Day 12, still feel tired and apathtic

[BonnieBlueEyes99]

I have been a sugar hog for as long as I can remember.  But started W30 12 days ago and haven’t had any cravings or desire to cheat (made a decision to do this and I will).  Here’s the problem.  It’s Day 12 and I still feel like crap.  I am pretty much always an upbeat and energetic person, happy-go-lucky.  Now I’m cranky, so tired I can hardly drag myself out of bed, apathetic (even I know my affect is dull and distainful), and just feeling overall like you know what!  Please tell me there’s not something wrong with me.  My general breakfast is HB egg, avocado, cutie or banana with some nut butter, salsa/grape tomatoes; lunch is salad with olives/oil/vinegar, chicken or salmon, apple or cutie; dinner is a little protein, salad with oil/vinegar.  I’m not hungry.   Why no Tiger Blood for me.  It almost wants me to go back to my old ways except I don’t want to because I know better.  The only thing I know that I don’t do enough of is drink water.  I drink 1 cup of coffe in the morning and prob about 16 oz water in a day, but that has always been my way...I never drank a lot.  I’m 66 years old, 5’ and 200 lbs.  Highest weight ever, all belly/thighs.  I know it’s bad and I want to live to see grandkids.  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. 

[ShannonM816]

Water can make a huge difference, even if you're drinking as much as you always drank. Aim for 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so a 120 lb person needs at least 60 oz a day. It may take you a little time to get to that, but try to add a few ounces every day until you get to that point, and see if you don't see a difference.

Also, your meals might be a little on the light side. If eggs are your only protein, you'd need as many whole eggs as you can hold in one hand, probably 3-4. Your breakfast has very little in the way of vegetables. Try having 3 eggs, a bunch of veggies, and the avocado, and only add the fruit if you're still hungry.

When you have salads, they need to be really big as the leafy greens break down to nothing as you eat. Try mixing up your vegetables. Have a handful of starchy vegetables with one of your meals (potato, sweet potato, rutabaga, carrot, parsnip, beets, butternut or acorn squash, pumpkin, etc.) 

[jmcbn]

47 minutes ago, BonnieBlueEyes99 said:

My general breakfast is HB egg, avocado, cutie or banana with some nut butter, salsa/grape tomatoes; lunch is salad with olives/oil/vinegar, chicken or salmon, apple or cutie; dinner is a little protein, salad with oil/vinegar.

It's difficult to tell from this but I'm guessing you're not eating enough protein, and not nearly enough veg. Can you give us a run down of 3-4 days worth of meals so that we're better equipped to help you trouble-shoot? How long are you going between meals? Are you eating within an hour of wakening? Are you including any starchy veg at all? Potatoes, parsnips etc.? Are you salting your food? 

[Hihoskis]

For whatever it's worth BonnyBlueEyes99 I'm on day 12 and am super tired too!  I believe I have been eating enough protein, eggs at breakfast and animal protein at both lunch and dinner. I just think my body's busy using my energy to heal, so not enough left over to do my normal routines. I'm committed to the program, so am looking forward to when the tiger blood arrives! I know it will, I just have to be patient. Reading the replies, I think I do need to drink more water. I'm not used to eating 3 meals a day - am realizing I was probably undereating in the mornings - so have had a hard time getting all the water in, but will make a better effort now. It's nice to know we're both tired, so thanks for posting!

[BonnieBlueEyes99]

Thanks fo the replies!  I guess maybe I’m not eating enough and will try to get more veggies in, along with the protein, and work on increasing water.  I eat sweet potato usually with lunch.  I usually am up around 7:30.  I eat breakfast at work at about 9 or 9:30.  I am not a morning person.  When I arrive home at night I usually don’t settle in until around 8.  I do try to eat when I get home but prob not enough.  It will take time and I need to plan better...working on it.  Will take all advice to heart ❤️.  I want to live to be 101!

[SugarcubeOD]

Waiting 2 hours from the time you wake up until you eat breakfast is potentially contributing to not feeling your best.  You may not be a morning person but you can balance your hormones and train your body to eat first thing when you wake up which helps with sleep down the line as well.  Try eating that template breakfast within an hour of waking

[Groovymarlin]

I feel the same way. For the first 5 days I felt pretty spectacular. But days 6-8 (today is day 8), I feel draggy, slightly "off" (not quite dizzy, but not normal), and my stomach hurts off and on. Also (TMI incoming) my BMs have been very soft and a bit on the urgent side. I have been chalking this up to sugar withdrawal (I was consuming WAY too much sugar), but I'm still drinking coffee (thank you, NutPods), tea, and iced tea so I am getting caffeine, which should help a bit.

