Sheer terror I won't lose weight

[ElizabethVC82]

i don't know why I'm posting this in ladies' only, it just feels safer. I'm on day 6 of my first W30, and consumed with fear of finishing this whole thing and not losing any weight. Having no health issues or food aversions to speak of, moderate weight loss (5-10 lbs) is my main goal, plus a break from my wine habit. I am sticking to it and doing and feeling great, but I'm also filled with dread hat I'll get on the scale in 24 days and the number will be the same Words of wisdom?

[ShannonM816]

So, what if you do get on the scale and it says the same amount? What happens? Does the world end? Are you suddenly less loved by your friends and family? Are you any less valuable or useful as a member of society?

 

Weight is just a number. It doesn't tell you anything very useful. There are several articles about why you shouldn't put so much emphasis on the scale -- maybe start with this one and this one. And then maybe check out this post for visual evidence of how weight doesn't tell you anything about body composition or how you look.

[Brewer5]

No health issues, maybe 5-10 pounds to lose, and you can use the words "sheer terror"?

There are people here every day who are using this program to cure themselves of disease and get out of the life-threatening obesity category.

So you spend 30 days eating the best you ever have and let's say you don't lose weight. If that is really ALL that matters -- maybe this is not the right program for you at this time.

[loobylifts]

Trust your body and trust the process, whatever happens is what you need. Your body is smart - it knows what to do.

[ElizabethVC82]

Yikes! I thought this was a judgment-free zone! Guess not. I'm going to stick the program regardless because I feel good. I realize that some people may need it for serious health issues but that doesn't make my W30 experience meaningless.

[ElizabethVC82]

Trust your body and trust the process, whatever happens is what you need. Your body is smart - it knows what to do.

Thank you! You're right about that.

[missmary]

Yikes! I thought this was a judgment-free zone! Guess not. I'm going to stick the program regardless because I feel good. I realize that some people may need it for serious health issues but that doesn't make my W30 experience meaningless.

 

The whole30 is for everyone, but I do think it is reasonable to express concern about someone feeling "sheer terror" about losing or not losing 5lbs. Perhaps you were just being dramatic? If your feelings are truly terror regarding this process I would recommend stepping back from it for a while. If reality is you would be pretty bummed out if you didn't lose what you had hoped, then you are right there with the majority of people doing the program. In that case I would say: trust the process and your body. When you have your results at the end--and if (that's a big if) they are not what you had hoped--we can discuss and reassess.

[MTNan]

I would bet that by the time you finish your 30 days, the number on the scale will be much less important than it is now. My main reasons for starting were to try to get rid of headaches, but also the same type of weight loss you are aiming for. I ended up losing 4 pounds during my 30 days, followed by 3-4 more over the next month or so. That was in March of this year, and I honestly have not been on a scale since then. I know when I eat well and feel good. My weight in numbers has no meaning for me any more.

[QuilterInVA]

Trust your body and trust the process, whatever happens is what you need. Your body is smart - it knows what to do.

I trusted my body before the W30 and ended up overweight, depressed, and not very healthy. Depending on how your eating habits have been, your body may not know what to do right now and that is why we are retraining it. My body used to tell me it needed ice cream for calcium and candy bars for energy. Now I actually crave vegetables and protein. Weight is pretty meaningless in that body builders are classified as obese by BMI standards. Look to the fit of your clothes, how you feel, and your energy level to measure how you are doing on the W30.

[Brewer5]

Yikes! I thought this was a judgment-free zone! Guess not. I'm going to stick the program regardless because I feel good. I realize that some people may need it for serious health issues but that doesn't make my W30 experience meaningless.

 

My post was not a judgment.  It was intended to be a bit of a reality check.  

 

And you did just exactly what I hoped you'd do:  You stopped and evaluated what is most important.

 

Every Whole 30 has meaning.  New things are learned every day, and every single one of them has an impact on that person's future decisions, health, and happiness.

 

If you are fixated on your scale weight to the point of it bringing you "sheer terror" -- and being "consumed with fear" and "filled with dread" -- well, this sounds downright awful to me.  It makes me sad.  

 

So I am really glad to see the bolded statements above.    Try to relax and enjoy the process.  If you are feeling good and determined on Day 6, imagine all of the non-scale victories you will be able to list by Day 30.

[loobylifts]

I trusted my body before the W30 and ended up overweight, depressed, and not very healthy. Depending on how your eating habits have been, your body may not know what to do right now and that is why we are retraining it. My body used to tell me it needed ice cream for calcium and candy bars for energy. Now I actually crave vegetables and protein. Weight is pretty meaningless in that body builders are classified as obese by BMI standards. Look to the fit of your clothes, how you feel, and your energy level to measure how you are doing on the W30.

I am sorry to hear that. Obviously it can be very psychological as well, not just physical. We crave the foods we have known and enjoyed for so long and thats a tough one to break, so well done! 

