Painful failures with sugars

[FairyL0u]

I am having a terrible time staying on plan. Typically I manage a couple of weeks and feel great then for some reason choose to gorge on sugar laden crap. Often this is in the form of 'compliant' foods such as Nakd bars and dried fruit but on occasion it escalates to include all kinds of non-foods such as wheat containing products, etc.

On Monday this week I set off to travel for work, knowing I'd be at the mercy of airport and airline foods for 24 hours I planned ahead and packed what I could ( tricky given the airport security rules for.liquids, etc.). Sadly I underestimated the power of the sugars in dried fruit and ended up on a massive binge, consuming an unwholesome amount of food - literally must have been >5000 calories worth of rubbish.

Needless to say, it's Wednesday morning and I still feel terrible - bloated, painful guts, puffy, sloshy water retention.... Icky!

Some things that definitely contributed; it was three days before my period was due and I always want high carb foods at that time; I was feeling incredibly stressed out knowing I had to travel so far on my owns and I hate flying, etc. I almost feel like I preempted the whole thing, knowing that there was literally no way for me to get the food I would prefer to eat so just threw the towel in at the first opportunity - at least that way I'm still in control.... ( hilarious bad logic).

i was able to pack decent food in my checked-in bag so subsequently I've been back to a more normal way of eating, I have tinned tuna, tinned tomatoes, olives, tinned veg and a microwave in my hotel. I would really appreciate any tips on how the hell I can avoid this hideous pattern, I worry that it's a new development towards a serious binge eating problem. I wonder if I'm still not eating enough good stuff day to day - I'm continuing to battle against a mind set that says less is always better.... 

Perhaps some clarity will be gained just by writing this post? 

 

[hmg1993]

Hi FairyLOu -- First of all, don't be so hard on yourself.  Sugar is highly addictive and difficult to break away from.  I know this from personal experience.  There will be slips but the most important thing is we learn from them --  in this case, clearly dried fruit is out.  Stress too is a trigger and I share your hate of flying .  These aren't weaknesses, they're just data points and once we recognize them then we can implement coping mechanisms.  I distract myself on flights with a stack of magazines and crosswords.  And I plan ahead like crazy on meals like you're doing on this trip.  My one tweak here is that I want to feel excited about my food and looking at your list above it  may get a bit bring for you.  I always pack avocados, hard boiled eggs, kalamata olives, maybe some roasted veggies that i have cooked earlier.  Then when I am at my destination i scout out a food store where I can get salad fixings and, if Whole Foods, I can sometimes find a compliant mayo to go along.  Fat is a really good weapon against sugar so I keep my meals on template to keep the dragons at bay!  I'm on day 45 of my second W30.  During my first, I ate fruit like it was my job and then wondered why the sugar cravings came right back.  Dried fruit too.  This go around fruit intake is minimal and only ever on a salad or in a recipe.  I am not there yet but I feel more in control than ever and am optimistic that I can finally put this (sugar, bingeing) behind me.  Onward!

[FairyL0u]

hmg1993 - thank you so much for responding, I really appreciate that more than you may know - I'm all on my own and thousands of miles away from home and it's really helped me to know that there are other people in the world who do understand.

Unfortunately the foods I've been able to bring with me have ben limited because I've flown into the US from the UK and, not wanting to attract unwanted attention at customs, was obliged to take notice of the regulations regarding fresh produce coming into the US. I do not have access to a car here either and am reliant on colleagues for transport to and from my hotel,  the only place I'm going to is work... I've been dodging invitations to eat out on the basis that I'm staying on UK time and need to sleep early... this part of Texas does not seem to be very Whole30 friendly but I've been able to get eggs & fruit for breakfast so that's good I think...

I do need to learn to stay away from all forms of condensed sugar even in dried fruits. I think I fell into the trap of believing that I would have more will power/motivation that I actually had in this situation (travelling, tired, stressed, PMS, etc.) and failed to plan approriately because of that. I cannot wait to get home on Friday where I know what I can get to eat and when and where!

This morning I've been in the hotel gym, which I think may actually be the only non-air conditioned space in America! So after 45 mins of running up a very sweaty imaginary hill I feel a little less bloated. I know I'll feel much better in a few days - just need to find a way of remembering how I feel now so i don't repeat the series of errors that lead to this (again).

On my first Whole30 I actually did avoid dried fruit, nuts, compliant food bars, etc. knowing that they were not a good idea for me, since then I've struggled to get back on plan, we moved house, I handed my masters dissertation in that same week, now we're waiting on our first appointment for ivf (which we have to cover the cost of ourselves) - I think it all adds up and suspect that I could be sabotaging my own health as a distraction (if that makes any kind of sense) - i wonder if throwing obstacles in my own path where it comes to food allows me to have a problem I can spend time/effort dealing with rather than worrying about things that I might not be able to control (things like expensive and uncertain outcomes from ivf treatment...)

Thank you again - I actually had a little cry reading your response (dodgy hormones i think) - it really is appreciated that a stranger can take the time to help out with good advice and reassurance.

 

[hmg1993]

Of course FairyLOu!  Anything for a fellow Brit.   Although I live on this side of the pond now.  Sounds like you have had a lot of stress and change, so again be kind to yourself, remember how fabulous you are and how strong you are.  Breathe.  You can get a supermarket to deliver if you have a fridge in your hotel BTW.  I use instacart on my phone when I travel.  Works a charm!  Way to go too on going to the gym!!!!!