Am I eating enough?

[Mitso874]

A few years back I decided to count calories (without changing my diet) to see how much I was over eating. Turns out I was UNDER eating... my normal day was 700-900 cals a day, sometimes less. So I tried to bump it up, which was hard to do. Now that I'm not counting calories, and I'm trying to eat healthier (which is why I'm doing the whole 30), I don't know if I'm doing it right. I've been drinking a green smoothie for lunch on workdays (4 days a week) for about a year now and I do this so I can have my lunch AND be able to use my 30 min. lunchbreak for exercise (usually a 2 mile walk or some gym stuff).

 

My normal meals for workdays look like this:
Breakfast: Almond porridge and a banana

Lunch: Green smoothie (made in blender using spinach, water, hemp hearts or plant based protein powder, fruit, and flax seed)
Dinner: fist size baked chicken in olive or coconut oil, steamed mixed veggies (broccoli, onions, bell peppers, asparagus, etc)

I usually can't make it through the work day without snacks because of boredom (trying to break from this), so I usually have a few carrots, apple, and tangerine thrown in during the day.

My weekends are usually snack free, sometimes lunch free too as I forget (I know, this is not good... working on it). But breakfast and dinner are basically the same as above.

Aside from my poor habits on the weekends of forgetting to eat lunch, do my workday meals look ok? I just started the Whole 30 yesterday and I have a horrible memory so I can never remember what the book says (And I keep forgetting to bring it to work to review). Sorry for being so clueless, just wanting to get healthy :-)

[GFChris]

You're right: you're not eating enough.

 

Have you seen the Whole30 rules and recommended meal template?  

 

For best results, build meals of protein, veg and fat that meet the template, in portion sizes that satiate you for 4-5 hours. Until you get there, if you're genuinely hungry in between meals (litmus test: you could eat something bland like steamed fish and broccoli), have a mini meal of protein, carb and fat, or at least two of those components. 

 

Almond porridge doesn't sound like something that would be compliant. In any case, a meal that lacks protein and veggies is not the best choice.

Smoothies are discouraged on a Whole30. The idea is to chew food vs drink it, as chewing is more satiating.   Double-check the ingredients on your protein powder: it's tricky to find compliant protein powder.



 

[Mitso874]

Yeah, I realized after I wrote what I ate that the plant protein powder probably had some things in it I couldn't have (such as brown rice, buckwheat, etc), so I'll have to cut that out. :-\
I guess I missed the part about smoothies being discouraged (like I said, horrible memory). That's both sad and good. I miss chewing my lunch but the smoothie makes it so easy for me to exercise during the day. I work long hours (sitting the whole time) and have an hour round-trip commute to work with only 30 minute lunch break so it's hard to find time to workout. I guess I'll have to figure something out. Thanks for letting me know!
I'm pretty sure the almond porridge is compliant as I got it out of the whole30 app... though, I did see a recipe or two in the app that I didn't think was compliant so I guess I could be wrong. But it's just almond meal, flaxseed, unsweetened shredded coconut, liquid, cinnamon,  and an egg.
Thank you so much for that meal template! It's exactly what I've been looking for to help me figure out my meals! I have such a hard time navigating through the book, I can't seem to find anything I look for. I probably should have bought the kindle version so I could do a search for keywords. Oh well!
 

[ladyshanny]

I'm pretty sure the almond porridge is compliant as I got it out of the whole30 app... though, I did see a recipe or two in the app that I didn't think was compliant so I guess I could be wrong. But it's just almond meal, flaxseed, unsweetened shredded coconut, liquid, cinnamon,  and an egg.

 

There is no Whole30 app, sorry, you've been duped.

[GFChris]

I guess I missed the part about smoothies being discouraged (like I said, horrible memory). That's both sad and good. I miss chewing my lunch but the smoothie makes it so easy for me to exercise during the day. I work long hours (sitting the whole time) and have an hour round-trip commute to work with only 30 minute lunch break so it's hard to find time to workout. I guess I'll have to figure something out. Thanks for letting me know!

I'm pretty sure the almond porridge is compliant as I got it out of the whole30 app... though, I did see a recipe or two in the app that I didn't think was compliant so I guess I could be wrong. But it's just almond meal, flaxseed, unsweetened shredded coconut, liquid, cinnamon,  and an egg.

 

Here is the part about smoothies in the Can I Have guide:

"Smoothies: We’d rather you didn’t

This is a very popular question, with a very unpopular answer. Smoothies (generally made using lots of fruit) are technically compliant on your Whole30, but we strongly recommend against it. Food that you drink sends different satiety signals to your brain than food that you chew. So when you drink your meal, your brain isn’t getting the feedback it needs to tell your body that it’s had enough of what it needs. Plus, smoothies are generally really fruit-heavy, and starting your day off with a liquid sugar-bomb sets you up for cravings, hunger, and volatile energy levels throughout the day. In summary, we’d rather you just eat the food, and skip the smoothie." - See more at: http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/#sthash.2CRteSRz.dpuf

Yeah, as jmcbn stated, there is no Whole30 app, so you were swindled. Who is the creator of the app? I'm sure Melissa and Dallas Hartwig would like to know who is infringing on their name.

