Day 7 - dizzy & uncoordinated (and exhausted)

[nuthatch]

Today is day 7, so I know, looking at the timeline that being exhausted is par for the course right now.  But I'm also having lots of sinus pressure which is making me feel kind of woozy/dizzy/off balance/out of it and also feel really uncoordinated.  Anyone else experience anything similar (and know what the reason(s) might be behind it)?

 

Thanks!

[jmcbn]

Hey there

 

Sorry to hear you're not feeling so good.

It would be helpful to know exactly what you've been eating/drinking over the past few days in order to comment on what might be the issue.

That said, the last time I had a sinus infection I felt kind of woozy/dizzy/off balance so it's completely possible that the sinus pressure is unrelated to Whole30.

[nuthatch]

I have chronic sinus issues and it doesn't feel like it's a sinus infection, but I will see how it goes.

As for what I've been eating - It's been pretty much the same all week - a mix of:

proteins - chicken, pork, turkey, eggs

veggies - onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, greens, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.

fats - mayo (first time yesterday), avocado, evoo, nuts, coconut

We did have fish for dinner last night (haddock with chestnut and garlic/lemon oil). That was different. I tried an olive from an olive earlier in the week (the list of ingredients was compliant, though).

Drinks have been water and herbal tea (that I make myself from bulk herbs).

My husband's been exhausted today, too - just hit him a little later than me, I think, and maybe not quite as much.

[jmcbn]

It's hard to tell what your meals look like from the way you have listed them - can you tell us what you would eat in a typical day, indicating portion sizes?

Also, are you salting your food?

The recommendation for water is to drink a half an ounce per pound of body weight daily - are you reaching that target?

How are you sleeping? What are your stress levels like? Are you exercising?

[nuthatch]

A typical breakfast is:

Eggs &/or Sausage, roasted sweet potatoes &/or other veggies and a small bowl of fruit with dried, unsweetened coconut.

Lunch - for instance today I had:

chopped up turkey burger mixed with roasted cauliflower and carrots, and sautéed cabbage & carrots & onions, with a chopped up fried egg and a quarter of an avocado, plus a side of cabbage slaw with apple.

Dinner last night was:

baked haddock with a chestnut, garlic, lemon oil topping (portion size of my hand), and sautéed cabbage, carrots & onions.

My portions typically fill my plate. I always have some amount of protein, I think probably on average palm-sized, plus a heap of veggies (including usually at least two or three different veggies) and I've been trying to add fat as well (in addition to cooking in generous amounts of fats - clarified butter (homemade), lard, olive oil and coconut oil) - I might have 1/4 to 1/2 avocado, some nuts, dried coconut, a drizzle of evoo or balsamic vinaigrette, or a little added clarified butter.

I am very petite (5', and have been hovering around 100lbs), so I am trying to make a point to eat a good amount, and to be sure to have extra fat with each meal.

I haven't been doing as well on water this past week, but am trying to get back up to my usual of approx. 50 or so oz/day.

Sleep is never good. Stress levels are chronically high. Exercising - not really. I have been doing yoga once/week for a long time. I did some (maybe half hour - 45 min) before bed last night. Otherwise, chasing after kids and running around the house and every now and then making it outside for a short walk around the woods is my exercise.

Oh, and yes, I do salt my food - either in cooking or eating and not uncommonly, both (with (Himalayan) sea salt)

[jmcbn]

Your meals look okay to me, although I'd probably suggest working on the fat - regardless of what you cook in you really need an additional serving with each meal.

The added fat might help with your energy levels, as would the additional water. Focusing on getting good sleep is also important - how many hours are you getting a night? Do you have a bed time routine? Screen-free time before bed? Black out blinds etc? I'm not sure that any of these would help with the sinus pressure you are feeling - I'd be more inclined to say that could be coming from your chronic stress... Is there anything you can do to make efforts to alleviate the stress in anyway? Delegate tasks around the home, take some 'downtime', enlist the help of some family/friends etc...?

[nuthatch]

Thanks for the input - dealing with the stress is definitely something I've been working on - no easy fixes, though.

I appreciate the ideas to consider!