Crazy Metabolism - Feeling Shaky and Light

[Skippernaut]

Hello all!

 

I'm on Day 4 of my first Whole 30 and I know that's early in the program, but I don't think I'm eating right because I'm not feeling great, and not in the advertised ways.

 

For context : I have an insane metabolism due to genetics. I'm a little stick person and stuff just kinda blows right through me.

 

For the past four days I've felt body-hungry even though my stomach is full. I feel kinda shaky and restless and a little light headed most of the time. I don't get regular hungry feelings anymore, in fact, I feel full kinda all the time, but my body is constantly feeling like it feels when I'm super hungry. I can only conclude that I'm not eating enough or not eating right.

 

I knew my metabolism would be an issue for me, so I've tried to keep up the starches. I've had a full potato or sweet potato at every meal, except for breakfast when I've had a banana. I've had either guacamole or almond butter (sometimes both) at every meal to try and keep up my fat intake.  I've had either a palm-size serving of chicken at every meal, or two eggs. Each time accompanied by about 2 cups of veggies and a lil serving of fruit...

 

I'm having big meals but I still feel like I should be snacking all the time. And I have been snacking all the time, but not because my stomach is telling me I'm hungry... It's like I have the sugar-shakes constantly.

 

Is this part of the deal; just my body coming off of all the crap? Or should I be revamping my diet somehow?

 

Thanks for your help.

[Tom Denham]

I have a fast metabolism and for me that means I often eat TWO palm-size portions of protein at most meals. And I find that chicken does not satisfy me. I have to eat lots more chicken to stay satisfied awhile compared to red meat or fatty fish like sardines or salmon. So you may need to increase your protein portions and switch to fattier cuts of meat, including red meat. By the way, even a small person is likely to be able to hold more than 2 eggs in their hands. Our standard for eggs as your protein is the number you can hold in your hand. 

 

If you are eating a potato AND two cups of cooked veggies, you might be eating enough veggies. 

 

I am glad to hear you are including fat at every meal, but you may want to branch out to more fat sources like olives or coconut milk. I just bought a jar of Tahini and spread a tablespoon of it over my broccoli and roast last night. A little weird, but tasty. 

 

When I first began eating Whole30-style, I ate 4-6 meals per day because I kept getting hungry. I am down to 3 meals most days now. The issue for me was that I was not incorporating enough fat into my meals early on and now I usually have plenty of fat. Now that is 3 meals on days I do not workout. On days you exercise, you seriously need a post-workout meal. Since I usually workout 5 days per week, I typically eat 4 times per day. 

 

When you say food blows through you, I wonder if you are digesting your food well. You might benefit from taking digestive enzymes for a month or so. They won't hurt and they will help if your gut does not have enough of the bacteria it needs to break down what you are eating. They never made a difference to me, but they make a world of difference to some people. 

[ladyshanny]

You may also want to consider that you may be one of the rarer people that needs to modify their Whole30 in order not to lose weight.  Read this article and see what you can employ from it. Note that it is not a free pass to start mowing through smoothies at every meal, that isn't going to help in your circumstance.  

 

http://whole30.com/2013/12/keeping-weight-whole30/

 

I would also ditch the banana at your first meal. So many people report that fruit at the first meal of the day leads to hunger and cravings later in the day. Sub that banana out for 3 or so cups of a mix of starchy and non starchy veggie.  And as Tom has mentioned, the fat sources you are choosing are not ideal for someone such as yourself. You need a denser source which would be oils and ghee in addition to your fattier sources of protein.  I have a regular ol' metabolism and when I eat nothing but avocado for my fat source for a while, I find myself far less satisfied than if I also rotate in some homemade mayo.  Nut butters are really a mediocre fat source.

[Skippernaut]

Thank you both so much. I"ll modify the kinds of proteins and fats I'm eating and see how it goes. It just feels like my current choices aren't quite right for what my body needs.Salmon for lunch today, and meatballs for dinner tonight. And going out to restock on my assortment of household fats, because nuts and avocados are kinda all I have right now.

 

And thanks for the tip about morning fruit! I'll see what I can do with some carrots and parsnips and potatoes.

 

I just really want to stop feeling like I'm just gonna kinda float away all the time. I'll post back here in a coupla days to tell you how it goes.

 

Thanks again!

[Skippernaut]

Hello! Realized I forgot to post back.

 

It was indeed the fats and protiens that were my problem. That same day I had a giant cut of salmon for lunch and felt better within 2 hours. Since then I've upped my protien intake and added a lot more oils, olives, and coconut to my diet! Feeling much better now.

 

I'm experiencing the normal ups and downs of a detox, of course. But no more light headed, dizzy, and shaky.

[Skippernaut]

Just want to let you know I made it through the whole 30 days. My skin is clearer, I've learned a lot, and overall am feeling generally pretty good.

I think the thing I'll take the most from Whole 30 are the things I learned from this topic: Good proteins and fats at all my meals, and better planned meals to make sure I can hit all my energy needs.