How do you lose weight on the whole30?

[VRod59]

I did the juice diet three years ago, and lost 20 lbs. I continued paleo and I was feeling great, and kept the weight off. Last summer I was eating wheat again and my weight ballooned to 206 lbs. I returned to paleo without success. My cholesterol is sky high and the doctor said I am pre-diabetic. Today I finished the whole 30. I did not loose an ounce. My clothes are just as tight and uncomfortable. My energy level improved, but not by much.

I did not cheat at all.

Typical day:

M1: Sautéed cabbage & 1 egg

M2: green salad seasoned with olive oil and orange vinegar and left over meat and vegetables.

M3: 1 med pork chop, fish (usually salmon), or 1 burger patty with green salad and carrots, zucchini, or broccoli

Fruit: 1 banana, 1 orange or 1 apple (2 per day, most days)

Carrot sticks with 1 tbp. of homemade mayo for pre WO snack.

I cook things with coconut oil, olive oil or ghee

 

What went wrong?

[ShannonM816]

I did the juice diet three years ago, and lost 20 lbs. I continued paleo and I was feeling great, and kept the weight off. Last summer I was eating wheat again and my weight ballooned to 206 lbs. I returned to paleo without success. My cholesterol is sky high and the doctor said I am pre-diabetic. Today I finished the whole 30. I did not loose an ounce. My clothes are just as tight and uncomfortable. My energy level improved, but not by much.

I did not cheat at all.

Typical day:

M1: Sautéed cabbage & 1 egg

M2: green salad seasoned with olive oil and orange vinegar and left over meat and vegetables.

M3: 1 med pork chop, fish (usually salmon), or 1 burger patty with green salad and carrots, zucchini, or broccoli

Fruit: 1 banana, 1 orange or 1 apple (2 per day, most days)

Carrot sticks with 1 tbp. of homemade mayo for pre WO snack.

I cook things with coconut oil, olive oil or ghee

 

What went wrong?

 

First, understand that the more issues you already have coming into Whole30 and the longer you have had them, or the more unhealthy your eating has been, the longer it may take to really reap all the rewards of a program like this.

 

Second, understand that this is not a "diet" the way we normally think of diets. This is about feeding your body plenty of healthy, nutritious foods, so that it can operate at its very best. When you do this, and your body knows that it's going to get plenty of nutrition, consistently, then it will let go of weight, but if you try to starve yourself to lose weight, that can work temporarily, but then will backfire as your metabolism slows down and your body holds onto fat to help it cope with not getting enough food and nutrients on a consistent basis.

 

As for specifically what went wrong for you, I'd hazard a guess that you haven't been eating enough. All of your meals should follow the meal template, and notice that the template includes a range of portion sizes. If you're active, or if you're hungry between meals, or if you're just tired all the time and can't figure out why, try eating at the upper end of the template range for a few days and see if that makes a difference.

 

When eggs are your only source of protein, have as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand, which is probably 3-4. If you don't want that many eggs at once, have an egg or two plus some other source of protein -- some sausage, chicken, a hamburger patty, whatever's leftover from the previous night's supper.

 

When the template says to fill your plate with vegetables, that's at a minimum one cup, but 2-3 cups is even better. Salads are notoriously not filling, so if you have a meal that is just salad, be sure you have lots and lots of it, or as you've listed here, have it with some other vegetables as well.

 

For all your meals, add fat. Not just the fat you cook in, as that often stays in the pan and isn't consumed. Add a big dollop of mayo, or a heaping handful of olives or coconut flakes, or half to a whole avocado -- basically pick one or two of the options listed on the meal template at every meal.

 

Pre-workout, you want protein and fat, so a hard boiled egg, or some leftover chicken & mayo or avocado. Post-workout, you want lean protein and optionally some starchy vegetables -- many people like chicken breast or tuna with some sweet potato. Both of these are in addition to your three meals, and of the two, post-workout contributes most to your recovery. Here's an article explaining a little more about how that works.

 

If you have fruit, have it with a meal, not alone. If you're truly hungry between meals, have a mini-meal of protein, fat, and vegetables, or at least two of the three.

 

It's also worth noting that while food is important to weight loss, things like stress and sleep patterns and recovery from exercise also contribute to weight loss.

[VRod59]

Shannon, 

Thank you so much for your reply. You are incredible in writing such a long reply. I am taking copious notes. I have been hungry around 3 (my M2 is around 12:30). I'll increase my intake (it sounds so counter intuitive)

 

Before Whole 30, I have been eating (mostly) healthy, except for the Saturday cheats of sharing a pastry with my daughter and the 2 spoonfuls of cream with my daily coffee or tea. I have substituted that with coconut cream, and I am not eating sugar at all.

