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Day 30 and only lost 1 pound!?!


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I am at a loss. I followed the meal template, cooked all my food, never ate out, for 30 freaking days.  I upended my pantry, my schedule, turned my life upside down, and devoted so much time and energy to doing this right and after 30 days I have lost 1 pound.  One single pound. I can fluctuate 3-4 pounds in a day so frankly I may have lost nothing, or even gained.  My pants fit the same. no noticeable energy level difference.  I went in to this fully committed to 1) lose weight, 2) combat fatigue.  I am normally a healthy eater. I love fruits and veggies. I don't like potatoes, but I generally eat healthy. Except the last year or so, work became stressful and too much take-out, convenient pre-made foods etc. etc. and I put on an additional 15 pounds very quickly on top of already being overweight.  I am 5'5" and 183, so I have a lot to lose. 30 pounds to get me out of the obese, overweight category.   When I read about w30 I was drawn to it bc it is a total reset. I know it is not for weight loss.  And I've read what mods have said about how even 1 or 2 pounds is great, and it's about how you feel, and how your body looks. But my body looks the same. My midsection which has ballooned in the past year has not diminished even an iota.  I haven't done reintroductions yet. Not sure if this means I should delay reintros until some actual weight comes off.  But I'm starting to doubt that eating this way will lead me to lose any weight at all so why bother?  And   though I haven't started reintroductions yet, I don't expect food sensitivities, so why bother, I'm ready give it all up, but I've worked so hard. It is demoralizing.

Here are my only slip ups:

week 2: I weighed myself not once but twice. I saw there was much less bloat in my face, which was very exciting, so i went on the scale and i was down 2 pounds. That was further exciting that it led me to go back on the scale again the next day.  But I was back up one pound in a day so then i realized my dependence on the number and the whole reason why we need to put the scale away, and I put the scale away.

Day 1- somewhere in the teens:  I learned from a mod that I should limit my matcha latte which I made with 1 scoop vital proteins, 1/2 cup of coconut water, 2-3 Tb of nut pods, and 1/2 tsp of matcha green tea.  I should also limit chia pudding which I made with almond milk and ate only when my plate lacked a starchy vegetable. I cut out the chia pudding and only allowed myself the matcha green tea 3 more times in the remaining month. And it only comes to a little over 1/2 cup of liquid so it's a pretty small drink.

 Day 19: I made a crab salad for homemade california hand rolls and accidentally consumed wasabi that contained food starch as one of its ingredients. It was tiny bit of wasabi and after reading and consulting what others would do on this forum, I decided to call it a learning experience and stayed the course. 

Day 25 in the middle of following a compliant carnitas pork recipe I realized I was missing an orange from my ingredients list so I added 2 TB of triple sec plus a lemon.  After it was cooked and I opened the instant pot I could smell a faint trace of alcohol so I decided not to eat the pork, and gave it to my husband (who kept hemming and hawing about joining me to start his w30, then decided he won't bc he won't give up alcohol, and he doesn't like veggies enough to be able to follow the template) .  A couple of days later I was out of protein, and had the last remaining half a portion of the carnitas after sautéing it in a pan for over 25 minutes. I am confident there could not have been any alcohol in the palmful of  was left of the dry, fried up pork. 

But that is all. Those are my only slip ups.  I ate fruit only with meals, not on its own. and basically followed the rules to a tee.  I spent hundreds of $$ on groceries, like it was my full time job. I got compliant  sauces to jazz up my meals so that I would stay the course.  I spent more on groceries than I would have at the restaurants I didn't go to.

My typical day:

M1: 3 eggs, sautéed veggies, a fruit, 1/2 avocado

M2: meatloaf, sauteed kale or similar greens, with roasted or parsnips roasted in a generous amount of ghee

M3: large grilled chicken breast, salad, sweet potato, olives

 

Maybe I ate too much?  But I kept reading about how undereating was one of the biggest trouble spots.  I followed the template as closely as I could. I went 4-5 hours without eating, and was hungry again for my next meal. I hardly ever snacked. and I enjoyed the rhythm of only sitting down to eat 3 times a day. 

 I'm devastated that 30 days have led to maybe1 pound lost, maybe. I don't want to waste time with reintros if this way of eating isn't going to lead to weight loss. But I feel like not doing it is even more of  a waste than it has been so far.  Either way seems this was all a waste. continuing to sink costs and time and energy. Or not finishing with the reintros.  

 I started reading about Bright Line Eating today and i'm wondering if anyone on the forums have any thoughts on this program, which is geared toward weightless. It actually sounds very similar to w30 except with a weight loss component, the ultimate goal being food freedom.  What do you think of Susan Peirce Thompson's Bright Line Eating? Is it worth the $500 for the bootcamp??

