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Muscle Fatigue


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Hi everyone,

My wife and I have been doing the Whole30 for 7 days now. We feel great (mostly, read on) and I have noticed a huge difference in the way my clothes feel.

I am having a problem with muscle fatigue. My arms burn and feel very, very weak. Is this normal? I think maybe I am not eating enough or not eating the right things. There have been a couple of days where we have only eaten two meals because of our schedule.

Any suggestions would be great! I want to continue this healthy lifestyle.

Steve

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Hi Steve,

I'm no expert and couldn't tell you about the burning sensation you are feeling. I can tell you that two meals a day is not enough (which I'm sure you already know). I have a very busy lifestyle too and with this plan I find that planning ahead is crucial. This week I have cooked up a storm twice in preparation for the rest of the week. I live on breakfast casseroles and put separate portions in some tupperware to take with me to work. I also make bulk things like a stir-fry type meal so my other half and I have lunches already prepared to go! That way we don't have to skip out on meals and have something ready to go.

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This could be under eating. I can really only guess but from your blog, it looks like some of your meals have been on the small side or not enough fat. I've found it very helpful to be sure to do that breakfast within the recommended one hour after waking, and to make it BIG. Really kills the cravings. Preparing meals ahead helps. Not letting yourself get hungry is key to success.

I strongly suspect you have the "low carb flu". Anybody doing a W30 who wasn't already eating somewhat like this is going to wind up reducing carbs when they cut out the garbage. It helps a lot to make sure you are eating enough fat, eating good large meals, and to salt your food. When you cut out all the processed, prepared foods, you eliminate a lot of salt from your diet, and at lower carb levels you need more.

The muscle weakness is pretty common in low carb flu. Just be patient, take it easy (this isn't the week to start running) and things will get better. (caveat - some meds are affected by the big changes in blood sugar etc. If you are on many meds, you may want to check with your pharmacist and doctor) A lot of people start getting more energy after a couple of weeks.*

*Time varies by person.

A blog post here describes a lot of what typically happens when starting a W30. http://whole9life.com/2012/06/the-whole30-timeline/ You might not fit the exact timeline, but the order is usually pretty consistent.

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The feed back you've already gotten is good.

You might want to add baked sweet potatoes to the foods you eat. Carbs are not absolutely necessary, but they might give you a little more energy. I bake 6 at a time for 90 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Then I put them on a plate in the refrigerator and eat one occasionally. I typically split my sweet potato and add a handful of dried cranberries and a handful of macadamia nuts. I like mine cold, while my wife heats her's in the microwave.

I used to eat a sweet potato as part of my post-work out meals, along with a can of sardines. However, I learned that the extra carbs are not absolutely necessary and that eating protein only post-workout was okay for someone like me who wants to become leaner. My workouts nowadays are very intense, but very short, so I don't really need the sweet potatoes for energy.

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Thank you everyone for the feedback. My wife and I have been eating the same portions and she weighs HALF of what I do...I am going to try to up my intake. Hopefully it doesn't lead to stagnant weight. I am at my wits end when it comes to my weight, I have tried everything. This is the first time I have felt like this is a program I can live by. I want it to work so badly. I lead a surprisingly active lifestyle for someone my size (568 when I started the whole30, 632 at my biggest). I need this to work....

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