Need Some Confidence

[Sharona207]

I am nearing the end (day 25) of my first Whole30.   I have noticed some changes in my belly fat and my skin.  Other than that, I'm not sure I feel much different.  A bit sluggish in the afternoon and ready for bed at 9pm.  I wake up at 5:30am.  I want to continue on past the initial 30 days.  I haven't cheated even once and have never snacked in between meals.  Usually I'm not hungry enough that I can't wait it out.  My concern as I near the end of this initial 30 days is have I eaten enough, too much?  I kinda struggled the whole time wondering and still feel tired and while I had some quick loss in my belly fat and used that as a motivator, that hasn't changed past about days 10-11.  I haven't had cravings of any kind even though before starting my Whole30 I was big on sugar (sweets are my total downfall) and drank wine on the weekends.  Prior to this Whole30 and just passing over the other side of menopause, I've pretty much eaten what I wanted and suffered the consequences of gaining many unwanted pounds.  

Here is an idea of what I've been eating:

M1 - 2 hardboiled eggs, 1 avocado, 1/2 sweet potato roasted with ghee and cinnamon.

M2 - Huge (plate full) of salad with all sorts of veggies - cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, fresh mushrooms, black olives, kale, spinach, fresh cilantro and spring greens.  for dressing I've either used compliant salsa or Dump Ranch.  I top it with a serving of shredded chicken or pork (made in my instant pot) 

M3 - Oftentimes  the same type of salad with some sort of meat prepared with a whole30 recipe like the almond chicken parm (no parmesan, just almond flour and ground natural almonds) or something on the grill or foreman (I don't know if they still even make those LOL mine is old) like salmon.   I've also had a soup and salad like the Tomato Bisque or a TexMex Butternut squash that is compliant.  I also add some roasted vegetables of all kinds using EVOO when I make them.   This week I discovered Trader Joe's riced cauliflower and Coconut Aminos and made a stir fry that was A-Mazing!!  If it is soup and salad I add an egg or some avocado to the salad.   

I drink LOTS at least the 1/2 oz per lb of body weight of water and treat myself to a LaCroix or Club Soda with Lime in the afternoon.

One of the reasons I've made it this far is I scour the posts and really try to listen to what others have said on the forums.  In other words - I really value this site and all of your postings.

Thank you so much for any input you can give me - I'm determined to finish strong after the initial 30, but I want to have the confidence to continue because the meal prep is time consuming and the amount of time I seem to spend on the sites and at the grocery store.  If I should be doing something differently, I would rather know now before continuing only to find out later.   I didn't think I could do it, but it honestly hasn't been THAT hard.  That is why I want to continue.  

Thank you so much for investing in not only my Whole30, but everyone else that is trying to live a healthier lifestyle.   You are appreciated!!!   

 

 

 

[ladyshanny]

I would suggest that you are probably undereating. Salad isn't sturdy enough really to be a meal unless it's mixing-bowl huge and certainly not for two meals. The soup and salad night you're only adding one egg OR avocado? 

Your 2-egg breakfast is low on vegetables and protein (eggs as your sole protein are as many as you can hold in one hand without dropping; 3-4 for most people is a good start. We also want you to have 2-3 cups of veggies at each meal. 

I would try bumping up your protein and see if that helps. Also sub out one of those salads for a meal with 2-3 cups of cooked non-starchy veggies. And soup and salad night needs more protein.  

[Sharona207]

Thank you ladyshanny.  I really do appreciate your input.  

[Sherbrewer]

I am on Round1, just finished Day 16.  For the last three days I have been exhausted. I just had my yearly physical, everything is great for my age (76), so I wonder when the tiredness will go away. I'm very active and this is annoying.  My husband and I slept in today, so we really had only two meals and a snack.  Breakfast was a chicken garlic sausage, 2 jumbo eggs scrambled in ghee and half a mango.  Snack was an apple with almond buter.  Dinner was 6 ounces of sirloin with half a baked potato and steamed broccoli with a lemon ghee sauce.  Any suggestions?

[ShannonM816]

@Sherbrewer try making each meal meet the meal template, and even if you have something smaller than a full meal, try to have protein, fat, and vegetables, or at least two of the three. So add some vegetables at breakfast, your dinner looks ok. Other than that, it's hard to say. Have you kept a food log, can you go back and see if your meals are all meeting the meal template, or if something changed in the last few days? Are you drinking enough water? Salting your food? Getting enough sleep? Have you been particularly stressed the last few days? Any of these could contribute to feeling exhausted, it might not be food related at all.