Whole30 Day 22 Recap: Is This Over Yet?
I found this awesome Whole30 image and find it very appropriate because day 22 was hard for me. I don’t mean to be a downer, but it’s been the hardest day of the challenge for me to date. According to the whole30 timeline now is the time where I’m supposed to be feeling the “tiger blood” boundless energy. And I’ve also been told that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So why the heck has day 22 been so difficult?
I woke up feeling extremely tired and worn down even though I had slept for 9 hours. I was also grouchy and very irritable. It was not fun. I did not feel like myself at all.
I went to work and still felt like crap. Even people noticed that I was not myself. I couldn’t believe how tired I felt. I also felt hot and achy all over. It didn’t make sense. Was I getting sick? I was already sick with the flu two weeks ago (days 1-3 of my whole foods journey) so I couldn’t be getting sick again but then again I wasn’t sure.
I had my standard breakfast of hard boiled eggs and veggie juice. I came home for lunch and had some of the paleo meatloaf I cooked the night before. It was good. I still didn’t feel well so I took some time to do a couple quick breathing exercises. They helped, but I still felt like crapola. I headed back to work to finish up some stuff I had to do. When I got home I collapsed on the couch. I was too tired to do anything. Our Monday night soccer league started up this week and I didn’t want to miss the first game but I also didn’t have the energy to even stand up let alone play 50 minutes of soccer. I called our team captain to make sure we had enough girls before I called in sick. I felt bad missing the game but I just wasn’t up for it.
Overall my energy was pretty low and I was bummed that I was getting sick or something went wrong on my whole30. But I’ve been staying 100% on track with the program so I don’t know what was wrong. Luckily it only lasted for one day. Day 22 has definitely been the hardest day of my journey so far. That’s why it’s important to keep calm and whole30 on. Each day may have its setbacks but I’ve got to plow through it. No one said this was going to be easy.
Carry on!
What about you? Have you had days like this? Any idea why I felt like this on day 22? Post in the comments and let me know!
I hope you’re feeling better and that it was just an off-day. We all have off-days but I can totally understand the frustration. I’ve been super curious about the Whole30 challenge. I’m not sure that I could do it? But maybe I’m just lazy, haha. You’re doing great and almost at the end. Maybe the tiger blood energy will come on day 24??
Thanks, Christine! I am sure you could do the whole30. I do think that it may be hard to do cold turkey if you already eat all those things. I found it a lot easier to transition into whole30 after being gluten free for 9 months so maybe that is a way to start.
Hope you’re feeling better! Have you had your iron checked?
I am feeling much better. Thanks, Nicole! I haven’t had my iron checked but I have a doctors appt on Thursday and will ask him about it.
I haven’t really had any days like that. I’ve just felt progressively better since the first week. My hardest day was when I went to a Yelp Elite event at a fabulous new restaurant and was surrounded by FREE awesome food and cocktails. Somehow I managed to get through it and stay compliant (except for one bit of sashimi which I didn’t realize had soy on it…oops) but it was so hard. I’m glad you’re feeling better!
I get tired like this too, even when doing strict Paleo. For ne, I figured that my carb intake was a little too low and Iwas depending on fat too much for calories (high fat makes me sleepy too). I added more carbs like sweet potatoes and it helped a ton! Play around with your foods and see if you can figure out the cause!
Hope the rest of the week is better@
~Ang
Lindsay,
1st, congrats on making it to day 22! Way to go! It isn’t always easy and isn’t for the faint hearted so give yourself a nice pat on the back! Make sure that you take time to celebrate!
There are many reasons that you could be feeling the way that you do on Day 22 of Whole30 and ultimately you are going to be the best judge when it comes to your body and your health, I mean, you’re getting messages from your body that we are clued in to!
A rhetorical question: are you experiencing any type of transition in your circumstances right now outside of whole30? Maybe additional stress at work or in a relationship? Take inventory of your mental and emotional wellness as that could also be playing a role in your low energy and fatigue.
Also, if you are typically a quite active individual, try adding some sweet potatoes like Angela suggested – they are good fuel for active athletes.
Best of luck on the rest of your journey!
Katie
I am on Day 24 and haven’t felt a huge shift in my energy. I expected to wake up one day and feel amazing. Instead I have moments of awesome but mainly a Bleh feeling. I am irritable at night for my family, lucky them. I am eating sweet potatoes once sometimes twice a day. I have scaled back my workouts to a few times a week bc it really knocks me out.
