Day 13 and not loving it...

[motherofdragons]

I keep waiting for the 'magic' to begin. I am on day 13. I am soo bloated and honestly not loving the results. My athletic performance is *mildly* better - but nothing to call home about. I am not hungry for anything non-compliant and I and not bored with food...but I'm just not seeing anything great. My stomach looks distended and my skin definitely is not clearer - it may be worse. My energy levels are pretty much the same. I just don't understand why some can have these dramatic shifts and others don't. I had issues in the beginning feeling depressed so I upped my carb intake a bit (I'm breastfeeding too)...that seems to have leveled out.

So, what am I missing?

Edit : also having random back pain on the right side of lower back that seems to come on randomly.

[ShannonM816]

You're only on day 13. This is a 30-day program. It is not unusual to be bloated in the second week, give or take a few days.

 

If you'd like to list a couple of days' worth of food, water intake, exercise, and sleep, we might be able to give you some pointers to help.

 

As a breastfeeding mom, you'll want to plan to eat four full meals a day, plus pre- and post-workout meals as needed. Your body needs the energy right now. 

 

Have you been eating  a lot of cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts)? Sometimes eating a lot of those can cause bloating. Some people find if they're eating a lot more peppers, onions, and garlic than they usually would, they have some bloating and other digestive issues. Are you eating a lot of nuts? They can cause problems for some people too. Are you drinking plenty of water? Aim for 1/2 ounce per pound of body weight, so if you weigh 120 lbs, drink at least 60 oz of water a day.

 

Skin problems unfortunately often get worse before they get better. 

[motherofdragons]

Thanks - I know it's still early I just thought I would have some kind of NSV by now... I am well-hydrated - I drink at least half my body weight in ounces per day.

Here is what I've eaten the last 2 days.

Day 11: M1: 3 scrambled eggs with onion/jalapeño, sautéed kale, coffee with coconut milk, 3/4 of a banana with almond butter

M2: what I call 'leftover salad' - cauli flour rice, chocolate chili, sweet potato, guacamole, watermelon

M3: baked chicken and sweet potato

Ran a 5k

Post workout/meal 3: 2 hard boiled eggs, banana

Day 12: M1: 3 scrambled eggs, avacado, butternut squash, spinach, watermelon, coffee with coconut milk

M2: leftover tuna cakes, cauli rice, broccoli, avacado, watermelon

M3: chicken burgers with guac, sweet potato, salad

Snacks: coconut/cashews and later on a larabar (it was a bonafide emergency)

Day13: M1: chicken sausage, butternut squash, broccoli, watermelon, coffee with coconut milk

Ran 3 miles

M2: tuna salad (homemade mayo, peppers, onions, cucumber, celery) on greens with olive oil, banana

[GFChris]

Post wo recommendation is protein and optional veg carb: no fruit or fat. If you're going to have eggs post wo, have the whites only, as the yolk is a fat. Have a carby veg instead of fruit.

Instead of coconut, cashews or Lara Bars for a snack, the recommended snack is a mini meal of protein veg and fat. Nuts are a fat on a Whole30.

Regarding the bloat, I'd suggest dropping the nuts (including the Lara Bars), cauliflower, broccoli, salad and any raw veggies and switch to all cooked veggies.

And add a fourth main meal if you need it.

[motherofdragons]

Thanks - I was at a race and it was either the food I had with me or pizza and beer

I usually don't snack but I was having a rough go and feeling very munchy since it was the 4th of July. I realize they are not optimal choices...but I am just trying to show what I had.

I usually do not eat many nuts. Maybe one handful with a meal every other day at best. But I will drop them and the raw veggies if it will help with the bloat.

I was mainly looking for others who had similar experiences and had their bloat go away...and what day that happened for them.

[Britishgal]

I always get terribly bloated around week 2...by lunchtime I'll be telling little old ladies that I'm not actually due ever, I'm just fat!

It goes away by week 3 though. I can't give you an exact day as it has varied in each of my whole30s x

[Chachers04]

I had the random back pain too! I think mine was constipation...

[kmg4805]

I am on Day 25 and I felt very similar to you around Day 13. I also had a weird rash on my face that appeared around Day 11 and left on Day 15. Because you are breastfeeding, I would definitely recommend upping your meals. I would also increase your water intake because of exercise. It is recommended that you do half your body weight in ounces without exercise. My body did not follow the timeline at all and it was a little freaky for me at first because I was convinced that I was doing it incorrectly. When in doubt, eat more! I have found that upping my fats in meals helped with mood and energy. Hang in there, it will pass! 

[motherofdragons]

Thanks all. I am going to add a little more to my meals, decreasing fruit and nuts (I think the watermelon may be contributing to bloat). Also drinking more water and cooking all my veggies. Hopefully things will be on an upswing soon.