6 weeks in - beginning to waver...

[BossyMother]

I started Whole30 on July 6 after beginning "It Starts With Food." The book totally resonates with me as does the Whole30 lifestyle. Being a life long sugar junkie, I made the conscious decision to do a Whole60 or 90. I had zero problems for the first 30 days; none of the typical problems that the book and forum posts spoke of. I embraced new foods and healthy eating with open arms and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I am beginning to struggle.

My problem? Not sure. Boredom? Maybe. Lack of support? Absolutely. My family doesn't care what I eat so long as I still fix what they like. And they do not like non-starchy vegetables. Cravings? Nothing specific. It's more like bad habits trying to rear their ugly head. I have been on a diet yo-yo my entire life. Add to that fact I have a health issue that makes losing weight as soon as possible imperative. I managed not to weigh for the first month and when I did, I had lost 10 pounds, yeah! But I've started jumping on the scales again and getting discouraged. I am my own worst enemy.

So, I am hoping I might receive some pearls of wisdom to help reaffirm my resolve. How do you ditch a lifetime of bad habits?

Thanks.

[cayenne]

One day at a time-or one meal at a time. I dont have the family to cook for, just hubby who eats anything I fix. But I work in health care, and the food at the hospital is so tempting. I don't look at this as 30 days, 45 day etc. I can't. I, too, need to drop about 20 pounds. I did great the first 3 months on W30 in 2013-then life happened and I gained it back. This year, I have researched other plans that are weight loss plans. One plan saysI can't eat carrots on Wed and Thursday, measuring, counting points, etc. And I keep coming back here after the others dont make much sense. I want to lose weight fast and I wont say that I wont be tempted to another weight loss plan in the future but for now, I eat W30. One meal at a time. I dont "fail" and have to start over. I am always starting over with each meal and so far I have strung many meals together in  a row.

I am not much of a student and some things are almost impossible to continue long term on this plan. So I dont sweat the small stuff, I look hard at labels, cook my own meals, try to exercise daily-thats it.

[LadyM]

A Whole45 would be a terrific achievement your first time around, especially if you carefully do reintroductions and then carry on for the foreseeable future with a Whole9 way of eating tailored to your needs and context. The end of your first Whole 30 shouldn't be the end of your healthy lifestyle. In the best case scenario, it's only the beginning. And maybe it is time for you to start thinking about what that will look like and how you'll get there. (And my suggestion is it will include staying off the scale and keeping the focus on how you feel!)

[jburth7]

Is there a specific reason you didn't start re-intros after 30 days?  Remember, this is not supposed to be a Whole365.  Doing the re-intros and then realizing what off road foods are "worth it" helped me.  I generally still eat Whole30 but without the label of doing 30 days, I find it much more sustainable.  For me, gluten, dairy and legumes are not worth it.  The occasional sweet treat is but knowing I have the healthy relationship with food behind me and my general meal template each day, I'm able to indulge when I want to, not feel restricted and thus not let old habits sneak back in. 

 

Maybe continuing on this 'perfect' path of eating is just getting to you and you need to 'ride your own bike' like they say after the 30 days?

[BossyMother]

Cayenne I love the idea of starting over with each meal and having a long string of successes!

LadyM you are right. A Whole45 is pretty impressive. I do not want to end the healthy eating lifestyle, ever. I will avoid the scales!

Jburth7 30 days is just not enough to break a lifetime of bad habits. I read in the book and elsewhere that sometimes it takes 60 or 90 days to fully reset your system. Knowing myself, I know I fit into that category. I have a sugar addiction. I am in no way ready for that occasional sweet treat you speak of. I would snap. True story - I lost 45 lbs over a 5-6 month period about 18 months ago. Gained that 45 plus within 5 months after falling off the proverbial wagon. I was within 15 lbs of meeting a potentially life saving goal (not exaggerating) and blew it. Now I'm back at square one. I am an addict. It is the one area of my life where I have no self control. I see the Whole9 as my life preserver. But I've got to get it right.

[cayenne]

There will be periods of struggling, of course. It may be daily for a while, it may be weekly. As long as you come back to the habit of healthy eating.  I have yet to trust myself around sweets and at my age(56) I doubt the light will go on and I will be able to do that. So I can not tell myself never again will I eat sweets-not realistic for me. But, I can try to do well with lunch today, and it seems with each small meal success, it builds on each other. Easy for me to say as I blew it this past weekend and the whole year before that:). I do better not looking at it as all or none-like I failed and have to re start if I didn't look at a label close enough. For me-I have to stop the self sabotage, and not kicking myself is a good start. I have had a good week, so far. And right now, that is good enough-For me.

[BossyMother]

Cayenne your words resonate. I understand self sabotage all too well. I've actually had a pretty good week too. I've battled the food demon and won, thus far. And that's something to celebrate. Thanks for the perspective!