getting enough food to sustain activity level

[Punkity]

I am on Day 3 of the Whole30.  I passed out during my training session today at 5:30pm.  I know we aren't to count calories, but I'm having a hard time getting in enough calories before I work out to balance how many I'm burning during my workout.  With breakfast, lunch, and pre WO snack, I'm only getting about 600-700 calories.  

 

My breakfast is generally eggs and turkey bacon cooked in coconut oil, spinach, and onion and peppers.  Lunch is pot roast with carrots and sweet potatoes or steak on mixed green salad with squeezed lemon for dressing and hard boiled egg.  I try to have cashews or some kind of approved nut before workout.  I usually get in a fruit a little after breakfast.

 

I am getting hungry and doing like the book said and making my next meal larger until I figure out the balance.  I just don't seem to be getting enough to sustain my activity level.  Any suggestions?  What am I doing wrong?

 

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to start over again because my trainer gave me an vitamin energy drink and energy bar to get my blood sugar back up.

[amberino21]

I'd suggest you aren't eating enough in general - especially fat and protein. Whilst you're not supposed to calorie count, there's no way proper sized meals would equate to so few calories.

Can you post actual quantities of food?

[Punkity]

Sure!  Breakfast: 2 eggs, 3 slices turkey bacon, 1/2 to 1 cup spinach, and a little less than 1/4 cup onion and peppers and cooked in maybe 1/2 thumb sized portion of coconut oil.  For lunch, about palm size of meat, maybe a little less or more, and about a palm size of each of the other vegetables.  About 1-2 cups of greens if I'm eating that. 1 fruit after breakfast, so far kiwi or apple.  About 1/4 cup of nuts in afternoon.  Today I did not get the nuts.  My trainer says I have extremely small hands and it's not enough food, but I'm really trying to follow the rules and adding as I go.  I do feel full at the end of the meals.

[Guest Andria]

Whoa! That is hardly any food, no wonder you had problems. Why are you skimping on everything!?? Why only 1/2 thumb size of fat? You need to be adding in 1-2 thumbs of fat over and above your cooking fat. You are skimping on veggies. The meal template suggests 2-3 cups. You should never be below a palm size of protein and if you are active you could easily need 1 1/2 - 2 palms per meal. Where is your pre and post workout meal?

I am small and have small hands (can only hold 2 eggs), but I always eat 3 eggs or 2 eggs and a good serving of meat for breakfast and 1 1/2palms of protein for other meals plus probably 2 thumbs of fat per meal plus the obligatory veggies and I am not even working out ( brisk walking and play with the dog).

Have you read any of the guidelines? The book or the online PDF for meal templates:

http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

[amberino21]

Do you have a copy of the meal template? It's a guideline, and id suggest going for the upper limits if you're getting hungry on the lower limits

http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

Your breakfast is small - add an egg, more vegies, and some more fat. Cooking fat doesn't really count as most is left in the pan. Aim for 2-3 cups of vegies per meal.

Lunch has no fat, and again low in vegies. Fat is needed at every meal!

Try protein and fat for your preWO. Also add starchy vegies to your meals (and postWO) for energy

[Punkity]

Thank you both so much!  I read the book, but I must have gotten confused on the fat and portions.  This really helps!