I’m on day 26 and I’ve never felt worse. All last week I was extremely tired, irritable and couldn’t concentrate. After my workouts, I would get extremely sore and sluggish and normally I recover very quickly. Now, this week, it seems I’ve come down with a cold and I feel even worse. I’ve been eating sweet potatoes as well… not sure what I did wrong, but I didn’t really feel better than usual during any of the whole 30, but after about day 19 was when things really started to go downhill. I made a bet with a friend, so I’m going to finish, but I can’t wait until this is over!
Wow, I’m sorry to hear you are struggling during the final days of your whole30. It might be because you are getting sick. I find that even if I am eating perfect – when I’m sick, I’m sick and there’s not much I can do to change that. Maybe try and do some things to reward yourself like soaking in an epsom salt bath or getting a massage. Could make you feel a lot better. You’re almost done…hang in there!
I’m on day 16, i’m exhausted and I slept 12 hours. I couldn’t get into bed fast enough. On Sunday my whole family went out to dinner and I forgot to eat lunch. They ordered tons of appetizers that I couldn’t eat, I thought I would die of starvation. Lesson learned, don’t forget to eat lunch. But I got through it. I feel like I have a cold and need to sleep all the time. I’m also cranky lol .. hoping next week is better
I’m on day 22 today and I still feel just as tired and low as I did before I started whole30. No burst of energy at all. I upped my sweet potato intake on day 16 when I read that that may help…but nothing. 🙁 I’m so bummed! I feel like doing something wrong, because after 3 weeks, I expected to feel at least a little better. Not quitting, just sad.
Keep going, Rachel! It sounds like your body may just need some more time to adjust to the new, healthy changes you are making. Have you considered extending to a Whole40? That may allow you some more time to may a difference. Good luck!
I am on day 24. I too am feeling tired, hot, and sluggish. I have been true blue except for an occasional visit with my bathroom scale. I am disappointed that I have not lost much, but I can say my blood pressure is down and my ankles are not as swollen as they used to be. One really strange thing though. My blood sugar seems to be up. I always checked my sugar because my hubby is diabetic and it runs in my family, so I know what it was running before I started this. I cut out my fruit yesterday and It came down a bit, but I am baffled as to why it was up to begin with. I wish I could say I have enjoyed this journey a little more, but I am making the best of it. Can’t wait until it is done, but I WILL finish. 🙂
Thanks for this blog!!! It has inspired me. I am on day 19 and feel like I have the freaking FLU! Where are the awesome days (Days 9-15????) Ahh I miss the boundless energy and great sleep.
Anyways, please check out my blog journey and recipes too! http://lazypaleo.squarespace.com
I am on day 29. I got past the tired feeling and skin feeling hot and red. I have not had the success others have in the weight loss department, but I am down 10 pounds. Have you made your own mayo yet? The Whole30 recipe is really good and super easy. Once I made it, it opened a whole new arena of culinary options for me! Hang in there, you can do it!!
I am on Day 20. I have read all the comments above trying to find out why I feel like crap today. I started getting a cold last week which I was able to fight off, but last night had the same feeling like I was getting another cold. Feel out of sorts and just plain terrible today. Am thinking of stopping this right now. However, clothes fitting better, energy level high before today. Kept on the plan all this time but having second thoughts now.
I am also on day 20 and not feeling well at all. Head and neck ache, bloating and some nausea. I recently went out of town this weekend so meal times were a little bit off but other than that, everything was compliant. I hope I feel better in the next few days. Before yesterday I’d felt great since about day 9-10. Judging my these posts, I may try integrating more sweet potato back in since this weekend I didn’t have much.
Day 19. Sick and tired of cooking! Not thatch trouble ignoring specific foods. Just tired of having to think so hard about what I can eat. Dropped a few lbs yesterday just because I didn’t feel like dealing with dinner. Normally stable mood is definately leaning toward the cranky, grouchy. Can’t wait til I can start experimenting to find out what I can and cannot eat. I am way to lazy of a cook to make this a lifestyle.
Day 23 for me and I am dragging butt! I too have been looking forward to that surge of energy that is spoken about on the timeline…I’m considering staying on this another month and see what happens…
You will get through it, Julie! You’ll have to let me know if you end up doing another month.
