Day 31, feeling pretty good but literally no weight loss!

[thisishilarious]

OK, so, I am at least finding this very funny. I've had a good Whole30, really enjoyed getting back to sensible eating, plenty of veg, beautiful organic meats and fish, good fats. I've noticed some non-scale victories, including unexpected things like scars fading, massive reduction in both migraines and anxiety and more minor improvements in workout energy and general *effectiveness* at getting stuff done. I hoped for a good 'reset' for my eating habits, and it's done that for sure. 

 

However. I got on the scale this morning convinced that I'd lost *serious* weight - my clothes are fitting better for one thing, and I've noticed a decrease in appetite - and so imagine my laughter when the number on the scale was *exactly* the same as it was one month ago. And I'm 230 pounds and 5"3, so it's not like I don't have any weight to lose! 

 

I have had a lot of success in the past three years (down from 300+) by eating very low carb, so I did wonder how my body would react to the introduction of more fruit and some root vegetables and sweet potatoes. I guess I got my answer! 

 

I've reintroduced dairy today, because that was what I was missing the most, and so far so good; I didn't think I was sensitive to dairy anyway, but it'll be interesting to see what happens. One thing I did notice during the Whole30 was that I had pretty extreme *tiredness* - like more than usual during the day - and that hasn't really gone away. Although, I've also been travelling a lot this month, to Australia, Hong Kong and Europe, so perhaps it's just a major victory not to have *gained* weight putting that kind of stress on my body! 

 

Anyway, would be interested to hear takes on this hilarious turn of events. For reference, here's a couple of sample days of food: 

 

Breakfast: omelette made with two or three eggs, two whole zucchini, a can of tuna and coconut oil

 

Lunch: homemade 'creamed' spinach (with coconut milk and ghee) and chard, pan-seared tuna steak with lemon and coconut aminos, roast cauliflower, an apple

 

Dinner: slow-cooked ox cheek with tomato, celery, onion, garlic and carrots,  mashed sweet potato with ghee

 

 

Breakfast: two fried eggs,  bacon, compliant sausage, fried mushrooms, sauteed spinach

 

Lunch: zucchini 'noodles' with meat sauce made with organic ground beef, ghee, tomatoes, onions, a banana

 

Dinner: roast chicken with roast butternut squash, steam-sauteed broccoli and brussels sprouts cooked with pancetta and garlic

 

 

Anyway, I've been eating *very well*, so it's been nice to remember what that feels like and get back to putting healthy, colourful, nutrient-rich food into my body. And the mood effects have been very nice - probably what's made me react to this turn of events by laughing not despairing! 

[jmcbn]

I didn't lose a single pound either. Not a one. And since starting to eat this way in February I'd say I've probably gained weight - I can't be sure though as I haven't weighed myself since the end of my first 30days when as I mentioned before I hadn't lost a single pound.

What I HAD lost though was body fat - and quite a substantial amount given that I'd little weight to lose. I'd traded up fat for lean muscle. My clothes fitted better, I looked better, I felt better. 

I continue to eat Whole30 (pretty much 99% of the time), my body composition continues to change, and my overall health & well being continue to improve - I'm happy, settled, stable, energised, focused, I sleep well, my hair & nails grow like wild fire, and my skin is clear & glowing. Given all of these NSVs does the number on the scale matter to me? Not a jot - and this coming from someone with a background of disordered eating (& obsessive weighing) in her teens...

You mention that you have weight to lose. But you don't mention where you came from diet-wise, or health-wise. Did you come from a back ground of restricted eating? Yo-yo dieting? Bingeing? Did you have pre-existing medical conditions? Do you suffer from stress of any kind? Are you sleeping well? Exercising?

All of these things will have an impact on the success (or lack thereof) of your Whole30.

You noticed many NSV's, so maybe 30days just wasn't enough for your body to get itself into a 'happy place' where it was comfortable shedding weight. Maybe it's primary focus was on healing.

