So am I supposed to feel the same: Day 15 blues

[DanielleBuen]

I am kind of coming out of the denial stage at this point I am doing the Whole 30 in hopes of losing weight there I said it.  My pants are not looser and I am not feeling any benefits of this incredibly taxing and difficult program.  I went from eating pizza, penn station, and dessert to eggs, spinach, and bland ground meat all in the hopes that I would be able to lose some inches and motivate myself to be healthier.  I just feel like somehow even though this is the hardest I have tried at any food program I am clearly failing.  I

[runninglawyer88]

Failing? Absolutely not. If nothing else you're learning something about your relationship with food, you're clearing out any rubbish from your diet, you're probably learning new recipes, and you're also realizing the impact that "weight" has on you and your emotional well-being. I suggest you really try to let go of this idea that this is only worth it if you lose weight--weight is such a small factor in your well-being and even your appearance (body composition is much much more important). There is much to be gained from the whole 30 that can't be measured by the scale. It's 30 days of your life, not an eternity. Plus, you're halfway in, even if you had lost a few pounds you likely wouldn't feel it if you're also bloated as your body adjusts to this way of eating. Keep at it and try to think of reasons unrelated to weight that this is a GREAT thing for you to accomplish! 

[GFChris]

What runninglawyer88 said.

Hang in there - you've just hit the halfway mark.

 

Two things I'd like to share with you:
- a tough love reminder that it's a 30 day program http://whole30.com/2014/01/whole30-tough-love/
- the Whole30 timeline http://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/

There is no reason for any of your Whole30 meals to be bland. There are countless vegetables and spices you can add to make amazingly flavorful dishes. Check out the Recipe Sharing part of the forum, Nom Nom Paleo or TheClothesMakeTheGirl websites to get inspired. 

Also, post 2-3 days worth of your food log, along with daily water intake, exercise, and hours of sleep, in the Troubleshooting section, so folks can give you advice on possible tweaks to make.

[BeautfulDisastr]

I'm on day 15 as well. Like you, I don't seem to notice a difference. I sleep a tad better, and may (might (possibly)) have a tad more energy. But that is about it. That is a tad discouraging:/

[Lhandley614]

Hi there! So happy to see this post...today is also day number 15 for me and im feeling "just ok" so far. My workouts have been seriously bad since  I have started. I just dont have the energy to push. I have maintained my normal workout schedule but they are just not productive. I am also pretty bloated and constipated. Like you, I might be sleeping a bit better. I will tough it out and continue on to finish it out but I could do without all the bloat and lack of energy! It is nice to hear that others are having some of the same issues and feelings as I am. I keep reading the timelines etc. and reminding myself that we are all different and it all happens at different times for everyone..lets keep our fingers crossed! Keep us posted
 

[jmed21]

Glad to see I'm not the only one. I'm on Day 15 and am feeling blah. I'm tired of cooking what feels like constantly, just feeling 'eh' and kind of frustrated that I haven't seen more results. I've held true to not weighing myself because I was putting too much...weight...into how that'd make me feel each day. I'm just going to try and keep my head up, read some inspiring stories and remind myself I'm halfway there. This is a challenge I WILL overcome! I'm reminding myself this is less about weight loss and more about being healthy from the inside out. Tomorrow is Tiger Blood right?! It better be!

[wendelina]

I've only done one whole30 (and just finished it a couple of weeks ago), but I'll say that it took me well over 2 weeks to get over the bloating and blues.  Probably around day 18 or so, I felt more "normal."  I never had the rush of energy that some people say they get - I felt a little cheated by that, but overall, my digestion was better, and I felt more even-keeled (no energy highs/lows during the day ... just no spectacular Tigger moments either!), so I rolled with it.

 

Also: really try to mix it up on recipes and flavors.  Of course it gets boring doing bland food! I did cook a lot (and it was tiring, don't get me wrong), but I often tried to make double-size recipes of whatever my dinner was, so that I could feed myself and my husband for lunch the next day (or two or three).  I felt like the effort of just using a bigger pan / baking dish was way less than cooking another whole meal again for lunch.

 

I cooked so many new dishes during my Whole30, I'm going to keep them in rotation no matter what I reintroduce.  My favorite site for recipes is Nom Nom Paleo (I think probably more than half my new dinner recipes came from that site!), she uses a lot of great flavors to keep basic staples interesting.

 

You can do it!  Weight is just a number, but health will serve you well for life.

[blueabz]

I am on my 2nd whole 30 and it has been a COMPLETELY different experience than my first.

 

What I will say is I didn't think I felt any different during/after the WHole 30.......until I went back to eating the way i used to. When I went back to my terrible eating habits, I felt immediately sluggish and low on energy. I didn't recognize how much better I started feeling on Whole 30 until I wasn't doing it anymore.

[LadyM]

I second that my second whole 30 is completely different from my first. A big part of that is reasonable expectations. I think we do ourselves a huge disservice when we jump into w30 expecting magic and miracles. It's a start, folks. And it's never a good idea to compare ourselves to others. Just make the commitment and enjoy the month of taking really excellent care of yourself. You're worth it. And so much of the transformation may be deeper and might take longer than you expect.