Day 15 - Stomach Hurts and Never Feel Full (Help!)

[Amanda Hilger]

Hey guys! This is my first Whole30 and I'm having some real problems.

 

I'm currently on Day 15 and I haven't experienced the "magic" of the program. I have lost little (if any) weight, am still tired all the time, still have headaches each day, and my stomach hurts quite often.

 

For example, this morning I had a handful of salted cashews, one egg, and 2 pieces of natural bacon for breakfast and I've had the runs. This is a normal experience for me during the Whole30. Yesterday, I had around the same thing and had the runs again. 

 

I also hardly ever feel full. It's weird, I can eat and eat and eat and never feel that satisfied feeling of being full without bloated. It's tough because I don't feel any different from when I was eating non-Paleo. 

 

Each morning, I take one D3 Vitamin, 2 B-Complex Vitamins, and a ProBiotic 

 

My thoughts on why it's this way:  my system is still repairing itself or my polycystic ovaries. 

 

I would LOVE some help as to what's going on. Thanks! 

[ladyshanny]

You never feel full because you aren't eating anything. One egg is about 25% of the amount of protein you should be having with your breakfast if you're choosing eggs.  There are no veggies when there should be almost 3 cups of cooked veggies.  Bacon is a fat and cashews are a fat. Cashews are a nut and nuts are known to cause digestive disruptions, especially if, as you have been, they are all you're eating, basically.  Ditch the nuts, add more protein, add 3 cups of cooked veggies, add some proper fat (like avocado, ghee, homemade mayo).

 

What is your regular lunch like? What about dinner? Are you exercising? Do you drink water during the day? What's your sleep like? Stress?

 

Check out the meal template linked below.  You want Whole30 magic? That's where it is; hiding in plain sight in the recommended meal template.

 

1-2 palms protein, 1-3 cups veggies (more is better here, eat as many as you can!), 1-2 servings of fat.  Repeat every 4-5 hours.  

[ShannonM816]

Could you give us more detail about what you've been eating? List a day or two worth of breakfast, lunch, and supper, and any pre- or post-workout meals, including approximate portion sizes. Also tell us about water intake, exercise, and sleep.

 

Just based on the one meal you've listed here, you're not eating nearly enough. A serving of eggs, when they're your only protein source, is as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand. Bacon is a fat source, not really a protein source. And you've listed no veggies when you should be aiming to have 1-3 cups of them at every meal.

 

Nuts can definitely be hard on the digestive system, so you might want to cut them out for a while and see if that helps.

[Amanda Hilger]

Thanks so much! Just to give a little more insight, I haven't been working out (which is something I'm changing today), I drink 2-3 32 oz water bottles a day, and I get anywhere between 6-9 hours of sleep per night because I'm a college student. 

 

This is a few of my meals the past few days: 

 

Sunday: B: Nothing because I woke up late

               L:  Leftover Whole30 Chicken strips and homemade BBQ Sauce, some veggies (usually asparagus, carrots, or snap peas), and a few raspeberries

               D: Chipotle salad with double barbacoa and mild salsa, with a little coffee from Scooters

 

Tuesday: B: Black coffee, handful of cashews, and 2 pieces of bacon

                L: Leftover Kalua Pork with my whole plate covered in spinach and Tea

                D: I think the same as lunch (can't remember)

 

Wednesday: B: Banana, 2 pieces of bacon, handful of cashews with Tea

                     L: Chiptole (again - this is the 2nd time I've had it during the Whole30) 

                     D: Homemade guacamole with plantain chips and cashews

 

 

So maybe cashews are the problem...if so, what should I be eating instead? Such as, what would be the best sources of protein for breakfast? 

[ShannonM816]

Cashews (and any nuts and seeds) are fat sources on Whole30, not protein.

 

Meat (including fish or seafood) or eggs are your best protein sources. If you're not a big meat eater, you might prefer to have fish or seafood or eggs more often, but you need some protein at every meal. All your meals should meet the meal template, which means:

 

• 1-2 palm-sized portions of protein, the length, depth, and width of your palm, or if eggs are your only protein source, as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand
• 1-2 thumb-sized portions of fat, or a heaping handful or two of olives or coconut flakes, or half to a whole avocado, or a small handful of nuts or seeds occasionally
• 1-3 cups of vegetables, more if they're raw leafy greens, just because they tend to break down to nothing as you eat and not keep you satisfied as long
• occasionally, have a fist-sized serving of fruit, try to limit it to not more than two a day

When you work out, you get bonus pre- and post-workout meals in addition to your other three meals.

 

Most people feel best if they have at least one fist-sized serving of starchy vegetable each day. People who are more active, who are prone to depression or anxiety, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or in the week or so leading up to their period often need more.

[missmary]

also, I'm sorry to say but the barbacoa at Chipotle is not compliant. The only compliant meat there is the carnitas.

[JulieP757]

Amanda - Here's the ingredient list for Chipolte.  It's the rice bran oil that's the problem.  

 

https://www.chipotle.com/ingredient-statement

[SugarcubeOD]

Thanks so much! Just to give a little more insight, I haven't been working out (which is something I'm changing today), I drink 2-3 32 oz water bottles a day, and I get anywhere between 6-9 hours of sleep per night because I'm a college student. 

 

This is a few of my meals the past few days: 

 

Sunday: B: Nothing because I woke up late

               L:  Leftover Whole30 Chicken strips and homemade BBQ Sauce, some veggies (usually asparagus, carrots, or snap peas), and a few raspeberries

               D: Chipotle salad with double barbacoa and mild salsa, with a little coffee from Scooters

 

Tuesday: B: Black coffee, handful of cashews, and 2 pieces of bacon

                L: Leftover Kalua Pork with my whole plate covered in spinach and Tea

                D: I think the same as lunch (can't remember)

 

Wednesday: B: Banana, 2 pieces of bacon, handful of cashews with Tea

                     L: Chiptole (again - this is the 2nd time I've had it during the Whole30) 

                     D: Homemade guacamole with plantain chips and cashews

 

 

So maybe cashews are the problem...if so, what should I be eating instead? Such as, what would be the best sources of protein for breakfast?

Cashews might be A problem but THE problem is that you're barely eating.

You're a college student so I know you know how to do research. Take a look at the template (linked in my signature) and tell us how you could create 3 template meals with foods you like to eat that are available to you. You're a smart woman... you know that eating a handful of cashews and two pieces of bacon is not healthy...

[QuilterInVA]

If you want the plan to work, you need to follow the plan more closely. Nuts are not my friend so I have given them up to save on GI issues. I'd be starving with the little you eat.