Whole90

[Hilojack]

3 week mark for me and well, kind of disappointing. Compared to my first go around on whole30, I don't feel nearly as good.

No loose fitting pants, no energy burst, my eliminations are not what I had come to expect, and I'm kind of gassy. I'm not tired, but I know I'm not sleeping that great either-- 5.5-6 hours a night rather than usual 7.

So I tried to go back and see what I'm doing differently. Last time I did this was because my wife was doing it and I didn't really get into the spirit of it.

Then: larabar breakfast, large handful of nuts for a snack, compliant lunch, compliant dinner albeit larger than recommended portions. Multiple restarts and some drinking (2 weddings).

Now: compliant breakfast, occasional snack, compliant lunch, and dinner. No mess ups on food. Every meal eaten at home. Skipped 2 social events to remove temptation, started working out-- tho that got derailed because I was sick for a week in the middle and I had trouble in the beginning with the extra meals surrounding the workouts. I think I figured the workout meals out so now I've been waiting to feel the benefits i have come to expect to restart working out and it hasn't happened yet!

In short, I feel like I'm losing motivation, am not sure what more I can do to get in the zone, and now wish I was half-assing the program again and not skipping social engagements regardless of outcome.

As most here on this thread are not new to whole30, any thoughts on the difference between the first time and now? Is everything going as expected? Thx

[cottagequeen]

How'd you do with the 100? Any huge changes in medical issues, etc?

Tj V, My story is in my Signature. See "CQI success story" under my name. Tells about my whole 60 and why I did the Whole 100. I need to update it from there, things are pretty busy at work right now so will have to wait a while longer.. The 100 helped a lot in my journey. I was amazed that I didn't miss anything the whole time. Everyone's story is different, everyone's body is different. I can tell you I noticed the biggest physical changes in my first go round. It started as a Whole30 that I extended into a whole60. It took 50 years to get in the shape I was in. Now, I am peeling off the layers. I know it won't happen in 30/60/90/100... days, but the culmination of each one is that everytime, I learn something different and MY WholeMe gets better each time. Somethings are more subtle, like just an over all feeling of well being and care for myself. That is vital for long term health. I think that is what I got from the 100. Now I am working on the next layer, what ever my body/mind decides that is. It's innate knowledge will lead me as I feed it the nutrients it needs to do it.

[Tj V]

3 week mark for me and well, kind of disappointing. Compared to my first go around on whole30, I don't feel nearly as good.

No loose fitting pants, no energy burst, my eliminations are not what I had come to expect, and I'm kind of gassy. I'm not tired, but I know I'm not sleeping that great either-- 5.5-6 hours a night rather than usual 7.

So I tried to go back and see what I'm doing differently. Last time I did this was because my wife was doing it and I didn't really get into the spirit of it.

Then: larabar breakfast, large handful of nuts for a snack, compliant lunch, compliant dinner albeit larger than recommended portions. Multiple restarts and some drinking (2 weddings).

Now: compliant breakfast, occasional snack, compliant lunch, and dinner. No mess ups on food. Every meal eaten at home. Skipped 2 social events to remove temptation, started working out-- tho that got derailed because I was sick for a week in the middle and I had trouble in the beginning with the extra meals surrounding the workouts. I think I figured the workout meals out so now I've been waiting to feel the benefits i have come to expect to restart working out and it hasn't happened yet!

In short, I feel like I'm losing motivation, am not sure what more I can do to get in the zone, and now wish I was half-assing the program again and not skipping social engagements regardless of outcome.

As most here on this thread are not new to whole30, any thoughts on the difference between the first time and now? Is everything going as expected? Thx

Hang in there, Hilo. I must admit that I cheated and stepped on the scale and was disappointed and shocked that I had only lost 3 pounds in 15 days. I suppose that's still good, but last time I did the W30, I lost 8.5 pounds and several inches. This tells me to stop cheating and looking at the numbers and also I feel like it says that the bigger weight loss/inches comes in the second half, for me anyway. I remember last time too, I went through a couple days (not sure where this occurred on the journey) where I felt worse and was bloating and my pants actually felt tighter, rather than looser. 

