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Sugar cravings worse after whole 30


jlynnwest

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I have done the whole 30 twice this year and each time I sabotage my results during the reintroduction part after the 30 days is over.  I have a major sugar demon and forget about self control if I get a hold of wheat.  For the first few days after the whole 30 I'm fine, but as soon as I get my hands on sugar or wheat it's over.  I want to do another whole 30, but I'm afraid I will do the same thing again.  Has this happened to anyone?  Do I just need more time in the program before I reintroduce food?  I wonder if it would be better to just eat well for the most part so that way when I have something off the whole 30, I don't go crazy like a deprived animal.  An extreme diet like this could be causing me to go to the other extreme once it's over.  Anyway, I'd love some words of encouragement:)

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Yeah, i do this :rolleyes: What i _have_ found though is that each time it gets a little less bad, if that makes sense? Each time there are fewer things i want to binge on & i'll do it for less time. I'm hoping eventually i'll stop completely :) I'm certainly better at recognising what's going on & am more aware of the consequences if i do fall off track. It does get better!

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Maybe the problem is that you keep being confronted with your inability to control yourself when you eat sugar or wheat, but you keep eating them. I would stop eating anything that made me lose control the way you describe. 

 

There is nothing extreme about eating meat, fish, eggs, veggies, fruit, and healthy fats. The Whole30 does not deprive you of anything good. My Whole30 diet is richer, tastier, more varied, and more satisfying than anything I ate before. What most people eat is deprived of adequate nutrition. What is extreme is missing out on the richness of eating Whole30-style.

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Maybe the problem is that you keep being confronted with your inability to control yourself when you eat sugar or wheat, but you keep eating them. I would stop eating anything that made me lose control the way you describe.

That's sometimes easier said than done :) I smoked 20 cigarettes a day for 15 years, knowing full well the health risks. Even 2 years after quitting, i would still find myself thinking of having "just one" cigarette at certain times of the day. Old habits die hard!

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I have done 3 whole 30's - (day 14 of my 4th at present)

 

I know the more sugar and grains that filter into my diet after my w30's, the more I want them.  So I try to keep the grains and sugar to minimum - meaning they have to be really worth it.  Homemade cookies, homemade lasangna (with homemade pasta, sauce and sausage) and homemade pizza are on this list, and are enough of a rarity in my diet that I don't worry about it too much.  Do I let things slide - on occasion.

 

Sugar and grains are funny ones for me.  If I go too much off the deep end with them I am rewarded with a 3 day migraine during the begining (or end) of my cycle.  So I'm pretty motivated to keep them out. 

 

The reason why the whole 30 is such a success is that there are rules.  Moderation does not work at all in my case.  I have an all or nothing mentality.  Which works extremely well when things are black and white, but doesn't work well if there are grey areas.  So we have to find a way to deal with the grey areas.  Give yourself unbreakable rules/boundaries.  For me dairy is all out no.  Not even a "little bit" because it wreaks havoc on the inside of me and the outside, and my mental state.

 

If it is to cook a favourite paleo meal during those times you feel like a "treat" then go for it.  As Tom mentions focus on the real good food you are giving your body, as opposed to the crappy food you "feel" you want.

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Same here. But as Roz says, the binges get less severe. I'll fall off the wagon but get back up and back on track quicker than I used to. And falling off the wagon now means one slice of pie and a sweet coffee, whereas it used to mean days of this:

 

the-whole-thing-at-one1.jpg

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I have done 3 whole 30's - (day 14 of my 4th at present)

 

I know the more sugar and grains that filter into my diet after my w30's, the more I want them.  So I try to keep the grains and sugar to minimum - meaning they have to be really worth it.  Homemade cookies, homemade lasangna (with homemade pasta, sauce and sausage) and homemade pizza are on this list, and are enough of a rarity in my diet that I don't worry about it too much.  Do I let things slide - on occasion.

 

Sugar and grains are funny ones for me.  If I go too much off the deep end with them I am rewarded with a 3 day migraine during the begining (or end) of my cycle.  So I'm pretty motivated to keep them out. 

 

The reason why the whole 30 is such a success is that there are rules.  Moderation does not work at all in my case.  I have an all or nothing mentality.  Which works extremely well when things are black and white, but doesn't work well if there are grey areas.  So we have to find a way to deal with the grey areas.  Give yourself unbreakable rules/boundaries.  For me dairy is all out no.  Not even a "little bit" because it wreaks havoc on the inside of me and the outside, and my mental state.

