Frustrated - Seeing no difference after 16 days

[Eakster]

I need your help! I've been doing this program to a tee for 16 days - not one morsel of cheating - and do not feel one bit differently.  I'm constantly bloated, certainly don't "jump out of bed" in the morning and am incredibly frustrated.  I work out at the gym with a trainer a couple of times per week and do cardio as well (typically every-other-day.) Has anyone found that one of the food items could be causing this feeling?  

[ShannonM816]

If you want more specific feedback, it would help to know what you're eating, so if you could list a day or two of typical meals, including approximate portion sizes and specific vegetables, we can take a look and see if anything stands out.

In general, some things that can cause bloating in some people include eating a lot of raw vegetables or eating a lot of cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale). Eating a lot of nuts and seeds can contribute as well. Some people have issues with FODMAPS (https://www.thepaleomom.com/modifying-paleo-for-fodmap-intolerance/). Some find that eating a lot of coconut products bothers them. 

It can definitely be helpful to be sure you're drinking plenty of water -- aim for 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so a 120-lb person needs at least 60 oz.

Be sure you're having pre- and post-workout foods in addition to your meals as well. 

[Eakster]

Thank you for your response, Shannon. 

Here's a sample day for me...  3 eggs in the AM with guacamole, root veggies, salsa, or sweet potato soup and a piece of fruit (usually banana, apple, blueberries, or strawberries) ; lunch of a salad with grilled chicken, greens, olives, tomatoes, banana peppers, oil/vinegar, a piece of fruit; dinner of grilled burger with the cauliflower mash in the cookbook, plus greens with the apple cider vinaigrette in the cookbook.  Coffee black (2 cups/day).

At one point, I went overboard on pecans and cashews and have had no nuts for a week now.  Here's what I wonder... could it be the "white" potatoes?  I'm not used to eating them.  I took them out 3 days ago.  Also, the amount of fat I'm eating, although "good" fat, is a lot more than I ever did in the past.

I don't feel my waist getting any trimmer at all.  It's incredibly frustrating that here I am on day 19 and see/feel so little difference, yet have "sacrificed" so much.

I am definitely drinking a ton of water, but it is sparkling water/club soda.  Does that matter?

Many thanks again... Emily

[Felicia1971]

Emily,

thanks for posting this. I’m on day 9 and notice little difference as well. Perhaps the biggest thing I noticed is that I don’t crave sugary stuff as in the first couple of days. But like you, I’m following the program to a tee. I started scaling down from big to small plates. This week I’m following the Week 1 menu from the book. So, like you, could it be the carbonated water? The bigger portion size I ate first 7 days? Constipation is also an issue. Would over the counter Fiber Siliccium be allowed on the program?

hope we both can see some results.

Felicia

[SusanMarks]

HI @Felicia1971 and @Eakster! 

I know you are most likely beyond your Whole30, Emily, but wanted to respond for future reference and because Felicia is now in it!

I love how aware you were of what you were eating, how much, and what may have been triggering some of your discouragement! First of all, I just want to remind you that there is no perfect Whole30 and if you remained compliant while on your Whole30 you're doing great! At about  2 weeks is when I find most of my clients begin to fine tune their intake and make adjustments as needed. Somewhere around 3 weeks is when they begin to feel all the good feels and start seeing significant non-scale victories....which are the bigger goal and "win" over losing weight.

Be patient and always trust the process with Whole30. It works, it may just take a little extra time for some to see the full results. Give your body time to heal, and for your digestion and hormones to find balance. The overall results of Whole30 differ so much from person to person depending on habits and the status of your health at the front end of your journey.

Also, be on the lookout for the non-scale victories before looking for weight to drop or your waist line to change. The rest will follow suit.

Yes to drinking more fresh water over sparkling.

Look to whole foods for fiber rather than supplements: artichokes, brussel sprouts, avocados, berries, etc.

Nuts are definitely easy to overeat so using those as more of a condiment on a salad is a great way to consume nuts or occasionally for a snack. 

White potatoes can be an issue for some. Always wise to remove them as you did and see if it makes a difference.

