Day 21 - no NSVs or changes - suggestions?

[veeleigh]

Hi all,

I'm faithfully on Day 21 of my first Whole30 and wanted to source some suggestions to tweak the last 9 days to help see some results (scale or non-scale).  I'm at a healthy weight (5'9", 145), although 5 pounds over where I would like to be and have healthily been in the recent (6 months ago) past before several-month-long eating-out spree.  In my usual life, I lift weights 2-3x/week and run 1-2x/week, don't eat many processed foods, don't eat fruit except rarely (maybe 1x/week with brunch), don't eat smoothies, etc.  I do, however, typically religiously track my calories using a food scale and app, which I credit to losing 20 pounds a couple of years ago by strictly "cutting" calories.  Whenever my weight gets too high, I usually go back to eating at a deficit to lose weight, which leaves me hungry and cranky but works if I'm consistent for 2-4 weeks.  So the no tracking for this Whole30 is the biggest lifestyle change for me, along with no alcohol and no dairy (I usually eat lots of siggi's plan yogurt and plain cottage cheese for protein).  The biggest additions to my food eating has been consciously adding fats (avocado, ghee, coconut oil) to my food, and eating yams/sweet potatoes, which I now eat at least one a day...sometimes two if I exercise hard then I'll have one right after I exercise and maybe one in the evening with dinner.

A day in the life of Whole30 for me predominantly looks like this:

PWO (only 1-2 times a week right now, work is crazy busy): 1 hardboiled egg; 1c coffee with compliant almond milk

Breakfast (It's big, and usually the same if I WO or don't): 1/4 of a 16-egg frittata (entire frittata made with 4+ cups kale, 2-3 cups mushrooms, 1 onion, and sometimes 2-3 tomatoes, with 2tbs harissa and salt/pepper); 1 compliant Aidell's chicken apple sausage; 1/2 avocado; 1 yam/sweet potato slathered with brown butter ghee and cinnamon (if I WO, I'll eat this as soon as I get home, if I don't, I'll have this after I eat everything else above); 1c coffee with compliant almond milk; sometimes 1c homemade chicken broth (if I roasted a chicken)

Lunch: Recently it's been 1-1.5 cups stir fry with ground turkey or beef with mixed veggies (some mixture of broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, onions, carrots, potatoes, cooked with coconut aminos and with a fat like evoo, coconut oil, salt/pepper), and either (1) a side salad of 2 cups mixed greens with balsamic vinegar (maybe also a little evoo) and 1/2 avocado, or (2) a side of 1/3 to 2/3 cup cooked stir-fried garlicky collard greens cooked in evoo; 1c coffee with compliant almond or coconut milk.

The first week lunch was about 1/4 of a roast chicken (e.g., 1 whole thigh, or 1 whole breast, with skin) with 1-1.5 c tumeric roasted cauliflower with evoo/coconut oil, or with 1-1.5 c roast veggie mix (acorn squash, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, rutabaga, turnip, parsnip, with evoo/coconut oil and salt/pepper)

snack if I'm hungry: 2 hardboiled eggs, or 2 compliant turkey sticks, or a celery stick or two with 1-2 Tbs almond butter

Dinner: Similar to lunch: 1-2 cups stir fry with ground turkey or beef with mixed veggies (some mixture of broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, onions, carrots, potatoes, cooked with coconut aminos and with a fat like evoo, coconut oil); a side of 1/3 to 2/3 cup cooked stir-fried garlicky collard greens cooked in evoo; maybe a decaf coffee after dinner with compliant almond milk, sometimes a yam/sweet potato slathered with brown butter ghee and cinnamon if I worked out that day.

Again: no smoothies, no fruit, no nuts...I have never craved any of those things really, so not eating now.  I have a high-stress job, but always shoot for 8+ hours of sleep, with more on the weekends.  I always sleep well, early to bed early to rise.  Doing Whole30 hasn't been difficult, and I haven't had the kinds of NSVs that others have reported (no changes in skin, energy, etc.)

