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Battling the Dragons, how do you do it?


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I'm on Day 12 and everything has been going great. Today, my school cafeteria (I'm a teacher and I usually eat lunch at school) is serving pasta alfredo. This is killing me right now. It's all I can think about and suddenly my Whole30 compliant lunch that I brought from home (grass fed steak, celery root puree and sauteed cabbage) sounds completely unappetizing. All I want is some creamy, garlicky, cheesy pasta. This is my second whole30 and I have never had a dragon rear it's ugly head as passionately as the dragon before me right now. This is why we have the whole30, right? To overcome this unhealthy relationship with food. I know this, but it's not helping right now (although it usually does). How do you get through these moments?

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Hi Vicky,

 

You might do well to add more starchy veggies (at least one serving a day of sweet potato, potato, winter squash, rutabaga, beets, carrots) and extra fat to your meal.  Fat is what brings flavour and satiation and the starchy veggies help with your "need carbs!" feeling.

 

You can also remember why you are doing this, even write a list and keep it with you so that you are reminded at times when you are feeling troubled over desires or cravings.

 

YOU are worth more than cafeteria alfredo, friend.  You are worth the effort and self respect to keep on with what you have chosen to do!

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Is there anyway you can distract yourself with a non-food reward?

 

Think: buying a magazine.  Taking a luxurious bubble bath.  Do your nails?  Find something that really interests you.  Sometimes a walk around Michaels arts and crafts store will get me out of a funk and get my brain thinking about crafty things again.

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I'm on Day 12 and everything has been going great. Today, my school cafeteria (I'm a teacher and I usually eat lunch at school) is serving pasta alfredo. This is killing me right now. It's all I can think about and suddenly my Whole30 compliant lunch that I brought from home (grass fed steak, celery root puree and sauteed cabbage) sounds completely unappetizing. All I want is some creamy, garlicky, cheesy pasta. This is my second whole30 and I have never had a dragon rear it's ugly head as passionately as the dragon before me right now. This is why we have the whole30, right? To overcome this unhealthy relationship with food. I know this, but it's not helping right now (although it usually does). How do you get through these moments?

I take myself out of situation if possible...if not I try to remember that I deserve to be healthy and sticking to whole 30 is my treat to myself.  I know it sounds dorky, but so far it works

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I use imagination.  I "pretend" until I'm out of the temptation zone.  Fake it until you can really make it.     I would pretend that pasta alfredo was nothing more than a mountain of starch that would glue my intestines together like a ball of rising dough.  The dough would rise all afternoon until I could barely fit behind the wheel of my car.  Things like that help me.

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Have an out of body experience.  Step out of the moment and out of yourself and stand across from the you that wants dough cooked in food for cow babies.  Now convince that person that you want the alfredo and you're going to deal with the You of tomorrow morning that wonders why you ate it.  Think about that great steak, what it cost, and the work you put into making it.

 

And for heck sake, if you're going to drive around in the Maserati of grass fed steak, get out of it with a better purse and shoes than celery puree and cabbages.  I'd revolt if I faced that in the aroma of alfredo.  If you were tempted, those aren't happy foods.  Like the posts offer above, make happy foods, make what gives you the strength to resist, make a plate that makes you smile, relax, and ignore your deepest craving.  There are so many veggies out there, celebrate them!

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Thank you for everyone's feedback and suggestions. Pasta alfredo at my school isn't even that good. For some reason it just consumed me yesterday. I did manage to overcome the urge and made myself garlic shrimp and some starchy veggies for dinner. I'm 110% sure this was better than the cafeteria special of the day. 

 

On day 16 and the Sugar Dragon shows up at night for me...I shouldn't have dried fruits at home anymore :( ... Dates and dried apricots are too tempting...

Herb tea is becoming boring... any suggestions?

 

How about hot water with lots of fresh lemon squeezed into it? Good Earth makes a Sweet and Spicy tea that has no added sugar but tastes sweet because of the rosehips and cinnamon. I actually didn't believe that it was unsweetened when I first started drinking it. Just read the package because some manufacturers of it use "natural flavoring." 

