a peek inside the fishbowl

10 Apr, 2018

Whole 30 – an update to my update (and it’s not good news)

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Recipes and Food

On April 2 I posted an update with the gleeful news that we’d finished the Whole 30 dietary reset and that I was feeling pretty good AND hit my goal weight. Well, I couldn’t let that be the last thing you heard about our Whole 30 because what happened afterwards deserves a mention.

It was Easter weekend when we finished. We went to a wedding and ate some Easter chocolate. We decided we’d enjoy the weekend and then go back to our “regular” family meals and reign in the extras, such as chips, beer, sugar. Well, imagine my surprise when my weight bounced right back (let me rephrase, right back UP) within a couple of days.

I did not eat several pounds worth of Easter chocolate, I swear.

In my wrap up post about Whole 30 I shared a screenshot from MyFitnessPal about the weight I had lost so it’s only fair that I update it here now:

Whole 30 update

You can see the upswing there, right? What also returned is that bloaty puffiness that had disappeared during the Whole 30 regimen. Also worth noting: Mark’s weight went back to what it was before he did the Whole 30.

So, something is amiss, that’s for sure. I’m certain there are issues with sugar and sensitivities to gluten that have not been officially diagnosed. Maybe you’re also wondering what is it about the foods that we eat that creates all that extra padding?

I recommend you watch this short video. It pertains to IBS but it explains the idea of gut inflammation really well and illustrates what’s actually happening when the body can’t absorb certain types of carbs.

It’s left me wondering: what if *everyone* has those issues with carbs, but some people don’t actually feel the pain of the inflammation that’s occurring? What if what we’re carrying around isn’t actually extra weight, but water and inflammation due to us eating too much of something that doesn’t agree with us AND WE CAN ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT that doesn’t involve becoming a gym rat?

If I can feel better, and get rid of my muffin top by cutting back on some foods, I’m all for it. So, what we’re doing now is a modified Whole 30 for a week to see what happens. We’re still eating meat, veg and fruit, dairy, and a few whole grains (like oats) and legumes. We are temporarily cutting out, once again, alcohol, gluten, and sweet treats to see how we feel.

The question is, is it enough to scale back, or will we need to cut things out entirely? This will require some experimentation.

This was my lunch today:

Kale Caesar, with an egg.

… a kale Caesar salad with Whole30 style dressing, fried Prager ham, grape tomatoes, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and a fried egg on top. Thankfully, I like veggies enough that this kind of meal is a treat for me, not a hardship!

Dinner tonight is eggs, sausage, veg and fruit.

Once upon a time I read about someone who only ate superfoods, and designed crazy “menus” of meals around them. So for example she’d eat a handful of blueberries, a slice of fish, bunch of walnuts, and a serving of swiss chard for breakfast. She ate foods that didn’t even go well together just for the sake of eating the “best” foods possible. She saw food as fuel and as medicine so she could live a long and healthy life. A part of me understands what that lady was getting at, but I want to live a life in which food is joy; something to be shared with loved ones. Food is not just fuel, it’s life too, isn’t it? So although I don’t want to get too mired in all of this, I do need to figure out what foods make us feel good, and which ones don’t.

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4 Responses to "Whole 30 – an update to my update (and it’s not good news)"

1 | andrea tomkins

April 10th, 2018 at 3:49 pm

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I hope this post doesn’t dissuade anyone from trying the Whole 30. I still think it’s worth doing if you’re wondering if there are certain foods that don’t agree with you.

This has, in a way, changed my feelings about “balance.” We always talk about a healthy balance of foods. Eating sugar and bread is ok as long as it’s in moderation! But what exactly is the right balance for me?

2 | Claudette

April 10th, 2018 at 4:53 pm

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I think the trick is to not jump back into the old habits. For me, that worked. I try to plan better. If spaghetti and meatballs is on the menu for dinner, I will not have toast or other gluten items for breakfast or lunch on that same day. Nor the day after. Then the pasta doesn’t bother me.

That kind of thing.

Get yourself a really good probiotic that is derived from the human strain (not a dairy based one). This is key, I think. My husband too has gastro problems and he’s taking the probiotic with great results. I have a kid version too. I can recommend one if you want, it’s a pricey one but the best one out there. Email me if you like. :)

3 | Amy

April 11th, 2018 at 7:16 am

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The article below is a bit long but a good read. It touches on superfoods, dieting fads, gluten intolerance; basically recommends eating simply with variety, with emphasis on unprocessed and less meat, while still enjoying your food.

I had a friend who was having dietary issues, she did something like a whole 30 at the recommendation of her doctor and then added a type of food (dairy, eggs, gluten, etc.) back each week to see what her triggers were. She said she felt much better eating simply, and after adding back eggs which I think were first on the list, had no desire to continue adding most other things back.

http://www.grubstreet.com/2018/03/ultimate-conversation-on-healthy-eating-and-nutrition.html

4 | andrea tomkins

April 11th, 2018 at 11:07 am

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You’re right Claudette. Planning is key! And we eat probiotic yogurt every day and it seems to makes a difference.

Amy: thanks for the link to the great article. Wow. It covers everything! Tons of great info there. And yes, the trick definitely is to figure out what the triggers are. I’m working on it!

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