Success! 13.5 lbs down and off the food roller coaster!

[LJC]

It was a tough 30 days.  I'll admit it.  But, though I still crave bagels and pizza and anything bread or pasta-related, I stayed compliant for the entire time and have gotten much better at fighting off the food demons.  

 

I lost 13.5 lbs.  My skin is clearer.  I'm rarely hungry.  I feel much more in control and confident in my ability to stay the course.  And, at least for the final week, I had a ton more energy.  

 

I've got another 30 lbs to lose, but this was a great way to kick off my new regime.  From here, I'm switching to Weight Watchers while doing the reintroduction.  I don't eat processed or "diet" foods so it should be interesting.  My goal is to also keep the gluten to a minimum.  Also...new rule.  NO TAKEOUT IN THE HOUSE!  If I'm going to treat myself, I have to sit myself down at a restaurant with someone else.  No more sneaking food that's no good for me and pretending like it didn't count because no one saw.  

[JulieP757]

Congrats on your success!  Why the switch to WW?  It's been decades since I've done WW, but back in the day, it was all about low fat, low calories.  Has it changed?  

[MeadowLily]

You can't do a Slow Roll or Regular Roll Reintro and WW at the same time.  The Reintro process reveals your food sensitivities and doesn't have anything to do with dieting or calorie/point counting.

 

 

WW is a bread bed, y'all.      (A bed made out of bread -  meant all in fun here).  

 

http://www.nbc.com/maya-and-marty/video/oprah-bread/3048053

[LJC]

Respectfully, though I appreciate the thoughtful feedback and your passion, you are absolutely wrong.  You CAN do Weight Watchers and reintro.  I'm reintroing this way and hitting all of my goals on both plans, have spoken to a WW coach, and it's all working out just wonderfully.  WW CAN be about processed foods or "lowfat" or bread, but it certainly doesn't HAVE to be. It's one of the perks of WW -- it's actually pretty flexible if you're motivated and are willing to do the work (not so different for Whole30 in that regard, no??). WW also really doesn't have to be about calorie counting either.  It's portion control (quite similar portions to Whole30 in fact) and eating balanced.  Yes, grains and dairy, and plenty of other none-Whole30 foods are allowed --many even encouraged.  But if I don't have a sensitivity to it after going through Whole30, what's the problem?  I never did Whole30 expecting to go paleo afterwards (unless I need to due to sensitivities).  

 

I didn't learn about Whole30 by reading one article or watching one news story.  I got the whole picture before embarking.  And I'm grateful I did.  Especially given your status as an "Advanced Member," I encourage you do the same about WW before spout off patently wrong information.  

[ladyshanny]

Respectfully, if you lost 13.5 pounds on Whole30 without weighing, measuring or counting, why are you switching to WW?  You gained clarity over your body signals and your energy improved among other things. Why are you going back to WW?  Really just curious.

[LJC]

It's a very good question.   The short answer -- because I have 30+ lbs to lose and I like the structure.  

 

The longer one.....

 

• Portion control can be very hard for me (it was even during Whole30...).  As I add back in to my diet whole grains, beans, and a bit of dairy (each only to the extent I find that I have no intolerance), I want to do it in a way that keeps me mindful about when and what and why and how much I'm eating.  WW provides helpful tools for this -- at least tools that I personally find helpful.   Its structure also helps to hold me accountable for my food/exercise decisions.  
• It's a fallacy that there's no "measuring"  on Whole30.   Just look at the recipes!  And how is eyeballing one's thumb to measure a fat different than taking out a spoon and pouring the oil into it before putting it in the pan?  While some people weigh and measure every morsel on WW, that really isn't necessary all the time.  For example, like Whole30, WW uses one's palm to measure proteins.   If you ask many successful WW folks, they'll tell you they don't weigh and measure once maintaining proper portion size becomes a habit. I haven't pulled out my food scale or measuring spoons any more for WW than I did for Whole30. 
• I dine out quite a lot, love a very broad variety of ethnic foods, and appreciate having tools to (at least while losing the weight) help me navigate the culinary minefield of my NYC life.  I think Whole30 was/continues to be a great experience.  But, while I think it's vital to know what you're eating, to eat whole and well-produced foods as much as one can, eat loads of veg, and to limit refined sugars and processed foods, I don't ascribe to the view that it's a great thing to restrict oneself from categories of foods unless I have to do so for health reasons.  WW allows for this whereas elimination diets, on the whole, do not. 

