Exhaustion - Will it end?

[teresab26]

Hi all, 

I'm on Day 10 and feel more exhausted than ever. My workouts have been very challenging due to this fatigue and I'm worried that I am wasting my time and it will not get better. I've seen some posts with people saying "It's going to get better!" but other people have said they felt this way the whole time. Will the Whole 30 actually work? I'm starting to get concerned.

Here's a sample of what I'm eating:

Day 5 (Friday):

Breakfast – Scrambled eggs w/ mushrooms and spinach, 2 mandarins

Lunch – Tuna w/ avocado oil mayo and spaghetti squash

Dinner – Cabbage rolls, cauliflower rice, carrots, banana w/ almond butter

 

Day 6 (Saturday)

Breakfast – Chicken sausage and veggie skillet, melon

Lunch – Cabbage rolls, cauliflower rice w/ coconut, carrots

Dinner – Buffalo chicken spaghetti squash casserole, broccoli (1/3 16 oz bag frozen), banana w/ almond butter

 

Day 7 (Sunday)

Breakfast: Buffalo chicken spaghetti squash casserole, broccoli (1/3 16 oz bag frozen), melon

Lunch: 1 cumin/cinnamon chicken breast, ½ coconut crusted chicken breast, baked sweet potato and asparagus

Dinner: Pork loin w/ mushrooms, cabbage, cauliflower rice, banana/almond butter

 

Day 8 (Monday):

Breakfast: Egg bake – 2 eggs, 1/6 lb 93% lean ground beef, mushrooms and spinach; melon

Lunch: 1 cumin/cinnamon chicken breast, ½ coconut crusted chicken breast, baked sweet potato and asparagus

Snack: Hard boiled egg and carrot

Dinner: 3 Cabbage rolls, cauliflower rice, 1/3 pkg frozen butternut squash

 

Day 9 (Tuesday):

Breakfast: Egg bake – 2 eggs, 1/6 lb 93% lean ground beef, mushrooms and spinach; melon

Lunch: 3 cabbage rolls, cauliflower rice, 1/3 pkg frozen carrots

Snack: hard boiled egg

Dinner: Pork loin w/ mushrooms, cabbage, cauliflower rice, banana/almond butter

I'm trying to up my water intake, and I'm also dealing with cold symptoms which is not helping the cause. My sister is also doing the program and is having trouble. How much longer before I worry that it's not working?

[slc_melissa]

Are you adding any fats to your meals, particularly breakfast?  Coconut, olives, dressings, ghee?  That might help with energy level.  I see you're eating almond butter  at dinner most days, consider mixing that up with different fats.  (Nuts can be hard on some people.)  Are you salting your foods?  How is your sleep/stress?

 

Since you're working out, are you eating a post-workout something?  That may help with recovery.  http://whole9life.com/2015/02/eat-post-workout/

 

What are your goals coming into the Whole30?  (What does the Whole30 "working" mean to you?)

 

Also - don't give up yet!  It's 30 days.  Have you seen the timeline - you're in the toughest stretch: http://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/  You seem to have a nice rotation of making food and planning leftovers well, I admire that.

[teresab26]

Thanks for the advice. I don't like olives, and besides using ghee/oils as cooking fats, should I just put them on stuff? Also, if I'm having coconut flakes with lunch, should I not repeat them or is it okay to repeat coconut? And regarding the salt - should I do it more? Why/why not?

I'll also pay more attention to what I'm eating on workout days. So far I've basically just added an extra snack (such as a hard boiled egg) on those days, which I eat about an hour before I workout. I'm also a PE teacher so I am on my feet and moving around all day, and so when my energy feels zapped like it has it's tough. 

I don't know that I ever had specific goals or expectations, but I hoped to feel better and more energetic overall while clearing up some minor "inflammatory" symptoms (eczema, joint pain, digestive issues, etc.). Before the program, I would say I ate fairly healthy and felt generally okay, despite some of these nagging issues. I have had autoimmune tests with my doctor come back negative, although I feel like I may have some sensitivities/issues that I should pay attention to during the Whole 30. I was/am hoping the Whole 30 fixes some of these symptoms and makes me feel generally better, less anxious, and "reset" my system a bit if that makes sense. I'm also about 10 lbs from my ideal weight and hoped this would be a good push in the right direction.

Thanks for your help! I'm excited about the program and hopeful that it works but worried at the same time (I am a stressed/anxious person and worry a lot, since you asked). It's a lot of time/effort/$$ and I'm hoping it makes me feel better in some way! I do appreciate having a forum like this to share and get advice too!

[slc_melissa]

Most of the cooking fat gets left in the pan, so consider adding more fats to meals. Avocado, mayo, etc. It's ok to add oil/ghee directly onto the meal as well . I think coconut is fine to repeat (I do really well with it), I called out nuts specifically because a lot of people can have problems with them. (Coconut is not technically a nut.)

As far as salt goes, a lot of people have a dramatic shift in salt consumption when they such to whole 30, depending on what they were eating before. Electrolyte (includes sodium, potassium, magnesium, among others) imbalance can cause a host of problems, including fatigue. I'd try adding some salt to your foods if you haven't been at all. Another product that might help is called natural calm. It's a magnesium supplement. It's a powder you add to water, look for the unflavored version, not all of them are whole 30 compliant. I am sure there are other brands or pills that would also work. It also may help with anxiety and sleeping.

Also, consume water. I believe the recommendation is 0.5 oz per pound body weight.

They recommend protein and fat pre workout, so the hard boiled egg looks good there.

Within 30 min post workout, consume a couple bites of protein and starchy vegetables. chicken+ sweet potato. meatballs made with squash in them, leftovers, etc. Doesn't have to be big, but i think it will help. Fats will slow down  the process here, so don't add them post workout.

I know it's a lot to think about, but you are doing great. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, right?  I do think you will see benefits, please let us know how you get on!

[teresab26]

Thanks! I put some coconut milk in my coffee this morning (something my sister has been doing) as opposed to drinking it black. I forgot to put the daily cup of AM coffee on my meal plan, but it's just one a day and I am drinking it black. I'm going to try to work in the other changes as well.. thanks again for your ideas! I'll let you know how it goes!