Day 24 - feeling lightheaded

[AnnaH]

Hi -

I am currently on day 24 and have been experiencing bouts of hunger and being lightheaded for the past two days. I should preface this by saying I ran my first 10k on Monday after following the Hal Higdon training program - I felt amazing during the run! Huge non-scale victory!

After the first week I haven't needed morning snacks, so it was a bit of a surprise when I couldn't manage to make it from breakfast to lunch without eating the past two days. I was borderline nauseous and have gotten lightheaded upon standing.

Here are my meals since Monday:

Monday

M1: 2 eggs, 1 cup sweet potato hash, 1/2 cup spinach, handful of mushrooms, and 1/2 of an avocado. 1 cup of coffee with 1-2 Tbsp of coconut milk

Pre Race: None (with the exception of 6am Orange Theory workouts - all training has been w/o a pre wo meal)

Post Race: Banana, Sunflower Butter, RxBar

M2: 1/4 lb of ground turkey, 1 cup of pasta sauce from the book, and 2 cups of spaghetti squash

M3: 1/4 lb of ground turkey, 1 cup of pasta sauce from the book, and 2 cups of spaghetti squash

Tuesday

M1: 2 eggs, 1 cup sweet potato hash, 1/2 cup spinach, handful of mushrooms, and 1/2 of an avocado. 1 cup of coffee with 1-2 Tbsp of coconut milk

Snack: RxBar

M2: 1/4 lb of ground turkey, 1 cup of pasta sauce from the book, and 2 cups of spaghetti squash

M3: Coconut Chicken from the book over cauliflower rice - the chicken was palm sized & the "rice" was essentially 1/2 of a head of cauliflower

Wednesday

M1: 2 eggs, 1 cup sweet potato hash, 1/2 cup spinach, handful of mushrooms, and 1/2 of an avocado. 1 cup of coffee with 1-2 Tbsp of coconut milk

Snack: RxBar

M2: Coconut Chicken from the book over cauliflower rice - the chicken was palm sized & the "rice" was essentially 1/2 of a head of cauliflower

M3: Coconut Chicken from the book over cauliflower rice - the chicken was palm sized & the "rice" was essentially 1/2 of a head of cauliflower

This is honestly the "worst" I have felt on W30 - after week one I have been loving life! I am trying to figure out if this is food related or run related. Post W30 I plan to continue to eat this way, with a few "off plan" foods sprinkled in - I also plan to run a 1/2 marathon. Any suggestions on how to avoid this going forward would be great! Thanks!

[AmyS]

Ah, well, yeah, no wonder you're lightheaded and hungry, you are not eating enough! I eat more than that and I don't really exercise much! You just did a race and you wonder why you're hungry? You need to eat a lot more!

 

Meal One: a serving of eggs is how many you can hold in your hand, for most women that's 3-4. 1/4 cup of spinach is exactly nothing, you need like a bucketful of the stuff. In fact, I'd double or triple your meal one size for the next few days. If you can't get through it, wrap it up and eat it mid morning when you get hungry again. Cancel that Rx bar and just eat, friend, just EAT!! Protein, fat, veggies, bam.

 

Meals Two and 3 : this 1/4 lb of protein business has got to go. A serving of protein is the equivalent of the length, width, and thickness of your palm, times 2 or more in your case. You need to eat twice what you're eating, at least. You also need to add more fat (you know this because you are hungry - if you are hungry, you need more fat).

 

If you are recovering from a race, eat more. If you are near your period, eat more (I am teeeeeeny and I eat six FULL meals a day for a few days before my period). In general, you just need to eat more.

 

Eat up. It will take several days to make up for the deficit you're in, so eat diligently and with enthusiasm until the effects kick in.

[AnnaH]

Dang! Here I thought I was doing well with my portions! I haven't felt hungry at all between meals during my second & third weeks and have had awesome energy and mental clarity - so I thought I was on the right path! Guess not!

The RxBars I have on hand as my emergency stash - I am proud to say that I bought the box of 28 and haven't even made it a 1/3 of the way through the box. The are delicious - but I save them for when I am in a bind.

Thanks for your help!

Question on the fat - is the coconut milk in the curry sauce sufficient for my fat? Or should I be adding extra into my meal?

