Day 16 feeling discouraged :(

[kf0328]

I'm on day 16.. And I'm really struggling. Around day 8-12 I found myself feeling extremely bloated and heavy. Luckily, this passed, but now it is back. I feel HUGE, and look huge too. It's so discouraging because I really want to be happy with my body, and I feel like I'm punishing myself for not seeing results instead of being proud of myself for sticking to this.

My meals usually look like:

Breakfast: either 2 eggs, potato, and some compliant salsa. Or, mashed banana with 2 eggs, almond butter, apple slices.

Lunch: Sometimes I'll have a turkey burger with avocado, or I'll have a big taco salad. I almost always have a bowl of sautéed veggies with this, or a potato.

Dinner: this is different almost every night. I eat some sort of meat, and usually mix it in with a salad(not because I feel obligated- I just Love salads) but other times I'll make meals such as spaghetti squash with homemade sauce and ground turkey, or stuffed peppers with cauliflower rice and ground turkey.

I do not snack all the time, but occasionally I'll have something if I'm feeling hungry. Usually it will be a compliant Luna bar, Epic bar, or a couple pieces of compliant salami. I also really love almonds, and have cut back on my intake of nuts and nut butters to hopefully take care of this bloating.

I try to drink between 70-80 oz of water each day.

I haven't stepped on the scale, but it looks like I've gained weight. My biggest goal from the Whole30 is to be healthier and happier in my own body, but right about now I'm feeling more miserable than ever. Please help

[kf0328]

***Lara bar, not Luna!

[jmcbn]

Hey there - sorry to hear you're feeling so discouraged - frankly, you're not alone - another member on day 16 posted exactly the same thing (with pretty much exactly the same title!) only yesterday so don't be disheartened...

First off remember that this is a 30 day plan, and MANY people don't see or feel the magic until the latter stages. Many more folk feel the need to continue on at that point because they want to see and feel more of what they have started to see - it very much depends on your state of health coming into this, and your previous diet.

Are you on any medication? How much sleep are you getting? How are your stress levels?

Regarding your meals - your breakfast is too small. When eggs are your only source of protein in a meal a serving would be the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand without dropping - that's 3-4 for most females. Unless you are extremely petite I'm guessing you can hold more than 2.

Potato isn't always ideal at breakfast (nor is banana but we'll come to that) as the starches can impact blood sugars because you've been fasting overnight. This can negatively impact mood, energy & appetite, so maybe switch  your spud for some power greens like kale & spinach with sauteed onions at breakfast?

Your banana, apple, almond butter combo is completely lacking in veg - I get that a lot of folk struggle with breakfast, so maybe start thinking in terms of meals 1, 2 & 3 - that way anything you eat at meals 2 or 3 is fine for meal 1 as well. The fruit will impact blood sugar even more so than the potato - definitely switch these for veg.

A lot of folk report improved sleep when they eat their starch at meal 3 so you could try that and see how it works out for you, and the fruit hold back until at least meal 2 - provided you've eaten your veg first of course!

I'd also comment that you could maybe cut your starchy veg back to a point where you're having it at one meal only. The recommendation is for at least a fist sized serving per day, so it's fine to eat more, but it is very carb dense so unless you're particularly active or nearing your period I'd probably reduce it slightly.

Are you adding fat to all of your meals over and above that used for cooking? I see no mention of fat other than the nut butter, which incidentally should be eaten in moderation along with all other nut & seed products - they're particularly hard on the digestive system, have a poor omega 3:6 ratio, and can be a food without breaks for a lot of people so well done on cutting back on the almonds!! Have you tried making your own mayo? Or you could add avocado, coconut cream, all kinds of oils, compliant bacon, fatty cuts of meat etc.

Increasing the fat (& the protein at breakfast) should negate your need for a snack. Those larabars are as close as you can get to candy on a Whole30 and they are for emergency use only - snacking is NOT an emergency, and they are doing you no favours. Ditch them. Seriously. If you are genuinely hungry (rather than eating out of habit/boredom) until you figure out how much to eat to last you that recommended 4-5hrs have a mini meal made up of at least two of the three food groups - so protein & fat (best option), protein & carbs, or carbs & fat - a hard boiled egg with mayo works well here...

