Jump to content

Halfway through...NO WEIGHT LOSS!!


Recommended Posts

Hi All,

I am officially on Day15 of my Whole30 and feeling good so far... Not having any crazy cravings, but while I'm overweight, exercise has always been a part of my life, I never drank sodas/juices/sweetened drinks or really had much of a sweet tooth before the program. My achilles heel was always carbs such as rice, bread,pasta - I had/have no control in these areas and was regularly overeating these foods to extremes.

I know the Whole30 is here to do more than weight loss, but I have about 60 lbs to lose and was really hoping this would jump start the weight loss for me after trying weight watchers and counting calories and always failing miserably. I like the idea of just staying away from certain foods and not having to count calories or write down what I eat - the strictness of whole30 really works for me, without making me a slave to a food journal.

HOWEVER, I just weighed myself this morning.................... This is crazy to me - I expected to be down more by now, it's really upsetting. I can lose......................by eating what I want to eat and just increasing the intensity of my workouts (I've done this before!) why did I give up my beloved rice and pasta if...................????

Maybe I need to increase my workouts? Or be even more strict with my diet? (I honestly don't know how that is possible, unless I cut out fruit maybe? - which I don't want to do)....

Sample Meal Plan for past couple days:

Day 1:

breakfast - 1/4 cup blended pumpkin seeds, 1 cup kale, 5 pieces shrimp, 1/4 cup sweet potato

lunch - same as breakfast

dinner - big salad, with mixed greens, grilled steak, tomatoes, red bell peppers, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, and peaches, 2 tb balsamic dressing (all ingredients whole30 approved)

snack - apple with 1tb almond butter

Day 2:

breakfast - 2 scampled eggs with onions and red bell pepper

lunch - salad with mixed greens and grilled chicken, red bell peppers, avocado, onions, cucumbers, balsamic vinegar/olive oil as dressing

dinner - 1 cup butternut squash soup and grilled tilapia with steamed kale

Honestly most days this is what my eating is like - I have been snacking on cashews or almonds a little bit but I have single serving size snack pack. And I only eat maybe 1 of those (some days only have of the pack) every other day or so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

Tolulady, your post has been edited to remove the content surrounding scale weighing. Not weighing oneself is a RULE of Whole30 and we cannot leave up blatant disregard of this rule.

That said, weight loss is not linear. It's not predicated on "calories in vs calories out", it has to do with hormones, blood sugar, body security and trust. Yes, you can restrict your intake and lose body mass....but it is not sustainable and it's not healthy. Healthy weight loss happens when the body and hormones are balanced and your body feels safe and trustworthy.

Based on what you are reporting that you are eating, I don't think you are eating enough altogether. The fact that you are snacking bears this out. Eggs, when they are your sole protein, are as many as you can hold in your hand without dropping - at least 3-4 for most women. Salads need either some cooked veggies added for sustenance or they need to be massively mixing-bowl huge. I don't see added fat in some of your meals. And not clear on what breakfast was on the first day you report? Blended pumpkin seeds leads me to believe smoothie of some sort? Or you made pumpkin seed butter?

Nuts and seeds can cause bloating as can masses of raw veggies. This could lead to your impression that you are not losing weight also.

Please try to trust the Whole30 program, get off the scale, eat enough that it is keeping you for 4-5 hours. It'll be ok, I promise!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

I second Ladyshanny, you are definitely not eating enough.  5 pieces of shrimp does not a meal make.  When you restricting food and calories, your body's only response is to hang on to every last bit you're giving it because it cannot trust when it's next good serving is going to come.

Please check out the template linked in both mine and ladyshanny's signature and try and make your meals to mirror what the template asks.  If you want to eat shrimp for breakfast, which is totally fine, you need to eat 1-2 servings that are equal to the size of your palm (thickness, width, length)... I know that's more than five.

 

Please also note as you go forward in building template meals (including 1-3 cups of veg, not including salad greens and added fat as per template) that nutrition is cumulative and as you've been restricting (not necessarily intentionally, but your body doesn't know that), it will take some time for your body to realize the change and start to trust you.

 

Also, definitely no scale.  Please focus on the non scale victories and if you are able, list five non scale victories you've had in the last 15 days.  If you're not sure what NSV are, think about skin condition, hair, nails, mood, sleep etc... what has improved or benefited in the last 15 days?  What do you hope to see improve (besides weight loss) in the next 15 days?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks both for your replies! About the scale...I guess, old habits die hard, sry! :) I'm telling myself now that for the rest of the program I'm staying off the scale. 

 

One big thing I have noticed is I have had no breakouts since I started this which is great - I was never plagued by acne but without fail every week for the past couple of months I would have a new breakout on my face, but the past 2 weeks nothing! 

 

As for eating - it's odd, I don't feel hungry at all and I am definitely not restricting my food (on purpose at least) in anyway - in fact, I think I am eating the same food I was eating before whole 30, just getting rid of the toast/pancakes/rice/ or pasta that would normally accompany it. Nevertheless, I'll work on increasing food intake during my meals especially morning meals and I do eat A LOT of salads (that's what has replaced my beloved rice) - so maybe also replace those with cooked veggies. 

