Day 10 and I'm Exhausted

[LizRP]

Hello!  I am starting to worry that this isn't working for me.  I am on Day 10 and I have not cheated at all.  I am proud of that, but I still have eczema on my hands and scalp - which I was hoping would be better, and I am SO TIRED.  I'm trying not to drink coffee in the afternoons, but I keep waiting for that energy burst I read about and I am discouraged that I don't have that yet.  I just tried to go for my first jog since starting the Whole 30 and my legs feel like lead.  Does everyone get the energy-all-day-effect that comes from the plan?  I wake up tired and go to bed tired and could take a nap right now. 

 

Help!

[ShannonM816]

Many people are tired for the first week or so, sometimes a little more. It's a 30-day program, not a 10-day one, because it takes time for your body to adjust to this way of eating. Check out the timeline for some idea of what you might experience over the next few weeks.

 

However, having said that, there may be tweaks you can make to what you're eating that might help -- for instance, many people find that if they aren't eating enough starchy vegetables, they may not have much energy, and some people just flat out aren't eating enough, which can also cause you to be tired. If you post a couple of days' worth of food, water intake, sleep, and exercise, we may be able to make suggestions that will help.

[ladyshanny]

Depending on where you came from, daily diet-wise, the shift over from carb burning to fat burning can be a really difficult one and ya, it can take awhile.

 

I would highly suggest you post a few days worth of food (quantities), timing, fluids and anything else you may think is relevant, people here are very knowledgeable and might be able to suggest some tweaks to help you on your way.

 

As far as eczema and rashes, I have food-sensitivity induced nummular eczema and once I get it, it can take as much as 14 days of completely compliant eating for it to completely heal.  So even though you are doing all the right things to get rid of it, it may take longer.

[jent103]

Ditto everything the others said. By day 10 of my first Whole30, I was barely back to feeling my normal, and not anywhere near the bursts of energy people talk about. I tell people that my first two weeks were rough. Definitely post what you've been doing for some feedback (make sure and put how much sleep you're getting too), but this sounds pretty normal to me.

[Tina R]

Day 10 is the day when most people give up. Your body wants to go back to what you were doing before. Hang in there. Here is the post that might help. http://whole30.com/2014/01/do-you-really-want-to-quit/. Good Luck!

[LizRP]

Thank you for the replies.  I will log what I eat today and post for some feedback. 

[LizRP]

Hi Everyone - Thanks for the info.  Here are two days of my food log:

Day 9:

I drink water all day - several liters

Breakfast-ish - I grazed this morning

3 cups 1/2 decaf 1/2 caf coffee

2 celery stalks with fresh ground almond butter

3 eggs w/ olive oil, spinach, and mushrooms

Lunch:

1 cup decaf coffee

omelet w/ asparagus, mushrooms, onions, potatoes

1 clementine orange

Book club:

2 pieces smoked salmon and purple onions

1 cup full caf coffee

carrots

Dinner:

Handful of olives

4 oz chicken, bite of brisket

roasted acorn squash with olive oil and coconut

 

Day 10:

Water all day

Breakfast:

3 cups 1/2 caf 1/2 decaf coffee

1 banana

1 boiled egg

3 oz chicken w/ olive oil and coconut flour

cup of spaghetti squash w/ cinnamon

1/4 avacado

 

Snacked on carrots

 

Pre-run Meal:

1 oz chicken

 

Ran 3 miles

 

Post-run - this was lunch:

4 oz chicken

acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and coconut with olive oil

1 celery stalk w/ fresh almond butter

carrots

 

1 cup 1/2 caf 1/2 decaf coffee

 

Dinner:

4-5 oz chicken, 1 piece of brisket

green onion, olive oil

spaghetti squash

coconut flakes

box of raisins 

 

Okay, help!  I feel really guilty about the coffee. 

[Carlaccini]

Honestly it kind of looks like you are not eating enough.  Your meals good but are kind of on the minimal side of the template.  Unless of course you are a small individual.  I would be hungry all the time if I ate what you ate.  But that's me.

 

I have noticed eggs fill me up initially but I will get hungry early on if I just have eggs for a meal.  So you might want to mix proteins up a little.  Seasoned ground meat and eggs work wonders for keeping me full for long periods at a time.

