Need help with meal sizes! Former weight watcher panicking!

[Mrsrock]

I'm on day 16 and finally feeling better energy! My concern is that I'm overdoing meal sizes and at times snacking on too much fruit. Here was my day today so far:

9:30am- coffee with coconut milk/cream

9:45- 2 eggs fried in ghee, large plate sautéed spinach, half baked sweet potato, half cup roasted carrots, 2 oz ground turkey , 1/4 banana

3pm - out running errands starving ate 2 small apples

4pm- late lunch- 2 salmon cakes over greens, 4 strips roasted pepper, 4 pieces roasted eggplant, half sweet potato, olive oil vinegar dressing, tbsp whole30 mayo

I will get in a 3-4 mile run soon followed by a 2 mile brisk walk as a cool down....coming from a former weight watcher I just feel like I am eating a ton of food! Not seeing any real changes in my body or clothes after 16 days and the prep time is unbelievable. I'm panicking a little bit that I am somehow gaining weight with all this added fat. Can anyone help? I broken zero rules other than snacking. Stopped nuts as I felt I've been overeating them. Thanks!!

[QuilterInVA]

You need to carry appropriate snacks with you. Snacks are not fruit. They should follow at least 2 of the 3 template meal plan of protein + fat + vegetables.

 

I probably wouldn't have had all that for breakfast, especially not the banana and then you didn't have any fat with the meal. Fat you use in cooking isn't enough because a lot of it is left in the pan. Fat does not cause weight gain any more than any other food. The Inuits (Eskimos) diets are mainly fat and they are healthy. I left WW because their food plan is ridiculous with all the over processed junk they allow and sell.

 

There is no reason for prep time to be unbelievable. You can batch cook once a week and eat all week. There have been a lot of post but www.meljoulwan.com has wonderful batch cooking for all the Whole 30. I spend 2-3 hours on Saturday and eat well all week.

 

If you posted 2-3 days of your meals with exact amounts I'm sure one of the moderators will be able to help you better.

[ShannonM816]

Your meals definitely don't look too big. If anything, you may need a little more fat.

 

As far as snacking, if you're hungry, we want you to eat, though it's best if you have a mini-meal of protein, fat, and vegetables. For best results, don't have fruit on its own. If you know you're going to be out of the house for long enough that you may need a meal, try to pack a cooler, or even just throw something in your purse. Some leftovers, cans of tuna or salmon or sardines, raw vegetables like carrot or celery sticks, sliced bell peppers, or cherry tomatoes, would last for a few hours. If you have a cooler you could include mayo or hard boiled eggs.

 

Are your meals keeping you satisfied for 4-5 hours at a time? That's really the test of if you're eating enough at your meals. If you're getting hungry in a shorter amount of time than that, you'd want to add to your meals, probably some fat, maybe some protein.

[Tom Denham]

Eat your meals according to the meal planning template - three main meals per day and pre- and post-workout meals when you exercise vigorously - and you will be doing beautifully. Learn from any need to snack to increase the size of your meals so that you will not need to snack. Keep leaving nuts out as they often cause trouble. 

 

How much to eat

http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

[Mrsrock]

Thanks everyone for the tips. I struggle with snacks and meals as I travel almost weekly. Fruit and nuts are airport friendly and hence my struggle! It's also a habit I need to work on as weight watchers promotes a decent amount of fruit for snacks. I'm also really trying to get used to eating 4-5 hours apart as I've always been encouraged to do smaller more frequent meals in the past- so big behavior change there! My typical day is about 16-18 hours- and often I get my workouts in late at night. Such as 8-9 pm...thoughts on how to time that PWO snack? I usually eat around these times....

8am, 12-1pm, 6-7 pm- digest dinner then workout. I can't fathom eating dinner then another snack before working out. And as far as afterward- isn't that late to eat? Trying to morning workouts but it is tough with my work schedule. Thanks for any tips!!

[Laurathegoth]

For snacks-instead of fruit think veg, then make sure you add some protein. Hard boiled eggs are good portable protein, as is any cold meat (might need an ice pack depending where you are). Add some carrot sticks and a small pot of mayo and there you go!

If you are working out fairly soon after your evening meal then you probably don't need a pre-wo meal, but post is usually important. It doesn't need to be huge, just follow the template and try to get it in a couple of hours before bed if possible.

