JulieAnn Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Hello! My boyfriend was brave enough to journey through my first Whole30 with me. We are on day 3, and things have been going great, but my boyfriend is not sleeping well, is constantly thirsty, and is restless. Is this a normal reaction to the Whole30? He is transitioning from a diet of toast with peanut butter for breakfast, lunches of sandwiches of cheese and processed meat or burritos, and dinners consisting of nuts and random snacks because he was rarely hungry from such a large lunch. Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated! I want to ensure him that this is normal and will pass. Thanks Whole30 family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindzmt22 Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I am having AWFUL trouble sleeping as well!! Not sure why! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyH Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 JulieAnn So sorry that your boyfriends is having such a hard time. It sounds like he diet change is actually quite drastic since he was having quite a lot of wheat and grains so it sounds totally reasonable that he would be having withdrawal type symptoms. I think that after the first week he will start to feel better. I know for myself, I on day 6 I believe and I had already cut out dairy and wheat 2 weeks ago and I am still having a lot of feeling of major withdrawal particularly from the little bit of honey/maple syrup that I drizzled on my breakfast and my afternoon coffee (though I still have a bit in the morning). Make sure he is having some carbohydrate dense veggies (like squash and sweet potatoes) in at least a couple meals a day to help with the transition. Also lots of water and, if he's up to it, some gentle exercise - walking, jogging, yoga, etc. to help feel better. It's important to understand that the change in diet affects the entire body including the brain and our ability to make feel good neurotransmitters. It will catch up but it takes time. Best wishes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 JulieAnn - It's great to hear you guys are tackling this together! I can assure you that right now he is the *picture* of typical, especially transitioning from the diet he had before. It's probably going to take him up to 10 days to push through the rough patch (though things will get progressively better from about day 4 or 5) - sometimes longer. While you're sweating through the suck, here are my recommendations: 1. Lots of water. Water water water. 2. Lots of rest. As much as you can get without your world collapsing. Ignore your friends, the gym, anything you can and let your body give priority to making this shift. Your sleep is probably disrupted because of the hormonal changes going on in your body, which makes extra rest more important. 3. Sweet potatoes. Add one in at lunch or dinner every day. That will help your bodies transition to a lower carbohydrate level without shocking them tooooo much. Happy Whole30!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieAnn Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 Thank you! He is feeling pretty bad today. He keeps saying he is constantly hungry, but he is eating a good amount of proteins and greens for all of his meals. I am thinking he is so used to snacking all day that his body is just used to always being fed, so he THINKS he is hungry but really he is not and his hormones are adjusting. What are your thoughts on this? I told him if he is hungry for him to make Whole30 compliant choices for a small snack, and to avoid going straight for fruit to break his sweets habit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 He could be genuinely hungry - his body is used yo a constant barrage of processed carbs to keep his energy levels up. The trick is, if he's willing to eat a mini meal as a snack (protein+veg+fat) then he's probably hungry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieAnn Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 Thank you for your wonderful advice, Robin! He just texted me and said he is getting a migraine. Is this also a side affect? I myself am not feeling the side affects because I slowly worked my way into a 100% Whole30 month (I was a vegan and made slow changes the previous month before our set date to do this), so I just want to make sure this is all normal. I read the book, and think it is. I just want to keep reassuring him that this will pass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 It can be. Some folks have it really, really rough. Remember, if it gets bad enough he can take pain meds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.