8 days to go very frustrated!

[snc555]

I did the similar "30clean" about a year and a half ago and loved it. I read the Paleo Solution and it made total sense. I lost 9 pounds and a few sizes. I felt wonderful and healthy and rested. I was the poster child for this way of eating and preached to everyone I knew about it... and then I messed up reintroduction... I could never get back into it for more than a few days at a time. Almost a month ago I finally got it together again. I am almost done reading It Starts With Food. I have been Whole 30 complaint for 23 days. But, I have lost only maybe 1-2 pounds, if any. I don't feel healthier or less tired. I only feel tired of planning and cooking - and I love to cook! I am following "real plan" menu planning app and doing only whole 30 compliant meals. I am not eating any dairy or grains, not to mention no Halloween candy or cider and donuts. I am getting married in just over a month and I feel totally defeated. I'm not asking for a 20-pound miracle, I just wanted to lose 5-10 and really take this beyond the 30 days. Now I feel like just having cupcakes and beer and forgetting it all since it doesn't seem to make a difference. On top of all of it, I tried running and did great for 6 weeks, but then I injured my leg. I love to exercise, especially tennis, but now all I can really do is physical therapy. I just need some words of encouragement to get me through this last week.... and hopefully longer. I really believe in this plan, but if I feel no different I'm having a really hard time justifying all the effort I'm putting into these meals.

[jmcbn]

Hey @snc555

Can you give us a run down of what you have eaten over the past 4-5days, providing specific info on types of veg, portions of protein as they relate to the size of your palm, liquid intake, sleep per night, stress levels etc.?

Note that this isn't a diet. Some people lose weight eating this way, others don;t - it's very much dependent on where you were health-wise coming in to it, and whether or not your body might have other priorities, such as healing or hormonal imbalance, to contend with first.

If we can suggest some tweaks to your meals to improve your energy levels perhaps you'll then start to see other improvements too.

Have you thought about any NSVs you may be experiencing? Stronger nails, thicker hair, improved mood....?

[Crastney]

If you were really eating terrible things before the 'eat clean' then you would have noticed a big difference.  If you've continued on eatin fairly well afterwards then the difference when you got to Whole30 will be much less, and therefore maybe not as noticeable.  Some people don't see real affects till over 2 months following W30.  Keep at it!  if you have NSVs that you can tell us about they'll make you feel better.  Maybe just as simple as not getting a craving at 3pm, or feeling much more alert when you wake up, or maybe not having tired eyes, or any number of other things that come from eating healthily.  Also you might think that you need to lose 5 more pounds, but maybe your body has got to it's equilibrium weight, and you're not going to lose any more weight.  It's not the same for everyone obviously.  in terms of exercise, have you tried swimming?

[snc555]

I'd be glad to give you a rundown and get some tips! First off, my hair IS thinning (not from this, but just over past year or so, probably from stress), and it has not improved. nor have my nails gotten harder, nor have I seen any improvement in mood or energy, etc. (my mood is fine, other than stress/frustration) I literally am getting no benefit....

Ok. today so far: black coffee, about 1/2 to 1 C of cantaloupe, 2 eggs, 2 slices natural bacon.

yesterday: B - two hard boiled eggs and cantaloupe (not ideal but super short on time). and black coffee

morning snack small apple and about 1T of almond butter (only almonds in ingredients)

lunch - salad with olive oil and lemon, veggies, chicken and spices (about a palm-hand of chicken)

dinner - good piece of salmon with herbs, roasted redskins, asparagus sautéed in oil with spices.

By the way, generally I feel really satisfied after a meal and don't have cravings and can go for several hours without eating a meal - unless I know I haven't had enough (like yesterday's breakfast, when I needed an apple snack).

Monday - nuts and apple and coffee (you can see, Mon and Tues, I didn't have time to plan breakfasts over the weekend but I did my best, usually I'm great with breakfast).

lunch - chicken, veggies, garlic, homemade hummus (I know beans aren't on this, I really try to limit them, but I needed a fat)

dinner - homemade buffalo chicken (chicken breast and spices) with parsnip "fries" (baked with olive oil)

Sunday - breakfast - homemade sausage, berries, spinach and mushroom sautee

lunch - salad with lox and olive oil dressing and tomato

dinner - steak, potatoes, eggs

Sat - breakfast - egg "muffins" I made with broccoli and ham. (no bread or nut flour, just made in muffin tins)

lunch - salad with salmon, olives, evoo/balsamic, carrots (no cheese, croutons, etc).

dinner - mussels (this was a messup - I wasn't thinking about the butter it was swimming in, but I avoided the bread). It was very difficult at this restaurant and I couldn't stand to eat another salad or steak for my entrée. I also had a side salad, which was compliant.

