Day 25 - worst work outs ever

[abigailesther]

I am on day 26 today. Two days ago I went on a bike ride and it was the lowest energy I think I might have ever felt. Yesterday I did body pump, and again, it was very low energy. Today i don't feel like working out at all.

 

Here is what I ate 2 days ago:

 

Breakfast: two eggs, ground beef, 1/4 avocado, turkish seasoning and lime

 

Lunch: 1 oz leftover salmon over salad 1/4 avocado, olives and a cup of homemade chicken soup with  veggies.

 

Snacks: two gala apples and a 1/2 tablespoon cashew butter and about 3 oz of cashew nuts

 

Dinner: Curry Chicken, sweet potato and apple slow cooker meal

 

I biked before lunch on this day.

 

Yesterday: I figured I needed more carbs at breakfast so:

 

Breakfast: two eggs, 1/2 sweet potato, nectarine

 

Exercise: Body pump class

 

Lunch: homemade chili and little avocado

 

Snack: gala apple with 1 tbsp cashew butter

 

Dinner Sweet potato fries, flank steak and salad with basalmic vinaigrette

 

This morning for breakfast I had steak and eggs with yellow pepper and decaf.

 

I would appreciate any thoughts. At this point I have had very little success and to have my workouts suffer is just adding insult to injury.

 

Thanks,

Abby

[GFChris]

Eat more, especially carb-dense vegetables. 

 

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

When egg is your protein, eat the number of eggs you can hold in one hand.

For vegetables, aim for at least 1-2 cups per meal.  Given your level of activity, you might want to consider upping it to 2-3 cups.

The amount of protein is 1-2 palm-sizes. 

The amount of fat varies depending on fat source: the meal template gives the details.

Snacks should be a mini-meal including a protein and fat.

When you have fruit, have it with or immediately after your meal, vs. for a snack.

Note the pre and post workout snacks on the meal template: consider fueling yourself with those as well.

[Renee Lee]

Holy crap, woman...EAT MORE FOOD!!

 

You're right, you need more starchy carbs overall...but you really just need to EAT

 

Are 2 eggs REALLY as many as you can hold in your hand? I doubt it. Normally it's 3-4.

Is 1oz of leftover salmon between 1-2 palms of protein? Is there enough protein in your chicken soup to make up for the extra? I doubt it.

 

Your avocado servings are HALF what's recommended by the meal template.

 

Looking at your food quantity, it is NOT a surprise if you tell me you've been cranky, tired, sluggish, irritable and just feeling like total crap.

 

PLEASE double what you've been eating.

[abigailesther]

Really? I must say, I have never been accused of eating too little! I started using MyFitnessPal and it says I go over in Fat and protein daily - whatever that means. I don't know how they calculate how much I should have but it says the goal is 64 grams of fat, 72 of protein and 265 of carbs. I am about 120 and 5 ft 4. Is there any break down like that for the Whole30 in terms of amount of fat and protein etc. I should have per day? 

[Renee Lee]

Yeah, PLEASE stop listening to MyFitnessPal. We really don't want you logging your food like that (ever, really), but especially during your Whole30. The 30 days is really more about changing just WHAT you're eating but also HOW you're eating. It's all about changing your relationship with food and we want to free you from the constraints of the disordered calorie counting and obsessive compulsive logging, etc...and just ENJOY your food for once.

 

Did you look at the meal template that Chris posted above?  There are no numbers to hit for your macros...just guidelines. 

 

at each meal:

1-2 palms of protein

fill the rest of your plate with veggies

add some fat in the recommended amounts (look at the template for guidelines)

add a fruit occasionally

[abigailesther]

I actually think the myfitnessapp might be making me eat a little less. Before this I was using mysymptom tracker which didn't give any nutritional info - just tracks foods and cross references with symptoms. When I look at that log, a normal day was:

 

Breakfast: eggs, ground beef, string beans

(Body Pump)

Lunch tuna (a whole can with homemade mayo, olives, etc over a salad) and squash soup with chicken in it

Snack: Celery and cashews

Dinner: Shrimp, cumin, ghee, guacomole (a whole avocado), sweet potato

 

When I have avocado normally, I eat at least a half of one at each sitting.

