Whole30 and Weight Loss

[Chibaybee]

Hi there,

 

I am new to Whole 30 (Day 5) and still figuring things out.

 

Looking through the information on this website and forums, I see repeatedly that Whole30 is not intended as a weight loss program. I am actually trying to lose about 35-40 pounds that I have slowly put on over the last 8 years in my 30's. My main goal is weight loss, but I really like the philosophy behind Whole 30 and the idea of changing my eating mindset.

 

I guess I'm just looking for some guidance from those of you who may have experience with this. If I'm trying to lose weight first and foremost, should I try a different weight-loss program instead? Will I just be disappointed with my results after 30 days? It's hard to have perspective on all of this because right now I'm just dealing with the early-phase headaches and tiredness.

 

Thanks!

[Kaelisan]

Stick with it!

I felt I was gaining and that fat was oozing out of my pours around day 12. But you have to wait until your body becomes fat adapted. It wasn't until around day 22 that my clothes felt looser. I ended up losing 8 pounds during the W30. Have lost 2.5 more in the week since...eating mostly compliant. So that's 10.5 pounds in really just 2-3 weeks.

This is not a weight loss diet. It's a program to transform your body into a fat burning machine so you can feel, be, and look healthier.

[CaGirl]

Everybody's numbers differ.. Slow and steady wins the race…    You're going to feel fabulous and enjoy eating this way.. Stick with it and your energy will increase..  (meaning increasing your activity)   Don't be surprised if you only drop 2 or 3 pounds a month.. Follow the directions and the magic will happen

[Bzh]

I am almost finished with my first Whole 30 and I feel fabulous.  I too wanted not only to improve "eating" habits but also figure out why I was gaining weight the last few year despite a fairly active lifestyle.  I have not gotten on the scale but even if I haven't lost weight, I sure know that at this point my clothes are definitely looser.  I plan to continue being mostly compliant the rest of my life.  I am overjoyed with how I feel!!!!

[Mrsvintage]

Stick with it! I just wrapped up my whole30 and am in the reintro phase. I felt super puffy around days 10-20, had a lot of energy but was secretly wishing I was getting slimmer - and then it started falling off the last week. In total I lost 10 lbs. in the 30 days and I've lost another 5 in the last week! I love the increased energy and clear head and the refresh it gave me to get back towards a healthier way of eating.

 

While I know that weight loss isn't the primary goal of the program, it was the deciding factor for me to try it and I'm grateful I did!

[Greanbean76]

I have lupus, hashimoto's thyroiditis and Sjrogrens syndrome so I have reasons aplenty to participate in the Whole30, but I cant deny watching the scale creep WAY up in recent months due in part to steroid use to manage my lupus was one of the reasons I wanted to participate. I weighed myself on day 0 and then placed my scale in the linen closet. I'm now on day 8 and this morning my pants did NOT feel looser and I am disappointed. I know that if I lose nothing by the end I will be devastated regardless of the NSV's I experience. I am trying to mentally prepare for that but who know what will happen in 23 days when i step on the scale again.

[Carlaccini]

I have lupus, hashimoto's thyroiditis and Sjrogrens syndrome so I have reasons aplenty to participate in the Whole30, but I cant deny watching the scale creep WAY up in recent months due in part to steroid use to manage my lupus was one of the reasons I wanted to participate. I weighed myself on day 0 and then placed my scale in the linen closet. I'm now on day 8 and this morning my pants did NOT feel looser and I am disappointed. I know that if I lose nothing by the end I will be devastated regardless of the NSV's I experience. I am trying to mentally prepare for that but who know what will happen in 23 days when i step on the scale again.

 

Please remember that if you have multiple health issues going on (which you do. it seems) that our body is NOT going to make weight loss a priority.  Instead it will make balancing hormones a top priority for yourself.

 

What you can do in order for you to help assist your body in the repair of itself is focus on getting good food into your body.  Also focus on getting some good sleep - 8hrs are recommended - as this will help you even further.

 

Please do not stress about weight - you will put even put more stress on your already very stressed out system.  Instead just learn to treat yourself kindly.  

 

Many people do not experience the looser pants phenomenon until the last week or so.