Fri - b: egg muffins, L: leftover chicken and carrot/raddish purre, Din: lamb, salad (no cheese or bread), and veggies.

That's as far back as I can remember. Recommendations welcome! Thanks

 

[snc555]

I forgot to add, during the morning /afternoon/evening I drink water and tea, usually decaf tea. and I'm allowing over 8 hours of sleep each night, but some nights I'm not sleeping well. I'm generally not feeling rested in the morning, even if I've slept well through the night.

[MeadowLily]

Ah, heck-a-toot.  Don't throw the towel in with cupcakes and beer. 

The most proper reintro doesn't guarantee  former food habits will be magically different or forgotten after 30 days.  Believe it or not, there are people who've never done one and they had wild success just the same.  I know some of them.

There's always hope. Always.

Have you seen this week's Woman's World?  Guess what the front page is about. Whole 30. Ayup. Go buy it.  It's motivational.  

It gives the reader's digest version of Whole 30 but there's colored photos/success stories that you might really enjoy.  I cut it out and put it on my fridge.  

This is the issue.

 

[jmcbn]

Most of your meals look okay in fairness (although generally a little low on fat), but how many days are you having like Monday & Tuesday where your breakfast doesn't really meet the template? Because those breakfasts (& snacks) are going to impact results for sure.

Also, legumes are a carb, not a fat, and along with the butter you mention are strictly off limits for your 30 days.

You mention that you're not sleeping well - have you looked at ways to improve this? Sleep is HUGELY under-rated and yet it has a HUGE impact on overall health. Do you practice good sleep hygiene? Do you dim the lights after sun down? Is your bedroom a little colder than the rest of your house? Do you use black out blinds? Have you removed any potential light pollution from your room? Do you have a regular bed time & wakening time, even on weekends? Do you limit screen time in the hour before bed? Are you eating meal one within an hour of wakening? Do you spend regular time out doors each day? Do you take a magnesium supplement and/or vitamin D3?

[ladyshanny]

Also, sorry, ham is almost never compliant due to the curing process with sugar and the same goes with lox. Unless the ingredients are just salmon and salt, chances are it's not compliant.

Given that you are willfully including off-plan items such as hummus, it might be worth it for you to sit down and decide if you really want to be doing the Whole30 and if the Whole30 is truly the best plan for you at this time. This is not a diet for weight loss, it's a 30 day food elimination program meant to allow you to create your own plan going forward. 

In addition to the rules about what not to eat, there are also best-practice recommendations which is where the true energy, body comp, mind-shift magic comes in. If a person was only following the yes-no food list, they would have a clean slate with which to do reintroductions and discover how certain foods affect them. If a person did the yes-no food elimination AND followed the meal template and recommendations, they could expect to have more rewards throughout the program.

We're here to help if you want assistance in properly creating template meals and working through the mental block of knowing that there is a "no" list of food for 30 days. Let us know.

[snc555]

Thanks. As far as sleep, the lights are dim before bed, and we have no light in the bedroom. I do eat within an hour of waking. I'm not much into TV, but I am generally with my fiancé at the TV at night if he's there (not in the bedroom).  I used to walk outside daily, but like I said, I'm having some leg trouble, so that has been minimal. The bedroom is cool. I generally go to bed between 9-11, usually around 10p. I get up regularly around 730 for work. On the weekends, it's the same, and I'm usually up by 8 or 9a. That seems like a lot of sleep to still not feel rested. (I do not feel tired all day long, just for an hour or so in the morning I feel I could sleep another 3 hours). Really I think my issue with sleep is stress, but I'm sure it's combined with food. One night my fitbit said I had 8 and a half hours, when I know I was tossing and turning all night, so that's probably inaccurate. As for the hummous, I know it's a carb. I just meant with the oil... probably the second time I've had it this month. I'll cut that out completely from now on. This past mon/tues with breakfast was truly the first time this has happened since I started this. I generally have more avocado too. Like I said, I kind of lost my motivation for this at the end of last week, and didn't get a chance to do a good grocery shop (doing that today). I work from home Wed-Fri so it's easy to get a really good breakfast in. The egg muffins from last week were a great way to grab breakfast for days at the office, so I plan to make those for next week.

