7 Weeks Strong, but something's missing

[tlodden01]

I started Whole30 the day after Labor Day, September 5. It's been 7-1/2 weeks and I'm among the 75% they stated have made this a lifestyle. Before I dive into questions,  I absolutely love this program. I was never one who looked at ingredients.  I had the mentality if I can't afford all organic, why bother. I looked at the ingredients for a rotisserie chicken and almost gagged. I can't believe I use to eat that. I started Whole30 because I was losing hair from the roots. I also have several chronic illnesses and wanted to see if and how removing preservatives and processed food from my diet could help. (i.e., thyroid, estrogen replacement, epilepsy, and colitis.) I did not approach this to lose weight. However, without trying, I lost 10 pounds in four weeks. Seven weeks later I've lost 14 pounds. I'm 5'6" and I'm at 115. I don't need to lose more, but the pounds keep coming off and I eat all the time.  I had one day when I was ready to cheat and have pizza. I told my husband that one day wouldn't hurt. He asked me what the name of the book was. I told him "Whole30," and his reply was, "It's not Whole21." He has been a great support and all should find someone to encourage you to stay the course. I kept telling myself I do not want to start over. I was mentally prepared to start over if I were to cheat. It wasn't until week six that I felt I was over the hurdle of exhaustion.

Some negatives: I do not see a change in my skin. In fact, I feel that I have more blemishes than before. I am experiencing more constipation, which is the total opposite for those with colitis. I still have bouts where I feel sluggish, but not like it was the first six weeks. I want to stay on Whole30 and I'm wondering what are some average foods/ingredients that sneak in that I may not recognize are hindering overall health benefits? 

I drink 8 ounces of coffee a day, no cream. Is this okay?

I do not drink alcohol.

I have eaten out a few times and have asked what oils they use. There was one instance they used soybean oil? Could this have set me back? I'm going to start asking restaurants to not cook my proteins in oil.

What other restaurant ingredients might I've absorbed that I don't know about? When I eat out and I'm uncertain what was in my food, I take the next week to eat only compliant foods.

For those of you who have a moment or two, I would appreciate hearing if you've encountered the same and what wisdom you can share that helped you see greater health benefits. Thank you for your help and feedback! Teresa 

 

[tlodden01]

I should also add, I take a daily, mutli vitamin and calcium vitamin. I do not use the ones that are recommended in the Whole30 book. Could this be making a difference?

[Babsie95]

sorry but no soy of any kind, including soybean oil is allowed on whole 30.

many things can sneak into restaurant food.  Butter, dairy, sugar, other sweeteners. You really have to do your research when eating out.

[ShannonM816]

Okay, there's a lot going on here, so I hope I don't miss anything.

To start with, as far as not losing more weight, you might take a look at this article which has some tips for that. It really boils down to making sure you're eating enough, and prioritizing calorie-dense foods, so making sure you have enough fats and eating at least a serving or two of starchy vegetables each day, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, beets, or turnips, or winter squashes like butternut, acorn, or kabocha squash.

8 oz of coffee is generally okay for most people. Some people do find they feel better with none, but Whole30 doesn't say you need to give it up. You might read this article Melissa Hartwig wrote a few years ago about her experience giving up caffeine and see if any of it sounds familiar, but ultimately, it is up to you whether you drink coffee or not. 

Skin issues sometimes take longer to clear up than other health issues, and for some people do get worse before they get better. It is possible that there is something that you are eating, even something that's totally okay on Whole30, that is just not agreeing with you, but to know that, we'd need to look at what kinds of things you were eating. Some people react badly to certain spices or ingredients, or to coconut, or we even had someone finally figure out that they would get breakouts if they used a certain brand of coconut milk that came in a can that had BPA in it the materials, but didn't break out if they stuck to the coconut milk in non-BPA containers. 

Things that can affect constipation include not drinking enough water, not eating enough fiber (remember the meal template says to fill your plate with vegetables), or not having enough fat. Some people find that a magnesium supplement helps with this issue, but if you decide to try that, definitely start with less than a full dose and work up, as for some people it is very, very effective, very very quickly.

It can be difficult to eat in restaurants on Whole30, but ordering steak or chicken or fish that's not marinated and is dry grilled with just salt and pepper is usually the safest, and then you have to ask about the vegetables and what's on them. This download has some tips on that.  The only way to really know if soy oil or any other ingredient affects you is to do the Whole30 and then do careful reintroductions and see what happens. Everyone is different. Some people react strongly to certain ingredients while others have no noticeable reaction at all. This is true with the vitamins too -- if there's something in them that isn't Whole30 compliant, you'd need to know how you react to that particular ingredient. 

