Love, Nurture and Respect

[Melelina]

I just completed my first Whole30 and I am very happy with my results and the things I learned.

First, a bit of background…I am 58 years old, a retired personal trainer with a fair bit of nutritional knowledge – or at least I thought I did – until I started doing this Whole 30. I was coming from years of eating every two hours; weighing and measuring every single morsel that went into my mouth; and tracking the same info on a nutritional website; stopping way short of being full at mealtime; low fat food; and starchy carbs only post workout.

I also wore a Bodymedia device (the thing the contestants wear on The Biggest Loser). I never went a day without slapping that thing on my arm. It tracked my activity for the day, my steps, my sleep. I monitored my deficit for the day like crazy. At the end of the day, I would eat more if it told me I had a large deficit, even if I wasn't hungry. Conversely, I would stop eating if I didn't have a big enough burn, even if I was hungry. I did not know how to listen to my body's cues.

My diet was clean, or so I thought. I never ate junk, and did eat lots of veggies. However, once I started reading labels closely, I was shocked at how much sugar is in stuff, things that I never would have suspected contained sugar. I used to read labels, but had stopped. What a learning experience for me!

Prior to doing the W30, I didn't have a lot of weight to lose. I was ~10 pounds heavier than where I would like to be when I started this. I had been pushing myself with exercise, trying to get a few extra pounds off. Since it wasn't coming off with the amount I was doing, doing more exercise was my answer. I refused to listen to my body and kept going, being proud of myself because I was “doing so muchâ€. I started to experience some gastrointestinal issues but I kept pushing myself, totally ignoring the signals my body was sending me. Can anyone say obsessed? Finally, those issues got serious enough that I had to have some tests done. Fortunately, they all came back clear, but it was enough to make me step back and look at what I was doing to myself. I was most definitely NOT loving, nurturing or respecting my body.

Since my tests came back clear, I had to look at my nutrition (as well as my exercise). So I ended up here, with the Whole30. Going from the background I had into such a high fat, high protein way of eating, no snacking, three meals a day made me really worried. All this fat!!! How could a person not gain weight??? Since my symptoms had gotten so severe, I had to take six weeks totally off from exercise, and gained six pounds in those six weeks. So yeah, going into this program made me really nervous. I certainly didn't want to gain any more.

The first couple of weeks were challenging. Although I didn't experience much more than brain fog and low energy the first week, letting go of all the tracking wasn't easy. Not knowing if I was eating “too much†was difficult. I asked the mods to look at my food, which they did. They encouraged me to increase my protein a bit and cut back on my exercise as well. What??? Do less exercise? I am trying to lose weight here! But I listened, and I slowly cut back on my running. After a week or two of doing that, I found it was nice not to be sore and tired all the time. My body felt good! (I am currently doing about half of what I was doing pre-W30.)

I learned to enjoy the taste of coconut milk in my tea, and the flavour of a big juicy steak. I really learned to like the taste of the compliant bacon I found. I hadn't had bacon in a gazillion years before this. I just didn't “allow†myself to have something like that. I started to worry a bit less about the fat I was eating and enjoy it a bit more. But I was still concerned. I didn't want to gain weight! That thought never left my mind for the entire 30 days.

Since I had only had starchy carbs post workout prior to W30, I initially went overboard and had too many, but by week 3, had gotten to what I feel is a good amount for me.

I was very bloated the first couple of weeks, and while I didn't weigh myself, I am pretty sure I gained. My clothes got tight. I kept on worrying…

It was so nice not to be hungry. Man, what a feeling not to be thinking about food all the time! I used to get up from the table, wondering what I was going to have for my next meal, in two hours. Now, to be full enough that I don't think about food for 4-5 hours, I love it!

We tried a bunch of new recipes for dinner too. That was fun. I did feel as though all I was doing the first couple of weeks was cooking and washing dishes. That was frustrating. I had to learn to manage my time better and started doubling up on my recipes. (I still need to come up with some new and different breakfast and lunch meals because I am really tired of eggs and canned salmon.)

I had hoped to have all the answers about my tummy issues by the end of the Whole30, but I haven't. I still have to get some of that figured out.

I had planned on extending the Whole30 for a couple more weeks, but after an extra couple of days, decided I had restricted myself long enough. Those extra few days started to mess with my head. I am not a binge-eater, but I was started to feel a binge coming on so it was time to start some reintroduction just so I didn't feel deprived. I have to point out that I did not feel deprived during my 30 days. It wasn't until I added on a few extra days that I ran into trouble.

My husband did this program with me. While he mostly did it to support me, over the month he became a convert. We both feel that eating this way most of the time is a very good thing, and we do plan on continuing this kind of nutritional lifestyle.

And finally, I lost 4.4 pounds in the month. Yippee! I am a very very slow loser so for me - that is a lot of weight. I am not going to be afraid of eating this way anymore.

[kb0426]

I love this success story Melelina!

[jtota]

Wow Wow Wow! Your story sounds just like mine!! Just exactly, except I went so far with my food to go low-fat vegan! Even the personal trainer part (been there, done that). I just couldn't conquer those issues the way you did. It is so hard for me to image fully letting go. But I want to. I really do. I'm getting ready to try again and I'd love any advice you could give!!

[Melelina]

I am happy to help you, if I can. However, I am not sure I understand your question. Why don't you send me a PM with your specific questions?

Wow Wow Wow! Your story sounds just like mine!! Just exactly, except I went so far with my food to go low-fat vegan! Even the personal trainer part (been there, done that). I just couldn't conquer those issues the way you did. It is so hard for me to image fully letting go. But I want to. I really do. I'm getting ready to try again and I'd love any advice you could give!!

[Renee Lee]

So happy for you! See what happens when you stop worrying?!

Did you have any days that were good, stomach wise? Your food log seemed to have a lot of repeats in it, so if something's giving you problems, it's not a surprise that it wouldn't have resolved.

The one thing that sticks in my head as a possibility is your nightly crio bru. just a thought

[lscott]

Thanks for your story! I just finished my Whole 30 on Feb. 5th. Your story is very similar to mine too. I unfortunately did not weigh right before I started but knew I was at least 4 lbs up from all the christmas crap I ate. I typically eat clean so this was really not that hard for me. But it was nice not to wake up and think "did I eat bad yesterday!!". I plan on starting another one next monday. It has been an awesome experience with my taste buds and I love the way I feel. thanks again for your input!!!