I feel you on the loss of motivation. Seems like I'm having more cravings at Day 15 and also am more reluctant to fix breakfast right off the bat. I'm sleeping ok, but then again, I take melatonin and have so many aches and pains (on a normal basis) that I take pain meds (otc) every night. I feel less hungry in the mornings, but I'm more hungry in the day time, so I feel like my metabolism is speeding up, even though my results don't show it. I feel like I'm losing inches in my stomach, so I'm going with that. Haven't had that surge of energy either....yet! 

I'm moving forward and I'm hoping you are too! I've got 10 weeks and 4 days left. April 7th is my day. I'm just gonna concentrate on that and on sticking to the program. I haven't started exercising either, but plan to. I'm sure that will help with my pain in my legs and lower back. 

Good luck and stick to it!

[Tj V]

Tj V, My story is in my Signature. See "CQI success story" under my name. Tells about my whole 60 and why I did the Whole 100. I need to update it from there, things are pretty busy at work right now so will have to wait a while longer.. The 100 helped a lot in my journey. I was amazed that I didn't miss anything the whole time. Everyone's story is different, everyone's body is different. I can tell you I noticed the biggest physical changes in my first go round. It started as a Whole30 that I extended into a whole60. It took 50 years to get in the shape I was in. Now, I am peeling off the layers. I know it won't happen in 30/60/90/100... days, but the culmination of each one is that everytime, I learn something different and MY WholeMe gets better each time. Somethings are more subtle, like just an over all feeling of well being and care for myself. That is vital for long term health. I think that is what I got from the 100. Now I am working on the next layer, what ever my body/mind decides that is. It's innate knowledge will lead me as I feed it the nutrients it needs to do it.

Thanks. I'll check it out!

[Hilojack]

Thanks, I haven't even thought about stepping on the scale because I know it won't be inspirational to say the least.

My bigger issue is that I just don't feel the same. Last time, I could feel the inches coming off, I could tell by my eliminations that I was in that optimal condition of fat burning, had tons of energy and lost 15 lbs not even trying.

Now I just don't feel any similar and am frustrated. I'm gonna stick with for another 3 weeks but if I can't improve then this might just end up being a whole45

Hang in there, Hilo. I must admit that I cheated and stepped on the scale and was disappointed and shocked that I had only lost 3 pounds in 15 days. I suppose that's still good, but last time I did the W30, I lost 8.5 pounds and several inches. This tells me to stop cheating and looking at the numbers and also I feel like it says that the bigger weight loss/inches comes in the second half, for me anyway. I remember last time too, I went through a couple days (not sure where this occurred on the journey) where I felt worse and was bloating and my pants actually felt tighter, rather than looser.

I feel you on the loss of motivation. Seems like I'm having more cravings at Day 15 and also am more reluctant to fix breakfast right off the bat. I'm sleeping ok, but then again, I take melatonin and have so many aches and pains (on a normal basis) that I take pain meds (otc) every night. I feel less hungry in the mornings, but I'm more hungry in the day time, so I feel like my metabolism is speeding up, even though my results don't show it. I feel like I'm losing inches in my stomach, so I'm going with that. Haven't had that surge of energy either....yet!

I'm moving forward and I'm hoping you are too! I've got 10 weeks and 4 days left. April 7th is my day. I'm just gonna concentrate on that and on sticking to the program. I haven't started exercising either, but plan to. I'm sure that will help with my pain in my legs and lower back.

Good luck and stick to it!

[Tj V]

Thanks, I haven't even thought about stepping on the scale because I know it won't be inspirational to say the least.

My bigger issue is that I just don't feel the same. Last time, I could feel the inches coming off, I could tell by my eliminations that I was in that optimal condition of fat burning, had tons of energy and lost 15 lbs not even trying.

Now I just don't feel any similar and am frustrated. I'm gonna stick with for another 3 weeks but if I can't improve then this might just end up being a whole45

 

I understand. I'm planning on sticking it out. I'm still hoping for that tiger blood. I never really got that last time. Must quit eating seeds though....I'm sabotaging myself I think.

[Tj V]

Thanks, I haven't even thought about stepping on the scale because I know it won't be inspirational to say the least.

My bigger issue is that I just don't feel the same. Last time, I could feel the inches coming off, I could tell by my eliminations that I was in that optimal condition of fat burning, had tons of energy and lost 15 lbs not even trying.

