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Help! Sugar Dragon and SWYPO


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Update for anyone who'd like to know!

I feel a lot more confident today. I'm making MUCH bigger meals and have decided to consume ONLY fresh fruit (no dried) for my entire Whole30. I've also decided to let myself have the nut butter as my occasional fat. Someone suggested (I'm sorry, I don't remember who) that I have the fat and fruit first so that my body doesn't associate it with dessert. I did that today. I ate:

A tablespoonful of almond butter, a fresh plum, 4 spicy tuna cakes, 2 potato hash cakes, coffee with coconut milk, and a big bowl of mixed greens drizzled with olive oil. Better?

 

Also, a quick Q if anyone's still checking this thread: I purposely chose plums as my fresh fruit of choice because I've never liked them much (hoping to slay the Sugar Dragon), but when I bit into this plum... Day-um! I have NEVER tasted such a sweet, delicious plum! I was alarmed at how sweet it was... Should I not eat fruit at ALL for my Whole30? That doesn't seem too healthy to me... But now I'm absolutely terrified of consuming any kind of sugar/sweetness at all!

 

Any suggestions?

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Don't worry too much about abstaining from all fruit. As long as you have a big helping of veggies with every meal, fruit is ok. Just keep checking in with yourself, and maybe don't eat it at every meal. Remember, there are no nutrients you can get from fruit that you can't get from vegetables.

 

Personally I found that eating my big serving of veggies left little room for fruit, I was too full. Greens (even a large serving) are not very filling so with meals like that you will probably have room for fruit.

 

Kirstin

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Wise decision to forgo the dried fruit.

 

As for your other question, you *could* decide to forgo all fresh fruit as well and it would be perfectly healthy. Just eat more vegetables and non-sweet fruit like tomatoes and avocados. 

 

But I don't think giving up fresh fruit altogether is entirely necessary as long as you're the one in control and not your Sugar Dragon. And you're the only one that can be the judge of that. Fruit might be a FWB (Food Without Brakes) for you. Or it might not. Try skipping fruit for a day or two and see how it goes.

 

When I limited myself to 1 serving of fruit per day, I found myself gradually tapering off. Some days I skip eating fruit altogether. I didn't have any fruit yesterday but the night before last, I enjoyed sharing a punnet of raspberries with my husband. When they were all gone, I was satisfied and didn't have the urge to go prowling in the kitchen looking for more.

 

I think it's great to enjoy the natural sweetness of a piece of fruit, like a ripe juicy plum . . . as long as you can stop at one and be satisfied.

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Fresh fruit is definitely not a FWB for me. I find that I really can't eat more than a handful of berries or one larger fruit like a plum or peach. I think it's good that I'm deciding beforehand that I'm eating a fruit with my meal. That, to me, says that it's a rational, planned decision instead of caving into a sugar craving. Whereas with dates or dried apricots it would be a FWB. 

 

I think I'm getting the hang of this!! It's only Day 3, but I'm not experiencing any SERIOUS negative side effects like "The Hangover" or whatever they call it in the Whole 30 Timeline. I'm pretty pumped to keep on making good choices!!! Thanks, all!!

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So good to hear you're getting the hang of it!! No dried fruit, but yes to fresh, seems like a great place for you to start. And I like that breakfast much better. :)

 

Personally I find my fruit consumption is pretty seasonal. In the summer when it's fresh and local, I tend to eat a lot (for me) - once or twice every day. Right now, it's basically a little bit of diced apple in my breakfast hash and that's generally it. It's so easy to stress about doing it "right" when you first start the Whole30, I know, but you'll figure out what works for you!

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@kirkor Hahaha! That's why I need to use a measuring spoon. Otherwise it might be a generous spoonful... ;-)

 

@jent103 Thank you! You know, that's a good idea: Mixing fruit with another food (especially a starch). That way I get the nutrition and interest but the sugary taste will be muted so I won't be feeding The Dragon. :-)

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  • 5 months later...

i'm glad i found this thread. there's a lot of great, relevant info here in these concise posts that aren't overwhelming and will definitely help me going forward. i an on day seven of what i'm hoping will be my first complete whole 30 (i made it over 20 days a very long time ago). in the months before this, i was eating up to two pints of ben & jerry's every few days, plenty of other sweets and the "healthy" stuff i was eating in between was not quite so healthy. i must admit that along with compliant meals on days 1-5, when the cravings were really bad i wound up eating fruit and/or nut butters to keep me sane. i didn't feel good about it, but it kept me from eating sugar, and i was just thankful i stayed with compliant foods, albeit in a manner that's not recommended. yesterday, day 6, seemed to be a turning point and the cravings really subsided a great deal and were much easier to apply "this, too, shall pass" to. i did have an apple after dinner, yesterday but that was WAY better than i had done the previous days. hopefully i can stay strong and keep the fruit and nut butters out of the house for the remainder of this whole 30, and maybe beyond (but i don't want to get out of too far ahead of myself) i'm glad someone posted what dallas said about the only way of slaying the sugar dragon is by starving it. something i kinda knew already, but that really makes it black and white for me. thanks again to everyone sharing about both problems and solutions!

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