Finished the 30 - not weight lost expected

[kellychap]

So yesterday was day 30, and today I weighed - I lost 9 pounds.  Not the stellar weight loss I was looking for, considering I have another 40 lbs to go.  I did follow the plan, never crossing the "donts", but maybe not maximizing the do's.  Now that I read the forum, I see the importance of pushing the veggies and limiting the fruit, and I didn't know that cooking fats don't count as meal fats.  Hmmm, thought I read the book pretty well, but clearly not.  I wasn't able to exercise like I like to, since I had a knee injury and this eliminated all weight-bearing cardio.  I do have a more clear mind, I sleep better, and more energy.  I do know that I should focus on the non-scale victories, but let's be honest, I wouldn't have been looking to change my diet if those were my only concerns.

So, here are my challenges:

1.  I travel every week for my work - flying out on Monday -Thursday, staying in a hotel room this entire time does not have a kitchen (or even a microwave).

2.  My spouse is "semi" supportive - meaning he wants me to lose weight, and will eat what I cook, but doesn't follow the plan.

3.  My exercise will continue to be limited for some time - even weight lifting or pilates/yoga are difficult due to the knee injury.

4.  I'm 52 - so my metabolism is not what it once was.

Here are my major questions:

1.  Any suggestions for food when I travel (home is easy)

2.  How do you get veggies in with breakfast?  Please don't tell me to cook kale or wilt spinach with my eggs - can't do it.

3.  Should I expect any more weight loss or will this just be a long slow stuggle? (I know that initial weight loss is always the greatest).

[Silver Penguin]

Hi @kellychap,

Congratulations on over 2lbs a weeks weight loss. Compare that to other plans and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. But what the scale says is only a small part of the story, right? How do you feel? Believe me, I know about the slower metabolism thing as one gets older.

I'm also doing my Whole 30 with a semi-supportive spouse. He eats some of the meals I prepare but supplements liberally with junk food, beer and wine.

Veggies for breakfast can be tricky. I found some compliant bacon which I cooked with eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and plantain slices. If you've never had plantain fried in bacon fat, you're in for a treat. It was a first time for me.

When I do left over roast meat for breakfast, chunks of cucumber, avocado and home made pesto, with halved cherry tomatoes is good.

Traveling looks like a real challenge. I'm looking forward to hearing replies from others here. I took an apple and some almond butter to a party yesterday in case I was tempted but a good meal beforehand kept me safe from the temptations.

Jill

[ArtFossil]

5 hours ago, kellychap said:

So yesterday was day 30, and today I weighed - I lost 9 pounds.  Not the stellar weight loss I was looking for, considering I have another 40 lbs to go.  I did follow the plan, never crossing the "donts", but maybe not maximizing the do's.  Now that I read the forum, I see the importance of pushing the veggies and limiting the fruit, and I didn't know that cooking fats don't count as meal fats.  Hmmm, thought I read the book pretty well, but clearly not.  I wasn't able to exercise like I like to, since I had a knee injury and this eliminated all weight-bearing cardio.  I do have a more clear mind, I sleep better, and more energy.  I do know that I should focus on the non-scale victories, but let's be honest, I wouldn't have been looking to change my diet if those were my only concerns.

So, here are my challenges:

1.  I travel every week for my work - flying out on Monday -Thursday, staying in a hotel room this entire time does not have a kitchen (or even a microwave).

2.  My spouse is "semi" supportive - meaning he wants me to lose weight, and will eat what I cook, but doesn't follow the plan.

3.  My exercise will continue to be limited for some time - even weight lifting or pilates/yoga are difficult due to the knee injury.

4.  I'm 52 - so my metabolism is not what it once was.

Here are my major questions:

1.  Any suggestions for food when I travel (home is easy)

2.  How do you get veggies in with breakfast?  Please don't tell me to cook kale or wilt spinach with my eggs - can't do it.

3.  Should I expect any more weight loss or will this just be a long slow stuggle? (I know that initial weight loss is always the greatest).

Favorite AM vegetables besides spinach: roasted veggies, especially broccoli, carrots and Brussels sprouts; broccoli in any form; saluted onions, bell pepper and tomatoes; fresh sauerkraut (there's a brand with carroway seeds that I love at Whole Foods).

Also like mixed salad for breakfast especially a Greek style chopped salad with kalamata olives. 

There are so many vegetables! Pick some you love, and start thinking of it as "Meal 1," not "breakfast."

As for weight loss: That's a HUGE amount of weight to lose in a month! Any more than that would probably not be healthy and would certainly not be sustainable.  Read some of the posts from moderator Tom Denham: he lost a ton of weight, at 1 to 1/2 pounds a month. Slow weight loss and changing your habits is the way to go.

Focus on nourishing your body. Appropriate weight loss will follow, at a rate that's right for you.

As for travel, just do the best you can. But--and this is important--do your reintroductions BEFORE you start to "off road" or "ride your own bike". You have a clean slate now and this is the only opportunity you have (unless and until you do another Whole30) to systematically reintroduce foods and to find out exactly how the foods you eliminated affect you. Having this knowledge is the best way to make smart choices about what you want to eat/

[Karen_Suep]

I've discovered I like soup for breakfast veggies. I found a compliant ginger carrot soup that I was able to replicate (everything was in my w30 ish kitchen!) and it's so good. I add a bit of chicken for meals. 

Another thing I did during w30 is make a giant breakfast casserole with all the veggies I could stuff in it. Or eat cold leftover roasted veggies (I would dip in mayo if no other fat was planned). I don't really like cooked spinach and I'm picky about kale but I was able to do it  and thinking of it as my first meal not breakfast helped too