Day 22 and I feel like hell

[Alexajwestin]

I'm on day 22 and have seen some significant improvements - lost 12 lbs (nothing in last 4 days), had a normal menstrual cycle (unusual) - but overall I feel like hell.

Not going to the bathroom regularly, cranky, cranky, exhausted, and just unhappy. No coffee because I hate it black and I didn't like it with ghee or coconut milk.

Most of my meals (lunch and dinner) come from the Well Fed cookbook. Breakfast is usually a couple of hard boiled eggs and a banana (hate breakfast so this is what I am choking down).

Here's what I ate yesterday.

Breakfast

2 hard boiled eggs

Banana

Tazo Chai

Lunch

Pad Thai from Well Fed

Dinner

Eggplant strata from Well Fed

Snack around 9 pm

1/2 pear

1/2 plum

Today I plan on 2 eggs & banana, 2 cups chili, steak & cauliflower.

Any suggestions?

[Robin Strathdee]

It's hard to tell your portion sizes, but there's a good chance you are under - eating. If you're active at all, you'll also want to increase your starchy veggies. In fact, I'd recommend that as your first course of action, active now or not. Add 1 sweet potato to meal 1 or 2 for a few days and see if that helps.  

[GFChris]

Your breakfast didn't have vegetables, and I'm wondering if you're getting enough vegetables/fiber in general? Aim for at least 1-2 cups of veggies with every meal.

 

Also your breakfast didn't have any fat: do you have the meal template? Be sure to have the appropriate amounts of compliant fat at every meal.

 

Are you staying sufficiently hydrated? Drink water in the amount of at least half your body weight in ounces, daily.

 

Since you like the Well Fed recipes, why not have an entree from there for breakfast instead of what you've been eating?

 

Snacks should be a mini-meal, including a protein and fat. Have your 1-2 daily fruit servings with or immediately after your meals.

 

Oh, and no more weighing! Hide that scale until you're done.

[Tom Denham]

That you know not only how much you have lost in 22 days, but that you have not lost anything in the last 4 days, tells me that you are probably not eating enough. The same people who choose to ignore the guideline about not weighing themselves often make up their own guidelines about how much to eat and turn the Whole30 into a calorie-restricted diet. Your being cranky and exhausted is a big clue too.

 

Start following the meal template guidelines for eating: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

The guidelines include recommendations to increase from one to two palm-size portions of protein if you are hungry between meals. You may have forgotten what hungry feels like. You may need to eat 1.5 palm-size portions of protein just to be safe. And a full plateful of cooked veggies. Raw veggies are harder to digest and take up more space than cooked and you almost certainly need more veggies, not less. 

 

And as Robin mentioned, be sure to get some starchy veggies like sweet potato into the mix. Carb sources like sweet potato make many people feel much better when they eat them.

[Alexajwestin]

Thanks for the suggestions. Under eating never occurred to me. I'm definitely not trying to restrict calories. I do eat less than I used to but that is simply because I am paying attention now. Before I ate mindlessly and could finish a meal without realizing I took more than a bite. I'm cooking for the first time and I'm making myself slow down and enjoy the fruits if my labor because I hate cooking.

Yes, I've been weighing myself. While weight loss is not the reason I started this, I'm almost 300 lbs so the loss is a really nice side effect. I know I shouldn't but since I feel like shit that has been my only motivation.

I have a hard time with breakfast as I never ate it before starting this. Tomorrow I will bring leftovers for breakfast.

Water intake has always been a problem. I drink more than I used to but I'm probably only up to 48 oz a day. It's been a struggle but I will work on getting that in.

Fat has been ghee and coconut oil for cooking. I've also made mayo.

I have sweet potatoes about 3x a week but will increase that. I will also try more raw veg vs just cooked.

[missmary]

Yes, I've been weighing myself. While weight loss is not the reason I started this, I'm almost 300 lbs so the loss is a really nice side effect. I know I shouldn't but since I feel like shit that has been my only motivation.

 

Here's the thing: weighing yourself actually prevents the program from working as well as it could. It makes you second-guess hunger and satiety signals right at the time when you could be learning to really hear them and respond to them. It PREVENTS weight loss for many people. Read that again: looking at the scale all the time could STOP you from losing weight on this program. It certainly won't help. Put it away and really try to follow the meal template precisely. Eat enough food and get enough nutrition into your body so that you are not hungry and you are not exhausted. That's what makes the magic. Give yourself an opportunity to experience it.

[Carlaccini]

A good way to get some veggies in is to have in soup form.  It's like a nice warm hug in the morning.  (replaces coffee for some)  This along with your hb eggs should be good.  Left overs like you mention above is a good one too.  But since you're not used to breakfast this is a good way to ease in some veggies.

 

I will vouch for the not eating eating enough stalls weight loss.  Before whole 30 I chronically under ate.  People would always be surprised how little I ate vs how big I was (260lbs). Now I'm eating more than I ever have in my life.  And recently after getting frustrated after a weight loss stall, I was advised here that I wasn't eating enough.  I have added more food in, and I'm slowly losing again. 