 

but again ~ stick with it and trust the process. Focus more on all you have to gain by feeding yourself with real whole nutrient dense food, bringing down inflammation, and know whole30 accomplishes far more than weight loss for you.  

 

 

[Felicia1971]

Thank you so much for clarifying the “issues.”

before I started the program, I had a full panel bloodwork done. Both overall and LDL Cholesterol were high. Try and D-HDL were within normal limits and, when I found the ratio of Tryg/“good”Cholesterol, it was below 2. I will have another Cholesterol test done at the end of Whole30. My goal is to lower LDL and slim around the stomach. 

I also ordered the Vitamin Code Women's Multivitamin from Thrive Market and started to work out at home.

looking forward to a better health!

Felicia

[Aliem999]

@Felicia1971 I also think hormones come into play. Depending on where you are in your cycle, your body might be trying to hold onto everything. After my period I noticed a huge difference in how big I looked. Everyone is different so it may be a different time for you, but at 9 days it may be too soon to tell. Also I would take a look at the timeline I linked below. It could be that you are still in the "my pants are tighter" phase. Depending on how you ate before it may take longer for different stages.

https://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/

[Felicia1971]

Thank you for your post. I am premenopausal, so probably that factors in too. I can see the slow progress though. I know it’s not as easy at 47 to trim as it was in my twenties. Your time line helped!

again, thanks much

Felicia

[Aliem999]

10 minutes ago, Felicia1971 said:

Thank you for your post. I am premenopausal, so probably that factors in too. I can see the slow progress though. I know it’s not as easy at 47 to trim as it was in my twenties. Your time line helped!

again, thanks much

Felicia

Yes. That's not my situation, but I have seen logs for people that are premenopausal and that seems to really mess up the timeline. They still see results, but it's more up and down. Also, take a step back and think of NSVs. You mentioned suppressed cravings, so that's a really good thing!

[kayhil]

On Day 22.  I feel fine, but not much change.  Clothes still fit the same, energy level is pretty similar I think (though it's hard to know for sure because the month prior to Whole30 I was sick with what later turned out to be a month-long case of strep, so I generally felt awful and it was not related to diet).  On Whole30, I eat as much healthy stuff as I can hold at meal time, including a serving of healthy fat, but nonetheless still sometimes feel drops in blood sugar between meals.  I'd say that happens every couple of days with no rhyme or reason, and when it does, I try to resist for a bit, but may have to have a snack.  If I have a snack I try to make it a protein with fat and a carb (so almond butter on celery, or half an avocado, beef jerky and a piece of fruit, or a quarter cup of olives -- or 1/4 cup of nuts if I haven't had them already that day.  Occasionally I have a banana if there's not another option, but I'm trying to limit my fruits to accompany meals and no more than 2 servings a day of fruit).  I've been 100% compliant.  Really the only downside for me is I've had to say no to quite a few social invitations when the invite was to a place where I scouted out the menu in advance and found no options possible.  My husband -- a major junk food eater before Whole30 who also had some GI issues, seems to have lost a lot of inches and his GI troubles are better.  He's over the moon, but also counting the days till we're done.  I didn't have any GI issues and was eating pretty healthy before, but was really hopeful the muffin top I've acquired in the last couple of years would seem a little reduced, or that I'd have the legendary Tiger Blood.  Nope.  So I'd say I'm disappointed rather than frustrated.  At the end of the 30 days, I'll do some reintroductions just because I have the opportunity to do so with a clean slate, especially to check out my response to a few things like soy, legumes, and dairy, all of which I do not think cause any problems for me -- and in fact, previously provided a lot of my protein normally.  After the reintroduction to test those things, I will keep as compliant as possible at home for a bit and see how that goes and whether it seems to decrease the fat around my waist.  But I'll definitely allow myself to eat out 1 or 2 times a week -- healthy meals -- but without sweating specific ingredients like soy sauce.    I guess my question is: Is that a mistake -- to move to reintroduction after 30 days?  Who are the people who "need a Whole60" to see results, and how do I know if I'm one of them?   Because I could go for longer if I thought results were coming.  Could care less about what the scale says, but I've got to take action on the visible inches I've added around my waist and ribcage and was really hoping to start seeing some gradual improvement now.