 

If it is to cook a favourite paleo meal during those times you feel like a "treat" then go for it.  As Tom mentions focus on the real good food you are giving your body, as opposed to the crappy food you "feel" you want.

I think I'm an "all or nothing" kind of a person too.  I think I'm going to have to make a personal "dos and don't" list for after I'm done with the next whole 30.

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Maybe the problem is that you keep being confronted with your inability to control yourself when you eat sugar or wheat, but you keep eating them. I would stop eating anything that made me lose control the way you describe. 

 

There is nothing extreme about eating meat, fish, eggs, veggies, fruit, and healthy fats. The Whole30 does not deprive you of anything good. My Whole30 diet is richer, tastier, more varied, and more satisfying than anything I ate before. What most people eat is deprived of adequate nutrition. What is extreme is missing out on the richness of eating Whole30-style.

Thanks for this reminder!  I feel like I'm on a whole other planet from the people around me and I'm constantly getting comments about how crazy my diet is.  I seriously needed to be reminded of how bountiful life is on the whole 30.  Thank you.

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Thanks for this reminder!  I feel like I'm on a whole other planet from the people around me and I'm constantly getting comments about how crazy my diet is.  I seriously needed to be reminded of how bountiful life is on the whole 30.  Thank you.

 

I get very few comments from people any more. Why? Because I don't talk about what I eat unless they ask me questions. I'm not on a diet any more than they are, in fact if they are "on a diet", that usually means they are eating something different from normal, whereas this is my normal. So more often than not, I'm talking to them about their latest diet idea rather than what I eat. If I've explained Whole30 to them once already, I don't bring it up again unless asked about it.

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I get very few comments from people any more. Why? Because I don't talk about what I eat unless they ask me questions. I'm not on a diet any more than they are, in fact if they are "on a diet", that usually means they are eating something different from normal, whereas this is my normal. So more often than not, I'm talking to them about their latest diet idea rather than what I eat. If I've explained Whole30 to them once already, I don't bring it up again unless asked about 

Very true.  I just need to shut up about it.  

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I think I'm an "all or nothing" kind of a person too.  I think I'm going to have to make a personal "dos and don't" list for after I'm done with the next whole 30.

love this idea... I think I will do this as well, because some things really are triggers for people and they CAN'T stop!

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I did a 100 to banish my sugar dragon... It comes to visit every now and then but after the hundred I decided to keep all added sugars out of my daily diet, even maple and honey. Any swypo sweet foods I make I only allow myself fruit or juice as the sole sweetener. And when I have alcohol it's almost exclusively a dry red. I don't miss what I don't have. The few occasions I go crazy on work sweets or chocolate gifts the sweetness is so intense I am okay with it just being a one off as although I enjoy the taste on that occasion... It no longer feels like a real food experience and I am happy to go back to natural flavours again.

Also I recently chose to have some icecream and sweet biscuits a few days in a row after none for over 9 months... I was amazed that the icecream didn't seem to affect me and even more amazed that once I opened the biscuit barrel 4-5 biscuits disappeared almost instantaneously... Then a few days later I suffered a horrendous skin flare up that took three weeks of compliant eating to reduce.... So that's a potent sign to keep staying off gluten and dairy.

I have chosen to not be a slave to fake food trickery....

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  • 3 weeks later...

I also deal with this. I was binge eater in high school, and it went away mid-college. I hadn't binged in so long that I kind of forgot about it. Then, after three months of strict Paleo (for weight loss), it came back with a vengeance. I battled bingeing on and off for six months before deciding to do a Whole 30. I finished in October, and my bingeing is as bad as ever. The holiday season makes matters worse. I feel like I need to be looking more toward a therapist and less toward a diet. :mellow: I think I literally have to throw EVERYTHING sweet away in my house. All sugars. All nut butters. Even honey. I just go apesh*t with it occassionally. Unfortunately, I have gained back all of the weight I originally lost by switching to a paleo diet. So disappointed in myself.

 

End rant.

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I also deal with this. I was binge eater in high school, and it went away mid-college. I hadn't binged in so long that I kind of forgot about it. Then, after three months of strict Paleo (for weight loss), it came back with a vengeance. I battled bingeing on and off for six months before deciding to do a Whole 30. I finished in October, and my bingeing is as bad as ever. The holiday season makes matters worse. I feel like I need to be looking more toward a therapist and less toward a diet. :mellow: I think I literally have to throw EVERYTHING sweet away in my house. All sugars. All nut butters. Even honey. I just go apesh*t with it occassionally. Unfortunately, I have gained back all of the weight I originally lost by switching to a paleo diet. So disappointed in myself.

