Day 22 and Still Unsure

[Melissa123]

I know this has been asked before, and I have read a lot on this forum. But I'm wondering if I could get advice based on my size and what I've been eating. 

I'm feeling good physically, but nothing dramatic. I was off caffeine and alcohol and sugar before starting the Whole30  for about a week. I think my temperature is hotter, but this could just be due to the weather. 

I know I have gained a lot of fat. I haven't weighed, measured or anything, but it is obvious from my clothes. If this is what my body needs, OK, I get it. I used to not eat so much last year (I got leaner with the Venus Index program which is strength training and eating 1000 calories for my size for 5-6 days a week and 1350 for the rest), but since January, I've been eating a lot more, not counting calories, and reducing stress, and increasing sleep, and started meditating (and I did gain six pounds). I feel like my metabolism healed.

So now, I started the Whole30 to clean up my eating (it was starting to veer into major sugar territory and also a lot of packaged foods and fried foods). But I find myself eating way more than before! Hence the weight gain, probably.... 

I'm wondering if I'm eating too much. 

At the beginning of the Whole30, I was snacking on nuts (almonds and macademia nuts) and eating fruits after meals. I've since stopped that for the past two weeks. I still eat some seeds and nuts, but only in recipes (sunshine sauce, pesto, etc.) to get snacky cravings under control. I try to only have fruit as an ingredient in a meal, not as dessert, and not that much. 

But I STILL seem to be gaining. I could barely take off my ring tonight to mix some meatloaf. And I have muffin top which I didn't have before... 

Since I'm not very active at the moment, and I'm so small in stature, do you think I should cut back on the food? Maybe starchy carbs? I usually try to limit the yam one after I workout. I usually don't have potatoes all the time... Any insight would be really really appreciated!!!!

My background: 
I'm physically small - 4'10", weight fluctuates between 100-105 lbs (in the past - haven't weighed). I wear kids' sized gloves and socks. 51, female, not very active right now due to a couple injuries. Slowly making my way back to strength training, but had to stop for almost a year. 

My meals are usually something like recently:

PWO: 1/2 deviled egg (made with Whole30 mayo) (every day)

WO: simple stretches and body weight movements or light weights (due to a 50% torn elbow tendon sustained last year) for about 45 minutes, walking for about 30 minutes at 3.8 (slightly torn hamstring tendon prevents faster walking/running) (about 6 days a week in the am) 

************

B: 2 eggs (I can't hold 3  in one hand), 1/3 roasted yam, a cup of cauliflower rice, sauteed with olive oil and ghee with roasted zucchini, leftover tomato paste, water, couple sips of kombucha.

L: celery and carrot sticks with 3 tablespoons sunshine sauce, leftover curry (one palm of meat and a cup of veg with coconut milk, spices, fresh chives and parsley and a 1 1/2 cups cauliflower rice), a couple of slices of banana

glass of plain seltzer with collagen powder (for tendons and joints) with some fresh lime juice

D: Slow cooker chicken and carrots and potatoes, green beans sauteed with hazelnut rosemary ghee, salad of arugula, chopped apple, cucumbers, carrots, sunshine sauce for dressing.

 

B: 1 1/2 deviled eggs, 1 1/2 cups leftover green beans, 1/3 yam

L: Salad of romaine, cucumbers, roasted zucchini, riced cauliflower, cashew pesto, half an avocado, chicken salad made with Whole30 mayo, a couple of pieces of chopped nectarine and white peach (salad was in a huge container)

glass of plain seltzer with collagen powder (for tendons and joints) with a 1/4 cup of kombucha

D: Riced cauliflower, rest of leftover chicken, rest of curry, green beans, celery and carrots and cucumbers, sunshine sauce

Today was:

B: 1 egg and 1 white scrambled (had deviled egg before workout) with spinach, last of cauliflower rice, a big dollop of cashew pesto, handful of fresh parsley, 

L: celery and carrots, sunshine sauce, salad of romaine, cucumbers, chicken salad 

glass of plain seltzer with collagen powder (for tendons and joints) with a 1/4 cup of kombucha

D: will be beef meatloaf with roasted tomatoes, onions, carrots, and potatoes, arugula salad with chopped apple, cucumber, carrot and sunshine sauce thinned with coconut milk

***********

Usually we take a leisurely stroll through the park and back (about an hour walk).

I take a multi vitamin, wobenzym (for arm but stopped during my antibiotics recently -- I had oral surgery), 

I drink between 7-8 glasses of water a day ; I salt my food liberally

*******

 

[jmcbn]

On 08/09/2017 at 11:25 PM, Melissa123 said:

I know this has been asked before, and I have read a lot on this forum. But I'm wondering if I could get advice based on my size and what I've been eating. 

I'm feeling good physically, but nothing dramatic. I was off caffeine and alcohol and sugar before starting the Whole30  for about a week. I think my temperature is hotter, but this could just be due to the weather. 

