akw104 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Hello, I am on R1D23. I am thoroughly enjoying the food. I have no complaints about being bored or struggling to find meal ideas. Mentally, this has been actually going really well. I enjoy a good challenge and love when things make me think of food differently (I am a chef, I think about food ALL the time!). However, physically I am feeling a little discouraged. I don't have any chronic ailments. My doctor says that I am in perfect health and the reason for feeling so "blah" is simply being a mom (I have two young boys). I GET that. But, before doing this I started cutting out gluten and dairy and about 6 months ago really picked up my workout routines again (knowing it would improve my physical health and mental health). I go to bed early, meditate occasionally, etc. tried everything to fight the fatigue and general grumpiness that ensues because of that. Nothing seemed to help. And then I started the Whole 30! (Before doing Whole 30 I maintained a very healthy diet...so it's not like I was starting from a major sugar/carb addiction. I do love chocolate and wine though!) I can tell that I have lost weight. Photos show major differences...tying into working out more, the food choices are working in the right direction. But I still feel "blah". I have not experienced any real increase in energy. I long to wake up refreshed and ready to go and that increased focus I keep hearing about. I love eating this way, I have no intent on changing that. I am wondering if I am doing some things wrong due to my lifestyle or maybe there are other food triggers. For example, on a day that I had a 2-3 egg breakfast and then had the same for lunch I crashed HARD. I was so tired in the afternoon and napped. I assumed it was part of the process and just kept going (this was about day 15). Then I got to thinking, maybe it's the eggs. I eat eggs A LOT...before and during Whole 30. So I took them out for a few days, just did "hash" type breakfasts and while I still felt a little tired, I felt less bloated. This morning (Day 23) I had 2-3 baked eggs and tonight I am bloated and physically feeling gross again for the first time in awhile...could be a number of things, I could be getting into my own head - which is why I am here. Some meal samples - (with eggs) 2-3 egg frittata with potatoes (red or sweet), sausage, peppers, tomatoes, other veggies from the dinner before + 1/4 cup guacamole & homemade fermented hot sauce (without egg) 1/4# sausage, potatoes, onions, broccoli, kale - cashews or guacamole salmon, 1-2 cups asparagus, 1/2 cup baked carrots, green salad with peppers, tomatoes & olives & olive oil and vinegar dressing steak (fist and a half probably), potatoes, brussels sprouts, green salad with peppers & olives & olive oil and vinegar dressing pork chops (1 large), homemade (no sugar!) applesauce 1/4 c, brussels sprouts, green salad peppers & olives & olive oil and vinegar dressing Drinking lots of water - barely any snacking - coffee in the morning - kombucha occasionally 3-5x a week I run 2-3 miles or take a 30-45 min spin class I know I am eating a lot and seeing physical differences while doing so (which I find fascinating!). Maybe I am still not eating enough? Thank you for reading my long winded post...looking forward to the last week and any tips you might have to make it a good one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted October 30, 2019 Administrators Share Posted October 30, 2019 Sorry you're struggling. It sounds frustrating knowing something isn't quite right and a dr putting it down to "this is just how life is". From what I can see you are not eating enough overall and certainly not enough for your activity level. It's hard to tell what your portions are like - protein should be 1-2 palms (your own palm thickness, width and length), veggies should be at least 2-3 cups of cooked and then an adequate fat serving (whole or half avo, heaping handful of olives, 1-2 thumbs of denser fats like ghee, mayo, oils - cooking oils don't count). Green salads are fine but they aren't as nutrient or calorically dense as a cooked veggie option. Think about how much salad wilts down - it's doing the same thing internally so you really would need a huge mixing bowl full for a green salad to be sufficient. For you I would try to stick to more substantial veggies for now - cooked are easier to digest than raw. Are you also eating for your workouts? Pre and post workout foods are in addition to your regular meals. Pre workout is more optional depending on your meal timing and how you're feeling but if you are depleted following any of your exercise you should be having post workout food. It's not a tonne - a few bites of chicken breast and some sweet potato would be a good example. Lean protein and a starchy veggie. How are you feeling between meals? Are you comfortably making it 4-5 hours between? Are you eating within an hour of waking? What are your sleep