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Larabars for breakfast...What's the harm?


amykhigdon

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I've been reading posts about Larabars and it seems like many people on Whole30 are against incorporating them into their diet because of sugar cravings. However, some people say as long as it works for you, go for it, but limit them. I just would like everyone two cents on my breakfast situation:

 

Ever since I can remember, I have not wanted breakfast. Even as a kid, my mom had to force me to eat breakfast. I just don't have any appetite whatsoever when I first wake up. In fact, sometimes the thought of eating makes my stomach turn. There was a time in life where I just didn't eat it at all, but as i've gotten older and more concerned about health and my metabolism, energy, etc., I've come to realize I need to eat something for breakfast, even if I just force myself to have a small amount of something healthy. On whole 30,  I've been eating a handful of almonds along with my morning black coffee. On the weekends, I might eat some eggs cooked with ghee and fruit, but It's usually more of a late breakfast. Mind you, I'm not hungry, so I don't feel deprived at all in the early morning (during my work week).

 

I had a co-worker introduce me to Larabars. I'm on Day 24 and I've only had about 2 bars total on my Whole30, and I had them as a snack when I just felt too hungry to make it to my next meal, but I've been thinking, I'd like to just eat these for breakfast instead of almonds. They are sweet and go well with coffee. They are compliant and seem healthy, as far as pre-packaged foods go. I don't crave sugar constantly anymore, so I don't think it would be an issue. In fact, I avoided my 12 year old son's birthday cookie cake all weekend,  I even served it to the kids and still didn't eat any! Nope, I did not lick my finger when that gob of icing got on there. :)  I'm not saying I didn't want to, but I think I'm fairly good at ignoring the ole sugar dragon. 

 

So, what are your thoughts? Do you think a weekday breakfast solution for me could be the Larabars? Or do you think I'm somehow cheating myself or setting myself up for failure in some way?

 

 

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Honestly, you're probably not going to like the answer.

To get the full benefits of whole 30 you need to eat within an hour of waking. Not eating breakfast is just perpeuating hormonal imbalance. I'm familiar with not wanting to eat first thing. In fact, I used to be a chronic breakfast skipper. But then I got diagnosed with gestational diabetes (before I had even heard about whole30!) and in order to keep my blood sugar stable, I had to eat breakfast as soon as I woke up.

Breakfast doesn't have to be eggs and bacon. I've had everything from hamburgers and leftover roasted veggies to grilled chicken and carrots with mayo. Some even do salmon cakes or protein salads and blended soups.

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Here's the thing, whilst technically compliant Larabars are for emergency use only. Like you're on the Titanic, and it's just hit an iceberg kind of emergency. Leo is no more and you're all afloat at sea, with rescue not looking likely anytime today kind of emergency. Breakfast is not an emergency.

They're also about as removed as it gets from the foods we are encouraging you to eat here.

Just eat real food - and by that I mean a template meal, not a handful of almonds.

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Google Whole 30 and larabars.   They've been discussed many times since the beginning.  

 

Whole 30 is what you make of it.   There are GrabNGo's and non-cooking W30's.   All of it is technically compliant.  You get to decide.  Even if you choose to eat non-compliant items or use the scale, all of the responsibility rests squarely on your shoulders.

 

A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. 

 

My opinion.   Incorporating bars may work for you. Will they work 2 or 3 months or a year from now.   Will larabars or any manufactured bar change everything for you then?

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Just eat real food - and by that I mean a template meal, not a handful of almonds.

 

I know you are right, I just don't like eating when I'm not hungry. I'm literally forcing myself to eat almonds. I guess I figured since the Larabars are sweet and go well with coffee, I wouldn't have to feel forced to eat it. But, I do agree. A real food meal template is best case scenario. I'm just not sure I have it in me for best case scenario...especially during the work week. But, I'll try. I know I need to try. 

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Google Whole 30 and larabars.   They've been discussed many times since the beginning.  

 

Whole 30 is what you make of it.   There are GrabNGo's and non-cooking W30's.   All of it is technically compliant.  You get to decide.  Even if you choose to eat non-compliant items or use the scale, all of the responsibility rests squarely on your shoulders.

 

A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. 

 

My opinion.   Incorporating bars may work for you. Will they work 2 or 3 months or a year from now.   Will larabars or any manufactured bar change everything for you then?

 

Thanks for your comment. I am a working mother of three (teenager, pre-teen and elementary), so Larabars also provide a convenience factor. I'll admit that too...but I don't see anything wrong with convenience, as long as I'm not eating junk food. Thanks for your comments. :)

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What, like a breakfast bar you mean...? ;)

 

Well, yes, but more so meaning that I can stomach the thought of eating them. As I said, I just have an aversion to eating in the morning, and heavy protein and/or savory foods turn my stomach really early. And sweet foods go well with coffee, IMO. I never ate breakfast bars for breakfast before...my typical meal was a cup of coffee only before whloe30.

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I know you are right, I just don't like eating when I'm not hungry. I'm literally forcing myself to eat almonds. I guess I figured since the Larabars are sweet and go well with coffee, I wouldn't have to feel forced to eat it. But, I do agree. A real food meal template is best case scenario. I'm just not sure I have it in me for best case scenario...especially during the work week. But, I'll try. I know I need to try.

