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On day 10 of perfect compliance, the timeline said the headaches should be over but mine are getting worse. Now, it's all day and so bad by the time I go to bed at night, I can't sleep, I'm getting only 2-3 hours of sleep when this happens (3-4 nights so far). I know it's due to hunger - and I'm reading that I shouldn't be snacking. I have a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack of nuts and fruit or veggies. I can't eat as much as you recommend. I had stomach surgery, it helped me get some of the weight off but I didn't learn good eating habits so I'm trying this. The big problem with the surgery is, you can't eat much at a sitting, but it goes right through you and you're hungry an hour later. If I have to go with the mini meals, that's just triple the prep time for me. I work, so I have to bring lunch and snacks to work in the morning - after I cook and eat breakfast. I don't know what protein I can bring to work for between meals. I don't like hard boiled eggs and I only like shrimp with cocktail sauce. I haven't yet had time to prep a lot on Sunday to eat during the week. Yesterday was Mother's Day and I had 17 people for lunch (and managed to stay perfectly compliant while they had a Mexican fiesta!). By the time everyone left, I was entirely too tired to prep meals for the week. Please help - I don't know what to do about the hunger - I'm eating nuts because it's easy but I'm afraid it's going to inhibit my weight loss. Also, easy ideas for protein snacks would be really helpful. Thank you - Tricia

My fabulous husband is sharing the Whole 30 experience with me. (Wonderful man!). Yesterday was day 7. He cooked us a marvelous Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thigh dinner with cauliflower mash and broccoli. All was fine until we went to bed, and a few hours later he was awake with a grumbling, roiling tummy, nausea and a terrible headache. (Mike doesn’t get headaches). He was up briefly this morning for a light breakfast, but since he only got a couple of hours of sleep last night, he’s back in bed. “Carb flu”?

Hello Whole30 friends! Excited to be here! I am taking this journey with my Aunt, and we are both having uncomfortable jolts to our system (of course). We are on day 4 (understand there’s an adjustment period), and she is still having major migraines, and I still have terrible acid reflux. We’ve both had these for the past 3 days (day 1 was fine). Will these end soon? Does anyone have suggestions to help get rid of either of these things? Thank you!!

Hello everyone! Today is my Day 5 and instead of Kill All the Things, I'm a little more Tired and Headachy and No Energy. I would normally attribute this headache to "didn't have coffee yet" or "didn't sleep well" but I've had my daily cup of black coffee and I slept like a baby last night. Did the day 6 fatigue kick in early you think?

Hey everyone, So my wife and I just started the Whole30 yesterday. We essentially followed the Whole30 1st week to a T as far as groceries go. Here we are, day 2, and both my wife and I have headaches. I've had it pretty much all day. It seems like it's common, but I wasn't sure what the official word was. Or why they occur? We did everything the program asked, besides a half an avocado with our frittata yesterday morning. Meals: Mon. Breakfast - Spinach, Tomato, & Egg Frittata with fruit Lunch - Protein Salad (Chicken, grapes, nuts, celery) on bed of Spinach, ranch dressing Dinner - Spaghetti Squash, Tomato Sauce & Ground Turkey, had a bit more fruit Advice? Or commiseration? Tim

My husband and I started the Whole30 yesterday, so today is only day two. I’ve been suffering from chronic migraines since I was a young child, and I woke up this morning to an awful headache that is beginning to show migraine symptoms. Usually at this point I’d be sticking to a plain-rice-and-veggie-broth-only diet for at least the day, if not the next few days depending on symptoms. I’m hungry, but the idea of any other food is making me so nauseous that I can’t even begin to think about it. Rice/ broth are fairly flavorless and easy to eat during a migraine.. Do any of you have any suggestions on what I should try to eat/ how I could deal with this? I don’t want to have this be why I have to restart the Whole30, that seems so counterproductive to what I’m doing. I’d like to push through this. But I also can’t deal with a migraine for the next few days.

