It’s day one of the challenge. You’re probably excited about the month ahead, but maybe also a little apprehensive. If you’ve never done anything like this before it can be scary to think of eating no processed food for an entire month. Some people might think it’s impossible.
I promise it’s not!
While you’re going to feel great for the majority of the month, you need to be aware of a few things. Depending on how you were eating before the challenge began, you can expect to experience a little bit of withdrawal as your body adjusts to this new way of eating.
Many people eat some type of processed carbohydrate at every meal. It’s not uncommon for people to eat cereal or toast for breakfast, followed by a sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner. This is normal for most of us. Our bodies are used to a constant stream of carbohydrates, basically sugar, to fuel our bodies during the day. When you take that away, you force your body to create energy from proteins and fats. This is a natural way for your body to create energy, but you could feel a little tired and foggy as you adjust to this new way of operating.
I’ve heard it referred to as the “low carb flu” by Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple. If you would like to read more about this from someone way smarter than me who has done a ton of research on the subject, then please click here to get your learn on. Some of the common symptoms are fatigue, brain fog, flu-like symptoms, and just not feeling great.
If you feel crappy around day three, just remember that this is to be expected. It might not happen, but for many people it will. It’s temporary and will pass. My advice is to be thankful for the experience. It’s a very clear sign that your body was, in a way, addicted to the crappy, sugary foods you were feeding it. It’s now experiencing a withdrawal-like reaction, not much different than a drug addict coming off of a drug. It sucks, but you will be much better off when you come out on the other side.
In addition to the “low carb flu” you might also notice that you feel really hungry for the first week or so. This is something I’ve experienced myself along with some other clients who’ve made the switch to this way of eating.
While I’m not 100% sure of what causes this, I have a theory.
I think that processed carbs cause a lot of bloat. Have you ever had to loosen your belt after a big bowl of pasta? Yeah, me too. I think we’ve gotten used to that feeling of being really bloated and uncomfortable after a meal. If we don’t feel really FULL, we equate that to still being hungry. That’s not necessarily the case, but you just don’t realize it right away.
It takes a little while for you to realize that although you don’t feel stuffed, you aren’t really hungry anymore. You’ll get there, it just might take a week or two. My advice is to eat if you think you’re hungry. I don’t want you to feel deprived. If you’re hungry, EAT! That is one of the three rules of the challenge. I made it a main rule for a reason.
Your body will adjust, it just needs a little time. Make sure you’re eating approved, challenge worthy foods and you’ll be fine. If you let yourself feel too hungry for too long, you’re more likely to make a bad decision. Anyone want cookies?? This is what we want to avoid. We’re not trying to eat less this month, we’re trying to eat better. When you start eating better, you naturally start eating less. It’s a different way of approaching things, but it works.
It’s only day one, so you should still be feeling really good and motivated. I just wanted to prepare you for the days ahead. If you know what to expect then you can be prepared to handle it.
Stay positive!
