Hungry. Help me out.

[JustAMom]

Before I started the daily exercise routine, I was doing pretty good on few or no snacks. I'm presuming I'm not getting enough and that's why I'm hungry, but considering I still need to lose 25lb, I want to be sure I'm not over eating.

Here is my general routine

Get up

Have a couple cups of black coffee

Do my walk away the pounds ultimate 5 day walk plan DVD

Drink a big glass of lemon ginger water while I make breakfast of 3 eggs scrambled in a tbsp of ghee and cut up half an avocado. (I actually make four eggs and cut a whole avocado, but God's Little Diet Plan aka the breastfeeding 2 year mooch eats one of the eggs and half the avocado.)

Shower and get going with my day.

A few hours later I have a couple apples sliced with cashew butter

Then lunch. Usually fish bc it's so quick to make with a veggie like sweet potato or roasted squash.

Dinner is a meat of some sort with salad or veggie.

If I skip the apples and cashew snack mid day, I feel like I'm dying of hunger before bed.

But this seems like a lot of food? If it matters, I'm logging my food in my fitness pal for nutrient content. (I tend to be anemic) and my calorie count has never been above 2000 even eating all that.

Yes, I know I should eat breakfast first thing in the morning, but every time I eat as soon as I get up or right before exercise, I don't eat much and I feel nauseated and sluggish. I just want to crawl back into bed and sleep and I have a hard time finishing the walk plan. By the time I've had a couple cups of coffee, everything seems to have settled and I exercise and then seem good to go. If I don't exercise in the morning, I don't exercise. For better or worse, that's my reality and I figure it's better to have breakfast out of order and exercise each day.

Suggestions? Opinions?

[trezkholl0806]

Hello! Hope I can help... for one, if you look at the meal template, it suggests eating something before/after you workout (protein & fat before, lean protein & carbs after (no fat)) I try to eat 1-2 hardboiled eggs and some olives or avocado before and shredded chicken breast and baked sweet potato after (which aren't cooked in fat).  Then waiting an hr or 1 1/2 hrs until you eat your breakfast.

 

Make sure you are getting your serving of healthy fats in with every meal - if not, you WILL be hungry. Also, make sure you are getting at least 2-3 cups of veggies with every meal.

 

Everything else looks good - it is a lot of food, but how do you feel? I look like I'm eating a ton of food, but it satisfies me; I don't feel like I stuffed myself at all.

 

Hope this helps

[Roz Griffiths]

I think the post-workout snack is more critical than pre-, especially as you're going first thing. Could you have a little protein (a cooked chicken tender perhaps?) with your lemon ginger water, while you cook breakfast?

[trezkholl0806]

If you are doing an intense workout, you want to have a meal size amount of protein & carbs immediately after so the protein can get to your muscles and start recovering.

[GFChris]

I agree with the previous posts.  I would lean to having a pre wo snack with your coffee, so you eat something within an hour of waking (and you're not having only coffee upon waking, which is discouraged on a Whole30).  Then have your full breakfast after your workout.

Do you have a copy of the meal template? http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf
 

Every meal should follow this template.  Your breakfast is missing vegetables. Snacks should be a mini-meal, including at least a protein and fat. 
 

And no, you're not eating too much, especially considering you're breast-feeding. It looks like you're eating too little.

[JustAMom]

I'm confused. Three scrambled eggs and half an avocado is not enough? Or I should ADD a meat to the apple and cashew snack? Or should I combine them into one after workout/breakfast meal 1?

[Physibeth]

Avocado is your fat serving not a vegetable for the context of W30. I would replace your apple and cashew with something like an egg and some carrot sticks and a little mayo. Fruit should ideally be consumed with a meal.

 

Here is an example of how to tweek the same day:

 

Wake up

Black coffee and 1 or 2 eggs (protein and fat)

Workout

Chicken (lean protein) and sweet potato (starchy veg)

M1: Eggs scrambled with ghee and sauteed kale (or any vegetable you like) and 1/2 avocado

Snack (if you still need it): egg, carrot sticks, cashews

M2: Same as you have with a fat (mayo or avocado or olives) and have your apple here

M3: Same as you have with a fat.

[JustAMom]

I could slice up some kombucha or sweet potato the night before and pop it in the oven when I start my work out so that it's done in time for my breakfast/meal 1. I could also make another egg and more avocado for that meal.

I have some left over roast chicken I could snack on if that doesn't hold me over to lunch. Maybe with a fruit?

[JustAMom]

Eating before workout makes me want to puke. Idk why. But it does. If I had eggs pre workout right after I woke up, I wouldn't finish the workout. Maybe as I get more compliant that will change, but I'm not there yet.

It took me a year to go from a little coffee with my cream and sugar to bulletcoffee to coffee with just a bit of coconut cream to plain black coffee. Maybe as I get healthier I won't have coffee at all, or just after breakfast, but I'm not there get.

[GFChris]

I could slice up some kombucha or sweet potato the night before and pop it in the oven when I start my work out so that it's done in time for my breakfast/meal 1. I could also make another egg and more avocado for that meal.

I have some left over roast chicken I could snack on if that doesn't hold me over to lunch. Maybe with a fruit?

 

How does one slice up kombucha? It's a drink.     Yes, adding sweet potato to your breakfast is great, as that would give you a meal that fits the complete template of protein, veg and fat.

Again, you want your snacks to be a mini-meal, including a protein and fat. If you have roast chicken for a snack, add a fat like mayo, avocado, olives or nuts.

Fruit you want to limit to only accompanying your main meals.

[JustAMom]

It's a nasty snotty textured drink. ;p

But it's a very nice sweet potato alternative as far as squashes go. I cut the stem end off. Remove seeds, slice in 1 inch slices, brush with oil all over, pop in oven at 400' for 20-30 minutes. You can eat the skin too. It's sort of salty crispy. Yum.

