Today is Day 30... going to go 60 days... still have some "crashes" / really tired afternoons

[erin5000]

Hi --- 

 

I think I had a reasonably successful Whole30 so far (this might be my 3rd... last one was about 2 1/2 to 3 years ago.)

 

I don't find them too extra difficult....once I make up my mind to do it...it all falls into place.   I'm going to keep going because I'm still having some days where I'm just really tired.  Like so tired I want to drop down and take a nap.   I'm thinking the cause of this must be something I ate --- so I'm going to try to pay more attention to that & what the culprits might be.  

 

Today I had one of those crashes ... and I am attributing it, I think, to cacao.  I just bought Crio Bru and had some of that this morning --- and I put the cacao in a green smoothie (which, I know Smoothies aren't ideal or endorsed per se, however I don't do them very often -- for that very reason.)   It had some blueberries and avocado in it as well.  It might be the carbs in these items that made me feel so tired...?

 

Also, I did do something I wasn't supposed to do in the first 30 days... which was track what I ate in a calorie tracker.... so I'm not going to do that for the next 30 days.  I did that because I wanted to have a general awareness & consciousness of what I was consuming.   Actually, I might still need to do this... b/c I want to know what makes me crash.  Last week I had to take a nap after eating a sweet potato and dehydrated apples (there was protein & broccoli there too... but I think the sweet potato and apples knocked me out.)

 

I'm hoping with the completion of a Whole60... that I will feel greater energy levels.... and more consistent energy.... and avoiding the days where I "crash."   They're pretty bad.  I have to lay down and sleep for a couple hours.

 

Otherwise... the positive results of the Whole30 thus far has been -- my skin looks better, brighter & better texture; better moods overall (I battle depression and I believe diet is a large part of it), better energy levels & better sleep (I feel like I sleep more deeply & less tossing and turning that I felt I was experiencing.)  

 

I traded in coffee for tea and that generally makes me feel better... I don't like it when I feel like I need coffee, and I also think coffee might make me crash and make me tired in the afternoon.  I think I've heard it spikes insulin levels.  Also I think the acid is bad for me.  Not sure all the specifics, but I like giving up coffee.

 

Thanks for reading & any thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom Denham]

It is impossible to make reasonable judgments about the relationship of food to your "crashes" if we don't know everything you are eating for several days in a row. Maybe starchy veggies or fruit are a problem or maybe not eating enough protein at the same time is the problem. Or maybe you are underfed generally. Or maybe you are not sleeping enough or are suffering poor sleep so that you crash periodically. 

 

There is no information in a calorie count that you need to trouble shoot your problem. Don't justify what you are doing on that basis. 

[SugarcubeOD]

I agree with Tom. If you want to pinpoint what you think is making you crash, then the easiest way is either on here or with pen and paper, write down what you eat in quantities that match the template (ie: your protein should be talked about in palm sizes, not oz) and then write down how you feel... a calorie counter is absolutely not going to be of any value in determining this whatsoever and I think that you deserve to see what it's like to feel freedom from it.

[erin5000]

Hi....thanks for reading, & I appreciate the replies.

Tom,

Thanks, you are right. I thought the calorie app was an "easy" way to record my consumption (asin utilitarian), however the cons probably outweigh the pros, & thanks for your insights on all other things that might be going wrong. I try to get a solid 7 to 8 hrs sleep every night and that has been good lately. ...I read "It Starts w/ Food" before my first W30, & I am probably due for a reread.

SugarcubeOD, thanks to you as well. I agree with you, I should know what the freedom feels like of not tracking. I gained on my first W30 a few years ago, so I think that might've been part of my motivation to track in general ( not calories per se but what I was doing )... to be honest I think on my 1st w30 I think I made the mistake of eating too many nuts. (ie which might've been a stand in for "snacking") .... generally I keep trying to get this right and that's part of why I'm going 60 days. (Also, because I think I need more time and will feel a lot better at that point. )

I've not had a crash since I wrote my post here a couple days ago I've made a point to have 3 protein + vegetable meals per day, & a post- workout meal. Feeling pretty good.

I'm petite, 5 ft tall and 100 lbs ( appropriate size for my frame ) & I'm a bit paranoid about over-consuming, but I can probably let go of that if I eat the right portions 3x per day and just stop thinking about that.

Thx again for your thoughts.