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8 minutes ago, sojurabbit said:

 

 I'm devastated that 30 days have led to maybe1 pound lost, maybe. I don't want to waste time with reintros if this way of eating isn't going to lead to weight loss. But I feel like not doing it is even more of  a waste than it has been so far.  Either way seems this was all a waste. continuing to sink costs and time and energy. Or not finishing with the reintros.  

 I started reading about Bright Line Eating today and i'm wondering if anyone on the forums have any thoughts on this program, which is geared toward weightless. It actually sounds very similar to w30 except with a weight loss component, the ultimate goal being food freedom.  What do you think of Susan Peirce Thompson's Bright Line Eating? Is it worth the $500 for the bootcamp??

The Whole30 is an elimination protocol designed to help each individual person learn how inflammatory foods affect them... the reintroductions are the step in which you take your healed and clean gut and put things in it to see how they react.  It would hardly be wasting time to determine this.  That said, some people when they come from a SAD way of eating DO lose weight.  We don't know your history, whether you have weight you need to lose or vanity pounds, whether you have existing medical conditions that may impact your body's desire to let go of weight over healing.  It's never a waste to eat whole foods in proper quantities 3 times a day to nourish and fuel your body... what seems like a waste is paying a company $500 (!!) for some sort of eating bootcamp... 

I can't give you any info on the Bright Line Eating plan and we wouldn't host discussions of its worthiness on this forum... but do know that anyone/company that wants to charge you money for your health is NOT in it for your health!  Yes, there are books and resources available to purchase from Whole30 but the entire program is also available online for free and always will be... that stands for something!

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Without a Reintro Phase, that's missing out on the most important part of Whole 30.

Whole 30 and Reintro are mates like salt and pepper.  I know, I know everyone wants the side effects of weight loss.  Follow through with Reintro and you won't regret it.

As long as I've been here, I've yet to see one person come back and say I'm soooo happy I never bothered with a Reintro.  Those that do come back, regret that they did not strike while the griddle was hot and immediately follow through.

We've watched them, try to conduct repeat Whole 30's without doing reintros and they end up walking away without one. They start over and over and disappear.

Embrace the greater purpose of conducting a Whole 30.  I've not ever seen weight loss permanently fix or change a relationship with food.  Thoughtful decisions going forward will.

A Whole 30 without a Reintro can come undone on Day 31. Eating all the things in one day. You don't want to do that and experience those consequences.  A belly ache and misery. Take it slow and follow through. I promise you, you'll be glad you did.

 

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Sorry for the angry typing about what a waste this all was.  Of course you're right, Sugarcube, it wasn't all a waste.  eating 3 nourishing meals a day is not a waste. so true. But surely I could expect the side effect of some weight loss when I've got so much to lose. I learned about the w30 from my doctor where I complained about my lack of energy and the 15 pound weight gain in the past year and my recent eating habits. She ran a bunch of tests and I don't have any medical issues, normal labs, but things definitely need work. I thought I might be pre-diabetic due to the weight gain, but turns out my 3 month sugar ave/hemoglobin is 5.1 ( normal is less than 5.7).  I do have elevated total cholesterol of 256 ( normal is less than 200), my bad cholesterol was high at 136 (normal is less than 130), but my good cholesterol was high too, 81 ( normal is 40-60).  The only thing she prescribed for me was a prescription Vitamin D my level is 10 ( normal is 30-100), and to do a whole 30.  The more I read the more I thought i was surely one of the people who would benefit if i committed to doing this right. i bought the books. I followed the cook book. 

I'm 5'5" and 183 is categorized as obese, so I know this is not my vanity talking.  My usual healthy weight with not too much fluctuation was 155, for a long time. I exercised regularly before I had a child, my son is now 3, so the vanity accounts for wanting to get down those further 15 pounds to 143, but not for the 20 pounds I currently and visibly have to lose.  Maybe the official "obese" label is questionable, but I am without a doubt unhealthily overweight.  I'll be 40 this year, and my midsection has ballooned out of control, I'm currently in a size 10 or 12 pants and just do not feel or look healthy, which has led to being more sedentary, and the vicious cycle... 

I appreciate your not wanting to discuss another program like Bright Line eating on this forum. It just sounded so similar.  I was hoping to get some unbiased opinions for someone like me for whom the w30 has been a disappointment.  I 've come to trust the viewpoints of people on this forum, and was hoping there was some insight.  You're right about the $500, I haven't pulled the trigger and that is the only reason I haven't. But Susan Peirce Thompson sounds as convincing as Melissa Hartwig (I listened to podcasts, and watched interviews), fwiw. I am probably not giving the w30 a fair shot to be the program it was designed to be without the reintros, I get that. And I don't think I can truly say the w30 didn't work for me unless I actually complete it. But my motivation to bother is low, and feeling like it's not worth it to keep going down this road.

