Thinking about ending wayyyy to early

[Becca12]

Hey all!

I am currently on day 6 of doing Whole30 but I have run into a lot of problems with being constantly hungry and tired. I am a 20 year old college athlete (currently in off season) and I decided to start because I’ve had a lot of stomach issues in the past. The number one problem is I am always starving about 30 minutes after I eat a meal because due to a previous found issue, I cannot eat starch like potatoes or sweet potatoes. 

An example of what I eat in a day:

-3 scrambled eggs, compliant sausage and an apple

-salmon with loaded veggie salad with base of kale and spinach, and brussels sprouts

-balsamic chicken bake with carrots, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes

and I usually snack on larabars before I workout or eat nuts and veggies/fruit

I feel that since I can’t eat a real heavy carb like potatoes that I’m left very unsatisfied all the time and still have an upset stomach feeling and I am curious if I should end the program or modify it to fit my previous health needs. 

Thanks!  -Becca 

[ShannonM816]

I would start by adding one or two servings of fat to every meal, in addition to whatever oil the food is cooked in. The meal template lists several options:   https://whole30.com/2014/06/really-start-whole30/. 

I would also ditch the Larabars completely, but especially as a pre-workout food. For pre-workout you should be having protein and/or fat. A hard boiled egg with mayo or some leftover meat or some olives. Post workout, have some protein and some starchy vegetables like carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, parsnips, beets, plantains, turnips, rutabagas.

You also need vegetables at every meal, even breakfast. Try adding spinach to your eggs or making some soup to have.

Adding fat to your meals and making sure you're having vegetables at each meal should help you feel more satisfied for longer after each meal. Switching up the pre-workout food should help you become fat adapted a little faster. And there are other compliant starchy vegetable options besides potatoes and sweet potatoes. If you're experiencing digestive issues, it can help to make sure most of your vegetables are cooked thoroughly as they are easier to digest when they're cooked.

Try these things for a week or two and then let us know how it's going, and if it's still not working for you, we'll try to figure out how to help. (Do know that your workouts are likely to be pretty crappy for the first 10 days to two weeks of whole30 as your body adjusts to this way of eating, but then it should get better.)