Going nuts -- literally!

[hmg1993]

Would love some advice or to know if anyone else struggles with this.  I did W30 in July and extended it to a W90 as felt so much better (and had bad relationship with food/habits so wanted to get in better groove).  Did slow reintroduction and found a lot of foods I had thought were fine for me gave me trouble, notably dairy and grains.  Sugar is no problem BUT definitely a trigger food so i try to steer clear.  So now I would say my diet is about 90% W30 (I also took alcohol out of my life because, despite not really drinking much to begin with, I couldn't believe the better sleep quality i now have).  My issue now is nuts.  I eat way to many of them as snack food.  When I get stressed, I tend to lunge for the almonds and have a hard time having a proper portion -- meaning I have way to many.  Fruit like grapes is another one that I just don't seem to have a stop valve for.  I know in the grand scheme of things these aren't terribly unhealthy habits, and both "vices" are far better than my old habits of diving into a vat of chocolate but I would love to nip in bud as I don't need that much fat or calories (talking about the nuts).  Anyone else challenged with this?

[jenmidge]

I became addicted to cashews during my first W30, ate them every day by the handful. Only way I could give them up was to go cold turkey - threw the last nuts out for the birds and havn't bought them since.

[SugarcubeOD]

JenMidge is right, there's no way to stop eating those things than to just stop.  When you find a food that is a trigger like that for you that seems to have no brakes, it's best to just cut it out... either forever or at least for a good long while until your body forgets its a coping mechanism.  

Maybe it'll help to know that nuts are not a good balance of Omega 3/6 fats and that the recommendation is to limit nuts... think like a closed handful every other day 'at most'.  A closed fist of almonds is... 8? Probably not even?

[Nira81]

Thanks for this.  I too had a big problem with overeating nuts on my first Whole 30 this past July.  There just wasn't anything else to reach for!  And that was my problem, reaching for a snack in the first place when I know my fuel is supposed to come from meals.  

I also shared the attitude that nuts and fruit are better vices than (... fill in the blank).   And I think that's a nice, gentle attitude.  It didn't ruin my whole 30 although next time I'd like to tame the snack monster. 

I think the whole 30 can be inherently stressful and it takes time to relax with it.  Then there less of the pull to snack, which for me is a stress response, unless I truly need the fuel in which case I just snack and move on.  

I agree that it's best to just not have them around or use them strictly as a topping.  I also found a snack of frozen berries with a little coconut or a few crushed nuts on top to be more filling and less dense than nuts and still satisfying that urge.  And avoiding any salted nuts was key, as well.  

P.S. I can relate on the grapes, too.

[Yokohawaii]

OMG! Exactly what I'm struggling with. I've always been a snacker and while doing the Whole30, I started to use nuts as a compliant snack. I thought it was OK because I was eating 100% Whole30. Well guess what, as soon as my 30days were up, I started to eat a little more and a little more to the point of a whole cup of nuts in one sitting! I now realize even though I eat Whole30 100%, if I keep snacking the way I was before doing the Whole 30, that habit doesn't go away. I just substituted chips with nuts. Didn't change my eating habits.

For me, the only thing I can do is to put the nuts away and only use it as my salad topping. Also, not snack on things that are too easy to keep eating such as grapes or dried fruits. For me, there is no "just a bite or a little handful".

[ShannonM816]

1 hour ago, Yokohawaii said:

OMG! Exactly what I'm struggling with. I've always been a snacker and while doing the Whole30, I started to use nuts as a compliant snack. I thought it was OK because I was eating 100% Whole30. Well guess what, as soon as my 30days were up, I started to eat a little more and a little more to the point of a whole cup of nuts in one sitting! I now realize even though I eat Whole30 100%, if I keep snacking the way I was before doing the Whole 30, that habit doesn't go away. I just substituted chips with nuts. Didn't change my eating habits.

For me, the only thing I can do is to put the nuts away and only use it as my salad topping. Also, not snack on things that are too easy to keep eating such as grapes or dried fruits. For me, there is no "just a bite or a little handful".

If you really work on making your meals meet the meal template (they may feel really big to you at first), you won't need to snack at all. It's really kind of freeing to be able to easily go 4-5 hours at a time without eating anything and without feeling hungry. As you get used to doing this, or if you have a really long day or a day where you're just really hungry, if you work on making sure that when you do eat between meals, you have a mini-meal of protein, fat, and vegetables, or at least two of the three, that will also help you to break the snack habit.

 

[hmg1993]

Thanks @Yokohawaii @Nira81 @jenmidge @SugarcubeOD  It's clear that abstain is what I need to do on this no brakes food.  Not surprising, into that basket I also need to add grapes and dried fruit.  Rather than focus on what I can't have, I need to relish everything I can have!  

[Nira81]

Yes to Shannon, It's eating real meals per the template, and then feeling that this is enough, that is challenging but a key to success.  Does anyone else sometimes feel that snacking fills a void when emotionally you don't know what else to do with yourself?  Some life changes have me out of sorts and I'm trying hard to focus on meals and not snacking as a crutch.  

Any tips or thoughts, anyone, about how to just. not. snack? 

Thanks hmg for reminding us we can focus on what we can have - real nourishing meals.  

[ShannonM816]

4 minutes ago, Nira81 said:

Yes to Shannon, It's eating real meals per the template, and then feeling that this is enough, that is challenging but a key to success.  Does anyone else sometimes feel that snacking fills a void when emotionally you don't know what else to do with yourself?  Some life changes have me out of sorts and I'm trying hard to focus on meals and not snacking as a crutch.  

Any tips or thoughts, anyone, about how to just. not. snack? 

Thanks hmg for reminding us we can focus on what we can have - real nourishing meals.  

I'm an emotional eater, for sure. If I'm not careful, it's still my default reaction -- feel stressed, bored, angry --> eat all the food. It's a very hard habit to break.

First, you have to be mindful. If it's not meal time, and you find yourself in the kitchen looking for food, stop and think about what you're doing and why. Walk away from the kitchen and do something else. If it's just boredom, it's usually enough just to go do something else for a little while, take a walk, read a book, work on a hobby. If it's that you're upset or angry or stressed, sometimes you really just have to sit and let yourself feel those emotions. Maybe journal about what you're going through, or talk to someone else about it, or even just express those emotions somehow -- if you're angry, yell (not at kids/pets/spouse/family members, just in general, make lots of angry noises, slam doors, whatever helps). If you're sad, cry. It's unpleasant, and it's hard if you're used to ignoring those feelings and pushing them away, but long term, it really is better to go ahead and deal with those emotions head on rather than just pushing them aside and ignoring them.