Now I just don't feel any similar and am frustrated. I'm gonna stick with for another 3 weeks but if I can't improve then this might just end up being a whole45

 

I understand. I'm planning on sticking it out. I'm still hoping for that tiger blood. I never really got that last time. Must quit eating seeds though....I'm sabotaging myself I think.

[ShannonM816]

For those having a different experience now than in past w30s, something to consider is how you ate before your first one, compared to how you ate before this one -- if many of your w30 habits stuck, you may not have gotten to feeling as bad before this round as you felt before your first one, so there just isn't as much room for improvement. I don't know if that applies for any of you, but it's something to consider.

[cottagequeen]

Ditto to ShannonM816's comment and snacking can hinder the good changes. Follow the template, add more fat/protein if needed to make it those 4-5 hrs. Read or reread It Starts With Food...

[Hilojack]

For those having a different experience now than in past w30s, something to consider is how you ate before your first one, compared to how you ate before this one -- if many of your w30 habits stuck, you may not have gotten to feeling as bad before this round as you felt before your first one, so there just isn't as much room for improvement. I don't know if that applies for any of you, but it's something to consider.

This is likely the case for me. I stopped taking truvia with my coffee after the first W30 and always sort of stuck to the food substitutes.

But I did go back to other bad habits: drinking, snacking, etc or in other words, everyday stuff "normal" people do. And I gained back every single pound I lost.

So now what? Will I ever lose weight gain eating like this? Or so I need to do a garbage binge in order to see better results? So confused...

[Rutherford]

I'm 3 days into my first W30, but if I can, I want to make it a W60 or W90.

[Tj V]

This is likely the case for me. I stopped taking truvia with my coffee after the first W30 and always sort of stuck to the food substitutes.

But I did go back to other bad habits: drinking, snacking, etc or in other words, everyday stuff "normal" people do. And I gained back every single pound I lost.

So now what? Will I ever lose weight gain eating like this? Or so I need to do a garbage binge in order to see better results? So confused...

I know how you feel, Hilojack. I seriously overate tonight though and feel bloated. I think I might have to do away with fruit for now. I seriously don't think I've lost any weight or inches and I'm on Day 17. My clothes feel the same. I'm not willing to quit though. I'm gonna stick it out and just tweek some things, like cutting down on my fruit and those darned seeds! I know they say if you're eating the right foods, you don't have to really watch your portions, but I think I'm eating too much. On the other hand, I don't want to be hungry all the time either. I've got to figure this out. It's my last hope. And it's my Mom's last hope. Good luck to you, Hilo. I know it's frustrating, but try to hang in there.

[Tj V]

I'm 3 days into my first W30, but if I can, I want to make it a W60 or W90.

Welcome!! Good luck! I'm hoping for a W90 too. I did my first W30 in 2014 and lost 8.5 lbs and several inches on it, but I ran right back to the foods that caused all the problems in the first place. I am a bit frustrated right now, but I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong. Try not to let the frustrations some of are going through, discourage you. Lots of nice folks on this thread, so we're glad to have you.

[Hilojack]

I know how you feel, Hilojack. I seriously overate tonight though and feel bloated. I think I might have to do away with fruit for now. I seriously don't think I've lost any weight or inches and I'm on Day 17. My clothes feel the same. I'm not willing to quit though. I'm gonna stick it out and just tweek some things, like cutting down on my fruit and those darned seeds! I know they say if you're eating the right foods, you don't have to really watch your portions, but I think I'm eating too much. On the other hand, I don't want to be hungry all the time either. I've got to figure this out. It's my last hope. And it's my Mom's last hope. Good luck to you, Hilo. I know it's frustrating, but try to hang in there.

Thanks again, TJ. I'm gonna stick it out. But man is it tough. Was out last night at an excellent tapas restaurant and was seriously questioning what I'm doing. Would a bite of garlic shrimp or manchego really be so bad? Or a glass of rioja? Didn't succumb buy man was it tough. I don't think that dairy us my issue, its definitely gluten and sugar (and alcohol). Like you, I'm gonna cut back on fruit, but I'm actually going to start back with nuts again. Will let u know how it goes! Hang in there everyone else!

[SusanB.]

