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Grazing and Snacking


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Pre-whole30 I would constantly graze and snack (on both healthy and unhealthy kinds). I am now almost at the end of my first week of whole30 but I realize I am still performing these bad habits but now with purely "healthy" foods (i.e. grazing constantly on roasted butternut squash and sweet potato that I made a big batch of this weekend). I think this is going against every reason why I decided to do Whole30 (lifestyle change, not just a diet change).

Are there tips/suggestions for how to stop these habits? I need to stop thinking that grazing/snacking is ok just because what I am eating is "healthy".

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close the kitchen after every meal! 

make sure your meals are on template

drink lots of water

try and distract yourself

ask yourself if you're hungry enough to eat boiled eggs/chicken and veg, if so, make an on template meal or snack

try and get to the cause of the snacking...are you bored/stressed etc?

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Try to come up with some habits that occupy your hands & mind - crafting, knitting etc work well as you're less likely to reach for food if you're handling fabric/yarn etc. Other have started researching their family tree, added in a session of meditation, or just lifted a book & started reading. Others 'close' the kitchen after dinner meaning they can't get up & grab a little of what they fancy...

Keeping a log also works well to identify any potential triggers.

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10 hours ago, foursimplewords said:

close the kitchen after every meal! 

I guess my dilemma is figuring out how to actually "close the kitchen". I don't have a lock, let alone a door (sorry bad joke). I constantly find myself just standing up and going to the kitchen, telling myself that it is wrong with every step yet I keep walking. Yes I'm sure it's boredom and stress. I live alone (which I love) but I guess the problem is that no one is there to keep me accountable. So yes I suppose I need to pick up another hobby besides work, which causes me to work long hours and leaves little time for extracurricular activities. 

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1 hour ago, Julia.S.D said:

I guess my dilemma is figuring out how to actually "close the kitchen". I don't have a lock, let alone a door (sorry bad joke). I constantly find myself just standing up and going to the kitchen, telling myself that it is wrong with every step yet I keep walking. Yes I'm sure it's boredom and stress. I live alone (which I love) but I guess the problem is that no one is there to keep me accountable. So yes I suppose I need to pick up another hobby besides work, which causes me to work long hours and leaves little time for extracurricular activities. 

I live alone (OK, there are two cats but we are on very different food paths). 

I like to set up a few simple rules to provide structure so that I don't have to spend a lot of time and energy negotiating things. (Apllies to my life and also to my work.)

So, to support my health: I don't snack, I don't eat after 8 PM and I plate (or "bowl") everything I eat (I don't eat out of a bag or jar or box.) So that is how I navigate grazing and snacking. The thing about rules is it doesn't take very long before they become habits. 

Maybe you could come up with some rules that work for you? The meal structure of Whole30 definitely makes this process easier. 

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When I started closing my kitchen I would clean up dinner, make my lunch, prep breakfast and get a drink of water or make a tea. 

Then I take a counter cleaner (I like Mrs. Meyer Clean Day) and wipe down all the surfaces including sink and fridge door handles. Then put it away, turn out the light and move on. 

It worked for me to do a wipe down first because then I mentally didn't want to get anything dirty or get fingerprints.  And the kitchen was nice and clean for the next day. :)

There is some degree of personal accountability and you might have to muscle through a couple times but it'll catch on. 

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2 hours ago, Julia.S.D said:

 no one is there to keep me accountable

Even if there was someone else there, they wouldn't necessarily keep you accountable, and might even make it harder if they weren't interested in changing their life. This is your life, your body, your health. Every time you start to walk to the kitchen between meals, stop yourself -- literally, just stop and stand there. Ask yourself, am I really hungry? Would I eat something bland and boring, like plain steamed fish and broccoli with no sauces or seasonings? If you would happily eat something boring, then go to the kitchen and make yourself a plate of food with some protein, some vegetables, and some fat (not necessarily full portions, maybe just a little bit of each), sit down at the table and eat.  If you wouldn't eat something boring, you're not really hungry -- in that case, turn around, walk away from the kitchen. Find a book to read, take a bubble bath, do your nails, get yourself a coloring book and some colored pencils or markers to color, take a walk, stretch, meditate, clean out your closet, or just go to bed if it's getting late enough.

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(I'm late to this party. But was interested in the topic.)

