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Day 13 and I want to quit


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I'm now about to finish day 13 and I can't even remember why I started. I don't know why I should bother finishing then. I feel kind of deprived. I've also gotten headaches the past couple days and I RARELY get headaches. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, or it just doesn't work for me. :-( I want to go back to eating paleo and eating whatever I want for a meal Saturdays and drinking red wine at night.

Why should I continue?

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As you said, if you can't remember why you started, it would be a challenge.

Write down what you think were your goals. Are you making progress on those goals?

I think everyone understands the deprivation, at some point or another. But, it is only 30 days and you are almost halfway there!

Make sure you are following the food template. Not eating enough or getting enough fluids could be causing your headaches.

Best of luck!

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I agree with KB. You had goals in the beginning, right? If you were completely happy with your Paleo way of eating with taking a break on the weekends, then why did you decide to do W30? There must have been a reason.

Your symptoms point to not enough food/fat. It would help if you could tell us what and how much you are eating and your excersize level. You sound fed up, but I hope you haven't given up. It truly is worth it. I wish you had come here sooner.

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You should continue because it gets better!!! 13 days is just the start, you are getting headaches because your body is withdrawing from the junk that was in it before. It means you may have a lot to gain in terms of improved health if you give it a chance. I got them too, for several days on end, but they went away. It really does get worse before it gets better.

I know it's hard, especially at first. But the more you open yourself up to trying new foods, new recipes, and forming new habits the easier it gets and the less deprived you will feel. And I don't know what prompted you to start in the first place, whether specific health problems or general discomfort, etc. but maybe if you see a specific improvement (which could take weeks!) you will no longer see giving up the food(s) causing it a sacrifice, rather eating it is the sacrifice because it causes you to suffer!

I have figured out through Whole30 and subsequent experimentation that gluten gives me asthma. When I don't eat gluten I don't have asthma and when I do eat it I do - it's that simple. But it took months to figure that out. So be patient, give it a chance and see what happens. Most of us find this to be a much easier process once we start seeing benefits.

Also remind yourself that the foods you give up aren't going anywhere, they will be there post-Whole30 and beyond. As for myself, I will still eat gluten when I feel it's worth the consequences, but I am now able to make that decision knowing what those consequences are.

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There will be a day in the future -- because it's happening to me now -- when those same foods that make you feel deprived begin to look like poison, when the negative associations with them are so strong you don't even want to try them again to see if they fit into your lifestyle.

I'm sitting here typing with an oatmeal cookie in front of me. My son brought it home from school, it's homemade with some chocolate in it. Two bites and it would be gone but I'm not touching it because that oatmeal and sugar = tummy upset to me now. It's not deprivation, I honestly don't want it -- a complete reversal of how I used to be attracted to these foods.

Give your body a chance to clear out and send you the right signals about what is healthy for you and what isn't. Two more weeks of clean eating, and then adding things back will be a whole (ha!) different experience for you. Giving up now will just leave a garbled memory of feeling bad while you were trying to feel good. It will be very difficult at this point to sort out what works for you nutritionally and what doesn't.

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Thank you all so much for your support! You brought up amazing points that really made me think. I'm going to try my best to stick with this. If nothing else it has really made me aware of all the ridiculous junk that is in most foods in the grocery store. I was really disappointed with how many things have sugar.

I actually convinced a friend to do the whole30 with me, and I have been frustrated that she is feeling so good while I feel kind of rundown. She's also dropping the pounds like crazy while I doubt that I am.

I may not be eating enough, but I get so bored of cooking and eating. I also do crossfit five days and week and teach first grade.

I usually start with my day with a couple eggs and leftover veggies from the night before or whole30 approved sausage. I then eat a couple cups of vegetable, usually broccoli or Brussels sprouts, and a grass fed burger with pico or a chicken breast for lunch. After workout is my dinnertime and I usually make enough veggie for me to eat that night and for lunch the next day. I also have some kind of protein, like a chicken breast, a small steak or a couple eggs. I also eat 2-3 apples a day. I feel like I'm eating more fruit because it's the only thing in my house that I don't have to prepare or cook to be able to eat.

