Whole 30 days of bad sleep

[daniamo]

I did the Whole 30 for the month of January. I now have fewer cravings, more stable moods and lost 5 lb. and
9.5 inches! I would recommend doing the program to anyone and I found it easier to draw the line on
certain foods than to flirt with them or try to limit my portions.

 

My past and current experience eating Paleo is that I have terrible sleep. I've played with when/how much I eat and
noticed that (pre-Whole 30) I had my best sleeps when I ate closer to bed and had something like rice or pasta and
a fatter cut of protein. All through this last month, I tried winter squash, potatoes with ghee–anything starchy–with a little fat
and protein to mimic that earlier magic ratio but I never had success. 

 

Blood work from two years ago showed that I was insulin resistant. I'm basically apple-shaped with 15 more
pounds to lose. My highest weight was 55 lb. more than I am currently. I lived on simple carbs for much of
my adult life until about five years ago but have had years of bingeing and sugar addiction since childhood.
Is it possible those years of living on pasta, toast and over-sugared coffee wrecked havoc on my metabolism?
Could it be a leptin issue?

 

At some point (please!) shouldn't my body re-set itself if I'm feeding it whole foods? I've brought this up to
my doctor but even though she's nice and has great taste in shoes she had no insights and did not want to
refer me to an endocrinologist. 

 

Any ideas would be super appreciated.

 

Thank you for your book, this site and all of the work that you do. 

 

 

 

 

[peace_positive]

After a great W90 I kept trying to figure out what I could do to have better eating/health. I finally followed Jack Kruse's Leptin Reset--what a difference it made! I remained nearly sugar-free, and still dont eat grains or legumes, along w/other foods that were making me sick. It is SO worth it.

[LadyM]

 

At some point (please!) shouldn't my body re-set itself if I'm feeding it whole foods? 

Yes. 

 

I don't know if it's specifically a leptin issue (perhaps someone else can weigh in on that) but I do know that if you subsisted on sugars for years, and struggled with sugar addiction and binge eating, then it's more than likely going to take longer than 30 days for the reset you're looking for.

 

It sounds to me like you're doing the right thing in eating plenty of starchy veg in your last meal of the day. That helps a lot of us sleep better, and yes, it has to do with hormones--cortisol and how the adrenals respond.

 

How is the rest of your sleep hygiene? Do you sleep in a completely dark room set at a relatively cool temperature? Do you stop looking at screens for a couple of hours before bed? Do you workout and drink caffeine early in the day? Have you tried a magnesium supplement?

 

If yes to all of the above, it could be that your body simply needs more time. I've been at this for nearly two years and have experienced all kinds of positive shifts throughout, but I feel like I'm just now getting to the place I had hoped to be after 30 days. Sometimes, after all the best possible troubleshooting in the world, we just need to be patient and adjust our expectations.

 

I wish you the best of luck!

[daniamo]

Peace_positive: thank you for the book referral (will get it!) and sharing your experience–it's so reassuring
to hear that you saw noticeable improvements.

 

Lady M–thank you for your response and questions. My room is mostly dark but I wear a night mask..
that usually falls off during the night. The house is probably 64 degrees –maybe too warm. I have two
cups of coffee by 8 a.m. Sometimes three cups (esshh) and I do hot yoga 4X week and often in the 
evening usually 6:30-7:30 p.m. (please don't ask me to stop because I love it too much). Bed between
10 and 10:30; alarm at 6:00 but up often at 4:00. I do take a magnesium capsule before bed. My
tv/ipad time can go as late as 9:45 on some nights. 

 

I'll give this more time and back away from the screens much earlier in the evenings.

 

Thank you***

[LadyM]

I'd recommend weaning yourself off the coffee. Gradually get yourself down to one cup and then think about whether drinking coffee is actually serving you at all.

 

Hot yoga is very stimulating. It sets the body on fire. Could you switch to a different kind of yoga, reduce the frequency of hot yoga, and/or do it in the morning? I know you don't want to hear this, but it may be your biggest sleep problem right now. (I used to be addicted to Bikram, then I learned what it was doing to my adrenals--and that that was part of the addiction!)

 

Definitely cut off screen time at 8 and you might consider increasing the magnesium dose. I take upwards of 7 pills depending on where I am in my cycle and what my body needs. Magnesium needs shift with stress, hormones, and other factors. You'll know you've taken too much when you're running to the bathroom in the morning.

[Nadia B]

Daniamo,

 

Yes to all the suggestions. I would also recommend meditation before bed. I have recently started doing it consistently and it made a huge difference. There are tons of phone apps and other sources of guided meditations. They are so easy to follow. I use the one that is called Breathe, it's free and has a great generators based on your mental/physical state. Try it! 

[daniamo]

LadyM, I had never thought about increasing my magnesium–it could be worthwhile and thanks for the (heartbreaking) points about hot yoga.

It will be my last line of defence! I'll start with the small steps first (screen time and caffeine intake).

 

Nadia B, I'll look into the guided meditation–thanks!