You mention feeling extreme tiredness throughout the day, and whilst your meals look generally good from what I can see/tell they could be a little on the small side and they are often lacking in added fat which would definitely help with energy levels.

Also, how was your water intake? Did you aim for the half an ounce of water per pound of body weight daily as per the recommendation?

Sometimes 30days just isn't enough for our bodies to recover from the damage we've done over the previous 30years...

[thisishilarious]

Thanks for your thoughts! 

 

So my situation has been that I've had a *lot* of weird and disordered eating in my past. My mum started taking me to Weightwatchers when I was six years old (yeahhhhh, I know, why did they take me?! why did no one tell her that this was probably *her* shit, not her six-year-old daughter's?! still, that happened) and I spent all the years from then through my teens doing crazy diets, then putting on more weight, then trying again with the typical low-fat, high-carb diet, then putting on more weight, etc etc. I called a halt to all this in my mid-20s, and spent several years just learning how to listen to my body's natural hunger signals and not trying to lose a pound, just getting to know my body, taking up gentle exercise for enjoyment not as punishment for my body. I have PCOS, which tends to make weightloss less than superfun in general. 

 

Then a few years ago I decided I was ready to try low-carb, which is recommended for PCOS women. It worked well for me in that I lost between 70 and 80 pounds over about three years, before the weight loss slowed and then stopped. I exercise by walking between 7k and 12k steps a day, I do Pilates, I swim, and I do some gentle jogging to get my heart rate up into the 70-80% target zone 4-5 x a week. I'd love to get back to lifting as well, which I've really enjoyed in the past. 

 

In terms of stress and sleep - I sleep pretty well, I'm lucky in that I always have, really. I don't get *enough* sleep (about 7 hours a night) and I think that's something I'm really going to focus on over the next month. I have a creative job that I *love*, which takes me round the world and is incredibly fulfilling and meaningful to me. But that does mean that I forget to take 'time off' (because it's not really as fun to me as my job!) and have to remember not to still be working at 9 or 10pm, and try to stay away from work at the weekends. 

 

Re: water intake. I actually love drinking water, I don't really like drinking anything else! (In fact, I don't like alcohol, so that part of the programme was a breeze for me.) I generally drink at least 4-5 pints a day, but I didn't measure my intake, so maybe that's something else to focus on. 

 

My thinking at the moment is to test out dairy and soy, which are the two things I actually missed. If I'm OK with both of those, I'm really comfortable with keeping on with this way of eating, but cutting back more on carbs again - just one portion of berries etc a day, and no sweet potato, banana, etc. And to *really* focus on getting good sleep, which I think my body is probably telling me I need, what with the constant tiredness! 

 

I'm happy for this to be a longterm project of wellness, experimenting till I find a good place for my body. 

[thisishilarious]

(Oh yeah: UK pints, so that's a 20-ounce pint. So 80-100 ounces of water a day. Not quite at half an ounce per pound of weight, but not too far off. Happy to up it by another pint or two though, I love drinking water.)

[ultrarunnergirl]

The real question to ask yourself is why the number on the scale really matters. If you go down 2 sizes and look amazing, yet the number on the scale stays the same, would you really be happier/better off if the reverse were true?

 

Kudos for realizing the NSVs!

[thisishilarious]

I know, man! I think that's probably also why I'm feeling pretty chilled about it. I know my clothes are fitting better, I have a sense of accomplishment, and I'm sitting down to a lunch of gorgeous gelatinous slow-cooked beef cheek with cauliflower mash, olive oil and some delicious dairy-reintroduction *cheese* sprinkled on top, so life's feeling pretty good. It would have been nice to have that "objective" numerical measure to "prove" that I've achieved something, but eh, you can't measure life in numbers, be they on the scale or in the bank balance!

[Abbyknitz]

I have posted elsewhere on this topic, but I, too, lost NO weight. My pants are as tight as they were when I began (I am on day 33). While I feel better, I really DO need to lose weight; about 30 pounds, and I am in despair that there is no way to do this. 

 

IT's not about the number on the scale; I am simply too fat! 