Thank you for posting this. I am on Day 22 today. Last night I hit a wall and had the same no energy flu-ish feeling. I have just come back from a family holiday weekend filled with all kinds of non compliant food. It was a huge test to my will power I was proud I did Whole 30 on. However, I really been bummed as I don’t have the tiger blood they speak of. Especially Last night and today. I am almost there so I will keep on just glad to know I am not all alone in this feeling.
Thanks again,
L
You’re welcome, Laura! It is SO hard to have the willpower to resist food and drink over a holiday weekend. Way to go for sticking to it! Hope the rest of your Whole30 goes smoothly.
I’m on day 22, and although I’m not hungry or craving anything. I don’t feel any better than when I started. I have followed the plan to a T. No energy, no glowing skin, just tired and kind of disappointed because I geared up for this weeks in advance. Gave up my diet soda months before starting. Just don’t see any real improvement.s
Sorry to hear that! Are you eating enough? Maybe you need to stay on Whole 30 a bit longer so you can begin to feel the benefits? I know staying on it for a longer period of time is probably not what you want to hear but it could help! I’d be happy to chat with you if you’d like to email me. You can do so via the contact form on this site. Thanks!
I am on day 25 of the Whole 30 and have been feeling very weak for past 10 days. Also, my skin is very itchy and irritated with some hive like breakouts on my legs Sometimes I feel like I’m going to pass-out at work. I’ am tired in the morning when I get up and then more tired as morning and day progresses. I feel like I am eating enough and at more regular times than I did prior to Whole 30.
It really sounds to me like maybe people aren’t eating enough while taking the whole30 journey. I’ve noticed that the days I feel the worst are the days I’ve eaten the least. I tend to stay full longer since I’m not eating empty calories, but that leads to skipping lunch and feeling like garbage.
On my first whole30 I NEVER got the tiger blood. This is my second whole 30 and I got tiger blood on day 11 and I am feeling great. My first time through I felt really sluggish. I was living somewhere else and eating local things. Maybe this second round is different because I am living FAR FAR away from that place. Don’t worry if you have a bad day, or say a bad whole 30 month. Just stick to it and be proud to finish. I have to say this second time around has been fantastic. :0)
Great advice for anyone doing a whole 30 and isn’t feeling the tiger blood yet. Thank you for sharing, Mae!
I am so glad I found this forum/thread. I’m on day 20 and I don’t feel the tiger blood either. I don’t have the diet soda or empty calorie cravings, though. So I guess that is progress? I definitely feel more inspired to stick with it, seeing as others didn’t have success around this stage as well. Thank you all for sharing! It’s definitely helping me struggling in my little bubble over here 🙂
Day day 27. Best days were day 16-about 22 , great energy! now I feel fluey and exhausted . And I have had dreams about food I wouldn’t normally eat anyway. I’m still sticking to it and I’ve dropped a pant size but feel semi sick for last 3 days , not full blown but weak. Lots of loose mucus coming out of my head , which never came out before and I think is due to lack of dairy that my body is readily expelling it. Maybe I just have a bug. I definitely have zero energy after five o’clock though .
I’m on Day 22 as well and woke up mean. Just angry, grouchy, tired. I don’t feel anything. I feel no desire to eat, definitely no desire to cook and I made sweet potatoes last night. I have no cold but maybe I’m getting closer to my period and its making me mad but I’ve never really had PMS and maybe this diet is making it start now. I feel like they should have warned me about that side effect. I had an unstressful day at work and even a good day today as far as productivity, but I could still punch someone if they looked at me the wrong way today.
Hey Reena. So sorry to hear you’re feeling that way on Day 22 of your Whole 30! Sounds like a glass of sparkling water and a warm bath should be on your agenda tonight. Hang in there!
The whole 30 isn’t for everyone. I did it last year and had a great time. This year I’ve tried it with my boyfriend and we have very different dietary needs, which means spending more money and more time in the kitchen. It’s ended up causing him huge mood swings with no improvement in energy. The moodswings added to the time and financial stress ended up making it more worth our while to quit and restore our relationship than to continue with the whole30. The first thime I did it, the pros far out weighed the cons. This time it was the exact opposite.
