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Day 17, Still can't give up snacking. So hungry :( is this the sugar dragon?


eshobbs9

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I'm on day 17 of my first whole30. I'm also a painfully chronic snacker. I used to get so hangry if I didn't have food every 2 hours that I carry food in my purse all day long, every day, no matter what. Breaking this habit is really proving difficult for me, and I wondered if you all could let me know if you think I'm on the right track?

 

Yesterday I ate three snacks (my old habits). I'm training for a half marathon, and I ran 10 miles the day before, but I don't want to blame it on "runger" before asking someone else first. I read this forum all the time and I try to stick to the advice you all give, but I have a big problem with my "sugar dragon" too, so I'm wondering if that's connected to my snacking habit. I'm also just terrified that I'm eating too much.

 

Here's what I ate yesterday:

 

M1 (8:30 am): 3 eggs fried in ghee, 1/4 sweet potato with about 3 TBSP almond butter, 1/2 avocado, about 1 cup assorted sauteed veggies (carrots, celery, kale)

 

Got hungry about 3 hours later. Snack was a larabar (I know this is a bad snack)

 

M2 (12:00 pm): Trader Joe's chili lime chicken burger, 1/2 avocado, 1 hardboiled egg, side salad with carrots, sugar snap peas, greens, oil, and vinegar. Still hungry so I ate 2 handfuls of plantain chips and a tangerine.

 

So hungry for a couple of hours, finally gave in about 4pm. Ate a banana and about 3 TBSP almond butter

 

M3 (6:00 pm): bowl of homemade indian butter chicken and cauliflower rice (a friend made for me at her house). Had seconds. 

 

I was then still so hungry when I went to bed, but I denied myself another snack :(

 

Is this really just the sugar dragon forcing me to snack? I try to eat eggs, sweet potatoes, squash, strawberries, or a green veggie for a snack some days but yesterday I was bad about the bananas and larabars. I love granola, oatmeal, and bars so much. I feel like without them I would be so unhappy. But if that's what is keeping me so hungry I can try giving it up all together next week. I would love any advice you all have. Thank you in advance.

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First, probably not a surprise, drop the Lara Bars and any fruit for snacks - that only feeds the sugar dragon. The recommended snack is a mini-meal of protein, veg and fat. 

 

Try upping your veggies at each meal to closer to 2-3 cups. Have the WHOLE sweet potato vs. 1/4 of it.

 

Also, drink water first when you think you're really hungry - you might be dehydrated. Aim for consuming 1/2 an ounce of water per pound of body weight daily.

Are you having pre/post WO fuel before/after your runs?  The recommended pre WO is protein and fat, and post WO is protein and optional carb.

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Thanks for replying, Chris! I'll get rid of the fruits and nuts this week. I'm considering extending my whole30 until my half marathon on March 14, turning it into a whole 45. 

 

I think I get enough water- I refill my 36 oz Nalgene at least 4 times a day. I'll get some more veggies, too. Especially sweet potatoes and squash.

 

I always eat a post WO meal because I'm usually very hungry immediately after running. 90% of the time it is a hardboiled egg and either a handful size of sweet potato or squash. 

 

I run in the late mornings, so I sometimes do not eat a pre WO meal now that I think about it. I usually eat meal 1 about 8 am, then run about 10am, eat my post WO meal about 11:30am, then eat meal 2 about 1pm.

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Honestly, if you are that hungry then eat.  More at your meals.  Try two chicken burgers instead of one, a whole avocado instead of half, the whole sweet potato that Chris notes above.  Get those veggies up, a side salad is not enough. 

 

It looks like your first larabar snack was about 30 minutes before you decided to eat lunch.  Eating your lunch would have been a better move than the larabar. 

 

"I love granola, oatmeal, and bars so much. I feel like without them I would be so unhappy." - This is entirely mental.  A 2" x 3" bar of pressed dates & nuts is not where you should be looking for happiness.  And hopefully it goes without saying, granola and oatmeal are not compliant on a Whole30.

 

Embrace the Whole30 template and start tweaking your meals up in volume until you get to the point where you don't need to eat before 4-5 hours is up.  If you keep eating the same volume every day you're going to keep "needing" those snacks.  It's a bit self-fulfilling that way.   You aren't the first and you certainly won't be the last who is in a battle with the sugar/cravings dragons.....our approach works....if you can embrace it.  :)

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I always eat a post WO meal because I'm usually very hungry immediately after running. 90% of the time it is a hardboiled egg and either a handful size of sweet potato or squash. 

 

Hardboiled egg isn't the best choice, post WO.  You don't want fat in the post WO fuel, and the egg yolk counts as fat.  Go instead for lean protein. Chicken and tuna are popular choices, or have egg whites instead.

 

Yay on dropping the nuts and adding more veggies. Water consumption looks great.

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I'll definitely up the veggies at meals, ladyshanny. Thanks for the response and advice. Yes, I haven't been eating any oats or granola but those are things I continue to crave all the time. I'll hold out hope, though. I don't know why I thought such an intense carb and snacking addiction would be easy to break :/

 

Thanks, Chris. I didn't realize that about the eggs. I'll cook up some chicken for post WO meals. 

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Kill it with fat and protein.  And do NOT give it anything sweet (including fresh fruit and especially dried fruits/nuts) when it is begging.  Do not feed sugar/carb cravings with sweets.

 

Sounds contrary but your best bet in helping yourself through a hardcore snacking/carb addiction is to make sure you 1) eat enough at every meal and 2) have those starchy veggies at at least one meal of the day if not every meal.  Especially during a transition like this, you will experience less "symptoms" and kill your sugar dragon quicker by including the starchy veggies like sweet potato, rutabaga, turnip, carrots, beets etc.

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Ok, I'm going to start immediately. I thought it was under control for a couple of days but this weekend the cravings and hunger started back. Tonight I'm making buffalo chicken meatballs with avocado, sweet potato and salad on the side. I'll try eating a whole sweet potato and see what that does for the after-dinner cravings. Thanks for the advice :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
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eshobbs,

 

LadyShanny and GFChris have given you some spot-on advice.

 

One other thing to mull over. Have you read The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing by Phil Maffetone? If you are training too hard/fast, or skimping on sleep or recovery, you will crave sugar and carbs. Even if you are eating plenty of protein, fat and veggies. His nutrition advice is very Paleo oriented. I highly recommend it.

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