Not feeling too good

[SarahG]

I am on day 28 and although I am not craving carbs or sugar I am still not really enjoying my food

I have never been a big protein eater and i find i get indigestion and feel slightly sick at the end of the day after eating protein for the three meals and snacks

I was a vegetarian before starting the whole30 .i have tried lots of different recipes but can't say i look forward to eating and have very little appetite.

On the plus side since eating this way i am less bloated ,feel my clothes are a little looser....not much which is disappointing

Also my head is clear, I sleep well,I don't get that starving hungry feeling and don't feel like sugar or carbs but I don't feel like any food actually.

Today i felt a lot better because i only ate one egg for breakfast,and a liitle salmon with lots of veggies for lunch .my dinner is chicken and veggies but I will eat very liitle chicken

I do want to go on eating this way because all my research supports this but i need to overcome this queasiness

[Renee Lee]

So I have a couple of thoughts, Sarah:

a ) Are you supplementing with anything, specifically digestive support? If you were vegetarian for a long period of time, your body downregulates the enzymes necessary to properly digest meat. If you just jumped into the Whole30 with a huge increase in meat intake, your body may be struggling to keep up. That would explain the indigestion and sick feeling that you're talking about. Now Foods Super Enzymes are a popular one

b ) Secondly, if you don't LIKE meat, you don't really need to eat a ton of it on this program to succeed. Sure, we recommend that you do, but M&D have included a section in ISWF specifically for vegetarians and how to make the most of the program within the constraints of your food choices. Note, I'm not encouraging you to go back to your veggie days, I'm just saying that you shouldn't feel pressured to eat meat at every meal, you know?

c ) What's your activity level looking like?

d ) Focus on the positives! Sleeping well, brain fog gone, no starving hungry feeling between meals, looser clothes. This was only 30 days! That's a LOT of improvement in only 30 days!

[missmary]

everything Renee said, plus this: Diane Sanfilippo was talking about transitioning from vegetarian to paleo on a podcast recently and suggested using bone broth as the "gateway meat"--basically have some bone broth daily, and little bits of meat as you can tolerate them and work your way up.

me, I transitioned from vegetarian over several years, starting with just fish for a year or more, then very occasional chicken, etc. I now eat all sorts of meat without any problems.

[SarahG]

Thanks guys

I have never really liked meat or chicken.I ate a bit of fish but didn't like it much

I will try probiotics but must say i feel much better today by eating lots of veggies and a little protein.what are your thoughts on tofu as a protein.?

I do want to stay off the grains and sugar because i believe this way is the right way.

I do quite a bit of exercise,yoga or pilates 6 times a week and the occasional walk.

I should walk more ,but never seem to have the time.

what is bone broth?

Thanks again

[Tom Denham]

Here is a link to a great explanation of bone broth... http://www.traditional-foods.com/bone-broth/

[Renee Lee]

Sarah, digestive enzymes are not the same thing as probiotics. While you could probably benefit from both, digestive enzymes are probably the bigger thing missing

[SarahG]

Thanks

[Flynn]

Hi Sarah! Many will probably disagree with this, but in my opinion if you're not looking forward to your meals, you don't like eggs, chicken, or meat and you feel sick after, you shouldn't change your body, you should change your food! I don't believe in eating things I don't like just because someone said to. You can still follow the whole 30 guidelines but make it work for YOU...maybe you can find some lighter proteins that make you feel good...that's the point, right?

Here is a link to the vegetarian shopping list:

http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Vegetarian-Shopping-List.pdf

tempeh, lentils, tofu, edamame, and hemp protein may be nice options for you. You could put some of these into your diet and if you still want to eat meat, just eat small portions and ease your body into it.

We're all different and we need to find what works for OUR OWN BODY. I didn't lose any weight until I found foods that worked with my body...then it was like BAM, the last 10 pounds I'd been trying to lose for a hundred years melted off amazingly. Also, eating some kind of carb as a base with a protein worked great for my stomach aches...usually a sweet potato, apple, nectarine or banana. Good luck!

[SarahG]

Thanks Flynn

What you wrote really resonated with me.

As i read it I thought,yes!

I will check out the link. what food do you eat?

I did feel so much better yesterday when I ate meals of veggies with a little protein

I can not face another egg and the indigestion it causes

Very interested to hear about you ,what you eat and how long you have been doing this

Thanks

[Robin Strathdee]

Flynn,

I love the supportive nature of your post - that's totally what we're here for.

That said, if you and SarahG want to chat about protein options after the W30 (and it's totally cool if you do...), I'd like to ask you to keep it to private message unless the food options are Whole30. We really want to support folks who are doing the program and I would hate for folks to confuse options like edamame and tofu (which are your choice while not doing W30) with compliant protein options.

Thanks friends!

And congrats, SarahG, on your positive changes!

[SarahG]

Thanks Robin

I love the support here.that is what has kept me going

My plan has been to stick with whole30 compliant food for the duration and that is why I gave up being a vegetarian.I realized I could not do this if I didn't eat meat.

Tomorrow is day 30 and i will go on for a few days as the first few days I made a few mistakes,trying to not eat meat

That said ,my aim is to continue with giving up grains and sugar(havnt eaten dairy for years).I definitely feel better not eating legumes and grains

However i will decide later whether or not to continue eating meat,may just stick to eggs fish and a bit of chicken

Thanks again to all for the support

[missmary]

may just stick to eggs fish and a bit of chicken

Sarah- Reading this comment changes the picture a lot for me. I think a lot of people confuse "meat" and "red meat". If you are eating fish and chicken, you are not a vegetarian. Hurray! That is much easier to manage. You can have a very healthy diet limiting meat choices to poultry and fish (MUCH healthier than if you choose soy or legumes). If red meat doesn't sit right with you I wouldn't worry too much about it...maybe have a bite or two with months in between and see how you feel.

[SarahG]

I was eating no chicken or meat until starting the W30 and only ate fish if I had to

I decided that this is a good way of eating and I don't want to go back to my vegetarian life ...eating grains ,legumes and fake meat

That is why i will eat fish and a liitle chicken and meat on occasion

Yup,I am no longer a vegetarian.

And i feel good.

[Flynn]

I'm sorry Robin! I copied those vegetarian foods from Melissa's vegetarian grocery list link that I posted and I thought they were compliant for people who are easing themselves in to all the meat. Sarah and I will continue the conversation privately

thanks!

[Robin Strathdee]

No worries Flynn! I know they're on there, and what I may do - now that I think about it - is recommend you guys hang out on the vegetarian section. You were giving solid, supportive advice and that's what this is all about :0)

[SarahG]

My daughter and I call ourselves flexetarians.that means we can eat what we feel like,for me that means mostly veggies and if I feel like it i will have a bit of meat

I hate having to label myself.once you tell people you are a vegetarian they seem to think it's ok to comment on everything we eat or don't eat

I don't comment on their eating even when I think its extremely unhealthy

My stomach seems to cope best with mostly veg ,no dairy or grains and small amounts of protein