Eating Within an Hour of Waking?

[kirbz]

This is my second Whole30 (I'm on Day 4). For my first round, I really struggled to eat Meal 1 within an hour of waking. Partly because I didn't feel like it but mostly because I just find it hard to get everything together for Meal 1 within an hour (even when I'm just re-heating leftovers). 

I'm considering shifting my workout to the mornings. In that case, I would be eating a hard-boiled egg and some mayo right after waking, then working out, then having some chicken cubes and sweet potato. I would then likely wait an hour or so before eating Meal 1. 

This sounds way more appealing to me but is this just cheating? Does this sound like a reasonable plan? It would likely look like this: 

• 5:00 am wakeup
• 5:15 hard-boiled egg and mayo
• 5:30-6:30 Insanity
• 6:45 chicken cubes and sweet potato 
• 8:00 am Meal 1

[slc_melissa]

Sounds good to me. You're ticking all the boxes. For me personally, I eat meal 1 about 30 min after the post workout or I get hangry.

[MamaJ]

I typically wake up at 5:30, workout 6:30 - 7:30 and eat breakfast by 8. I do well with a plan so my plan is breakfast at 8 AM, lunch at 12 PM and dinner at 5:30 PM. I don't deviate from that unless it's an emergency or a really weird day that doesn't follow any normal routine.

[lilpixie]

I'm on Day 19 of my first Whole 30 and I've been struggling to eat Meal 1 within an hour of waking.  Meal 1 typically is eaten within 2-2.5 hrs of waking.  I'm trying to fix this but wanted to get opinions on if this is ok (I tried it for the first time this morning):

6:45 wake up

7:30 - boiled egg

9:15 - Meal 1 - butternut squash/spinach/sausage frittata (2 pieces) and 1/2 of an avocado drizzled with EVOO

 

I typically have lunch, around 1 or 1:30 and then dinner around 6:30 or 7.  I haven't been snacking at all, really, because I haven't felt the need to; my meals have been substantial enough I guess.  I feel fantastic and am loving my first Whole 30 so far...I'm just trying to tweak/get the morning eating part right.  

[ladyshanny]

I would start eating that first meal at 730am and then pack it up and take it with you to eat again as soon as you feel able (ie, don't wait until next meal time or grumbly stomach). If you just keep eating one egg as an "interim snack" you won't work up to being able to eat a full breakfast. The way to get used to eating full breakfast is to practice eating full breakfast.  

[lilpixie]

1 hour ago, ladyshanny said:

I would start eating that first meal at 730am and then pack it up and take it with you to eat again as soon as you feel able (ie, don't wait until next meal time or grumbly stomach). If you just keep eating one egg as an "interim snack" you won't work up to being able to eat a full breakfast. The way to get used to eating full breakfast is to practice eating full breakfast.  

That makes sense.  I will start doing that going forward.  Thanks for the response!

[Kristen Cochran]

This is for my husband - his work day and commute are super long and he's struggling with the plan. Experiencing constipation and it may have to do with not enough veggies at breakfast.  It can't fit in his schedule which looks like this:

 4:30 am - wake, shower, drink one cup of black coffee in car on way to train

5:00 am - catch train to NY city (2 hour commute) 

7:30 am - 2 hard boiled eggs with fruit (used to buy veggie smoothie in city before whole30)

1:30 - salad with protein, maybe some seeds, nuts or olives

7:30 pm dinner according to meal template

8 pm - exercise on elliptical for 30-45 min

10 pm sleep

He simply can't eat within an hour of waking since he's on a commuter train and would need the bathroom (ng on train)

Any suggestions?

 

[laura_juggles]

I'm perplexed about why he'd need a bathroom in order to eat breakfast? I'd eat meals on the train frequently when I worked in NYC. 

His breakfast is too small and I'm thinking that since you're posting here for him, you're also packing his meals? Which would mean that it's possible that all of his meals are too small. 

Constipation can be caused by a variety of things - is he drinking enough water? Is he getting enough fats? Are those nuts/seeds affecting his digestion? If the salad's all raw veg, that can also mess with digestion. 

[Kristen Cochran]

@laura_juggles Thanks for responding.  Sometimes I'm packing his meals for him.  Sometimes not.  We are doing whole30 together - he works out of the home and I have more time on my hands so the program is working great for me.  For him, not so much.  To clarify, if he eats on the train, he's sure to need a bathroom over the course of the next 2-2 and 1/2 hours so he waits to get to the office and eat where there is a bathroom handy.

Didn't know raw veg can be tough on digestion.  Thought it was "roughage".  His lunch at work is raw veggies - no time to cook.  Meetings all day long, works thru lunch every day.  He's never had trouble with nuts before.  Drinks enough water.  

We are on day 11.  He took psyllium husks in water twice so far.  

Best way for him to get more veggies is to have a breakfast smoothie but that's not recommended.  

 

[ladyshanny]

1 hour ago, Kristen Cochran said:

@laura_juggles Thanks for responding.  Sometimes I'm packing his meals for him.  Sometimes not.  We are doing whole30 together - he works out of the home and I have more time on my hands so the program is working great for me.  For him, not so much.  To clarify, if he eats on the train, he's sure to need a bathroom over the course of the next 2-2 and 1/2 hours so he waits to get to the office and eat where there is a bathroom handy.

Didn't know raw veg can be tough on digestion.  Thought it was "roughage".  His lunch at work is raw veggies - no time to cook.  Meetings all day long, works thru lunch every day.  He's never had trouble with nuts before.  Drinks enough water.  

We are on day 11.  He took psyllium husks in water twice so far.  

Best way for him to get more veggies is to have a breakfast smoothie but that's not recommended.  

 

HI @Kristen Cochran - maybe start to rethink how you're composing those meals. If he can have hard boiled eggs with fruit, why can't you just replace that fruit with cooked veggies? Lots of cooked veggies can be eaten cold (think: steamed brocoli, steamed green beans, sweet potato spears etc). Same with lunch, he needs 2-3+ cups of cooked veggies. When you're making dinner, make LOTS so that he has plenty to take for leftovers. 

If eggs are his sole protein, he needs 3-4 as a start. 2 is not enough for most women, let alone most men. Salad as veggies is difficult because it chews down to nothing. He'd need a literal mixing bowl sized salad to be sufficient. I don't see any fats listed except where you say "maybe nuts olives etc". It needs to be plated fat with every meal.

I'd up all his meal sizes and make sure that they are full of veggies and fats.