When was your 'switch'?

[Sylwia Zygalo]

I'm on day 9 and pondering about the elusive switch in the program, and wondering when it might happen to me. I'm getting the most consistent and deepest of sleep that I have had in a long time, sleep that feels healing and is full of interesting dreams. And yet I'm waking up every morning very tired + sluggish. I have always been a morning person, that weirdo who jumps out of bed at 6am excited for another day. Where is she!? I miss her. 

 

Also, my workouts this week have been subpar. Low energy and more difficult as usual. I'm compliant, eating lots of protein, fats, vegetables and fruit. Last night I swear I also thought that I had started to gain weight, which is definitely not on my program. I'm definitely in the blah stage of the whole thing at the moment. 

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated  

[Wendi]

I'm only finishing Day 3.  I hope it gets better for you quickly!  Let me know so I won't give up!!  

[Tom Denham]

I started feeling better around day 14. Until then I was a bit sluggish and had a mildly upset stomach.

[GFChris]

I'm on day 8, and felt absolutely euphoric on day 6. That being said, I'm still waiting on being able to sleep through the night. Haven't done that in years.

[PamH]

I gained weight the first two weeks or felt like I did (no scale).  I think it was the bloating from the switch to so many cruciferous veggies and new probiotics plus eating more to avoid eating sugar. 

 

For me, it took about 3 weeks to feel significantly better.  I have been W30 for 42 of the past 45 days (still trying to put 30 consecutive days together!).  For the past week I have been hot flash free (I'm 48) and sleeping without waking/tossing.

 

It happens! 

[gingerrox]

I'm on Day 24 and still waiting for mine. The second and third weeks were just awful for me - tired, irritable, frustrated, depressed. I broke down crying over the dishes last weekend! i have seen benefits for sure (clearer skin, reduction in aches & pains, better workouts) but I felt so blah and unmotivated and bitchy at everyone that it hardly seemed worth it. It was Day 21 before I started feeling a little bit better, but I still am far from bounding with energy. 

 

There have been a number of lifestyle factors - stress at work, lack of sleep, hot sticky weather which I HATE - that probably all contributed to the week-three blues, but I am still waiting for my 'aha' moment. If nothing else, I just want a good base of comparison for when I start to reintroduce foods. 

[Revived]

Im right there with you.  These replies are at least making me feel like it's not abnormal.  I'm on day 12.  Had an energy spike on day 9 and now its back down again.  I also feel like I'm gaining or at the very least not losing but no idea if thats legitimate or if I'm just head tripping.  I really love everything about this program so goodness me, i hope it works for me!  And right after i finish, im going on a trip where i KNOW it will be impossibly to stay compliant so i cant even extend it longer if i feel like i need more time.  i'll have to come home and just start from scratch.

 

anyway, you're not alone!

[Jtandi]

for me it was very near the end. just takes more time for some of us. I ended up going longer than 30 days...

[AmyS]

I never had anything called a switch, or something that folks around here refer to as tiger blood, or anything of the sort.  That said, these things were not my goals, so I wasn't disappointed that I didn't achieve them.  But for me, energy increased gradually without there ever being a sudden upsurge.  I have not slept through the night at any time in my life that I can recall, so I don't expect Whole30 to help me do that - but I know that there are folks who report that result.  Moods go up and down depending on factors outside of food - but I have noticed that when I'm eating Whole30 I can handle work stress better than when I'm not.  At the same time, I'm happy not to have constant sugar surges and crashes.

 

In fact, what I've noticed about Whole30 (and Whole30-style eating, which I've been doing off and on for about six months now) is the way it helps me take off layers of unhealthy habits and experiences, a little bit at a time.  When I first started, I was amazed to see that my medications finally worked.  A few months later I realized they were hammering me - they had become too much.  Now I'm down from four medications to one.  When I first started, I knew almost nothing about how food and stress affect my immune system (I have an autoimmune condition).  Now, six months later, I'm finally healthy enough to start looking deep into my own immune system and look for ways of doing true healing through food and lifestyle, rather than mere symptom management with multiple pills.

 

So this Whole30, it's kind of a big deal.  It can cause stress, especially at first, when you don't really know what to eat and when, and in some cases why.  It changes your life, and that's stressful even if positive.  But the results are deep and seen over time.

 

Hang in there. 

[Shupostekud]

On Day 29 and still haven't had 'the switch' or 'tiger blood'. Feel better than I did last week, though I think it's my excitement about being finished. I still feel bloated, cranky, get insane headrushes, little energy after 12pm, though I have lost weight (this wasn't why I did the diet though!). I'll post a full review after tomorrow, though I don't think this has been for me. 

[StrongBeauty]

Day 9 here. I'm in a similar boat: feel like I'm more tired than ever upon waking...- almost reminds me of a sugar crash.. Also intense Head rushes and irritable. I'm a cyclist and my legs have felt heavier than ever - it's like I can't recover... I sure hope this switch thing happens for us all! Hang in there... We've got this!

[Melimuse]

Thanks for sharing,all. I am on day 2 and just crashing hard, after being downright zesty yesterday. Ugh! I am determined to handle it, though. I have about 9% of my bodyweight to lose, and I am hoping for that, but I am not checking or dieting, just eating what I should when I am hungry. The fact that it is so cold outside and the days are short does not help, but writing and journaling does.

[soulrich23]

Day 26... I am not sure it is Tiger Blood BUT I do feel the "switch" today. I just posted under starting the whole30 if you are curious!  I had good days and bad days (oh dear God I made a scene in public on Saturday) but today..... today is a really good day. I cannot explain exactly why but it happened.