[snc555]

ladyshanny  That was certainly UNhelpful. first of all , the lox is "salmon, salt, hardwood smoke". The hummus, I'm aware is not on the list of approved foods. I wouldn't call it "willingly" eaten, but struggling to find options when not at home. All you did is point out that is not compliant instead of offering other suggestions. As I mentioned in the first post, I'm very discouraged. And as I mentioned above, I'm not only not losing weight , but not feeling any other benefits either. The meal template I am using is a link I found on the Whole30 web page and only uses what it says are complaint things. I'm trying my very best to be compliant with this. I really wanted to get some motivation, which is what I thought this forum was for, and your response basically tells me, you're obviously not trying, so you should think about not doing it any more. . I'm also obviously just not doing yes-no foods. As I mentioned above, I'm reading the book, I've read the Paleo book, I'm on an app to find new foods to keep it interesting. I have hundreds of whole 30 pins of meals to do the same. I feel like I'm all in and still struggling and I wish you would've been supportive. honestly,  I'm surprised you are a moderator. Everyone else has been encouraging, but I think I'll have to look to other sources for encouragement since your post is upsetting and extremely discouraging. I would was looking for a more helpful community.

[jmcbn]

58 minutes ago, snc555 said:

Really I think my issue with sleep is stress, but I'm sure it's combined with food. One night my fitbit said I had 8 and a half hours, when I know I was tossing and turning all night,

Does your fitbit not measure sleep quality? It's just as important as the number of hours you are sleeping.

Is there anything you can do to relieve your stress? A problem shared is a problem halved and all that...

You didn't mention supplements - do you take magnesium at night? Or vitamin D3 in the morning?

 

[snc555]

It does measure sleep quality - I didnt know, but just checked and found this out. it says 2 x awake, 14x restless, and 57m restless. that seems more accurate.

As for vitamins and supplements I thought the book argued you should not need this eating "real food"???

 

As for stress, I took a hot shower. for me exercise is the best. I'm really limited by my leg and it's driving me nuts. that is the big part of the issue, since I can't do my normal go to stress reliever. tea also helps, which I'm doing.

 

I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing at this point and cut out totally beans and ham, although I've only had each of those things once or twice. maybe it's just taking longer this time around. thanks for your help. I'm going to get off this board and try not to obsess about it as much as it's truly just making me more discouraged .

[jmcbn]

21 hours ago, snc555 said:

As for vitamins and supplements I thought the book argued you should not need this eating "real food"???

Most people are magnesium deficient because modern farming techniques deplete it from the soil so this is definitely one I'd recommend - the vast majority of people on the forum take it too.

Vitamin D3 is another one that many people are deficient in without realising - it's all to do with lack of time outdoors, sunscreen, the body's inability to store it long term to get your through winter, body fat inhibiting the body's production/absorption of it, and age reducing the production/absorption of it. I'm not sure how old you are, but if you're over 40 I'd recommend it for sure.

Omega 3 is another one that many people don't get enough of from their diet, and any Omega 6 you get in the diet counter balances what little omega 3 you do get so it's quite important. Things like nuts/seeds are high in omega 6 which is one of the reasons why we'd recommend that they are limited.

Omega 3 & Vitamin D3 also have a big impact on mood/anxiety levels so adding these to your diet may help more than you think.

Magnesium @ night, Vit D3 & Omega 3 in the morning.

[Karen_Suep]

@snc555 food boredom got me good during my whole30. Part of it was I just didn't want to cook so I found simple and compliant ways around it. I ate baby carrots and precut veggies a lot. I'd also batch roast a bunch of veggies. Sprouts has a compliant rotisserie chicken that I'd buy in a pinch and then I'd grab some compliant mayo (or more recently, olives) so I would have an easy meal. Also TJs has a couple of compliant tahini sauces that I'd use in place of hummus sometimes (and it tastes similar!) 

i know it's not easy, but seriously sticking to the program helped me immensely. I'd never have known that legumes and I don't get along if I hadn't had the structure of whole30 for elimination. And I don't miss gluten so I haven't reintroduced it. (I suspect wheat messes with my blood sugar)

the great thing of the template is that it allows me to have a way to plan meals. Breakfast for me this morning was a breakfast casserole with pork I seasoned to make sausage, a crap ton of veggies, and about 15 eggs (made about 6 servings). Top with fat (ghee if you want a buttery taste, olives if you want more salty, or guacamole or avocado for a slightly southwest feel. I had it planned so it wasn't difficult for me to eat. 

