Cathy's First W30

[CathyL]

I'm on Day 2 and am really hungry! Today:

Woke up,at 4:30 and had 2 cups of black coffee before 5 am Crossfit WOD. I cannot eat anything that close to working out.

Post WOD - egg and sweet potato

Breakfast at 8 - boiled shrimp, Spinach salad with blueberries and balsamic vinegar, guacamole

Hungry at 11:30 but could not stop for lunch, so had apple and hand full of macadamia nuts

Lunch at 12:30 - baked chicken, green beans, spinach salad with blueberries and balsamic, watermelon.

Hungry at 2:30 - apple with almond butter

4:15 and I'm hungry again

Is this normal starting out? I feel like I am eating WAY TOO MUCH!

Reasons for doing this - I've been a Crossfitter for 2 1/2 years and have seen some remarkable transformation of people at my Box.

I do need to lose weight, but I am also eager to lest go of some bad habits (sweet tooth, night time eating), improve my sleep (I've had terrible insomnia) and get rid of heartburn. And I DO want to transform my body!

I'm nervous about failing. I've failed at every diet or plan I've ever tried. Also, now is about the hardest time I can imagine to start a new plan - our house is on the market, so,we are constantly out at meal time while it is being shown. Traveling this weekend. Big 4th of July party this week. Stress at work. Uncertain diagnosis for my husband. But, I know that to weather all of this, I must be in optimal health, so plow through I will!!!

I appreciate any suggestions you have!

[Physibeth]

You may need some mini meals while you adjust but make sure they are mini meals that include fat and protein and veg. Fruit and nuts are not great snacks. It's hard to say whether your meals are large enough or not. It doesn't look like you had any added fat at meal 2. Was your chicken white or dark meat? Make sure you limit your fruit to 1-2 servings (what you can hold in a hand) a day at meals. Nuts should also be limited to a handful as part of a meal.

 

You can do this! Take it one meal at a time!

[Tom Denham]

It is okay to add a snack when you are hungry, but the hunger is a red flag that you are not eating enough at meals.

 

It sounds like your post-WOD meal was a single egg and some sweet potato. Eggs are not a good post-workout meal because the fat in the yolks slows digestion, but if that is what you are eating, you would need more like 3 eggs and maybe 4, plus sweet potato.

 

I love the idea of shrimp at breakfast, but shrimp are a very lean protein. The guacamole was essential, but my guess is you probably needed more shrimp. Also, fresh salad takes up almost no space in your stomach after you chew it. You really would need to eat a huge bowl of spinach for it to make a difference.

 

Your lunch sounds very lean. You need fat at every meal. Maybe some guacamole on the chicken or a handful of olives.

 

I know the amount of food seems like a lot, but you really will lose weight (if you need to lose weight) by following the program fully. Not eating enough causes all kinds of trouble, chief of which is keeping your hormones from adjusting and making weight loss slow or non-existent. And making you needlessly uncomfortable.

[CathyL]

I do need to have some more protein choices ready. I didn't eat any fat at lunch because I had just had nuts an hour before. I guess there is a learning curve in all this... Stick to protein, veggies & fat! Thanks! And I love your scripture!

[CathyL]

Thanks, Tom! What would be a good post workout protein? I don't think I am eating enough. I'm so used to a big salad with meals. Should I be focusing on other veggies besides salad?

[Lizzard77]

A great post WO protein would be chicken, I keep a batch of grilled or pan seared boneless, skinless chicken thighs in my fridge at all times.  Pre I will have a hard boiled egg with some avocado, post i eat a chicken thigh and some sweet potato (no added fat).  Then about an hour or so later i have my lunch.  Breakfast occurred about an hour or so before my pre WO food.  It does seem like you are eating a lot but honestly, I feel like i spent my whole first week simply figuring out how much I needed to eat to not be hungry all the time!!!  

 

As far as veggies go, I focused on getting 2-3 cups of veggies PER MEAL.  I keep a container of various cooked up greens and loads of variety of veggies so for each meal I have about a cup of green, kale, beet, mustard etc plus 2 ish more cups of something else, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, mushrooms, brussels, squash etc.  The only time I really eat a salad as a main meal is lunch and it's usually a bunch of types of greens with cukes, tomatoes, chicken. olives, some seeds or nuts, a steamed veggie, and dressing.  Again, it does feel like you are eating A LOT but believe me, you need it and you won't feel hungry.  The other thing to remember too is although you are eating a lot, it's not junk, it's all nourishing healthful food!

 

From the looks of the meals you listed you definitely need more fats and lots more veggies.  Each meal I consume 8 oz of protein, 2-3 cups veggies, and 2 tablespoons of fat.

 

Hope this helps some!  Good luck and keep us posted on your progress

[Lizzard77]

oh yeah, this is not shameless self promotion but, towards page 2 or 3 of my log I began posting pics of my meals with description and lists of the veggies I was purchasing each week if you think you would find that helpful.  Others do similar types of posting so read through what others have written, i found it really helpful to figure out my meals!

 

My log:

http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/10946-new-beginnings-and-why-does-june-seem-so-long/