My First Whole30 - on Day 11

[TheAndreaK]

So, up until this point I've been fairly upbeat and positive about this process, even on the days that I felt bad. But today I'm dizzy, my stomach is continually a mess, I just walked up four flights of stairs and felt so darn weak when I got to the top that I wanted to cry in frustration. I get dizzy when I work out with my trainer and this is all having just a really negative impact in that regard. 

 

I know all of this is part of it but at this moment it's making me feel like it's not worth it, that I never felt this bad while eating Oreos. 

 

Anybody else just suddenly feel like every ounce of energy has been sucked out of their body?! 

 

I've been Googling my symptoms and it can all be anything from low blood sugar to low blood pressure. My blood pressure has always been commented on as being in the low normal range but never that there is an issue. But I do sometimes get dizzy if I stand up too fast, after a year of working out with a personal trainer and hiking basically two times every weekend since August, I still get winded going up inclines, and I get dizzy if I exert too much energy in cardio type functions. 

 

Am I just having issues that are not related to food and the food changes are just exacerbating them? 

 

Obviously I'm frustrated and looking for any answer that makes sense OR to at least hear that this is normal and that is DOES get better. 

 

Thank you for listening to my whiny self. 

[Emma]

I'm only on Day 3 for my current Whole30 so I'm feeling chipper and optimistic that I'm getting back on track.  That being said, I remember some of my past Whole30's and they had some tough moments.

 

Have you seen this?  http://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/

I love looking at the timeline!!!

 

How much are you eating?  I know that I'm always surprised by how FULL the plates of food are on Whole30, but of course, they're filled with real foods and not the extra calorie stealers like breads and pastas.  If your energy is low, I'd look at photos of other people's meals to see how hearty they are, check out the Whole30 template, and add more carbs in the mornings like sweet potatoes.  Of course, maybe you're already doing all that!!!!  

 

The next thing I'd consider is overall health.  Could you be getting your period (my cycle changed completely on Whole30) or a cold or the stomach bug?

 

And then I'd say just stick with it while paying more attention to the quality of foods you're taking in.  My body was so messed up, it took a long time before I saw the big improvements.  

 

Have you been posting a meal log?  The daily reflection helps me a lot and keeps me on track, but it also gives me a chance to connect moods and energy swings to the foods I've eaten that day.  Missing breakfast definitely brings me down later in the day (as much as I hate to admit that because I really don't like eating in the morning).

 

Hope today goes better for you!!!

[TheAndreaK]

I have seen the timeline and it was funny to see that Day 10 - 11 are the days where the most people quit! So, I am definitely on track. haha!

 

I haven't been posting a meal log but I have been posting photos of most of my meals on Instagram  to sorta keep myself motivated that way. 

 

I feel like I'm eating enough. I get full. And then I don't really get hunger pangs until it's time for the next meal. So, I think there's something else. My stomach issues, though, HAVE to be related to this process. I don't go one day and then the next day I'll go a bit and then I don't go the day after that and then one day I went ALL DAY! Before I started I was a basically a once a day on schedule type. 

 

I am likely PMS right now. And I do have low but still in the normal range blood pressure and I've dealt with dizzy spells my entire life. I'm just not used to being dizzy ALL DAY. And since this is the only major change I've made in the past 11 days I can't help but feel that it has something to do with my food. I just don't know what. 

 

And being weaker in the gym or climbing the stairs is concerning me, too. So, yeah, today is a frustrating day. But the first one I've had, really. Mostly I've been so upbeat and excited about the process but I guess today the dizzy and weak is just getting to me. Makes me feel like I'm doing something bad to myself. 

[TheAndreaK]

If it helps, typical day of food this week. I cook on Sundays then basically eat the same thing each day as my schedule does not allow for lots of cooking during the week with the commute and going to the gym:

 

Breakfast (6am): two eggs scrambled, two slices of prosciutto, some strawberries or raspberries

Snack (10 - 10:30am): raw cashews or 4 - 5 strawberries

Lunch (11:45ish): Large bowl of chocolate chili over half a sweet potato

Dinner (anywhere from 6 - 7 depending on day): bone in pork chop. One night with spinach salad w/avocado dressing and raspberries, one night with green beans and sauteed red peppers. One night I had a bed of spinach with a fried egg and avocado dressing. I get home from the gym around 7 and by the time I get the dogs settled and can think about food it is too late for anything large since I go to bed at 9pm for a 4:30am alarm. 

 

I just had lunch and I still feel dizzy. I don't have hunger pangs but I'm dizzy. I may just need to go see a doc, huh? Grrrrr. 

[Emma]

Oh, I hope others chime in and share their thoughts.  Your meals sound delicious, but I'd still try upping the carbs and building in more veggies instead of fruits.  Your breakfast was mainly protein and sugars from fruit.  Try an entire sweet potato with breakfast and top it off with some paleo mayo or something to get the fats in there.  And for snacks, make it a mini meal with the protein, fat, and vegetable.   Your lunch sounds really good and now you're dizzy.  I wonder why - I don't know! I do know that after a good meal that follows the template, an apple is SO amazingly sweet and perfect.  Maybe you're a person that needs more mini meals throughout the day to help your body regulate things?  Try posting your thoughts in the forum for medical issues.  There are bound to be people with similar experiences or good knowledge in this area.

[TheAndreaK]

I'll find a way to build in more veggies. I hadn't even realized that my breakfast had none! ha! That should be easy to do. Thank you for your suggestions.

 

I'm now thinking my current dizziness is just linked to allergies. I got overly excited about this process and stopped taking my meds and I've been congested, clogged ears, and sneezy. So I restarted the meds and today I do not feel dizzy at all. 

 

I was weak at the gym but I'm thinking that could be a PMS thing. I think just a bunch of different things converged yesterday and made me cranky and a bit tunnel visioned. 

 

I have found that without any unnatural sugar in my diet that I now LOVE bananas! And the stawberries are all so sweet, no sour at all. I'm liking that benefit for sure!

[Emma]

Try a cashew!  Never before have nuts or fruit been so divine!!

[TheAndreaK]

I've been eating raw cashews and they're not too bad but I don't think I've reached that divine level of cashew. But all of my fruit is just amazingly sweet! And everything I've cooked has just been delicious. Which helps, a lot.

 

The dizzy seems to be gone now that I've had enough days of allergy meds in my system. So I did jump the gun on that. I'm still weaker than I was when I'm at the gym but I suspect that is just my body adjusting to pulling from fat rather than sugar for energy. I hope to see that go away. I'm on Day 16 now and been 100% compliant every day as far as food goes. I did, however, weigh myself. With amazing results!