I'm a grazer too. Although I'm not starting my Whole30 until the 1st of Feb., there's a part in the Whole3o Guide where they talk about "If/Then" statements that I think will be really helpful. You write down different scenarios that you will come across that could trigger you wanting a snack. And the second part of the sentence is what you will do to not snack. For example, "IF I'm bored at my desk and want to snack, THEN I will go for a 5 minute walk." I wrote a bunch of these in a notebook... If the situation comes up, then I'll turn to my journal and do what I wrote.

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  • 1 month later...

I was snacking like that every night before Whole30.  I'd bring a small dish of almonds or dark chocolate covered Acari berries into the living room and eat them one by one slowly and say that's it, then get up and refill the dish as soon as it was empty.  During the day I always had gum or mints or something like that in my mouth.  Turns out that was my Sugar Dragon at work.  By the end of the first week, I had upped the fat (avocado) and starchy veg (yams, winter squashes) enough in my template meals to feel really, really full and was able to tough it out.  Now, day 22, I have no desire to snack unless for some reason I'm running late for a meal and have something compliant to tide me over.

Good luck!

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I'm a grazer too, man. I love to graze. Whole30 has helped tremendously. 

It is much harder not to snack when I am home alone. I find if I get out of the house in between meals it helps tremendously. I walk downtown, run errands, go to the library in between meals. I bring plenty of water and enjoy the freedom from food. Drinking tea also helps me. 

Of course make sure you're eating enough at meals and drinking LOTS of water. 

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Great topic!

Eliminating my grazing habit is my goal for this reset. My habit is so so bad and I can tell it's started to affect my health. 

Osomama I use tea, too!  Great suggestion!  The fact that I have to let it cool gives me some time to realize that I am not hungry.

I've been working hard to rely on just stopping and feeling the emotion, not what I am calling hunger.  I have to argue with my brain that I am not hungry for candy corn and chocolate.  I have to recognize that I am little stressed, anxious, frustrated, etc.  After I recognize the emotion, I decide whether I need to dig a little deeper or just move onto a task or project.  Not being able to snack gave me epiphany, probably one that most people already know: I get SO many things done when I am not stuffing my face with fake food.  And it feels way more satisfying to decorate my kitchen, write a report, etc than it does to end the day with a stomach ache.

We can do this! No grazing!

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Honestly, this is one rule that I don't fret about.  I feel better if I eat smaller amounts spaced out rather than 3 large meals.  So usually mid morning and/or mid afternoon, I find myself eating something.  Not always mid-morning as I eat around 730 am and then leave for lunch around 1130.  But then dinner is usually not until at least 6pm, sometimes later if I go to the gym first.

My snacks are apples with almond butter, bananas, hard eggs, carrot sticks, almonds or pistachios.  I also bought some EPIC chicken bites (like jerky) yesterday at Sam's for DH as he often doesn't eat a huge lunch.

I do think that my habits have changed regarding snacking though.  I no longer snack for the sake of eating something.  I snack if I know my body will need fuel.  A lot of things we eat on Whole30 are very rich and filling and I find that I am actually not eating enough calories if no snacking.  Today I know I am going to the gym to meet with my trainer, so I have 2 hard eggs and a handful of almonds later.  I would bring fruit, but I had a small granny apple with breakfast and a banana mid morning, and I try to limit fruit to 2 servings a day.

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38 minutes ago, angmilky said:

Honestly, this is one rule that I don't fret about.  I feel better if I eat smaller amounts spaced out rather than 3 large meals.  So usually mid morning and/or mid afternoon, I find myself eating something.  Not always mid-morning as I eat around 730 am and then leave for lunch around 1130.  But then dinner is usually not until at least 6pm, sometimes later if I go to the gym first.

My snacks are apples with almond butter, bananas, hard eggs, carrot sticks, almonds or pistachios.  I also bought some EPIC chicken bites (like jerky) yesterday at Sam's for DH as he often doesn't eat a huge lunch.

I do think that my habits have changed regarding snacking though.  I no longer snack for the sake of eating something.  I snack if I know my body will need fuel.  A lot of things we eat on Whole30 are very rich and filling and I find that I am actually not eating enough calories if no snacking.  Today I know I am going to the gym to meet with my trainer, so I have 2 hard eggs and a handful of almonds later.  I would bring fruit, but I had a small granny apple with breakfast and a banana mid morning, and I try to limit fruit to 2 servings a day.

Your digestive system works optimally when you feed it, allow it to digest and then rest before feeding it again.  Your body also learns to burn fat for fuel when you're eating 3 times a day without snacking.  Yes, it's not a rule and if you do choose to snack/graze, you're still doing a Whole30 but you may not get the best results.

