querida Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 One of my motivations for trying out a new way of eating (= W30) was to not find myself heading back into the kitchen 2 hours after lunch, hungry again already. But 16 days into my W30, I find myself feeling faint hunger feelings around 2/2.5 hours following a meal, and hungry around 3/3.5 hours following, and out and out ravenous by 4 hours following. In my effort to stretch the time between meals and not snack or use nuts as a bridge (my old habit), I'm often going too long and letting myself get too hungry. Highly fluctuating blood sugar is a familiar pattern, so I recognize that this is something that I need to form new habits around. To this end, I've dropped my [just about] daily fruit intake to about 1/3 cup, and have it with lunch or dinner rather than breakfast (my old habit). So I'd love some advice about how to better balance my meals. I'm eating a lot of veg, so I'm guessing my issue is with protein or fat. My preference would be to eat a 1/2 palm-size portion of chicken/fish/seafood, but I've upped it to 1-1.5 palm-size portions. I've upped my breakfast eggs from 2 to 3. I'm eating about 2-3 thumb-size portions of fat with each meal, but perhaps I need more? Some days I've scrapped the 3 meal plan and gone with 4 smaller meals. This works well, but what a pain! I need my time for something other than food prep + eating + cleaning. (Shocking, I know!). I am a formerly fairly active person, but I'd describe my current exercise routine as mellow (low-impact/intensity) as I recover from a few injuries. I kind of can't justify the need for this much food! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 How long ago did you up your protein portions? Some people take more time to adjust than others. Can you post more specific logs of your last few days including approximate meal times and when you started to feel hungry again? Your morning meal is going to be most important - try adding a 4th egg or another 1/2 palm of protein of another sort. I have small hands and I eat 4 eggs pretty much every morning. It's ok to have 4 or 5 meals a day if you need them while you adjust, but they should still meet the minimum of the template. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
querida Posted May 27, 2014 Author Share Posted May 27, 2014 I upped my protein portions to 1 palm size with my first W30 meal, and my morning eggs to 4 on about day 3. Sorry to say that I am not keeping specific logs of my meals, just noticing patterns. A typical breakfast has been: - 3 eggs scrambled in olive oil (ghee was too much for me here) - greens, mushrooms & onion sauteed in olive oil - 1/2-3/4 avocado (or equivalent in guacamole form) - salsa & cilantro A typical lunch has been: - a can of tuna w/homemade mayo - 6 olives - big salad with olive oil vinaigrette - blueberries with coconut milk & fresh mint -or- a handful of cherries and a few spoonfuls of coconut butter A typical dinner has been: - 1 chicken breast - steamed broccoli/cauliflower w/ghee and lemon - chopped veggies sticks and guacamole - a small handful of macadamia nuts When a meal included coconut milk or a yam, I notice I can go longer before the next meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted May 27, 2014 Moderators Share Posted May 27, 2014 Keeping your fruit low and having it later in the day is probably a good choice. You are eating very lean protein with the exception of eggs at breakfast. I find that I need to eat red meat and/or a fatty cut of meat at least once per day to be satisfied. I have a chuck roast in the slow cooker as we speak and will eat portions of it for the rest of the week. I like my ground beef to be at least 15 percent fat and enjoy 20 percent fat when I can find it. I eat a lot of canned salmon because it is super convenient and I prefer to get my fish oil from fish and not pills. You should probably choose tuna or salmon packed in olive oil as another way to boost fat content in your meals. Including starchy veggies at least once per day can be useful. Most people feel better when they eat some and it can help with staying satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
querida Posted May 27, 2014 Author Share Posted May 27, 2014 Good advice-- I'll do that. What I'm realizing is that since I don't eat red meat (a political/environmental decision made 15 years ago that I'm not up for rethinking right now), it is the good fat I need to up. It is a little nerve-wracking to add so much fat into a meal, but I'm going to keep the faith on this one and see how I go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 What about eating other parts of the chicken than the breast as well? Chicken thighs and legs are cheaper and fattier cuts. Or buy a whole chicken and pick it apart to use for meals all week. Eating from the entire animal is more sustainable too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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