I know I have gained a lot of fat. I haven't weighed, measured or anything, but it is obvious from my clothes. If this is what my body needs, OK, I get it. I used to not eat so much last year (I got leaner with the Venus Index program which is strength training and eating 1000 calories for my size for 5-6 days a week and 1350 for the rest), but since January, I've been eating a lot more, not counting calories, and reducing stress, and increasing sleep, and started meditating (and I did gain six pounds). I feel like my metabolism healed.

So now, I started the Whole30 to clean up my eating (it was starting to veer into major sugar territory and also a lot of packaged foods and fried foods). But I find myself eating way more than before! Hence the weight gain, probably.... 

I'm wondering if I'm eating too much. 

At the beginning of the Whole30, I was snacking on nuts (almonds and macademia nuts) and eating fruits after meals. I've since stopped that for the past two weeks. I still eat some seeds and nuts, but only in recipes (sunshine sauce, pesto, etc.) to get snacky cravings under control. I try to only have fruit as an ingredient in a meal, not as dessert, and not that much. 

But I STILL seem to be gaining. I could barely take off my ring tonight to mix some meatloaf. And I have muffin top which I didn't have before... 

Since I'm not very active at the moment, and I'm so small in stature, do you think I should cut back on the food? Maybe starchy carbs? I usually try to limit the yam one after I workout. I usually don't have potatoes all the time... Any insight would be really really appreciated!!!!

My background: 
I'm physically small - 4'10", weight fluctuates between 100-105 lbs (in the past - haven't weighed). I wear kids' sized gloves and socks. 51, female, not very active right now due to a couple injuries. Slowly making my way back to strength training, but had to stop for almost a year. 

My meals are usually something like recently:

PWO: 1/2 deviled egg (made with Whole30 mayo) (every day)

WO: simple stretches and body weight movements or light weights (due to a 50% torn elbow tendon sustained last year) for about 45 minutes, walking for about 30 minutes at 3.8 (slightly torn hamstring tendon prevents faster walking/running) (about 6 days a week in the am) 

************

B: 2 eggs (I can't hold 3  in one hand), 1/3 roasted yam, a cup of cauliflower rice, sauteed with olive oil and ghee with roasted zucchini, leftover tomato paste, water, couple sips of kombucha.

L: celery and carrot sticks with 3 tablespoons sunshine sauce, leftover curry (one palm of meat and a cup of veg with coconut milk, spices, fresh chives and parsley and a 1 1/2 cups cauliflower rice), a couple of slices of banana

glass of plain seltzer with collagen powder (for tendons and joints) with some fresh lime juice

D: Slow cooker chicken and carrots and potatoes, green beans sauteed with hazelnut rosemary ghee, salad of arugula, chopped apple, cucumbers, carrots, sunshine sauce for dressing.

 

B: 1 1/2 deviled eggs, 1 1/2 cups leftover green beans, 1/3 yam

L: Salad of romaine, cucumbers, roasted zucchini, riced cauliflower, cashew pesto, half an avocado, chicken salad made with Whole30 mayo, a couple of pieces of chopped nectarine and white peach (salad was in a huge container)

glass of plain seltzer with collagen powder (for tendons and joints) with a 1/4 cup of kombucha

D: Riced cauliflower, rest of leftover chicken, rest of curry, green beans, celery and carrots and cucumbers, sunshine sauce

Today was:

B: 1 egg and 1 white scrambled (had deviled egg before workout) with spinach, last of cauliflower rice, a big dollop of cashew pesto, handful of fresh parsley, 

L: celery and carrots, sunshine sauce, salad of romaine, cucumbers, chicken salad 

glass of plain seltzer with collagen powder (for tendons and joints) with a 1/4 cup of kombucha

D: will be beef meatloaf with roasted tomatoes, onions, carrots, and potatoes, arugula salad with chopped apple, cucumber, carrot and sunshine sauce thinned with coconut milk

***********

Usually we take a leisurely stroll through the park and back (about an hour walk).

I take a multi vitamin, wobenzym (for arm but stopped during my antibiotics recently -- I had oral surgery), 

I drink between 7-8 glasses of water a day ; I salt my food liberally

*******

 

So, a couple of things..... you haven't gained fat in 22 days. Bloat/inflammation maybe, but not fat. Not from eating whole foods.

Your meals don't look large to me in anyway, and I'd probably guess that you're light on protein.

Some people find that drinking seltzer causes them to bloat so you may want to ease back on that. Then you are eating quite a few high FODMAP veg, and you've had A LOT of cauliflower rice in the meals you've listed. If you're in anyway sensitive to FODMAPs, then eating cauliflower more than once in a day is going to be probematic. You're also still eating a lot of nut products, even if they are in your meals - aim for a closed hanful or equivalent, every other day, max.

