Help - Always Hungry!

[AimeeClaire]

Hi - Day 26 here and my first post ... but I need help!

I'm pretty much always hungry. I eat, and within an hour or so, I'm hungry again.  And while I have resisted snacking except for once or twice (and then I do a closed fist of nuts) and I drink 100 oz of water a day, I'm just tired of always feeling hungry.

I never had any "hangover" or difficult days at the beginning, and I like to cook so overall I've really enjoyed this experience. I like how I feel after I eat (satisfied but not full/heavy). I am hypothyroid, controlled by meds - so I was already eating fairly close to this plan anyway. Probably the biggest cut for me has been occasional dairy - and lentils and quinoa, both of which I ate fairly regularly.... and that we are not eating out, because it is just to hard to do it (my husband is doing W30 too - we've had two carnitas chipotle bowls out of desperation, and had one day where *thank goodness* we had a Lara bar, but that was ONCE). We both feel good - though neither of us feel *amazing* or drastically better than we did before starting (but I am sleeping better which is lovely). He says he is also hungry between meals, but not all the time, but my goodness, I am ALWAYS hungry. And no, it isn't a craving. I really haven't had any, and yes, I am hungry enough that I would gladly eat steamed fish and broccoli.

I have read enough posts to know you are going to ask what I am eating, so here is a sample. For dinner I can solidly say I am eating about 1.5 palms of protein, and filling my plate with veggies. Like, piles of veggies. I roast them with avocado oil or cocounut oil, sometimes oil. I use a lot of spices but the only thing I use that is bottled is the occasional coconut aminos, and not anywhere near every day. Maybe 3 or 4 nights (of the 25) we ate really early for some reason and later I was *starving* and my husband and split an apple and put some nut butter on it. 

Breakfasts - I rotate between egg/sausage/veggie breakfast muffins, roasted veg topped with an egg and 1/2 an avocado, sausage/egg/avocado/veg scrambles. I did chia pudding once to break things up, and I made it through a batch of sweet potato/apple mush that I put sausage or an egg over. If I have blackberries or raspberries in the fridge I will have a small handful once every 4 or 5 days along with breakfast. We have a cappucino every morning with steamed almond/coconut milk, compliant brand :-)

Lunch - egg or chicken salad w/ homemade mayo in a romaine lettuce boat, leftover dinner (so protein and roasted veggies), cabbage leaf wraps with leftover sliced meat from dinner, fresh veg, herbs, homemade mayo or mayo based sauces, cauliflower/kale/curry soup. Every so often my husband will get inspired and make some crazy veggie saute and top it with meat (we both work at home).

Dinner - in the past week we've had (and pretty much every meal includes an arugula-type salad with homemade dressing (oil/lemon juice/spice/salt/mustard) :

• compliant shepards pie w/ roasted radishes
• oven roasted chicken schwarma w/ herb-toasted cauliflower rice & a cucumber/tomato salad
• grilled flank steak w/ red pepper pesto, roasted brussels, tostones
• roast chicken w/ fresh salsa, roasted broccoli, avocado
• buffalo chicken stuffed sweet potatoes w/ sauteed chard
• korean beef bowls with cauliflower rice, kimchee, green onion/radish/pepper salad 
• garlic salmon w/ roasted carrots/mushrooms & roasted cabbage with some amazing coconut/cashew nut/spice sauce over it

Please help! I like the food, I've never been grumpy or craving-y or hungover. I feel less bloated and I am sleeping better. But the constant hunger is going to send me around the bend, and while I suppose I could drink more water, at a steady 100oz a day, I don't think that's my problem either.

Thanks in advance!!

Aimee

[kruddock]

I am not a moderator but it looks to me like you could add more fat to all of your meals.  Even with a salad with dressing, you usually don't eat all the dressing and when you cook veggies in oil, a lot gets left behind, so I would bump up the fat. I would also add more starchy vegetables, that will fill you up more but add it to M1 or M2. Otherwise your meals look excellent. I am sure you will get more feedback.

[AimeeClaire]

Thanks @kruddock ... I was wondering about the fat. I feel guilty eating the starchy veg, too, and I am realizing that overall I feel guilty about being hungry, like somehow I am failing. All of a sudden, after 25 days of feeling like I had this under control I am suddenly feeling weird food issues and feeling like because I don't feel *awesome* or see amazing NSVs that I am failing W30, and certainly I suck because I am hungry :-( I think I'm just headed down a spiral and I kinda wonder if some of that is because I am always feeling hunger lately. I could really use some help.