 

Question: why should the fruit be eaten with meals? it has been my go-to snack if I am hungry between meals or before going to bed.

[ShannonM816]

Shannon, 

Thank you so much for your reply. You are incredible in writing such a long reply. I am taking copious notes. I have been hungry around 3 (my M2 is around 12:30). I'll increase my intake (it sounds so counter intuitive)

 

Before Whole 30, I have been eating (mostly) healthy, except for the Saturday cheats of sharing a pastry with my daughter and the 2 spoonfuls of cream with my daily coffee or tea. I have substituted that with coconut cream, and I am not eating sugar at all.

 

Question: why should the fruit be eaten with meals? it has been my go-to snack if I am hungry between meals or before going to bed.

 

When you eat fruit on its own, it can cause a spike in blood sugar, followed by a drop. That can leave you feeling tired and hungry and can even affect your mood. Having the fruit with a full meal, with plenty of fat and protein and vegetables, helps mitigate that spike.

 

There's also the fact that eating fruit on its own, or considering it a dessert or a treat, can keep you craving sweets.

[newwhole30er]

And despite what popular culture and asleep at the wheel doctors are saying, healthy is a lot slimmer than most people in 2016 in the USA. 

 

Are you saying that the popular culture ideal of slimness is not even slim enough? Or did I understand you wrong? Because most people would say the opposite...

[praxisproject]

Not eating fruit on it's own was *huge* for me. I had always eaten fruit on an empty stomach my entire life before Whole30, I didn't even realise I did it (whole family did it so I assume we learned it from someone). Moving it to with meals had a dramatic impact on my fasted blood sugar, all positive 

 

Some doctors just aren't very helpful with metabolism issues, "eat less move more" is a great catchphrase but really isn't helpful for a lot of people. Even obese people can be under-eating.

 

We want healthy bodies with active muscle mass. Starvation diets can eat away your muscles which leaves your metabolism even slower as well as a backlog of repair work for your body. Health muscles need good nutrition and enough food to support their activities.

[Mamamondo]

After completing a Whole60 I gained 6 pounds not having used the scale (I weighed after 30 days and started on the next 30) until the end of 60 days it was very disappointing to have gained 6 pounds. I can not explain it. Any help.First Whole30 I lost only 2 lbs ...and started the next 30 at completion gained 6 lbs....and lossed muscle. Ugh.Having lost 60 lbs prior to my first Whole30 by following a more restrictive albeit ignorant Paleo diet I was looking to continue to lose another 30 lbs.Now I am worried. Does anyone have any advice...I followed the templates...didn't measure... didn't weigh...loved the freedom... Had a ton of energy BUT, I gained 6 lbs and lost muscle...double ugh!!

[ShannonM816]

After completing a Whole60 I gained 6 pounds not having used the scale (I weighed after 30 days and started on the next 30) until the end of 60 days it was very disappointing to have gained 6 pounds. I can not explain it. Any help.First Whole30 I lost only 2 lbs ...and started the next 30 at completion gained 6 lbs....and lossed muscle. Ugh.Having lost 60 lbs prior to my first Whole30 by following a more restrictive albeit ignorant Paleo diet I was looking to continue to lose another 30 lbs.Now I am worried. Does anyone have any advice...I followed the templates...didn't measure... didn't weigh...loved the freedom... Had a ton of energy BUT, I gained 6 lbs and lost muscle...double ugh!!

 

How do you know you lost muscle? Are you noticeably weaker than you were before you started? How are your clothes fitting -- the same, looser, tighter? 

 

Are you getting good sleep every night? Keeping your stress levels as low as possible? Getting some kind of exercise on a regular basis (even just walking)? Drinking at least 1/2 oz of water per pound of body weight (so a 120 lb person needs at least 60 oz per day)? These things will all contribute to weight loss as well, as can any underlying medical conditions.

 

Could you give us an example of  a day or two of typical meals, including approximate portion sizes as they relate to the meal template? Also include examples of any exercise and any pre- and post-workout meals you'd have.

[MeadowLily]

After completing a Whole60 I gained 6 pounds not having used the scale (I weighed after 30 days and started on the next 30) until the end of 60 days it was very disappointing to have gained 6 pounds. I can not explain it. Any help.First Whole30 I lost only 2 lbs ...and started the next 30 at completion gained 6 lbs....and lossed muscle. Ugh.Having lost 60 lbs prior to my first Whole30 by following a more restrictive albeit ignorant Paleo diet I was looking to continue to lose another 30 lbs.Now I am worried. Does anyone have any advice...I followed the templates...didn't measure... didn't weigh...loved the freedom... Had a ton of energy BUT, I gained 6 lbs and lost muscle...double ugh!!

Have you had a muscle and bone mass test.  Baseline testing and where you are today.