[Alexajwestin]

The scale will be put away. I started this because my doc wants to give me a hysterectomy and I'd like to avoid it. Also, I have various aches and pains which another doc attributes to severe vitamin D & B deficiencies.  I figured I'd deal with that with food rather than pills and surgery. I haven't seen a difference in terms of aches and pains.

 

I have made a few good soups since I started this and have the ingredients to make more (this one is great - http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/10/24/golden-cauliflower-soup/) so will do that tonight. 

 

I think other than breakfast, the template has been followed. I don't eat nuts because I over do it and I'm not a fan of coconut or olives. So, the only fat in the meals have been what I cook with. I'm going to incorporate more veg and eliminate the fruit in the evening.

[Carlaccini]

What about avocado?  Avo's are a excellent source of fat.  I personally don't like them - so I eat olives instead, but if you don't like olives or coconut try an avo.  You could try to do a egg and avocado scramble.  I've heard it's tasty.

 

Also if you have a lot of aches and pains - tread lightly on your night shades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant) As much as I love the eggplant strata from well fed - I have noticed inflammation in my knee again after I consume it.   I'm not saying you will react the same way as I do, but it's something to consider or think about.....

 

Good luck!

[Alexajwestin]

I'm not a huge fan of avocados but always have them on hand becuase my boyfriend loves them.  I will add them in.  I will look into reducing the night shades then.  I eat alot of tomatoes and peppers becuase I make a pot of chili every week. I usually make some type of hash on the weekend with peppers and tomatoes and often eat just cucumber and tomato as a salad.

 

I haven't had a difficult time with giving up anything except the coffee. I don't cook often so I always have to follow a recipe.  I'm not real creative when it comes to meals and tend to eat the same thing over and over.

[Alexajwestin]

Today should be fun. Rushed out the door this morning and left my bag home. So, no breakfast or lunch. Now I have to figure out where I can buy something around here that I can actually eat. Not going to be fun. Lunch is no biggie as I can grab a large salad with olive oil and lemon or vinegar for dressing.  Breakfast not so easy.

[jillian]

Chipotle? Five guys burger without bun? Panera's hidden menu? a grocery store?

 

What options do you have?

 

On a different note, if your doctor has discovered that you are severely deficient in vitamins b & d, are you taking any supplements? Did your doc prescribe any pharmaceutical strength vitamins? Yes, food will do wonders - but sometimes our body could use a little extra help in the beginning stages of recovering from a lifetime of SAD eating.

[GFChris]

Chipotle? Five guys burger without bun? Panera's hidden menu? a grocery store?

 

If you do choose to go to Chipotle, here's their ingredients statement page: http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/ingredients_statement/ingredients_statement.aspx  In general, their carnitas are the way to go on the Whole30, but the cooking oils they use vary by location, so ask.

I reviewed the items on Panera's hidden menu and found that none of those options are Whole30 compliant as is. http://www.paneranutrition.com/ They contain wheat, milk, sugar, rice, sulfites, or milk. The only thing it looks like you could modify is to get the Power Steak Lettuce Wraps without the pesto. You'd still have canola oil (which is ok while dining out), and the remaining ingredients are compliant.

[Robin Strathdee]

I reviewed the items on Panera's hidden menu and found that none of those options are Whole30 compliant as is. http://www.paneranutrition.com/ They contain wheat, milk, sugar, rice, sulfites, or milk. The only thing it looks like you could modify is to get the Power Steak Lettuce Wraps without the pesto. You'd still have canola oil (which is ok while dining out), and the remaining ingredients are compliant.

 

Can I just mention how frustrating it is that wheat starch now appears in the ingredients list of items that were previously compliant. Sigh.

[jillian]

hey! yeah - when did that happen?!? Not only do you have to read all the ingredients - but you have to keep reading them?? UGH.

[Carlaccini]

Yes!! I remember being excited once upon a time because I found 100% compliant chicken stock.  The next time I went to buy that chicken stock they were out of stock.  A few weeks later I checked in again and it was back, it had new label and *new* ingriedients: pure cane sugar......I was not happy....>

[ChickenNoodle]

hey! yeah - when did that happen?!? Not only do you have to read all the ingredients - but you have to keep reading them?? UGH.

Not to derail the post but, my family is gluten intolerant. I always have to read and re-read labels! Things change on a dime.

[Alexajwestin]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I wish I had time to check in and see them the other day!  I ended up getting a couple hard boiled eggs from the roach coach on the corner. The fruit stand had asparagus so I bought that and just cleaned it in the kitchen and cooked it in the microwave. Not so appetizing but whatever.   Grabbed salad - mixed greens, tomato, cukes, black olives, peppers, and plain tuna.  Used olive oil and vinegar to dress.

 

I've taken everyone's advice and added more veg to my meals. I'm even trying new ones. Tonight I'm roasting an acorn squash.

[Alexajwestin]

On a different note, if your doctor has discovered that you are severely deficient in vitamins b & d, are you taking any supplements? Did your doc prescribe any pharmaceutical strength vitamins? Yes, food will do wonders - but sometimes our body could use a little extra help in the beginning stages of recovering from a lifetime of SAD eating.

 

She did prescribe 50,000 IU of Vitamin D 1x week for 6 months and B12 shots once a month for six months. I'll be starting that Monday. I hoped to avoid it but...