muyrraygold you did great!

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