 

At the end of the day, I haven't been my goal weight in 12 years.  It took me a long time to get as heavy as I am/was and I suspect that it will take me some time before I not only lose the weight I want to lose, but am comfortable taking off the "training wheels" of a structured program.  I think that WW is more realistic for me for the longer haul of my weight loss journey than relying exclusively on listening to my body (which often tells me to have just one more slice of sourdough...one more scoop of ice cream....). Ideally, of course, I'll get to a place where I can do it all on my own again without fear of backsliding.  But until then. . . . 

[Staggolee41]

It's a very good question.   The short answer -- because I have 30+ lbs to lose and I like the structure.  

 

The longer one.....

 

• Portion control can be very hard for me (it was even during Whole30...).  As I add back in to my diet whole grains, beans, and a bit of dairy (each only to the extent I find that I have no intolerance), I want to do it in a way that keeps me mindful about when and what and why and how much I'm eating.  WW provides helpful tools for this -- at least tools that I personally find helpful.   Its structure also helps to hold me accountable for my food/exercise decisions.  
• While some people weigh and measure every morsel on WW, that really isn't necessary all the time.  For example, like Whole30, WW uses one's palm to measure proteins.   If you ask many successful WW folks, they'll tell you they don't weigh and measure once maintaining proper portion size becomes a habit. I haven't pulled out my food scale or measuring spoons any more for WW than I did for Whole30.
• I dine out quite a lot, love a very broad variety of ethnic foods, and appreciate having tools to (at least while losing the weight) help me navigate the culinary minefield of my NYC life.  I think Whole30 was/continues to be a great experience.  But, while I think it's vital to know what you're eating, to eat whole and well-produced foods as much as one can, and to limit refined sugars and processed foods, I don't ascribe to the view that it's a great thing to restrict oneself from categories of foods unless I have to do so for health reasons.  WW allows for this whereas elimination diets, on the whole, do not. 

 

At the end of the day, I haven't been my goal weight in 12 years.  It took me a long time to get as heavy as I am/was and I suspect that it will take me some time before I not only lose the weight I want to lose, but am comfortable taking off the "training wheels" of a structured program.  I think that WW is more realistic for me for the longer haul of my weight loss journey than relying exclusively on listening to my body (which often tells me to have just one more slice of sourdough...one more scoop of ice cream....). Ideally, of course, I'll get to a place where I can do it all on my own again without fear of backsliding.  But until then. . . . 

 

First off, LJC, thank you for taking the time to type out your thoughts. Like ladyshanny, I was honestly curious behind the thought process, as I myself have quite a bit of weight to drop (starting, 100 lbs; post-W30, 85 lbs). I know, for me, I was able to completely reset those signals from my body that told me one more piece of candy, just a few chips, etc, were okay. I have been able to have small portions of non-compliant foods (enjoying them for what they were in the moment and as part of an otherwise balanced meal) and didn't get signals to eat more. Accountability for food choices isn't a concern - I have trained my body over the last 36 days to demand good food, and when I don't give it that, my body holds me accountable (as I learned over the weekend), and I yearn to get back to the template. Exercise is both a goal and a reward - you are rewarding yourself for providing the proper nutrition by pushing your body to the limit and kicking down the boundaries between you and amazing things you might have thought you physically could not do.

 

Whole30 does approach it from an elimination perspective, but if you add things back in and do not react poorly, you can continue on your way following most of the rules plus some of the things that didn't bother you and still see results. Some of my favorite things about W30 were the freedom from calorie-counting and the lack of focus on the scale. It's really counter-intuitive, but my lack of focus on the scale (and instead on things like eating well, taking better care of myself, feeling like more of a warrior in the gym and on the streets) has actually made weight loss easier for me. This has become a way of life for me, and though I've lost weight before with great success, it was never sustainable for me, and every day was its own battle. This isn't a daily battle, so I know I can sustain it.

