TriLala Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Ok, first off let me say that I LOVE THE WHOLE30. This is a way of life for me, I am glad I found it and it will always be my go-to way of eating. I started the w30 because I have been greatly discouraged by the metabolic damage I sustained by doing wacky yo-yo carb-cycling and severe calorie restriction last year getting ready for (bodybuilding) competition season. Prior to that, I have always been so acutely sensitive and unrealistic about my weight and overall body composition, that, upon reflection and looking back, I chronically underate and poorly timed my nutrients during long-distance endurance training, just because I was 'afraid of getting bigger'. Well, so that's me in a nutshell. I am on day29 and I got on the scale and had my body fat measured. 100% execution on the regimen and the results are IN: I am up 7 pounds and gained 1% of body fat. I feel much much more stable and healthy but just so you know, folks: your clothes don't always fit looser, and the birds don't always chirp through the sun quenched air full of rainbows. Sometimes it just takes longer. *sigh* Trying to stay the course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutFinch Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 We may call it chronic under-eating, but if your body experiences it as starving, it will want to gain weight first once you begin to feed it again (research first done at U of MN bears this out). Over time, though, it is most likely (but not guaranteed) that your weight will normalize to the best weight for you. In your case, it may just be that you need a longer period of time to see results that you want. In the meantime, congratulations for having done so well! (and throw out the damn scale! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samphire Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Hi congratulations on completing your whole 30! Sorry you didn't get the results you wanted. I've heard that you can gain weight initially when your body starts healing and repairing if it had been undernourished for some time beforehand. I'm sure the weight will come off eventually once your body has finished repairing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyS Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 Just a hunch, since I don't know you, but I bet you needed to gain that weight. (Also, throw out your scale. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriLala Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 AmyS, perhaps that is true, from a recovery standpoint. But as a competitive athlete, 19% body fat is too smooth. I know this is a healing process and as such it is a long goal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 But as a competitive athlete, 19% body fat is too smooth. First, this is a peculiarity specific to bodybuilding. Most competitive athletes are after performance goals, not aesthetic ones. Second, be aware that the whole30 may not be the right program to get you to the super-ripped aesthetic you are after. The whole30 is designed to lead to optimal health, and sorry, but lower than 19% body fat on a woman is not likely to be optimally healthy. Of course it is completely your choice if you want to go after a lower body fat percentage and to excel in your chosen sport, just know what you are choosing and what you are sacrificing to get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samphire Posted April 8, 2013 Share Posted April 8, 2013 What miss Mary said. 19% for a woman is low. Just curious, what sport do you compete in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriLala Posted April 8, 2013 Author Share Posted April 8, 2013 Well I started out in Triathlon, short distances in the beginning, last Ironman in 2011. Once I found out I could go the distance, I tried to get faster, and ran into some significant personal barriers. For example, I executed pitch-perfect in my training to break 4 hours in the marathon (1 speed work, 1 tempo, 1 hill repeats, 1 long run by the book with the McMillan formula)...but come race day I couldn't do it. So I turned to a physique coach to help me with my body composition. Somewhere along the journey the "trying to get leaner and stronger" turned into "let's get on a competition team and prep for a show". Last year I competed in an all natural federation in the figure class. Now I am somwhere in between the 2 sports and not really sure where I am at. Getting healthy and being healthy while improving fitness and physique is my prerogative. I'm on Whole30! And now that's next to near to complete, I'm Whole9. Thing is, when I was leaner last year (maybe around 16%) I felt better, and was performing faster. I know being healthy is not just about being lean or getting faster, but I truly feel better (and lighter) when I don't have extra pounds (or fat...)that I have to move around. Does this make sense to anyone? Feedback appreciated I love the support and insight here on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyS Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I never heard of 19% body fat on a woman being anything other than a cause for alarm followed by immediate instruction to gain body fat stat, so this is all new to me. That said, I know we have at least one moderator who trains heavily for weight-class sports, so I think this is a world outside of my reality (I'm a soprano singer, and we don't measure body fat, just high notes. ) and the answers are best left to those who understand your world. If you're ever interested in high notes while on Whole30, though, I'm your girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelliebuStacey Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Just a hunch, since I don't know you, but I bet you needed to gain that weight. (Also, throw out your scale. ) this. Amy, you're lovely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keianna Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 My friend trains competitively for fitness competitions and being below 19% body fat is encouraged and is the goal. She is lean, muscular and very healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriLala Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 If the whole9/whole30 lifestyle is not optimal or recommended for long-distance triathletes or physique competitors trying to (healthily, sustainably) lean out, I would love to get that confirmed by a moderator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLC1968 Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 If the whole9/whole30 lifestyle is not optimal or recommended for long-distance triathletes or physique competitors trying to (healthily, sustainably) lean out, I would love to get that confirmed by a moderator. I don't think that is necessarily the case, but you may have to make modifications. Whole30 is about optimum health, so in theory, it should apply to anyone. If you want to go long distance, you'll have to modify (ie, add in starches), and if you want to get lean enough for a show, again, you'll have to modify. Google Nell Stephenson. She is a highly competitive IM triathlete who eats basically Whole30 all the time (she doesn't call it Whole30 - she calls it strict paleo), so it's entirely possible. She's also extremely lean...but I think that is just the result of her training schedule, not because she's aiming for a particular body fat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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