[Physibeth]

I think you mean Kabocha for the squash.

 

Were you previously drinking bulletproof coffee first thing and then working out? The fat in the bulletproof coffee (or even the cream before that) would serve the pre-wo snack as well. 

[JustAMom]

Hmmm. I have some chicken strips I can "bread" with ground walnuts and spices, and they cook in less than 20 minutes. That would combine a protein and nuts. I think I'll try to prep some this weekend.

[amberino21]

I could slice up some kombucha or sweet potato the night before and pop it in the oven when I start my work out so that it's done in time for my breakfast/meal 1. I could also make another egg and more avocado for that meal.

I have some left over roast chicken I could snack on if that doesn't hold me over to lunch. Maybe with a fruit?

I would have a postWO then meal 1 later, instead of meal one after workout then a snack.

Your meal one, with the eggs and avo has too much fat. You don't want the fat immediately postWO as it slows digestion and absorption - you're trying to get the recovery fuel into your body as quickly and easily as possible. Could you have some plain chicken and sweet potato, then your eggs, avo and vegies later on?

Aim for vegies over fruit, especially with a mini meal - you'll probably feel more satisfied! Have your fruit with a meal, but make sure it's not pushing vegies off your plate

Are you logging your food on MFP? I wouldn't trust the accuracy of their nutritional info at all - unless you've entered the numbers yourself, I doubt most food wouldn't have the right numbers.

You're probably better off not logging and getting rid off the stress!

Fruit and vegies nutrients will depend so much on where they were grown, when they were picked, how they were grown etc.

[JustAMom]

I think you mean Kabocha for the squash.

 

Were you previously drinking bulletproof coffee first thing and then working out? The fat in the bulletproof coffee (or even the cream before that) would serve the pre-wo snack as well.

*blush* yes! that would be the squash I meant!

I was previously drinking bulletproof and not working out at all. Now I've weaned myself down to having it black.

[Physibeth]

*blush* yes! that would be the squash I meant!

I was previously drinking bulletproof and not working out at all. Now I've weaned myself down to having it black.

 

No worries...I can never remember the name of that squash either...I had to google it. I have 3 or 4 on my kitchen counter...need to make them into some nommy soup!

 

If you really can't stomach any food before you work out I would consider going back to the bulletproof coffee for pre-workout. 

[JustAMom]

I was talking to my chiropractor this afternoon and he suggested my nauseated if I eat first mornings might be related to my low blood pressure? I've had low blood pressure for years now and coffee is a natural booster. An hour or two after my java, I'm usually feeling less like I'm trudging through mud.

Anyone else have low blood pressure that tends to be especially low in the mornings?

[Physibeth]

I was talking to my chiropractor this afternoon and he suggested my nauseated if I eat first mornings might be related to my low blood pressure? I've had low blood pressure for years now and coffee is a natural booster. An hour or two after my java, I'm usually feeling less like I'm trudging through mud.

Anyone else have low blood pressure that tends to be especially low in the mornings?

 

I've struggled with low blood pressure but I don't generally have problems eating in the am. Of course I've built the habit of eating first thing in the morning over 37 years. I've never ever in my life skipped breakfast that I can recall except for when I once did a 30 hour fast. I'd lean more towards hormones just are not used to it which is why I suggest easing into calories in the morning might over time help. 

[Vian]

http://www.dietdoctor.com/what-happens-if-you-eat-5800-calories-daily-on-an-lchf-diet

 

The above article is about what happens if you significantly over eat on a low carb high fat diet (somewhat different than paleo/w30, but it's still no grains/legumes and lots of healthy fat). Instead of gaining the more than 16 pounds he "should" have (if calories in = calories out like modern science thinks it does) a man eating 5800 calories a day for a month only gained 3.5 pounds. This is because when you fuel your body properly, it increases your metabolism to burn off the excess calories until it finds equilibrium. How much do you want to bet that much of those 3.5 pounds was muscle from increased activity?

 

I probably eat well over 2000 calories a day, my breakfast alone is probably 1000 (3 eggs fried in bacon grease, 2 slices of bacon, salsa, and veggies fried in GF butter, plus BP coffee with 2 tbs. coconut oil and 1/4c. heavy cream - I am not doing a whole30 right now) and I am not exercising right now because of some health concerns, though I do stand for 8 hours a day at my job, and I have been maintaining my weight for 6 months. And that's including quite a bit of sugary treats, like having some of my mom's gluten-free apple crisp with a scoop of ice cream, or going for frozen yogurt on tuesday nights (when the medium cup is half price) with friends.

 

So, the moral of the story is if you are hungry, EAT. Make sure you eat protein, fat, and veggies every time you eat (except for post workout as fat slows digestion and prevents the protein from getting to your muscles quickly).

[JustAMom]

I just want to brag on my husband a little. This weekend he made me compliant creamy butternut squash soup and made enough so I could have left overs. It's the perfect breakfast veggie solution. I just heat it up while I scramble my eggs and it sooths my "really want a second pot of coffee" craving too. No prep just pour a mug in a sauce pan and reheat. Perfect. My breakfast this morning. I actually refilled my soup mug and gave half the apple to Mr Toddler Mooch.

I know it probably still had too much fat bc of the avocado half? And that's slightly less than 4 eggs in a small thumb amount of ghee. The mooch again.

But I feel full. Hopefully this will satisfy until lunch.

Oh and that's the only fruit I'll be having today.

[Physibeth]

That sounds perfect! I've been using soups as my breakfast veggies a lot lately as well. A good helping of fat in the morning will make it so much easier to get through your day.