 

I just wanted to provide a different perspective on it. You have to make the decision on what's right for you, and only you knows what your mind is thinking and how your body feels. Best of luck, and I'd be interested to hear how it goes!

[Staggolee41]

Just also wanted to add a link to a blog post that helped me frame some of the thoughts I shared above. This was shared with me by another Whole30er (Kate) on our group thread (Strength in Numbers):

 

https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/blog/mindset/food-not-reward-fitness-not-punishment/

 

I can see from the WW site that a LOT has changed in their programs from the last time I talked to anyone about them, and they are more focused on eating the right foods (and not just the right number of points). The idea that made the least sense in my head when thinking about your path was that WW before, in its advertisements and plans, was almost prescriptive around using food as a reward, as long as it fit within your points, when W30 is very much about using food as fuel. But, as I said, it looks like things have changed.

[LJC]

Staggolee41--

 

First, congratulations on your success thus far!

 

Second, I haven't really gone off the Whole30 plan yet.  Thus far... Just a glass of white wine, the morning after which, I felt a little "hung over", but was otherwise I was fine.   So....who knows what the future will hold?  I just know that I am not so good with moderation/balance and don't have your confidence that won't fall off the wagon with a thud.

 

Third, one thing I didn't mention previously that you all might perhaps find interesting/more in line with the Whole30 philosophy....I'm not keeping a scale in my home. I'll doing the Weight Watchers weigh-ins weekly, but that's it.   

[ladyshanny]

 

• It's a fallacy that there's no "measuring"  on Whole30.   Just look at the recipes!  And how is eyeballing one's thumb to measure a fat different than taking out a spoon and pouring the oil into it before putting it in the pan?  While some people weigh and measure every morsel on WW, that really isn't necessary all the time.  For example, like Whole30, WW uses one's palm to measure proteins.   If you ask many successful WW folks, they'll tell you they don't weigh and measure once maintaining proper portion size becomes a habit. I haven't pulled out my food scale or measuring spoons any more for WW than I did for Whole30. 
•  
•  just one more slice of sourdough...one more scoop of ice cream....). Ideally, of course, I'll get to a place where I can do it all on my own again without fear of backsliding.  But until then. . . . 

Your answers are obviously well thought out and apply to your life so I'm certainly not going to try and change your mind.    I do just want to answer to a couple of the points made. Yes, obviously there is some degree of "portioning" on Whole30, it's not a free-for-all but it does take into consideration each person as a unique human. Tiny women will have smaller hands so they would have smaller protein and fat servings.  It also prescribes a range of protein and fat so that each person can listen to their body and know that they are free to eat as needed.  I hope that you can take what you learned about yourself during Whole30 and know that if you have a day when you are particularly hungry for any or no reason at all, that you can nourish yourself.

 

The other comment I had was surrounding the sourdough/ice cream scenario.  Of course when the Whole30 talks about not having to moderate oneself, for the most part it's because we are not eating these foods that are crafted to create cravings and bypass satiety/on-off signals.  It is no doubt that some folks need some extraneous resource to help tell them when to stop eating because those foods don't automatically come with the signals that your body can interpret.  I cannot moderate myself.  I've never eaten one chocolate or one peanut butter sandwich or one piece of pizza.  I have come to recognize that it's not my fault for not being able to hit the stop button but that those foods actually remove the stop button altogether and I just carry on careening down the hill of indulgence.

 

Best wishes, be kind to yourself.  

[LJC]

Thanks for the feedback.  Yep, I'm definitely continuing to use many of the principles of Whole30 even while on Weight Watchers.  Though I'm optimistic (my coach and I had a long convo about being whole food/primarily paleo while on WW), time will tell if my plan of taking a bit of both food philosophies and merging them is the right one.  I'll tell ya what - I'll report back.  

 

And don't worry.  I'm not one to beat myself up.  Frankly, being TOO KIND to myself is what got me overweight in the first place.  Given my lifestyle and the fact that I get enormous joy out of cooking and eating great food--and a great variety of food --I need to at least try to incorporate occasionally eating foods that screw with "signals", as you describe, and often cause me to derail.  But...one step at a time.  Today is reintro day to try adding in lentils.  Baby steps....