troubleshooting - PMS killed my energy?

[eens]

Hi all –

 

I just finished my first Whole30 and am currently not experiencing any difference in my functioning compared to when I started.  However, from Days 14-20, I enjoyed a perceptibly higher level of energy coupled with an improvement in mood, changes I have never seen before.  This was understandably very exciting for me and I hoped it would continue.

 

The "Ladies Only" part of this is that I started the Whole30 on the same day that my period started.  I'm expecting it again soon, hopefully in the next few days (I am "PCOS-ish" according to my doc).  For now, it's Day 31 and ever since Day 24, I have been fighting acne, fatigue, and powerful sugar/starch cravings.

 

My question is, would this seeming PMS be responsible for killing my Whole30 energy?  I'm really hoping that those 6 days weren't just a figment of my imagination!

 

Thanks!

[jmcbn]

Acne, fatigue and sugar cravings could well be related to your cycle, but they could also be related to the composition of your meals.

Most people report extreme hunger rather than anything else in the run up to their period...

Could you post a few days worth of your food/liquid intake so we can take a look and see if anything jumps out that needs tweaking?

[eens]

Yesterday's menu (I ate 5 times) -

 

1:

2 Aidell's chicken-apple sausages and 2 carrots cooked in olive oil

a few slices of roasted delicata squash

black tea

vitamin D3 supplement

 

2:

Larabar (coconut flavor)

Epic bar (beef)

 

3:

2 Aidell's chicken/apple sausages and 3 carrots cooked in olive oil

1 kiwi

water (I was dehydrated at this point and I don't think I drank enough)

 

4:

small piece of smoked salmon

egg salad made from 3 eggs, a bit of celery/onion and compliant mayo

1 zucchini and 1 stalk of broccoli steamed together and served with balsamic vinegar and olive oil

1/2 of a roasted delicata squash served with balsamic vinegar

1/2 of an avocado served with lemon juice

hibiscus tea

probiotic capsule + vitamin D3 supplement + calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement

 

5:

1/3 cup of almonds

2 servings of commercial plantain chips fried in palm oil (non-compliant; I lost my willpower on Day 30)

[jmcbn]

If the larabar has been a regular on your food rotation along with the almonds then they could well be responsible for your skin outbreak - even if you'd been eating them throughout your Whole30 the food we eat has a cumulative effect and so the skin break out wouldn't have happened immediately

The fatigue could be from lack of water and lack of fat - meal 4 is the only meal where I see added fat and this is what will provide you with energy & prevent any cravings. The cooking oil you used in meals 1 & 3 can pretty much be ignored as most of that will have stayed in the pan.

In short, I'd suggest upping your fat & water intake & ditching the larabars.

Hope this helps!
 

[eens]

Thanks so much!  Yes, this is very helpful - I've been looking to nuts as a source of fat but it sounds as if I should give them a break for a while.