Any suggestions on my food intake and how I can tweak it to see results?  

Thanks!

 

 

 

[ultrarunnergirl]

Hi veeleigh,

  Your meals look great - following the template well.  Are you making it 4-5 hours between meals without getting hungry? That's a good test if you are eating enough. If you aren't hungry after 5 hours, you may be eating more than you need (based on your meal amounts and workouts, I do not think this is the case at all). You may wish to experiment with eating sweet potato/high carb veggies right after your workouts in order to reap the greatest benefits.

   Remember it is a 21 day program and some see results closer to the end of the 30 days.  Especially if you have restricted calories in the past, it can take some time for your body to adjust to finally getting "enough" calories in order for it to then start trusting enough to let go of weight.  On the other hand, you may want to lose that last 5 lbs, but your body may not agree with you that it needs to go.

  Congratulations on resisting the food tracking - that is a huge accomplishment. Hang in there - good things are coming!

 

 

 

 

 

[veeleigh]

Thanks, ultrarunnergirl!  

I've been faithfully sticking with the program, even over Thanksgiving, eating loads of skin-on turkey (white and dark) with green beans, brussel sprouts, and yams/sweet potatoes for several lunches/dinners now, and passing on the wine and sweets.  Snacks have been more turkey and vegetables!  Breakfasts while traveling have been (1) some leftover breakfast frittata or (2) 2 eggs fried in ghee with roasted brussel sprouts; each with 4 slices Paleo bacon or 1-2 Aidell's sausages (or both!), and one day also a sweet potato with ghee.  

I had a dinner out last night where the restaurant was more than happy to accommodate being sugar/dairy/grain/alcohol free (they had heard of Whole30 and knew its basic elements, but didn't get it was grain-free not just gluten-free), although I found myself still asking/checking all of the dishes and passing on some "gluten free" sides they sent my way that still had non-gluten grains in them.  I was fortunate to have wonderful food such as smoked salmon with caviar, ceviche, raw oysters, a mushroom and roasted onion soup, a cauliflower curry soup, and a roasted beef medallion with a celery root puree.  I also enjoyed my first piece of fruit in 30 days, a half piece of poached stone fruit with a no-sugar-added huckleberry sauce for dessert last night). 

Today is day 29, and I haven't weighed myself for a week now (a small NSV).  Will update again after day 30, although I don't think it will be apples to apples due to shifts in my personal cycle means I'm presently experiencing skin issues, cramping, and what feels like weight gain.  I think I'll complete this Whole30 heavier than I started!

Assuming I'm feeling better, I was going to reintroduce dairy on Day 31, then 2 days of Whole30 again, then introduce gluten-free grains (corn, soy, etc.) on Day 34, then 2 days of Whole30 again, then introduce gluten on Day 37. I have never cared for beans, and my husband has a bad reaction to quinoa, so we don't prepare legumes at home hardly at all.  

Whole30 hasn't been hard. It's been fun to try new recipes, whip out my spiralizer and get back into the habit of cooking, even for breakfast, which is something I love. My husband has started trying out using our slow cooker.  Good to see that we don't need grains, gluten, dairy, etc. in our daily lives, and can (and should) try to eat at home without those things and enjoy on occasion outside the home.

 

[Jennio44]

On Day 14 and feeling a little bit "why am I doing this?"

I'm 48 and active, however, haven't been at a weight that I am happy with in several years. I want to lose 10 pounds. I know it's not a lot -- until you've been trying to lose the same 10 for three solid years. I work out at least three times a week (strength and cardio). Although I generally eat well, no fast food etc., and cook for myself a lot, I just have not been able to get my middle-aged body to cooperate. Sooooo ... heard about whole30 and decided to give it a try.

I'm halfway through, made it through Thanksgiving without a hiccup, but am questioning ... is this really working? Am I going to feel/look any different after a month of this? And can I incorporate this way of eating into my everyday life after it's over?

Help!! Need some advice from someone with experience.