Day 16 and going downhill

[cw04]

My first two weeks on Whole30 were mostly symptom free. I had read the timeline, and was surprised, even worried, that I wasn't having these violent reactions. The only changes I noticed was some loose bms and more waking during the middle of the night. 

 

However, day 15 and 16 have been awful. I'm exhausted. I'm not sleeping. I get up 3-4 times a night. I'm cranky and unmotivated. I want to throw a tantrum. I don't want to go on. It's especially frustrating because I'm getting worse exactly when I was looking forward to getting better. 

 

Typical menu

Breakfast: Banana, 3 eggs

Lunch: 1 cup kale, 1 cup baby spinach, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 green bell pepper, 1/2 cup green onions, 2 tbsp. salsa, 3 oz. ground beef, almonds

Supper: 6oz chicken, 2 sweet potatoes, asparagus, maybe another banana or a cashew cookie larabar  

 

 

[ladyshanny]

Hey cw04, sorry you aren't feeling well!  Couple things you can try to tweak.  First, include 1-3 cups of veggies with your breakfast and an additional fat.  The banana is a sugar hit to your body first thing in the monring and not the best choice when trying to regulate bodily responses.

 

Second, your lunch looks a bit light, leafy greens such as kale and spinach compress down so much when you chew them that there is nearly nothing left.  2 cups becomes 2 tbsp (think about when you sautee it).  Try adding a cooked veggie.

 

Finally, you seem to be roudning out the day with fruit and a larabar.  Larabars are suitable on your Whole30 only for emergencies and since you were at home after dinner, it probably wasn't an emergency situation.  The larabar/banana is a pretty large sugar hit again and those blood sugar surges and valleys can contribute to your exhaustion.

 

Your lack of sleep could be down to your overall lighter intake, if your body isn't satisfied and content, it won't rest well.

 

Try adding more veggies overall and from the looks of things your fat could use a bit of a bump too.  

[cw04]

Sigh. Okay. Thanks, I'll make those adjustments and see how it goes. 

[GFChris]

Your lunch protein seems a bit light also. The recommended protein is 1-2 palm sized amounts:  that's the length, width and thickness of your palm, which likely equates to more than 3 oz of ground beef.

Also, are you drinking enough water? Aim for 1/2 an ounce of water per pound of your current body weight, daily.

[cw04]

So much water. Maybe too much water? 

[Munkers]

Experiment with how you're timing you water intake. If I have a big glass of water right before bed, then I'll be up all night having to pee. I try to limit it to about 8-10 oz right before bed--enough to take my supplements plus a few more sips.

 

Are you adding salt to your meals? Sodium is what your body uses to hold on to water and your sodium consumption naturally decreases when you switch to a whole foods diet. Without enough salt, all of the water you're drinking is going to go straight through your system. Some people also add a pinch of salt to each glass of water they drink. Not enough that you can taste it, just a little to help your body maintain sodium balance.

[cw04]

I'll have to start drinking less late in the evening. 

 

I have been adding salt, switching back and forth between table salt and sea salt. 

[MeadowLily]

cw - it's easy to get back into an evening dessert mode with Larabars.  Some toasty socks, a roaring fire and a Larabar.  Throw another log on the fire and have a piece of compliant jerky.  That'll keep your teeth busy.