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Hello Whole30ers!

 

I'm on Day 19 of my first Whole30. Aside for a quick visit to KillAllTheThings land in week one, the program has been going well for me and I've noticed some very positive changes like improved focus, clearer skin, less gas, no PMS, being able to go hours between meals without feeling like I'm going to faint, and feeling like I'm finally conquering my sugar dragon. YAY!

 

In the last 3 days, however, things have gone a little downhill. I've had bad gas, constipation/diarrhea, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes on my neck, and my mood has fell. I'm in bed today feeling pretty sick, bleh, and discouraged. I'm not sure if this shift has been caused by something in my diet, or if it's simply all part of my body adjusting and like any standard cold/flu rest will cure it.

 

I was diagnosed Bipolar 2 a few years ago so I'm pretty hypersensitive to these kinds of changes in my body. As soon as I have a low day I'm like, "Oh crap no not again I've been doing so well!! " etc etc and stress out. Which obviously doesn't help haha. Can anyone with a mood disorder/depression/anxiety relate? Anyways I'm trying to think of anything in my diet/lifestyle I can control that could be an issue...

 

- Too much omega 6 or nuts. I know the importance of keeping omega 6 to omega 3 ratio intake in check with a mood disorder, so maybe that's been out of whack and causing the change in mood? I've been having up to 1 avocado a day, which I know is high in omega 6. I have a little olive oil here and there in a dressing, and I cook with coconut oil. I don't eat many nuts BUT I've had more almond butter in the last few days. Do nuts also influence some kind of hormone? 

 

- Too much fructose. I'm not eating a lot of fruit on Whole30, and when I do it's almost always eaten with a meal. I eat 1-2 bananas a day, occasionally by themselves. I had dates with almond butter and coconut flakes as a snack 3 days in a row a couple days ago. Maybe that was too much sugar? Could that cause digestive upset or mood changes?

 

- Increased exercise too quickly. I did two pretty intense workout classes last weekend. I walk a lot but haven't done proper makes you sweat exercise in over a year. I felt great during and after the workouts, but maybe that was too much stress on my body right now and made me sick?

 

- lithium withdrawal. I had been taking lithium for nearly 3 years and have been VERY steadily decreasing it from 1200mg 18 months ago to 300mg a month ago. I dropped down to 300mg 6 months ago and stopped taking it altogether 1 month ago, a week before starting my Whole30. I'm not on any other medications or birth control. I take vitamin D, B vitamins, omega 3, magnesium, and a probiotic. I didn't feel any lithium withdrawal when I stopped a month ago, I was on such a lose dose, but maybe it's coming back to bite me now? I'm sure my liver/kidneys are under some stress right now clearing out that medication and adjusting to a new diet. 

 

I know I've probably put my body through too much at once, especially stopped a medication so close to a Whole30, so it's hard to tell what's causing what. My diet isn't drastically different than before, I'd already cut out gluten, alcohol and most dairy two years ago. The biggest change is no sugar and no grains. 

 

I'm not looking for some kind of bulletproof solution as all of these things are probably factors, just any insight or personal experience as I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I'd love to start a conversation about it we could all benefit from! :) 

      

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Okay - I have not been officially diagnosed with depression or bipolar - but I do know myself and I was suffering from *something* for a very long time.  And I refused to get treatment - as I thought *it would pass* as there was nothing going on in my life to be truly depressed about.

 

Anyway - I have been living the whole 9 life for almost 4 years now and the change in just my moods alone have been utterly remarkable.

 

Somethings I have noted along the line - as much as I fight it (because like many people, I would like to lose some more weight) - I cannot go too low carb.  I eat probably around 100g + of carbs a day.  If I go too low - I have problems with moods.  If I go too high - I have problems with moods.  My low is 70g and my too high is probably anywhere over 150g.  So you have to find your perfect place. 

 

1 to 2 bananas a day is actually quite a bit.  Recommended fruit consumption is 1 to 2 fist sized portions of fruit.  Dates and nut butters - yeah stay away from these.  They are nature's candy, and while they are not off limits they are not doing us many favours.  Personally I find both cause pretty bad gut upset - so I kind of stay away from them.  And well sugars - yes even fruit sugars have a tendency of throwing hormones off.  

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May 19 DAY 13

7am coffee w/ coconut oil 2 eggs, roasted veggies, banana
11am raw GF V sundried tomato wrap from Cruda Cafe + small organic coffee 
5:30pm 3 dates with almond butter and coconut flakes. 
8:30pm chicken cauliflower kale carrots sweet potato avocado kiwi
very full.
 