 

End rant.

I use to be a binge eater and and I am afraid of losing weight because of it. As soon as i loose a couple pound it creeps up. Its like my body / mind anticipates starvation...

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Maybe the problem is that you keep being confronted with your inability to control yourself when you eat sugar or wheat, but you keep eating them. I would stop eating anything that made me lose control the way you describe. 

 

There is nothing extreme about eating meat, fish, eggs, veggies, fruit, and healthy fats. The Whole30 does not deprive you of anything good. My Whole30 diet is richer, tastier, more varied, and more satisfying than anything I ate before. What most people eat is deprived of adequate nutrition. What is extreme is missing out on the richness of eating Whole30-style.

 

Tom, it sounds like you've been able to stop eating foods that make you lose control.  I hope you can at least consider the possibility that others may not be as far along on their journey as you are.

 

JlynnWest, I had the same experience you did after my whole 30.  Unlike Tom, I did find it extreme and I did feel deprived of foods that I like to eat during Whole 30 (even though there were lots of foods I did like on Whole30).  Prior to Whole 30, I was eating a pretty clean pescetarian diet, but with occasional treats like dessert or ice cream.  When I finished Whole 30 my sugar cravings were much worse than before I started and I binged on sweets.  It took me a while to get the sweets back to just occasional.  For me personally (I know I'll probably get some negative feedback for saying this), a pescetarian diet which includes dairy, legumes, whole grains, and occasionally sweets works better than whole 30.  The only benefit I saw from Whole30 was increased satiety from my meals, and I've been able to do that after going back to my pre-Whole 30 diet by slightly increasing my intake of protein and fat, while decreasing my intake of carbs.  I was also less stressed after I went back to my pre-Whole30 diet.  I hope there is room on this forum for my viewpoint.  I'm not saying anyone else should eat the way I do, I'm just saying after testing Whole30 I found my old way is better for me.

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I think it is very important to remember that the Whole30 is an n=1 experiment, not a religion. The point is to find out what works for *your* body. We are all trying to get healthier, and every body is unique. It is, or should be, perfectly fine to discover that the full program here isn't the ultimate for you. How exciting that you know what IS the best for you!

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Also its important to note the whole30 is not a program designed for people with disordered eating. Although many of us find it valuable still, many do find the whole30 restrictions exacerbate this problem. There is a link on this site somewhere about this.

Its definitely an N=1 model with a starting point framework to create the baseline

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I think that judging food (eg: this food is bad/ wrong/evil) can really back fire for some people. Because its forbitten, you might get in a weard "f**k it" state and lose control. Whereas if you allow yourself to make peace with it and appreaciate it Mindfuly, you might not have a problem stopping after a few bites.

I think you should not categorize any food as evil, just less optimal for you.

Remember you are making a choice.

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  • 1 year later...

I also deal with this. I was binge eater in high school, and it went away mid-college. I hadn't binged in so long that I kind of forgot about it. Then, after three months of strict Paleo (for weight loss), it came back with a vengeance. I battled bingeing on and off for six months before deciding to do a Whole 30. I finished in October, and my bingeing is as bad as ever. The holiday season makes matters worse. I feel like I need to be looking more toward a therapist and less toward a diet. :mellow: I think I literally have to throw EVERYTHING sweet away in my house. All sugars. All nut butters. Even honey. I just go apesh*t with it occassionally. Unfortunately, I have gained back all of the weight I originally lost by switching to a paleo diet. So disappointed in myself.

 

End rant.

 

Hey Carrot Flowers (is that a neutral milk hotel reference :-) ),

 

Whether or not Whole30 is right for you or not, if continued feelings of food deprivation and bingeing are a problem for you I highly recommend this book (and I'm a proponent of a good therapist too!) http://www.amazon.com/The-Appetite-Awareness-Workbook-Overeating/dp/1572243988

 

Just throwing it out there in case you'd be interested, I just recently discovered it and find it wonderful.  It's about appetite awareness and using that to as a frame work and starting point to deal with feelings of food deprivation and manage it, and how to address and eliminate "binge eating."  It's written by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  

 

-K

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