4 months postpartum/no sleep/hashimotos

[Breanna mercer]

Hello, I have not started a full compliant whole 30 yet this year. I am 4 months going on 5 month postpartum and struggling with actual weight gain while breast feeding fulltime.

I am not sleeping well mainly due to my daughter getting up several times a night.

I am planning on doing the whole 30 in all compliance September 5th.  I am eating whole30 for the most part now since my daughter is so sensitive to grains and dairy.

My main issue is sugar and crashing since I am not getting enough rest. I am drinking caffeine and am wondering if that is a bad idea with the lack of sleep and the hashimotos?

I am wondering what tips there are for boosting energy levels and losing weight. I've been researching it a little and it sounds like I might need to be doing higher fat? and less starches?

my blood sugar keeps dropping and I am eating turkey bacon, whit potatoes, and peppers and eggs in the morning.

I am trying to game plan as much as possible basically for September I have not tried this program this close to being postpartum.

I did it last July to figure out sensitive foods and ended up pregnant with my daughter   So I know my foods that I am sensitive to some foods.

I am wanting this to curb my sugar dragon again and lose something whether that be inches or lbs

Any help is appreciated!

I also want to know what are good snack fats:)

[MrsStick]

If your daughter is your only child (looks like it in your picture), sleep when she does as much as you can. If she naps and you're tired, sleep then. My son is almost 7 months old and I haven't had any caffeine in years still. And don't get me wrong - 4 months was a BAD TIME for sleeping. The sleep regression hit and we were up every.45.minutes.on.the.dot.all.night. I know how tired you are. I'm still getting up every 3 hours or so right now...I don't know what's up with this kid, but that's how life is for me at the moment.

If you have thyroid problems, caffeine really isn't a good idea. It taxes your adrenal glands and can cause some serious issues (look up adrenal fatigue to get the scoop on that). Same with sugar. For energy...eat food. Really, being well nourished will help. It won't give you the same caffeine kick but it'll definitely help. Since you'll be coming off of caffeine + sugar to Whole 30, don't be afraid to eat starches at every meal at first so your body has what it needs. Fat also will be hugely helpful, especially if you're breastfeeding. I don't know about you but I can eat 1/3 cup mayo in one sitting and still feel a little peckish. My son is almost 7 months old but wearing and starting to outgrow 12 month clothes with some amazing thunder thighs but also way stronger than I ever anticipated a little guy could be.

You should try to avoid snacking, though I totally understand having a little one and the difficulty with getting full meals. Trust me, I do. But snacking, at least for me, leads down a very dangerous road and I try to avoid it. My biggest struggle is bedtime snacking - I'm usually really hungry by bedtime even though I feel stuffed at dinner (tonight was a full plate with mashed sauteed white potatoes cooked in almost 1/3 cup ghee since I have no microwave at the moment, 2 palms taco beef with peppers and onions mixed in, cucumber, tomato, and pineapple). My plate was FULL and I'll probably have something else before bed to tide me over with the waking up. Some ideas for quick food you can try:

- Egg Drop Soup from the Paleo Parents blog. I make this ALL THE TIME and stuff all kinds of veggies into it. Shredded carrots, chopped onions, and if I'm feeling sick I'll throw a ton of garlic and fresh ginger in it too.

- Boiled eggs + veggies + guac/olives/mayo dip/some kind of fat.

- Meat or egg muffins filled with veggies, especially with a mayo dip

Good luck!

[Karen_Suep]

Eat 4 meals a day. You need the extra food. (Or 3 meals and at least one mini meal) with plenty of fat. If you're hungry, eat. Make sure you stay hydrated too. I'm on day 27 with a three month old and toddler and I'm not dragging nearly as much as I thought I'd be. I'm not really drinking caffeine either. Just relying on food to nourish me and it's going well.