First-Timer on Day 4

[dayersman90]

Hey everybody,

I'm currently doing W30 for the first time starting Monday and am going through serious withdrawals. That's not my concern as I'm an ex-cigarette and energy drink addict (quit both two months ago) and have gone through withdrawals many times in my life. My mind and body are going through positive changes and that's great. My issue is I have no appetite at all today. I've barely been able to keep my food down and threw up after lunch on Tuesday (day 2) and almost did again this morning after breakfast. Now it's 2 PM here and feel unbelievably nauseous and bloated. Wondering what others have done to work around this and get the nutrition they need. I know juicing is sort of frowned upon but is this a situation where that's appropriate just to get the necessary nutrition? Maybe a small source of protein here and there with a glass of green juice?

Excited to continue this and plan on going for 60. My eating (and other) habits were beyond terrible so I'm not at all surprised it's hitting me so hard, physically, in week 1.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Withdrawals from W30 are significantly worse than any nicotine and caffeine withdrawals I've experienced in the past but that excites me even more! Much needed detox.

[pearlgirl2017]

I would think something is certainly not right here.  The timeline shows the "worst-case" effects of coming off sugar and wheat, but I don't remember it saying the "flu-like symptoms" included vomiting.  I am not a doctor so all I can do is try to help you figure it out. Treat your poor tummy as if you really have the flu.  Drink room temp water and/or hot tea.  Avoid anything iced.  And eat something like a cream based potato soup https://www.realfoodwithjessica.com/2016/11/13/paleo-creamy-potato-leek-soup/ and scrambled eggs.  Things that are easy on the stomach.  

Have you added something new to your diet?  Try sticking to things you would normally eat for now, just eat them in a compliant manner.

Too many cruciferous veggies can cause gas and bloating, whether eaten raw or cooked. Too much at one time always gives me an upset stomach.  Green juices are not recommend during the program, but you can make soups out of them.  Leave them with a little of the veggies still in chunks so that you have to chew.

[dayersman90]

Hi there! I should've been more clear, this feels like a more intensified withdrawal than I've gone through before, no new symptoms. I felt immediately better after vomiting on day 2 and am not exhibiting any other flu-like symptoms. I haven't added anything I don't really eat, just a larger intake of veggies. My assumption was that, aside from all the bad additives and sugars I've been eating, my addiction to Coke Zero and Stevia in coffees were the main culprits for why it's so intensified.

My breakfasts have been spinach omelets with a small avocado and the two meals I've cooked so far are the beef stew and French chicken stew from Melissa's slow cooker cookbook. I guess technically I added breakfast as a whole to my diet, which I never ate before. Didn't think anything of that, though. Don't know why I didn't think of soups hah! I've been drinking iced drinks today but made a green tea with half a lemon upon reading this. Will keep myself hydrated with tea/room temp water these next two days and see if I feel better tomorrow. I've been able to go out and run chores these past few days but the nausea has been really bad.

[kirbz]

I was a Lucky Charms-for-breakfast-kind-of-girl before Whole30 and I really, really struggled with breakfast. When I first started eating Whole30, I would legit feel nauseous and have a gag reflex when I would eat in the morning. I never really threw up but I certainly thought I would more than once! 

Perhaps that is part of your struggle? I finally landed at scrambled eggs and soup being a breakfast that I can easily stomach so I second the recommendation on those food items, particularly for breakfast! 

For reference, my two favorite soups are: 

• https://meljoulwan.com/2012/10/24/golden-cauliflower-soup/ (this one would be easiest to stomach at first - creamy and subtle and delicious!) 
• https://meljoulwan.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/

Otherwise, I don't have a lot of experience with what you're going through but I admire your attitude and wish you the very best! 

[Jihanna]

My first 5 days were pretty terrible. I think I described it in my log as true detox, not a hangover, because I was getting hit with all the classic symptoms I knew of both detox and dehydration - nausea, vomiting, headaches, body aches, shakes, etc. For a good part of one of those days I was barely even awake, and there's no way I would've made it without acetaminophen (Tylenol) and a nausea med (I have a mild dose of Zofran because of cycle-related nausea, and my timing was bad because I started a week later than expected, right on day 2 of my Whole30). As one who completely embraced the idea of doctor's orders trumping Whole30 rules (I'm also on a 3x daily med for bipolar), I was willing to accept that my medications weren't compliant but were necessary if I wanted to keep anything down and get anything like a decent rest at night, at least for those first few days. Since then, I haven't faced anything remotely close to that except nausea brought on during a test with dairy products.

I second the idea of playing around with the type of meal and even the consistency. Although juicing and smoothies aren't recommended, my evening "meal" on the worst of my early days was definitely a smoothie... my thought was that it was preferable to at least get nutrition in even if not in the preferred state, rather than skipping it altogether.

I hope you're able to find something that works until you're acclimated!