[ElizabethVC82]

Just to be clear, I used the phrase "sheer terror" as, yes, a bit of a dramatic phrasing. I over spoke. To speak plainly: I have struggled with body image since about the third grade, and these issues continue to haunt me at age 33. I began this program with a shallow goal, but I feel so good now that my goal has shifted to just keep feeling this way! I will make sure my future posts on this forum don't rely on hyperbole

[snailytrail]

I can relate. I have huge issues with my body. Huge. I started my first Whole 30 wanting desperately to lose weight. I didn't care about much else. Well, I lost lots but put it back on over the following month because to be honest, I did the Whole30 as a diet and not to change my eating habits or improve my health or slay my sugar dragon. Two years of Paleo later and I've learnt a lot. I'm now doing another Whole30 and I really am not focussed on weight loss because I know it will happen to a degree as a side effect and what is most important is my relationship with food (which feeds into body issues).

 

I'll also tell you something else. I was very strict for four months last year, I didn't technically do a Whole30 but very close. I lost about a dress size in weight, everyone in my life was telling me I looked incredible. My body shape changed dramatically. Do you know what? Un that four months I lost 2 pounds on the scale. Yup. Two. I was actually quite depressed in some ways, because every time I stepped on the scale I told myself 'I'm not losing, why am I not losing?' I got completely demoralised and derailed. If only I'd trusted my instincts and listened to my body. I wasn't even doing huge amounts of exercise, so it's not like I was building muscle. Sometimes you really can feel like you haven't lost and yet you have. So just take the focus OFF the scales and weight loss generally. Even if you feel you have good health, eating rubbish food is linked to cancer and Alzheimer's and heart disease and diabetes and believe me they still affect thin people or people who feel healthy at one stage or another.  This will still benefit you.  Lots of luck with it.

[SpunkyBug]

I totally feel you. I have been obsessed with my weight and body image for decades. As I get older I have been easing up on myself, but I still long to see on the scale whatever magical number I am focused on at the moment. Whole30 has helped me to finally turn the volume way down on this fixation.

 

But I have to admit that I have been a scale addict since about the age of 14. For me, the scale is like another food item that I am not capable of using moderately. During a Whole30, I follow the rules and don't weigh myself - I don't even have to hide the scale anymore, like I did on my first Whole30. BUT, as soon as I complete my 30 days, I go back to weighing myself EVERY morning. I am seriously thinking about ditching the scale for the first time in my life.  

 

Good luck to you. Some of us can be quite the drama queens about our weight.

[MrsStick]

Losing size =/= losing weight all the time. You might drop sizes in your clothes, have noticeable weight loss around your face and have the same number or a higher one on the scale. I know plenty of people in my office (all men lately) who have been doing crash dieting and then wondering how their weight is HIGHER...um...because your lunch consisted of 2 pouches of tuna and 6 crackers? No veggies? Low fat everything?

 

So just...focus on how you look and feel instead of the scale. The scale can be influenced by how hydrated you are, whether your meals yesterday have been fully digested or only partially, how healthy your gut microbiome is...and that's not something to base your happiness on.

[ReinventingMe]

You can do it friend! I am also thinking 'what if I do not lose'... O

[Mistyfire]

I lost 3 pounds this month but went down a size in my blouse and pants size. I don't exercise in particular. I finished a w30 in mid October and am doing reintros as the occasion comes up. The scale just doesn't tell the story.

[berrybird]

I have this fear, too. I'm honestly very overweight, and I will be undoubtedly disappointed if the scale doesn't budge downward at the end of these 30 days. Currently I'm on day 19, and, honestly, not a lot feels different to me in my day to day - if anything, I'm a little more tired these days, but I'm incredibly busy and life is stressful, so it's probably not the diet. It's hard not feeling anything physically beneficial from this, like so many others seem to feel. But I'm trying to focus on the good things that I know I *have* accomplished - I kicked a diet soda habit, and I've developed a habit of bringing my lunch to work instead of eating out or in the on-site cafeteria every day. I'm moving away from thinking of food as a reward, too, which is big. So even if at the end of this the scale hasn't budged, I will have accomplished some pretty good stuff, even if it turns out that Whole30 is not the solution to my weight problems.

[GFChris]

Currently I'm on day 19, and, honestly, not a lot feels different to me in my day to day - if anything, I'm a little more tired these days, but I'm incredibly busy and life is stressful, so it's probably not the diet.

Indeed, stress and insufficient quality sleep can cause your body to hold onto weight.

Do you need help coming up with some strategies to help in coping with your stress? If you're not getting 8 hours of quality sleep nightly, do you need help crafting a bedtime routine?

On the food front, if you'd like to see if you're on the right track, post a few days worth of your food log including portion sizes, water consumption and any exercise in the Troubleshooting section.  We can take a food for possible tweaks that may benefit you.

[SugarcubeOD]

I have this fear, too. I'm honestly very overweight, and I will be undoubtedly disappointed if the scale doesn't budge downward at the end of these 30 days. Currently I'm on day 19, and, honestly, not a lot feels different to me in my day to day - if anything, I'm a little more tired these days, but I'm incredibly busy and life is stressful, so it's probably not the diet. It's hard not feeling anything physically beneficial from this, like so many others seem to feel. But I'm trying to focus on the good things that I know I *have* accomplished - I kicked a diet soda habit, and I've developed a habit of bringing my lunch to work instead of eating out or in the on-site cafeteria every day. I'm moving away from thinking of food as a reward, too, which is big. So even if at the end of this the scale hasn't budged, I will have accomplished some pretty good stuff, even if it turns out that Whole30 is not the solution to my weight problems.

