Day 24, why am I so tired?

[TrayS]

Hi, I am on Day 24 of my Whole30 and while I am experiencing great results overall in terms of reduction in annoying autoimmune symptoms, brain fog and anxiety, I am finding that my body is frequently feeling on the edge of getting sick - run down feeling, runny nose, clogged sinuses, sore throat - but not bad enough to be sure I'm sick and not my immune system being wacky. I'm also feeling pretty tired this week despite sleeping as much as I need to (7.5-9 hours/night), eating plenty of vegetables, protien and fat, and running 20 mpw.

Is this normal? Any ideas on why this might be happening? My sister is also on Day 24 and noticing similar tiredness.

Also I did start cutting out processed food and grains a few weeks pre-Whole30, so I would think that my body would be past the shock phase at this point (but maybe not?)

[Susan W]

Hopefully a moderator will chime in, but when I feel like you are feeling, it's usually because I'm not eating enough. 20 miles a week is no small little walk around the park. Do you feel you are eating enough? Do you refuel with things like sweet potatoes, protein and some good fat?

[Tom Denham]

Do you have a food log so we can see what you are eating and how much? Many people don't eat enough during a Whole30 and that might account for your tiredness.

[Robin Strathdee]

Sorry to hear you're feeling poorly! How long have you been feeling like this? Like Tom said, it's hard to give much feedback unless we know what you're eating. Also, how is your sleep and what is your stress level like?

[TrayS]

Hi, thanks for the responses. As far as what I am eating, I am not keeping a complete food log but recording some meals, and eating the same thing over and over in some cases (such as breakfast). My eating looks like this:

Breakfast - if I run in the morning I eat a bit of fruit and nuts before I go, then when I get back I eat breakfast, typically 3 eggs cooked in olive oil with spinach and another serving of fruit. If I don't run then I just go straight to eating breakfast.

Lunch - usually last night's leftovers or a big salad (recent examples are pulled pork and a giant pile of cabbage cole slaw, roast beef salad, or salad with a whole avocado, pepitas and fresh salsa for dressing).

Dinner - usually always meat and vegetables (said pulled pork with cole slaw, chicken breast with asparagus and a whole sweet potato, a steak with brussel sprouts, etc.)

You may notice I mentioned a salad with no meat - I eat meat/eggs probably about 5 out of 6 meals, which is a lot more meat than I ate pre-whole30. Could it be that it's not enough?

I usually keep snacking to a minimum except sometimes I like to eat watermelon in the afternoon when it's hot, and sometimes I'll eat a handful of nuts before dinner if dinner ends up being a bit later than I like. I have been eating until I am satisfied and usually do not get hungry between meals.

One thing I can think of that may be affecting things is that I take thyroid medication. You're supposed to take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This hasn't been a problem for me in the past because pre-whole30 I was not a breakfast eater. I have since gotten in the habit of eating first thing in the morning like you're supposed to - maybe it's affecting the absorption of my medication? What I'm feeling today feels much like hypothyroid symptoms (in addition to the fatigue the telltale leg cramping is back). I'll post about this issue separately in the medical issues forum as well.

I can tell I have lost a few pounds since starting but certainly not more than that. Up until Monday I felt great so this is pretty frustrating. Your help is appreciated!

[TrayS]

Oops just realized I forgot to address the stress issue. I'm usually a major stress case but one effect Whole30 has had on me is that my anxiety is now basically non existant. I would say this is borderline miraculous. I feel wonderful mentally, better than I ever have in my adult life.

There are stressful things going on in my life. My job situation is uncertain and my job itself is stressful. Up until recently I was working pretty long hours but that hasn't been as much of a problem the past few weeks.

Probably most significant is that I am getting married in 9 days. I know most would consider that a stress-inducing event and I'm sure it's affecting me to some degree but my feelings about it are entirely positive. So maybe that's contributing, but I would hate to thing that this is something I just have to live with until the stressful events pass (life is always stressful to some degree, right)?

[TrayS]

Sorry, keep forgetting more info I am leaving out.

Refueling after workouts - yes I have been eating immediately after working out, either breakfast or lunch depending on when I go. Sometimes I will eat a fourth meal during the day if I had a particularly long workout.

My sleep has been great overall, much better than pre-Whole30. I typically fall asleep around 10 pm and wake up between 6-7 usually without my alarm clock. I've been much more aware of dreams and having interesting ones (though not typically about food as I have seen others mention), but they have generally been good dreams.

[Tom Denham]

A meal without protein may fill you up, but I think we need protein at every meal to be really nourished. That said, your food looks okay.

Getting married in 9 days probably explains your tiredness. Even happy things that are so big can drain you. Congrats!

[TrayS]

Thank you! I certainly hope that is it. Today was brutal, I felt ok until about 3 pm but had so little energy in the afternoon I took a nap after work and it was all I could do to drag myself off the couch to make dinner. But I ate good protien with every meal today and a giant sweet potato with dinner. Hope this helps a bit for tomorrow.

[Robin Strathdee]

Hi again!

If you think it could be your meds, you might want to check in with your doc and see how long he/she recommends waiting before eating. If it's a reasonable space of time, perhaps you would do okay on your morning run without pre-w/o food? I would also recommend pulling the fruit out of your breakfast for few days (add in more veggies or another protein source) to see if that makes a difference in your energy consistency during the day.

Congratulations on your wedding!!

[TrayS]

Thanks Robin!!

Fortunately the past few days have been much better, I even ran a half marathon on Saturday (that I was marginally trained for volume-wise) and not only felt sufficiently fueled for it but didn't "hit the wall" (though trying not to keel over from the heat was a different story) - and experienced a MUCH better recovery than races past. I've been making a point to not skimp on any meals and eat some more starchy vegs and I think this is helping.

I can see from posts on this forum that a lot of people get discouraged late in their W30 when things are going wrong, but it doesn't mean that it isn't working. I think that small but important tweaks to the diet can make a big difference, and it takes some people more time and experimentation than others to find exactly what works for them.