Completed first Whole 30...bummed on the results...what should I do next?

[Jenga3511]

Hi, I finished my first whole30, which I am extremely proud of.  Previously I have always had a major sweet tooth and couldn't fathom living without sugar. But luckily the sugar cravings stopped after the first week.  I understand that my results after completing the whole30 should not be about weight, but I am 5'-9" and weight the same (202 lbs) as when I started.  I have felt clear headed and good while on the whole30, so I can't complain.  But because of not seeing any weight go down, I am conflicted with the decision I have ahead of myself...Start to reintroduce other foods or continue the Whole30???

 

I made the mistake of reading the book, "It starts with Food", while doing the whole30 instead of before. So I discovered things I wasn't suppose to do after I had already done them, i.e. having a glass of orange juice, eating too large of portions of cashews, etc.  I personally didn't think that I had to start over, since these are technically allowed.  I tried to stop doing these things, like only putting a splash of OJ in my sparkling water to give a fun drink with my breakfast.  I'll admit, I think cashews saved me in many situations, when I am not near good food, but I wonder if by over doing it with cashews could have sabotaged any weightless results.  I am sure I ate an entire package (10 oz) of cashews for  about 5 days but most other times only half that.

 

On a typical day I would have:

 

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with (2) tablespoons of coconut milk, half an avocado, 1/4 cup fresh salsa, and a cup of black tea.

Snack: Only if I know I will have a late lunch (banana or cashews)

Lunch: Protein salad (tuna or chicken) with homemade mayo, (12) cashews or almonds chopped, green onions or scallions, 6-8 grapes chopped, all on a bed of greens. Or I would have leftovers from the previous night (homemade meat tomato sauce with zucchini and summer squash noodles).

Dinner: Typically a whole30 recipe (Pot roast, chili, etc) or I would have chicken with a whole30 approved sauce from which I deglazed the pan from, asparagus, 3/4 c. mashed sweet potato, and berries (small handful of blueberries, grapes or rasberries)

 

Personally I felt good about the portions for Lunch and Dinner.  I noticed I would purposely not fill the bowl, because I knew it would satisfy me.  Where in the past, I would definitely overdo it and then end up being full.  Only once or twice I filled the bowl full because the portions wouldn't have been enough for another meal and I could tell afterwards that it was too much food or I ended up just tossing it out.

 

I wonder if my lack of weight loss mainly had to do with the fact that I didn't do a good job at exercising.  I rarely exercised.  Dedicating myself to the whole30 took a lot of my effort and yes it is easier now, so maybe I continue, but focus on incorporating exercise into my daily routine will help.

 

Any suggestions on what my next step should be or tips on how to be more successful would be appreciated!

[cocojoe]

I just finished my W30 yesterday and like you did not lose a pound nor did I expect to and I could care less about it. If you go into this with an expectation to lose weight you may very well be disappointed. Not everyone loses, some actually gain, and some may lose the weight but it happens in the weeks following their W30. Weight loss is anything but a neat, linear process and so many things affect it outside of food and exercise which is a poor mechanism for weight loss to begin with but is important in weight maintenance and a healthy functioning body and mindset, way more important than a number on the scale.

 

I am no expert or Moderator but your meals looked like not enough food. If you weren't eating enough this alone could definitely stall weight loss.

 

Cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself on a job well done. If you can find a way to focus on the benefits you have gotten and not what you didn't you will feel better.

[jmcbn]

Did your cashew habit sabotage your results? Quite possibly - I'd say if you had eaten more at each meal you;'have had no desire to snack, and with nuts being a food without brakes for many, and very much a 'hand to mouth' food you quite possibly ate a lot more than you thought/needed to be satiated.

Apart from that your meals look very light to me, and if we dial down the amount of food we eat our metabolism dials down the speed at which it runs in a bid to conserve energy, so food restriction can be counter productive.

Try increasing the size of your meals to meet the meal template. At breakfast for instance you are light on protein (a serving of eggs being the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand without dropping, which is 3-4 for most females), and you are light on veg - the recommendation being 1-3 cups, with 3 being optimum. Fat wise your breakfast looks okay, but protein provides the staying power that would get you through the 4-5hrs without the need to snack, thereby allowing your body to tap into fat stores for energy.

Salads need to be HUGE to keep you feeling full of 4-5hrs. Consider how much salad leaves reduce down when chewed, so maybe try adding in some more substantial cooked veg to your salads such as broccoli.

You make no mention of fat in your dinner - the fat we use for cooking can generally be ignored as most of it stays in the pan so don't be afraid to add more.

Ease off of nuts in general, up the size of meal one in particular and cut back a little on the fruit & I think you'll see improved results going forward, and in the meantime focus on your NSV's & give yourself a pat on the back for making it thus far..... 

[Tom Denham]

As noted already, you did not eat enough. Your metabolism slowed and you did not lose weight. The volume of cashews you ate did not help. You needed more meat, more veggies, and more fat. It is hard to escape the brainwashing of the weight loss industry that tells you to eat less if you want to lose weight. The reality is that you must get adequate nourishment or you have a terrible time losing weight and cannot keep it off. Our meal planning template specifies the minimum to eat and you were almost certainly below the minimum.

 

How much to eat

http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf