Day 4 & no negative symptoms?

[WholeSue]

Hi all, I'm on my 4th day of my first Whole30 but I am definitely not following the timeline. I didn't have a major hangover and I certainly don't want to kill all the things. All things considered, I just feel good. I asked about whether this could mean I'm not doing something right on another thread and it was suggested I run it by you guys. I'm taking this all very seriously because I want the best shot at success so if you see something off, please give it to me straight

 

A little background for context:

I have a history of autoimmune illnesses (Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjogren's Syndrome), fertility issues, had 3 kids in under 4 years, with two of them almost exactly a year apart. With my second child, I developed gestational diabetes but did not have it with my other two children. My youngest is a year old. Around 3 months post partum last year I started gaining weight like crazy even though nothing in my diet or activity level changed. I wasn't eating wild amount of junk either. In one month I gained something like 20-30lbs and since then I've had steady weight gain to the point that I am now heavier than I was at the peak of my pregnancies. After seeing several doctors because all signs pointed to a thyroid problem but then told I was fine because my blood work was normal so I should just "keep doing what I'm doing" I had enough and signed up for a gym & hired a personal trainer. I started off working with her twice a week then started adding in sessions like spinning classes to increase my weekly activity. Weight hasn't come off at all.

 

Which brings me here. I have been toying with doing the Whole30 for a while and I finally buckled down and committed. Leading up to my start day (6/1), I gradually removed grains, dairy, and legumes from my diet (sugar was mostly gone anyway) so that by day 1, it wasn't such a dramatic change. I am also fiercely determined to improve my health, which may or may not be affecting my perception of things.

 

OK so on to meals - here's what I've been doing this week (note, all my lunch/dinners are based on meals from the Whole30 book):

 

B: 3 hard-boiled eggs, 1-2 slices of bacon, some sort of veg (today was a bag of baby carrots), 1/2 avocado and a small cup of Harmless Harvest coconut water

 

L: (Leftovers from dinner the night before) Steak salad plus cilantro-lime dressing OR chicken/veg mash up OR (today's) burgers with sweet potato buns plus salad with avocado

 

D: Same variety as lunch

 

I don't really feel hungry between meals, not feeling any outrageous cravings. In fact, I used to drink 1 coffee with just milk every day and I stopped drinking it without any obvious effect. One thing I know for certain is that I do need to drink more water - I made a point of tracking how much I had yesterday and based on the 1/2 oz per lb of body weight metric, I'm only getting about half of what I should be drinking so today's goal is to hit my water intake goal. 

 

As I said in the beginning, I generally feel good. I'm not bloated, I'm not cranky, no headaches. The only discomfort I feel is related to working out last night (I worked my upper body pretty hard so I'm just feeling muscle soreness today). I also make sure that I eat my dinner about 45-60 minutes before I go work out and drink a big glass of water before bed, no after-wo meal. No desire to snack. 

 

So...is this ok? I guess what I'm trying to assess is if there is anything I should be doing differently for greater benefits and whether or not following the timeline is a good gauge for how beneficial my eating is. I'd rather make tweaks now than 14 days from now so that I can reap the most benefit.

 

Thanks all!

[GFChris]

Hi there,

 

Overall, your meals looks good. A couple of questions/observations:

- is your bacon compliant?
- coconut water is not recommended as a standard beverage: it's only advised to rehydrate after working outside or after an intense workout.

Not everyone follows the timeline. The fact that this hasn't been a huge change for you is likely why you're not feeling poorly.  Celebrate the fact that you're feeling good, increase that water intake, and press on! 

[WholeSue]

Thanks @GFCrhis! Yes, bacon is definitely compliant - got the brand listed on the website as compliant from Whole Foods. I can cut the coconut water or use it just after working out. That's an easy fix.

 

Good to know about the timeline. Guess I'll just enjoy this day by day Appreciate the feedback!

[Munkers]

It's not the intent of the program for people to feel bad, but it is a common side effect for people who are making drastic changes to their eating habits. You don't have to suffer to get results from Whole30 and not suffering doesn't mean that you're messing up something. You already took the time to reduce and eliminate sugar, grain, and dairy which puts you ahead of the game. Keep at it!

[JenX]

Hi WholeSue!  I didn't have any massive withdrawal symptoms either. I noticed my energy was lagging about day 5 or 6 and lasted a couple of days - I was also a little cranky then but I had PMS so that was normal. I think it depends on how you were eating before you started. You said you've worked on getting the sugar out and cutting back/eliminating some of the other things so  your body was probably fairly prepared for this  Not everybody follows the timeline - we're all unique weasels!