Soy Lecithin

[Skrefe1]

I'm on day 12 and I have been having a miserable time with the program.  I've had bouts of insomnia since I've started, I've been having severe mood swings, i'm yelling at people at work that i shouldn't be yelling at (and got a formal write-up), but I have been doing my best and staying 100% true to the program.  This morning, at a meeting, I grabbed a Teabag of herbal tea, made a cup of tea, took 1 sip, and remembered "oh, I need to look at the label", and saw that it had Soy Lecithin, and threw the rest of the cup out.

This isn't a "should I restart" question, because based on my experience I do no plan to ever try Whole30 again, but if there is a chance that there might be a positive outcome, I am willing to stick it out and finish it.  My question is if there is even a point- will I get anything positive out of the rest of the program with that 1 sip of Soy Lecithin?  Or would continuing for another 18 days of a higher fat diet that i'm used to having combined with all the mental/physical issues I'm having be more damaging to my health?

Thank you for your response

[Lorna from Canada]

I'm going to say no harm, no foul here. The moderator will pop by and send you the link to the restart question but you've already made your decision to carry on and this tiny "sip up" (see what I did there  ) ain't going to finish this off for you.

I hope you aren't looking for a reason to quit though - then I'd have to insist that you carry on. (insert stern mom face here) On day 11, I had to go to the doctor with the worst asthma flare up I've ever had - felt like total crappola. It could have been totally unrelated to the W30 but I felt like blaming it anyway because I was really expecting miracles and, instead, I got put on steroids to help me not die. I did know that my body was full of inflammation from my free for all pre-W30 diet x 6 months and it had some work to do to clear it and, slowly, but surely, it did. And still is - because, despite how awful I felt for 3 weeks on this program, the mental and physical benefits from the last 10 days were so amazing, I added 10 more. Yup - I'm doing a W40.

So, hang in there  Vent here instead of at your coworkers (we can take it) and keep working it. Just be sure to check those teabag labels - mmkay?

[ShannonM816]

I'm sorry you're having a rough time. 

It's hard to say exactly how one sip of tea with soy lecithin would affect your results. Normally i would stress that it wouldn't be a waste to continue regardless, because eating tons of vegetables, some protein, and some healthy fats is not a bad thing, but since you're not feeling great, I doubt that argument is going to sit very well with you.

If you choose to continue and would like some feedback about your meals, to see if there's anything that might make this work better for you, list a day or two of typical meals, including approximate portion sizes, and we can take a look and see if anything stands out.

In general, be sure you're salting your food, drinking plenty of water, and following the meal template. Most people feel best if they have one fist-sized serving of starchy vegetables each day, but some need more, and one thing that going too low carb does seem to affect is mood.

[Skrefe1]

Thank you for the reply’s- it’s not that I’m looking for a way out, its that I very much have been able to rationalize decisions- like skipping a Super Bowl party, and almost being at the point where I never want eggs again, with the fact that “it’s only 30 days”, and with not having seen any of the positive benefits yet- a lack of caffeine (I can’t drink Coffee so I am used to getting it through soda) makes me ultra-cranky, the mentioned sleeping issues (likely due to the drastic diet change)- the idea of doing anything more than 30 days is just something I’m not willing to accept at this time. 

Im hopeful that in the next few days I’ll finally get to the point where I’m feeling the positive aspects, and I’ll continue on. 

[pags98]

It would be really helpful if you posted what you're eating and as importantly, when you're eating.  This Whole30 I made a conscious effort to stop eating by 9pm even though I typically stay up until midnight.  What I found was that I'd be sleepy by 10 or 10:30 and my natural reflexes took over and I just went to bed.  I also made sure I ate within 30 minutes of waking up and was sure to get enough fat in my meals.  Finally, pretty much every meal had a few cups of either kale, spinach or mixed greens.  I see a lot of folks posting what they're eating and it sure seems they're light on the veggies (and thus important nutrients).  

I'm with you on the soda but you can kick it if you're willing to tough it out.  It would be hard to be more of a soda abuser than I was prior to my first whole30.  

Stay strong!

[oh__joy]

I just started my second Whole30 after about 10 days of an elimination diet beforehand, so I eased into it a little better. However, during the elimination diet, I got horribly sick the first 5 days of it, and that was just cutting out some dairy and egg yolks. I’m sure my body was in detox mode, which it sounds like yours may be, too. Oftentimes it’s a week, for others it’s longer.

Let me just say, though, it gets easier if you do decide to do it again. I didn’t make it through my first Whole30 (I think I made it 16 days) - I craved cheese too much, I wasn’t fully committed, I didn’t prep, and I ate out too much not worrying about cheating (if I didn’t know something was in my meal that was noncompliant, it didn’t count to me). This time around, I went grocery shopping my first day and really stocked up on produce, I saved meals from Pinterest that looked appealing to me, and I put myself first. That last part really is the hardest.

Whether you decide to end the program early or continue with it, I urge you to consider trying a second Whole30 sometime. The first time trying anything new is super hard, and oftentimes, it’s more of a learning opportunity than really a chance to take full advantage of it. But the learning part was definitely helpful for me - I learned how disciplined I wasn’t, how much I was putting others before myself, and what I needed to do to succeed if I tried again. And while I’m only technically on Day 3, I’m feeling great so far. I will also say my last Whole30 was over a year ago, so it took me a while to be ready for it again.

Also, in regards to your eggs comment, I just found out I’m sensitive to egg yolks, so I’m trying not to eat eggs at all. It’s SUPER hard for breakfasts, but I found some awesome recipes that actually keep me full all morning! I made a sausage-apple-sweet potato skillet this week that’s AWESOME. I’d recommend taking like an hour this weekend or one evening to research foods/meals you might like to try. It makes me excited to eat my next meal instead of dreading it for sure!