You could also ease off on the coconut milk which can cause bloat.

I've highlighted the higher FODMAP foods in your breakdown just so that you can get an idea of 'load' as it's often just a case of over-exposure to certain foods  that can cause the problems. Most people find that by cutting back or eliminating the problem foods that they feel better within days...

Hope this helps :-)

[Melissa123]

Thanks so much for your advice. I will have to play around with this....! It will be hard to not eat cauliflower! But the reason I've been eating so much is because when I cook it, I'm the only one in the house who eats it.... So I try to finish things before they get too old. I have eaten celery and apple daily for years. I've been eating a lot of coconut, coconut milk, and nuts recently only after starting the whole 30. But is coconut oil ok? I don't over do it, just curious. I usually cook with ghee and olive oil.

[jmcbn]

3 minutes ago, Melissa123 said:

But is coconut oil ok?

Yes, as is avocado oil should you want to use that too.

It's tough, but do-able - and I say this from personal experience, which has really paid off in the long term for me. I'm eating pretty much ALL of the high FODMAP foods I wasn't tolerating, but make sure I don't over do it by making a wider variety of meals each week.

[Melissa123]

On 9/10/2017 at 9:18 AM, jmcbn said:

So, a couple of things..... you haven't gained fat in 22 days. Bloat/inflammation maybe, but not fat. Not from eating whole foods.

Your meals don't look large to me in anyway, and I'd probably guess that you're light on protein.

Some people find that drinking seltzer causes them to bloat so you may want to ease back on that. Then you are eating quite a few high FODMAP veg, and you've had A LOT of cauliflower rice in the meals you've listed. If you're in anyway sensitive to FODMAPs, then eating cauliflower more than once in a day is going to be probematic. You're also still eating a lot of nut products, even if they are in your meals - aim for a closed hanful or equivalent, every other day, max.

You could also ease off on the coconut milk which can cause bloat.

I've highlighted the higher FODMAP foods in your breakdown just so that you can get an idea of 'load' as it's often just a case of over-exposure to certain foods  that can cause the problems. Most people find that by cutting back or eliminating the problem foods that they feel better within days...

Hope this helps :-)

Hi again jmcbn,

I have a quick question, on the whole 30 FODMaps shopping list. It lists coconut milk, butter, etc. As good fats. Wondering why you said these were not helpful? Also, they list some nuts such as cashews, hazelnuts and macadamia nuts... But you said to cut back on nuts.,. If no nuts or coconut milk, there aren't any sources of good fats besides cooking fats (except maybe olives but really, every meal?). 

And I feel when I did eat a lot of those nuts, I had a tendency to eat too much, thus the weight gain. 

I have cut back on nuts, and the seed butter in the sunshine sauce. Still feel over weight but better. I'm wondering if I don't have bloat. I don't have any intestinal issues.... did cut back next cauliflower for the last few days because I ran out. But I've been eating broccoli slaw because I still had to finish that! 

I have actually felt awesome energy wise! And mood wise! Just wish my clothes weren't so tight! 

So I'm wondering if I do a stricter FODMaps plan for awhile what fats should I eat? ? And how long should I try it? Until I notice anything? What if I don't notice anything different? 

 

Thanks so much for your insight.

[jmcbn]

The Whole30 lowFODMAP shopping list is really just a modified version of the original shopping list, and some of the items they 'allow' would be fine when eaten in moderation, but once there's an issue there they really need to be excluded  to allow the gut to heal, and then reintroduced later down the line.

I always refer people to >this list< (not the snapshot at the top of the page, scroll to about half way down the page) when they need to go low FODMAP as it breaks things down much more clearly.

In terms of fat don't forget fattier cuts of meat such as brisket, and then you've things like ribs, chicken  wings/thighs with the skin on, compliant bacon, clarified butter/ghee, and of course olives.

If FODMAPs are the issue you should start to feel improvement quite soon after excluding them. If you don;t come back to us and we can take a look at your food again and see if anything else jumps out....

[Melissa123]

Update: jcmbn, you were right: I completed the Whole30 about a week ago and weighed myself on Sunday and I hadn't gained weight. I had lost two pounds, which isn't much, but I definitely didn't gain weight! I cut out the cauliflower and broccoli and most nuts (occasionally have a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds in salad) after your last response. I still have some coconut oil and coconut milk occasionally, but not as much as before. I eat some apple and celery also daily. 

Still have muffin top, but I think I'm just aware of it more since starting the Whole30 because I'm more aware of my body in general. I have no digestive discomfort whatever and I seemed to be doing well in that area. 

But I've decided to continue with the Whole30 as I didn't start to feel good until the very very end. I did have a teaspoon of honey with apple for Rosh Hashanah for a "sweet year", so restarting over from yesterday. 

Thanks for your help!