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A self-induced Food Prison vs. Food Freedom Forever.  

The absolute best part of Whole 30 and Food Freedom Forever, for me, is creating a sustainable positive food management plan that I can actually live with for the rest of my life.

Don't throw anymore money in the toilet on another diet. 

It dieting actually worked, it would only take one diet and one diet only to fix all of your problems with weight and food.  You would conduct one diet, swish your hands together and walk away. Cured, healed and happy.

Dieting doesn't work that way. There is no such thing as one diet that can heal everyone for the rest of their life.  You have to create and find the foods that you like and can live with for the rest of your days. 

The best of the best, is allowing yourself actual freedom to include every food you like in the quantities that work for you.  You create your own food thoughts, rules and recommendations. This is the launching pad and springboard that gives you permission to do that for yourself.  

You know the way.  It is filled with gentle changes for the permanent WIN.  Your way. Have it your way, not  SPT's way or even Melissa's way but your way.  It's all fun, really, creating your way.

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4 minutes ago, sojurabbit said:

Sorry for the angry typing about what a waste this all was.  Of course you're right, Sugarcube, it wasn't all a waste.  eating 3 nourishing meals a day is not a waste. so true. But surely I could expect the side effect of some weight loss when I've got so much to lose. I learned about the w30 from my doctor where I complained about my lack of energy and the 15 pound weight gain in the past year and my recent eating habits. She ran a bunch of tests and I don't have any medical issues, normal labs, but things definitely need work. I thought I might be pre-diabetic due to the weight gain, but turns out my 3 month sugar ave/hemoglobin is 5.1 ( normal is less than 5.7).  I do have elevated total cholesterol of 256 ( normal is less than 200), my bad cholesterol was high at 136 (normal is less than 130), but my good cholesterol was high too, 81 ( normal is 40-60).  The only thing she prescribed for me was a prescription Vitamin D my level is 10 ( normal is 30-100), and to do a whole 30.  The more I read the more I thought i was surely one of the people who would benefit if i committed to doing this right. i bought the books. I followed the cook book. 

I'm 5'5" and 183 is categorized as obese, so I know this is not my vanity talking.  My usual healthy weight with not too much fluctuation was 155, for a long time. I exercised regularly before I had a child, my son is now 3, so the vanity accounts for wanting to get down those further 15 pounds to 143, but not for the 20 pounds I currently and visibly have to lose.  Maybe the official "obese" label is questionable, but I am without a doubt unhealthily overweight.  I'll be 40 this year, and my midsection has ballooned out of control, I'm currently in a size 10 or 12 pants and just do not feel or look healthy, which has led to being more sedentary, and the vicious cycle... 

I appreciate your not wanting to discuss another program like Bright Line eating on this forum. It just sounded so similar.  I was hoping to get some unbiased opinions for someone like me for whom the w30 has been a disappointment.  I 've come to trust the viewpoints of people on this forum, and was hoping there was some insight.  You're right about the $500, I haven't pulled the trigger and that is the only reason I haven't. But Susan Peirce Thompson sounds as convincing as Melissa Hartwig (I listened to podcasts, and watched interviews), fwiw. I am probably not giving the w30 a fair shot to be the program it was designed to be without the reintros, I get that. And I don't think I can truly say the w30 didn't work for me unless I actually complete it. But my motivation to bother is low, and feeling like it's not worth it to keep going down this road.

Hey there - I wish I could say that yes, it probably just 'didn't work for you' but honestly, especially when we're in our late 30's, things can take longer to level out... There is nothing wrong with eating 3 nourishing meals a day and assuming you're not going wild on fruit and lara bars between meals or sneak eating mounds of nuts, your body will eventually sort itself out... I know this is not the answer you want, but you didn't gain the weight in 30 days and while some people do have drastic weightloss, those are outliers, not the norm... I would wholeheartedly suggest that you do the reintros and then find a food freedom plan that works for you (maybe it's mostly whole30 with the occassional sugar in ketchup... something like that is very common).  Keep fueling your body and honoring it, dont' jump to a weightloss diet... the reason those are multi-billion dollar industries is because they don't work... a 'diet' of calorie restriction does not work, is not sustainable, is not any sort of fun and is not honoring your body... You're free to exercise your adult free will but I really encourage you to consider the long game here...

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Sojurabbit, Whole 30 is about getting rid of moral judgments about food.  Good or bad, naughty or nice.

My triggers are all artificial. They're not even real foods. They're highly engineered to be craved, purposefully made to sux the life right of everyone.  Things filled with HFCS and really artificial sweetners.  Worthless. Useless.

