Still Tired

[TalMay]

I am on day 19 of the whole30.  I honestly feel like I am ready to adopt the whole9 life following my whole30.  I have been satisfied after and between every meal, my skin appears brighter and I have had little to no real cravings to speak of.  I  have yet to notice any increase in energy.  I will say that on day 8 I was extremely tired and slept over 12 hours, falling asleep on my couch right after dinner.  I have not been even close to as tired as I was during that time but notice I still struggle to get moving and out of bed in the mornings.  I accept that I may not fully experience 'tiger blood' but wonder if anyone else ever feels somewhat sluggish this far into the whole30.

Examples of typical meals are:

Breakfast: Sweet potato hash with eggs, turkey sausage and apple or 4 eggs, shrimp, kale and strawberries.  ( was worried I may not be adding enough fat and today started adding 2oz of coconut milk and a tsp. of ghee to my coffee)

Lunch:  Meatloaf with ground beef, kale, carrots and riced cauliflower; half a sweet potato, broccoli and strawberries.

Pre-workout: tuna, 1/4 avacodo

PWO-nuts and strawberries or 1/4 sweet potato (sometimes I forget to pack extra strawberries or sweet potato and just have nuts)

Dinner: ground chicken stuffed bell peppers (totaling the size of one full pepper over stuffed with meat), some type of green vegetable and sweet potato. 

This has been what my meals typically looked like this week.  A friend of mine, who is fully paleo, suggested I wasn't eating enough which may be why I am so tired.  she also suggested I add more fat which is why I added it to my coffee.  Just looking for some feedback or confirmation that I am following the plan accurately. 

 

Also, I was wondering how many sweet potatoes is too much?  I have been adding them in more because last week I didn't think I was getting enough carbs but don't want to over do it.  I tend to have 1 or 2 at the most a day.

[GFChris]

Do you have a copy of the meal template?  It gives you the recommended portion sizes.

Yes, add more fat at every meal.  When coconut milk is your fat, the serving size is 1/4 - 1/2 of a 14 oz can.  When ghee is your fat, it's 1-2 thumb sized portions.

Also, when you have fruit at a meal, don't let fruit push veggies off your plate. Have 1-3 cups of vegetables as part of your meal, along with a protein and fat. If you're still hungry, then add a fruit serving (a fruit serving is whole fruit the size of your fist).

 

The amount of sweet potatoes you're having is fine. If you're bored, for more variety, switch in other carb dense veggies, including winter squash, carrots, beets, jicama, plantains, rutabaga and parsnips.

Are you staying sufficiently hydrated? Aim for drinking 1/2 an ounce of water per pound of your current body weight, daily.

 

[TalMay]

Ok thanks.  I guess in regards to veggies like kale or spinach if they're cooked do I measure 1-3 cups before they're wilted?  That's what I have been doing.  Also been drinking half my weight in ounces of water so I think I'm alright there.  I was afraid the culprit was fat.   I'm not used to actively inviting fat into my body as my previous nutritional aims were always to stay as far away from fat as possible.  I will try adding more coconut milk in my coffee. As well as increasing ghee in my meals.  Cooking with oil, in my mind, was just as effective as consciously eating it but obviously when it's spread out throughout my weeks worth of meatloaf it's not nearly enough per setting.

[GFChris]

For me, I measure cooked greens afterward. 1 cup of raw spinach cooks down to nothing.  I would go with at least 3 cups of raw to get to ~1 cup of cooked.

Yeah, many folks new to Whole30 are afraid of fat. I realize it can be a new way of thinking after what most of us have been taught over the years: remember that Whole30 compliant-fats are healthy fats. Make them your friends.     Do you like avocado?  Olives? Use those as a side to your meatloaf for added fat.

[Tom Denham]

Your post workout meal should feature lean protein. Chicken breast is the standard. Nuts are bad because the fat slows digestion and the protein is not adequate. Fruit is not a good choice either because it feeds your liver before your muscles.