This is not working for me! What am I doing wrong?

[Elliottsmama]

So I did my first Whole 30 in May and was 100% perfect for 6 wks and then was mostly good even while on vacation and such.  I've been in and out since then, but pretty clean eating.  Anyway, even with perfect adherence to the program, I never felt good.  I lost weight which was awesome and effortless.  I had less bloat, better digestion, and never felt hungry.  However, I didn't sleep better, I was more tired, and I didn't feel like a new person or anything.  I had a sinus infection for part of it so I thought that was it.   In the last couple months I have done some experiments to try to figure things out.  No exaggeration, without fail, if I eat non Whole 30 foods, my basal body temp goes up, I have more energy, and I sleep better.  Every time.  It's not a sugar high either because I'm not eating crap.  Since I started Whole 30 (and stuck to it very closely) in May, my cycles have been all messed up after being regular for YEARS.  Literally it started in May that they went wonky along with the low morning basal temps.  It will go up almost half a degree if I eat something off plan.  If I eat a lot of Whole 30 food including some sweet potato, it will go up, but I don't feel more energetic.

 

What am I doing wrong?  I am nursing my son, but I will eat when I'm hungry.  Sample meals:

 

-3 eggs, lots of veggies, 1/2 cup coconut milk

-chicken, peppers, onions, etc, and additional veggies 1 whole small avocado

- 6-8oz grass fed ground beef burger, sweet potato, broccoli, onions, 1 small avocado

 

[Physibeth]

Are there specific non-W30 foods you see make a difference when you add them or is anything off program? To me your meals look extremely light especially for someone who is breastfeeding. 

[Natalie43]

I'm doing this Whole30 as an experiment on myself to see what works for me and makes me feel better, and at the end will introduce things one at a time to see which things my body reacts badly too. I think if eating something not in the Whole30 (but not junk, as you said) makes you feel better then you should eat it. Everyone's body is different and there is no magic diet that is perfect for every single person IMHO.

 

I've read that the human body used to make its own Vitamin C, but we got so much from our diet that we stopped making it ourselves and now we can't. We've evolved over time and adapted to what is available, maybe you really need a bit of extra something that you get from other foods. Try to work out which particular foods your body needs.

[amberino21]

Are there specific non-W30 foods you see make a difference when you add them or is anything off program? To me your meals look extremely light especially for someone who is breastfeeding.

Ill echo physibeth's comment about your meals - are you actually eating enough food? How many meals would you eat a day? BFing mothers need more food, and 4-5 proper meals is probably required to get enough calories and nutrients to support you and your child.

[Elliottsmama]

Sorry.  I should have been more clear.  The menu I posted is a sample day...three meals.  I sometimes have a snack of hard boiled eggs, nuts, and fruit, but not usually.  I don't feel hungry.  Also, when I eat non-Whole 30 foods, I have more energy, but I have worse digestion and more bloat.  I'm not really wanting to go that route, but I want to have more energy and it's not happening.  I know it's common in the beginning, but I'm not new to Whole 30 and I this is different from the complete exhaustion I feel around day 2-3 of starting up again.  

 

So maybe I'm really just not eating enough and need to eat more meals?  I was trying to follow the template of three meals and trying not to snack unless needed.  I really don't feel hungry, but I could try to eat smaller more frequent meals so that in total I'm eating more.  It's just so hard to make actual meals with my son keeping me busy.  I do it for the three meals already and it would be hard to do two more per day.  I hate reheated meat (unless it's in a soup) which makes having easy meals ready to go.  I don't mind cold chicken, but I hate reheated beef.  I can occasionally stomach reheated meatloaf, but only if I reheat in the oven or on the stove.  Microwave is right out.  Any ideas for quick, easy snacks/meals?  I have lots of recipes, but most are for larger meals with leftovers like Well Fed.  I am a huge fan of soup and don't mind reheating that at all.  Any soup recipes you can think of besides chicken "noodle" (chicken stock, carrots, celery, onion, chicken, and zucchini noodles) or beef stew (beef stock, beef, onion, carrot, celery, sweet potato)?  

 

Thanks for the help.  I want it to just be a matter of more calories because I feel like this is the healthiest way to eat on a regular basis.  Gluten is right out for me as it gives me an immediate stomachache and massive bloat.  Dairy makes me congested and gassy unless it's raw.  Soy doesn't seem to directly bother me, but I just avoid it because I don't think it's healthy.  Legumes like black beans and stuff tend to make me gassy and a little bloaty, but no pain and they don't seem to bother me in other ways though I think I only ate them like twice after my initial Whole 30 anyway.  Rice does not seem to bother me in the least, but I know there can be chemicals in there so I don't eat it.  I basically stick to Whole 30 (and have stuck to it) except when eating out.  I have not bought any grains, dairy, sugar, etc products/food for myself since May.  I don't plan to eat it as part of my lifestyle, though I have had it on special occasions and vacations which is my basis for figuring out what seems to bother me and what doesn't.  I never did the reintroduction phase of Whole 30 because I didn't miss those foods, but maybe I should have just to see.  I am considering raw dairy just for variety, but haven't yet and it's expensive.  In the past it didn't seem to bother me the way regular milk does.

 

Thanks again.

[Mom2A&M]

For a quick fourth meal maybe try; Egg or tuna salad? Cold chicken and cabbage salad with mayo based dressing? Beef or turkey jerky? I love paleOMG carrot ginger soup and I pour it over cooked ground beef. Maybe you cold add a piece of fruit each day for a little extra carbs too.

