Gaining weight?!?!

[Helene2310]

Hello, so I know that the Whole30 is NOT a weight loss plan. I do need to loose some lbs but I am doing the whole30 for health reasons. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong because I am gaining weight. I am on Day 22 and have seen a definite increase in energy and my cravings however I have been gaining weight?? I am doing the autoimmune protocol, including cutting out fruit to try to help with cut irritation/leaky gut issues. I have been dipping into whole30/AIP since October but committed after the holidays.

I am currently dealing with Chronic Fatigue/Epstein Barr virus. In order to not feel deprived my staples have been sweet potatos, good amounts of protein and fats. I am wondering if:

1. I may be eating too many sweet potatos/starchy carbs

2. Too much fat (I have always been adding fat and starchy carbs due to the fatigue of the virus, I want to make sure my body has enough fuel but maybe it's too much?)

3. If I am not eating enough vegetables

A broad layout of my meals:

- Sautéed spinach, onions, mushrooms, 1/2 sweet potato, 1/2 avacado, 5-6oz protein (that was cooked in 1-2tbsp coconut oil)

- 4-6oz of meat cooked in 1-2tbsp oil, sweet potato chips, kale chips, broccoli, 2tbsp ground olives

- 1/2 sweet potato, 1 tbsp coconut butter, 4-6oz fish, aspargus, 1/2-1 handful or olives

That is a very basic layout if most of my meals, subbing in olive oil, coconut milk, different veggies, squashes, etc. am I eating too much? I don't measure things, I just kind of go off of the above layout to ensure I don't get hungry or tired. Currently with my health and job I am not working out that much. I do walk a lot at work, probably 25-50% of the time and try to do yoga 2-5 times a week.

If you have any suggestions please let me know. I enjoy eating this way and looking forward to more positive results, I am just kind of discouraged that my diet is so strict (for Heath reasons) and I'm gaining weight. I have not weighed, I can just feel it on my body and in my clothes :/

[Sasha Korellis]

I was having the same issue for the first five days. I went back to the Meal Planning handout with the serving sizes especillay for the fats and this seems to help within the last few days. Also starting eating less sweet potatoes and more of a variety of veggies and greens. Eating plenty just not over-eating.

[melbournegirl]

I have exactly the same problem and also wondering what to change. I am enjoying the energy from the fat but my digestive system is struggling a bit. I am going to cut out coconut cream for a week and measure out the minimum protein and fat servings (I am smaller than average) and add a non starchy soup serve to more meals...Not sure yet about the starchy veg, I am not in a pattern re eating them although I do have squash or sweet potato most days.

[Melissa Urban]

I don't think this is necessarily a food issue - and I caution folks not to continually tweak your diet (ten carb grams here, one ounce of protein there) looking for a food solution to a lifestyle problem.

Without a consultation, I cannot say in any way why you are experiencing these effects during your Whole30. But I will say that your nutrition portions and food choices don't look at all suspicious to me, and I doubt that removing a 1/2 sweet potato or a tablespoon of coconut oil from your daily diet is going to make or break what's going on metabolically. Of course, you could always try following our basic meal planning template religiously, cutting back on fat a little and adding more leafy greens instead of sweet potato, and see what happens. But I'm betting that's not the deciding factor here.

The conditions you're suffering from are serious drains on the immune system, and represent chronic stress.That has a host of effects, metabolically, that require lifestyle and, potentially, medical interventions to recover from. Healing from these conditions by adopting an AI Whole30 protocol is a great first step - good for you! But other lifestyle factors, like sleep, exercise (including very low intensity movement sessions, like walking), stress reduction (both psychological and physical) all play a huge role in how your body manages energy. Additionally, you may have other gut issues going on under the surface that are hindering your weight loss efforts.

In short, please don't be discouraged by your body weight in the midst of this Whole30 and healthy eating initiative. You are on the right track, and understand that recovery from an autoimmune condition and chronic stress is a LONG TERM process - nothing happens dramatically, in most cases. So stay the course, ensure you are eating enough to support activity levels and energy (feel free to play around with portion sizes a bit, but pay attention to your body's cues to ensure you don't go too far in the other direction), and be patient.

