Wheat withdrawl - it's a thing!

[MonyRiv]

Who would have thought wheat withdrawal for some is on par with opiate withdrawal!

I'm on day 3 and feeling like death. I hadn't realised prior to starting Whole30 just how much wheat I was consuming and how unhealthy it was for me. I also had not realised just how horrible the withdrawal experience would be.

I'm dizzy, light headed, weak, fatigued, cold sweats, shaky.... It's not pleasant. I've done detoxes before but not from gluten as I didn't realise I needed to. This is just WOW.

I googled it and apparently it's a thing. Who woulda thought!

I found this article interesting and informative for anyone who is interested and might be feeling the same way. http://nutritionaltherapy.com/the-storm-before-the-calm-why-some-people-get-temporarily-worse-on-a-gluten-free-or-casein-free-diet/

I feel blessed to be experiencing this because I know the end result will have me feeling amazing! Just gotta ride out this storm.

[ShannonM816]

Yes, the first few days of Whole30 can be tough, but what you're describing sounds a bit extreme. Be sure you're eating enough food, drinking enough water, and salting your food.

 

If you want to list what you've been eating the last couple of days, with approximate portion sizes as it relates to the meal template, we can take a look and see if you're on the right track.

[MonyRiv]

Thanks Shannon, I've been eating 3 boiled eggs for breakfast with fried baby spinach, mushrooms and zucchini. Other meals have included veggie patties with boiled eggs, scrambled eggs with mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower, and I've had a purple salad for dinner last night - red cabbage, fresh Beetroot, baby spinach, parsley, steamed broccoli, sunflower seeds and balsamic vinegar. Post workout snacks have been either pistachio nuts, cashews or sunflower seeds. All following the portion size template and anything fried has been in coconut oil. I'd really love any insight you might have.

[ShannonM816]

It's hard to tell portion sizes from this, but for vegetables, have 1-3 cups at each meal, three being ideal. Think of a typical dinner plate (usually about 10 inches) -- put your protein on there, fill it up the rest of the way with vegetables, and top it off with some fat.

 

Go ahead and add fat in addition to what you cook in, since a lot of what you cook in stays in the pan -- try olives or avocado or coconut flakes, or make sauces or dressings or dips. Mayo is a great way to add fat to meals and it's a base for a lot of other sauces.

 

Post workout, you want lean protein and starchy vegetable, so nuts are not your best option because they're really a fat source for Whole30 purposes. Egg whites with some sweet potato might be an option -- post-workout is probably the only place Whole30 will ever say have the egg whites, not the whole egg.

 

I see you have beetroot listed, but that's the only starchy vegetable I see -- you might try having a couple of servings of starchy vegetables a day for a while and see if that helps you feel better. Those could include potatoes, sweet potatoes, any root vegetables like turnips, carrots or rutabagas, any winter squashes like butternut, acorn, or spaghetti squash, pumpkin, or jicama.

[MonyRiv]

Thanks Shannon, yes that's roughly the portion sizes I've been having I wasn't aware I could add fat in addition to what I'm cooking with so thanks for that, I'm just waiting for my avocados to ripen and will include them as soon as I'm able to. They're taking forever! Lol

I had some jacket potato for lunch yesterday and that perked me up a bit, will try and include a bit more starch in my meals today. I really appreciate your advice!