Day 7: Am I Gaining Weight?

[rowergirl]

So... It's day 7 and I don't feel like I felt the first time I tried the Whole30 and made it two weeks in. On the first try, after a week I felt as light as a feather and energized. I cheated and weighed myself-- down 7 pounds in one week!!! This time I don't want to weigh myself and not be compliant but I FEEL like I'm gaining weight. I feel bloated and pudgy. When I look in the mirror I feel like I look bigger. Then I read the email today about not eatting too many nuts or too much fruit and I immediately thought WHOOPS! That's basically my two favorite things in this whole diet. Long story short, one week down and I'm feeling surprisingly crappy. Has anyone else experienced this or am I clearly missing something? Please tell me I am about to go over the hill.

[whitjm5]

Tough love coming...

If you look at the whole Paleo thing as a "diet" (meaning you'll stay on it just long enough to lose the weight and then return to your old ways of eating), your perspective is wrong. I have bloated and pudgy days, too. But the scale stays in the closet (it really belongs in the trash). If you're putting real food in your body and you KNOW it is good for you, would it be the end of the world if the number on the scale moved up a bit? I contend that it wouldn't. And there's no correlation between visible abs and longevity, anyway. :-)

I highly recommend reading this blog post (I'm guessing it's probably been posted on these forums before):

http://everydaypaleo.com/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/

Get your mind right and the rest will follow. ;-)

[Guest]

I have a theory that we may experience some fluctuations in weight as our body transitions from sugar as fuel to fat as fuel. I have no idea if I'm right since I'm not weighing, but I do think this could be why we aren't supposed to weigh.

At the end of my first 30 days, I got crazy bloated, although I didn't know that was the word for it. All I needed was more of my magnesium supplement and to stop eating raw veggies. I have no idea if either of those would help.

And, if you looked at the template and looked at your food choices, there is a chance you have been eating too many fruits and nuts. It is not uncommon and these foods can actually bother your gut. What else have you had that you have enjoyed? Have you been trying new recipes or trying to recreate old meals out of compliant ingredients? We can help you enjoy food if you give us an idea of your likes and dislikes.

[Tom Denham]

A cup of nuts can be about 1000 calories, so if you snack on them over the course of a day, you could consume too much fat. Most people coming to the Whole30 need to increase their fat intake, but snacking on nuts can take it too far.

I am sorry that fruit and nuts are your favorite foods. That suggests to me that you need to learn more cooking skills because there really are wonderful tastes available in the meat and veggie range that can make you happy.

[Jinkse21]

For me, it was not just about having those days where I felt bloated but how I mentally felt...After years of being told to eat low-fat because it was healthier and then being told it's okay to eat a half to a whole avocado at one meal took some time to get used to. I kept wondering if I was eating too much fat and would lower my intake but then I wouldn't have as much energy. After my 30 days were up, I stepped on the scale and found I was down 11 pounds! And that was with a weekend of eating homemade mayo, hollandaise, fatty grass-fed steak and way too many nuts at a party! Now, I didn't eat like that EVERY day but it just goes to show that fat is not the devil that we see on TV and the internet when it comes to dieting.

Also, what kind of veggies are you eating? If I eat a lot of cabbage, broccoli, or cauliflower, I can feel really bloated too....

[rowergirl]

Thank you all for the input! I have been eating an apple and almond butter as a snack as well as nuts for a snack and sometimes even a fruit and nut bar on top of all that! I guess I thought that as long as it is was technically whole39 compliant I can eat as much as I want of it. I'm obviously realizing that's not the case. Also, right before I started whole30, I did a half marathon. The first week of the whole30, the week directly after my first half, I really didn't work out at all. Going from training to not doing much of anything physically takes a huge toll on me physically and mentally. Moral of the story-- I am back to working out 4-5 days a week and I am butting back my fruit and nut in take big time! One serving of nuts a day and 1-2 servings of fruit is reasonable I think. I just need to learn to love veggies and cook more interesting things like was said above. And slay the sugar dragon above all else!!!