Well, just get back on the horse. You know we always can learn from things we did or didn't do in the past. It's all about recognizing our downfalls and what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right? I have faith that you can change your eating habits and continue on in life with your new found revelations about how your body reacts to foods. If you can't make a whole 90, then you just do what you can. The fact that you stuck to the main principles is good, even though you went off road. You can do it!!

 

Hey, thanks for the encouragement - I'm back on the horse, day 4. What's interesting is that I find when I restart (not like I've had to do THAT before, ha), I don't go through the timeline all over again. Takes about two days for my guts to settle back down. So if I was on day 10 (my pants are tighter/the hardest days, by schedule, although I wasn't really feeling those) and I'm on day 4 now that puts me at...oh, I don't know.

 

Another major travel challenge - dining out for lunch on friday. I have to go to my mom's for delayed xmas visit (was rear-ended the day I was supposed to drive up there). Leaving after dinner on thursday. Packing friday breakfast and dinner. Packing saturday breakfast and, unfortunately, lunch-in-car (which will likely be an Epic bar and celery with sunbutter). Arranged the trip so that I can be home Saturday dinner time. But that lunch...

[runcolorado37]

On day 26 and I have yoyoed between "this is dumb- why am I even doing this!?" and "I love this I feel great I want to do this forever" more times this whole30 than in any of my past ones. I don't know what's causing the doubts but I keep telling myself .."Just wait until tomorrow, if you still want pizza tomorrow then you can have it" and I have never yet still wanted pizza the next day lol 

[Tj V]

Hey, thanks for the encouragement - I'm back on the horse, day 4. What's interesting is that I find when I restart (not like I've had to do THAT before, ha), I don't go through the timeline all over again. Takes about two days for my guts to settle back down. So if I was on day 10 (my pants are tighter/the hardest days, by schedule, although I wasn't really feeling those) and I'm on day 4 now that puts me at...oh, I don't know.

 

Another major travel challenge - dining out for lunch on friday. I have to go to my mom's for delayed xmas visit (was rear-ended the day I was supposed to drive up there). Leaving after dinner on thursday. Packing friday breakfast and dinner. Packing saturday breakfast and, unfortunately, lunch-in-car (which will likely be an Epic bar and celery with sunbutter). Arranged the trip so that I can be home Saturday dinner time. But that lunch...

I've totally got confidence in you. You can do this and at least you know what's coming so you can plan for it. I think it takes guts to get back on the horse and continue on. 

[Tj V]

On day 26 and I have yoyoed between "this is dumb- why am I even doing this!?" and "I love this I feel great I want to do this forever" more times this whole30 than in any of my past ones. I don't know what's causing the doubts but I keep telling myself .."Just wait until tomorrow, if you still want pizza tomorrow then you can have it" and I have never yet still wanted pizza the next day lol 

I don't think you're the long ranger on this one! My cravings have been for popcorn and cheeseburgers! So far so good though and I have days when I think "what's the use!" But I have issues I just know, in my knower, that aren't ever gonna get resolved, health wise, without giving this the commitment it deserves and frankly, that I deserve. So, I'm plodding along, still hoping for the looser pants and that darned elusive tiger blood!!!

[Hilojack]

So I'm still not feeling any different and haven't made the changes yet. Went to trader joes today and the place was cleaned out! They haven't been able to get deliveries I guess with the weather so I'll just ride out the week.

One of the moms at my kids school said I look like I've lost a lot of weight so there's that. Small mental victory, but maybe this is working unbeknownst to me. Either way I'll take it

[Tj V]

So I'm still not feeling any different and haven't made the changes yet. Went to trader joes today and the place was cleaned out! They haven't been able to get deliveries I guess with the weather so I'll just ride out the week.

One of the moms at my kids school said I look like I've lost a lot of weight so there's that. Small mental victory, but maybe this is working unbeknownst to me. Either way I'll take it

Well, we don't always see our progress cause we see ourselves in the mirror every day! Maybe she's right and you just don't see it. I'd take it too!

[runcolorado37]

Day 28/90.. and although i feel leaner, faster and stronger I still find it frustrating that i'm not at my most lean in the last 5 years, i'm not the fastest i've been in 5 years, I don't think I'm even at my strongest!