So regarding the bloat - a couple of things could be causing that - the fruit & nuts/nut butter/larabars for starters, the salami (check out the salt content), too many raw veg (you say yourself you eat a lot of salads & these can be hard to digest so maybe ease off on the raw veg for a few days), or lack of water maybe - 80oz a day is good if you weigh 160lbs. You could also be sensitive to something you are eating, although it's difficult to say without knowing exactly what vegetables you are eating & how often.

I'd suggest you start by removing the fruit/nuts/nut butters/bars and see if things don't improve for you from there.....

Check back in in a few days and let us know how you're getting on.

Hope this helps.



 

[dkmwf9]

I'm the fellow day 16 this isn't working for me yet! I feel your frustration waiting for something good or magical to happen and nothing but feeling larger is showing up. I gave up wearing jeans because it was making me feel even worse. Now I can't go streaking to work so I've been wearing dresses instead that don't pinch my middle, but I still feel wider. If you're like me too it doesn't feel like bloat, but just solid width and heft (again, mostly in my stomach). I'm sorry we're both in this boat and don't have tiger blood yet, but you seem determined like I am to get through this completely so I'll just pray that results show up sooner rather than later for both of us! 

[kf0328]

Hey there - sorry to hear you're feeling so discouraged - frankly, you're not alone - another member on day 16 posted exactly the same thing (with pretty much exactly the same title!) only yesterday so don't be disheartened...

First off remember that this is a 30 day plan, and MANY people don't see or feel the magic until the latter stages. Many more folk feel the need to continue on at that point because they want to see and feel more of what they have started to see - it very much depends on your state of health coming into this, and your previous diet.

Are you on any medication? How much sleep are you getting? How are your stress levels?

Regarding your meals - your breakfast is too small. When eggs are your only source of protein in a meal a serving would be the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand without dropping - that's 3-4 for most females. Unless you are extremely petite I'm guessing you can hold more than 2.

Potato isn't always ideal at breakfast (nor is banana but we'll come to that) as the starches can impact blood sugars because you've been fasting overnight. This can negatively impact mood, energy & appetite, so maybe switch  your spud for some power greens like kale & spinach with sauteed onions at breakfast?

Your banana, apple, almond butter combo is completely lacking in veg - I get that a lot of folk struggle with breakfast, so maybe start thinking in terms of meals 1, 2 & 3 - that way anything you eat at meals 2 or 3 is fine for meal 1 as well. The fruit will impact blood sugar even more so than the potato - definitely switch these for veg.

A lot of folk report improved sleep when they eat their starch at meal 3 so you could try that and see how it works out for you, and the fruit hold back until at least meal 2 - provided you've eaten your veg first of course!

I'd also comment that you could maybe cut your starchy veg back to a point where you're having it at one meal only. The recommendation is for at least a fist sized serving per day, so it's fine to eat more, but it is very carb dense so unless you're particularly active or nearing your period I'd probably reduce it slightly.

Are you adding fat to all of your meals over and above that used for cooking? I see no mention of fat other than the nut butter, which incidentally should be eaten in moderation along with all other nut & seed products - they're particularly hard on the digestive system, have a poor omega 3:6 ratio, and can be a food without breaks for a lot of people so well done on cutting back on the almonds!! Have you tried making your own mayo? Or you could add avocado, coconut cream, all kinds of oils, compliant bacon, fatty cuts of meat etc.

Increasing the fat (& the protein at breakfast) should negate your need for a snack. Those larabars are as close as you can get to candy on a Whole30 and they are for emergency use only - snacking is NOT an emergency, and they are doing you no favours. Ditch them. Seriously. If you are genuinely hungry (rather than eating out of habit/boredom) until you figure out how much to eat to last you that recommended 4-5hrs have a mini meal made up of at least two of the three food groups - so protein & fat (best option), protein & carbs, or carbs & fat - a hard boiled egg with mayo works well here...

So regarding the bloat - a couple of things could be causing that - the fruit & nuts/nut butter/larabars for starters, the salami (check out the salt content), too many raw veg (you say yourself you eat a lot of salads & these can be hard to digest so maybe ease off on the raw veg for a few days), or lack of water maybe - 80oz a day is good if you weigh 160lbs. You could also be sensitive to something you are eating, although it's difficult to say without knowing exactly what vegetables you are eating & how often.

