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Am I Splurging Too Much?


mrsm14

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I'm on Day 13, and really wanting to change my habits with this Whole 30- my husband and I already eat gluten and soy free, and generally primal, but always end up slowly, insiduously reverting to allowing treat foods to become normal foods (primarily corn, white rice, and ice cream). I am trying to focus with this whole30 on what my food is doing to me emotionally, but of course want to see some physical signs of doing better (not just weight loss, but that is a component).

I figure now that I'm about at the mid-point of this is when I can emotionally handle critiques on my food (I definitely had the "so angry I want to punch all the things" issue from days 7-10). Here's what I'm eating- please let me know if anything could be hindering my success or I can tweak it for better health:

Breakfast:

-Coffee (black), Chicken Breast (baked in a big batch to have on hand) and 1/2 a plantain fried in coconut oil w/ sea salt sprinkled on top(I have a hard time w/fat & find this to be a good way to get it in the morning). I can't have eggs as they cause an immune response.

-Snack: An apple (I know this isnt perfect but I just can't figure out what I would eat...nuts bug my stomach and I wouldnt want to have them every day, & it really helps me get through to lunch).

-Lunch/Dinner: Every Sunday & Wednesday I make big batches of curry/chili/chunky italian style sauce to reheat for lunch and dinner for the hubs and I. Each portion is probably about 1/3 to 1/2 a lb of meat, 1-2 cups vegetables, in a sauce that is either tomato sauce & olive oil or coconut milk and pumpkin puree based, depending on the spices I plan to use. On the weekends we do different meals- usually homemade Chicken soup, steak & cauliflower, salmon & broccoli, etc.

-After dinner: Usually nothing, but my husband gets home at 8:30pm on weeknights and often makes a snack, and 2-3 times a week I join by making the other half of the plantain, fruit, or having a handful of pistachios.

Probably the things that cause the emotional 'cravings' are the fried plantain and fruit. It's probably the decadence of starch, fat & salt, but I'm always craving those plantains for breakfast- which I feel may be good as I never wanted breakfast before, so wanting to eat breakfast is probably positive?

Basically, it's day 13 and my pants fit tighter than on day 1, when my food choices were empirically worse. I'm just looking for a bit of encouragement that what I'm doing should (in theory) help, and I'll cross the hump to where I'm seeing results. Additionally, I wonder if people who have already cut out gluten & soy long term just can't expect as drastic of results on this diet as those transitioning from the SAD- would be interested to hear others thoughts on this as well, maybe some expectation managment is in place.

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I am going to tread lightly here (don't punch me :) ). I honestly don't think you are eating enough fat. The coconut oil you are cooking the plantain in just rolls off of it when you plate it. You'll get a little fat from that, but not enough.

Yes, wanting breakfast is good. Caving to cravings is not.

The snacking thing is not something I do. I eat 3 substantial meals a day. There is no need to snack for me. I used to crave a snack because I wanted to graze and continue to eat. I now know it's not necessary and that is so freeing to me. When I do snack, I make sure it's a mini meal that contains protein, veggie and fat. I never just grab nuts. Too snacky. In fact, i don't keep nuts, dried fruit or nut butters in the house. Just how I have to do this. Many are able to have them in the house and do well with both.

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Haha, the anger part has subsided, and was very out of character for me!

Question on fat: isn't that how most people get fat, though- through cooking veggies/etc in it? I pretty much deep fry the plantains in a pool of coconut oil, so the fat doesn't really drip off, it's soaked in---seems the same or better than sauteing vegetables in oil unless I'm completely off. I dont really know how to get fat in other than adding it to my sauces (coconut milk is definitely fatty and I add quite a bit olive oil to tomato sauce based dishes) for lunch and dinner. Any suggestions on fat for breakfast? CanNOT do bulletproof coffee, it makes me gag! :D

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Easy fats to add to meals: avocado, olives, coconut butter/flakes. I toast coconut flakes in my toaster oven with cinnamon. I either make guac or just eat a half an avocado with meals, grab 10-15 olives and munch those during lunch. Easy.

I think you probably need to add some additional veggies to breakfast to get you through to lunch. Tomatoes, zucchini, squash, etc are usually pretty easy to handle in the morning, at least for me. So when you are frying up your plantain throw some extra veggies in there!

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Where are your clothes fitting tighter, btw? If you're working out in addition to this, you may be gaining muscle in your thighs or butt, so your pants will fit tighter, while still losing fat/weight.

I don't think you're eating enough calories in general. I wouldn't just eat more fat, I'd just eat MORE, and REALLY try to eat protein and fat with your snacks. Jerky? can of tuna? meat cookie?

Oh, and what about adding guacamole on top of your chicken in the morning?

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Haha, the anger part has subsided, and was very out of character for me!

Question on fat: isn't that how most people get fat, though- through cooking veggies/etc in it? I pretty much deep fry the plantains in a pool of coconut oil, so the fat doesn't really drip off, it's soaked in---seems the same or better than sauteing vegetables in oil unless I'm completely off. I dont really know how to get fat in other than adding it to my sauces (coconut milk is definitely fatty and I add quite a bit olive oil to tomato sauce based dishes) for lunch and dinner. Any suggestions on fat for breakfast? CanNOT do bulletproof coffee, it makes me gag! :D

Okay, well ready to duck just in case. ;) I see what you are saying, but no, I always have other fats in my meals. Avocados are a staple for me. I almost always have a salad of baby greens, Macadamia nut oil and a little balsamic or lemon juice. Hard boiled eggs are also a staple for me. Either sliced up in a salad, or just sitting there on the side of my dinner plate. Oh..and we haven't even talked about home made mayo yet. Sigh. I slather it on everything.