 

As for the snacking...can that really impact the progress of the program??? I love eating a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit in the afternoon at my desk - something about not eating in between meals at all makes me kind of sad, and it's easier to eat these smaller meals with light snacks throughout the day than to sit and just eat 3 humongous meals. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want your body to become adapted to burning fat for fuel, it is absolutely important to avoid snacking; it allows hormones time to adjust and when there is no sugar present (such as you're getting from that afternoon piece of fruit) the body will turn to fat as its fuel source. If you start making a habit of reading through these forums daily, you will find one of the things the moderators are constantly telling people is to make sure your meals keep you full for 4-5 hours, and if you feel the need to snack, snack on a mini meal of protein, veg, and fat. By dumping sugar, even in the form of fruit, into your body between meals, you're not getting the full benefit of the transition to fat burning and you're getting a spike in blood sugar. Not great. You're still doing a whole 30 as all your foods are compliant, but why not get the most out of it?

Also, weight goes up and down, and many people experience what seems to be an increase in weight/bloating part way through their whole30. Hang in there, give the program the full 30 days! And give yourself a big pat on the back for making this commitment and doing something good for yourself! I will be interested to hear how things progress for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am on Day 22 and am also a scale junkie when I am on a weight loss track.  I ALWAYS cheat and weigh myself.  But I have restrained this time because I absolutely know that it would derail me and cause me to lose all the good feelings I have built up about myself in the last 22 days.  I have a lot of weight to lose; 130-140 lbs so I have a long journey ahead of me.  I know that if I don't start focusing on things other than the # on the scale, I will get discouraged (what does it matter this isn't working might as well eat and drink all the things) or overconfident (ohh, I've lost 10lbs, I can have an indulgent eat and drink all the things weekend) like I have every time before this.  

 

Just so you know you're not alone...I am DYING to get on that scale...but I'm fighting the urge and reading stories of how others have done so I can have a realistic idea of what to expectt.  It's going to be so sweet on Day 31 because I know how I am feeling and I KNOW that lbs and inches are dropping off.  

 

Good luck and don't let it derail you...how you feel and the NSV just get better and better!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with everyone else, try to stay off the scale! I've experienced the same challenges as you... Feeling like midway through I might as well calorie count instead and be able to eat and drink anything. But then I remember how hungry I feel when I do that, and the fact that it really hasn't worked long term. If it had, you wouldn't be doing whole30. And in the end, just knowing that food doesn't control you is a success all by itself. Eventually you can have that cookie because you choose to, not because you have to. And if your body is like mine, it drops weight in cycles... Next week you may have a whole new perspective. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...
14 hours ago, April Smith said:

Thanks for all these posts. I got on the forum tonight to ask if it's normal to feel my jeans are getting tighter on day 18. It feels discouraging but sounds like there is still a chance I will lose something by day 30. Am I right?

 

There are lots of foods that can cause bloating (not weight gain) - for me it's raw salad greens and nuts/nut butters. If you list out a day or two of your meals with specific measurements and composition a moderator can help you fine tune!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

okay I've read this entire thread, I too am middway thru day 12 jumped on the scale got really discouraged ..i to may be eating less than i should...Im eating even less than tolulady - but in all fairness here's my deal before this i was a pescatarian just fish and eggs so i am feeling bloated and weighed down when i eat. sample day

brkfst- 1 egg veggies avocado tomatoes- (seriously i cant finish two eggs i tried i give remains to my dog)

snack-apple maybe cashew butter maybe cashews

lunch salad turkey burger crumbled in the salad

snack hard boiled egg guac/salsa

dinner - grilled chicken veggies (broccoli/brussells zuchini) sauteed in coconut oil

tea

i promise no to scale it again...but something doesnt feel right

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree with all - stay off the scale - your goal right now is getting your body and brain sorted out and if there is weight that should be lost it will start to come off - trust the program (no, I've never trusted a program before in my life [i'd actually never even done a program]) and it will work out.  I don't think I really noticed any changes in my physical appearance until toward the very end, but I'm 6 weeks post my first whole30 now (yes, in these 6 weeks I've sticking mostly to my new way of eating but not actually doing a whole60 or anything like that) and I the goodness just keeps getting good-er.  Stick with it!  You can do this.  And if you can't finish eggs, eat some other protein - there's no such thing as "breakfast food", really.  I ate chicken, salmon, even hamburger patties - this morning I had a hot dog (compliant!...actually not enough protein though) and a zucchini and a half and some blueberries.  I am a big fan of deviled eggs - gets your fat in there with the w30 mayo and you can put a bunch of mustard in them too so they have some zing...if you can try snacking on protein vs. fruit it may help - fruit just made me hyper and I think I have a pretty sensitive sugar dragon.  I'm not sure you are eating enough fat either - get some dressing on those salads :).

Hang in there - you are going to be so happy when you are done and see what food freedom is truly like.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...