Headaches and super tired afternoons - day 29!

[e_brooklyn]

Hi All, I'm on my day 29 and have in general been really happy about my Whole30. But - the afternoons SLAY ME. I'm a 34 year old woman with no acute medical issues, and while I walk a lot and am generally active (I live in NYC) I don't do any exercise per se. I do nurse exclusively my very active, huge, hungry 5 month old son. And I am tired. Not so much in the mornings (yay, sleep training!) but the afternoons - oh my god, I am NOT getting that super burst of energy throughout the day. And invariably I'll have a nasty headache. Every dang day. And I want to eat an entire butternut squash in one setting, yet I never seem "full".

Does anyone have any advice? I do eat a lot of fats doing the day (one or two avocados a day, a fair amount of nuts - probably too many), I drink plenty of water and okay, so I don't get to sleep a TON, but still - why this afternoon demon hour?

I grew up in Scandinavia so I am used to eating that very dense, fiber-rich rye bread that has no wheat in it - I'm starting to crave that again, because it's so ...solid and heavy and it always sustained me well. Can anyone recommend anything else I can sink my teeth into?

I find it really, really hard to keep going with no snack from lunch (1 pm) to dinner (7.30 pm) especially since I am nursing.

Thanks, Eva.

[Robin Strathdee]

Eva,

It sounds like you need more carbohydrate in general. Try adding in one source at lunch. If that doesn't help, try breakfast and lunch.

[jillian]

You are nursing! I'm not a moderator - but I say if you want to eat an entire butternut squash in one setting - go ahead and eat half of a large squash (and then check in with your hunger level). 420g of butternut squash has less than 50g of carb (and some of that is fiber). Get yourself a food scale - you may be shock at how much squash adds up to 420g.

I'm doing my second round of Whole30. I struggled a lot with fluctuations in energy and mood during my first Whole30. When I was done I kept eating Whole30 compliant - but I added more squash and sweet potato and I was a new woman. Since starting my second Whole30, I have a little bit of squash or sweet potato at every meal - my energy levels are great and my mood is calm and positive. I don't have the urge to snack between meals or binge on nuts and fruit like I did during my first Whole30. I may be eating too many carbs - but I don't care because I feel amazing and I know squash and sweet potatoes are super healthy and anti-inflammatory. I think you may be underestimating the total amount of carbs in several cups of cubed butternut squash. Eat up! (And, of course, don't skimp on the fat!)