Trouble with fats, hunger and coconut allergy

[shaimom]

Hi there,

 

I am on day 2 of my first Whole30.

 

I'm having trouble eating enough. I always ate quite healthily but ended up addicted to sugar and hungry/eating ALL day long since I had my son 18 months ago. I am 5'7" and weight 117bs now.

 

Today, I had 2 scrambled eggs with 2 thumb size portions of olive oil, sauteed zucchini and an apple for breakfast at 7. An hour later I was already feeling hungry, by 4 hours later I was crazy with hunger. I always felt like this before whole30 - is this just a habit I've go myself into or do I need more fats?

 

I have discovered that I am probably allergic to coconut and tree nuts, so how do I get enough fats? Avocados here are crazy expensive but I could probably have them occasionally. Likewise with avocado oil for mayo. I don't have access to ghee. I feel like my only option is olive oil or olives... and that really isn't doing it for me.

 

Also - I am awake from 6.50am to midnight most days. How do I space meals? At the moment I am going from 1.30pm to 7.20pm between lunch and dinner.

[jmcbn]

Hi there shaimom & welcome to Whole30 

 

First off you were hungry after breakfast because you didn't eat enough. When eggs are the only source of protein in a meal a serving would be the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand - which is 3-4 for most females. Many people find though that they feel fuller for longer if they mix their protein sources, so maybe have some mackerel with those eggs, or some ground beef... How much zucchini did you have? I find zucchini isn't a very filling veg (it contains a lot of water) so I'd have to eat a tonne of it to be left satiated. The recommendation for veg is 1-3 cups, with 3 being optimum - maybe try mixing in some other veg to bulk the meal out a bit. With regard to the apple many folk report feeling hungrier faster when they eat fruit with meal one - this is due to it's impact on your blood sugar having fasted overnight. If you do choose to eat fruit (& many choose not to) maybe try keeping it back until meal two or three... The fat content in that meal would probably be fine if you made these suggested tweaks.

As for other fat sources - there are many.... do you have access to compliant bacon? You could also use fatty cuts of meat like chicken wings (skin on), shin and brisket, or cook in lard, duck/goose fat, tallow or schmaltz. Stick with a light tasting olive oil for mayo and it should turn out fine - then you can use that as a base for making other sauces/dressings giving you further options for fats.

If your day is long and you're finding it a struggle to survive on three meals just add in a fourth, or maybe try a mini meal at this stage until you become fat adapted (when this happens you'll be able to go longer without food as your body will turn to fat stores for fuel) - this is just like a regular meal, except smaller in size - or at least have something made up of two of the three macronutrients - protein & fat being your best option here - so maybe a hard-boiled egg & some mayo, or some chicken & a few olives.

Just try to ensure you're getting at least 4-5hrs between meals & eating from genuine hunger rather than out of habit/boredom for best results.

On the sleep aspect less than 7hrs really isn't optimal and may hamper your results - is there any way you can get to bed earlier, or get up later?

Hope this helps!

[shaimom]

Thanks so much for your reply, jmcbn!

 

I am having trouble adjusting to eating more, I think I'm not used to spending so much money on food! I will try the mackerel, that sounds like a good option. I had probably 1.5 cups of zucchini, not so filling, yes. I also found I wasn't so hungry when I was eating. I heard that can happen with breakfast though, especially as I was making sure to eat right away after waking. Will definitely keep the fruit until later then.

 

I don't eat bacon. Chicken wings are a good one.

 

I will try three meals and see how it goes. I used to be more of a constant grazer so not snacking is a big one for me.

 

And I'll try getting to bed a bit earlier! What are the sleep recommendations?

 

Thanks again!

[Tom Denham]

You need 8-9 hours of sleep. There are many sincere people who will explain about how you are just fine sleeping 5 hours per night. They will all die years younger than they otherwise would have. Sleep is one of the most under-appreciated contributions to brain power, physical recovery, and mental well-being. 

 

Before I developed a routine of being in bed by 10 and getting up at 7, I needed to eat 4-5 meals per day to help with long days. I would not say that lack of sleep made me need to eat more. Rather it was that being active so long increased my energy requirements. 

[littleg]

If you have access to butter you have access to ghee

 

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/15235810877/diy-ghee

 

I think homemade ghee is amazingly delicious.  Store bought ghee, blch.  The trick is to really let it start to brown - but be careful - it goes from brown to black really quick!

[ArtFossil]

Or you can make clarified butter (no browning) and enjoy that delicious buttery taste.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/08/clarified-butter-recipe.html

And don't forget olives!

[shaimom]

8-9 hours - okay, I'll have a go at that.

 

And I am going to make some ghee or clarified butter. Didn't realize it was so easy! Is there one that is better than the other. health-wise, or is it mostly a taste thing?

 

Thanks all.

[shaimom]

On a better note, lunch was nearly 3 hours ago and I'm not starving yet

[littleg]

I think the two recipes are pretty much exactly the same.  I just let mine go on a low light until there is a light/medium brown layer.  My last batch I cooked a little less and it isn't as caramel-like as my browner batches.  Browning it does make it taste sweeter so it isn't as neutral a fat source.