 

Sometimes the hard truth of the matter is that we end up very overweight because of the poor way we are treating our bodies.  It can very easily take longer than 30 days to heal your body and get it to trust that you're going to take care of it again... when it feels safe is when the weight comes off.  There is no other solution to weight problems than eating good wholesome food in good quantities in order to improve your hormones and metabolism.  

 

Perhaps if you like you can give us a run down on what you've been eating for the last few days including portion sizes.  Its a common pitfall of those of us who come to Whole30 from a place of restriction to use the Whole30 in 'theory' but actually still restrict our intake because we believe that if some is good, less is better and that is just untrue.

 

Congrats on your non scale victories!  Changing habits (your lunch) and kicking addictions is HUGE!

[Sallie Shuford]

Follow the program, and you WILL lose weight.

[4windsrider]

Hi Newbie,

I'm a vegetarian on day 14 of what will be a Whole25 for me.  I loved seeing someone else that was doing this partly to kick the wine habit !  That has been the most difficult part for me…evenings after work without my "reward" !!  (-;

That and eating so many eggs and trying fish for the first time in 35 years to take the place of my black beans, brown rice, tofu and nuts that are my usual "high protein" sources….

I have not weighed since starting the program…I also dread getting on the scale at the end and having not lost or (gasp!) gained weight…I expect that will be the case but I'm really trying to get off the "number" thing. I do need to lose about 20 lbs recently gained…So, I guess I have no real words of wisdom…just wanted to offer encouragement to keep off the scale and focus on whatever health improvements you start noticing. Good luck !

[thegoldengrahamgirl]

i don't know why I'm posting this in ladies' only, it just feels safer. I'm on day 6 of my first W30, and consumed with fear of finishing this whole thing and not losing any weight. Having no health issues or food aversions to speak of, moderate weight loss (5-10 lbs) is my main goal, plus a break from my wine habit. I am sticking to it and doing and feeling great, but I'm also filled with dread hat I'll get on the scale in 24 days and the number will be the same Words of wisdom?

 

I can absolutely relate to this (down to the fact that I am a 33-year old woman - how did THAT happen - and having 5-10 lbs to lose).  I was never one to fixate on weight in the past, but I picked it up as a bad habit (along with others) while doing IIFYM this past year.  So, no real words of wisdom beyond what everyone else has chimed in already, but I am here for empathy!

 

Just to be clear, I used the phrase "sheer terror" as, yes, a bit of a dramatic phrasing. I over spoke. To speak plainly: I have struggled with body image since about the third grade, and these issues continue to haunt me at age 33. I began this program with a shallow goal, but I feel so good now that my goal has shifted to just keep feeling this way! I will make sure my future posts on this forum don't rely on hyperbole

 

Yay!

 

 

I totally feel you. I have been obsessed with my weight and body image for decades. As I get older I have been easing up on myself, but I still long to see on the scale whatever magical number I am focused on at the moment. Whole30 has helped me to finally turn the volume way down on this fixation.

 

But I have to admit that I have been a scale addict since about the age of 14. For me, the scale is like another food item that I am not capable of using moderately. During a Whole30, I follow the rules and don't weigh myself - I don't even have to hide the scale anymore, like I did on my first Whole30. BUT, as soon as I complete my 30 days, I go back to weighing myself EVERY morning. I am seriously thinking about ditching the scale for the first time in my life.  

 

Good luck to you. Some of us can be quite the drama queens about our weight.

 

I am EXTREMELY sensitive.  I hate telling anyone.  If I had to get weighed on the doctor, I'd step on the scale and let the doctor record the number without telling me.  As long as it wasn't a problem, he/she didn't need to tell me what it was (and they never did).

 

Cheers,

 

-Lauren (GGG)

[katie_g]

I am with you OP I am trying to lose as much as possible too.

[VanessaAZ]

Wow - this is such a great topic and I am relieved to see that despite the concept that Whole30 is not supposed to be for weight loss, that loads of people do it to change th bodies. I get that the goal is to shut down the sugar dragon and improve my eating habits - but I'd be a liar if I said I didn't want my pants to loosen up!!!

That said, and a literal lifetime of diets under my belt- I am on day 6 of my first whole30 and feel like there is sense in this plan.

My accomplishments so far:

Quit diet soda cold turkey

Quit Splenda cold turkey

No chocolate, wine, cheese or bread for the last 5 days with intention to stick to my whole 30 days

Have greatly reduced after dinner snacking- am not totally sober on that yet

Sticking to the plan 100% compliant foods-no cheats (snacking is a habit that I need to improve- but I am trying to be kind to myself)

I came to this forum today looking to just say that the whole30 timeline is eerily exact for me: I was irritable last 2 days and starting day 6-- I am EXHAUSTED!!!

It's crazy. I don't like hype but that timeline seems pretty accurate for me-- anyone else??