This is my first Whole30 and I am SUPER excited! I started out on this journey after a pretty indulgent summer. To be completely honest, I thought it would be a great weight loss tool. Then a friend said "If you're going to do it, read the book!" So, I did. And boy am I glad I did! I was so inspired! This journey has become about so much more. I only get this one body and its time I start being good to it! And that starts with hitting the reset button with the Whole30 and then really listening to my body, what it wants and needs, how it feels, and how what I put into it effects me. All that being said....its day two and I feel TERRIBLE! Well, not too terrible. Its really just this massive headache. I'm in good spirits though! I've wrapped my head around the fact that the headache is coming from withdrawal. But my sugar dragon can huff and puff all it wants! IT WILL NOT WIN! My name is Susan and its so nice to be here. Thanks in advance for all of your support! LET'S DO THIS!!!

Hello! Day 31 here and this morning I reintroduced peanut butter. For breakfast I had 3 HB eggs, 1/2 avo, and celery with peanut better and raisins. The raisins have no additionally added sugar. I had about 6 3 inch pieces of celery and peanut butter went in. This was about 8:30am. Come 11:15am, headache! I had headaches in the first two weeks from what I assuming was a sugar detox. I entered this program for my love of sugar and horrible eating habits. The last two weeks they have been non-existent until today. I don't know a lot about peanuts. Do you think it's the actual peanut or added sugar? Wondering if it is beneficial to try and find peanut butter with no added sugar to narrow it down. I just had lunch - reintro for that was black beans with my deconstructed hamburger. This was just about 20 minutes ago. Thanks!

Hi! This is weird, but could sweet potatoes be causing me headaches? On the 3 occasions I've had them, I have gotten headaches after eating. I have also had roast chicken on those 3 occasions, but it couldn't be that, right? All I put in the chicken was salt, pepper, and olive oil. Any help appreciated! Elizabeth

Hi All, I am currently onto day 3 of my first whole 30 (yey) I have been an aura migraine sufferer since I was younger (Aura migraines are where you experience certain sensations such as loss of sight, tingling in your arms and legs, blurred vision, a circle of light in your eyes before and during a migraine attack) I was told by doctors from a young age that the cause of my migraine were predominantly chocolate and cheese. I loved both so ate them in small quantities but found when I did binge on these I would suffer with a migraine attack. Since January I've taken on board a predominantly Paleo lifestyle, and have now embarked on a whole 30 to really restart my body. Last night I suffered a horrible migraine, I'm not sure what could have caused it if I've been off the dairy. I think maybe the sugar withdrawls could be part of it....anyone have any tips for helping to treat migraines on the whole 30? What they have found best to avoid so as not to bring on a migraine attack? I am currently experiencing a constant headache, this I know is expected on the programme but I didn't expect migraines Any help or advice would be much appreciated Thanks p.s....I am from the UK also so uk friendly tips are welcomed

What a fun topic to talk about, huh? I have been doing Whole30 for 48 days now. After day 30, I stayed mostly Whole30 but ate a few things here or there that weren't compliant. Anyway, throughout the whole 48 days, I have woken up with a slight headache every day and it never really seems to go away. Also, my poop is the worst. I only poop every 2-3 days and when I do, it's a small amount and very squishy and hard to get out. Before starting Whole30, I knew my gut was messed up. I was depressed and anxious most of the time and I felt bloated and just messed up on the inside. I'm wondering if I need to make any changes to my diet going forward to feel amazing. Or if I just need to do another strict round and stop having the occasional treat until I'm finally healed. Any tips would be appreciated! Here's a list of what I eat everyday. Oh, and I realized that I have been eating way too many potatoes so I'm going to try to cut back and replace them with veggies. If you think that's the problem, I'd love to know so I can be sure to keep cutting them out. Breakfast: Typically 3 eggs, either some pulled pork or bacon, half an avocado, sauerkraut or kale coleslaw on the side. Probably could do better about adding more veggies here. Used to add in about 2 small red potatoes but have cut those out for now. Lunch: A can of tuna with homemade mayo, pumpkin seeds, half an apple, spinach. Sometimes using plantain chips to dip with them. Other days I'll make BLT lettuce wraps with turkey lunch meat, tomato, lettuce, mayo, bacon, avocado. Sometimes with chips on the side (baked in avocado oil). Dinner: Chicken breast or pulled pork, green beans/kale coleslaw/brussel sprouts/broccoli/cauliflower, potatoes, mayo or avocado as a side. Sometimes we'll do chicken curry over a baked potato. Sometimes a soup which has potatoes/ground beef/kale. Dinner is always something different every night, so it's hard to list every meal we make, but I always try to make sure there's a meat, potato, veggie and fat. Also: taking magnesium supplements, cod liver oil supplements, a "hair and nail" health supplement from whole foods that is compliant, drinking kombucha every day. Rarely I drink coffee, but I do drink tea every day. I have done 2 rounds of Whole30 in the past and I remember feeling much better than this round. Plus in my last 2 rounds combined, I lost 15lbs (and have since gained it back), but in this past round, I only lost 3-4 lbs. I just feel like something is off and would love your thoughts! Thanks!!

