Day 22: Questions about Cravings, starches, nuts and butters

[faulknerhorn]

So I'm on day 22 of my first whole 30. The first week I loved it. I've never eaten so well or so regularly. I was immediately sold on the paleo outlook and haven't felt this comfortably full and satiated in years. Then, I started to get grumpy. Then I started to feel a bit achy. Now I'm on day 22 and I'm no longer feeling much of anything about the program. My digestion is the worst its been since beginning; I crave food; and I have a couple of other allergic seeming reactions that I'll post about elsewhere.
First off: people talk about craving/cheating, but I don't feel that at all, I just want more what I can have, but should limit. I snack on nuts and fruit or dried fruit every couple of days, and I'm wondering if I should drop it out.
So my first question is: what do nuts do to your digestion? Could they be the reason I'm feeling backed up and then spastic in my stomach?

Two: are we including coconut in that equation?

Three: even if I don't crave 'sugar' as in hyper processed and refined crap, should I limit my intake of winter squash if they're acting as my sweet treats (ie acorn, butternut, spaghetti, buttercup squash sauteed in coconut oil with cinnamon and nutmeg and coconut butter). Am I mentally feeding hte sugar dragon, even if I've physically starving him out?

 

Here's a sample of my consumption for a few days to give you a feeling:

Day one: 

B: two eggs, avocado, homemade salsa, small gala apple.

L: kale chorizo soup (sounds scant but is QUITE filling)

D: Coconut green curry and pineapple sauce on chicken and roasted broccoli.

Snack: dried pears and brazil nuts. (I normally try not to snack but was trapped away from home)

 

Day Two:

B: two eggs, zuchinni, coconut oil, gala, coconut butter.

L: chipoltle bacon coleslaw with homemade mayo and roasted red peppers.

D: anise creamed chicken in a spaghetti squash half roasted. Another tbs of coconut butter. 

 

Day Three: 

B: two eggs, avocado, homemade salsa, small gala apple, coconut butter

L: chipoltle bacon coleslaw with homemade mayo and roasted red peppers.

D: Thick tomato meat sauce with olives on cabbage 'rice' with half an acorn squash sauteed with coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg) 

[Tom Denham]

Nuts are often hard on your digestive system and could explain the trouble you are having. Eliminating nuts and dried fruit is almost always a great decision. 

 

Coconut milk is rarely seriously abused, but coconut flakes and cream is. I would keep using coconut milk, but consider eliminating other things. Some people have problems with coconut as an allergen, but that is not very common.

 

Your meals are light on protein. If you were eating more substantial protein portions at meals, you would probably be able to last between meals with little or no snacking. Consider moving up higher with meal template guidelines: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

 

Green veggies are an important theme to me. A day without one meal including green veggies like kale, chard, or spinach is a bad food day. As long as you are getting your green veggies in, I don't think you need to limit winter squash. You might not need all the squash you might eat, but as long as it is not crowding other food that you should be including in your diet, I think you will be okay. 

[faulknerhorn]

Thanks, Tom. I think this was helpful. After posting, I looked around a bit and realized that bacon is a fat--duh--and that I was counting it as both in some meals. I'll up my protein--I can't wait, actually. I'm cutting the butters, whole nuts, and fruits for a few days to see what happens. Likewise, the green tip is a good one. I'll up they're presence in my meals.