Edit to add: Listen to Renee. My idea of adding fats was worked for me, but follow Renee's idea of "just eat more". It will all balance out as long as you aren't trying to restrict fats.

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Thanks so much for all of your great feedback. In terms of clothes being tighter, my weight whether more or less is always pretty evenly distributed, so it's hard to say- all I know is my pants are tighter and shirts are more snug. I wish I could say exercise is the reason, but I'm taking this journey one stressor at a time- my main exercise is daily 1-2 mile walks with my dog and occasional yoga dvds.

I'm pretty confident that diet-wise fat is my issue- I don't really like avocados or whole olives. It's surely an option to just eat them anyway, but it's hard to see that becoming a lifestyle as I can barely make myself eat them. I'm going to try coconut flakes, as that's something I can see myself adding in. Reading the forum, I feel like avocados are like magic for this diet- what about us folks who don't like them?

I'd love to add coconut milk to coffee, but can't seem to find any that doesnt have suspect ingredients- any brand suggestions?

In terms of eating more- I am always very satiated at the end of each of the 3 meals, and I enjoy them all so much that's why I was asking if I was splurging! :) I'm not sure I could eat more within the construct of 3 meals- should I add a 4th? Maybe a salad with grilled chicken? It's hard to see how a salad would be more satiating than a big bowl of 'chili' or curry, especially as the weather gets colder, but I could probably add one in somewhere in my day as a 'snack'.

Thanks again guys!

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Thanks so much for all of your great feedback. In terms of clothes being tighter, my weight whether more or less is always pretty evenly distributed, so it's hard to say- all I know is my pants are tighter and shirts are more snug. I wish I could say exercise is the reason, but I'm taking this journey one stressor at a time- my main exercise is daily 1-2 mile walks with my dog and occasional yoga dvds.

I'm pretty confident that diet-wise fat is my issue- I don't really like avocados or whole olives. It's surely an option to just eat them anyway, but it's hard to see that becoming a lifestyle as I can barely make myself eat them. I'm going to try coconut flakes, as that's something I can see myself adding in. Reading the forum, I feel like avocados are like magic for this diet- what about us folks who don't like them?

I'd love to add coconut milk to coffee, but can't seem to find any that doesnt have suspect ingredients- any brand suggestions?

In terms of eating more- I am always very satiated at the end of each of the 3 meals, and I enjoy them all so much that's why I was asking if I was splurging! :) I'm not sure I could eat more within the construct of 3 meals- should I add a 4th? Maybe a salad with grilled chicken? It's hard to see how a salad would be more satiating than a big bowl of 'chili' or curry, especially as the weather gets colder, but I could probably add one in somewhere in my day as a 'snack'.

Thanks again guys!

No magic in an avocado..except they are the most delicious thing in the universe. :) Seriously though..any fat you like is what you should use.

Hmm on the coconut milk. You are looking at cans correct? Cartons will be full of suspect stuff.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Use coconut milk in the cans for coffee 'creamer' not the stuff in the boxes in the fridge case in the store. Thai Kitchen is a good brand.

LOVE Coconut milk, it's a great staple for - well just about any recipe! or mixing with smoothies, etc, etc...

I've found the best deal to be at Trader Joes, their light coconut milk is $.99 a can!!

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LOVE Coconut milk, it's a great staple for - well just about any recipe! or mixing with smoothies, etc, etc...

I've found the best deal to be at Trader Joes, their light coconut milk is $.99 a can!!

I buy the TJ light for iced coffee and tea but always full fat for cooking or hot drinks. Smoothies? You must mean when not on Whole 30?

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Are you sure you don't like avocado? I truly hated it for the first 43 years of my life. I wouldn't even eat guacamole even though I loved everything else that went into it.

Then, when I first went paleo (about a year before my first whole 30), I knew I needed to learn to eat fat. I started with eating the fat that came on my grass-fed steaks (within reason, of course). Then I taught myself to eat bacon (yes, I didn't even like bacon!). Then I started adding olive oil to my steamed veggies (drizzle it on after cooking and toss with Greek seasoning and garlic salt...yum!). Then I tackled avocado. I started with guacamole a friend made because everyone always raved about it. It was pretty good on my baby carrots. Then, I started putting a few slices of avocado in my paleo chicken no-tortilla soup. Once I was ok with that, I put a few slices on my eggs. I had to salt it at first, but once I got past the texture, I realized that I did like the taste. Now I eat an avocado basically every day. I LOVE them!

I'm still working on liking egg yolks. I can eat them scrambled in just fine, but I cant eat them runny like on a fried egg, or even hard boiled. Ick. I'm trying though! ;)

I also drink my coffee black because I don't like coconut milk in my coffee. Too oily for me, so I know where you are coming from. I truly believe that eating fat is an acquired taste. Start with the fatty things you do like and work your way towards the things you never used to....because it's amazing how our tastes can change!

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