Help me figure out this exhaustion post period

[merryheart5]

My back story: I started feeling exhausted in January. I had blood work done and only health problem was a low Vit D level. At first the supplement helped but then I crashed again. I have 5 kids ages 2 to 10 and most everyone says that is why I am tired but I disagree! I did some diet tweaking but that didn't help so I decided to try Whole30. I started my Whole30 13 days ago. I did some pre-whole30 diet changes 5 days before starting-I cut grains and limited my dairy. So I am 18 days grain free. Anyway-after getting over the 'carb flu' (2 days of feeling awful) I had the tiger blood. After months of exhaustion it was fantastic to wake up feeling energized and to keep that feeling all day. I took full advantage and did A LOT last week. Swimming, hiking, cooking, entertained, cleaned house, etc. I usually can only do one of those things a week.

 

Here is my food log. Will you take a look and tell me what I may need to tweak (especially interested in how to do next month's cycle right). Oh and my period came 2 days earlier than usual but was much lighter. I usually have terrible headaches the whole time but didn't have one at all. So there was definite improvement!  I just really want my tiger blood back!

 

Day 8 we had a family lunch and PMS. I was feeling a little more tired that day.

M1: about 1/2 cup leftover roasted potatoes and another 1/2 to 1 cup of squash, zucchini, onion, tomato mix

10 oz coffee with coconut milk (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)

Aidell's chicken sausage and 2 scrambled eggs

M2: about 1/2 a grilled chicken breast with mango salsa, burger patty with tomato slice (this was family dinner and all that was available that was compliant)

M3: I was starving. Burger patty with mayo, lettuce, tomato, bbq sauce, leftover roasted potatoes and veggies from lunch. I had a lot of the potatoes and veggies to make up for lunch.

 

Day 9 I started my period and had to take a nap.

M1: same as day 8 but added 1/2 small container of Wholly Guacamole and 1/2 tomato

M2: pork loin (more than a palm sized portion), sweet potato with clarified butter, California blend veggies with clarified butter

M3: canned salmon with mayo, cucumber, carrots over mixed greens. Topped with 1/2 container Wholly Guac and 1/2 tomato. I was still hungry so I had a banana, very small amount of cashews and coconut. I ended up sick after this meal and vomited it all up. Sometimes seafood makes me ill (but not always-I had canned salmon and fresh salmon 3 times recently without any negative effect).

 

Day 10 (4th of July) I was exhausted but had prior commitments. I wanted to just sit and rest but it just wasn't in the cards.

M1: same as Day 9

M2: Aidell's chicken sausage, raw carrots, cucumber, celery, and tomato with paleo Ranch. About half of a peach.

M3: spaghetti meat sauce (probably 1 1/2 cups-very meaty), half roasted eggplant, green beans w/ EVOO, salad with dried cherries, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, & EVOO, about 6 grapes (I just don't like fruit very much)

 

Day 11 I slept in and tried to take it easy but needed to do meal prep so I was quite busy again today.

M1: same as other days but used a frozen omelet blend which has potatoes, onions and peppers instead of squash mix.

M2: leftover meat sauce (1 cup) and zucchini noodles (I tossed them in EVOO) This was a light meal bc of late breakfast. Dinner was only a few hours away.

M3: grilled chicken thigh, about 1 cup (or more) grilled veggie kabobs (zucchini, pepper, squash, red onion), sweet potato with clarified butter

 

Day 12 Period is almost over and I am super tired. As tired as I was before whole30.

M1: same as Day 11-with the guac and tomato

M2: 5 large meatballs, raw carrots & tomato with ranch, a very small amount of boiled potatoes that I stole from my aunt's kitchen before she made them into mashed potatoes, about 3 strawberries, 1 grape (I had more on my plate but my 2 year old ate them)

M3: 3 hard boiled eggs, 2 bacon slices, 3 cherry tomatoes, a bit of guac I was starving when I got home from family dinner so this was my attempt at a mini meal.

M4: grilled chicken breast, peppers and onions, lettuce, pico, 1/2 avocado

 

Today is Day 13 and I had to drag myself out of bed.

 

I am sleeping about 8 hrs a night give or take an hour. I drink a ton of water though I don't measure it. I am having some loose BMs since starting Whole30. I had my gallbladder out 5 years ago.

 

Do I need more fat? More carbs? I feel very satisfied after most meals (except the 2 meals I had to eat somewhere else). I don't get hungry in between meals and can go 5-6 hours without eating (I do get hungry about 5 hours after eating but I can make it longer if I have to) so I think my portions are ok.

 

Is it just a PMS thing that will resolve itself? I just hate feeling exhausted.

 

Critique away!

[Karen_Suep]

Some women need more starches around their period. You may also increase your veggies too.

Some meals do look light on fat, but most of them look ok. Make sure you get at least .5 Oz water per lb of body weight and salt your food as needed.

[ladyshanny]

Couple things.  Your meals seem to be getting smaller/lighter as you go on. Beef those suckers up.

 

The other thing that really stood out to me was that you struggle with exhaustion and once you had a couple days of energy, you completely slammed yourself with chores/tasks.  Then your period.  And some light eating.

 

Go back to eating a bit more (especially near/at your period, honor hunger and eat larger or more meals as needed), take it easy and I suspect you'll rebound well.

[merryheart5]

Thank you both for your help! I am made some adjustments to meals today based on your suggestions. Hopefully I will see upswing soon.