Day 16 and exhausted

[Adarrow]

I’m on day 16 and I am so exhausted. I had a great first 10 days on whole 30, I actually had great energy levels more than normal and i was so productive. However, starting on the 11th day, i started feeling exhausted. I’m so tired, i can’t concentrate, and i always feel hungry even though i just ate a ton of fats and protein. Has anyone else experienced going backwards and any advice on how to get my energy back. Those first 10 days were amazing and i want that feeling back. 

[Neanerzzz]

This happened with me also. I was feeling GREAT until about day 17. I had read others say to expect a slump about 2 weeks in. So...I plowed through the slump by eating volume veggies, fruits, meats and lots of water. Eventually, my body adjusted to the new food and I found I eventually craved the Whole30 food. I do not miss gluten, dairy, beer, peanut butter, salami. Also, I found that if I really plan my shopping and meals it is much easier to stay on track. Finally, I refocused my thoughts by tackling some household projects (cleaning closets, readying for a garage sale, etc) and got some hobbies using eye/hand coordination. Redirecting my thoughts from the food I was addicted to, eating the good Whole30 stuff whenever I want, rewarding myself with adventures (skiing, roller blading, junk TV only if I'm on the elliptical), making a vision board and meeting my mini goals, hanging with like-minded people, listening to music - all of these behaviors have helped me stay on track  Being human...I may err along the journey occasionally...but "I'm just a person" . I hope this is helpful. I will certainly be headed to this forum for motivation when I feel like falling off the Whole30 wagon!

[Rebecca001]

I agree. I found day 10 and 11 really tough. Then instead of the tiger blood at day 16, I just felt like I hit a wall. A few days of really focussing on eating more can help. Some salt added to food as well. I find w30 makes me wake early so after 2 weeks that is noticeable too, so I tried to catch up some sleep. I’m now day 20 and feel better 

[Princess Patricia]

Hi.  This is Day 24 of my first Whole 30 and  I am quite disappointed.  I have not noticed any positive changes.  Mood is still a bit depressive, aches and pains are still present, and, most importantly, I have ZERO ENERGY!  I wake up tired and go to bed tired.  Im sleeping pretty good most nights and get about 6-7 hours, yet it never seems to be enough.  (I have both rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, so pain of one sort or another usually wakes me up at least once during the night.). 
 

I have been eating Whole Foods according to the plan, drinking about 6-8 glasses of water daily, and trying to swim 4-5 days a week.  What am I missing???
 

Can someone please, please give me some helpful advice?  I had read so many positive things about Whole30 and was so hopeful it would help me (since nothing else has helped!), but so far have seen NO positive results whatsoever.  
 

Thanks so much!

[ShannonM816]

On 6/3/2022 at 11:16 AM, Princess Patricia said:

Hi.  This is Day 24 of my first Whole 30 and  I am quite disappointed.  I have not noticed any positive changes.  Mood is still a bit depressive, aches and pains are still present, and, most importantly, I have ZERO ENERGY!  I wake up tired and go to bed tired.  Im sleeping pretty good most nights and get about 6-7 hours, yet it never seems to be enough.  (I have both rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, so pain of one sort or another usually wakes me up at least once during the night.). 
 

I have been eating Whole Foods according to the plan, drinking about 6-8 glasses of water daily, and trying to swim 4-5 days a week.  What am I missing???
 

Can someone please, please give me some helpful advice?  I had read so many positive things about Whole30 and was so hopeful it would help me (since nothing else has helped!), but so far have seen NO positive results whatsoever.  
 

Thanks so much!

We would need more information to be able to give you any advice.

You say you're eating whole foods, but what do your servings look like? Are you going by the meal template? (You can download it here: https://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/). Are you eating enough? Adding fat at each meal? Eating starchy vegetables like potato, sweet potato, carrots, winter squashes like butternut or acorn squash? 

The other thing to consider is that with existing medical issues, it can be harder to get the really amaxing results some people experience.  Getting those results may take longer.

[Emmastath]

I am on Day 13 and since yesterday I feel extremely weak and dizzy! I did really well the first 11 days, no problems whatsoever except for the constant headaches, but now I feel so bad it scares me. I cannot eat three full meals/day, I can only have a late breakfast/brunch and a lunch but not a dinner. I have a snack in the evening like a banana or olives and that’s it. I find that my blood pressure is lower than usual too, especially when I stand up it goes down to 100. My ears are popping too, feel dizzy and like I need to sit down or I will faint at times. Anxiety levels have gone up, whereas the first 11 days I was feeling great and calm. Tinitus has worsened. Muscles feel very weak and zero energy.

I am eating:

Breakfast: 1 egg + handful of berries + pumpkin seeds or bacon + berries + pumpkin seeds

Lunch: a portion of protein (porc/chicken/beef/fish) + veggies + potatoes or yams

Evening snack: either a banana or a couple of dates, or some olives with pumpkin seeds and other nuts or remnants from lunch

Drinking about 8 glasses of water and herbal teas/day

[SugarcubeOD]

You may  not want to hear this but you are absolutely not eating enough and if this is the way you've been eating since you started, it's not really that surprising that you feel bad.

Eggs when they are your sole source of protein should be as many as you can hold in your hand without dropping... most people that's 3 or 4.  When you're eating bacon as the protein, that's actually considered fat for the purpose of the program so those days you don't have any significant protein in your meal 1.

Your lunch has no fat in it. What do you consider a 'portion' of proteins? The meal template recommends 1-2 palm sized servings of protein at each meal.

Your evening meal/snack again has no protein and it sounds like maybe you don't even eat your full lunch if you're using 'remnants' of it for your evening snack?

Why can you not eat three meals a day?  Are you salting your food? Drinking 1/2oz of water per pound that you weigh?  Are you working out?