MellieG Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Day 18 and the last couple days have been SUPER LOW ENERGY! I'm used to energy issues as I'm on a low dose med for chronic pain that zaps my energy a little. But I thought by week 3 I would have more energy, not LESS than when I started! I'm following the meal template closely and eating as much protein, carbs and good fats as I can shovel in. Has anyone else out there experienced this?? Any answers as to WHY?? Thanks for your help!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Assuming you are female, where are you at in your cycle?Can you post 2-3 days worth of your food log, including portion sizes, daily water consumption, nightly hours of sleep and any exercise? That will give us information to give you more specific feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I had a lot of messed up hormone issues when I started. On my first whole 30 I had seen glimpses of energy but for the most part I was just truly dragging my butt up until day 22 or 23. Posting meals along with activity levels, and water consumption will help us with troubleshooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Too low carb and no carbs can cause energy levels to crash. Too many dried fruits or too much fruit in proportion to vegetables can cause energy levels to drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 9, 2015 Administrators Share Posted July 9, 2015 Moving this to Troubleshooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellieG Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 I'm in the first 6 months of Menopause, and definitely having hormonal balance issues. (Although hot flashes have improved since starting whole 30!) Here's a typical day: Meal 1 - 1/3 banana with tablespoon almond butter, 2 eggs, spinach smoothie (handful of spinach, 1/4 apple, a few frozen blueberries, splash of OJ) Coffee with coconut milk (I cannot eat more than this without feeling too full and sick) Snack - 1/2 Lara bar, or a few nuts and raisins with more coffee (I can't seem to make to lunch without feeling LOW energy and the need to eat something. NOT hungry, just low energy) Lunch - Salad with tuna and veges. Homemade vinigrette. sweet potato. Handfull of olives or nuts on my salad. Afternoon - Sometimes a tiny iced drip coffee with coconut milk (because I'm dragging) Dinner - One or two palms of compliant meat dish, with potato and vegetable. Olives or olive oil vinigrette or some cashews for good fats category. Sparkling water with a splash of juice. Trying to drink 64 oz of water. Some days it's lots more and some days maybe a little less. Sleep is maybe a little better, but still not great. I manage to sleep 8 hours, but I take a sleeping pill and am still wakeful at times. NOTE: I did accidently eat cashews with peanut oil on the ingredients the first 7 days. I thought I corrected, but then realized the rice bran oil in other cashews day 7-14. Would this have an impact on my energy levels this far into the whole30? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellieG Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 PS -Also, my husband is still dragging too, and he doesn't have the health issues that I do and is not any prescription meds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 9, 2015 Administrators Share Posted July 9, 2015 Erm.....ya.....so couple things. First, you aren't eating enough. Instead of the banana, almond butter and smoothie (which is discouraged, btw), eat a couple MORE eggs, 1-3 cups of veggies and some fat (like avocado or mayo). Skip the coffee until you've eaten, it's an appetite suppressant and takes up room in your stomach that should be for food. This larger breakfast should get you to lunch without a snack. Snacks such as larabars, nuts alone, fruits alone are not doing anything at all for your energy issues. They will spike your blood sugar and then leave you tanked in a short time. Plus, larabars are approved for emergencies only. Eat more at breakfast to avoid having to have this snack. And if you are starved between these two meals, have a mini meal of at least protein and fat. Your lunch seems to get you through to dinner, the energy issues are a result of your teensy breakfast loaded with sugar. You could always add some extra protein and some extra fat to your lunch along with another veggie that is not salad greens, just to make sure you get enough. Careful on the nuts, they can be hard on the digestive system and they can increase a person's need for "snacks" because they are a bit "munchy". Your water intake should be half an ounce per pound of bodyweight...so 64oz is great if you weigh 128 pounds. If you have been eating this light (especially breakfast) for the last 18 days, I have no doubt your energy has tanked. Try eating more for a few days/week. Skip the fruits and nut butters until you've had all your servings of protein, fat and veggies and skip the larabars all together unless you are in a major traffic jam, lost in the mountains or on the verge of a zombie apocalypse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellieG Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Thanks so much for the suggestions!!! I really "feel" like I'm eating enough. Especially during lunch and dinner I feel like I'm shoveling in MORE than I would like, to make sure I'm eating the appropriate meal template. I will make the breakfast adjustments and look forward to seeing if that gets me through the morning better. Now Lara bars for emergencies only. