Please help! I'm soooooooooooooooo over this!

[EleanorB]

I'm not sure I am looking for a place to vent or for encouragement, but...

 

I'm on day 25 and I am so over this.  I went to bed early last night as I was so tired.  I decided not to cycle to work today as I thought maybe my body needs a bit of a break.  I have been 100% compliant for 25 days.  I have cooked all my own meals, done cook-up at the weekends, made sure I stuck to the template, minimised snacks etc.  My skin is clearer, my clothes looser, my energy levels consistent, cravings are reduced, and a couple of days ago I was trying to convince hubby that we can go paleo for good (he is doing W30 with me). 

 

I love the food I have been cooking and I am fairly certain that it's not food boredom (as suggested on the timeline) as I have been really good about introducing new recipes, especially this week as at the weekend I had a bit of a stomach upset and was off food, so tried to mix things up a bit.  However, this week I just haven't been feeling super.  My training hasn't gone well (tired and lacking power) and as mentioned above I have been feeling a bit wiped out (despite getting 8-9 hours sleep every night). 

 

Mentally, I have just had enough.  I've had enough of reading labels, of monitoring everything I eat, of cooking and not being able to 'just grab something'.  I'm tired of breakfast, lunch and dinner being a time consuming activity to prepare... tired of thinking of the template and whether I have enough fat on my plate.  I want to eat without caring!

 

Yesterday afternoon, I threw caution to the wind and just snacked on nuts and nut butter.  I didn't care (obviously, I cared later when I felt bloated, but that's by the by).  This morning, I had a banana before I left the house.  I know I should have had breakfast (which I ate when I got to work), or a boiled egg, but I was a mixture of slightly nauseous/bloated and hungry so wanted something.  There is a bake sale on in my office which I am managing to resist without much trouble... but really I want to rebel and eat the cake! Not because it's cake, but just because I'm bored of being good. 

 

I know it's only 5 more days, and the days are passing faster now... but still. 

[Carlaccini]

Your feeling is pretty normal around this time. So hang tight.  It too will pass.  Even a number of us long term whole 9ers still go through this very "meh" phase.  It can vary from being bored with food to sick and tired of just eating in general.

 

I might recommend to you just to have some super easy filling meals in the next few days - Well Fed's Hot Plates are good place to start. As for the nausea - sip on some bone broth, or some pureed soup.  Scrambled Eggs, sweet potatoes, and ginger or mint tea is pretty much my go to.

[mdraeger]

Hi Eleanor!

 

I'm sorry you're struggling.

 

I'm currently on day 18 of my third W30. I think the final week is, in it's own way, as hard as the first. You're *so* close to being done that your brain starts whispering "what's xx more days, just stop... " It's where I always have to give myself a little pep talk or kick in the butt. My first W30, I didn't get the Tiger Blood and my stomach was really unhappy until something like Day 27. I wanted to quit so bad! It was really just pure stubbornness that got me through the last few days.

 

My advice is to find something that takes your mind off of the work of the W30. Stop thinking about being "good." Stop thinking of the constraints of the program. Think about the compliant meals or ingredients that you love. Try and reframe your thinking from "I can't have the cake" to "I'm choosing to have the cake later, if I want it." That distinction makes a huge difference for me, personally. The cake will be there in five days. It will be there in a month. Or a year. It's not going any where.

 

And finally, you are a rock star for taking this on. This is life-changing stuff. Your brain wouldn't be fighting so hard if it wasn't. You've got this!!!

 

Michelle

[MeadowLily]

Hi Eleanor!

 

I'm sorry you're struggling.

 

I'm currently on day 18 of my third W30. I think the final week is, in it's own way, as hard as the first. You're *so* close to being done that your brain starts whispering "what's xx more days, just stop... " It's where I always have to give myself a little pep talk or kick in the butt. My first W30, I didn't get the Tiger Blood and my stomach was really unhappy until something like Day 27. I wanted to quit so bad! It was really just pure stubbornness that got me through the last few days.

 

My advice is to find something that takes your mind off of the work of the W30. Stop thinking about being "good." Stop thinking of the constraints of the program. Think about the compliant meals or ingredients that you love. Try and reframe your thinking from "I can't have the cake" to "I'm choosing to have the cake later, if I want it." That distinction makes a huge difference for me, personally. The cake will be there in five days. It will be there in a month. Or a year. It's not going any where.