[AimeeClaire]

Anybody? Can anyone help? @kruddock what kind of starchy veg? 
Thanks!

[purplepadres]

Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, or even white potatoes. The fiber in any/all of these should help your satiety, as should added fat, as others have recommended.

[SugarcubeOD]

1 hour ago, AimeeClaire said:

Anybody? Can anyone help?
 

Hey there - Bear in mind that the moderators/members on this forum are volunteers... so sometimes responses are not immediate (especially if you post right before bed).

Sorry you're having these feelings of guilt, that's definitely not what we want to hear.

The only way to really know if these feelings you're having are due to hunger and light nutrition is for you to bump up your meals to the template to overcome the constant hunger and then reassess how you're feeling.  You don't suck and you're not failing... this way of eating can be a huge departure for some people and it can take some time to really feel comfortable but eating so you're not hungry is key to help get that under control.

[AimeeClaire]

Thanks @SugarcubeOD ... I was looking for any help, Mod or not :-) And I posted yesterday morning before lunch, and I suppose being starving all day just wore me down and I felt a little like I was whistling in the wind here. Sorry about that. 

I guess I'm not sure what you mean by bumping meals to the template? I fill my plate and I'm full when I am done - I don't know that I could put more in when I sit down and eat. I'm coming from a background of not eating breakfast, and not eating lunch many days and only eating once a day ... so I suppose I have a fear of eating too much, because I have had a long term habit of not eating. My food choices aren't that dissimilar with W30, but the eating 3x a day is. And I really considered NOT doing this because I was afraid it would trigger a whole slew of disordered eating habits that I have worked really hard to bury ... and I made it until a couple days ago and then they all came crashing through the door. I'm eating, but I am hating myself every time I do, and I feel huge guilt about eating the starch-y veg because I swear there is a voice in my head telling me that those types of veg will spike my blood sugar and made me fat. ;-p

[ultrarunnergirl]

You should eat enough that you don't feel hungry for at least 4 hours. The Meal Template MINIMUM portions (click the link below in my profile) are:

• 1-2 palm sized portions of meat (or 3 of eggs you can hold in one hand)
• Fill rest of plate with veggies and pile 'em high. 1-3 cups generally. And when your veggie is greens/salad, add other veggies as well.
• 1 - 2 thumb-sized portions of cooking oil (scrape out of pan onto your meal after cooking) OR 1/2 avocado OR big handful olives OR ... etc

Extra fat really helps to keep me satiated. Try a little more and feel better. It's easier to get in than extra protein (and more cost effective, too).

Also, some people just need more. You may need 4 meals a day. If so, don't hesitate to do that.

You can do this!

 

[anapardo]

Hi, this is a very common topic. I am about to start my second Whole30, and I also struggled with hunger the first time.

I also feel very guilty about eating to much potatoes or sweet potatoes. I can't take of my mind that in a regular diet this are the first things that you take away.

I have troubles balancing how often can I add this types of veggies into my meals. Once or twice a day? How many times in a week? Is it ok if I eat one potatoe in the morning and one with lunch? ( this apart from the other veggies I add to my meals).

Any suggestions?

[ShannonM816]

4 hours ago, anapardo said:

Hi, this is a very common topic. I am about to start my second Whole30, and I also struggled with hunger the first time.

I also feel very guilty about eating to much potatoes or sweet potatoes. I can't take of my mind that in a regular diet this are the first things that you take away.

I have troubles balancing how often can I add this types of veggies into my meals. Once or twice a day? How many times in a week? Is it ok if I eat one potatoe in the morning and one with lunch? ( this apart from the other veggies I add to my meals).

Any suggestions?

How much starchy vegetables to eat is really pretty personal. Most people do well if they have a fist-sized serving each day. Some people need more than that -- specifically, people who are active, people who are prone to depression or anxiety, or women who are pregnant, nursing, or in the week or so leading up to their period. 

Generally, if you're a pretty healthy person, and you're eating plenty of other vegetables, plus a serving or two of starchy vegetables a day, you're probably okay. 

If you struggled with hunger on your previous Whole30, my question would be, did you add fat to all your meals? Much of the fat that you cook with stays in the pan and isn't actually eaten, and if you cook in big batches, it may look like you're adding a fair amount of oil when you cook, but then you divide it all up into multiple servings. I would add a serving or two of fat to each meal, in addition to what you cook in, and see if that helps. Serving sizes for various fat sources are listed in the meal template -- try to make all your meals match the template, and they should keep you satisfied for 4-5 hours at a time.

[anapardo]

Thank you for your suggestions! I found this topic really helpful.