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellieG Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Carlacinni, you mentioned dragging your butt until Day 22 or 23. Would you please describe the positive changes that took place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 9, 2015 Administrators Share Posted July 9, 2015 Thanks so much for the suggestions!!! I really "feel" like I'm eating enough. Especially during lunch and dinner I feel like I'm shoveling in MORE than I would like, to make sure I'm eating the appropriate meal template. I will make the breakfast adjustments and look forward to seeing if that gets me through the morning better. Now Lara bars for emergencies only. :-( If it helps at all with never buying another larabar, note that they (Kellogg) have contributed millions of dollars in the fight against GMO labelling. Ie, they do not want you to know what they are putting in your food. Down with larabars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Trust me it may take some time to get your head around eating more for breakfast - but trust me - it makes a world of difference. If it helps - try thinking of meals as meal 1, meal 2 and meal 3, instead of breakfast lunch and dinner. Positive changes - I have so many of them.... Better Sleep Stronger hair and nails Clearer skin - I have both eczema and roseacea Better even energy levels - they are constant from the moment I wake up to bedtime Better Mood levels - I am pretty sure I was suffering from undiagnosed depression NO PMS!!!!! I mean literally no PMS - I used to feel terrible 2 weeks out of every month. Now I will get some minor symptoms the day before my period starts. Migraines - I get menstrual migraines every month which used to knock me out for 3 to 5 days. I didn't have one for 90 days - this was huge. I still get them now and then as sugar will slip into my diet here and there which throws my hormones off. But I can FUNCTION as they are not as intense or as severe as before. Hidradentis Suppurtiva (Acne Inversa) - I have had this very embarrassing, painful and uncomfortable skin reaction since my early teens. About 10 days into my first whole 30 I had no new out breaks. This was huge. I lost 6 lbs....(In 45 days - I extended mine as I noticed I was about 10 days behind the timeline) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellieG Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 Carlaccini, thanks for taking the time to post some of the positive changes you've noticed. SO ENCOURAGING to read!!! I resonate with your phrase about "wrapping my head around eating more for breakfast." I will continue to try! This morning I had some scrambled eggs with a half an avocado and a sliver of cantaloupe. I bought compliant bacon to add tomorrow AND potatoes of some sort. Good for me, huh?! This forum and all of you who help is becoming a lifesaver for me during this Whole30 and onward!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 If it helps at all with never buying another larabar, note that they (Kellogg) have contributed millions of dollars in the fight against GMO labelling. Ie, they do not want you to know what they are putting in your food. Down with larabars! May I suggest spraying them with Raid and throwing them in the dumpster. Don't be tempted to go searching for them.... That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellieG Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Update: Day 23 In my 4th week and energy levels still dropping! I'm honestly having a hard time functioning! I have tweaked my breakfast as advised above, but it was also suggested that I need to eat more. I CANNOT eat more! I have never been a big eater......my stomach just doesn't have any more capacity than what I'm already shoveling in! Is it possible that this diet is not going to provide the benefits I'm looking for because I simply cannot eat food in large enough amounts?? Help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 14, 2015 Administrators Share Posted July 14, 2015 Are you having at least one serving of starchy veggies each day? What's your water intake like? How are you sleeping? Are you salting your food? Do you eat red meat? Have you had issues of low energy in your past? I am chronically low on iron and this can flare up at random times causing me to feel like I'm walking through water with cement boots on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellieG Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Yes to all of your questions, except maybe not enough red meat? Is iron deficiency sometimes an issue on the Whole30? (I haven't been been iron deficient since my 2nd pregnancy over 20 years ago.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted July 14, 2015 Administrators Share Posted July 14, 2015 Yes to all of your questions, except maybe not enough red meat? Is iron deficiency sometimes an issue on the Whole30? (I haven't been been iron deficient since my 2nd pregnancy over 20 years ago.) No, iron deficiency is not a common issue on Whole30, just trying to troubleshoot for you from my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellieG Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Sorry, missed your question about energy issues. YES, I have had some energy issues since being on a med for chronic pain for 3 1/2 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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