[thisishilarious]

Yeah, I think it's a process of experimentation. Trying stuff, seeing what happens. This way of eating has had a number of nice effects for me, but it's not the kickstart to weight loss I was hoping for. A month to learn that seems fine to me - especially as I haven't *gained* weight, and I've reintroduced some great, longterm healthy habits into my life. 

 

I know that for me strict calorie-counting tends to tip me over into *absolute crazypants* pretty quickly, so it's not a good longterm plan. I'm looking for a way to eat longterm that increases my health, mentally and physically. Whole30 certainly hasn't been terrible! But neither has it been "omg yes this is definitely 100% the way forward and the *answer* for me", as it seems to be for some people (and that's great for them!)

 

<3 for you Abbyknitz. One thing that helps me is to remember that my life is much, much more than what I weigh. There are still people who love me, there's still work to do, there are still so many pleasures large and small, even if I am in a fat body today ;-). Sunsets still look as good, hot baths still feel as great, a head-thrown-back-laughing conversation with an old friend is still as wonderful, a fantastic novel is still as engrossing, a stroll in the park is still as beautiful. It's so easy to focus on the one thing that isn't 'right' and miss all the stuff that is already perfect. 

 

xxx

[jmcbn]

... One thing that helps me is to remember that my life is much, much more than what I weigh. There are still people who love me, there's still work to do, there are still so many pleasures large and small, even if I am in a fat body today ;-). Sunsets still look as good, hot baths still feel as great, a head-thrown-back-laughing conversation with an old friend is still as wonderful, a fantastic novel is still as engrossing, a stroll in the park is still as beautiful. It's so easy to focus on the one thing that isn't 'right' and miss all the stuff that is already perfect. 

 

xxx

Love this - Great attitude!

[Physibeth]

Let me add this bit of encouragement. I'm a group fitness instructor but not a typical one, definitely have body fat to lose. I've been mostly Whole30 for the better part of 2.5 years and have done 3 strict whole30s. I've lost pretty much no significant weight on the scale. However my members who see me in spandex for hours at a time each week are constantly asking me if I've lost weight and the last time I had my body fat measured I'd put on about 3 lbs of muscle and lost almost 2% body fat.

 

My point is this. Love and care for your body. Rest, eat, move, and enjoy your life. The safer your body feels the more likely it is to let go of what's necessary. Our bodies know how to be healthy if we let them. I know for me that being more consistent with my food and sleep are my biggest struggles and my body definitely reacts positively when I give them their proper place.

[Doodle]

It looks like you've had a lot of success and non-scale victories! That is definitely something to be happy about. 

 

And if your clothes are fitting better, etc, then of course what the scale says isn't important.

 

Your meals look really healthy, tasty, and on-plan, too. And you certainly have a lot of NSV's to feel great about! My only input would be--based on my own experience--to support your idea of skipping the higher-sugar items like the apple, banana, and the sweet potato for awhile. I expect that sticking to the lower-carb veggies and fruits (like berries and melons) for awhile, like you proposed, would help a lot. For me, this approach also helps me to feel better and more steady blood-sugar and energy wise. 

 

I hesitate to say this because I know carb-counting and weight loss aren't the goals of the Whole30. But since you asked , I wanted to share my own experience. 

 

I know this is my first post, but I've been eating versions of clean/low-carb/paleo (and now Whole 30!) style for more than 15 years now, and am an avid lurker here. 

 

But like everyone else is saying, you are already doing great!!

[missmary]

My only input would be--based on my own experience--to support your idea of skipping the higher-sugar items like the apple, banana, and the sweet potato for awhile. I expect that sticking to the lower-carb veggies and fruits (like berries and melons) for awhile, like you proposed, would help a lot.

 

I would proceed with caution here. Although I would have no qualms recommending less (or no) fruit), limiting starchy carbohydrate vegetables can backfire. Some people do well without any, but I think they might be in the minority (at least the minority of women). One fist-size portion of starchy carbs per day is plenty low carb for weight loss. Add more if you find energy level or mood are suffering.