Less than Ideal Meal Choices/Options - Still on Whole30

[MeroKT]

I am on day 4 of my first Whole30. I started the program using several of the online resources. I did order the Whole30 book and just got it and started reading it Tuesday - have not finished yet. I am good with all of the restricted foods and I think I have been completely on course when it comes to eliminating all of the no-no foods.

 

Yesterday, I had a hard boiled egg before working out and then after workout I had mixed nuts (no peanuts) and a banana for breakfast (no post-workout meal - I did 30 minutes of intervals on the ArcTrainer machine burning 300-400 calories and then some pushups/situps so nothing too intense/long). I had a BIG salad with lots of veggies at lunch with oil and vinegar - it had grilled chicken and avocados too for protein. By mid-afternoon, I was not just wanting to snack - I was really hungry - like my legs were weak. I didn't have access to a full meal so I had some almonds and a LaraBar in my purse on my way to a 4pm appointment. When I got home last night I made my big pot of chili with ground beef and lots of vegetables and had a big bowl with a fruit smoothie (just fresh fruit and water in the Vitamix).

 

Last night, I also made some of the breakfast meatloafs with zuchinni that I saw on a site but they were HORRIBLE and I had to toss them so now I have to plan again for a better breakfast option. So since I didnt have my little meatloafs for breakfast, this morning, I went to my easy nuts and banana and water/coffee (I need to add veggies to that mix!). I work full time and have two kids so I don't have time to cook in the AM. I have to have grab and go breakfast that isn't always a hard boiled egg and I also need a lunch that I can easily take to work and eat with only a microwave/toaster oven in the breakroom.

 

My issue is that I know some of my meals are not optimal. Is this normal for newbies in the first week? I think I will be better as I get more practice in what works. Since I haven't had a no-no food then I would like not to start over but I do want to do this right and would love some advice. Thank you!

 

 

 

[Tom Denham]

Hang in there. You can afford a few missed steps at the start and still finish strong. 

 

Not eating well-composed meals is common for newbies who are still learning and for others who do not embrace the spirit of our eating guidelines. The key to getting meals right is our meal planning template: http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

 

Nuts are a fat source for the purposes of a Whole30. After working out, we recommend you eat lean protein. So nuts and a banana only filled your stomach. It did not FEED you the nourishment you needed. Basically, you missed both a post-workout meal and breakfast so being really hungry means your body responded appropriately. Study our meal planning template to see the details of what we recommend you eat and when. 

 

We recommend you avoid smoothies all the time. A fruit and water smoothie is actually a sugar bomb. It messes with your insulin levels. Also, liquid food digests faster than whole foods and makes you become hungry faster than you otherwise would. You might not notice at supper, but it is really noticeable earlier in the day. The impact on insulin is not good for you even at night. Sorry. 

[J9er]

I am by no means an expert now but I struggled in the beginning a bit too. What really helped me was The Clothes Make the Girl blog. She has some great prep and whole30 planning tools and references. I figured out pretty quickly how to be organized and although it's nice to have a nice fancy meal from a recipe, her "hot plates" concept is pretty genius. Just throw some protein, and veggies and maybe a starchy veggie on a plate, add a sauce or avocado for your fat, and you're good to go. Especially at first, your meals don't have to be fancy. Spend a little time getting to know the template as Tom posted above (along with his great advice) and it will get easier!