Day 30- Skipping Meals bc of burnout/ appetite issues

[lobsterandchamps]

Hello!

 

I am on day 30 of my whole 30. The experience thus far has been a mixed bag.  For most of the whole 30, I've gone back and forth between rocking it and absolutely hating it and all the work and restrictions. I don't personally subscribe to diets that restrict entire food groups because each group supports very important functions in your body, so it was a little bit hard for me to give up SO MANY categories of food at once and then have so much anxiety that my body will not know how to process it after. I don't think I can live the paleo lifestyle-  I just believe in balance TOO much.

 

My skin is no better if not a little more oily.  My energy is OK, but I still have slump days.  My sleep has been solid but I can't wake up in the morning, even if I give myself 9 hours instead of 8.  Nothing seems to be fitting much better and I would guess that my weight dropped based on water weight if at all.  

That all said, last night I was so exhausted and so burned out on cooking 3 meals every.single.day that I skipped dinner and ended up going nearly 22 hours without eating.  I'd rather be hungry than have to prep/cook another compliant meal. I probably should mention that I have eaten only ONE meal that I didn't prepare myself because in all honesty- eating out is impossible. I don't see how people are able to feel confident that restaurant food is compliant. And if it is--- is it even worth it?  

 

Tomorrow is my first day of freedom, and I'm terrified because at this point just adding a little cheese to a compliant meal isn't going to make this easier.  I want to just get a meal made for me and eat it without hyperanalyzing every potential new category that I've been avoiding for 30 days.  Is there anyone here who knows what I'm talking about and has advice?  Am I basically guaranteed to go offroading permanently based on my attitude?

[MeadowLily]

I'm treading lightly, but as Arnold S.  says..."I'll be back", I think you'll be back.

[Physibeth]

I'm sorry you felt disappointed with your Whole30 results. This article is the one we usually point people in your situation to: http://whole9life.com/2012/10/six-reasons-why-the-whole30-didnt-work-for-you/

 

A couple of questions for you based on what you wrote. Why did you undertake Whole30 in the first place? Did you read It Starts with Food to understand why the program cuts what it cuts? Did you look for ways to simplify meal prep so you wouldn't get burned out? Did you follow the recommended template for creating meals?

 

It's been said many times by many people on this site that our culture has lost sight of the value of preparing our own food and I agree. Yes I get burnt out on cooking and food prep from time to time. I know those times will come so I try to keep easy/quick options around all the time. I also spent the time after my Whole30 doing reintroductions so that I would know how to answer the "is it worth it?" question when I did want to let someone else prepare food for me.

 

Ultimately only you can decide if this way of eating is right for you and what you want to do in your post W30 life. 

[lobsterandchamps]

I'm sorry you felt disappointed with your Whole30 results. This article is the one we usually point people in your situation to: http://whole9life.com/2012/10/six-reasons-why-the-whole30-didnt-work-for-you/

 

A couple of questions for you based on what you wrote. Why did you undertake Whole30 in the first place? Did you read It Starts with Food to understand why the program cuts what it cuts? Did you look for ways to simplify meal prep so you wouldn't get burned out? Did you follow the recommended template for creating meals?

 

It's been said many times by many people on this site that our culture has lost site of the value of preparing our own food and I agree. Yes I get burnt out on cooking and food prep from time to time. I know those times will come so I try to keep easy/quick options around all the time. I also spent the time after my Whole30 doing reintroductions so that I would know how to answer the "is it worth it?" question when I did want to let someone else prepare food for me.

Ultimately only you can decide if this way of eating is right for you and what you want to do in your post W30 life. 

I started it because we had just bought a house, didn't have a fridge for 2 weeks and basically ended up eating out/ getting delivery every day for those 2 weeks (and the week leading up to it because our kitchen was packed up). I wanted to clean out all the junk without doing the ever-trendy juice cleanses that I REALLY don't subscribe to.  I did read It Starts With Food, but honestly didn't feel it click inside. I still felt like there are SO many arguments for whole grains, for dairy, and they've become the current food enemies just like fat was in the 80's and carbs in the 2000's.  I understand there are lots of people whose stomachs don't like dairy or grains or gluten or or or or or...... But I have never felt those types of symptoms when eating certain foods. I guess my biggest challenge has been that the Whole30 seems to have SO MANY GOALS and the rules are so strict in order to achieve them.  But I wasn't worried about how many body handled dairy until I quit eating it for 30 days.

 

Maybe I have gotten away from the joy of cooking for myself and my husband, but I work extremely hard at my career and am not a homemaker. In fact, part of my job involves taking clients out to very nice dinners so I am a foodie and really value the experience of a nice night out to dinner with husband, friends, family or even with clients.