Little gassy today. first day of period. hardly any cramps, very little pain, Tylenol covers it. No PMS.. just a bit tired last few days but that could be diet or Lithium. 
Good mood today, steady energy through the whole day, productive. YAYYY
 
May 20 DAY 14
7am coffee coconut oil eggs sweet potato avocado
11am chicken sweet potato avocado kale cauliflower banana
3pm banana iced decaf coffee. Bit of a headache after 
4:30pm 3 dates with almond butter and coconut flakes 
7:30pm cauliflower kale chicken sweet potato avocado carrots
 
Focused in class, not tired this morning. Went for a 2 hour walk after school, then had 2 hours downtime at home, kind of bleh feeling. 
 
May 21 DAY 15 
8am coffee coconut oil 2 eggs 1/4 avocado
8:45am first barre class, went AMAZING. Definitely had enough energy, wasn't hungry.
10:45am smoothie w/ water banana berries kale hemp hearts almond butter. Hungry after. Not enough but haven't gone grocery shopping yet 
1pm 2 dates almond butter coconut flakes carrots and a banana
3pm organic Kambucha. felt better after less hungry and more awake 
6:30pm beef, sweet potato, cauliflower, kale, carrots, 1/4, avocado sun dried tomato 
Little hungry before bed.
 
May 22 DAY 16
8am coffee w/ coconut oil
9am 2 eggs 1/4 avocado, apple, kiwi
11:30am banana w/ almond butter
12pm iced coffee, felt fine after, little headache but not bothersome, no energy slump
3:30pm sweet potato fries baked in olive oil, beef, beets, cauliflower, veggies, 1/4 avocado
9:30pm bowl of ground beef and sweet potato 
 
May 23 DAY 17
8am coffee w/ coconut oil, eggs, sweet potato 
10:30am smoothie w/ banana kale almond butter flax seed berries
1:30pm sausage, beans, peppers, carrots, kale, 1/4 avocado, potato chips baked in olive oil
5pm leftover potato chips, apple with cinnamon, 3 dates almond butter and coconut flakes. Feeling bleh and craving snacks in bed, which is what I did.
Worried about too much omega 6?
8:30pm sausage, sweet potato, 1/2 avocado, carrots, beets, beans, peppers, mushrooms, raspberries, banana
Hungry before bed, needed to eat more today.
 
May 24 DAY 18
Bloated, pain, constipated, sore throat. maybe much dried fruit aka dates? Mentally pretty good. A little bleh and headache but I think that's more situational (anxious about life things) than food. 
Also think I need to stir fry veggies more often AND limit nut intake?
7:45am coffee coconut oil eggs sweet potato avocado 
8:30am banana 
11am sausage, ground pork, sweet potato, kale, green beans, peppers, 1/4 avocado, carrots
4pm Vegan GF raw sundried tomato wrap from Cruda Cafe
Napped for 3.5 hours, sore throat, feeling tired and bleh
9 stir fried pork, carrots, beets, beans, peppers, tomato, mushrooms
 
Sorry if that's a little overwhelming haha I've been documented food/mood/sleep every day of the program. Before these few days I wasn't having any dates. And I think cauliflower makes me gassy, or too much raw veggies? I was stir frying nearly everything for the first 2 weeks and wasn't having digestive issues. 
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Thank you thank you Carlaccini!! It's amazing what food can do, isn't it? Two years ago I was seeing 4 different specialist doctors for Bipolar, Anxiety, Endometriosis, and IBS that I was on 7 different medications for. I was on antibiotics at least 3 times a year since I was 13 for all kinds of immune issues (like shingles at age 19). Every doctors solution was more medications and everything was getting worse and worse....

 

SO I started playing around with my diet and saw, like you, a remarkable change. Unlike anything medication had every done for me. Food is SO POWERFUL. I haven't been on antibiotics in two years now since modifying my diet, and I'm now off all medication and my moods have been stable (as in no depression or hypomania) for over a year.

 

Sugar has still always been hard for me though, and recently my hormones have been out of whack since going off birth control. I didn't realize all the foods than impact hormones, like fruit and nuts apparently. I only ever considered things like soy affecting hormones before reading Whole30 book. Whole30 is the first thing that's helped get my sugar intake under control, but you're right I think the dates and almond butter are still too much. I kind of suspected that but I didn't want it to be true because I LOVE them hahah...sigh.  

 

That's a good point about playing around with carb intake too, I think I need to be eating more than I have the last few days or eating a different fat/carb/protein ratio. Thank you for sharing!

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Okay - wow - ummm yeah - you're not eating enough.  And then you are using fruit (and coffee) as a crutch to prop you up later.  So all of this combined will throw hormones waaaaaay off (goodness I know this from experience) and honestly make you feel crappy. Some of the symptoms you are describing sound like sugar crashes to me.