 

I printed the meal planning document and will follow it more carefully. Overall, though my guess is I am eating enough in general, just  not since I started using that app!

[amberino21]

I will echo what the other ladies have said - eat more food!!!

You're exercising, where are your pre and postWO meals? You especially need the postWO to help refuel and recover. You've got the meal template, so can see what is recommended for these meals.

Renee has already told you to get off MFP. If you are using the preset nutritional breakdown, the amounts for each macro are ridiculously off, IMO. It's also making you question your choices - that's why weighing/measuring/calorie counting isn't part of the whole 30.

[Leif_in_Alaska]

I use MyFitnessPal only as a tracker of actual food while on the Whole30 (previously I used it to track macros). On day 20 with normal energy, my meals yesterday for a "heavy" day: 90min cardio kickboxing, 40min sauna looked like this:

 

Breakfast:

4 over medium eggs with sautéed veggies and salsa

3 strips bacon

1/2 cup mixed melon

 

snack: 2 deli slices ham in a lettuce wrap with slice tomato and a large carrot

 

lunch:

1x5oz can chick mixed with spicy mustard, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 cup of zuke chips

6x black olives

 

snack: 1x small granny apple

 

dinner:

3/4 whole chicken

3 cups broc/cali steamed

large salad with olive oil/basalmic dressing

 

post workout

1/4 chicken

2 large carrots

 

1.5 liters of black coffee from 6 am to 2 pm. Additional 2.5 liters of water after 2 pm. I don't eat tree nuts.

[amberino21]

I use MyFitnessPal only as a tracker of actual food while on the Whole30 (previously I used it to track macros). On day 20 with normal energy, my meals yesterday for a "heavy" day: 90min cardio kickboxing, 40min sauna looked like this:

Breakfast:

4 over medium eggs with sautéed veggies and salsa

3 strips bacon

1/2 cup mixed melon

snack: 2 deli slices ham in a lettuce wrap with slice tomato and a large carrot

lunch:

1x5oz can chick mixed with spicy mustard, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 cup of zuke chips

6x black olives

snack: 1x small granny apple

dinner:

3/4 whole chicken

3 cups broc/cali steamed

large salad with olive oil/basalmic dressing

post workout

1/4 chicken

2 large carrots

1.5 liters of black coffee from 6 am to 2 pm. Additional 2.5 liters of water after 2 pm. I don't eat tree nuts.

How do you track food on MFP without calories/macros? Even if I "pretended" to not look, the numbers are still there, and no doubt I'd subconsciously try and reach a certain number...

Snacking is discouraged during your whole 30, but if you're actually hungry between meals, make sure your snacks are mini meals that fit the template.

[abigailesther]

Well, when I look at my day next to Alaska's, I certainly am under-eating - although, i don't do 1.5 hour workout.

 

Here is my update: I have stopped using MFP because I do feel that it plays into my distortions. Today I ate more - maybe lunch was still a little light, but I had 2 eggs, steak and 1/2 an avocado for breakfast and my workout went much better. 

 

Snack was a small piece of sweet potato crustless quiche and carrots and coffee

 

Lunch was 1/2 can of tuna over salad with dressing

 

Dinner was a large round sausage patty (hamburger size) in marinara with chili peppers, 3 meatballs and bunch of raw veggies followed by a cup of decaf. Then I had some cashews.

 

Better, right?

 

I am looking forward to being able to have rice products again because they are one of the few things I know is safe for me per my LEAP food sensitivity test which revealed I have a salycilic acid sensitivity. Reintroducing those will make it easier to back off of nuts which are not safe for me.

