Lessons Learned After Losing 120lbs – Part I

If you haven’t read a bit about my weight loss journey yet, check it out here. 

As you probably already know, losing a considerable amount of weight is a lengthy endeavor. It’s also an iterative process in that you must continuously adapt and make changes to your routine. Sadly, without iterating you risk not making any progress, or eventually hitting one of those dreaded plateaus.

Before discovering the Whole30 program, I tried everything from meal replacement shakes and bars, Special K products, counting calories, and incorporating more “healthy” grains into my diet, all in conjunction with exercise. To be honest, none of those seemed to work. Perhaps none of them kept me interested long enough to see them work, or maybe I didn’t have the willpower back then. Once I started my first Whole30, of course I found it to be challenging but, as I experienced the benefits, it kept me interested.

Disclaimer: I’m not here to blast you with any crazy science facts or research, just my own thoughts and opinions. So, without any further ado, here is a list of a few lessons I learned throughout my 120lb weight loss journey.

Counting Calories isn’t necessary but,

…making sure you eat enough is. One of the first things you’ll notice if you do keep track of your calorie intake is that whole foods are much less calorie dense than their processed counterparts. Inevitably, the Whole30 will result in a calorie deficit, that’s just how the paleo cookie crumbles. News flash: If you don’t think you’re eating enough, eat more, and if you think you’re still eating too much, eat less. It’s OK to be a little hungry, but don’t deprive your body of the nutrients it needs. As a rule of thumb, strive for 3 square meals per day, and have appropriate snacks in between. That’s what worked for me, but of course your mileage may vary!

It’s OK to weigh-in daily

That’s right, I said it. If I remember correctly, one of the Whole30 rules states “do not weigh yourself for the duration of the program”. If you want to follow that, then fine however, I found that weighing myself regularly kept me accountable and motivated. Some days the scale would move 1-2 pounds a day, sometimes it wouldn’t move at all. Either way, it showed me that what I was doing or what I did the day before was working, and it gave me the willpower to press on. Everyone loves instant gratification today, and this is one way to get it.

Let the games begin

Listen, no one wants to do something their not interested in or isn’t fun and that’s why so many companies have gamified so many routine activities. Please, do yourself a favor and make a game out of it. When grocery shopping, you can play some riveting rounds of “find all the added sugar” when selecting products or perhaps you can challenge yourself to try a new fruit or vegetable each week. If exercising, challenge yourself to walk an extra 10 minutes or an extra mile each day.

Speaking of Sugar…

I just want to say how difficult it truly is to eliminate all sugar from your diet. Food manufacturers are very sneaky in how they add sugar to foods for a number of reasons and as consumers, we need to be super careful when selecting foods to eat. I have no doubt that this is one reason we have such an obesity problem in the United States today.

You’re going to shop a lot

Whole foods just don’t go as far as processed foods. They start to lose their freshness or you simply eat more of them than originally anticipated. Remember that thing I said about Whole Foods being less calorie dense? Well, calories = energy, and if you don’t have enough, you won’t have energy, and thus you’ll need to eat more.

Keep approved foods on hand

…and throw out or give away unapproved foods. I cannot say this one enough. If you have a package of Oreo’s or chocolate laying around (or anything else), you will eat them. I’ll be the first to admit that this has happened to me, and I’m sure many of you reading this can relate. Oreo’s are delicious and so much easier to eat than vegetables. Unfortunately, as much as you try to stay away, each time you open the pantry they’ll be staring you in the face. Cut your losses and throw them away, or take them to your workplace to make your colleagues fat. Keep your pantry stocked with cashews, almonds, or butters of the same, and your fridge stocked with meats and veggies, and you’ll be fine.



Anyway, I have plans to continue this list in another post in the near future, albeit slightly less Whole 30/Paleo-focused. I hope you found this post useful, and if you could do me a favor and share this with your family and friends, I’d be very grateful.

Until next time,

–Sean

P.S. – what are some lessons you’ve learned throughout your Paleo or Whole 30 journey? Feel free to leave a note in the comments section below!