 

Some overall thoughts of areas to improve:

 

1) Eat within an hour of waking. This helps hormones.

2) Eat before consuming any coffee as coffee is an appetite suppressant.

3) When eggs are your sole protein it should be the amount of whole eggs you can hold in one hand.  For most women that is 3 to 4 eggs.  Or feel free to mix proteins up like eggs and sausage.

4) Make sure all of you meals contain Palm sized protein (this is the measurement of your palm - length, height and width of your palm), 1 - 3 cups of veggies, and 1 - 2 thumbsized portions of fat. Fruit is optional.  I see far to many meals missing this.  And this will help adjust your hormones and make you feel So. Much. Better.

5) Unfortunately wraps (as in pseudo wraps made with coconut flour or such) are completely off limits during your whole 30.  If it is a lettuce wrap with compliant ingredients with no soy or any other off plan ingredients then carry on.

6) Limiting nuts is always a good idea.  They should be no more than one closed handful of nuts every other day - think sprinkling them on a salad, etc.

7) Make sure your meals are large enough so they keep you satisfied for 4 to 5 hours.  Avoid snacking.  Although if you are hungry enough to eat plain steamed fish with broccoli (think super bland meal) then eat.  Snacks should be made out of protein, veg and fat - or any 2 our of those 3.

8) Avoid sugar bombs like smoothies - this is way more fruit and veg that you would ever eat in one session.  Plus the fact all these foods are liquefied doesn't help with our bodies satiety signals.  So think sugar crash - hence why you felt crummy later on that day. 

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Thank you thank you Carlaccini!! It's amazing what food can do, isn't it? Two years ago I was seeing 4 different specialist doctors for Bipolar, Anxiety, Endometriosis, and IBS that I was on 7 different medications for. I was on antibiotics at least 3 times a year since I was 13 for all kinds of immune issues (like shingles at age 19). Every doctors solution was more medications and everything was getting worse and worse....

 

SO I started playing around with my diet and saw, like you, a remarkable change. Unlike anything medication had every done for me. Food is SO POWERFUL. I haven't been on antibiotics in two years now since modifying my diet, and I'm now off all medication and my moods have been stable (as in no depression or hypomania) for over a year.

 

Sugar has still always been hard for me though, and recently my hormones have been out of whack since going off birth control. I didn't realize all the foods than impact hormones, like fruit and nuts apparently. I only ever considered things like soy affecting hormones before reading Whole30 book. Whole30 is the first thing that's helped get my sugar intake under control, but you're right I think the dates and almond butter are still too much. I kind of suspected that but I didn't want it to be true because I LOVE them hahah...sigh.  

 

That's a good point about playing around with carb intake too, I think I need to be eating more than I have the last few days or eating a different fat/carb/protein ratio. Thank you for sharing!

 

Sugar is still the one thing I struggle with on and off.  I can go months without it - feel fantastic - but as soon as I indulge a little - I will be beating my sugar dragon down with a stick.  I can reign it in a lot better than I ever could before - I no longer NEED ice cream every day.  (Some people need wine - I needed ice cream).  

 

But just to give you an example on how much sugar can effect you - Let's say I indulged on holidays 2 months ago.  That means this month when my TOM comes I am going to be faced with one doozy of a migraine - usually for at least 3 days (minimum).

 

In order to avoid my extreme mood situation - I need to avoid all soy, dairy and sugar.  This is a horrible combination for me. And also Dr Kelly Brogan outlines these foods as causes of mental issues in her book : A Mind of Your Own.

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Thank you everyone for your responses here.  A lot of good advice which I will use.

 

But I want to say something about bipolar/lithium/meds - and that is DO NOT GO OFF YOUR MEDS WITHOUT THE GUIDANCE OF A DR!!!

 

I am bipolar and have struggled with it all my life.  Bipolar 2 with mixed states.  The meds may mess with inflammation and there may be a chance that you can go off them eventually but I know from experience - lots of experience - that it's only a good idea if you are working with someone who walks through it with you.  You probably don't know what mood you're in.  I don't until I crash, it takes an outside person who knows me and can tell me what my mood is.  I know that sounds weird but, seriously, I could think I'm feeling great and the world is perfect but I'm really high.  I definitely know when I'm low because I want to stay in bed all day. 

 

Sound familiar saak?

 

I hope you do get off your meds - which by the way is also one of my goals - but I won't do it without the aid of a good Dr.  Sorry to sound so stern but this is the voice of experience. 

