Day 22 and not feeling well

[Devonanne]

So, I'm on Day 22 of my Whole 30, and I really really wanted to be feeling great by now but I'm just not.

 

The first few weeks I can't really comment on how I felt because I had a bad cold and obviously that didn't help things. However since then I've just been feeling extremely low in the energy department, headaches, dizzy, and I get winded just going for a short walk. I haven't even been close to being able to do my regular strength workouts.

 

As an aside, I'm also a type 1 diabetic, but my blood sugars have been quite good, much more stable than usual.

 

I've been reading some similar posts on the forum and seems like the general advice is that people may not be eating enough, but I really feel like I'm eating quite a bit. I've been sticking to the program 100% (except one incident where I forgot my packed lunch and had to eat out, and I can't 100% say there was no sugar in my salad dressing!)

 

So what I'd like to know is, are there others who have felt rough this late in the program and had things turn around? Is this normal?

 

Thanks

[jmcbn]

Yup.

Often the magic doesn't happen until the very final stages - particularly if you're delaing with medical issues too - which is why so many extend to 45 days or even 60...

If you give us a run down of what you've been eating for the past 3-4 days, indicating portion sizes, and giving specific veg types etc, along with water intake, activity levels and sleep/stress levels we'd be better equipped to help you troubleshoot.

[Devonanne]

Hello,

 

I find water intake has been lower than usual, simply because I feel more full from meals and don't usually feel inclined to drink as much water. I imagine I'm probably getting a lot more water from food than before too (more veggies), but could definitely drink more water in between meals.

 

Being diabetic does make it more challenging but I've had far less low blood sugars which is great. Normally I'm always drinking juice to treat low blood when I have it, and I've been able to cut down majorly on that. I do probably eat more fruit than is ideal for a "normal" person on the Whole 30, but when I'm needing a little extra sugar to bring my blood up I figure it's better to go for a whole banana or apple rather than just fruit juice.

 

I also keep Larabars for emergencies and do eat them sometimes as well when I need extra sugar quickly.

 

Here's an idea of what my meals look like last couple days:

 

Day 1

 

Breakfast: Egg fried in coconut oil, 2 slices of bacon, half an avocado, one sliced tomato, half a navel orange

 

Lunch: Leftover dinner - Moroccan chicken (from It Starts with Food), Cauliflower Pilaf from Well Fed cookbook. About 1.5 cups cauli and been trying to stick to palm-sized meat portions

 

Dinner: Chicken breast, about 1.5 cups roasted yam, potato and leek mix (tossed in 1/2 coconut oil, 1/2 ghee with sea salt)

 

 

Snacks: (I know I'm supposed to try to avoid snacks if I can, but I'm finding it very difficult, and most of my snacks are after dinner) Handful cashews, apple w/sunflower seed butter, banana

 

Day 2

 

Breakfast: Poached egg over about 1 cup of roasted veggie mix from previous night, half an avocado

 

Lunch: Leftover chicken breast sliced up over baby spinach, half avocado, chopped apple, sunflower seed salad with raspberry vinaigrette

 

Dinner: 2 slices fritatta made with leftover ground turkey/red peppers, spinach, and a salad of greens with homemade raspberry vinaigrette (olive oil, dijon, raspberry vinegar, splash of mango juice)

 

Snack a few hours after dinner: About 1 cup frozen blueberries with ~tbsp shredded coconut. Banana before bed since my blood sugar was dropping.

 

Day 3

 

Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled with mushrooms, kale and peppers, half a navel orange

 

Lunch: 1 can tuna mixed with homemade olive oil mayo, eaten with 3 stalks celery "spoons"

 

Dinner: Steak, baked potato with ghee, green onion, and bacon bits, about a cup sauteed red chard with coconut oil

 

Snacks: Few handfuls of cashews, apple with sunflower seed butter

 

My activity levels have been super low just because I feel like junk. Been trying to at least get out for neighbourhood walks but they are leaving me with a pounding heart and feeling dizzy My sleep had been quite good up until a couple days ago but haven't been sleeping well last few nights for some reason. Stress is pretty normal, maybe a little extra this last week since I've had a sick toddler, but nothing crazy.

[Karen_Suep]

When egg is your only protein, it should be as many as you can hold in your hand.

Also, if you *need* to snack, you'd do better to stay away from seeds/nuts (maybe some leftover protein, some fats and veggies/small fruit portion would be better for stabilizing blood sugar and should help you work away from snacking.)

[jmcbn]

Some of your breakfasts are certainly light in protein and this meal really sets the tone for the day - as Karen has said when eggs are your only protein source in a meal you should eat the number of hwole eggs you can hold in one hand, which is 3-4 for most females. Or you could add in some other protein source to bump up the volume. Bacon is a fat source on Whole30 by the way.

Your other meals look light on fat to me, and you'd certainly remove the need for snacks if you added fat to lunch & dinner.

Is the evening snacking a habit? Or is it genuine hunger? Have you tried opting for a herbal tea instead? The nuts can be pretty hard on the digestive system so your body could be struggling to process those, they are also a poor source of fat due to their omega 3 to omega 6 ratio so I'd cut back on those for sure - try sticking with protein & fat if you are genuinely hungry - so something like a hard boiled egg, or some chicken dipped in mayo...

 

Are you salting your food? A lack of salt can contribute to dizzyness too, and cause low energy, and by excluding processed foods our sodium intake can drop by around 75% so we need to be sure to replace that.

[Devonanne]

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

As for evening hunger, pretty sure it's real hunger as I ask myself the question from the book - "would I eat fish and steamed broccoli right now?" and it's almost always "YUP, sure would!". I think you're probably right about needing more fat. I do drink a lot of herbal tea as well

 

Salt - I do put salt and pepper on most things, but I could up that as well.

 

I found for the first couple weeks I wasn't hungry between meals, but lately I really am, and craving things like yogurt and cheese which makes me think more fat/protein is needed. Could be because I was more enthusiastic and thorough with meal planning at first and now I probably need to try some new recipes and make sure I'm getting everything I need.

[jmcbn]

I found for the first couple weeks I wasn't hungry between meals, but lately I really am, and craving things like yogurt and cheese which makes me think more fat/protein is needed. 

Where are you in your cycle? Most women find an increase in appetite in the run up to their period. And as for those cravings, only fat will stamp those out - nothing else - so if you have  craving that won't go away with a distraction technique try a spoonful of coconut or macnt oil, or a handful of olives...

[Devonanne]

Where are you in your cycle? Most women find an increase in appetite in the run up to their period. And as for those cravings, only fat will stamp those out - nothing else - so if you have  craving that won't go away with a distraction technique try a spoonful of coconut or macnt oil, or a handful of olives...

 

I definitely do feel extra hungry and extra tired right around my period (been aware of noticing it for several years and just expect it now), but I'm mid cycle right now so don't think it's a factor.