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Hungry and Sleepy


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Hello!

I'm on day 4 of my first whole30. I am going strong- the only kind of cheats have been snacking on compliant foods and eating a larabar when it wasn't an emergency(well the emergency was that I wanted to eat it).

ANYWAYS, my issues are - I am always hungry before my 4-5 hours are through.  I know the natural response "eat more at your meal," but I'm eating until I'm full and following the plate guidelines pretty well.  I've also asked myself each time I'm hungry the craving question (am I hungry enough for a hard-boiled egg and carrots?) And guess who has two thumbs and way too many eggs and carrots in the last three days? This girl. Halp.

Also, Ive had sleep issues from the get go including the night before last when I was up at two and couldn't get back to sleep for 30 min and last night I was up in 5 min increments from 3:30 on. I'm so tired.. I've not changed up my bedtime habits and never have sleep issues until now. I've read responses on how to have good sleep hygiene, less caffeine, no bedtime snacking, etc. I don't have an issue with those things and am wondering how long I can expect this to last..

 

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Hey there & welcome to the forums :)

I know you say you're following the plate guidelines pretty well, but a HUGE amount of people under-estimate how much they need to eat so it might be helpful if you let us know exactly what you have been eating over the past few days giving specifics on veg types/quantities & protein portions in relation to the palm of your hand.

Also, depending on where you have come from diet wise your body may well be craving the nutrients that it wasn't previously getting from the food you were eating so it's kind of playing nutritional catch-up, hence the increase in appetite.

Then there's also the role of the menstrual cycle in your appetite? Many people report they need A WHOLE LOT MORE food in the week leading up to their period - not sure if this might be an issue?

Anyway, let us know what you've been eating (& drinking - thirst can also be mistaken for hunger!) and we can take it from there.

Re the sleep - again the body can take time to adjust to change. Changes in diet can have an impact on hormones. Hormones help/hinder us from sleep. If you're practicng good sleep hygiene, avoiding caffeine in the pm, taking a magnesium supplement, and maybe limiting fluid intake after early evening then I'd say to just sit it out for a few more days and you should see this change. In the meantime mabe adding in 10mins meditation before bed might help, or some breathing exercises to help you unwind....

Hope this helps!

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3 minutes ago, jmcbn said:

Hey there & welcome to the forums :)

I know you say you're following the plate guidelines pretty well, but a HUGE amount of people under-estimate how much they need to eat so it might be helpful if you let us know exactly what you have been eating over the past few days giving specifics on veg types/quantities & protein portions in relation to the palm of your hand.

Also, depending on where you have come from diet wise your body may well be craving the nutrients that it wasn't previously getting from the food you were eating so it's kind of playing nutritional catch-up, hence the increase in appetite.

Then there's also the role of the menstrual cycle in your appetite? Many people report they need A WHOLE LOT MORE food in the week leading up to their period - not sure if this might be an issue?

Anyway, let us know what you've been eating (& drinking - thirst can also be mistaken for hunger!) and we can take it from there.

Re the sleep - again the body can take time to adjust to change. Changes in diet can have an impact on hormones. Hormones help/hinder us from sleep. If you're practicng good sleep hygiene, avoiding caffeine in the pm, taking a magnesium supplement, and maybe limiting fluid intake after early evening then I'd say to just sit it out for a few more days and you should see this change. In the meantime mabe adding in 10mins meditation before bed might help, or some breathing exercises to help you unwind....

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for the quick response! 

Hers what I've been eating -

Day 1

B- spinach and broccoli frittata (palm size) topped with salsa and avocado 

L- steak salad 1 palm steak

D- balsamic chicken and mushrooms over cauliflower rice 1 1/2 palm chicken, 1 palm rice

S- banana, serving of carrots

Day 2

B- frittata with salsa and avocado

L- leftover steak salad, cashews 1 palm steak 

D- sweet potato shepherds pie 1 palm

S- 2 eggs, serving of carrots

Day 3

B- frittata, salsa, avocado 1 palm

L- leftover shepherds pie 1 1/2 palm

D- 2 palm size of shrimp, 1 palm zucchini

S- 1/4 cup cashews, larabar

 

I drink A LOT of water and when I get hungry I drink a glass and reevaluate. Am I not getting enough fats? I was unhealthy over the holidays but overall I eat very healthy during the weeks and kind of crappy on weekends (and I drink on weekends). That's where I'm coming from I guess. 

As far as hormones, the timing doesn't line up. However, I do have hypothyroidism..could that effect any of this?

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Are you taking meds for your hypothyroidism? If so you may need to adjust those going forward - just keep an eye on how you feel & have a word with your medical practitioner...

How many eggs are in the serving of frittata? When eggs are the only protein source in a meal a servig would be the number of whole eggs you can hold in one hand (3-4 for most females) so a slice/serving should have that number of eggs in it. Breakfast sets the tone for the day so if you're light on protein there you tend to play catch up for the rest of the day.

Veg wise the recommendation is for 1-3 cups, with 3 being optimal. What we really mean here is FILL YOUR PLATE - we just say 1-3 to make sure everyone eats at least some veg so you could maybe do with a little more veg overall - I mean think about how much a salad reduces down when chewed.....

Fat is a good way of adding satiety without adding bulk. A half an avocado would be a decent sized serving, a heaping handful of olives, a generous dollop of mayo - your lunches & dinners are looking a little light on fat so adding a little more here would also help.

And you might actually find that once you tweak your meals a little that sleep will improve too....

Let us know how you get on :)

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