I am thrilled with my Whole30 results and am excited about this new lifestyle with more energy, better mood and a healthier body. Here are my results: able to lower all medication dosages clear skin more outgoing happier/less irritable no sugar cravings everything tastes better/more flavorful kicked my Splenda "addiction" no arthritis pain never got sick (even though everyone else in my family did) lost 10 pounds (and never felt hungry after the first few days of sugar withdrawal) I like people - lol! Last night I started my reintro with a half glass of red wine. To my chagrin and disappointment, I woke up in the middle of the night with a splitting headache. I didn't have a single headache throughout the entire Whole30. Anyone else experience this? What did you do? I have a huge wine cellar - this is NOT good news...help me through this...Do I try again?

Holy moly headache. So. I started the whole30 1 week ago. I messed up and realized over the weekend that this one spice mix I used for the chicken had sulfites in it. So technically failed, and started my second whole30 today. But. Oh my god the headache. And the worse it gets, the more I want to eat ice cream. (Not an option though thank goodness or I would have fallen down that rabbit hole) I am well hydrated. I don't get it. Meal 1: 2 eggs scrambled with coconut milk, and 1 orange. Workout. No pre or post workout snack - Been running late for everything all day. Meal 2 - 1 sweet potato, 1 whole red potatoes, 1 left over roasted chicken breast and lemon. 1 avocado (I was HUNGRY) Snack - Banana Meal 3: Broccoli, butternut Squash, Roasted beef

Hey Everyone! I need some help. Today is Day 12 and I've felt horrible for the last 5 days. My head is pounding constantly, I've had 1 migraine that kept me home from work a few days ago, and my back and neck feel like they've been hit by a truck. All of this is made worse by the fact that every night this week I've woken up between 1 and 2 am and have NOT been able to fall back asleep (something that never happened pre-Whole30. I'm drinking plenty of water, salting my food, and eating according to the template with one or two palm-size portions of protein, added fat, and between 1-3 cups of veggies. Some days I've haven't had an appetite but I've still managed to eat through it. I heard that eating a sweet potato with Meal #3 could help with sleep which I been trying but, alas, no such luck. Has anyone else felt his way? Will this phase pass? Any advice or red flags you see? Thanks, all!

I drank some carbonated water Wow! The subsequent headache is unbelievable! So can anyone explain why carbonated water would do this? I had the reaction yesterday too but have only just put two and two together. (only ingredients are water and carbon dioxide - it is not mineral water)

Hi, My periods were all over the place these past six months, I start a whole thirty and boom! Six days later I'm back on the rag. (I'm just turned 40; was starting to think the issue was early menopause.) So that's good news. Then, on days ten and eleven (still during the period), I could. Not. Stop. Eating. I did not break whole30 rules, but did include a fruit & nut snack in each day. I was like a bottomless pit. I think I ate like double the template at each meal, and still felt hungry a couple hours later. And I'm exhausted, even though I am getting eight or more hours of sleep a night. (MUCH more than pre-whole30.) And both days I woke up soaking wet. Sweaty to the max. And last night (day 11) until this morning (day 12) I have a massive, pounding headache. (And, to be frank, I'm a bit farty as well.) So, I'm blabbing all this here because I am looking for reassurance. Is this to be expected, given the hormonal fluctuations of a period? Or did I do something wrong? The way my body feels right now, on the dawn of day twelve, I feel a little defeated.