 

And finally, you are a rock star for taking this on. This is life-changing stuff. Your brain wouldn't be fighting so hard if it wasn't. You've got this!!!

 

Michelle

Michelle, I agree.  Thinking of food in terms of good or bad....clean foods vs. "dirty" foods,  off and on,  can mess with our resolve and our relationship with foods.  

 

Day 25.   You're 5/6ths of the way there.  If you're stomach is still upset, maybe laying off the eggs until you feel better will help.  Shred some real ginger into a tea you like and a baked potato is great for nausea.    We give children mashed white potatoes when they're sick.  

[leahcarn]

My advice would be to batch cook and try to find a routine. Expending a lot of mental energy into breakfast, lunch and dinner, is just that - a lot of mental energy. If you have something for breakfast you can just reheat through the week, you are making it more automatic and easier to sustain long-term

[Brewer5]

I can't help but wonder where you are in your monthly cycle.

 

That effects SO much.  More food, more rest.  Ask your husband for more help & be gentle with yourself.

 

You are so close to the end.....  Sure, it would be easy to call it quits, but you wouldn't feel good about it.

 

This sounds more mood-related to me than anything.  Do whatever you KNOW improves your mood.

[EleanorB]

Thanks everyone. Interestingly, I don't feel like quitting, just fed up. I think it's partially because I'm doing all the cooking for both of us. I really want hubby to succeed so that he buys into this lifestyle and so I'm putting loads of energy into his meals as well as my own (making us both breakfast and lunches to take to work, and then dinner in the evenings). It's exhausting. We sat and talked about it last night and he's happy to cook more... But then I still spent the next 30min making his food for the next day (I'm going to be at home) as he dithered and couldn't decide what he wanted. He's really missing porridge for breakfast and I was worried he might go off plan so I made him an omelette and some sautéed veg for lunch.

I've also been batch cooking at the weekends and typically spend 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon making our meals for the week. It has saved time in the sense of just having to heat and eat on the night, but like I said, I'm still having to put together breakfast and lunch, so not sure it's that workable a solution. I'm going to review my cook-up for this weekend and see if there is anywhere I can be more efficient.

It's not time of the month for me so can't be that. It really is just mood related. Ah well, four more days to go. Maybe (hopefully) it was a final blip before my brain resigns itself and I finally get some rocking energy levels. Here's to day 26!

[ShannonM816]

I've seen people who not only batch cook, but then pack everything up into separate containers, ready to grab out of the fridge for each meal. I don't know that they do that for all 21 meals in a week, but I can see how doing it for breakfast and lunch would be helpful. A little more time to invest on the weekend, but it might help the rest of the week. And maybe you can get him involved in the weekly cookup -- he can chop veggies while you sauté them, or if you have an outdoor grill, he could grill a bunch of protein. It might not be much, but it would be a little bit you wouldn't have to do.

 

For the porridge thing -- this may sound weird, especially if you (or he) haven't wrapped your head around the Meal 1 vs Breakfast thing, but, as someone who used to live on oatmeal when the weather got even the least bit chilly (chilly for Texas, so anything below about 70 degrees ), my favorite hot breakfast when it's cold out is a creamy soup. It fills that warm oatmeal void really nicely. I usually make one based very loosely on the Golden Cauliflower Soup from The Clothes Make The Girl, but I use roasted butternut squash instead of the carrots. And I think I add more coconut milk than she does. And sometimes change other stuff, too, depending on my mood and what I have on hand. But it makes a mild, creamy soup. Sometimes I top it with a serving of sausage or some leftover beef or chicken, or sometimes I have eggs on the side.

[EleanorB]

Oooh that soup sounds delicious. I think I'll give it a go. I'm totally on board with the eat anything for breakfast and will happily have leftovers etc. However, he's less keen. Thankfully he's not sick of eggs yet so I'm planning to make a frittata or breakfast casserole to see if he'll try that.

I don't really have any more time to invest at the weekend for more cooking so will need to see how the next few days pan out. I also don't have 21 containers I have already started making more to be purposely left with leftover veg which I think will help.

Feeling much better today. Thank you for all the support. Xx