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Bucket's Food Log - Finding the Energy Promised!!


Bucket

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I have been struggling with low energy. Sadly during my first Whole30 I never experienced the great and persistent high levels of energy that people spoke about. I started my second Whole30 with the aim of better results (more energy, improved body composition, weight loss) and committed to cutting out fruit and nuts save for when called for in recipes and no nut butter!

10 days into my second Whole30 and I was at an absolute energy low and feeling very fuzzy headed. I am restarting my second Whole30 and building back in fruits to see how that helps. I am also altering my workouts and workout schedule to see if that helps.

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Day 1

6am - HIIT 20 minutes, elliptical

Breakfast - Well Fed's Comfort Noodles (two eggs, 1 cup shredded zucchini, garlic, ground almonds toasted). 1 passion fruit.

Lunch - 3 of my Middle Eastern Meatballs (1 lb lamb combined with [fresh mint leaves, curry powder, 1/2 onion, 1/4 c golden raisins, 1 eggs, 1/4 c almonds mixed together in the food processor]), 1 cup cauliflower rice with 1/2 avocado, spinach salad with 1/2 avocado and 1 small apple diced.

Dinner - Well Fed's Comfort Noodles, 1 dragon fruit, 1 passion fruit.

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Day 2

6am - Lower Body Workout (LBWO)

Breakfast - Sweet Potato Hash (ground pork, diced sweet potato, and coconut milk -- I make a large batch of this on the weekend with about 500g of pork, a 250 ml of coconut milk, and 6 small, thin, malaysian honey sweet potatoes and have it for breakfast/occasional other meals throughout the week), 1 kiwi, 1 passion fruit.

Lunch - 4 Middle Eastern Meatballs with a salad of spinach, shredded red cabbage, 1 small apple, 1 avocado.

6pm - 2 mile walk home

Dinner - Well Fed's Comfort Noodles (2 eggs, zucchini, garlic, toasted and ground almond meal in coconut oil)

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Hi Bucket,

You may have already tried this, but if not: when I did Whole30 the first time, I experienced the flagging energy issue during the first several days, and my remedy was to increase my fat intake. Like, a tablespoon of coconut oil at breakfast, another after work (pre-dinner)...and sometimes another scoop mid-day. Also, water intake seemed to be key for staying clear-headed and peppy.

Good luck!

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Thank you for the tips ceanothus! I do struggle with my water intake. I have been struggling to get in about 2L per day. 1/2 in the morning during workout/before leaving for work. 1L during work. 1/2L after work/back home/dinner. I try not to drink too much at night or it wakes me. I used to consume more during the day when I was teaching, but now that I have a full time research position I am not moving around as much.

I feel like I am taking in a good bit of fat, but I am trying to increase it at lunch to see if that helps.

Thank you for the support!!!

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Day 3

Energy today has been fairly low. Lower than Day 2. Not sure why. I tried to build more fat and carbs into breakfast to hopefully carry me through, but it is just not cutting it. I am feeling more clear headed, but still I am just not quite feeling right. Just not feeling like myself. I am often tired and sore the day after a LBWO, but this is more than muscle tiredness. I just want to nap!

6am - HIIT on the elliptical

Breakfast - Breakfast Hash (sweet potato, ground pork, coconut milk), cabbage, winter squash with 1 tsp of coconut oil, small apple, passion fruit.

Lunch - 3 Middle Eastern Meatballs, winter squash, apple.

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Monday

The weekend involved off-roading. As I try to turn Whole30 into a lifestyle, I am working to balance Whole30 eating with living life with a non-Whole30 partner. He is extremely supportive during the week, but certainly believes in food-adventures on the weekends --- not all of which in Singapore are Whole30 compliant.

I am really excited as my Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil supplement arrived. I have been really excited to try this as it has come so highly recommended: http://www.greenpast...Blend/index.cfm

Unfortunately I mis read the order options. Amazon had very low stock so I ordered what I thought were gel caps, but it was in fact gel. OMG, the stuff tastes HORRIBLE, but it is suppose to be really fantastic, so I hope that it also helps with the energy.

