Day 5-Dazed and Confused

[rbill]

Hi all,

 

This is my second Whole30, the first round I was eating almost 100% paleo and the transition to W30 was easier (just eliminated honey and other little things but wasn't eating any grains before). After that round (ended in February), I had fallen "off the wagon" and had started making much less-healthy choices than beforehand (trying to find "food freedom" and the pursuit did not go so well). 

 

Within the past two weeks I kinda ate "whatever" (e.g. pizza, subs, pretzels, wheat, gluten, dairy). Realizing that I want to break this cycle and try to find food freedom, I started a new round. I'm on Day 5 but since day 1 (Monday) I've been very dizzy, disoriented, and feeling like my thought process is totally delayed (almost like I feel dumb!!). 

 

I believe the culprit is wheat and gluten (this feeling has happened once before when I re-introed non-gluten grains but passed within a day). My bowels have also not been back to W30-normal. 

 

How long does this feeling last for??!! Not only is it genuinely annoying, but it's also concerning at how much havoc I wreaked on my body... 

 

Any insight is appreciated.

[ShannonM816]

I would think you'd be past the dizzy and disoriented feelings five days after eating gluten or whatever. The bowel stuff can take longer.

 

What have you been eating the last few days, and how much of it? Are you drinking plenty of water and salting your food? Do all your meals meet the meal template?

 

When someone posts within the first few days of starting Whole30 that they're having this kind of problem, it's often that they're not eating enough, so be sure that at each meal, you're having 1-2 palm-sized portions of protein, the length, width, height of your palm (or as many whole eggs as you can hold in one hand, if they're your only protein source in a meal); 1-2 thumb-size portions of fat, or a heaping handful of olives or coconut flakes, or half to a whole avocado, etc., as outlined on the meal template -- in addition to the fat you cook in, since much of it isn't consumed; and 1-3 cups of vegetables. Most people do well with a fist-sized serving of starchy vegetable (like potato, sweet potato, root vegetable, winter squashes) per day, some people need more. Fruit should be limited to a serving or two per day, with meals.

 

Definitely be sure you're salting your food to taste. Whole foods like you're eating on Whole30 don't contain much salt, and you do need some to function. Also be sure you're drinking about 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so a 120-lb person needs about 60 oz, more if you're working out strenuously or are out in the heat sweating a lot.