Post Whole30, all the magic gone

[ach324]

I have eaten about 80-90% whole30 since ending the january challenge with the exception of a little added sugar here and there (no dessert at all, just some maple syrup in my homemade bbq and a few squirts of sriracha on my eggs a few times), rice with sushi and soy sauce once, and some pretzels/beer/sausage which i'm sure had wheat in it when I was in Germany last weekend (and totally worth it, because how could I not?) Grains and legumes don't severely affect me other than the fact that they don't give me as much energy as the original whole30 template does. Sugar in excess of course would, but I've been having such small amounts I haven't noticed any difference. Still only having one cup of black coffee in the AM and no caffeine after that.

 

However, I've been sleeping horribly for weeks now (takes me forever to fall asleep, I wake up several times during the night, and even when I've got to bed on the later side, I'm not able to sleep late.) Last week was really bad, I got 3-5 hours of sleep every night and felt like a zombie. My hunger levels have been pretty normal, I'm sticking to the same eating patterns/template as I did during whole30 with 4-5 days of exercise a week (I take this HIIT class that's 45 min of alternating cardio and strength training) though probably a little hungrier than usual given how tired I am. I'm exhausted all day and find myself dragging myself home from work/the gym. Have for sure been gaining weight too.

 

All last week I had  for breakfast a large slice of frittata (prob contained about 2 eggs or so plus potatoes and leeks) with 2 slices of proscuitto and 1-2 cups of sauteed kale on the side, a large salad with chicken and veggies for lunch, and .5 a pound of some form of meat (chicken thighs, chicken breasts, pork belly) with 2 kinds of veggies (spinach, eggplant, kale, cucumbers, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes a few times.)

 

Any tips/red flags? Maybe not enough starch or fat at night? 

[Tom Denham]

If you are doing HIIT 4-5 days per week and not eating a post-workout meal of lean protein immediately afterwards, you are undermining your recovery and shorting yourself nutrition that you need. Not eating enough slows your metabolism and can keep you from losing weight, make you tired, etc. 

 

I don't know what might be ruining your sleep, but I would offer that it could be something small that seems inconsequential. Personally, eating a little dairy lowers might sleep quality. It took me a long time to figure it out. On the other hand, I have found that consuming two cups of bone broth or collagen at night improves my sleep quality. 

[ach324]

How soon before bed do you have the broth? I made a big homemade batch of the good stuff this weekend so I could definitely have a cup before.

 

I do have post workout food, but maybe not enough-- a few slices of lean roast beef or 1-2 hard boiled eggs is my go-to. I eat either on the train to work (I eat breakfast as soon as I get in, which would end up being about an hour after my workout) or walking home from the gym (it's a 15 min walk and then it takes me 30 min to make dinner, so also about 45 min-1 hour after my workout.) Because my workout meals are eaten in transit and usually come pretty soon before a real meal, I don't eat as much. Open to suggestions though!

 

If I'm being totally honest, one of the reason I have trouble falling asleep I think is because for some reason, as soon as I get into bed, I start thinking about food. I think about what i'm going to eat in the morning, what I'll pack for lunch, what I need to buy at the grocery store etc etc. In general I've found that since doing my first whole30, between meal prep and planning grocery runs and looking at pinterest/blogs for recipe inspiration, I think way too much about food. In the beginning it was totally necessary, I had to put in effort during my first and even 2nd whole30 to make sure I was getting eating all the right food and shopping for the right ingredients. But I've been eating paleo and mostly whole30 since mid-november so you'd think it would be second nature by now and I wouldn't have to obsess. Is this an issue for a lot of people?  

[MidwestNourishment]

How soon before bed do you have the broth? I made a big homemade batch of the good stuff this weekend so I could definitely have a cup before.

 

I do have post workout food, but maybe not enough-- a few slices of lean roast beef or 1-2 hard boiled eggs is my go-to. I eat either on the train to work (I eat breakfast as soon as I get in, which would end up being about an hour after my workout) or walking home from the gym (it's a 15 min walk and then it takes me 30 min to make dinner, so also about 45 min-1 hour after my workout.) Because my workout meals are eaten in transit and usually come pretty soon before a real meal, I don't eat as much. Open to suggestions though!

 

If I'm being totally honest, one of the reason I have trouble falling asleep I think is because for some reason, as soon as I get into bed, I start thinking about food. I think about what i'm going to eat in the morning, what I'll pack for lunch, what I need to buy at the grocery store etc etc. In general I've found that since doing my first whole30, between meal prep and planning grocery runs and looking at pinterest/blogs for recipe inspiration, I think way too much about food. In the beginning it was totally necessary, I had to put in effort during my first and even 2nd whole30 to make sure I was getting eating all the right food and shopping for the right ingredients. But I've been eating paleo and mostly whole30 since mid-november so you'd think it would be second nature by now and I wouldn't have to obsess. Is this an issue for a lot of people?  

I feel like I have been having the obsessive food -prep thoughts, too!  I am tossing around the idea of actually writing out a meal menu for next time I go grocery shopping.  I always thought it was kind of silly when people did that, but beginning to see the light.  I always liked the freedom of looking in my fridge and seeing what I could come up with, but it has begun to hinder me.  I think about the next days' meals the night before, too.  Have you thought about planning a menu and then sticking to it when you go to the grocery store? I think it could benefit us.

[ShannonM816]

I feel like I have been having the obsessive food -prep thoughts, too!  I am tossing around the idea of actually writing out a meal menu for next time I go grocery shopping.  I always thought it was kind of silly when people did that, but beginning to see the light.  I always liked the freedom of looking in my fridge and seeing what I could come up with, but it has begun to hinder me.  I think about the next days' meals the night before, too.  Have you thought about planning a menu and then sticking to it when you go to the grocery store? I think it could benefit us.

 

There's also a weekly cookup, which is somewhere between a full-on meal plan where every day is planned out, and just making sure there's plenty of food in the fridge prepped to cut down on time spent cooking during the week, but allowing you some choice throughout the week. Here's a more concrete example with recipes & shopping lists.

[bpaitsel]

Ach324 - in case this helps, two of my symptoms of gluten intolerance are anxiety and fatigue.  I used to do the same thing when trying to go to sleep - think and stress about the next day; in general sleeping was horrible. Vicious cycle - anxiety, poor sleep, fatigue - all tied together.  After your W30 did you do a structured re-intro?  For me, gluten symptoms can take up to 2-4 days to be obvious.

[tmhampton1]

I was thinking the same thing Bpaitsel. You might think that you are fine with Gluten, but the fatigue and insomnia could be a symptom for you. I am finding that I have a sensitivity to nightshades, no matter what time of the day I eat them. I have a fine time falling asleep (I take a nice hot cup of magnesium...Nature Calm...about 1/2 hour before bed), but on these nights I am up and down all night. And sometimes once I'm up it will take hours to fall back asleep.