Today I added nuts back into breakfast to up my fat intake. Maybe it will help.

6am - HIIT on the TM

Breakfast - salad, cabbage, 1/4 avocado, 3 middle eastern meatballs topped with homemade salsa, 12 almonds

Lunch - salad, cabbage, 1 avocado, 1 apple, Well Fed's Best Chicken

6pm - 2 mile walk home

Dinner - salad, cabbage, caritas meat; shredded zucchini with salsa; 12 almonds and 1 large apple with cinnamon.

Today I was starving. No idea why. Maybe it is my body's response to the weekend's off roading. I upped my veggies and fat and water as best as I could to compensate.

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Tuesday

For as much as I was starving throughout yesterday, my weight was down this morning, so that is good. Yes, now that I am through my first Whole30 and figuring out how to make this a lifestyle I am back to using the scale.

6am - LBWO (lower body workout)

Breakfast - Salad, Cabbage, 4 middle eastern meatballs topped with homemade salsa, 12 almonds, 1 kiwi

This felt substantial, which is good as yesterday I just felt hungry throughout the day and could not seem to get enough to eat during my meals.

Snack - it is rare for me to do a mid-morning snack, but I was just not feeling like the fat content of this morning was carrying me so I had some nuts and dried fruit. It did a good job of keeping me going throughout the morning.

Lunch - Salad, Cabbage and Well Fed's Best Chicken

Lunch turned interesting when we had a birthday in the office. One of the treats was suppose to be Whole30 compliant as it was made with coconut, yams, and nuts. But now an hour or so later on, I am not sure that was the sum total of the ingredients as I do feel a bit strange.*

6pm - 2 mile walk home with two running intervals -- I really don't like trying to run while carrying a backpack, but I figured I would give it a try.

Dinner - Salad with Carnitas Meat - OMG it is soooo goood!!! shredded zucchini, 1/2 avocoado, salsa; passion fruit and almonds.

*Update - I read up on it more and it actually is mostly whole 30 compliant but it is not made with yam but cassava. Cassavas are supremely carbohydrate dense. So between the Cassava and I am sure the bit of sugar in there - it was sweet but barely sweet - I am having a serious sugar rush from all of the carbs. I think I will need to skip any and all fruit at dinner.

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Yesterday was another day of feeling super hungry. At dinner I just kept adding more shredded zucchini to the bowl!!

Today I was able to make it until about 10 minutes before lunch time without feeling hungry/looking at the clock and wondering how long until lunch. None of the other avocados I picked up the other day were ripe when I packed my lunch this morning, so my lunch is going to lack additional fat, so I wonder how that is going to work out this afternoon.

This morning after the HIIT cardio and and after my shower I did find myself feeling a bit light headed/dizzy for a moment. This was unusual, so it is worth noting and keeping track of. I don't drink water when I wake up or before working out if I am doing a HIIT cardio session as it makes my stomach feel awful, so I do often wonder about the tradeoffs and how that lack of hydration might be effecting me.

Wednesday

6am - HIIT elliptical

Breakfast - lettuce, shredded cabbage, 3/4 avocado, the last of the carnitas meat -- so very sad to see it go, passion fruit.

Lunch - lettuce, shredded cabbage, 1 chicken breast

3:30pm - Snack of dragon fruit, pineapple, guava - really wish this had had protein and fat with it, but it is the only thing in Houseman's Canteen that is even close to compliant and healthy.

6pm - walk home 2 miles

Dinner - Comfort noodles; almonds, golden raisins

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Thursday

Finally, after adding back in fruit and nuts I feel like I have more energy again. It took a while to recoop it, but I am glad it is back.

I managed to have another successful breakfast that tided me over almost until noon even with less protein than I usually have for breakfast. We are running low on protein in the house and I need to get to the butcher. Still, I think my body was partially relying on the HUGE helping of comfort noodles I had last night and the post dinner nuts and raisins to carry me to lunch.

