Day 22 and Raging PMS

[itsmegandahling]

I might sound a little nuts writing this so please bear with me but I'm feeling a little like a lunatic today... 

 

I'm on Day 22, and my period will be here in 5 days. Sadly I'll be on my period when I'm supposed to weigh in and take measurements. So I can't see the sun thru the clouds at the moment. My hormones are everywhere, in 36 years I've never felt so out of control. What the hell is going on? 

 

I've had good and bad days during this journey. My goal has been weight loss and cleaning up my diet because I have psoriasis and occasional IBS. So for the first time in my life I've been sticking to something and keeping focused. The thing is, I do not feel like I'm really getting rewarded for it. 

* My clothes don't fit better, i still feel bloated

* PMS is out of control and I feel like I could snap at any moment 

* My boyfriend hasn't changed sh*t with his diet and has lost 9lbs since I started Whole30 and you can actually see the difference

* I sleep better most of the time but I've still had insomnia at times

* I miss my glass of wine

* I'm so tired of cooking - and I love to cook

* NOT a damn person has said a thing about if I look different

Ok some positives

* I don't feel physically dependent on food

* My skin feels smooth and cleared up

 

 

Am I supposed to be feeling this at day 22? Where the hell did my tiger blood go? I only had that a whole 48 hours. Will it come back? Someone give me a bagel (just kidding, I'll wait till after the 30 days for that)

 

 

Example Food - everything cooked in ghee, coconut oil or EVOO

* breakfast - meat (chicken mostly), avocado, veg

* lunch - meat, cauliflower fried rice

*dinner - meat, veg, avocado

*snack - nuts, fruit- about 3x per week - I've been getting hungry at work

Example Exercise

* T25 4x per week

 

 

Is anyone else feeling this way?

 

 

[Carlaccini]

Hello fellow PMS lunatic

 

(Sigh) hormones - aren't they wonderful?  I am a former PMS lunatic - I am a year and half post my first whole 30.  It is not unusual for hormones to go wonky during a whole 30.  Actually it's kind of completely normal if they do - especially if you are coming from a SAD diet.

 

And also the frustrating part of things is sometimes we need a lot more than 30 days to reset everything.  We are each an individual. I don't want to scare you but it took me over 9 months for my hormones to kind of work through things and calm down.  (I was not whole 30 for 9months but about 80/20 Paleo between 3 whole 30's)

 

As an aside - it might help on the bloating front if you lay low on the nuts - they cause bloating/discomfort for many.  Wine has not stopped production anywhere and will still be there 8 days from now.

 

As for people not noticing any changes - that's just people.  Most people are more worried about their hang-ups than what's going on with someone else.  I dropped 35 lbs in 7 months and a lot co-workers noticed.  My direct co-worker did not notice - at all.  She only noticed when another co-worker asked her what she thought on my weight loss.  And she admitted that she hadn't even noticed. 

[itsmegandahling]

Thanks Carla! I go back and forth on whether I want to keep this up after the 30 days. I definitely think I am eating better, I just wish I had something really obvious to prove it. My dad is doing it with me and says I just need to wait until the last day before I make any decisions, so I'm trying to do that. Stupid hormones are getting in my way. 

 

I cut back on the nuts last week but I think because of the PMS I've been hungrier and snackier than normal so I've been grabbing at them this week. I quit eggs this week because of the bloating, AIP related issues. I guess I'll lay off the nuts the rest of the time and see if that helps. It's really hard to quit them when they are the only treat to me. 

 

That wine comment was funny, I've got 3 bottles lined up at home waiting for next Saturday I won't drink them all that day, I don't think... 

 

Congrats on your 35lb drop! That's fantastic! 

[Karen]

Eat more carbs!! Your body needs a lot more right before your period!! Seriously!

[itsmegandahling]

Oh yeah, I've been eating sweet potato but didn't have any yesterday. I'll make sure to get some today! Thanks Karen! 

 

Carla - Did you stop getting PMS after a few months on whole30? How long did it take? 

[Carlaccini]

I second the starchy carb.  Eat them with every meal if you need too.  It keeps hormones happy - seriously.

 

Okay my PMS symptoms were pretty drastic prior to whole 30:

 

Moodiness/overall grumpiness would set in about 10 days prior to my period (I felt terrible for my BF)

5 days prior to my period I would get a 3-4 day migraine (usually out of comission for 2 days at least)

Then the usual severe cramping, bloating. 

Heavy long periods.

 

So basically I was feeling crappy for 10+ days out of every month. 

 

My first period after my first whole 30 (I did a whole 45) - was like a dream.  I was moody for maybe a day prior, cramping was next to nothing, and I had a migraine that lasted for mere hours.  Since then there have been ups and downs - usually depending on how much sugar made it into my system during the month prior.  But it's been a roller coaster.  Moodiness has been pretty consistent though.

(The connection of sugar and PMS was made last March but it took me months to actually accept it as fact)

 

As an aside.  As much as I want to continue to lose more weight, I can't go too low carb otherwise my hormones go wonky again it causes my hair fall out, on top of everything else.  So even a small amount at every meal has helped level things quite a bit.

 

Please note that the above is my story and I have tweaked things to work for me.  It has taken a long time to figure things out and get myself to a happier place hormonally.  Something else can totally work for you.  The whole 30 is just a template in order to help us start figuring things out.

 

Are there days I feel puffy and bloated (yep - this week has been terrible one for it) but I promise to give myself time and patience and I will get through it.  I am A LOT healthier than I used to be (see above) and my skin, eyes, nails, and mood all reflect it.

 

Keep me posted on your psoraisis - my brother has it and I have been trying to convince him and my sis-in-law to try a whole 30.

[Physibeth]

You have already gotten all the great advice I had lined up to give you. But I had two comments.

 

Thanks Carla! I go back and forth on whether I want to keep this up after the 30 days. I definitely think I am eating better, I just wish I had something really obvious to prove it. My dad is doing it with me and says I just need to wait until the last day before I make any decisions, so I'm trying to do that. Stupid hormones are getting in my way. 

 

Smart dad! It's a 30 day program for a reason. If you are on your period at the end of your 30 days you may consider extending a little bit just to finish on a higher note. 

 

 

I cut back on the nuts last week but I think because of the PMS I've been hungrier and snackier than normal so I've been grabbing at them this week. I quit eggs this week because of the bloating, AIP related issues. I guess I'll lay off the nuts the rest of the time and see if that helps. It's really hard to quit them when they are the only treat to me. 

 

If you are seeing nuts as a treat than that is another reason to lay off of them as we are trying to move away from food as treats on a Whole30. You may crave them more at this time though because the magnesium helps with the hormones. Dark leafy greens are a better source though and you can look into a supplement like natural calm or magnesium oil.

[itsmegandahling]

You ladies are all fabulous! Thank you for your understanding and suggestions and empathy.