Reintro-ed gluten yesterday and each time, immediately after I ate: I got a headache that lasted for about a half hour I felt out of it, almost kind of drunk or drugged, for about a half hour My tummy was fine, but today I feel foggy and my joints ache. A little (TMI) constipated, but no other gastric issues Obviously my body does not care for gluten, but it seemed so strange and so sudden, I thought I'd share and see if anyone else had these symptoms. The gluten I ate was high-quality, organic bread (M1), pasta (M2) and pizza dough (M3) with no preservatives, etc. Catherine

I completed a Whole30 a few weeks ago and until Sunday I had not reintroduced any forbidden foods, except for occasional small amounts of cane sugar, and at least one serving of non-compliant oil. On Sunday I purposely consumed wheat as my first official reintro. I didn't start the reintroduction until around dinner time, so I ate several servings of wheat at once, in the form of two pieces of bread, a small serving of pasta, and a serving of pot roast cooked in a beer-based sauce. Since that meal, I have returned to Whole30 eating. Sunday evening I noticed a headache but this did not surprise me since I often have tension headaches. However, not only has the headache continued on and off since then, but it has been accompanied by intermittent nausea ranging from mild to quite bad this morning. Interestingly, eating (Whole30 meals) seems to help with the symptoms. I have no history of migraines. Is it possible that there is a connection between the wheat and my intermittent headaches and nausea? If so, is it unsurprising that I would still be experiencing these effects almost three days out?

So I began this Whole30 journey thinking the only way I could go was up. I was a carb-addicted monster with very bad eating habits and overweight. I'll cut to the chase. Tomorrow is day 25, and I'm feeling like utter crap. The last few days I've had no energy, been headachy, feeling grouchy, and have really seen no further changes in clothes, skin, etc since the first week. I am following my whole30 TO THE LETTER. Also, I am getting full before my meal is done, but finish it anyway because I'm afraid of not getting enough protein, fat, or veggies. I drink 3-4 liters of water a day. Today's meals, since it was a very typical day: Meal 1: 3 hardboiled eggs, one whole avocado, half an apple. Meal 2: Home made grass fed beef stew. 1 large "hand" sized portion of stew beef with a cup of carrots inside, as well as mushrooms and onions, all in homemade broth. 1 whole baked sweet potato on the side with ghee on it and the other half of my breakfast apple. Meal 3: tuna and hard boiled egg salad with approved mayo. On a bed of lettuce with two cups of carrots on the side. Glass of cranberry kombucha. I have zero energy. I am headachy. My mood is terrible and down in the dumps. And, as I said, I really don't see any changes to body composition etc. I am SOOOO close to the end. I was already committed to a Whole60 because of how bad my habits were before this, but I wanted to feel better, not just as bad if not worse!!! Someone please help!

Today (and yesterday) I experienced massive headachs pretty much all day. Intake: At-least 70oz of water (I weigh somewhere around 117-118) meal1: 2 cups spinach, avocado, 1 palm chicken breast, 1/2 cup of black coffee Meal2: 1.5 palms chicken, spinach mixed with 1/2 small yam, 1/2 avocado and banana Meal3: 1 palm Chicken breast and avocado 40 min circuit workout with sprints, planks, jump rope, dead lifts, lunges etc. Meal4: 2 cups Kale, 1 palm chicken and 1 palm yam, Kambucha Other than the headache I'm feeling really strong, sleeping well, not getting hungry inbetween meals (which has been my biggest struggle Whole30)