Dieting books are virtual fountains of  useless information.  Part of my food addiction recovery homework was to toss all of them out.  I did that and I wanted to hang onto them for dear life. My husband did it when I wasn't looking.  Goners.

It created a vacuum so that I could clean the slate and clear the decks.  Clearing my head out for creating new habits and a sustainable, consistent way of living that I can do each and every day.  Our mileage will always vary.  

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Ok. Deep breaths. Just want to say thank you for the responses. And I will do the reintroduction slowly. That way I give more time, if that is what's needed for some of the NSV or scale victory to kick in. And I should also actually finish the program to evaluate its merits or demerits. 

Just very frustrating to hear about people reporting 5-10+ pounds of weight loss and for mine to be nil. 

Anyway, thanks, I hope to learn something from all this, if nothing else. But I guess I'd also like some results. The bloating returned in my last week not sure why. I can tell in my face. And my ring on my ring finger had gotten loose for the first time in 3 yrs, but has tightened again. 

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Did your doctor check your thyroid?  If so, what tests?  I could not lose ANY weight earlier this year.  My thyroid numbers were "normal", but I felt like garbage and could not budge the pudge.   I went to an endocrinologist, got diagnosed with Hashimotos, had her adjust my meds until my TSH was at the LOW end of the range (where she said most women feel best).  I now follow the autoimmune protocol.  Once my meds were correct and I was eating Whole30 style, the weight melted off (and I eat a TON!)

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Hmm, no, I never thought to ask about checking my thyroid. Thanks for that. Just looked up hashimotos, yikes, it's amazing to hear about other people's successes with the benefits of w30. I just wish I could see some results for myself, esp since it seems there must be something wrong medically if I did w30 right and see no benefits. My husband suggested last night that maybe my portions were too big. And I explained what I read about undereating actually stopping your weight loss, and he seemed to disagree. And we had his debate about metabolism, calories in/out, and hormonal effects, cortisol etc.  and I ended up more confused about how much is template meals is enough, too much, or too little- for weight loss. 

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49 minutes ago, sojurabbit said:

Hmm, no, I never thought to ask about checking my thyroid. Thanks for that. Just looked up hashimotos, yikes, it's amazing to hear about other people's successes with the benefits of w30. I just wish I could see some results for myself, esp since it seems there must be something wrong medically if I did w30 right and see no benefits. My husband suggested last night that maybe my portions were too big. And I explained what I read about undereating actually stopping your weight loss, and he seemed to disagree. And we had his debate about metabolism, calories in/out, and hormonal effects, cortisol etc.  and I ended up more confused about how much is template meals is enough, too much, or too little- for weight loss. 

No one (not even your husband) can determine how much food is too much food for you. Only you can - that is the whole purpose of doing a whole30 and the reintroductions - I'm so glad you decided to keep doing that btw! - you'll come out with the perfect meal plan/diet for YOU. Eat a template composed meal until you are full and satisfied for 4-5 hours, and voila! That is enough food to fuel your body. Because that's what food is - fuel. If you don't fill your car up with enough gas, you won't get where you want to go. If you don't give your body enough food/fuel, you'll be tired, cranky hungry etc. and more likely to overeat or yo-yo back to a different diet plan.

Another thing - trying to tweak the program to focus on weight loss can often have the opposite effect because you're undereating or getting too stressed about losing weight that your body actually holds on to weight. Try Googling Whole30 Weightloss to find the forum discussions on that topic - you're definitely not alone here, and you might get some more insight into how doing the program and reintro as written is best!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello! 

I did my first Whole30 in February of this year, and I didn't have any big changes in my weight during that time either - I lost about 4 pounds, which mostly seemed to be water weight. My clothes fit slightly differently but I didn't drop a size or anything. However I was feeling so great that I decided to mostly stick with the Whole30 way of eating - only bringing occasional alcohol and all natural sweeteners back into my diet. Over the next few months my body started changing, and with my energy levels increasing I was able to get up early and work out. I lost another 6 pounds between March and May.

This is all to say that the weight loss benefits you're looking for might just require a bit more time! Slow weight loss is healthier and most sustainable after all, be patient with yourself :) I wish you all the best in your journey!

Bailey

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  • 10 months later...

I just saw this comment, even though it's almost a year old. I just finished Whole30, primarily went on it for weight loss, and lost only 3.5 pounds. I was bummed about that, but I realized that since my goal is 20 pounds, if I stay on it for 5-6 months, I may in fact lose the rest of it. I have reintroduced dairy and legumes, and waited the 2 days in between, but honestly I don't crave any foods that I've eliminated, so I figure, if I can insert the 2 whole30 days in between the days I eat other foods, I should be ok.

So my advice to sojurabbit is, if you like the Whole30 plan, and if you eat even a modified version of it, you will lose weight over time. Don't be discouraged.

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