[Robin Strathdee]

Hey all! Here's what M had to say about this very subject the other day. 

*Post is copied, follow the link for comments

 

Pregnant and BFing mommas are exempt from the "no snacking" recommendations in #ISWF. Calories are too important here, and with things like cravings/aversions during pregnancy and disturbed sleep and crazy schedules with a new baby, you've gotta get your Good Food in when you can. 

During the last few months of my pregnancy, I probably grazed 6 times a day, because I physically couldn't eat enough in just three meals with the baby squishing on my stomach. And that was okay, because that's the way it had to be. If you stick to Good Food (and you're coming from a place of good health and a Whole9-style diet), grazing or eating every few hours for a few months won't have any negative long-term affects.

Just take care not to let the post-dinner graze for something sweet become a go-to while you're pregnant, because once the baby comes, that's going to be a really hard habit to break (especially in the face of sleep deprivation). Melissa

 

https://www.facebook.com/Whole9/posts/10151994480971554

[Noelle]

For what it's worth, I did my first Whole30 when my daughter was 4 months old—and breastfeeding constantly, it seemed—and I never felt good energy-wise. I was eating four Meal Template meals a day.

 

My daughter 14 months old now. She still nurses a few times a day, but she eats a lot of solid food too. I'm on day 16 now, and my energy is VASTLY improved. Things feel so much different than they did the first time around. I feel better overall. With 20/20 hindsight, I can see that I was using more energy feeding my baby than I realized.

 

If you're nursing a lot, you may be getting more depleted than you realize, even if you don't feel hungry.

[WunderHase]

I have similar feelings (no hunger, not terribly energetic, not a new person), but I know it's because I don't eat enough. I eat the right foods, but I don't eat enough. You'd think that we felt hungry on calorie restriction, but that's not necessarily the case. The hunger is just blunted and you just have less energy (and don't feel like eating and get even less energy; it's a vicious cycle). Whilst protein is used for building and maintaining, carbs and fat are for energy. Since carbs are naturally restricted, more fat is needed.

Can you at least add a bit more fats to your meals? I think the templates were bare minimum, not strict guidance. If you like soups and don't mind reheating them, then what about curries? Chicken and veggies stir fried in coconut oil, stir in coconut milk and add spices (I love Thai curries). Easy to make a hearty full fat meal! Since I cook for one and don't like reheating either, I use frozen veggies (we have these wok veggies designed for different types of meals, I use Malaysia with pineapple, mushrooms, etc), pre-cooked chicken and only half of the coconut milk can (and plenty of coconut oil in cooking). Honestly, that's been one of those "happy meals" for me. You can also vary the spices. A good Thai curry paste doesn't have sugar or vegetable oils in them. Just the spices. There's green, red, yellow, panang, massaman, country style... Find them online if you can't get them locally. Just be careful, as they are spicy if used according to instructions :-)

I personally like fattier meats as well, but depending on your part of the world, there's the issue with hormones.

[Zoodles]

Which non-whole30 foods are you talking about exactly that give you more energy? It seems like you react badly to most non-compliant foods for one reason or another except rice. So that makes me think you need more carbs? Could you try really starchy soups like sweet potato soup, or maybe in a pinch add some organic white rice. I agree with the others, you're meals and snacks look pretty small, especially if you're breastfeeding. I wasn't eating this way when my son was a baby, but I remember I could eat whatever I wanted and I was still losing weight. You need a LOT of extra food when breastfeeding, so you might just need to drink a can of coconut cream or something every morning

[Renee Lee]

Which non-whole30 foods are you talking about exactly that give you more energy? It seems like you react badly to most non-compliant foods for one reason or another except rice. So that makes me think you need more carbs? Could you try really starchy soups like sweet potato soup, or maybe in a pinch add some organic white rice. I agree with the others, you're meals and snacks look pretty small, especially if you're breastfeeding. I wasn't eating this way when my son was a baby, but I remember I could eat whatever I wanted and I was still losing weight. You need a LOT of extra food when breastfeeding, so you might just need to drink a can of coconut cream or something every morning

amen, zoodles!

[Elliottsmama]

Thanks everyone!  I didn't realize I was eating so little.  I will try really upping the calories and especially the fat.  I thought fat was the one thing I was eating enough of, but maybe not.  I'll try to amp it all up and see how I feel.  Weight loss would be nice, but really I just want to have more energy.  I assume if I get more energy, my metabolism will be higher and I'll likely be able to lose weight then anyway.  You guys also just made me realize something that was making me question the carbs thing...I had thought it couldn't be a low carb problem because I have done Atkins before (way lower carbs thatn this) and did not have low energy, but duh...I wasn't breastfeeding then.  I don't know why it took me this long to figure that out.  I do eat fruit, but too much makes me gassy.  I will try to eat more starchy things and not worry about the exact template as long as I'm following the general health guidelines.  

 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

I'm off to get ingredients for some of the yummy soup ideas you mentioned.  You guys are awesome!  I'll update you soon.

[Physibeth]

This is the perfect time of year to get lots of great starchy soup ideas. I've seen tons of blog posts of different yummy squash soups. Hope you find some good stuff. I like to make a big pot of soup once a week and then portion it out into mason jars to have whenever I want it. Hope this is the solution you have been searching for!