I only ate breakfast about once every few months prior to W30. I totally hear you on the not eating while hungry. I only had to do that a few times before my body realized what an asset breakfast is and started hungering for it before I even woke up. The key here was that I ate a template meal - not almonds - that I'd prepared in advance so that lack of time wasn't an excuse. When the only reason you're eating is because W30 says you have to, you're missing one of the gems of the program - that food is fuel.

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Thanks for your comment. I am a working mother of three (teenager, pre-teen and elementary), so Larabars also provide a convenience factor. I'll admit that too...but I don't see anything wrong with convenience, as long as I'm not eating junk food. Thanks for your comments. :)

I used to huff and puff and blow your house down over larabars.  Not anymore.  I don't practice clean or dirty eating either.   One man's dirt is another man's pathway to healing. 

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Well, yes, but more so meaning that I can stomach the thought of eating them. As I said, I just have an aversion to eating in the morning, and heavy protein and/or savory foods turn my stomach really early. And sweet foods go well with coffee, IMO. I never ate breakfast bars for breakfast before...my typical meal was a cup of coffee only before whloe30.

And this is exactly why you need to work at it - doing what you've always done get's you what you've always gotten.

Not being hungry in the morning is one of the key signs that your hormones are out of whack. Eating a template meal within an hour of wakening is key in addressing this, and if you make the effort you'll be surprised how quickly you waken with an appetite.

Of course I can only make recommendations for you to get the most out of your 30day committment - ultimately the decisions fall on your shoulders.

 

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What about other bars, like an RX Bar? For those moments when I just need something quick?

ALL prepacked 'bars' are for emergency use only... emergency being the description upthread of the titanic after Leo dies... not for pre or post workout or breakfast or because you like to munch in traffic on the way home daily... sorry.

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Before Whole 30, I made egg muffins in advance with blueberries and bananas. I stayed away during W30 because I wasn't sure if they were a SWYPO and avoiding sweeter foods was my number one priority. But they are closer to a template meal than a larabar (especially if you add some kind of fat), and if you make them in advance (I usually make enough for a work week) they're just as quick to eat in the morning. I find the ones I made with fruit tend to be a bit lighter than the ones I'm currently making with meat and veggies.

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This appears to me to be another instance of The Spirit of the Law v.The Letter of the Law.

 

Technically, LARA bars are compliant--Letter of the Law. But they spit in the face of the Spirit of the Law. To me, they are over-priced candy bars. And yes, I had one stashed at work for emergencies during my W30.

 

Getting into the habit of eating a real meal within an hour of rising takes work, and I believe the payoff is worth the effort. I consider W30 to be a self-experiment and I want the resulting data to be useful. Changing the program to suit my preferences is a waste of time, effort, and money, IMO.

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@amykhigdon - what's the rest of your life like?  what's your schedule?

can you think of any reasons why you were historically never eating breakfast - were you forced to?  is there a negative association to breakfast?

as coffee is an appetite suppressant, once you've had that first coffee you'll feel even less hungry, and less likely to eat breakfast.

 

try to cut out the coffee first thing, and you'll almost certainly start feeling hungry by mid morning.

start eating breakfast, and you might find that you don't want/need the coffee afterwards.

 

I find that if I've eaten a fully compliant breakfast without drinking any of the coffee, then I don't feel as likely to drink the coffee.

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another thing some people suggest is to make the proper meal plan meal, even if you're not hungry, and then eat what you can, eating 'around the plate' so bits from each section of protein, fat and veg, and stop when you feel full up, and then give it 10 minutes and then try to eat some more, either till it's all gone, or you get fed up, leave the rest till lunch.

 

get into the habit of doing this, and your body will start to need it, and you find you finish the plate.

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I am a 5 day newbie. On previous programs, I was the king of improvising. I was reminded by my daughter, 30 days of sticking to the program, empowers the desirable habits and weakens the undesirable habits. Now when I have a craving I remind myself the following.

 

STOP, DISMANTLE, REASSEMBLE, MOVE FORWARD!

FIND PLEASURE IN THE STRUGGLE!!

GET RID OF THE GUILT TRIP!!!

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  • 5 months later...

Outside of the "Whole30" program, this comes down to one fundamental question: Is one okay to eat dates and nuts (the only ingredients in standard Larabar)?

Dates are a low glycemic index food - blood sugar levels do not increase measurably after consuming dates. Source: nutrition journal, study titled "glycemic indices of dates..."

The data seems to support that eating a Larabar is not much different than eating other fruits (with a handful of nuts).

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why is this rule different to other rules?

Rule: - don't drink alcohol - yeah we're ok with that, we can do that for 30 days.

Rule: - eat a template meal within 1 hour of waking up. - Oh heck hang on we can't do that.  Oh no, it's too difficult.  I've never eaten breakfast, etc, etc, yada yada, blah de blah.

Follow the rules.  it's tough love, but it works.

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nobody has to follow any of the rules if they don't want to.  it's their choice.  that's the point.  we all make choices, good or bad.  the recomendations are there to make the process easier, and to get the best out of the rules.

do what you want, you're an adult.  We don't care.  but don't complain to us that it's not working, if you're only following half the plan, because we'll just say - 'we suggest you follow the recomendations, as well as the rules, to get the most out of the plan'

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