Hi everyone, I'm on Day 17 of my second Whole30, and feeling really frustrated with my progress. On my first Whole30 I was really bad about snacking, eating tons of fruit, and a ridiculous amount of nut butter, so I have tried to be conscious not only of the rules but of the guidelines this time around. I feel like I've been doing pretty well in terms of what I'm eating, but I feel awful. I'm tired all the time, my joint pain is worse than ever, and I'm still having daily headaches (I was hoping the W30 would help with the headaches). I do have fibromyalgia, migraines, and depression, so none of this is exactly new and different, but I really saw good results by this point last time and I'm so frustrated that it somehow seems worse this time around. I have a doctor's appointment this week for the headaches, but it would be nice to get some feedback on what I could be doing differently. Here's my food log for the last few days: Sunday Pre-WO - 1 hard boiled egg + a (very small) handful of walnuts Post-WO - Shredded sweet potato and zucchini fritter (about the size of my palm) M1 - roasted brussel sprouts (2 cups) with 4 oz. chicken apple sausage and 1 egg M2 - Palm-sized chicken breast with steamed green beans (2 cups) M3 - Carne asada (a little larger than palm-sized portion) with 2 cups of salad greens (arugula, spinach, and kale), salsa, and guacamole Monday Pre-WO - 1 hard boiled egg + a (very small) handful of walnuts Post-WO - Shredded sweet potato and zucchini fritter (about the size of my palm) M1 - roasted brussel sprouts (2 cups) with 4 oz. chicken apple sausage and 1 egg M2 - leftover carne asada with salad greens, salsa, and guacamole (same portions as last night) M3 - Steamed mussels (10 or so) with roasted zucchini and mushrooms (about 1.5 cups) Tuesday Pre-WO - 1 hard boiled egg + a (very small) handful of walnuts Post-WO - Shredded sweet potato and zucchini fritter (about the size of my palm) M1 - roasted brussel sprouts (2 cups) with 4 oz. chicken apple sausage and 1 egg, 1/2 C strawberries and blueberries M2 - Paleo meatballs (equal to a little over palm-sized) with W30 approved marinara sauce and 2 C salad greens, about 1/2 C of carrots M3 - Chicken apple sausage (4 oz) with cauliflower mash (1 C) topped with a tablespoon of coconut oil Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

I am Day 12 of my first Whole 30, I am 53 years old, and I have suffered with hormonal headaches for over a year related to menopause. The headaches were cyclical and were very bad (horrible, actually - very painful with nausea and sometimes vomiting) until I found an herbal supplement that helped. I would still get headaches, but the intensity was much reduced. Since going on the Whole 30 program, my headaches have increased in frequency (but not intensity, thank God), and increased hot flashes too. The worse thing about these headaches is I cannot sleep them off. If I lay down, the headache gets worse, Since they tend to strike in the wee hours of the morning (between 3:00 and 4:00am), and I HAVE to get up to stop it from getting worse, my sleep is suffering, to say the least. Has anyone else experienced intensification of menopausal symptoms? I know that going off the program at this point probably won't help, and trying to find some hormonal balance is one of the reasons I wanted to try Whole30, but if someone offered me a Twinkie right now and told me it would get rid of the headaches, I would eat a whole box!

So I had committed to doing at least a Whole45, and now it looks like its going to be even longer GC I struggled to feel full, have energy and genrally just feel better fornthenfirst 3+ weeks.. After finally sitting down and evaluating my food journal I came to the hard realization that I just hadn't been eating enough. Perhaps my caloric intake would have been more than enough but my volume was lacking... I love to cook and made lots of fun, tasty meals. Unfortunately like fine dining restaurants, they were small... Anywhoo after the initial sadnesswore off (30 days down the drain!) then frustration crept for needing to start all over, I began to wonder if I was the only one? Anyone else struggle withy the meal template? Its a really large amount of food if you are used to eating more regularly through the day. Also the prep and grocery shopping for 2 people in one household doing this plan takes some adjusting... It's sort of shocking to go through 4-5 dozen eggs in a week! I am a fairly intelligent woman and I grossly underestimated the reality of the meal template..

