Day 6 - So far so good, but wicked headache today

[caitpage]

I'm on day 6 of my Whole30. So far, I've been perfectly compliant! Three meals a day, with the right amounts of protein, fat, and veggie carbs. I've been feeling great, but today I have a terrible headache that just seems to be getting worse. I really never get headaches but this is normal, yes? I took tylenol with lunch, but it hasn't helped. I am hoping this is my "low carb flu" now that my body is probably figuring out there aren't any nachos, wine, or ice cream in the near future. I really haven't had any cravings, but I think I have been eating large enough meals that I stay satisfied right up until the next meal time. I live on hot tea and La Croix water throughout the day. Luckily, I've never been into sweet coffee creamers or soda. Wine though... I miss wine...

 

Anyway, I've been meaning to start a log for this Whole 30 so I have something to look back on when I am finished. 

 

I am here mostly for weight loss (doctor ordered!), but also because I would like to figure out what is giving me digestive issues and sinus issues so I can try and cut those food out for good. I was taking Claritin-D (the kind you have to show your id for and can only get one box every two weeks -thanks meth heads!) every night in order to keep my nose un-clogged, but I stopped a few weeks ago because I kept forgetting to go back for more. Probably on morning 4 of the Whole 30 I realized I could breathe as well as I can when I take allergy meds. Can't be a coincidence, can it? 

 

I am purposely not tracking each meal because I can get obsessed with stats and I just want to approach each meal with a fresh idea of what sounds good within the Whole 30 guidelines. 

 

 

[jmcbn]

To give a more informed opinion on the headache it would be helpful to see what you've been eating over the last few days - even if you do think you've been eating enough many people underestimate how much they should be eating...

Common headache culprits are:

Not enough water - the recommendation is for a half an ounce per pound of body weight, daily
Not enough fat - most people underestimate this one think the fat they use for cooking is adequate. It's not.

Not salting your food - if you've come here from a SAD diet then your sodium intake will have decreased by around 70% - you need to salt your food, generously
Not enough food in general - self explanatory

The carb flu usually happens around day 3 so I'd have thought that any headache caused by sugar withdrawal should have passed by now - unless you're propping up your sugar dragon with fruit/dried fruit....

[gm20]

I have the same today - day 6 and a killer headache and tiredness - but that is because I realised I'd been feeding my sugar dragon with fruit and today is the first day I'm not doing that. (Fruit only in my salty meals). I just hope tomorrow feels better!

I'll try add a bit more salt and fat to my meals just invade!

[caitpage]

I don't really eat fruit, and hadn't had any days 1-9. I was drinking about 2-3 liters of water per day, plus a couple of La Croix cans, so I don't think I was dehydrated. I actually had to cut back on drinking so much because I was sick of peeing in the night! I think it was SALT!! I realized I was craving it and so I started putting it on my eggs in the morning, a bit with my oil/vinegar salad dressing for lunch, and liberally on whatever meat I ate at dinner. Phew! Much better. My bf thinks I'm a salt fiend now, but oh well! I don't think I'm overdoing it. 

 

Today is Day 11. YAY!!!! Only have to do the same thing 2x over... this is how I see it. I was extremely tempted to step on the scale Friday morning because I fit into jeans that were way too tight to pull off a month before. Victory! A bit of my nasal congestion came back (one nostril or the other used to be always plugged up), but I am still breathing much better and haven't thought to take a claritin d before bed. Bf says I'm not snoring like normal either. Victory for him!

 

I think I've hit a pretty good rhythm food wise, and here's a sample of what I've been eating: 

 

Breakfast - Two - three eggs cooked over medium (with salt!) and leftover dinner veggies, or a huge handful of spinach and bell peppers the few days we don't have leftovers. I just bought some strawberries and so the last two days I've had 5-6 of those with my eggs and veggies. Yum! I drink Earl Grey in the morning, but have to wait until I eat because black tea makes me nauseous on an empty stomach. I have an Americano (black) if I have time to stop at a coffee shop before work. I feel no guilt over caffeine! Breakfast is the hardest meal for me, because honestly I never used to eat it!

 

Lunch - Salad with chicken, 1-2 eggs, cucumber, carrots, green onion, hearts of palm, artichoke (in evoo), lots of olive oil & a dash lemon juice for a dressing. Oh, and salt. Most days I cut up 1/2-1 whole avocado, but sometimes I forget. I usually get my lunch from the Whole Foods salad bar, so the avocado I have to get from the other side of the store. On the weekends, I make my own salad with grilled chicken and most of the same veggies. 

 

Dinner - Meat + 2 sides of veggies. Tonight we are having home-made burgers (no bun, cheese for me!) with baked/cubed sweet potatoes and green & yellow summer squash (grilled in a basket!) Pretty much all of my veggies are made with olive oil, salt, pepper, and maybe 1-2 other spices. Cumin on sweet potatoes is a must, my friends. Dinner meats have been: steak, chicken thighs, taco meat in bell peppers, green thai curry w/chicken, and other forms of chicken and beef. 

 

I honestly eat almost the same thing every day, just different ingredients. I am really trying to vary my veggies. In the past week we've had: eggplant (pro tip: peel them), sauteed chard (gross), asparagus, butternut squash (gross), brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, spinach, cauliflower, and a mini version of my lunch salad. 

 

I have only slipped once, and that was last Thursday when I was running late and didn't eat breakfast. I didn't cave and buy a pastry or eat anything that's not allowed, but I did eat an emergency Larabar (cherry pie) at work when I just couldn't take the hunger anymore. I was back on track with a Whole Foods salad for lunch a few hours later. Other than that, I have been sticking to three meals a deal, with the right amounts of fat/veggie/protein. Actually, the first week I was probably over eating. I knew that hunger was my enemy, so I filled myself up. This week I've unintentionally cut back to a more normal sized meals and I feel satisfied, but not stuffed, after eating. For "dessert" I drink peppermint tea. 

 

I turned down unappealing grocery store sheet cake (someone's birthday) at work on Friday, and when a girl at told me about donuts a coworker brought in a few days before I said, "Oh they look great, but no thanks. I'm on a 30 day cleanse thing. No sugar." The girl said "are you doing a Whole 30?!?!!" Turns out she's a big fan and has done a few Whole 30s herself and mostly sticks to the no gluten/soy/dairy life. She didn't eat donuts either.