habits and how is your sleep generally? Unbroken? Let's see if we can help tweak and get you feeling better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akw104 Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Great advice! Thank you! I really appreciate your insight. I do try to eat within an hour of waking up, despite a lack of appetite in the morning. I try push through it because I am really not that hungry in the morning (we also eat around 5:30pm, so I go a pretty long time without a meal.) I don't currently do it, but does adding fat to your coffee count? I could add coconut oil / ghee to my coffee pretty easily. I am feeling very comfortable going 4-5 hours without meals. The food around workouts are a very good point. That is something I often forget...I just try to squeeze the workout in when I can and proper pre and re-fueling are bypassed (you know, back to the kids! haha). Water is remembered, food is not. The salads I do try to beef up with fresh veggies. I like to cut up the lettuce into bite size bites (so it's not just a big plate of leafy greens). I would gladly add more roasted vegetables to them or replace with them, especially this time of year as I tend to get pretty sick of salads when it starts to get colder. Sleep is ok...I try to get 8-9 hours, but it's a little tricky. The little one often wakes up in the middle of the night 2-3x week. I am aware my body needs 9+ hours of sleep, but I average between 7-8. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akw104 Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 I will also attach some photos of my meals. 1. Sausage, potatoes, kale & cashews (realizing now it's not enough food) 2. Sausage, potatoes, broccoli, kale & cashews (a little better) 3. 3 sausage links, veg mix of potatoes, sweet potato, carrot, bell peppers - topped with about another sausage's worth of flaked salmon, asparagus & about 1/4 cup of guacamole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted October 30, 2019 Administrators Share Posted October 30, 2019 Those meals look delicious! Make sure you are adding fats (nuts aren't optimal) and yes, fat in your coffee would be fine. Make sure you are eating your full meal before you have your coffee as it can be an appetite suppressant. Nuts are fine as you're using them but if you are adding enough to get a full fat serving at every meal you're going to end up with a stomach ache. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akw104 Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Ah, good to know about the nuts! I will have to start looking at diy sauces/dressings, etc. or maybe tossing the vegetables in oil or ghee after cooking? And embrace more olives!! Thank you very much. Like I said, I love cooking and this has been a wonderful, welcomed challenge! You are so sweet for helping me out, thank you so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted October 31, 2019 Administrators Share Posted October 31, 2019 Drizzling ghee or olive oil on cooked veggies is great. Guacamole, dump ranch, homemade mayo (can season a million ways once done). Let us know if anything else comes up, we're here for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akw104 Posted November 1, 2019 Author Share Posted November 1, 2019 @ladyshanny I do have a question about reintroduction next week. Should I start it as planned, after Day 30 on Tuesday? Or continue Whole 30 until I start to see more positive results? I believe I am at a place that I could still potentially see a difference, should a food cause any sort of abnormal reaction. Thanks again. PS - props to anyone who made it through Halloween! We had 600+ trick or treaters, so about 1000+ peices of candy just....THERE....!! I survived and I'm shocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted November 1, 2019 Moderators Share Posted November 1, 2019 4 hours ago, akw104 said: PS - props to anyone who made it through Halloween! We had 600+ trick or treaters, so about 1000+ peices of candy just....THERE....!! I survived and I'm shocked. Woooooo!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted November 1, 2019 Administrators Share Posted November 1, 2019 5 hours ago, akw104 said: @ladyshanny I do have a question about reintroduction next week. Should I start it as planned, after Day 30 on Tuesday? Or continue Whole 30 until I start to see more positive results? I believe I am at a place that I could still potentially see a difference, should a food cause any sort of abnormal reaction. Thanks again. PS - props to anyone who made it through Halloween! We had 600+ trick or treaters, so about 1000+ peices of candy just....THERE....!! I survived and I'm shocked. You can start it as planned if you feel that you'll be able to notice a difference! We had ZERO kids last night but enough candy for the entire city so it's all still here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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