Snacking is recommended to be protein and fat with ideally veggies.  Fruit and nuts are fast fuel for your body that does not help you get into fat burning mode.

Post workout is recommended to be lean protein and ideally starchy veggies... hard boiled eggs are not ideal because of the fat in the yolk...same with the almonds.  Fat slows the absorption of protein into your body and after a workout you want that protein to uptake quickly.

If you find your meals are not keeping you the 4-5 hours and would like feedback on how you can tweak them to get there, feel free to list out what you eat  including portion sizes according to the template, specific veggies, protein and fat as well as fluid intake and anything else you feel may be important.

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40 minutes ago, angmilky said:

Honestly, this is one rule that I don't fret about.  I feel better if I eat smaller amounts spaced out rather than 3 large meals.  So usually mid morning and/or mid afternoon, I find myself eating something.  Not always mid-morning as I eat around 730 am and then leave for lunch around 1130.  But then dinner is usually not until at least 6pm, sometimes later if I go to the gym first.

My snacks are apples with almond butter, bananas, hard eggs, carrot sticks, almonds or pistachios.  I also bought some EPIC chicken bites (like jerky) yesterday at Sam's for DH as he often doesn't eat a huge lunch.

I do think that my habits have changed regarding snacking though.  I no longer snack for the sake of eating something.  I snack if I know my body will need fuel.  A lot of things we eat on Whole30 are very rich and filling and I find that I am actually not eating enough calories if no snacking.  Today I know I am going to the gym to meet with my trainer, so I have 2 hard eggs and a handful of almonds later.  I would bring fruit, but I had a small granny apple with breakfast and a banana mid morning, and I try to limit fruit to 2 servings a day.

There are a lot of advantages to adopting the Whole30 three meals a day model and following the meal template, including steady energy for all your activities and becoming fat adapted. For lots of us, that takes some practice. I also encourage you to look at the pre- and post-workout meal suggestions.  Post workout is protein and starchy carbs and fruit isn't a good choice either pre- or post-workout and nuts are recommended to be limited to a closed handful (for me, that's 6 or 7 almonds) every other day at most. 

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9 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

Your digestive system works optimally when you feed it, allow it to digest and then rest before feeding it again.  Your body also learns to burn fat for fuel when you're eating 3 times a day without snacking.  Yes, it's not a rule and if you do choose to snack/graze, you're still doing a Whole30 but you may not get the best results.

Snacking is recommended to be protein and fat with ideally veggies.  Fruit and nuts are fast fuel for your body that does not help you get into fat burning mode.

Post workout is recommended to be lean protein and ideally starchy veggies... hard boiled eggs are not ideal because of the fat in the yolk...same with the almonds.  Fat slows the absorption of protein into your body and after a workout you want that protein to uptake quickly.

If you find your meals are not keeping you the 4-5 hours and would like feedback on how you can tweak them to get there, feel free to list out what you eat  including portion sizes according to the template, specific veggies, protein and fat as well as fluid intake and anything else you feel may be important.

Is there a source for this information? I don't have my copy of the book any longer (this is my third Whole30), but I don't recall specific information on the best times to eat fats, starches, nuts, etc.  I don't enjoy eating huge meals and in fact I think that is a bad habit of mine.

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A source for which information exactly?  

You definitely dont need to eat huge meals... 1-2 palms of protein, added fat and fill the plate with veggies.

This is the template which also notes what and when to eat for pre and post workout: http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

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2 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

A source for which information exactly?  

You definitely dont need to eat huge meals... 1-2 palms of protein, added fat and fill the plate with veggies.

This is the template which also notes what and when to eat for pre and post workout: http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

A source for what you are saying about fat burning being better eating 3 meals a day instead of 3 meals and 2 snacks.  And for snacking supposed to be protein and veggies.  I don't recall the book being that specific.

In past Whole30s when I counted calories (because I am analytical like that and was curious how much I was eating...wasn't using to make sure I didn't overeat, more was interested in how much I was really consuming), my calories were like 1000 a day or something.  Even though fats and protein are allowed, I still try to be choosy and often will choose leaner cuts of beef like flank steak and skinless chicken.  I'm not afraid of fat, but I don't think there has been enough long term data to render saturated fats totally safe, although I do use ghee and coconut oil in moderation (along with EVOO, and fats in nuts, eggs, avocados and meats).  That is a personal preference of mine.  I do still consume much more fat than say someone on Weight Watchers. 