I generally get up 7-7:30, have lunch within 1/2 hour of getting up, eat lunch around 1, and then dinner anywhere from 6 to 7. Here's a few days from my eating log:

Day 4: March 8, 2018
Breakfast: coffee with almond milk, kiwi, cashews
Snack: dried pears, cashews
Lunch: garden salad, chicken, water
Snack: hot tea, dried oranges, cashews, apple
Dinner: 1/2 sweet potato, carnitas, 1/2 avocado, goop, seltzer

Day 5: March 9, 2018
Breakfast: Apple, cashews, almonds, coffee with almond milk
Lunch: Chipotle carnitas salad, guac, salsa, seltzer, 1 date
Dinner: Hamburger patty, salad, hard-boiled egg, seltzer, whole30 dressing
Snack: unsweetened fruit smoothie

Day 6: March 10, 2018
Breakfast: coffee with hemp milk, kiwi, cashews
Snack: date
Lunch: chicken, spinach, squash
Snack: hint, beef stick, cashews
Dinner: ham, mustard, boiled egg, olives, seltzer

- "goop" is paleo avocado oil mayo with some Cholula hot sauce mixed into it

- I also drink lots of water; in addition to the seltzer and hint that I log, I usually drink about 40 oz of plain, filtered water every day

- reading my log it struck me I was eating a lot of cashews, maybe too many, so I cut back on those for the past two days or so

[ladyshanny]

@Groovymarlin - your main issue is likely your meal composition. Your first noted day of eating shows as:

coffee w/ nut milk, fruit, nuts
dried fruit, nuts
salad greens, chicken
dried fruit, nuts, fruit
starchy veggie, protein, avocado, mayo

If you consider that your best possible results will come from following the meal template (protein + veggies + fat) at every meal and then composing your meals so that they get you 4-5 hours between in order to eliminate snacking, you have some work to do here.

Review the meal template linked in my signature below and get your meals composed similarly and you should start to feel better. You're vastly undereating overall and overeating fruits and nuts.

[Groovymarlin]

Thank you so much for the feedback! To be honest, I don't feel hungry about 99% of the time. I will try to make my meals fit the template better and see how it works out.

[BonnieBlueEyes99]

23 hours ago, Groovymarlin said:

I feel the same way. For the first 5 days I felt pretty spectacular. But days 6-8 (today is day 8), I feel draggy, slightly "off" (not quite dizzy, but not normal), and my stomach hurts off and on. Also (TMI incoming) my BMs have been very soft and a bit on the urgent side. I have been chalking this up to sugar withdrawal (I was consuming WAY too much sugar), but I'm still drinking coffee (thank you, NutPods), tea, and iced tea so I am getting caffeine, which should help a bit.

I generally get up 7-7:30, have lunch within 1/2 hour of getting up, eat lunch around 1, and then dinner anywhere from 6 to 7. Here's a few days from my eating log:

Day 4: March 8, 2018
Breakfast: coffee with almond milk, kiwi, cashews
Snack: dried pears, cashews
Lunch: garden salad, chicken, water
Snack: hot tea, dried oranges, cashews, apple
Dinner: 1/2 sweet potato, carnitas, 1/2 avocado, goop, seltzer

Day 5: March 9, 2018
Breakfast: Apple, cashews, almonds, coffee with almond milk
Lunch: Chipotle carnitas salad, guac, salsa, seltzer, 1 date
Dinner: Hamburger patty, salad, hard-boiled egg, seltzer, whole30 dressing
Snack: unsweetened fruit smoothie

Day 6: March 10, 2018
Breakfast: coffee with hemp milk, kiwi, cashews
Snack: date
Lunch: chicken, spinach, squash
Snack: hint, beef stick, cashews
Dinner: ham, mustard, boiled egg, olives, seltzer

- "goop" is paleo avocado oil mayo with some Cholula hot sauce mixed into it

- I also drink lots of water; in addition to the seltzer and hint that I log, I usually drink about 40 oz of plain, filtered water every day

- reading my log it struck me I was eating a lot of cashews, maybe too many, so I cut back on those for the past two days or so

Yes, I understand the BM part... I just figure my intestines are getting rid of last Thanksgiving’s dessert - LOL!  I’m feeling better today, Day 15, I think.  I’m not hungry either.  Breakfast today was egg, veggies with guacamole and olives.  That was around 9:30.  It’s almost 12:30, lunchtime here at work and I’m not hungry at all!  Too much fat at breakfast?  I have salad with olives, chicken cattatore (spelling?), more veggies left over from breakfast, fruit salad.  Just thinking about eating makes me not want to eat.  Lots of adjustments to make.  I’ll wait another hour, try lunch then.