[Gracielou]

I want to add a question to this thread. I am now on day 38 of my third Whole30. A year ago, I did my first whole30, and in February I did my second. My reasons for doing Whole30 were so I could figure out what causes my migraines. Recently I started tracking migraines, and the number dropped significantly while on W30. While I haven't "figured them out" yet, this is a significant NSV! Currently, I'm doing a W100 (on day 38) to try and really get my hormones and my body in healthy state for my visit to the migraine doctor in August.

However, I have not lost weight (or rather, I've lost maybe 4 Lbs total over the year), and I know I have weight to lose. I have had my thyroid checked out, and there's no problem there. I know the philosophies of W30, and I love them! I know weight isn't the goal, but I thought that after doing it this long (I've eaten mostly W30 compliant since February) I'd lose. It's been discouraging because I've gotten 5 family members to join me in W30 (huge NSV!!), and while they're dropping weight, I'm not.

Does anybody have thoughts? I don't want to do anything other than W30. I believe it is the best.

[SugarcubeOD]

Hey there Gracielou

 

If you would like to post two/three days of your typical meals including portion sizes as related to the template, specific protein, veggies and fat, sleep, fluid intake and any chronic health conditions along with anything else you think is relevant, we can take a look.

 

Do you actually HAVE weight to lose or you have weight you WANT to lose?  These two can be significantly different.... 

[Gracielou]

Yes I can post those things. I'll post back in a day or two.

That's a good question! The answer is probably both. My doctor told me I could lose weight a little over a year ago, and I've not been able to lose much since. (The weight I have is mostly below the waist.)

[Gracielou]

Actually, I keep a food log so I think I can give a Pretty accurate description of my days.

Breakfast: 2 eggs cooked in either coconut oil, pork lard (epic brand), or ghee; sweet potatoes cubed (roughly a heaping 1/2 cup), and a 1/2 an avacado. (I eat this everyday. The veggie changes. Sometimes spinach or beets or squash)

Lunch: chicken soup (with carrots and celery), avacado (1/2 of large), banana.

Dinner: pork loin stuffed with dried fruit, kale salad, green peppers with homemade W30 mayo.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, avacado (1/4 large), coffee, spinach

Lunch: pulled pork, 1/4 avacado, roasted Brussel sprouts (in Epic duck fat; maybe 2 Tbps).

Dinner: pork loin, roasted carrots and beets, couple dried figs.

Breakfast: 2 eggs (cooked in 1-2Tbsp ghee), tea with almond milk, beets, avocado, 1/2 orange.

Lunch: W30 shepherd's pie, Apple

Snack: Lara bar

Late dinner: chicken, spinach, mayo, avacado, 1/2 banana.

--I keep a food journal, so I tried to choose days that were pretty run-of-the-mill. I try to mix up my meat so I'm not eating the same thing week to week. But during the week, I tend to eat the same thing, since I usually buy enough to have two meat options for the week. I try to always buy organic since I've become convinced it's best.

I've been good about getting 7-8 hours of sleep the past month and a half. Occasionally, it's 6.5 hours.

To my knowledge, I don't have any other chronic illness (besides whatever migraines are).

A habit I am really trying to break is having a snack at night. I work at a restaurant some nights, so when I get back, I need to eat usually. But that means on the nights I don't work, I still want something at night (9pm). I also don't tend to keep Lara bars or cashew butter (I make it) on hand, for I find I will snag a bite of this or that during the afternoon. When they're in my house, I just want a taste... :/

As far as water intake, I try to drink a lot since I know I can get a migraine when I don't. My guess is 6-8 tall glasses of water throughout the day.

[jmcbn]

I think if you increased the size of your meals you’d see improvement. 

 

When eggs are your only source of protein in a meal a serving should be the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand – this is 3-4 for most females.  With soup it can be tough to ensure you’re getting enough protein in. I always think a soup has to be almost thick enough to stand a spoon in or I know I’ll be ravenous within an hour or two, same with shepherd’s pie – unless it’s jam packed with meat I always find it a bit light.

 

You’re also eating quite a bit of fruit, and dried fruit in particular is very sugar dense – I’d ditch the figs, and the bars….

 

Really, you are eating very little (which actually is counter intuitive when you want to lose weight as the metabolism slows way down to account for the lack of fuel)… and as you know the snacking is not doing you any favours and may well be preventing you from becoming fat adapted if it’s a regular thing – eat more at your meal times and you’ll invariably snack less. At those times when you’re not working and you feel the need for a snack have you tried a distraction technique, or drinking some herbal tea…?