The porridge you're eating is basically trying to create fake oatmeal, which really isn't in the spirit of a Whole30.  Further, nuts and seeds are fats and are recommended to be limited on a Whole30. Have something else for your first meal of the day, preferably something consistent with the meal template.

[Mitso874]

There is no Whole30 app, sorry, you've been duped.

Aw man! I even paid to unlock the extra meals! Ugh! Lame! Thanks for letting me know. :-\

[Mitso874]

Yeah, as jmcbn stated, there is no Whole30 app, so you were swindled. Who is the creator of the app? I'm sure Melissa and Dallas Hartwig would like to know who is infringing on their name.

 

Thanks! Yeah, I'm apparently not too bright... Now that I look at my app (which I found by searching for whole30), it's actually called Whole Eating. But it has the exact same rules as whole30 and has recipes for "Sauces" (such as mayo, almond milk, etc) like the whole30 talks about too... Soo... it's kinda copying them but not totally. :-\ Wish I noticed the name when I downloaded the app.

[ladyshanny]

Thanks! Yeah, I'm apparently not too bright... Now that I look at my app (which I found by searching for whole30), it's actually called Whole Eating. But it has the exact same rules as whole30 and has recipes for "Sauces" (such as mayo, almond milk, etc) like the whole30 talks about too... Soo... it's kinda copying them but not totally. :-\ Wish I noticed the name when I downloaded the app.

Sorry 'bout that!  So many shysters wanting to make money off of the success of this program!

[praxisproject]

If you want some great compliant recipes (for free or you can buy their cookbooks or apps if you like), check out NomNomPaleo and Mel Joulwan (Well Fed).

 

They both have actually done Whole30s, so they understand what goes in a Whole30 meal. Not all of their recipes are W30, but the ones which aren't are marked clearly (Nomnompaleo sometimes uses butter, just switch out with ghee).

 

Don't feel bad, a lot of people have the same problem with hashtags on Instagram, there's a lot of people just looking to make a quick buck sadly.

 

I would recommend a restart so you can get the full benefits of the real program

 

You can get the It Starts With Food book on Kindle too.

[Mitso874]

If you want some great compliant recipes (for free or you can buy their cookbooks or apps if you like), check out NomNomPaleo and Mel Joulwan (Well Fed).

 

They both have actually done Whole30s, so they understand what goes in a Whole30 meal. Not all of their recipes are W30, but the ones which aren't are marked clearly (Nomnompaleo sometimes uses butter, just switch out with ghee).

 

Don't feel bad, a lot of people have the same problem with hashtags on Instagram, there's a lot of people just looking to make a quick buck sadly.

 

I would recommend a restart so you can get the full benefits of the real program

 

You can get the It Starts With Food book on Kindle too.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely check out those recipes/cookbooks! I kinda struggle when it comes to deciding what to eat and cooking with meat. I was a vegetarian for most of my life (21 years) and only started eating meat about 2 years ago after realizing it was just too hard to be vegetarian and gluten free (was diagnosed with Celiac disease 3 years ago). So I'm still not too keen on the taste of meat and I haven't totally figured out what types of meaty recipes I like so when I try to make something up that involves meat, it usually turns out weird. Haha! I'm hoping that between the Whole30, It Starts With Food, and those cookbooks you just suggested, maybe I'll come out of these 30 days with lots of healthy meaty recipes that I don't mind eating! :-)

I'm starting over today since I messed up so badly, however I think I'll probably continue to make mistakes so this may be a loooooong 30 days (probably will be more like a year)! Hahaha! I just found my little Easy Eggwich that I got as a gift a few years ago that I've never used, so I will be using that at work to microwave some eggs most mornings (for scrambled style eggs). :-)

Even though I'm technically on day 1 again, this is my third day without sugar and I'm feeling pretty good! I was really worried about it because the last few times I gave up sugar, it went really badly... the cravings and headaches were insane! Though, yesterday I did imagine dipping a stick of butter in sugar and eating it... :-\

[jmcbn]

Though, yesterday I did imagine dipping a stick of butter in sugar and eating it... :-\

Ha! When I was a kid a piece of toast slathered in butter & sprinkled with sugar was one of the best. treats. ever!! 

[ultrarunnergirl]

Good attitude. You'll find it so much easier to get through the day once you're eating according to the Meal Template. Get excited!!

 

Also, if you are working out, don't forget to eat a pre and/or post workout meal -- see the Meal Template for what you should eat for those.

[berrybird]

As someone who was also vegetarian for a long time and still doesn't often love eating meat, one suggestion I'd make is trying chicken and pork dishes that use shredded meat. For me, I found that the consistency and mouthfeel of meat is what put me off. Most of the meat I eat is baked or poached shredded chicken or big cuts of pork slow-cooked in a crock pot and shredded. That meat can be cooked in big batches and become the base for a lot of different meals, and can be a bit less intimidating than a whole chicken breast or a pork chop.

[Mitso874]

As someone who was also vegetarian for a long time and still doesn't often love eating meat, one suggestion I'd make is trying chicken and pork dishes that use shredded meat.

Thanks! That is a great suggestion! Also, by it being shredded, I wont have to worry about my teeth touching bone. I freak out when I feel my teeth touching any kind of meat bone... it just feels so creepy! So I try to avoid anything with bones or I ask my boyfriend to cut the meat off bones for me. Haha!