 

Right when everything is going good - eating great, working out a ton, getting in runs, powerlifting and yoga then.. life will happen! Works gets crazy, I get sick, family emergencies come up, your routine changes.. and it catapults me back who knows how many steps. I guess it just gets easier each time to rebound to where you were, and push it a little further before you get pushed back again. So hopefully nothing comes up in these 90 days and I can get a little further ahead in my overall fitness and health journey!! I'm optimistic I will hit some PRs by the end of these 90 days

[Tj V]

Day 28/90.. and although i feel leaner, faster and stronger I still find it frustrating that i'm not at my most lean in the last 5 years, i'm not the fastest i've been in 5 years, I don't think I'm even at my strongest!

 

Right when everything is going good - eating great, working out a ton, getting in runs, powerlifting and yoga then.. life will happen! Works gets crazy, I get sick, family emergencies come up, your routine changes.. and it catapults me back who knows how many steps. I guess it just gets easier each time to rebound to where you were, and push it a little further before you get pushed back again. So hopefully nothing comes up in these 90 days and I can get a little further ahead in my overall fitness and health journey!! I'm optimistic I will hit some PRs by the end of these 90 days

I know what you mean, but mine is more like poor choices, usually. I'm retired so I have the luxury of not having work related stresses. I'm struggling with laziness too and I know that will get me every time, if I don't confront it. I think it's time to go read some "success stories" and get some motivation back.

[Hilojack]

What a difference a week makes! I've been in the zone for the past few days and while I couldn't "feel" the results of the first 3 weeks, I now feel like its caught up and have felt extra great.

So what changed? In short, eating more food. Particularly more good fats. And learning to eat when I'm not "hungry". This constantly leaves me feeling full which has always been sort of opposite of how I thought I was supposed to feel.

Actual changes to food regimen: reduced the amount of fruit, only in the am. Added a full avocado and half a sweet potato to daily in take, usually surrounding workouts which I am happy to say have returned with a vengeance. Basically doubled the size of my dinners.

I think the earlier problem was that I was trying to hard to fit the template, and the lack of food was causing me to lose energy which created a negative feedback loop-- skipping workouts, eating less etc.

And if you think about it, it kind of makes sense. The difference between the amount of food that should be consumed by say a 150lb woman and a 250lb male is more than just a few oz. Of protein.

I've spent more time reading the workout thread and it was really helpful. So definitely gonna stick with it.

Hope this helps and provides extra motivation for those on this thread!

[Tj V]

What a difference a week makes! I've been in the zone for the past few days and while I couldn't "feel" the results of the first 3 weeks, I now feel like its caught up and have felt extra great.

So what changed? In short, eating more food. Particularly more good fats. And learning to eat when I'm not "hungry". This constantly leaves me feeling full which has always been sort of opposite of how I thought I was supposed to feel.

Actual changes to food regimen: reduced the amount of fruit, only in the am. Added a full avocado and half a sweet potato to daily in take, usually surrounding workouts which I am happy to say have returned with a vengeance. Basically doubled the size of my dinners.

I think the earlier problem was that I was trying to hard to fit the template, and the lack of food was causing me to lose energy which created a negative feedback loop-- skipping workouts, eating less etc.

And if you think about it, it kind of makes sense. The difference between the amount of food that should be consumed by say a 150lb woman and a 250lb male is more than just a few oz. Of protein.

I've spent more time reading the workout thread and it was really helpful. So definitely gonna stick with it.

Hope this helps and provides extra motivation for those on this thread!

This totally helps me and I'm so glad you're feeling the results now! I've been feeling, "I'm just not losing weight...I'm eating too much, etc." Now I know this is a fallacy and I'm glad to read your story. I really need to cut the fruit down, I know it. Maybe I'll try your thing of having it at breakfast times. I definitely have to stop eating at dinner time. I'm using it as a dessert and I need to stop that. 

Very happy for you and thanks again for sharing! It helps.

[Tj V]

Here's a great article for any of you who haven't gotten "Tiger blood" yet, like me.

http://whole30.com/2014/04/tiger-blood/?utm_source=Wholesome&utm_campaign=b7de00ad22-Wholesome_35_1_18_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c2c05c4139-b7de00ad22-311566053