No lost weight...why??

[newwhole30er]

Yesterday was day 31. When I stepped on the scale I confirmed what I already thought- I lost less than 2 lbs. I am fairly sure that those were water weight, since the only time I noticed my stomach getting a little flatter was within the first few days, and I already know that gluten makes me bloated. So that explains that.

 

That means I lost NO fat! What I can't figure out is WHY. I did a Whole30 last July and lost 10 lbs. After that, I slipped back into unhealthy eating habits, and eventually went back to my original weight. During this Whole30, I was way more careful to follow the meal template and ate WAY less fruit, nuts, and starchy veggies. So I was expecting it to be MORE successful...and instead it was way less! Why?!

[jburth7]

Two guesses without much info about what you actually DID eat.

 

1). You don't have much more weight to lose in reality and are striving for an unrealistic number

2). You ate too little on this Whole30 so your body wasn't able to let go of any additional weight - I think this is probably very, very common with the second Whole30 and there's actually a post by the Hartwig's on this (can't link right now to it).  It would be interesting to see meals from your first Whole30 to your second.

[newwhole30er]

1) LOL. I have at least 70 lbs to lose to be at a healthy weight.

2) I definitely did not restrict my food. I stuck to the template for meals, and added mini-meals if I was ever hungry. I don't remember for sure, but it's possible that I ate more on this Whole30 than my last, since I've been much more organized about having food around and also made sure to eat breakfast every day which I didn't do last time.

[newwhole30er]

Typical day of food:

 

M1:

• 3-4 eggs (I prepare 4, but share bites with my 1-year-old) made into egg salad with 2 big spoonfuls of mayo
• handful of cherry tomatoes
• big bowl of thick blended veggie soup

 

M2:

• Palm-size portion of grilled chicken breast
• about 2 cups of veggies such as cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, cucumber spears, pepper sticks, etc.
• A dip like tahini, eggplant dip, gingery dressing, dump ranch, etc. to dip everything into. If the dip isn't very fat-heavy I also include a handful of olives.

Mini-meal: Veggies with guacamole OR 1-2 spicy tuna cakes OR 1 egg foo yong pancake

 

M3:

• Chocolate chili (palm-sized portion or more)
• 1/2 an avocado or handful of olives
• Fill rest of plate with mashed cauliflower (made with coconut oil and coconut milk) or roasted veggies (made with olive oil), etc.

I definitely think I'm eating appropriate amounts of protein, veggies and fat. I'm not exercising, but I didn't last time either.

[MeadowLily]

Given a chance, the body wants to heal from hormonal disruptors.   Weight loss is not promised on a Whole 30 but can be a "side effect".   That side effect is often desired above reintro testing.

 

The template is broad and wide.  It's reasonable restriction.   My Whole 30 success came with the widest variety of foods I could find.    

 

The stomach is like a sausage casing.  If you stuff only meat and fat down your casing without the fibrous plant kingdom....it is not a Smooth Operator.    

 

It is the fiber in wood that gives it its strength.  Fiber in the gut  contributes to overall well being and health, too. 

 

I don't suffer with food sensitivities.   Nuts are not "dangerous" for me or  FWB.   I can eat a little bit of everything some of the time.   It's what I do most of time that adds UP..    I do not weigh on the scale.  We all know exactly where we're at with our clothes.    It is enough.

 

Forget that scale.  Start with the template.  Make it as broad as your horizon.  Dont' dial it down.  Add everything back in that ISWF recommends if you don't have food sensitivites.   Eat those 3 cups of  vege at every meal.   Even one serving a fruit at the end can be just right.  Carrots, sweet potatoes, squashes, parsnips, turnips, purple potatoes....those, too.

 

Over-restriction is cumulative.  Too much and there's a food reckoning.   Go back to a garden-wide variety of food.  Simply because it works for the long haul....waaaaay into the future.

 

Remember.  Your clothes tell you everything you need to know.  You don't have to count, measure or weigh anything.

[jburth7]

Ok, I'm sure a moderator will weigh in here, but some other thoughts....

- You mention you have a 1 year old, so last July you had a younger baby... could you have still been losing some of the baby weight, so thus the 10 lbs. weight loss was less accurate because you were still shedding actual lbs. put on during pregnancy.

- Nursing?  If you were nursing, you could've lost more weight in your first Whole30.

[newwhole30er]

Ok, I'm sure a moderator will weigh in here, but some other thoughts....

- You mention you have a 1 year old, so last July you had a younger baby... could you have still been losing some of the baby weight, so thus the 10 lbs. weight loss was less accurate because you were still shedding actual lbs. put on during pregnancy.