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Thanks so much for this feedback. I really appreciate it and can definitely see the room for improvement with my diet haha, which is frustrating in a sense because part of me thought I was doing well, but nice to know there are changes I can make. I hate feeling helpless. I feel so crappy today, I just want to curl up and cry haha. DEFINITELY need to make a change. Sorry if I'm coming across all dramatic...kind of embarrassed...yay hormones? 

 

1) I'm pretty good about eating within an hour of waking up, but I will make sure coffee comes with a meal NOT before. I blend 2 tablespoons of coconut oil with my cup of coffee for added fat, and I find that keeps me from getting any coffee headaches. 

 

4) I totally get I need to be eating more, I mean I've started getting more hungry before my next meal to the point where steamed broccoli sounds great so I know I need to eat, I'm just a little frustrated/tired with meal planning I guess. I'm not eating enough protein with breakfast, but lunch and dinner I have a palm sized portion and fill a big bowl with veggies (2+ cups). I feel full after most meals, but I guess try to eat more than those guidelines if I need too? Or I just need more fat...

 

5) It was a lettuce wrap with compliant ingredients, I made triple sure haha. 

 

8) Roger that. Makes sense. 

 

Questions: 

- I love avocado and it's filling, but I'm worried about getting too much omega 6 and that negatively impacting my mood? How much avocado in a day is too much? What are other good fat sources aside from olives and coconut oil?

- Should I be increasing starch intake? More sweet potato? Is 1-2 sweet potato a day too much? I feel like the vegetables I'm eating aren't filling enough... 

 

The last two days I haven't had an fruit, fresh or dried. No smoothies, nut butter, or nuts. I'm trying to lower fructose and nut intake, hoping that helps to get my hormones in check. I now see that I don't have my sugar dragon under control as well as I thought... Sigh.... I'll look for that book your recommended.

 

I'll get there. I need too, I can't keep feeling like this. 

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Hi Sherri30. Thanks for your concern and for the advice. I know what you mean about thinking you're great and then crashing. I am doing all this with supervision from my psychiatrist and my family doctor. I see my psychiatrist every 3 weeks for a check up. I've been gradually reducing my lithium dose...very gradually, over 18 months. So that's all good and 'approved'. Prior to stopped my blood lithium level was negligible it was so low.  

 

I just think it was probably pushing it to implement a new diet so soon after withdrawing because not it's hard to differentiate between what could be a withdrawal side effect and what could be hormonal/food related. 

 

Again, thank you. Always something to remember and to be open with your doctors of any changes. 

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And because my diet was already gluten and mostly dairy free prior to Whole30 I, and doctor, didn't think it would have a huge adjustment impact. What I did not realize was how significant cutting sugar would be. I wasn't eating processed sugar before but I was having honey, maple syrup and fruits. 

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So start by adding a fist sized starchy veg a day - this could be any root vegetable you like, as well as most squashes, and plantains.

 

I tend to spread my starchy veg throughout the day - so by the end of the day it equals to about 1.5 fist sized portions.  This way my mood stays pretty consistent.

 

Try that for a few days.

 

Add more fat!!!!  Homemade mayo is delicious by itself or made into dressings / sauces.

1 avocado is probably your limit daily - so half for one meal half for another.  Personally my body fiercely rebels with avocado so it's not on the menu for me.

 

Duck fat, lard, schmaltz, ghee, compliant bacon are all good alternative fat options - try roasting veggies in fat - it's delicious. 

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Thanks Carlaccini! Going grocery shopping this afternoon so I'll look out for these things - ghee, compliant bacon, home mayo (yum!!) etc. Roasted veggies in fat sounds so good, nice alternative to the coconut oil I've been having every day.

 

I'm sure this will all make a difference to my mood and make my diet more exciting again :)

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Thanks saak for the lithium withdrawal update.  I bought the book A Mind Of Your Own, which someone in this thread mentioned and look forward to new information.  I am so paranoid about making changes because I am afraid to upset my balance but this kind of diet makes so much sense and I do feel better.

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When my blood sugar was at it's worst, I found sometimes eggs didn't cut it for breakfast, I needed some meat.

 

If you find you're eating a template breakfast and still feeling too hungry, try swapping out eggs for some steak, chicken thighs or even fish.

 

For anyone who doesn't have them:

Rules vs Recommendations

http://whole30.com/2015/01/rules-recommendations/

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Thanks praxisproject, that's a good idea. I've started increasing the number of eggs I have or having eggs plus meat and that seems to be working better for me. 

 

I tend to feel quite good after breakfast now, I'm still working on getting enough filling foods at dinner though. Experimenting with new fat sources and different starchy carbs. I've also cut down my fruit and nut intake. 

 

I'm definitely feeling better than I was a week ago!! I'll update at the end of my Whole30 in 5 days :)

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