Let's get real...

[malamusa]

Hello everybody.  I decided to try a Whole30 because a dear friend of mine, also overweight, lost 15 lbs. and decreased her A1C level considerably.  She feels much better, looks better, and is happily continuing on another Whole30.  I don't have Diabetes and am not pre diabetic, but I am about 60 lbs. overweight with knee problems, back issues, mood issues and insomnia.  I am happy to say that my insomnia is gone, my knee issues are much improved, I am a lot less bloated (wedding rings and watch fit better) and my bathroom habits are considerably improved-many non-scale victories as you call them...BUT I only lost 8 lbs.  I know this is far better than gaining or staying the same and I am going to do another Whole30 starting Sunday BUT here's the real part...I have been told repeatedly that my health complaints will improve significantly with weight loss so I want and need to lose weight.  Thats the reality for many people I have spoken to who have decided to start eating clean.  I have been told never to eat only 3 large meals with no snacks in-between (by doctors and trainers)-the Whole30 says don't snack in between meals or have 6 smaller meals....  I have been told by doctors not to eat fruit WITH a meal or right after because it ferments or causes digestion issues-Whole30 says don't eat fruit between meals.  I know that fruit is healthy and low glycemic choices like apples and oranges should be included in a healthy lifestyle diet.  So...what to do?  I am not willing to eliminate fruit-I have tried to limit it as best I can, but this doesn't work for me.  Does that mean I am a Whole30 failure and its not the plan for me despite my non-scale victories?

I live and work overseas, so our main meal happens at 3:30 in the afternoon. We usually do not eat after that meal-maybe an apple with cashew butter occasionally before 7.  I sleep at 9:30. I work in a school so I eat breakfast at 6am before I leave the house (no, I cannot eat when I get to school).  If I don't eat something before 3:30 I am starving and I cannot function effectively so during my Whole30 I ate an orange or berries, and carrot, cucumber, pepper, and celery sticks with Whole30 ranch dip at 11 or 12-no protein.  Can this be considered meal 2?  I really don't know how to manage under these circumstances and I need to lose weight!!! I didn't go on the scale for the entire month, but weight loss, despite your suggestions, was always and will continue to be in the back (sometimes front) of my mind as it is with many other Whole30ers (who might not want to admit it).

So...any suggestions of how to make the Whole30 work with my schedule while losing weight?  Also-no Coconut Aminos in this country-can I use compliant vegetable broth instead or is there another substitute?

Thanks for any advice forthcoming and please don't get me wrong-the program has done a lot for me and I want to continue but I need someone to tell me how to be 100% (or even 97%) compliant considering my schedule and unwillingness to eliminate fruit at noon...

[kirkor]

Umm, but you did lose weight.

[snowflower]

8 pounds in 30 days is great! 

No Whole30 is perfect.  Everybody's lifestyle is different.  You have been compliant with food....you just haven't followed the template exactly...but it worked for you.  You had non-scale victories AND scale victories.  CONTINUE this!  

Regarding your meal 2 issue:  my suggestion is to add a couple of hard boiled eggs or some tinned fish (I love sardines).  

Are you exercising?

[MeadowLily]

After 30 days, we can eat 90/10, 80/20, or 70/30. I have no idea how to manage foods in those percentages - compliant or non-compliant.

Your plan worked. 

 

[laura_juggles]

8lbs in 4 weeks is 2lbs per week and that is a healthy and maintainable rate of weight loss. 

By not having any protein at that midday meal, you're not going to get the full benefit of the Whole30. The reason the template is the way it is is because it works. You need to eat 3 proper meals a day, not two and some fruit. 

[malamusa]

I appreciate your replies but I was wondering if you noticed the timeframes.  I come home from work between 3:30 and 4 and at that time my husband and I eat a full meal according to the template.  I eat a template breakfast at 6am.  I feel physically hungry between 6am and 4pm, so I feel that I need to  eat something then, and I feel hungry around 7:30 pm.

 If I eat a template meal at 11-12, (I can incorporate hardboiled eggs or maybe tuna into my 11-12 'meal' as suggested), but then its only3-31/2 hours until I eat a full meal with my husband and that will not change.  This still leaves me hungry when I go to bed at 9:30-10. What about the health issues and fruit? I am not trying to be difficult, but I really want this plan to work for me.

Considering this schedule and these time concerns, any suggestions?

[ShannonM816]

If you eat a full meal at 6 am, five hours later at 11 eat a full meal, four to five hours later eat a full meal at 3:30-4, then if you need it a mini-meal sometime before bed of protein, fat, and vegetables, would that work? Generally, your meals will keep you satisfied 4-5 hours at a time, so that seems reasonable to me.

When you say you feel physically hungry between 6 am and 4 pm, you don't mean you eat at 6 am but stay hungry all day until 4, right? Because that would be a sure sign you need a bigger breakfast at 6. I'm assuming you mean you can't go from 6 am to 4 pm without getting hungry at some point, which is normal -- that's 10 hours. You're not expected to go 10 hours during the day when you're up moving around living life without eating something.

If you focus on eating meals that make you healthy, the weight loss will follow. The two aren't separate things. Improving your weight may improve your health, but improving your health will also improve your weight.

[Bellmaestra]

As someone who still wants to lose a fair amount of weight, I really get the desire to lose it faster! There are way too many programs out there that promise ridiculously fast weight loss, but remember that most of those tend to be based on liquid diets, shakes, and other get-thin-quick schemes.

The surest thing about quick weight loss is the quick weight gain that follows. But that's never going to be a good trade-off. Those of us who have been around the pike a few times know that there is no magic bullet for the long term.

Patience... Where would you be if you hadn't started this 30 days ago?

Stephanie

[malamusa]

Thanks to all.  I  started my second Whole30 today. (I was mostly compliant during my week off too and did not reintroduce anything other than a piece of dried pineapple which may have had added sugar...) What I have decided to try is my usual compliant breakfast at 6, tuna or a hard boiled egg and salad at 10:30-11 with possibly a tangerine or berries (meal 2), and my usual meal 3 with hubby at 4 ish.  If I get physically hungry between 4-7 I will have a salad.  Does that sound good?

[laura_juggles]

One hard boiled egg is not enough for protein in a meal. You need to make yourself food for meal 2 that actually fits the template. For eggs as the only protein, it needs to be as many as you can hold without feeling like you're going to drop them. For most women that's 3-4. 

Salads need to be huge because they turn into nothing once you've chewed them. If you're worried about having the time to eat your meal 2, then something like carrot and cucumber sticks or roasted veggies that you like the taste of cold may be a better choice. Something like a grown-up, Whole30 lunchable: chicken tenders or slices of steak, veggie sticks or roasted veg, and some avocado or mayo or ranch for dipping.

Once you get that meal 2 actually fitting the template, and then follow it up with another solid template meal 3 at 4ish, I would be shocked if you got hungry between 4 and 7. 

[malamusa]

Thank you for your help and support!

[RabbitFood]

Not only is 8 pounds awesome, it's pretty much perfect for sustainable weight loss.  Keep up the healthy eating and in less than a year you will reach your goal!