- Nursing?  If you were nursing, you could've lost more weight in your first Whole30.

 

That's a thought...he had just turned 1 in July actually, so I doubt I was still losing baby weight, but I WAS nursing more back then. I'm still nursing, but much less. Interesting....

[newwhole30er]

So MeadowLily, that was just an example of a day, but I do eat a variety of the vegetables that I like. I'm certainly not stuffing myself with meat and fat and ignoring all vegetables, I have no idea how you got that from the food intake I posted.

 

I know my clothes tell me everything...that's why I wasn't surprised by the number on the scale. I'm just trying to figure out what made things different this time. 

 

Curious also why you think that adding still MORE carbs would help me lose weight.

[Carlaccini]

Some other thoughts on this.

 

You are not the same person you were a year ago.  Our bodies change.  I cannot do the whole 30 the same way I did my first time around.  I have made notes and noticed that as my health improved I noticed more stuff too.

 

For instance I have to follow an AIP and low FODMAPish protocol - I am sensitive to a good many foods.  Many people think I'm nuts - not I'm not nuts - I just like to feel good.  My first run through I didn't need to restrict anything...

 

I noticed that you are eating quite a bit of raw veg - sometimes raw veg doesn't digest well.

Carbs are a really funny thing.  If your body gets too little (for your personal context) it holds onto weight, if it gets too much you feel tired and sluggish.  You have to find that sweet spot.  Initially I tried doing lowish carb - because like you I felt I needed to lose weight.  However my body didn't feel safe with the low carb and decided it was going to hold onto weight.  It wasn't until I started adding an additional starchy carb that I started losing weight.  

[Carlaccini]

Also just to add how is your sleep?  Are you getting at least 8 hours?  How are stress levels?  Stress will make you hold onto weight as well.  Find a good activity that is a stress reliever for you.

 

How is your water intake?

[MeadowLily]

I didn't see your food as we were posting at the same time.  I speak in general as I believe the widest variety of every kind of food contributes to Whole 30 and post Whole 30 success.  

 

Template works.    Over the course of two years, I've read every W30 article and manifesto and it's no secret that I took everything that  Mr. Denham said to heart starting on June 1, 2014.

 

I wanted to follow in the trail of someone who took it Ooooo sooooo slow and is still outstanding in the field all of these years later.   That's what I wanted.   I wanted weight stability for the rest of my life.   His posts led me there.

 

Whole food carbs.  Heck-a-toot, yes.   Fruit.  Ayup.  Nuts as a decoration and fruit as a condiment.  I threw fruit over my vege/salad dishes.    I didn't eat fruit alone and I did not snack at all inbetween meals. 

 

I believe constant snacking messes with hormonal everything.   After 2 years of  using the template as my backbone, I've been able to add many things back in some of the time without rebound weight gain.   It's been almost a year that I've maintained without any rebound.   

 

I stopped dieting.  Looking back in the rearview mirror, all previous dieting messed with my head and body.

Our original factory settings didn't include dieting.   

 

Long term anything.  Let your hair, teeth, skin, joints be additional gauges...along with mood and sleep patterns.   Yes, I believe that real food carbs are part of the solution to weight loss. Without them, it's too easy for the body/mind to steer you back towards refined foods.

 

I've noted.   Those that restrict the most, when they slide back off the goose of over-restriction...they don't head for the fruit bowl or baby carrots.   They go back through the drive-thrus and fall back into pizzas, pastas, bread bowls,  bread breads and baked goods.

 

Real food carbs prevent SAD carbo-overloading. 

[ultrarunnergirl]

I lost a good amount on my first Whole30 and I didn't even expect to lose, as I didn't have much. This past round, I didn't lose much if anything (I didn't weigh but my clothes aren't any looser). And it was actually probably the "best" Whole 30 I've ever done (in terms of limiting nuts, anyway).

 

Your meals as written above look good, but maybe your body is under some kind of stress and isn't quite ready to let go. It Starts With Food, but that's not the only thing that affects our bodies.

[newwhole30er]

Also just to add how is your sleep?  Are you getting at least 8 hours?  How are stress levels?  Stress will make you hold onto weight as well.  Find a good activity that is a stress reliever for you.

 

How is your water intake?

 

Depends on the day, I do aim for 8 hours and get that a good deal of the time, but not always. Least would be around 7 hours though, I think.

 

Could be I am more stressed this time around. My last one was during the summer, which is my break (I'm a teacher). Now I'm working.

 

Water intake also could be better...haven't been as careful with that this time around. Does that have a connection with weight loss?

 

 

I noticed that you are eating quite a bit of raw veg - sometimes raw veg doesn't digest well.