Wow, so interesting to find this thread. I’m on day 20 of my first W30, and I feel like crap. My first 10 days I felt horrible, then started a roller coaster – up one day, down the next – but a generally upward trend. Yesterday I crashed, feeling so tired and headachey. Today I’m just useless and feel like doing nothing at all. WTF. I hope it gets better.
Day 22 for me. I feel great. My joint and back pain have disappeared. My brain seem clearer. I have more energy.
I believe the things that have helped me most was to make sure that I’m well hydrated. I also make sure to not eat the same foods over and over. I change it up. The first few days I felt like I was starving so I made a delicious chicken and vegetable soup. Evertime I felt hungry I ate a bowl of soup. I ate many bowls but stayed compliant. The sugar and convenient cheese and dairy had a hold on me big time.
Now I don’t think about sugar at all. Still miss cheese but don’t crave it.
I make sure I begin my day with a big breakfast. Sometimes I eat leftovers from dinner if I tire of eggs. I don’t deny myself food if I’m hungry. Staying compliant is more important to me than portion size now. I’ll focus on that next. Healthy fats, veggies, fruits and meats are at each meal.
I feel SO much better health wise, I can see myself continuing to stay away from sugar and dairy long term.
Thank you. Day 22 and I feel good. Yesterday was weird – had a spell for an hour or two when I was overcome with weakness. I was monitoring for my instructor at the Woodstock School of Art so I knew I would get through and it passed eventually. The cool thing was that I thought about what I had eaten and if it might be a low blood sugar or need protein. Isn’t that great! I know where to look for my physical well being. I used to start my day with coffee with sugar and then switch to Ginger rail around 10 AM and drink it all day. Often adding Canadian Club. Sometimes a liter a day. The real thing not diet variety. So I’m so grateful to have come this far.
Would like to change spelling of ginger ale. It’s funny my comment about a leader a day came after my mentioning the cane lady in club maybe it will give people a chuckle when they realize I was talking about the soda LOL
Day 22 and feeling crappy. Have had ups and downs but no real clarity, energy or anything great. My skin is itchy, my vision seems to have changed (and not for the better), I am not sleeping well at all and feel exhausted all the time. I know I’ve lost some weight so that feels good because my clothes fit better but I was really hoping to feel more alert and energized by now. Hanging in but disappointed so far.
I am feeling the best I have felt in years, and I am on Day 22 of the Whole30! I am 52 years old and feel better than I did 10 to 15 years ago. I’ve got this!! My energy has, for the most part, been excellent and much better than before I went on the Whole30. I do find myself more tired at night, but I think it is because I am going harder during the day. I started a work out program with a personal trainer (one day a week) and doing the workouts at home, along with a weekly 30 minute walk every Wednesday, sponsored by our employer meaning we get paid during that 30 minutes. I am getting ready to go on vacation, which was part of my motivation for going on this healthy eating and exercising kick. But I have also found it to be really fun to try different the many different recipes. Now that I am reading ingredients on everything before I put food into my mouth, I find it to be disgusting to see all the chemicals that are in prepared foods. I don’t think I can go back to eating that stuff. Even my family is enjoying most all of the recipes that I have been using. My husband and I made Whole30 mini meatloaves last night that even my son thought were absolutely delicious!!
Day 7 of the Whole30 and I’m here checking out this site/posts because I woke up feeling the worst I’ve felt all week, almost like I have a dreaded hangover and feel almost feverish as well. I haven’t been sleeping well most of the first week, although last night I did feel like I slept better. I’m wondering about an electrolyte imbalance. I have been eating more than I usually do and salting my food which is something I rarely do. I went into this just to support my husband although I am hoping I will find something that will help my arthritis (age 54, already needing 2 shoulder replacements and fast deterioration of my hips and feet as well). I have always been a healthy eater, and avid exerciser and my weight is good (although a few pounds less wouldn’t hurt). The main thing I’ve noticed each day is that my pulse has dropped a point. So, 7 points in 7 days. Maybe today is where I’ve crashed? I’m honestly surprised at the rapid change in my pulse as I don’t believe I have any vices such as regular alcohol consumption, sugar or carb addiction, and don’t eat packaged foods often. I will finish the 30 days but I sure hope I don’t wake up feeling like I’ve died for the next 21 days. Any thoughts?