Brewer5

@Mr. Greg ~ I am so happy to hear your great news. A couple of minor tweaks, and look where it's getting you. Nothing crazy ~ not getting frustrated and giving up ~ just staying the course with perhaps a little more mindfulness. Seriously, great work. I want to add one more thing. It's clear that you are invested in your family. I want you to know that, while they may not recognize what you are doing right now (or at least not fully) ~ they will be able to appreciate it down the road. Kids are pretty wrapped up in themselves & their own lives. And that continues as they grow older, spread their wings, and truly build a life of their own, with their own families and responsibilities. But there will be times when they just need to call Dad. When they just really need your advice about something, or they just need you to listen. You are adding years onto your life right now. Making the lifestyle changes you are making set the odds in your favor to extend that amount of time you will be there for your kids. Grandkids. Maybe even greats. I am close to 40 years old, my father is highly overweight, and has been for some time. He also has sleep apnea. He doesn't feel good. He is having attacks of anxiety & high blood pressure that land him in the ER. He is plagued with digestive problems. Always. He is still here with us, but not living life to its fullest. Not by any means. It is difficult for me to see & it is equally difficult to feel that my phone could ring any day with the news that he's dropped dead from a heart attack. So I just wanted to share those thoughts today. What you are doing right now is huge, and there are numerous benefits that are far-stretching, and some yet to be seen. Keep on rockin' your Whole 30 lifestyle, keep on posting here if it helps you ~ and if you run into any more snags ~ please tag me to be sure I see your post.

@Mr. Greg how are you feeling, sir?

Yes. If your sodium is off, your potassium could be low, as well. These can both cause muscle cramps. As can magnesium, which you already know. Electrolyte imbalances can just make you not feel right in a variety of ways, and once you get them corrected, it is SO much better. So I would start googling best foods for these & focus there. Avocados are higher in potassium than even bananas, I believe -- but I haven't looked that one up for awhile. There is an electrolyte solution you can add to water, which has no sweeteners. It's called Lyteshow. Maybe check out the reviews on Amazon & see what you think. We've used it off and on for years.

Sodium. Are you getting plenty? When your body dumps a lot of "water weight", as it will do when cutting out grains & sugar, you lose a lot of sodium along with that water. This imbalance can cause that brain fog feeling, fatigue, heart palpitations, and yes -- muscle cramps.

Thank you, Mr. Greg. I appreciate your kind words more than you know. And you haven't been chastised. You've been *encouraged* to do just a little better for your body and your goals. Because you are ready for that next step. That's all.

@Mr. Greg ~ a couple of thoughts. I am a spreadsheet person myself. I LOVE spreadsheets! BUT. Not for my nutrition. Also not a fan of tracking macros or calories like on MFP. Yep, been there, done that, years ago when I first started lifting for the first time in my life. Since my time at Whole 30 forums (4 years now), I'm pretty sure I can honestly say I haven't done that. If I did, I can tell you it was very short-lived ... because there's nothing natural about it. It adds stress & just feels wrong. I think you've learned a lot about your body in this time. I think you are feeling pretty good -- that's why you've stuck with it, instead of going off looking for the next thing to try. I think you have a good thing going here & I think you know it, too. This *feels* different from previous attempts at weight loss, doesn't it? That's because it IS different. I don't think you'll find anyone here encouraging the use of your spreadsheet. Not because spreadsheets aren't awesome! They are SO awesome. Lol. But because you need to listen to your body and adjust accordingly. That's what this is all about. So. When I said log your food, I simply meant exactly what you did above. That's great. At this point, probably no one cares how many eggs & sausage you had. BUT, if you were having issues with energy, mood, snacking, etc -- now people could look back and say, ok, Mr. Greg, just how many eggs & sausages are you eating at breakfast? (Because in that case, it may not be enough). On the issue of weighing: as you know, it is a rule to not weigh on a Whole 30. And you didn't. If you are weighing yourself weekly now ~ you are riding your own bike. We probably won't comment on that, because it's your choice. I personally will say that I NEVER encourage daily weighing. Ever. I think it's a horrible practice to get into that can really mess with someone's mind, as there are just too many variables on a daily basis. If you decide to cut out nuts & Larabars for a week, feel better overall, and want to hop on the scale just to see if the number lines up with *what you are already feeling* ~ well, no one is going to stop you. Just have your head in the right place before you do it. If the number is the same or even more -- are you going to go back to Larabars & nuts? ...I would hope not. The weather is beautiful here today. Finally. After a long, hard winter. I hope it is nice where you are, too ~ and you can spend some time out enjoying it! Keep on keeping on, man. You're doing great.

@Mr. Greg yes, that was a very detailed response -- but I'll bet it was helpful for you just to think about it & type it all out, wasn't it? Whew. You've got a lot going on. But that's ok. Many (most?) of us do. Two thoughts this morning: 1) "You did call that one!" Yes. Yes I did. And do you know how? Years of my own experiences with the effects of food and Whole 30's. Years of seeing people coming to the forums, struggling. I would be willing to bet that if you focus on that one change -- cutting out Larabars and also not relying on nuts as a stand-alone "get me through" -- replacing them with meat and/or eggs instead -- you will not only see the number on the scale begin to drop as you want it to, but you will FEEL better. You may not think that they make you feel badly now, but I believe you will take note of a noticeable improvement in energy, mood, and mental clarity. 2) Hey, it's Monday! What a great time to start logging your meals & snacks for a week. If you want real-time feedback, I know of at least one person who is willing to be here & do that for you. It can be very helpful, even without feedback from others, just to put it somewhere in writing. We can start to see our own theories emerging. "Wow, I went a long time without eating and then I wanted to eat the whole house by the time I got home" etc etc. Best wishes!

First of all, congratulations! 58 pounds in 3 months is a HUGE accomplishment -- as is sticking to Whole 30 eating for that amount of time. Seriously. You have made so much progress ~ don't lose sight of the non-scale victories you've gained. That is awesome. It would be helpful if you list what your typical days look like. That could help with suggestions you might get. The #1 thing that stands out in my mind (which may or may not apply) is that IF you have been eating nuts, nut butters, dried fruits, Larabars, trail mixes -- it may be time to think about replacing some of those items with more protein. They are not very satiating, and they are easy to overdo. Protein, on the other hand, will provide much-needed nutrients and long-lasting energy to help blast you through your days & keep this good thing going. If you are not eating those things at all, it could also be that your body is working through a period of stress or healing, and you just need to stay the course that makes you feel good, and trust the system. It could also be that you've simply reached a point of energy balance, and you may have to play around with the composition of your meals a little bit to shake things up & see what works. In any case, best wishes, and again -- CONGRATS!

moosegirl, you sound pretty stressed. I'm all for keeping it simple. Maybe don't do recipes if it takes too much time and energy? Even using mental energy still uses energy. Lots of it. This is only 30 days and does not have to be consuming all of your thoughts every day. If you have access to meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and raw nuts & seeds -- really, just throw stuff together that sounds good and eat until you are satiated. Do you have some good-quality fats like coconut oil & avocado oil? Salt & pepper, garlic & onion? You can do a lot with the basics and really, that is O.K. I don't know if you are surfing social media and comparing yourself to others or feeling the need to do all of these recipes, but if so, cut yourself a break and just make this your whole 30. There is no one perfect way to do it. You have to do what works for you.

littleg, lower numbers are common when going LCHF. How are you feeling otherwise?