If you are regularly working very long days you might be better having 4 meals? I'm sure a mod will be better placed to advise on this, I work a 12 hour day with split shifts around my mealtimes so I needed to adjust my meals and have meal 2 as 2 mini meals.

[jking428]

About 5 years ago I lost 18kg following Weight Watchers. I hated eating the low-fat way but it helped me lose 18kg so I believed it was the best way to stay at a healthy weight. In the next 18-24 months, I gained back about 5kg.

 

I wanted to shed those 5kgs but had started hearing about the success of the LCHF (low carb, high fat) diet so I tried LCHF (lots of cheese, full fat dairy) but didn’t lose any weight. Eventually I came to learn about the Primal diet, then Paleo and then discovered Whole30. I completed my first Whole30 in October 2014 and lost 4kg – I was over the moon. Since then, I have done 6 W30s.

 

My first two Whole30s were great! I lost 4kg each time and there were plenty of NSVs as well. In between Whole30s, I said I was 80% paleo but in reality, I was having too many treats and was probably around 50% paleo, with the other 50% made up of the grains, dairy and sugar. Obviously I put on weight and each time I started another Whole30, I was at a higher weight than the last time I started.

 

Last year I moved to a new country and my normal routine of a big Sunday batch cooking session and frequent exercising (5-6 x per week) was disrupted. I was eating out a lot and not exercising enough and put on about 7kg in about 9 months.

 

I currently weigh 75kg which is 8kg less than my heaviest ever weight of 83kg (pre 18kg weight loss) but 10kg heavier than my lowest weight of 65kg (after my first Whole30). I would now like to lose the 7kg I put on last year and get back in the region between 65-68kg.

 

I now know that the Weight Watchers model is absolute rubbish and believe completely in a paleo way of eating. However… I did manage to lose 18kg (over 9-12 months) with WW whereas my last few W30s and paleo attempts resulted in no weight loss.

 

I struggle to know when ‘enough is enough’ and often end up overeating/binge eating. The WW points system keeps me in check because I know that if I exceed my points, I won’t lose weight! I have tried combining Weight Watchers and paleo before but as I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear – it was a complete failure.

 

I have been 70% since the beginning of this year and have cut out fruit and sugar completely. I haven’t lost any weight so now need to begin a more ‘serious’ option. I know WW is wrong but I am so tempted to do it because it did help me to lose weight the first time! I am starting to think I need to cut fat out of my diet because that’s what worked before… does anyone have any advice? Maybe I just need a pep talk to get revved up about W30 again!

 

PS – to make matters more complicated, I have PCOS/insulin resistance and work in the food industry!

 

Oh, and I know that W30 is about NSVs, not weight but at this point, losing weight is my number one priority, hence the focus on it in this (really long) post. Thanks for reading!

[Little_Ramona]

I totally get the part about being away from home and things taking longer than expected and all of a sudden you realize you are starving! I have identified all the places in our small town where I can grab a compliant meal which usually looks like a big garden salad with lots of veggies and either chicken breast, plain tuna, or a burger patty, plus avocado. I opt out of salad dressing unless it's made in house and they can tell me all the ingredients. (The oil is usually suspect so be sure to ask exactly what kind they use.) If it's premade then I avoid it all together. I also eat breakfast for Meal 2 occasionally.  (Think veggie omelet with avo!) If it's compliant it doesn't always have to be ideal. One of my W30 victories has been letting go of the idea that every meal has to be super tasty and bring me pleasure. By letting that go I found a new kind of pleasure which is the great feeling I get from making good nutrition choices and taking care of my body.

Another fantastic resource is the "Whole 30 Approved" product list. I found the markets in town that carry things like Epic bars, Lara bars, etc. Also every deli department in any major grocery store has cut up veggies, usually in convenient packaging, and compliant lunch meats. They often have hard boiled eggs, olives, and sometimes roasted veggies too.

As for meal prep... I allow myself to buy pre-cut and pre-washed veggies when I feel daunted by the task or short on time. There are some weeks that I do have the time to wash/ cut/ roast everything and other times I just need to make it easy on myself. Even a couple trays of roasted veg and sweet potato have saved me many times! I also buy my salad greens and spinach in the pre-cut and pre-washed clam shells. And always hard boil 6-12 eggs!!

I really try to never leave my house without compliant food. Even a package of Epic bites, an apple, and some raw almonds are so easy to grab and go and give me peace of mind that if I get in a pinch I am never stuck!