[Leif_in_Alaska]

How do you track food on MFP without calories/macros? Even if I "pretended" to not look, the numbers are still there, and no doubt I'd subconsciously try and reach a certain number...

Snacking is discouraged during your whole 30, but if you're actually hungry between meals, make sure your snacks are mini meals that fit the template.

Well, I don't pretend to not look. On the Whole30 protocol, it is just irrelevant data so I treat it as such. I will admit that my use of MFP is episodic because I don't like the interface, but it's mobile. My primary is the Track My Food option in Fitbit. While similar, it gives a running daily total of carbs/fat/protein in percentage at a glance - very handy if you are tracking your diet by macronutrients.

 

Abigailsther: getting enough food without feeling bloated or bogging you down is important. It is also something that you have kind of feel you way into. Although I've been paying attention to what I eat for a long time, the Whole9/30 way of eating is new to me and what I thought I knew about eating, changed with my change in diet.

 

Yep. I snack. Probably every second or third day. It's generally dependent upon the meals on the preceding few days. When I do it is close to a mini-meal like the lettuce wrap but sometimes, it's just a carrot.

[amberino21]

Well, I don't pretend to not look. On the Whole30 protocol, it is just irrelevant data so I treat it as such. I will admit that my use of MFP is episodic because I don't like the interface, but it's mobile. My primary is the Track My Food option in Fitbit. While similar, it gives a running daily total of carbs/fat/protein in percentage at a glance - very handy if you are tracking your diet by macronutrients.

Abigailsther: getting enough food without feeling bloated or bogging you down is important. It is also something that you have kind of feel you way into. Although I've been paying attention to what I eat for a long time, the Whole9/30 way of eating is new to me and what I thought I knew about eating, changed with my change in diet.

Yep. I snack. Probably every second or third day. It's generally dependent upon the meals on the preceding few days. When I do it is close to a mini-meal like the lettuce wrap but sometimes, it's just a carrot.

So, if on a particular day you saw you'd had 50% fat, 30% protein and 20% carbs by meal 2, but thought your ratio should be different, do you alter meal 3 to fit? Or do you just shrug it off and eat whatever you like to fit the template?

If you know that on certain days you need more food, could you try and increase your meals instead of snacking? Neither of your snacks fit the template - your lettuce wraps had little to no fat, and just vegies or fruit has no fat or protein!

[Leif_in_Alaska]

So, if on a particular day you saw you'd had 50% fat, 30% protein and 20% carbs by meal 2, but thought your ratio should be different, do you alter meal 3 to fit? Or do you just shrug it off and eat whatever you like to fit the template?

If you know that on certain days you need more food, could you try and increase your meals instead of snacking? Neither of your snacks fit the template - your lettuce wraps had little to no fat, and just vegies or fruit has no fat or protein!

No. I started Whole30 with an empty cup. So, it is more like I'm building an adobe structure and I see an advertisement for 2x6 wood studs. The information is there but it is not pertinent to the project at hand, therefore I continue doing what I'm doing unaffected by the additional information (i.e. eat per plan, not per some app).

 

I am pretty in-tune with my body. I eat my meals until I am sated without feeling full or bloated. If I start getting hungry early, I drink a cup of water to make sure it isn't thirst. If I'm still hungry, then I will have a snack. My work schedule is 0530-1900, 7 days a week for 2 weeks with the third week completely off. Lunch time is not defined and I occasionally do not get one. As I mentioned before, I don't eat tree nuts so I haven't found any compliant bars that look appealing. Proportion wise, the wrap has significant fat from the ham as it is of marginal quality (and not compliant for someone who would have access to real food). A template snack is too big unless I know it's going to be several hours before having a meal.  If I wasn't on the Whole30, the carrot would have had a big gob of peanut butter. As it is, I didn't have a topper and it was that or a cookie!

 

edit: sorry OP, didn't mean to jack your thread.