Day 10, first whole 30, hungry every 2 hours like a baby

[dutchcrunch]

Hi everybody,

36 year-old woman from California here.

I have never stuck with ANY diet for more than 4 days.  When I would get too hungry I would inevitably fail.   And thanks to a childhood with some deprivation involved, I have a lot of trouble stopping myself from inhaling food when I feel hungry.  

I'm proud to say it's day 10 of my first whole 30 today!  And I've stuck with it!  I'm still feeling quite motivated, even though some food boredom is setting in for sure.  I haven't quite had the symptoms as described in the book, at least not in that order.  The first couple of days I felt good, pretty energetic actually, but god was I having cravings and already dreaming about food.  I thought, if this is how it is on day 3, what is day 23 going to be like?  Last night I had dreams about making this elaborate pecan cinnamon bun..... something I would probably never eat in real life.   The one constant craving is cheese.  Sweets seem to be relatively easy to pass up.  It's very strange.  I had one day of irritability, and another day that I was tired, but just not in the order described.  Today I'm feeling really good.  Is this a whiff of tiger blood beginning?   My gut feels so much better already.  

I have a condition called PCOS that makes me insulin-resistant.  My doctor told me recently that my hemoglobin A1C (tests your average blood glucose over the previous 3 months) was too high.  I'm not overweight, but I have gained 15 lbs in the past 2 years, and it seems that nothing I've been doing has worked.  The idea of being a diabetic scared me enough to finally do something.   

I'm wondering if other people are feeling as hungry as I am so frequently?  I eat every two hours.  I eat to satiety, with very heavy protein meals, filled out with veggies and fruits and fats, but two hours later I am starving again, and I feel this urgent need to eat and if I wait even a bit too long I get shaky and anxious, as if my blood sugar is dropping.  I'm also diuresing like crazy.  Yes, I'm drinking lots of water, but I'm salting my food a ton and still running to the bathroom every two hours (in between trips to the kitchen to feed my face). 

Any encouragement or advice much appreciated!

[JulieP757]

It would be helpful to see exactly what you are eating including portion sizes and timing of meals.  You shouldn't be starving after 2 hours.

[CaseyP]

Also, needing the bathroom every two hours is what normal should be. When I was working hot outdoor jobs we were always told that if we weren't using the bathroom every two hours we were dehydrated. So it sounds like you're just about right. Maybe the detoxing your body is doing is flushing more out of your system too.

[JulieP757]

6 hours ago, CaseyP said:

Also, needing the bathroom every two hours is what normal should be. When I was working hot outdoor jobs we were always told that if we weren't using the bathroom every two hours we were dehydrated. So it sounds like you're just about right. Maybe the detoxing your body is doing is flushing more out of your system too.

So true.  I drink about a gallon of water a day and every hour on the hour during work hours is the norm for me.

[aeri_belle]

Hey! Way to make it to day 10! I'm just a few days behind on Day 6, also my first Whole30. Also SO Hungry! A lot of the time! I wouldn't say starving, but definitely hungry. 

1) My hunger is lasting more than 10 minutes so I know it's not a craving

2) I'm eating plenty of fat with well-balanced meals spaced out every three hours (meal 1, morning snack, meal 2, afternoon snack, meal 3). I'm limiting fruit to just at morning snack, but that shouldn't be the reason.

3) I eat until I'm satiated, wait ten minutes, am invariably hungry, eat a little bit more and then am good.... for about 45 minutes, when I get hungry again! 

Aside from eating all the Whole30 things, what should I do?!?!

[JulieP757]

Post what you are eating including portions. The fact that you are snacking tells me your meals are not large enough.  If you absolutely have to snack, have a mini meal with protein and fat or veggies. Eating fruit as a snack is a bad idea- it will make you even hungrier. 

 

Your meals should be large enough to hold you 4 to 5 hours. 

[ladyshanny]

44 minutes ago, aeri_belle said:

2) I'm eating plenty of fat with well-balanced meals spaced out every three hours (meal 1, morning snack, meal 2, afternoon snack, meal 3). I'm limiting fruit to just at morning snack, but that shouldn't be the reason.

Aside from eating all the Whole30 things, what should I do?!?!

Hi aeri_belle, eating every 3 hours is not going to get you best results, unfortunately. Our recommendation is that you should be creating meals that last you 4-5 hours so that you aren't having to eat every 3 hours. Our bodies are designed to process our food, dish out the nutrients to our systems and then "rest" until the next meal. A steady influx of food isn't allowing that to happen, then your body is on "go" all the time.

If you can report what you've been eating (include portion sizes and specific types of veggies/fruits and fats/proteins), we can give you some direction/feedback on how to get that 4-5 hour run between meals.

[QuilterInVA]

1 hour ago, aeri_belle said:

Hey! Way to make it to day 10! I'm just a few days behind on Day 6, also my first Whole30. Also SO Hungry! A lot of the time! I wouldn't say starving, but definitely hungry. 

1) My hunger is lasting more than 10 minutes so I know it's not a craving

2) I'm eating plenty of fat with well-balanced meals spaced out every three hours (meal 1, morning snack, meal 2, afternoon snack, meal 3). I'm limiting fruit to just at morning snack, but that shouldn't be the reason.

3) I eat until I'm satiated, wait ten minutes, am invariably hungry, eat a little bit more and then am good.... for about 45 minutes, when I get hungry again! 

Aside from eating all the Whole30 things, what should I do?!?!

Your meals should last 4-5 hours, not 3. There should not be any planned snacking and if you are truly hungry the snack should be protein, veggies and fat. Fruit is to be eaten as part of a meal. Post 2-3 days of what you eat with amounts for more help.