Find something that works for you. I would encourage you to do 30 days of 100% compliance meals, follow the template and maybe supplement magnesium and D3 (I know I'm pretty severely deficient in D because of the tendency of autoimmune diseases) and see how you feel at the end. This isn't a weight loss diet, so the scale may not move much for you, but it has helped me feel healthy and energetic without the need for coffee/tea/caffeine, and I hope it does the same for you  

 

[Crastney]

trying not to state the obvious here, but if your sleep is bad, and you're eating well, could you just need a new mattress?  How old is the one you sleep on at the moment?  They (mattress makers!) recommend changing it every 8 years, I would definitely change it if it's more than 15 years old, and sooner if it wasn't the best quality to start with.  most people just don't realise that mattresses wear out, untill they're really obviously knackered, which is usually a few years too late.

[Tia123]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 10:41 AM, snc555 said:

ladyshanny  That was certainly UNhelpful. first of all , the lox is "salmon, salt, hardwood smoke". The hummus, I'm aware is not on the list of approved foods. I wouldn't call it "willingly" eaten, but struggling to find options when not at home. All you did is point out that is not compliant instead of offering other suggestions. As I mentioned in the first post, I'm very discouraged. And as I mentioned above, I'm not only not losing weight , but not feeling any other benefits either. The meal template I am using is a link I found on the Whole30 web page and only uses what it says are complaint things. I'm trying my very best to be compliant with this. I really wanted to get some motivation, which is what I thought this forum was for, and your response basically tells me, you're obviously not trying, so you should think about not doing it any more. . I'm also obviously just not doing yes-no foods. As I mentioned above, I'm reading the book, I've read the Paleo book, I'm on an app to find new foods to keep it interesting. I have hundreds of whole 30 pins of meals to do the same. I feel like I'm all in and still struggling and I wish you would've been supportive. honestly,  I'm surprised you are a moderator. Everyone else has been encouraging, but I think I'll have to look to other sources for encouragement since your post is upsetting and extremely discouraging. I would was looking for a more helpful community.

I have read this entire thing, and I think she WAS offering good suggestions - maybe just not the ones you wanted to hear.  Your post had a 5 or 6 day food log, and 4 or 5 of those days you ate something non-compliant.  I think ladyshanny was simply pointing out that, perhaps you just don't have your "head in the game" right now - and if you want W30 to work, really work, you have to do your part. 

I'm sorry you are struggling and frustrated! 

[marie2403]

So I've read through most of this and don't have any massive advice, except in regards to your sleep. I have been taking a magnesium supplement every night before bed for months now, and it has been life changing. Seriously, I'm not a pills person, but when someone suggested it and explained how many minerals are no longer in our soil from overproduction I gave it a shot. Life. Changed. I sleep soundly from the second I lay down til my alarm goes off (or just before if I've given myself enough time). You won't regret it. 

[J9er]

I know you need encouragement and that is why you came to the forum, but this is the WHOLE30 forum, not the "sort of but not really, kind of paleo" forum. You are making some great strides towards the better you, and I commend you for that. But as stated in many places in this forum and in the books, this is not a weight loss program. And there are rules put in place to try to help you get to the end goal, and these rules are there for a reason, and if following the rules, the moderators will do their best to get you through if you aren't feeling your best. Ladyshanny was simply pointing out that you aren't exactly doing the program....because you aren't. 

That all being said I was off and on the whole30 for a year (I completed 2 full rounds and am doing one now) with mixed results before I finally said to heck with it and have been really monitoring my food and have been whole30ish for the last 4 months. It has taken 4 months of tweaking, giving up dairy completely after letting it sneak in once in awhile, tweaking my workout regime, breaking up with my scale more than once, and even seeing a functional medicine  doc -- I'm finally just seeing some body comp results now. I tell you all of this because it has been a process, one that isn't over, and one that hasn't been easy. 

I was married a couple of years ago and wanted to look my best too. But I would encourage you now to just focus on your wedding and not stress too much about your diet and food. Eat clean template meals yes, but stressing about losing the last 5 pounds is not going to be good for you and is that what you want to remember leading up to your wedding? And it certainly isn't what the Whole30 is about. 

After your wedding, and after reading ISWF maybe again, then I really encourage you to try a fully compliant whole30 - it really is amazing, and you will have the time to really focus on your goals and what you want to achieve. Wish you all the best!