I'd suggest you start by removing the fruit/nuts/nut butters/bars and see if things don't improve for you from there.....

Check back in in a few days and let us know how you're getting on.

Hope this helps.

 

Okay great! So I just want to keep up with this and make sure my meals are enough- today for breakfast I had 4 eggs with 1/2 an avocado. Usually I'm not in a rush, but this morning I was, but I was full from 7 til about 11-1130. I made a huge salad for lunch, and put scrambled eggs, one organic hot dog, one piece of salami, a handful of sliced tomatoes, 1/2 an avocado, and some plantains on it. Alongside that, I had a bowl of sautéed onions, tomatoes, and peppers. I am very full and feel that this will last me until around 430- which is right after I workout. Does this sound like enough for lunch? Am I missing anything specific? Part of me thinks that the nuts and nut butters were contributing to me feeling heavy- just because they're kind of the closest thing to processed foods you can get. If that makes sense? Anyway, thanks for helping out! I appreciate it! And I'm really going to miss my Lara Bars.. but I said good bye to them    

[kf0328]

I'm the fellow day 16 this isn't working for me yet! I feel your frustration waiting for something good or magical to happen and nothing but feeling larger is showing up. I gave up wearing jeans because it was making me feel even worse. Now I can't go streaking to work so I've been wearing dresses instead that don't pinch my middle, but I still feel wider. If you're like me too it doesn't feel like bloat, but just solid width and heft (again, mostly in my stomach). I'm sorry we're both in this boat and don't have tiger blood yet, but you seem determined like I am to get through this completely so I'll just pray that results show up sooner rather than later for both of us! 

Ugh, well as much as I wish you weren't feeling the same way- I'm glad I'm not alone! I'm not sure what all your meals look like- but I'm really trying to cut out nuts and nut butters because I feel like those are weighing me down. I crave very carb-y foods a lot, so that's usually my go-to for those instances. Anyway, I really hope we both start seeing some change! Keep in touch!

[Karen_Suep]

Your breakfast still doesn't have any veggies in it though the fat is good (also don't forget a post workout "meal" with some lean meat and starchy veggies like those potatoes ). I've been scrambling eggs with bell pepper and onion and sometimes zucchini with some meat added because I don't like eggs that much and it's been nice to see those veggies at the farmers markets here. Today I was not wanting eggs so I just dumped the rest of my meat (probably close to two palms worth) into my hash and didn't add them. It was still yummy. Tomorrow is probably going to be a hamburger patty bc I think I need more break from eggs.

Definitely don't be afraid to branch out from eggs for breakfast. Think of them as meals 1,2,3 and if you want dinner food for breakfast and breakfast food for dinner, you can totally do that.

[jmcbn]

Okay great! So I just want to keep up with this and make sure my meals are enough- today for breakfast I had 4 eggs with 1/2 an avocado. Usually I'm not in a rush, but this morning I was, but I was full from 7 til about 11-1130. I made a huge salad for lunch, and put scrambled eggs, one organic hot dog, one piece of salami, a handful of sliced tomatoes, 1/2 an avocado, and some plantains on it. Alongside that, I had a bowl of sautéed onions, tomatoes, and peppers. I am very full and feel that this will last me until around 430- which is right after I workout. Does this sound like enough for lunch? Am I missing anything specific? Part of me thinks that the nuts and nut butters were contributing to me feeling heavy- just because they're kind of the closest thing to processed foods you can get. If that makes sense? Anyway, thanks for helping out! I appreciate it! And I'm really going to miss my Lara Bars.. but I said good bye to them    

As karen has said you're still missing veg at breakfast - you need veg at every meal. Personally I find it doesn't matter if I eat 3 eggs or 6 eggs, I don't feel fuller for any longer, but if I mix up the protein sources (ie. eggs & fish, or eggs & ground meat) I get better satiety so you might want to try that.

Your lunch sounds on the large side, but I'm assuming you mean your lunch will take you up until BEFORE you work out? If that's the case then fine. No preWO required. Depending on the type/intensity of your WO and your fitness goals you may only require a few bites of a lean protein - 'suck it and see' as say in these parts.

The nuts were most definitely causing that heavy feeling because your body was probably having to work hard to digest them - you'll honestly feel better without them. And the larabars too.

Let us know how you get on.