Is it supposed to be like this!?!? Is this normal???

[WholeKitty]

Hello! I started whole30 four days ago and lord I feel terrible.

I mean, physically I don't feel any worse than I did before. Mentally and emotionally I'm a wreck.

Yesterday I started crying and couldn't stop. Then I got very angry at a loved one. Today I feel depressed, hopeless, despondent.

This, a mere four days, is the longest I've gone without the white stuff, or the fake white stuff, in probably over a decade! I am absolutely a sugar addict.

Are my feelings part of withdrawal?

In all fairness, I should mention that I've been eating a ton of whole fruit to "ease" the transition, as well as a daily RX bar. I'm ready now to improve my meal plans to end this crutch, but I'm so scared my mental state will get worse.

Does anyone have experience with this?

[jmcbn]

Hey Kitty

 

Sorry to hear you're feeling this way, but eating whole fruit is not going to help with anything. In fact it is probalby making matters worse as it is feeding your sugar cravings and keeping on you that sugar induced roller coaster of highs & lows....

Could you list what you have been eating over the past four days with specfics on portion sizes, types of veg etc. Include how much water you've been drinking, how much sleep you're getting, if you're doing any exercise etc.

That way we can help you troubleshoot.

Shooting from the hip I'm guessing you're not eat nearly enough....

[jessicaebullock]

Wow!  Your Day 4 sounds exactly how my day went yesterday.  I'm pretty emotionally balanced and found myself emotional for no reason and had a very angry interaction with my spouse.  Made for a rough day.  I skipped 2 meals yesterday because I was busy and didn't feel hungry and am feeling the pain of that today... Not sure if that choice affected my emotions yesterday or not.

[jmcbn]

Wow!  Your Day 4 sounds exactly how my day went yesterday.  I'm pretty emotionally balanced and found myself emotional for no reason and had a very angry interaction with my spouse.  Made for a rough day.  I skipped 2 meals yesterday because I was busy and didn't feel hungry and am feeling the pain of that today... Not sure if that choice affected my emotions yesterday or not.

Most definitely, and you'll now be playing nutritional catch up as what we eat and how it effects us is cumulative.

Both of you should be sure to include at least a fist sized serving of starchy veg per day - more if you feel you need it - until your mood/emotions settle.

[WholeKitty]

 

Could you list what you have been eating over the past four days with specfics on portion sizes, types of veg etc. Include how much water you've been drinking, how much sleep you're getting, if you're doing any exercise etc.

 

 

The second I read this I thought YES, I have probably been not eating ENOUGH. I'm so used to over-eating, that I haven't been paying much attention to the amount I'm eating, and truthfully it's sorta a s#!t show.

 

Let's see if I can remember yesterday: I woke up and had an apple with almond butter, and a banana, later I had 2 scrambled eggs with olive oil and a mixed green salad with balsamic vinegar. Then about an hour later I started freaking out and felt frantic, like I was going to get hella effed up and I was thinking "screw it I'm going to go nuts" so instead of going off Whole30 I got dehydrated apple "crisps" (about 2 servings) then bawled and later went home and ate a compliant ice pop. It was at that time I realized how much I've been using these stupid compliant ice pops as a crutch, so I threw away the rest of the box. I made grilled chicken breast with coconut aminos, and mixed mini peppers/zucchini/yellow squash with more coconut aminos. I think later after dinner I might have eaten more fruit. My relationship with food is EXTREMELY comfort and emotion based, I'm not sure I even remember what it feels like to be "hungry" or crave something for the nutrients. I actually canceled concert plans with my boyfriend so that I could go home and eat my ice pop alone, that's how much I believed I "needed" the "comfort."

 

I think it's time I sat down and did a real honest-to-God(dess) meal plan. I've been afraid to, because I'm afraid I won't stick to it or I'll feel deprived (emotionally, not physically.) But it's all head games. The vagueness, snacking, and extemporaneous eating keeps me enslaved to my abusive relationship with food. 

 

I just want simplicity, health, and freedom around food.

[praxisproject]

You need more protein, more fat and more veggies! (especially starchy veg) Go eat something right now, you have a lot to catch up on A protein serve of eggs is as many as you can hold in your hand, for most people that's 3-4, some as many as 6. Protein that's not eggs should be the size of your palm, thickness, etc. You'll need three of those a day, plus some more if you exercise too (you might want to ease up on exercise until you're not feeling funny). If you skip meals or don't eat enough, you body will run out of fuel, just like a car runs out of petrol. If you're feeling foggy in the head, weak or just feel like crying you may be really right on the red line of running out of fuel, so go eat something, protein (maybe some steak), fat (maybe some avocado) and lots of starchy veg (such as sweet potato or white potato)  You can read the rest of this later.

 

If you skip meals, you're not only hungry, you're eating for backfill, to try and make up for what you've already missed, this can make you feel sick, tired, vague, cranky (hangry even) or just cry until someone feeds you. We don't expect cars to run without petrol and humans don't feel good without proper food.