Keep honouring your body with wholesome, nourishing foods - your body will eventually find it's happy place - although bear in mind that may look a little different from how your are programmed to imagine it. Ultimately your health is what matters.

 

[Gracielou]

Jmcbn,

Thank you for this help! I have questioned whether I need to increase my protein for a while now, but you have confirmed it. However, I live on a rather tight budget. I don't buy everything organic, but I like to buy meat and eggs organic because of all the reading I've done. The truth behind my smaller protein portions is that I don't feel like I can afford more organic protein. Is it better for me to eat more protein even if it isn't organic?

I'll forego the dried fruit and bars. I'll try to stick with just two servings of fruit a day.

Just to clarify, you suggest larger meals over all? More protein, fat, and veggies? Or just more protein?

I'm getting better at distraction techniques, yes! Yogi's Egyptian Licorice tea is amazing!

Final question, if I am to eat after my restaurant shift, what is best to eat that late at night?

[jmcbn]

Apologies for missing this - I wasn't around a great deal in the last few days...

Re eating before bed I'd say that protein & fat would be best - neither will greatly impact blood sugar so close to bed time, and both will give a sustained release of energy - so something like scrambled eggs & smoked salmon would work, hard boiled eggs, or a little chicken with mayo or avocado...

With regard to the rest of your meals I'd say you need more protein for sure, and more veg too. Fat wise you don;t look too bad, but the best indicator of this is if your meals are keeping you satiated for at least 4hrs. You really want at least a 4hr window between meals so that your body can learn to tap into fat stores for fuel rather than relying on 'top ups' in the form of snacks.

 

Hope this helps - and again, apologies for the delayed response.

[Gracielou]

Apologies for missing this - I wasn't around a great deal in the last few days...

Re eating before bed I'd say that protein & fat would be best - neither will greatly impact blood sugar so close to bed time, and both will give a sustained release of energy - so something like scrambled eggs & smoked salmon would work, hard boiled eggs, or a little chicken with mayo or avocado...

With regard to the rest of your meals I'd say you need more protein for sure, and more veg too. Fat wise you don;t look too bad, but the best indicator of this is if your meals are keeping you satiated for at least 4hrs. You really want at least a 4hr window between meals so that your body can learn to tap into fat stores for fuel rather than relying on 'top ups' in the form of snacks.

Hope this helps - and again, apologies for the delayed response.

Thank you, this is quite helpful! Over the last few days I'm amazed at the difference from eating more protein and veggies. I don't find myself craving a snack, and I now realize that craving was from not eating enough.

The most difficult thing now is always having a 4 hr window between meals on the days I'm at the restaurant. However, I'm not there too much longer so I'll keep working at it for a few more weeks.

I'm hopeful I can shave off some inches, but I realize my body may be happy where it's at. We shall see in a few weeks.

[dcmom]

OK A few thoughts.  I think a 12 hour fast window at night is very helpful to losing weight i.e. Stop eating at 7 pm and do not eat until 7 am the next morning.- I saw you mentioned a late dinner which is why I am mentioning this.  I think you are not eating enough leafy greens. I'd kick the Lara bars. Bars are for EMERGENCIES- ie stuck on the side of the road for 6 hours and you are starving, not just for a snack when you could make a better choice!  I would also experiment with cutting back on the fruit.  Drink lots of water!!  

[Gracielou]

dcmom,

thanks for chipping in. I'm glad you said something because I've wanted to post again recently. 

I have not seen any weight improvements. Nor have I seen measurement improvements. I have not wanted to write back, however, because for a month this summer, I was living with family where my eating schedule was changed up a bit. However, in that month I finally got into a regular workout routine. Since July, I workout at least 4-5 days a week, which an improvement for me. I don't weigh or take measurements regularly, but when I did last measure a few weeks ago, I hadn't changed. 

I did really try to stick to these changes, but did not try the 12 hours fasting at night. 

What I want to try next, if you think it's a good idea, is more leafy greens like you said, and less carby veggies (and less fruit; I don't eat larabars anymore). More protein (which again, I constantly struggle with feeling like it's too much/too little). And not eating for 12 hours at night. More water.

What do you think? 