This article may help to explain some of the other factors involved in the Whole30, and healing from some serious conditions as yours: http://whole9life.com/2012/10/six-reasons-why-the-whole30-didnt-work-for-you/

Best,

Melissa

[melbournegirl]

Thanks so much Melissa for this support! I have been working on the stress reduction and sleep but I think for me maybe there are some gut issues happening (I had my gall bladder removed when I was 23, have a GP diagnosed intolerance to wheat and a clinical trial diagnosis of fodmap sensitivity). Not surprisingly I do much better on the whole30 than off it but there must be some sensitivities I havent yet determined. I lost 7lbs on my first whole30 but I did gain some weight in the middle of it. Which is happening again now too but this time I am noticing gut pain, itchiness and yesterday/today my face is puffy. I havent had eggs, or nuts these two days. I have been having digestive enzymes, saltier and fattier meat (tried carnitas and bacon for the first time), more coffee and coconut than usual and last night - cocoa.... So I will look at these first, keep getting plenty of sleep and keep logging my food and symptoms...

I understand too that it is often a combination of stresses or reaching a threshhold and not necessarily one item.

I threw out all my gluten-free and vegetarian recipe books yesterday - there is no way I am having dairy (got a casein intolerance anyway), legumes (fodmaps), starches/grains (why bother) ever again when I can have so many other delicious and healthy alternatives

[Helene2310]

Thank you so much for your feedback Melissa! Your responses are what I have been thinking/working on but your confirmation is much more comforting. I plan to stay on the autoimmune protocol, including drinking bone broth and eating sauerkraut as well as taking HCL with my meals in hopes to heal my gut. I do gentle yoga to help with stress, gentle walking, and rest as much as possible. I have seen an increase but have a long way to go. If there are anymore suggestions I would love to hear!

Melissa, or anyone who has experience with autoimmune/cfs issues I have a question: I am a Human Resource manager for a large corporation and currently work 45-50 hours a week. The job can be stressful with mild exercise/labor. My question is if I continue to follow proper eating, yoga, etc can I eventually recover (probably slower) or is the only way to fully heal to commit to a healing lifestyle and find a more simple job that allows me to focus on just myself and healing?? I love my job (can be challenging when I dont feel good) and it is very helpful financially, but if I really won't be able to fully heal then a job change might have to be an option :/ any suggestions or feedback woud be much appreciated!

[Melissa Urban]

Helene, that decision is ultimately a very personal one. If you were to say, "I work night shift in an extremely stressful environment" I might suggest a job change more strongly, but in this situation, you have to weigh these complicated factors for yourself. Are you less stressed with a different job that pays less, leading to more financial struggle?

Recovering from chronic stress is always a long-term process, and doing as much as you can to mitigate the stressors in your life (physical and emotional) is a necessary part of that process. Often, an aggressive supplementation protocol is required to keep this from being a 2-4 year process... but that's yet another thing to consider in context. (Is the stress of financing lab work and supplements making you healthier or less healthy?) You'll have to evaluate for yourself where your job and these other questions fit into this effort, and do the best you can.

This stuff isn't easy, but I applaud you for giving it so much effort, energy, and careful thought. You are already on the right path.

Best,

Melissa

[Helene2310]

Thank you Melissa, I do agree with the job that as long as I balance stress inside and outside of work I can manage it.

Glad to hear you touched on supplementation because I did spend good amounts of money to get some very detailed testing done as to what my body is deficient in and what it does not produce. They then created customized vitamin powders and amino acid powders to help regulate my body.

From all of your feedback and suggestion I feel more encouraged that I am on the right track to healing, I just need to be patient and give it time, which for a Type A like me is very challenging! Haha. But thank you for all your feedback, ill keep sticking with the AIP!

[MeadowLily]

I've noticed that people don't talk about Epstein Barr anymore.....   Why is that?