....but WHY?!

[crew29]

I did my Whole 30 religiously and did not really lose weight.  I finally have been feeling more positive about Whole 30, even starting another one, after acknowledging all of the NSVs I have had, and developing an understanding that for some people (like me) it may take longer to show results on the scale.   Although I am happy about clothes feeling a little bit looser, my skin feeling better, and other benefits, the harsh reality is that I need to lose actual pounds to be an ideal candidate for a surgery that would greatly improve my quality of life.

 

Today I logged onto social media to see a Whole 30 post about someone who lost 27 pounds in their Whole 30.  I feel incredibly excited for this person and think their progress is certainly worth posting and celebrating, but I couldn't help but feel a little dismayed about my own experience.  I am wondering if others can share their thoughts on why certain people lose so quickly versus others who don't lose pounds (or take multiple Whole 30s to show results on the scale?)  

[MeadowLily]

Youth.  Twenty somethings can drop it like it's hot.

 

Health status coming into a Whole 30.

 

Long history of dieting or over-restricting affects weight loss.

 

Hormones.  Blood sugar.  Thyroid.   Pre-Meno.  Meno-Meno.  Post-Meno.  

 

Stress.  Stress messes with everything including sleep patterns.  Poor sleep quality affects weight loss.

[ThatQuietGirl]

I'm wondering what this person did other than changing diet. Maybe there was a workout or exercise routine that was added on top of a drastic change in diet. It could also be a lot of water weight or maybe correction of medical condition. I hope it works out for you! I'm starting out but mostly for how I feel. Best of luck!

[praxisproject]

There are many factors that affect weight loss (these are just a few): starting weight, how you were eating before, hormones, cortisol, blood sugar, not eating enough, insufficient nutrition, caffeine intake, cardio vs strength training, not getting enough sleep, dehydration, existing muscle mass, existing health issues, following recommendations as well as the rules http://whole30.com/2015/01/rules-recommendations/

 

I know 40 pounds sounds like a lot and you wanted more than the two pounds that you lost, but someone who has lost 27 pounds is going to have way more than that to lose and (some articles get a bit sloppy) that may not have been in a single Whole30 or they may have a medical condition that has been drastically improved. 27 pounds in 30 days is not realistic and for most people would not be healthy.

 

Don't go comparing your progress to unrealistic expectations, you'll only make yourself crazy. There's no shortcuts here. You're also shortchanging yourself if you focus on what others are achieving instead of you, you've done some awesome things

 

If you have a medical condition that requires surgery, weight as a number can be a criteria for some procedures but it's often a guideline. Some procedures are more about skin and fat and how it sits around the body, if you add active muscle and lose fat your number may not go down but you may still be a candidate, overall health is a big factor in surgery.