Carbs are a really funny thing.  If your body gets too little (for your personal context) it holds onto weight, if it gets too much you feel tired and sluggish.  You have to find that sweet spot.  Initially I tried doing lowish carb - because like you I felt I needed to lose weight.  However my body didn't feel safe with the low carb and decided it was going to hold onto weight.  It wasn't until I started adding an additional starchy carb that I started losing weight.  

 

My digestion is great - no issues there at all.

What you wrote about carbs is very interesting. Definitely something I am still trying to figure out....

[newwhole30er]

I've noted.   Those that restrict the most, when they slide back off the goose of over-restriction...they don't head for the fruit bowl or baby carrots.   They go back through the drive-thrus and fall back into pizzas, pastas, bread bowls,  bread breads and baked goods.

 

Real food carbs prevent SAD carbo-overloading. 

 

Last Whole30 I ate lots of fruit and starchy vegetables. And when I slid off, I went back to pizza, pasta, bread....

 

 I don't know yet if going low-carb would prevent that in the future, but I do know that eating plenty of whole food carbs didn't prevent that.

[MeadowLily]

In the beginning of a Whole 30, Mods say eat and we mean eat.  Error on the side of eating more rather than less and study the template.   This is all true.  It will sound foreign and some may reject that.

 

After a few months of following the template with individual preferences, stability will come.  It might take 2 years to be free of thrill eating.  The all or nothing/black and white thinking about food fades.

 

Internal changes  take longer than 30 days.    A qualified counselor is key.  Sitting down face to face with someone.     These cycles of  black and white thinking about food can be broken.

 

The growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset of food addictions.   This plays only on utube but it is excellent.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl10ZfvcXSQ&feature=player_embedded

[MeadowLily]

Speaking in general.  "No one puts baby in a corner."  Don't let anyone put you in a box of limitations. Create healthy habits and not restriction.   I identify with the growth mindset.  ^^^

 

I can change at any moment I set my will to change.  

 

I don't identify with the abstainer vs. moderator mindset with food.   That's one person's idea of what box we should all fit into.   To the left or the right.  

 

Food addiction is a horse of a different color vs. alcoholism/drug addictions.  We all have to eat.  

 

Paleo Harder.  Restrict further.   Massive amounts of cardio.   Those cycles become more extreme and the rebound/crash landings do, too.   People have lost 100 lbs in one year and rebounded back within 4-6 months.  

[newwhole30er]

I'm almost up to the 60-day point...so I've been eating Whole30 for 2 months now... and I've lost under FOUR POUNDS.

 

I love this way of eating, I love that it's so simple with no measuring or anything, I love not craving junk food, but I really really do need to lose weight.

 

What next? Should I do calorie restriction? Should I just go keto? Will adding exercise help? 

[littleg]

 

 

I love this way of eating, I love that it's so simple with no measuring or anything, I love not craving junk food, but I really really do need to lose weight.

 

What next? Should I do calorie restriction? Should I just go keto? Will adding exercise help? 

 

 

Exercise might help, maybe more with body recomposition than weight loss - that is what most studies show.  Abs are made in the kitchen  But exercise helps with sleep, mood, self image... so sure, do that!  If you "love this way of eating" just keep doing it.  I know taking years to lose weight seems unbearable - but if you loosened the W30 limits a little (glass of wine here and there, piece of dark chocolate, etc) and LIVED this way... in a year you would be down 30 lbs or so.  Two years you would be almost at goal weight.  

 

Keto might work for you, it does for many.  For others (like me) I do well for three days or so and then eat all.the.carbs.  I've never stuck with it long enough to get the appetite suppression people talk about with keto but you may.  But just keep in mind that like Meadow Lily has said... your body is going to reflect how you treat it - if you do "something" to lose the weight quickly you likely won't do that *forever* and the weight may or may not stay off.  However, if you eat REAL food (90-95% of the time) any changes you see are likely to persist.  

 

My husband had a similar experience to you, first W30 he lost 25 lbs in ONE month.  He only had maybe 30ish to lose - all beer belly  He has tried two more times to do a W30 - once making it almost 2 weeks with no weight loss (yes, he broke the scale rule).  Who knows why those experiences were so different.

 

But at the end of the day you can't go wrong with eating real food - and you yourself said you "love it".  So maybe add in some strength training, enjoy this summer off with your kiddo and spend lots of time outside playing... and just stick with it.  

 

One more thing I just thought of - have you down a proper reintro?  Is it possible that W30 is making you "overeat" something you actually have a sensitivity to that might be messing with gut health/hormone balance/inflammation?  

[praxisproject]

For me, grains need to be gone for weight loss, it's not about the carbs, it's what they do to my body.

