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Hi All!

This is my first post to the forum but have read many of the posts. I want to get some feedback because I'm feeling uneasy about eating fats to satisfy hunger. I loved reading It Starts with Food and decided to start the Whole30 5 days ago and just so nervous about gaining weight.

I'm going to give you an insane amount of info just based on previous posts comments about needing more info:

I am active and generally go to the gym, spin, or go riding 6 days a week. I have been riding/ spinning lately because I'm training for a 3 day 200 mile ride this summer so I generally ride about 20 miles per day on average.

Prior to starting Whole30 I basically ate little to no dairy, no meat ( I eat seafood), lots of veggies, lots of 0% Greek yogurt with no added sugar/ flavors, and Kashi cereals. I ate very few what I saw as unhealthy things, but do definitely love sweets but try to keep them in control.

I've still been keeping up with my workouts up until yesterday since I saw your energy levels may be low the first week. I have been feeling tired, dizzy (which I had before to some extent too), feeling bloated, but more than anything I can't shake the feeling I'm eating not too much, but too many calories. Before Whole 30 I kept track of calories and ate about 1500-2000 calories per day while exercising off about 500-700 calories per day (per a heart rate monitor). Because I love learning about nutrition I have been sort of estimating my intake (I know I shouldn't) and I feel like I'm taking in no less than 2000 calories a day even when I am not exercising. I understand the template, but still figuring out how to stay full enough between meals whereas before I ate 5 mini meals so please any help/ input is appreciated.

Here's a sample of my food, please let me know if this is too much. I weigh about 135lb and 5'8" and am looking to shed some pounds while hopefully curing my lifelong stomach issues, but I'm just so scared I will gain weight...help!

Breakfast: ( traveling)

1/2-1 sweet potato

1/2 avocado

1.5 eggs in an "egg bake" with other veggies

8 oz carrot juice

20 oz Chai Tea

Lunch: (traveling to conference so not ideal I know)

20 oz chai tea (had to stay up during the conference)

1 apple w/

1 tbls almond butter

spring mix salad

tuna, canned, 6 oz

1.5 avocado

baby carrots

1 freeze dried apple

1 freeze dried banana

chia seed pod

Dinner (traveling):

5 olives

10 cashews

salmon, likely 6 oz

1 hard boiled egg

gauc ( avo, cilantro, tomato, lime) probably 1/2-1 avo

salad

steamed asparagus and carrots

Breakfast: (traveling)

1/2 sweet potato

1/2 c melon

1.5 egg bake

banana

Mint tea

Lunch: (traveling)

1.5 tbls almond butter

5 olives

15 mixed nuts (cashews, almonds)

2 Homemade plantain "tortillas" ( plantain and coconut oil)

Dinner:

homemade curry w/ coconut milk shrimp and carrots

califlower "rice"

I definitely have not been feeling over full at any time, nor starving. I've felt pretty hunger sometimes in between breakfast and lunch so added extra fat (like shown above) olives and nuts.

Any advice helps!

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You are not eating enough, and particularly not nearly enough protein. A palm-size portion of protein is recommended at every meal. 1.5 eggs is not that. Eat more. If eggs are the only source of protein in your meal, eat as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand, likely three or four.

 

If you are worried about eating too much, it is the fruit, dried fruit and freeze-dried fruit, nuts/nut butters and carrot juice that should be cut out. Focus on protein, good fats and vegetables.

 

Calories are virtually meaningless. Think nutrient density and observe your hunger cues, forget about the numbers.

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Exactly what Mary said, but wait there is more. On days you work out, you need extra meals to compensate for the extra work you are doing. So if you are riding 20 miles per day, you should be eating a little something before unless it is soon after a meal and a little something afterwards. Your body needs three meals per day when you are sedentary and needs more when you are very active. 

 

I know this way of eating is scary when you have been taught all your life that you have to eat less to lose weight, but our experience is that eating too little makes it impossible for some people to lose weight. Eating too little slows your metabolism. Eating enough to genuinely nourish your body allows your metabolism to speed up enough to burn off anything not needed. 

 

Meal template: http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

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