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This is outlined in detail in It Starts With Food.  As I said, it's not a rule, it's a recommendation to allow your body to become fat adapted and keep your hormones level.

The recommendation of protein and fat (and ideally veggies) is because protein and fat do not spike your blood sugar like fruit/nuts and it's more mindful eating than grabbing a bag of grapes or a container of nuts.

If you're choosing to limit fat, that is likely why you're hungry and needed to snack.  It's difficult to compare if you're eating enough fat by comparing it to a fat phobic pay-to-play diet program like Weight Watchers.  

Here's an article and the recommendations which mentions snacking

http://whole30.com/2016/04/how-many-meals/

No snacking

As we explain in detail in It Starts With Food, eating three meals each day with minimal snacking (except pre- and post-workout meals) helps to keep your hormones in a healthy rhythm and teaches you to focus on eating mindfully. However, it’s really okay if you find you have to eat between meals.  For folks who are used to eating six small meals, it might take some time to get used to eating just three big ones. For those who work really long days, you might find that four meals or three meals and a snack are in order. For kids and pregnant/nursing mothers, this recommendation goes right out the window; snack away (just make sure you’re leaving about 3 hours between eating sessions, and not grazing all day). Sometimes, for no apparent reason, you just need a little something to get you through, and that’s okay too.  The success of your Whole30 likely isn’t riding on whether or not you have a mini-meal a few afternoons.

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37 minutes ago, angmilky said:

I don't enjoy eating huge meals and in fact I think that is a bad habit of mine.

If you follow the meal template, you won't be eating huge meals. But you will be eating nutritious meals, balanced to be satisfying and satiating for at LEAST 4-5 hours.

 

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Gotcha.  Well, the information you just posted, says that its not really a big deal.  The point is to listen to your body and eat when you are hungry.  I don't like fruit in my meals, aside from an occasional apple in the am with breakfast sausage. So it would be unusual for me to eat a banana or an orange any time other than for a snack.  And I'm not understanding how nuts spike blood sugar when they are mostly fats? 

Thanks for the information.  I will try to be more mindful about asking myself whether I REALLY need a mid-morning snack.  There is a long time in between lunch and dinner (usually 6 hours or more), so I plan to continue with those snacks.  I find they keep me from getting hangry and going off course.

As for the fat, of course I realize that my fat intake would be much different from someone on WW, I was just trying to point out that I am not fat phobic, I just choose to be mindful about saturated fats.  This is not to say I don't eat them as I have been cooking with coconut oil or ghee on occasion or last week we had ribeyes for dinner one night.  I do eat saturated fat, but I try to be mindful. I am eating plenty of fat, but I am careful with the saturated ones.

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It's definitely not a big deal one or two afternoons if you need it, for sure... I should have said nuts can be food without brakes, not that they spike your blood sugar...sorry, I was multitasking at work and didnt' get the whole thought out :)

The between lunch and dinner mini meal is definitely necessary; we don't want you starving or muscling through 6 or more hours for sure! 

As far as the fruit, many people who are experienced with the program don't eat too much fruit because they find they're full on veggies, protein and fat.

Again, this is all just discussion around getting the best out of the Whole30... if you choose to continue to snack on fruit and nuts, you're still doing a Whole30 and we're still behind you in this journey!

 

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16 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

It's definitely not a big deal one or two afternoons if you need it, for sure... I should have said nuts can be food without brakes, not that they spike your blood sugar...sorry, I was multitasking at work and didnt' get the whole thought out :)

 

 

I hear ya on the nuts.  After years of on and off dieting, I know it will take longer than 30 days to cure our food issues and I think it will always have some sort of mental/emotional component.  I weigh out a serving of almonds or buy the pistachios in the snack sized bags for this reason and same with the Epic Chicken bites I bought. I tend to think of fruit servings as one apple, one banana, one orange or 1 cup of grapes, berries, etc.

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7 minutes ago, angmilky said:

I hear ya on the nuts.  After years of on and off dieting, I know it will take longer than 30 days to cure our food issues and I think it will always have some sort of mental/emotional component.  I weigh out a serving of almonds or buy the pistachios in the snack sized bags for this reason and same with the Epic Chicken bites I bought. I tend to think of fruit servings as one apple, one banana, one orange or 1 cup of grapes, berries, etc.

If you want an easier way for portioning nuts, we recommend that it's one closed handful every other day or so max as nuts are poorly balanced fat (poor Omega 3 6 ratio).

I love that you're open to suggestions and that you're so invested in this :)

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