Day 39 and Im going backwards!

[mskrissytina]

Im currently on day 39 of my first Whole30. I chose to try the whole30 to rid of migraines (I have) and sleep better (I was) and have overall more energy (I did) and of course some inches lost was important. I have been feeling pretty good up until a week ago. Now I am not sleeping well, and my energy levels are dropping. I did have pelvic surgery on day 26, and have had some bloating. I have never felt like my clothes were fitting better even to this day. I have still not weighed myself with the exception of my preop appointment and the scale said I GAINED 6 pounds (day 18). The last two days ALL of my clothes seem to fit tighter. I have checked my measurements and I have either zero change, or gone up slightly. This is extremely frustrating to me, as I have followed these guidelines exact. 

My typical meals are as follows:

 

Meal 1- 2 or 3 eggs with a serving of sweet potato and a half of an avocado on a bed of spinach. 1 cup of coffee with coconut cream.

 

Meal 2- two chicken thighs on a bed of mixed greens (kale, spinach, broccoli slaw) with a vinaigrette/olive oil and half of     avocado. Sometimes an apple with almond butter to follow. 

 

Meal 3- 6oz of ground turkey breast in homemade vegetable spaghetti sauce over zoodles with a side of steamed broccoli (with ghee). 

 

I occasionally have a lara bar or fruit after dinner, I don't have terrible cravings with the exception of right after dinner.

I am currently not working out due to having surgery. I drink water throughout the day (not nearly enough). I do not snack between meals (no desire yayyy).  

 

I am looking for suggestion or recommendations, I have not given up yet and have no desire too unless my clothes continue to stay tight. I am in NO position to gain weight. I am 5'7" and weighed 184 when I started. 

PLEASE HELP! 

[Tom Denham]

Did you have general anesthesia? It can take several months for your body to fully recover from general anesthesia. Eating Whole30-style helps, but it can't overcome such a major intervention in your body within a matter of days. 

 

The amount of food you are eating sounds a little light even for someone who is not exercising. Your body may require more nutrition to optimize healing after surgery. There is no obvious point where I would say you must eat more, but you definitely should not eat less. Your metabolism slows if you do not eat enough and that will slow things down.

 

Feeding your cravings by eating something sweet after dinner makes cravings worse. The best way to reduce cravings is to starve them. Eat more meat, fat, and veggies and stop the fruit.

 

Eating a larabar as dessert is not okay. You don't have to restart a Whole30 over it, but that is far from okay.

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

One thing that popped out to me was that maybe your body isn't processing the raw veggies as well.  You mentioned kale/spinach/broccoli slaw.  I'm assuming you consumed those raw.  I've heard some people feel that they experience bloating when they eat those heavy duty veggies raw.  I've heard the same thing about over consuming nuts.  

 

I hope you recover well from your surgery.  The stress that puts on your body is intense.  Take care of yourself. 

[ladyshanny]

Unfortunately I think you might've had surgery right around the time that a lot of people see tangible results. Stay focussed and eat to heal your body. Protein, veggies and good fats in a proper balance and to fit your healing context.

And maybe think of it less as going backwards and more as being a dynamic human being undergoing both a pretty big lifestyle/nutrition change and significant healing at the same time.

(having your measurements stay basically the same leads me to believe that your 6# "weight gain" is a number out of context of any other things going on in your body like hormones, bowel movements, hydration etc)

[evaq]

I agree with, Tom, Krista and ladys - your body is undergoing a tremendous amount of strain post surgery. It's trying to heal and slowly reach reach a happy "normal" balance. So what's happening internally is very different than what's manifesting externally. Frustrating for you, I know. But try your best to be patient...and more importantly, be kind to yourself and focus on the NSV. Hang in there!

[mskrissytina]

I can not thank you all enough for the words of encouragement! I have been in the medical field for over 17 years, you would think that I would recognize that my body needs to heal above and beyond anything. I guess I have always been on the opposite side, it has never been me that was having the surgery. Now I realize I am not super human after all!  

You all have brought something to the table and gave me exactly what I was searching for...the experience and knowledge! I will continue to eat proper way, and increase my protein, cook my vegetable (steam) and cut out those darn Larabars! And remember to give my body the time to heal!

 

Tom, I did have anesthesia. And  (to over share) my abdomen was quite swollen for some time due to the CO2 used during surgery. I had my left Fallopian tube removed due to a mass. This was unexpected and originally just thought to be a diagnostic laparoscopy. So going into the surgery I wasn't expecting to have an additional procedure done. I was bumping up my protein for healing purposes, but I have slacked off because I was feeling full and not able to finish. 

I won't give up, I am planning to continue on eating this way. I actually really enjoy it, I just have hit a small bump in the road. Again thank you all so very much!

[cayenne]

Good information here! I,too, am in healthcare over 30 years and yes, it is much harder when it is you or your family. Memory goes, emotions arise etc. Try to look at yourself as your patient, and what would you tell them? Be patient, you know anesthesia is a bit&%, eat well and lots of protien to heal, sleep etc. But most of all be good to your body as it will respond in kind.