6am - UBWO

Breakfast - half of a chicken breast, 1/2 avocado, shredded cabbage; zucinni core and salsa.

Lunch - half of a chicken breast, 1/2 avocado, salad with shredded cabbage.

Dinner - Comfort Noodles (2 eggs, 1 zucchini, garlic, toasted almond meal); almonds, raisins, pineapple, 3 tbsp coconut milk

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Friday

Oh my wow pain! I was woken at 5am by the most terrible leg cramp. The type of leg cramp where I wake up screaming and wake my husband and I am in so much pain that I can't articulate to him what is wrong so he does not know if it is pain or a bad dream or what. Once I finally was able to form words between screams he sprang into action. He was awesome and we managed to get my leg to calm down. I skipped my 6am workout in favor of stretching as that was some wicked horrible pain and I could not bear to do HIIT cardio today on that leg.

Breakfast - 3 eggs whipped up with coconut cream, sliced up a large apple and sauteed the slices in ghee and cinnamon, added the eggs - delish! Almonds and golden raisins for help with choking down supplements

Snack - 2 bananas, 1 oz chicken, almonds -- wanted to get some potassium in me and the market was not open at breakfast time so I went down midmorning to pick up the banans and other veggies for the house. That was a lot of banana at once, but my goodness, it had better help with the muscle cramps. I have been drinking a ton of water lately. Seriously upping my water while at the office, so it would not surprise me if everything were out of balance.

Lunch -- not sure when I will fit it in today as I am working from home in the morning and at the library mid morning before a talk. Still I dutifully packed the last chicken breast, a big salad with lettuces, cabbage, and shredded zucchini, and half of an avocado for lunch.

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Monday

I was compliant with my eating all weekend and did a great cook-up for the week. Exercise was totally off due to the pulled muscle. I rested it for the weekend. Took three days off instead of two, but that extra time off meant I was able to get back to the gym this morning and work out without any issues or complaints. No more hobbling about.

Okay, compliant is subjective here as I snacked and grazed mostly. I learned that I should not keep golden raisins in the house. Thankfully they are now gone as those with some almonds and coconut milk are too tempting of a treat.

6am - LBWO

Breakfast - breakfast casserole - shredded sweet potato as a base and top (I cooked them with coconut cream, ghee, and cinnamon), browned ground pork and sliced onions for the middle. Great start to the day!!!

Lunch - shredded zucchini with salsa topped with carnitas meat!

Dinner - Comfort noodles with bacon!

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Tuesday

6am- UBWO - super heavy lifting. I am going to feel this!

Breakfast - still loving the breakfast casserole I made!! Time saving and delicious!

Lunch - quick lunch before heading out to a site visit. shredded zucchini with salsa and 1/2 avocado. I did not even finish the portion of meat I packed

Dinner - Carnitas, cauliflower, avocado and salsa. An apple nuked with cinnamon and coconut creme to top it off!!

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Wednesday

I am still grappling with my calf after last week's severe cramping. It is about 95% better, but I don't want to irritate it too much so I skipped the HIIT cardio this AM and walked instead.

6am - walking

Breakfast - mini comfort noodles, small serving of the breakfast casserole

Snack - banana, almonds, coconut milk. I totally forgot about the banana with breakfast -- focus on preventing muscle craps. As I was working from home today I figured a morning snack and later lunch would be okay for a change.

Lunch - cauliflower, carnitas, dragon fruit with coconut milk

Snack - mango

Dinner - Breakfast casserole, banana, almonds, coconut milk

A day of working from home involved more snacking then should have happened :(

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Thursday

While breakfast was on the large side for me, it worked out really really well as it carried me through the morning and into lunch. I was actually surprised when others in a long meeting were itching to get to lunch and it had not even occurred to me that it was yet lunch time.

6am - LBWO

Breakfast - the last of the breakfast casserole; apple cinnamon, coconut cream; passion fruit

Lunch - carnitas meat, lettuce, cauliflower

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