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Am I Eating Too Much Almond Butter and Lara Bars?


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So I am on Day 15.. woohooo... I have been following all the rules BUT I cant get enough almond butter and lara bars... I know I need to control my cravings so I think I am going to stop eating Lara bars for a few days until I know I can keep it under control.... I just need someone to tell me why I am still having cravings like that... I keep reading people that have kicked their cravings and for some reason whenever I walk into my kitchen I just want to eat a Lara Bar... HELPPP I want to get the best I can out of my Whole30 experience!

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Those Lara bars are sugar bombs and are feeding sugar cravings and likely wrecking havoc with your blood sugar, appetite and hormones. With the almond butter, they are displacing the healthy proteins, fats and vegetables you need to feel nourished, fuel your activities and stop cravings. 

If you want the benefits of Whole30, follow the RECOMMENDED meal template and eat the recommended three meals a day with no snacking.  

https://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

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You are still having cravings because you are eating Lara bars and almond butter LOL.  Try sticking to the template - 1 to 2 palm sized portions of protein, 1 to 3 cups of veggies, plenty of healthy fat.  Lara bars, though technically compliant, are for emergencies and are not part of a template meal.  Lots of folks, like myself, have to ditch the nut butters and/or nuts because they can cause cravings or be a food with no brakes.  Give yourself a few days without these foods and the cravings should start to subside.  

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5 hours ago, kenziemichelee said:

So I am on Day 15.. woohooo... I have been following all the rules BUT I cant get enough almond butter and lara bars... I know I need to control my cravings so I think I am going to stop eating Lara bars for a few days until I know I can keep it under control.... I just need someone to tell me why I am still having cravings like that... I keep reading people that have kicked their cravings and for some reason whenever I walk into my kitchen I just want to eat a Lara Bar... HELPPP I want to get the best I can out of my Whole30 experience!

Welcome to the forums! As others have said, we have rules and recommendations. As part of that, Lara bars are for emergency purposes only, like you're stuck somewhere and desperately need to eat and the only other option is your traveling companion's forearm. Unless you've been having a series of emergencies like that, the Lara bars gotta go. Also, nuts and nut butters are often food without brakes (that is, food you can't stop eating), and many people need to eliminate them in order to eat what we really want you to eat.

Here's what we really want you to eat: 1-2 palm-size portions of protein; 1-2 or more thumb-size portions of fat; and 2-3 cups of veggies (in other words, fill your plate with veggies). We want you to do that three times a day, the first time within one hour of waking. We want you to eat enough to last you 4-5 hours until your next meal. If, while you're working out meal composition, you are hungry between meals, we want you to have a mini-meal of two of the three meal components.

Lara bars don't fit into this scenario at all. Nut butters are a fat, and an inferior source of fat (as a regular source that is): they are food without brakes, they cause digestive upset for many, and many of them have a wonky Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio.

I'm guessing that if you start making your meals actual meals, and eat up, you won't feel the cravings. I'm totally guessing, but I bet you're actually hungry. So make some meals and eat!

If you'd like more specific tips on meal composition, post a couple of days of meals here, including amounts, water intake, exercise, and any other factors that might be important.

 

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10 hours ago, AmyS said:

Welcome to the forums! As others have said, we have rules and recommendations. As part of that, Lara bars are for emergency purposes only, like you're stuck somewhere and desperately need to eat and the only other option is your traveling companion's forearm. Unless you've been having a series of emergencies like that, the Lara bars gotta go. Also, nuts and nut butters are often food without brakes (that is, food you can't stop eating), and many people need to eliminate them in order to eat what we really want you to eat.

Here's what we really want you to eat: 1-2 palm-size portions of protein; 1-2 or more thumb-size portions of fat; and 2-3 cups of veggies (in other words, fill your plate with veggies). We want you to do that three times a day, the first time within one hour of waking. We want you to eat enough to last you 4-5 hours until your next meal. If, while you're working out meal composition, you are hungry between meals, we want you to have a mini-meal of two of the three meal components.

Lara bars don't fit into this scenario at all. Nut butters are a fat, and an inferior source of fat (as a regular source that is): they are food without brakes, they cause digestive upset for many, and many of them have a wonky Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio.

I'm guessing that if you start making your meals actual meals, and eat up, you won't feel the cravings. I'm totally guessing, but I bet you're actually hungry. So make some meals and eat!

If you'd like more specific tips on meal composition, post a couple of days of meals here, including amounts, water intake, exercise, and any other factors that might be important.

 

You guessed right... I am hungry when I eat those! I am just so lazy and tired after work and the gym that by the time I get home I just want something that involves no work or thought. I was meal prepping a lot before and in the beginning of the W30, but since it is warmer in Idaho now, I spend my time exploring on the weekends instead of meal prepping... I officially have no more lara bars and I wont purchase them unless we go on a road trip. Thank you for your advise!

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Meal prep using a crock pot. Throw a giant hunk of pork shoulder or a bunch of chicken pieces in there, add spices and liquid, then go exploring or spend time outside. It's like 20 minutes active time in total. Roast trays of veg while you're taking a shower and eating dinner.

Meal prepping doesn't have to be a long, drawn out process. 

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1 hour ago, kenziemichelee said:

You guessed right... I am hungry when I eat those! I am just so lazy and tired after work and the gym that by the time I get home I just want something that involves no work or thought. I was meal prepping a lot before and in the beginning of the W30, but since it is warmer in Idaho now, I spend my time exploring on the weekends instead of meal prepping... I officially have no more lara bars and I wont purchase them unless we go on a road trip. Thank you for your advise!

You're welcome! If you're looking for specifics on how to prep for meals, consider batch cooking. It doesn't have to take up the whole weekend. Roast trays of vegetables; cook a roast beef or chicken in the oven or crock pot; prep mayonnaise. Done!

As for road trips, those don't count as emergencies and so Lara bars don't fit that scenario either. What to take for road trips? Hard boiled eggs; cut veggies; mayo for dipping; anything you'd normally eat, put into a cooler with an ice pack and a fork. Just pack food, and keep it cool as needed.

If you know you'll be hungry in the evening, plan ahead to have simple foods you can throw together. I completely understand being too tired at night to cook!

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Don't forget, your meals do not have to be Pinterest worthy - you can keep it insanely simple.

It's not difficult to stick to the Meal Template using Mel Joulwan of Well Fed's strategies. I highly recommend all of her cookbooks, and her website is pure gold.

Here's a great post on super simple meals that you don't even have to cook. I do urge you to make at least one of her sauces - they're delicious.

You can do this!

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