[tlodden01]

Thank you @ShannonM816 for taking so much time to provide a list of things I need to process. I don't think Im drinking enough water and I may not be getting enough fiber. I will look more closely at vitamins. I did look into the Whole30 suggested vitamins, however, I noticed one multi-vitamin only had 35 mg of calcium. Women are suppose to get 1,200-1,500 mg a day. I found this odd and will continue to do my research. Again, thank you for the feedback and including the articles. I will look at all the articles you suggest.  I want to stay on the road to good health. 

@Babsie95 thank you. I need to ensure I'm not having soybean oil when I'm eating out.  

[4windsrider]

On October 26, 2017 at 9:33 AM, tlodden01 said:

I started Whole30 the day after Labor Day, September 5. It's been 7-1/2 weeks and I'm among the 75% they stated have made this a lifestyle. Before I dive into questions,  I absolutely love this program. I was never one who looked at ingredients.  I had the mentality if I can't afford all organic, why bother. I looked at the ingredients for a rotisserie chicken and almost gagged. I can't believe I use to eat that. I started Whole30 because I was losing hair from the roots. I also have several chronic illnesses and wanted to see if and how removing preservatives and processed food from my diet could help. (i.e., thyroid, estrogen replacement, epilepsy, and colitis.) I did not approach this to lose weight. However, without trying, I lost 10 pounds in four weeks. Seven weeks later I've lost 14 pounds. I'm 5'6" and I'm at 115. I don't need to lose more, but the pounds keep coming off and I eat all the time.  I had one day when I was ready to cheat and have pizza. I told my husband that one day wouldn't hurt. He asked me what the name of the book was. I told him "Whole30," and his reply was, "It's not Whole21." He has been a great support and all should find someone to encourage you to stay the course. I kept telling myself I do not want to start over. I was mentally prepared to start over if I were to cheat. It wasn't until week six that I felt I was over the hurdle of exhaustion.

Some negatives: I do not see a change in my skin. In fact, I feel that I have more blemishes than before. I am experiencing more constipation, which is the total opposite for those with colitis. I still have bouts where I feel sluggish, but not like it was the first six weeks. I want to stay on Whole30 and I'm wondering what are some average foods/ingredients that sneak in that I may not recognize are hindering overall health benefits? 

I drink 8 ounces of coffee a day, no cream. Is this okay?

I do not drink alcohol.

I have eaten out a few times and have asked what oils they use. There was one instance they used soybean oil? Could this have set me back? I'm going to start asking restaurants to not cook my proteins in oil.

What other restaurant ingredients might I've absorbed that I don't know about? When I eat out and I'm uncertain what was in my food, I take the next week to eat only compliant foods.

For those of you who have a moment or two, I would appreciate hearing if you've encountered the same and what wisdom you can share that helped you see greater health benefits. Thank you for your help and feedback! Teresa 

 

Hi Teresa,

First of all, Congratulations on evolving to a wonderfully higher level of health !    I am currently on my 4th Whole30 (week 3) and this one is in some ways harder than the others.  The difficulty isn't with sticking to the program-I'm pretty competent now at meal-planning and getting into the mental set for the 30 days is easy.  However, like you, I find my skin is breaking out a bit more ( which I have a feeling has to do with coconut oil for me) and I am also less apt to be as regular as I usually am.  I used to do some fasting in my younger years ( 7 days of eating absolutely nothing and drinking distilled water only).  I no longer fast but the concept I became familiar with (and one they mention in the Whole30 Timeline) is the more health issues you have when starting out the more symptomatic you will be as your body cleanses.  As for eating out...I've heard that restaurants often use oils over and over at high temps (bad news) and soy oil could definitely affect how you feel if you're sensitive to soy. My intuition is that your body is doing what a body knows best how to do -gravitate towards the highest level of health it can achieve given the chance. The "chance" means doing the things you're already doing and being sure to include "alive" plant based ingredients (fresh dark greens, cruciferous veggies, some raw fruits) along with whatever your protein sources are. "Tincture of time" is under-rated in our modern culture. You're in this for the long-haul, spend a little time looking at the ways your body has improved and know you're moving in the right direction...best of luck,  and... you're not alone !  (-;

[tlodden01]

Thank you @4windsrider It is amazing how fast our bodes react to the wrong foods and how fast our bodies are screaming for "feed me the right foods." The last few days I've had cravings for junk. I haven't been able to figure out why I am having this (no sugar cravings). I haven't desired non-compliant foods in eight weeks, but suddenly, I want a taco and a slice of pizza. It was a busy week and I ate bites here and there, which included too much fruit and not enough protein. I'm guessing if I didn't take in enough calories it could be why I'm craving  any type of food. That's my non-scientific take on it.  I didn't eat out and my acne is gone. I knew exactly what I was eating this week. And, I didn't use coconut oil at all. I must have the same sensitivity you have with coconut oil. Thank you for the input. It's extremely helpful. Congratulations for staying on the path to Wholeness. Best of luck to you too.