[Guest Andria]

Definitely can those Rx Bars.  If you are eating them post workout or as a snack, they have left the emergency food category for you.  Keep one in your car or purse or desk drawer for absolute emergencies only: caught in traffic for hours emergency; ugh, I just dropped my lunch on the floor at work emergency. Get it? Good  

 

Also, your post workout meal is all wrong - you had major dose of fruit sugar with the Rx bar and banana there on day 1.  Where is the protein?  Post workout meal should be lean protein and some starchy veg - no fat.  You may consider adding a pre workout meal, too.

 

Yes, as Amy said, eat more! I am small and eat twice as much!

[AmyS]

Coconut milk should be sufficient fat, yes - you can add more, though, if you're feeling hungry still after upping your protein portions.

[AnnaH]

I'm getting the sense you guys are not RxBar fans! I have a small stash at my desk at work, and hadn't prepped snacks for the week since I hadn't needed them - otherwise I wouldn't have touched them. Outside of these three days they have been used in the emergency situations you mentioned.

I am usually better about post workout meals - but then again I generally have access to a fridge or my stuff won't be out too long. In this case we packed our bags before the race and they were stored in lockers where the heat was a factor. Are there any great post workout meals for this instance? I would like to pack a better post workout meal for my next run. I am new to the running thing too - so I am trying to navigate both successfully. The idea of warm canned tuna or salmon on a hot day post run makes me nauseous just thinking about it - but that's the first thing I think of with portable protein. Any suggestions?

I appreciate the help! You ladies are great!

[Physibeth]

Invest in a really high quality insulated lunch bag and a cooler ice pack. That should be more than sufficient for keeping things cool.

[Guest Andria]

Post workout meal options:  lean protein +/- starchy carb

 

cold skinless chicken + cold roasted sweet potato

 

egg whites + starchy veg of choice

 

some people eat tinned tuna - I don't like tuna enough to eat it after a workout. 

 

This may be weird, but I like (and need a little encouragement to eat post workout): white meat chicken (I use Trader Joe's canned if in a pinch; it's really good and completely compliant) mixed with some canned pumpkin, cinnamon and a small bit of banana.  All mixed together. 

[AnnaH]

Andria that sounds amazing! I like the idea of not having to worry about refrigeration - the FedEx lockers we had at the last race were small bags. I am going to have to try that after my next long run. Thanks for the idea!

[usaflags]

I finished my 30 days today. FYI, I am male and 75. For the last week I have felt weak. Today I was lightheaded and eventually I passed out completely. Fortunately there were 4 men I was talking with and they got me into a cool room, put wet cold cloths on my neck and forehead and I came to. 911 was called and they stood me up and got me into the ambulance. They talked with me and checked my vitals. All was ok but I was warned by the EMT's to get back on carbs, especially complex carbs. I was able to get home with someone else driving and my son gave me water, orange juice, and a peanut butter sandwich plus a Klondike ice cream bar. Recovered and feel fine now but no more whole30 for me. I did lose weight but probably too fast which my doctor warned me about. So I will find a diet that has carbs in it and drink lots of water and juice and hope I will continue to feel better while also losing some weight, slowly.

[GFChris]

I finished my 30 days today. FYI, I am male and 75. For the last week I have felt weak. Today I was lightheaded and eventually I passed out completely. Fortunately there were 4 men I was talking with and they got me into a cool room, put wet cold cloths on my neck and forehead and I came to. 911 was called and they stood me up and got me into the ambulance. They talked with me and checked my vitals. All was ok but I was warned by the EMT's to get back on carbs, especially complex carbs. I was able to get home with someone else driving and my son gave me water, orange juice, and a peanut butter sandwich plus a Klondike ice cream bar. Recovered and feel fine now but no more whole30 for me. I did lose weight but probably too fast which my doctor warned me about. So I will find a diet that has carbs in it and drink lots of water and juice and hope I will continue to feel better while also losing some weight, slowly.

I'm sorry this happened to you, and glad you're ok.

Whole30 has carbs from fruits and vegetables. You can get complex carbs from starchy vegetables like potatoes, winter squash, beets, plantains, carrots, jicama, rutabaga and parsnips.

If you decide to try again, be sure you eat to satiety, 3 times a day, following the meal template of 1-2 palms of protein, 1-3 cups of veggies, and an appropriate fat for all your meals. You want to compose meals that satiate you for 4-5 hours.

In any case, I hope you find a way of eating that supports your health.