[SugarcubeOD]

I'm almost up to the 60-day point...so I've been eating Whole30 for 2 months now... and I've lost under FOUR POUNDS.

I love this way of eating, I love that it's so simple with no measuring or anything, I love not craving junk food, but I really really do need to lose weight.

What next? Should I do calorie restriction? Should I just go keto? Will adding exercise help?

Do you have any health conditions that you're working through trying to solve? Often the body will prioritize healing before weight loss, which while it can be frustrating is actually amazing!

Calorie restriction will not help. Full Stop. Don't do it. If calorie restriction worked, the US would not have the obesity problem that it does. It works in the short term but is not sustainable and when you do start to eat full meals again, your body rejoices the nutrients coming in by storing them. ALL of them....

I also don't think keto is a good idea for you right now when said in the same breath as calorie restriction and being said at a time you're frustrated with not losing weight. Keto in that circumstance is just another way to further restrict your intake and I sincerely don't think that's a good idea at this point in time. If you're already not in a healthy mindset about food (sorry, no one who is thinking about calorie restriciton is in a stable food mindset) it's just going to make things more complicated and activate that part of your brain that further and further restricts in an attempt to lose weight. No bueno.

Do you have an updated log that we can review and see if maybe we can give some guidance within the whole30 framework that might help?

[Carlaccini]

This is something I saw yesterday.....

 

[Carlaccini]

^^^^ I don't know how true this is - but it makes a valid point.  Eat for you.  Don't eat a 1200 calorie diet because a diet trend that is out there for every single female to restrict your calorie intake to 1200 calories a day.

 

I am a 5'9", stocky built, Viking woman.  I was just curious to find out what a registered dietitian recommend I eat in order to lose weight. (Backstory: This was post a couple of whole 30's and I was comfortable on where I was - but I had knee problems so my Dr recommended that I 'lose weight') The diet the dietitian  gave me?  Was a 1200 calorie diet.  I challenged her - saying this was not enough food for someone like me.  Her reaction was - you are a woman - this is the regime you should follow in order to lose weight.  I walked out of there thinking:  Are you kidding me?  Yes I am a woman.  But I'm not 5'1" tall and have a tiny frame. Treat me as an individual.   

[newwhole30er]

One more thing I just thought of - have you down a proper reintro?  Is it possible that W30 is making you "overeat" something you actually have a sensitivity to that might be messing with gut health/hormone balance/inflammation?  

 

Well, this is my 2nd Whole30. I've decided to make it a Whole100, so the past almost 60 days (lost track but I know it's close to that) have been completely Whole30.

 

Last time, no, I didn't do reintro very properly at all - mixed foods together and didn't continue eating template meals while reintroducing. My main discovery was that grains, sugar and dairy are FWOBs for me - I didn't get any immediate symptoms. (Well, except gluten, which makes me bloated and cranky.)

 

Anyway, how would I figure out if something Whole30 that I am eating is messing with me? Which Whole30 foods would be the most likely culprits?

[newwhole30er]

Do you have any health conditions that you're working through trying to solve? Often the body will prioritize healing before weight loss, which while it can be frustrating is actually amazing!

 

So that's an interesting question....one health issue I was really hoping to solve through Whole30 was migraines. Again, this is my 2nd Whole30. Both times, the 30 days did nothing, my migraines may have even worsened. 

 

This time around, once the 30 days were up, I assumed it was not a food issue and started taking magnesium. In the last 30 days (so, days 30-60) my migraines have improved TREMENDOUSLY. And magnesium supplementation's not supposed to work that fast, so I do wonder if something about Whole30 eating is finally kicking in. But I don't know for sure. I suppose once (hopefully!!!) my migraines are gone completely I'll do a proper reintroduction and see for sure if there are any food triggers for me.

[ladyshanny]

^^^^ I don't know how true this is - but it makes a valid point.  Eat for you.  Don't eat a 1200 calorie diet because a diet trend that is out there for every single female to restrict your calorie intake to 1200 calories a day.

 

I am a 5'9", stocky built, Viking woman.  I was just curious to find out what a registered dietitian recommend I eat in order to lose weight. (Backstory: This was post a couple of whole 30's and I was comfortable on where I was - but I had knee problems so my Dr recommended that I 'lose weight') The diet the dietitian  gave me?  Was a 1200 calorie diet.  I challenged her - saying this was not enough food for someone like me.  Her reaction was - you are a woman - this is the regime you should follow in order to lose weight.  I walked out of there thinking:  Are you kidding me?  Yes I am a woman.  But I'm not 5'1" tall and have a tiny frame. Treat me as an individual.   

This is absolutely infuriating on so many levels.