Day 5 - Cold/Carb Flu/Exhausted and Shaky

[alexasaurusrex]

It's my fifth day on Whole 30 and since the first day I've spent every afternoon in a massive funk. I feel shaky and like I'm having a low sugar (I used to be type II diabetic but that went away when I started training for a half marathon - I still get low blood sugars though). I feel awful. Today I forgot to take my OTC allergy meds and what I thought was just terrible allergies I think is now a cold. I feel more exhausted and shaky than I have the last four days and I just don't know what to do...should I be eating more? Or just stick to three meals a day?

 

Any suggestions would be awesome!

[GFChris]

It would help to see what you've been eating to give you specific feedback. Can you post your food log for the past 2-3 days?

[alexasaurusrex]

Sure! 

 

Day 3:

B: Strawberries, 2 eggs, speck, spinach

L: Apple, banana, chicken and avocado (the apple was about an hour before the lunch) 

S: nuts (which after eating I realized had peanut oil on them), tsp of almond butter

D: Shredded meat, asparagus, ghee

 

Day 4:

B: Banana, 2-3 eggs, asparagus, speck

L: 2 burger patties with bacon and tomatoes

S: Plum and then an hour later an avocado and chicken (was still hungry after plum and realized the fruit won't keep me full just boosts my sugar levels)

D: Shredded meat, broccoli, grapefruit, celery

 

Day 5: so far

B: 2-3 eggs, asparagus, speck, banana

L: ground hamburger with broccoli and olives

S: munching on a plum again and writing this...

 

Thank you!

[GFChris]

Ok, in short: eat more.   

Do you have a copy of the Whole30 meal template? http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf
 

I don't know what portion sizes you've been eating, but at each meal, shoot for 1-2 palm-sizes of protein, 1-2 cups of vegetables, and compliant fats in the recommended amounts.
- Lunch on day 3 had no vegetables.

- It's hard to tell what fats you're having at each meal, other than the olives, ghee and avocado here and there.
- Snacks should be a mini meal, including a protein and fat. Avoid just fruit or just nuts.

Be sure your bacon is compliant: no sugar or other nasties.

Also, are you staying sufficiently hydrated?  Aim for drinking water in the amount of 1/2 your body weight in ounces, daily.
 

You may also want to try adding in high carb vegetables: sweet potato, carrots, acorn squash, butternut squash, jicama, turnips,onions, rutabaga, parsnips, beets, etc.

[alexasaurusrex]

I ate so much sweet potato the first two days that I thought it was too much. I think I need to bring the high carb veggies in like you mentioned. I haven't been to the gym since starting because I haven't had the energy. Each meal has definitely had more like 2 palm fulls of meat (I have small hands lol). I just upped my avocado to almost a half but maybe I should eat a whole? I think I need to get out of the mindset that fats are bad right quicker than I am. And I have not been drinking enough so that could be it. Must be a combination of dehydration and not enough food...You live and learn I guess. 

 

Thanks for your help!

[Tom Denham]

Your report suggests you need to eat more and maybe drink more and that could explain some tiredness. However, you could also be plain sick independent of what you are eating. Be gentle with yourself.

[alexasaurusrex]

Thanks Tom. I'm thinking it's a bit of both. After I read what GFChris said I went and added macadamia nuts and olives to my snack and two bottles of water and I felt a lot better. I upped my food for dinner and will do so again tomorrow to see how I feel. Thanks for your help!