 

It can be *very* hard for those of us from a calorie counting/partially starving/fat avoiding background to adjust to eating to the template, but it makes so much difference! A good meal will last you 4-5 hours, with no urge to snack (this was huge for me! no urge to snack!), so many of us haven't eaten like that in a long time (or ever, in our lives!), it's a big change. If you're having trouble with serving sizes, try to stick to the template ratios and you'll find your balance.

 

You don't need to be deprived *at all* on Whole30, sounds crazy but you're really allowed to eat until you're not hungry!

We want you to eat real food and feel good

 

There's a meal plan here, but most of all, read the Hot Plates, meals don't have to be fussy or time consuming.

http://meljoulwan.com/2013/07/27/whole30-week-1-food-plan/

 

Mel Joulwan is my favourite recipe supplier Almost all of her recipes are Whole30 and she clearly marks the difference.

Tips on eating more veggies: http://meljoulwan.com/2016/01/19/easy-ways-eat-vegetables/

Recommendations vs Rules: http://whole30.com/2015/01/rules-recommendations/ (I found these very helpful for getting my best results)

[Mistyfire]

My theme for today seems to be "the template, the template, the template!" It keeps me eating 3 meals without snacking. It keeps my mood, hunger, and energy stable. It helps me focus on what I want and need to eat rather than what I can't or shouldn't have. I have huge variety but still it feels simple. Mel Joulwan is my hero!

[4lrdelis]

Hello all! I am confused about fruit... the template says "occasional fruit" but a lot of the moderators posts I have been reading discourage eating fruit at all.  I know that a lot of people starting the Whole30 have been craving far worse foods than fruit, so isn't that a better choice than other junk foods?  I understand about defeating sugar cravings by not using sweeteners of any kind, and just want to understand how to incorporate the occasional fruit allowed on the Whole30.  Thanks in advance!

Phyllis

[SugarcubeOD]

You can eat fruit as a condiment on a salad... I personally like blueberries, arugula, rice wine vinegar and scrambled eggs...

You are definitely allowed to have fruit on this program... fist sized serving 1-2 times a day at most and always eaten with a meal.

When the moderators discourage fruit it's usually because we're responding to a post that has one of the following criteria:

the person is eating fruit instead of vegetables at every meal

the person is complaining their sugar dragon won't go away

the person is snacking fruit and nuts between meals

the person is finding digestive issues

We don't categorically suggest that people give it up but for sure when someone comes for help and their meals are all fruit heavy with fruit snacks, we suggest that perhaps they don't have a healthy relationship with fruit and that they should set it aside.

Fruit technically is a better choice than other junk food but eating fruit alone will spike your blood sugar and keep any sugar cravings alive... you shouldnt need to snack if you're building meals to the template (linked below) and if you're not actually hungry but just want to eat for sport/craving/boredom, no option is a healthy option.

[praxisproject]

Some fruits are also high FODMAP (including common fruits such as apples, pears) so they can be a sudden increase of FODMAPs causing an upset stomach.

 

No need to be afraid of fruit, but it will serve you best in a template meal and beware any recipes from the internet which may be labelled Whole30 and seem to be entirely fruit, no vegetables or protein (looking at you Pinterest Monkey Salad recipe that is neither a salad, nor a meal).

 

I was amazed at the difference to me between fruit with a meal vs on an empty stomach as a snack. Now I only eat it with meals

[jessicaebullock]

So last night after dinner I felt such bad cramping in my stomach and that carried into this morning.  For breakfast I had roasted sweet potato cubes with aidelis sausage (whole30 approved), homemade salsa, small apple with 2 TBS of almond butter and cinnamon.  I'm starting to feel a little better but still have some discomfort.  Is that normal on Day 5-6?

[jmcbn]

So last night after dinner I felt such bad cramping in my stomach and that carried into this morning.  For breakfast I had roasted sweet potato cubes with aidelis sausage (whole30 approved), homemade salsa, small apple with 2 TBS of almond butter and cinnamon.  I'm starting to feel a little better but still have some discomfort.  Is that normal on Day 5-6?

What did you have for dinner?

[jessicaebullock]

What did you have for dinner?

 

Last night I had some chicken tenderloins cooked in coconut oil and coconut aminos with steamed vegetables (broccoli slaw, snap peas & carrots).  I also had a half of a banana with a cup of applesauce and 1 tbsp nut butter. 

[jmcbn]

Last night I had some chicken tenderloins cooked in coconut oil and coconut aminos with steamed vegetables (broccoli slaw, snap peas & carrots).  I also had a half of a banana with a cup of applesauce and 1 tbsp nut butter. 

It would be helpful to know what you've been eaing every day, but going on this a couple of things jump out that could cause cramping:

Broccoli - either as a cruciferous vegetable, or as a high FODMAP food

Banana - high FODMAP

Nut butter - notoriously hard to digest, and also high FODMAP

 

If you could list some of your other meals it might give a better indicator of what the cause of your troubles might be.....