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weight gain after whole30.

I started my first whole30 a couple weeks back and decided to go off of it on day 17. I wasn't eating well and was dealing with a lot of stress, my hair had even started to fall out so I decided right now is not the right time. I lost about 8lbs while I was on it. I ate badly the day that I went off of it and it honestly felt good to eat a ton of carbs and junk. I weighed the next day expecting to see a huge weight gain from water but it was only 3lbs. Monday I went back to eating primal and have done good all week. I also started cardio (hip hop abs) and have been feeling great. I weighed today to see if I had lost the 3lbs in water and to my surprise I have gained another 4lbs. I know its impossible to gain 7lbs of fat from one cheat day so I am not sure whats going on and why I have gained even more weight. Could it be the cardio? Or is it because I was almost starving myself some days on whole30 and I have quickly gained back what I lost when going back to eating normal? Was it all water to begin with? I am feeling so discouraged. My diary is open if anyone would like to critique it.

Replies

  • mmipanda
    mmipanda Posts: 351 Member
    after looking at two days of your diary I say EAT MORE and try having breakfast. you cant eat 1200 calories and then do 800 calories worth of exercise without starving yourself.
  • I never eat breakfast due to IF but I know that I need to eat more. I have not had much of an appetite lately due to stress and I feel like most of the time I have to force myself to eat anywhere near 1000 calories.
  • mmipanda
    mmipanda Posts: 351 Member
    after looking at two days of your diary I say EAT MORE and try having breakfast. you cant eat 1200 calories and then do 800 calories worth of exercise without starving yourself.

    to elaborate more: for most people, 1200 calories is the minimum you should eat, if you're stuck sitting at a desk all day or you're a couch potato or whatever. If you eat less than that, you're sending your body into starvation mode. you'll lose weight from necessity but it wrecks your metabolism. SO as soon as you binge or even just go back to eating normal, sustainable amounts, the weight will pile back on because your body is like OMG FOOD PLZ.
  • momof2osaurus
    momof2osaurus Posts: 477 Member
    after looking at two days of your diary I say EAT MORE and try having breakfast. you cant eat 1200 calories and then do 800 calories worth of exercise without starving yourself.

    to elaborate more: for most people, 1200 calories is the minimum you should eat, if you're stuck sitting at a desk all day or you're a couch potato or whatever. If you eat less than that, you're sending your body into starvation mode. you'll lose weight from necessity but it wrecks your metabolism. SO as soon as you binge or even just go back to eating normal, sustainable amounts, the weight will pile back on because your body is like OMG FOOD PLZ.

    ^^ THIS! Totally this.
  • astridfeline
    astridfeline Posts: 1,200 Member
    I never eat breakfast due to IF but I know that I need to eat more. I have not had much of an appetite lately due to stress and I feel like most of the time I have to force myself to eat anywhere near 1000 calories.

    It seems to me that IF should be intermittent, routinely skipping breakfast precludes the intermittent aspect of IF. Just a thought.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    I never eat breakfast due to IF but I know that I need to eat more. I have not had much of an appetite lately due to stress and I feel like most of the time I have to force myself to eat anywhere near 1000 calories.

    It seems to me that IF should be intermittent, routinely skipping breakfast precludes the intermittent aspect of IF. Just a thought.

    No it doesn't. Leangains style IF is a daily 16 hour fast, 8 hour feed cycle. That's generally something like 8pm to noon, or "skipping breakfast." The key to making it work, of course, is being able to eat the amount of food you need in that time (which not everyone can do).
  • justaspoonfulofsugar
    justaspoonfulofsugar Posts: 587 Member
    there is also a belief that woman tend to do better on a 14/10 fasting window.
    Doing IF is not recommended until you are well adopted to a primal/paleo lifestyle.
    I am not saying that's the case here with OP but just something to put out there for anyone thinking about IF.
    I personally do well with IF when I am eating ketogenic paleo and not any other time.The fat fills the void and makes it far easier.
    The benefits to woman are still being researched and nothing has been determined that it helps.
    I believe there is no issue in skipping meals and when you are eating a primal/paleo way..it can be difficult to get in all of your calories.
  • shar140
    shar140 Posts: 1,158 Member
    after looking at two days of your diary I say EAT MORE and try having breakfast. you cant eat 1200 calories and then do 800 calories worth of exercise without starving yourself.

    to elaborate more: for most people, 1200 calories is the minimum you should eat, if you're stuck sitting at a desk all day or you're a couch potato or whatever. If you eat less than that, you're sending your body into starvation mode. you'll lose weight from necessity but it wrecks your metabolism. SO as soon as you binge or even just go back to eating normal, sustainable amounts, the weight will pile back on because your body is like OMG FOOD PLZ.

    ^^ THIS! Totally this.

    This, plus this:
    there is also a belief that woman tend to do better on a 14/10 fasting window.
    Doing IF is not recommended until you are well adopted to a primal/paleo lifestyle.
    I am not saying that's the case here with OP but just something to put out there for anyone thinking about IF.
    I personally do well with IF when I am eating ketogenic paleo and not any other time.The fat fills the void and makes it far easier.
    The benefits to woman are still being researched and nothing has been determined that it helps.
    I believe there is no issue in skipping meals and when you are eating a primal/paleo way..it can be difficult to get in all of your calories.

    So you're IF'ing, exercising, AND cutting your calories to bare minimum. You can't do them all, and your body is telling you that.

    See here (written by the author of ESE):
    http://www.niashanks.com/2013/07/intermittent-fasting-doing-it-wrong/
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    WHY were you starving yourself on Whole30? In that case you were not at all following Whole30. If you are eating enough healthy foods, including enough fat your health would NOT deteriorate. Obsession with weighing yourself and a sustainable Paleo/Primal lifestyle do not go together well. Try focusing on HEALTH.