I just can't imagine eating more than I currently am. It already feels like tons of food.

I also drink a lot of water. I have at least 7-9 glasses a day.

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I think you can turn this around. I really do. First...who cares how much weight your friend is losing and are you doing this to lose weight because that isn't what the focus should be. Your meals sound okay, but I have a feeling you aren't eating enough fat. That is so important. You need to teach your body to burn fat for energy and you can't do that unless you are eating enough of it.

For my first meal, I will maybe have 2 eggs, but then I will also have some other protein or I will have 3 eggs.

You are not eating enough if you are doing CF 5 days a week and teaching first grade. First grade teachers earn extra food just for doing what you do. :) Add CF and you simply aren't getting enough.

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Maybe if you could post a couple days of your typical meals (which you are growing tired of), people can post suggestions on how you might easily shake it up a bit? I have a few go-to foods that I always try to have on hand for different types of difficult food moments:

Munchies: Olives, handful of WF deli roast beef (or leftover protein), nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruit, a Bubbies dill pickle sliced into little disks for that hand-to-mouth satisfaction (I bet hand-to-mouth snacking of any food is discouraged per W30, but better than throwing the towel in!).

Out and about too long: I keep an emergency Lara Bar and little Baggie of nuts in my purse

Too lazy to make a "real" meal: WF deli roast beef (beef, olive pil, salt, pepper), raw cauliflower (and/or cucumber, carrots, whatever other veggie is on hand), cashews, olives,

Sweet tooth making a rare appearance: dried pineapple, spoonful of coconut butter (warm the jar for 15 secs in microwave and its gooey delicious), dates and coconut flakes.

I hope you are hanging in there!

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Hang in there it really will get better. Just a few things I did to save constantly cooking from scratch. When I made veg I made enough for 3 or 4 days. then I only had to throw them in the pan with ghee or coconut oil to heat quickly. I did the same when I cooked meat, chilli, burgers,chicken or anything like that, made enough for 4 - 6 meals, kept out that night's and the following days leftovers and froze the rest in individual portions. It's amazing how many of my meals are just dumped in the pan mixed together and heated up. They don't look very attractive but they're oh-so-tasty :)

For the I-really-can't-face-the- cooker moments I buy bags of ready washed salad throw one of them in a bowl add an avocado and a tin of tuna or hard boiled eggs, olives and any compliant cold meat. Add a dressing or mayo and munch.

As others have said, if you quite now it really won't leave a good taste in your mouth (pardon the pun :rolleyes: ) but stick it out, nourish your body, let it heal and you'll be really well equipped to sail into the rest of your life. Good luck

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When I get the "why on earth am I doing this?" mentality, it is usually because I need to eat or sleep more! Sounds like you are working out quite hard AND you teach 1st grade :blink: ...God help you! Haha! You definitely need to eat more. Get yourself an awesome paleo cookbook and get inspired so that you don't feel deprived. Good luck!!!

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My absolute worst day, was day 19 or something like that. I was damn miserable but I'd already gone almost three weeks and no freaken way was I going to throw in the towel. 13 days is nothing to laugh it! You've done some really hard work for almost two weeks! Don't stop! You are half way there sister!

Do not compare your w30 to your friends! You have no idea what underlying issues you both had when you started. Maybe you had more inflammatory issues than she did so your results will be completely different than hers. Every W30 is different! Every body is different. No comparisons allowed :) I'm on round two, almost back to back, and even for me, it's different this time!

Hang in there kiddo! You're doing fine :)

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hey there. So sorry to hear you're struggling. I know how tough it can be.

I agree with what others have said: make sure you're eating enough, and add a lot of starchy veg if you're working out so hard. On that front, I'm sure this may be hard to hear, but CF 5 days a week is a LOT of stress on your body. I've been there, so I know firsthand. And it seems counterintuitive, but I would strongly suggest playing around with your workout schedule, maybe decreasing CF and replacing it with yoga or light walking. The stress of over-exercising can be vicious on your body. When I was exercising hardcore 5 days a week, I hit a point where I felt terrible. Once I decreased my workout load, I actually lost more weight and felt better. I know others here can vouch for that as well. Just something to consider.

Feel better!

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