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Melissa Joulwan does a thing where she designates her "Kitchen Closed" after 8 pm. A rule where she is not allowed to go in there. That has helped me a lot.

 

For the record, many of us have had to banish dried fruits and nuts from our house.

 

Change up your beverages. Kombucha. Rooibos tea. Sparkling water with lime or a slice of ginger. Homemade bone broth.

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Melissa Joulwan does a thing where she designates her "Kitchen Closed" after 8 pm. A rule where she is not allowed to go in there. That has helped me a lot.

 

 

I do this too!  Every night after dinner, dishes are done and the lunches are packed and I pass the nice smelling counter cleaner over all the surfaces, turn out the lights and it's closed. Husband will still go in to get a drink or a snack as he is not on W30 but my rule is that I can use our instant hot water tap to make a cup of tea but that's it.  I quite enjoy turning that light switch off every night!

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Way back when I did Weight Watchers and the one thing that stuck with me was  if you are going to splurge on something, make it REALLY worth it. That is, like others said, cafeteria alfredo is not REALLY worth it, lol. I know you already moved past it but that's been a mantra I have kept since then (14 years ago).  So tonight I was tempted by my kids' pasta with red sauce and cheese, something I can eat anytime and used to eat all the time. And while I like it, it's not like Mario Battali made it for me or anything. So that was enough for me to stop thinking about it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Greetings! @Banzai30, I have the same issue and Ive been struggling with this all week. In 3 days Ive polished off 1/2 lb of raw almonds, and 8 oz bag of dates and a 6oz bag of dries mango. The Mango got creative last night when i started speading coc oil on each piece. Clearly I am not banishing any sugar dragons!!

Im set to finish my w30 this monday. Sugar is my biggest issue by far. When Im not home its smooth sailing however, when I'm home and done for the night i start in with the dried fruits nuts etc. It wasnt really bad until this week. I also wonder if it has anything to do with my cycle? I tend to be a bottomless pit right before my period. I initially thought I just wasnt eating enough through the day at meal times, but i really cant tell. I know when eating this Im really not helping myself at all and its almost like Im not happy until its all gone, hence the whole bag gone :( . I dont think Im really ready to be done if Im still reacting to food this way, so should I start over? Or just do w45-w60? Im also wondering if I have a FODMAPs issue as Ive been bloated,gassy etc. Thanks in advanced for any suggestions!!

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Hey Suns.Up!

I think there are a few little tweaks you can make to stop the evening eating.

First, make sure your meals are large enough, they should fit the template: http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

Second, many, MANY women get ravenous in the leadup to their period, sometimes needing double the food that they normally have. Go ahead and make yourself additional meals (again, that fit the template) and make sure you are including starchy veggies such as sweet potato, winter squash, beets, carrots etc...in the order of at least one fist sized serving per day but more if you feel you need it.

I would get the dried fruit and nuts out of your house altogether, they are obviously a food without brakes for you. Sometimes better to not be tempted at all. ;)

Not sure if you have a FODMAP issue or not but all the nuts and dried fruits you're eating could definitely be making you bloated and gassy. Nuts are problematic for a lot of people, digestively. Dried fruit is extremely dense and loaded with sugar which can also cause stomach trouble.

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One thing I didn't experience from this Whole30 is the good sleep. I crash easy but tossing and turning between midnight and 3 am...every night!

But the last three days I actually DIDN'T HAVE dried fruits and ... hello good night of sleep! I have researched "sugar and insomnia" and got contradicting information...YES Sugar before bed will cause insomnia... and NO Sugar and carbs at night won't cause insomnia.

I'll keep avoiding those at night anyways.

But if anyone has a similar experience and/or a more sci-ency explanation...

A great Post-Whole30 to all!

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or a more sci-ency explanation..

People can have different degrees of insulin sensitivity. If you are insulin resistant, the blood sugar spike from the fruit will take longer to regulate, and high blood sugar leads to increased heart rate, which could interfere with sleep.

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If I eat sugar (when not on W30), fruit or even a really sweet "sweet potato" before bed I have a horrid sleep.  Nightmares, tossing/turning.  Just because some study says "sugar doesn't affect your sleep" doesn't mean anything to me, in my world and for my context, sugar = poor sleep.

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