 

Why do you feel guilty about the coffee?  Why should you?  There is no reason why you should cut out coffee.  My standard is 1 cup of coffee.  On weekends I generally have 2.  And that is my cut off point.  

 

I would say try to increase your portion size.  And other than that, hang in there.  On my very fist whole 30 I had glimpses of energy, felt better than I had in years but was basically exhausted up until day 22.  Then my energy became consistent.  So try to be patient.  It is a 30 day program for a reason.

[LizRP]

Thank you so much.  I will increase the portions and I think I just needed to hear someone say (again) that coffee is okay.  I'm hanging in there.  Thanks - I didn't realize how helpful a forum could be.  I appreciate your time!

[ladyshanny]

Just wondering if pre-Whole 30 your coffee servings were fully caffeinated?  Wondered if maybe in your Whole30 you switched to half-caff and decaf and maybe your exhaustion is partly because your body is used to relying on the stimulant of caffeine?  Just a thought.

 

I agree with Carla, you probably need to eat more. 

[Nounou61]

Hi, I am Marie-Jeanne from Belgium (Europe).  I just read through the post and your replies.  I must be eating way too little if you advise Liz to eat more?? This morning I had 2 eggs with a bit of bacon (I check with the butcher, he is still doing it in the old fashion way and the brine is only salted) and that's it....  I could not, even if I wanted to, eat a lot more....  I am a type 2 diabetic and one of the injections I took a few years back cut my appetite, my sense of smell, taste etc... by half.  I lost 20Kg!!!!  (which would be about 40 pounds).  Since then I haven't recuperated the appetite I had before.  Also, I've grown older.  I am 60 and retired and noticed that people my age tend to eat less.  I do not and can not at the moment, work out.  I am very tired, on day 7 of the Whole 30 and suffering from rheumatism.  There's actually not much that I can do at the moment.  By what I read I also guess that I am not eating enough fat.  Should probably have a few more olives daily.  Here is what I ate yesterday :

Fried ground beef (a heaped handful) with pears and cinnamon

Chicken curry with lots of veggies (I complemented the curry with cauliflower and broccoli from a previous meal)

one avocado (small) with 2 or three walnuts in the afternoon (I thought I was going to go crazy not having any CHOCOLATE or SUGAR!!!!)

one avocado (small) with egg salad (made with homemade mayo)

 

I also have sweet potato patties as an evening meal, with ground beef, lettuce and tomato - the patties are palm sized.

 

Usually lunch is meat (pork, beef) and veggies.

 

Am I doing this right?

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Marie-Jeanne

[GFChris]

Here is what I ate yesterday :

Fried ground beef (a heaped handful) with pears and cinnamon

Chicken curry with lots of veggies (I complemented the curry with cauliflower and broccoli from a previous meal)

one avocado (small) with 2 or three walnuts in the afternoon (I thought I was going to go crazy not having any CHOCOLATE or SUGAR!!!!)

one avocado (small) with egg salad (made with homemade mayo)

 

I also have sweet potato patties as an evening meal, with ground beef, lettuce and tomato - the patties are palm sized.

 

Usually lunch is meat (pork, beef) and veggies.

 

Am I doing this right?

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Marie-Jeanne

 

Everything you're eating is compliant. You want to create meals that satiate you for 4-5 hours. Best way is to follow the recommended meal template of 1-2 palms of protein, 1-3 cups of veggies and the appropriate amount of compliant fat at every meal.

 

So that would mean for your first meal, add 1-3 cups of veggies. In fact, eat veggies before you eat fruit - don't let fruit push vegetables off your plate.

 

Your afternoon snack of avocado and walnuts was all fat (nuts are a fat source on a Whole30).  The recommended snack is a mini-meal of protein, veg and fat.  The egg salad and avocado snack is better: add veggies to get to a complete snack.

 

I question whether the sweet potato patties had enough protein: again, you want at least a palm-sized amount of protein (the length, width and thickness of your palm).

 

On the fats, yes, you may need to add more at some of your meals. Keep in mind that when you saute in a fat, much of the fat stays behind in the pan, so you may need to add fat after cooking.