[Lisa Kay]

Is m on day 4 of my first While30. Day 1-3 I felt great, and even today I felt great until I changed to workout- my stomach is huge!  I am so bloated. I know from looking at the timeline it says it may happen around day 8-9.  Is this normal so early? Anyone else experience this- am I doing something wrong? 

[ladyshanny]

@Lisa Kay - bloating can happen for a variety of reasons. Off the cuff, without knowing what you've been eating: fizzy water, nuts/nut butters, raw veggies, coconut products if you aren't used to them, iceberg lettuce, any food that you are eating a lot more of than normal.

Feel free to list out what you've been eating the last few days and we can take a look and see if anything stands out. Include portion sizes, specific veggies etc.

[reneeruecks]

I" so confused as to why weightloss is not something to be celebrated on this program? loosing weight is an AMAZING accomplishment that is a total life changer.  I don't understand why it's treated like the plague.  Most ppl have a lot of weight to loose and loosing it will in turn give them a healthier, happier life. 

[ladyshanny]

@reneeruecks - I don't know that it's treated as the plague but we definitely don't treat it as a primary reason for undertaking a Whole30. I can't speak for everyone but some of the reasons that I try to shift the focus:

• there is a huge culture in North America/Europe that puts an insane value on "thin". Changing the personal focus of anything you are doing be it exercise, meditation, therapy or an eating plan towards overall health puts more value on who you are as a human and less value on what you look like as compared to current western ideals that are hammered into us by media.
• this is a 30-day program. Having a high expectation of weight loss on a 30 day program is dieting mentality and the Whole30 doesn't "diet". We want you to learn how to feed yourself nourishing, nutrient dense foods that work best for your life/activity level. Weight loss is normally a lovely side effect when one cleans up one's eating habits but it's learning how and why to feed yourself properly that is the real victory.
• lack of weight loss, for whatever reason (underlying medical conditions, not optimizing best-practice recommendations, unique humans with varying metabolisms) can, if the focus of this 30 days was soley on weight loss, would mean that their 30 days didn't count

I realize you're not saying "why isn't the focus ON weight loss" so much as why do we really steer people hard away from using it as a measure. We do that because that conditioning, to live and die by the scale or what the media says you have to be/act/look like in order to be a valuable human, needs to be changed. And we (mostly) women, as individuals need to change that for ourselves first. Making that change eventually gives less power to media/advertising/diet industry and more power and value and self-love to ourselves. We need to value our health and our well-feeling and self-love above all. If that means that the change to proper eating times/habits/food results in a fat reduction then that's great. We just would prefer that was just another mark of success. Not THE mark of success.

[ladyshanny]

14 minutes ago, reneeruecks said:

loosing it will in turn give them a healthier, happier life. 

Sorry, one more thing. This last line of yours is exactly why we don't put weight loss on a pedestal. How about people have a happier, healthier life first? Instead of believing that weight loss will give them a happier life? All weight loss does is gives you a smaller pants size. Learning to do self care, feel good, love yourself, value yourself as a human being and demand respect because you have it for yourself first. That is what gives people a happier and mentally/emotionally healthier life.

[reneeruecks]

@ladyshanny I don't think it should be the whole focus of this but I just feel like it could be celebrated more. Loosing weight is VERY important for optimal health. I'm not even looking at it as being thin, I'm looking at loosing weight as being healthy.  You can't be healthy if you are obese so I just don't get why if ppl talk about weight during their whole 30 it's dismissed. I understand it's a nice break, but I just feel like weight loss is important as well. 

[MeadowLily]

The original premise of Whole 30 is a 30 day Food Reset.  The Head Reset that can follow is a bonus. 

For 30 days the main focus is avoiding all the usual suspects that cause food sensitivities. Reintro next, giving yourself the test is best.  A Reintro process does not magically guarantee any maintenance of the "side effects" of weight loss.

The focus is to identify food sensitivities.  Most of us already know our trigger foods. After 30 days we get to choose and experience the consequences of continually eating the food offenders.  At some point, we simply choose not to bring the food offenders into our house.

The rest of the time, we work on our thought processes by making the choices that don't result in hives, food allergies or emotional eating while out of the home in the midst of others.

 

 

[kruddock]

A healthy weight is important just not top priority in the Whole30 program.  How we relate to food and its affect on the body is the top priority here and losing weight is a happy side affect which is celebrated when our bodies heal. Nobody would ever deny you this right it just shouldn't be our top priority on the Whole30.