Hi, I need some urgent help. I am on my day 13 of whole30 and I am still getting headaches and finding it very hard to concentrate on work. Since, I am doing a phd I can't afford to not be able to think and it's seriously hurting my effectiveness at work. I also feel tiredness around my eyes and sometimes, feel like I am sleepy. My rest of the body feels better most of the times but my brain NOT ! Sometimes, even when I have eaten a lot and I can feel that I am fully satisfied with my body completely energetic, I feel like my brain is not getting the food it needs !! Any help is highly appreciated ! - Amit

Ok, so I am on day 35 of a committed Whole45 but now realized I will have to either start over or go on for at least another month or two. I have been 99% compliant (there have been a couple breakfasts out at restaurants that I ordered smartly but you just never know) PLUS two incidences of technically compliant, but discouraged, potato chips. One of them was last night and my breaking point for sure. I know it took me a few weeks to really grasp the meal template and timing guidelines. I thought I was eating enough, but I am sure now that I wasn't. Plus I wasn't eating enough starchy vegetables in the beginning, and too many nuts and fruits for sure. I had a couple weeks of kinda blah but nothing horrible. I wasn't working out, but looking back I wish I had bc what was to come was so much worse. I went into week 2 1/2-3 trying to reduce nuts and increase sweet potatoes and less sugary fruit. It was ok but I have suffered from almost constant headaches for the past 2+ weeks. Also, I am have become more constipated after being unusually regular the first couple weeks (which was a welcome improvement!) Adding in the starchy veg has helped with sleep, but I have also given myself permission to eat closer to bedtime so I am going to bed full and not hungry. I still get up to pee at least once per night. This pattern continued until last night when I was getting another headache mid-afternoon. The only cause I can realistically determine for these headache, fatigue, and sleep disruptions is that I am just no eating enough. Im simply hungry. This is frustrating beyond belief bc I am eating so much! My day yesterday was: 1 HB egg, one chicken sausage and 2 T of avocado pre-wo BIG green salad, HB egg, another sausage, more avocado and 1/2 cup diced roasted sweet potato post workout 2 cups coffee with cinnamon few chunks of cantaloupe,1/2 cup of blueberries and 3 raw broccoli florets about an hour later with a big green iced tea and green powder 1.5 cups broccoli/carrot slaw with 3 T homemade mayo, 1 T capers, and 1/2 cup canned salmon for lunch Lara bar at Costco bc I was starving an hour later while shopping had a hot green tea and tons of water after to try and stave off hunger broke down in car later and had another Lara bar (from the box I bought at Costco) AND an turkey cranberry Epic bar.. I couldn't believe I was STILL so hungry. Went grocery shopping with husband and began CRAVING potato chips. Bought a rotisserie chicken and a bag of Terra original chips and literally started eating both in the store.. it was a scene for sure. Between my husband and I we finished the bag on the way home. Had more chicken for dinner and an Asian pear (craving sweet and crunchy!) My husband had salad but nothing about it appealed to me. After that sugar bomb I was craving more. ATE ANOTHER LARA BAR and about 1/2 cup sprouted pumpkin seeds and unsweetened coconut chips. This was a frustrating night to say the least. I feel like I have reawaken my sugar dragon and have to start all over. I feel like it all stemmed from my hunger mid afternoon, but I can't imagine I didn't eat enough! This got me googling after my "binge" and I realized I am a classic sugar burner and this is why this Whole30 has been such a struggle. I have limited my carbs too much without significantly increasing my fat/protein. My protein choices are typically lean and I add fat but obviously not enough. Does anyone have tangible lists or suggestions for how to transition to being a fat burner (which is clearly what my husband is, he has been doing this with me and has had zero issues.. drives me nuts) I think I need to stay under 100g of carbs a day, but whats the best way to do this? No fruit only starchy veg? How many and when? How much fat and protein at each meal? more than the Whole30 template? I honestly can't go 4-5 hours without eating and NOT get a headache, how do I get there??! I haven't lost a lb during my Whole30, and last nights binge is not a classic example of my eating, usually much cleaner and on template, I swear! I think I may have gained at least bloat weight or actual weight. I know I am clocking in at 2000 cals each day, even thought they are on template.