Amanda9822 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Hey all! Today is my first day of paleo eating, the Whole 30, and I just recently went from being vegetarian to including fish and... ahem... beef. Other than my constant sad thoughts about the cows, I'm really excited to get started eating healthier and feeling better. I've been very low energy and tired for too long. Anyway, my first problem seems to be hunger in between meals. I know it takes a few days to get use to eating only three times a day, but I also know it's not great to be hungry for hours in between meals. I feel like I might start to panic come 3pm knowing I won't be home for dinner until after 6:30. Any ideas? Thanks! Amanda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted January 2, 2013 Moderators Share Posted January 2, 2013 Go ahead and eat. I ate 5 to 6 meals per day for about a year after adopting the Whole30 approach to eating. It took me a while to realize I could eat bigger meals and be comfortable not eating again for 5 or even 6 hours. If you can add an extra meal or two, that's good. If you can't make that fit, it is still best to eat some protein, fat, and veggies as your "snack" and not just a piece of fruit or some nuts. However, don't be hungry. Eat something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJam Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Make sure you are following the template....palm of protein, 2 thumbs of fat and as many veggies of all colors as you can cram in...like lots of veggies! Is it physical hunger....like stomach growling etc? or is is craving? great way to tell...could you eat fish and veggies? yes, real hunger....no, a craving. I know at first I thought I was hungry then I did the assessment. Are you used to snacking at a certain time of day? You are correct that it will take a while for your hormones to balance out. You just might not be eating enough. Add more veggies, or a half an avocado, or a half a sweet potato to your meals. Following the template will keep you full for many hours between meals. If it is real hunger, have a mini meal....raw veggies and a hardboiled egg, a small piece of meat and some broccoli. I would not suggest snacking on fruit and nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amanda9822 Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Thanks Tom! Tomorrow I will pack an extra meal just in case... especially because it's Crossfit day tomorrow! @MJam... I will definitely add more to the meal. I of course today ate a banana and some almonds. That was the only fruit of the day though, so I'll plan better to not do that again! Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenderbender Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Another thought.... If you are doing crossfit or any other intense workout, you should plan on a pre workout meal about an hour before, of protein and good fat and a post workout meal of very lean protein and a sweet potato to be eaten within 20 min of the end of your workout... Then wait about an hour and a half till your next meal... When I workout in the evening I pack a cooler with some cold hard boiled eggs and almonds / avacado for my pre meal..... And some chicken breast and a sweet potato for my post... But like what Tom said....EAT. You shouldn't be hungry....,in a few days you will be able to dial your portion size in just right....for me I needed to eat about three times the amount of good fat then I thought.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennrider Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 It took me almost the whole 30 days to eat enough food at each meal to not feel hungry. My family was slightly horrified at the amount of food I put away while they were visiting. My dad was worried I was too skinny. Then he saw me eat. I always prepare more food than I think will get eaten, yet we rarely have more than a serving left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callmibree Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 My stomach seems to fill up fast and so I stop eating. But then sometimes, within an hour or so, I'm feeling true hunger again. But if I increase how much I eat at the meal, I get uncomfortable in my stomach. Also, sometimes it's hard for me to eat so much protein. I lose interest in it. BTW, I'm in Day 2 of my second time doing a Whole 30, but I feel like I didn't completely figure out just how much food is enough for me during the first go-round, tho I did lose 16 pounds! So, I'm still trying to figure it all out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amanda9822 Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Day 3 for me. I think yesterday went a lot better than Day 1. Callmibree - I tried adding a half or whole avacado or a sweet potato to my meals yesterday and it reeeeally helped my hunger that was ferocious in day one. I haven't really tried to add more protein because, like you, I find it hard to consume the protein that I am required for each meal. I find it much easier to add fats or veggies. The sweet potato I added to yesterday's lunch was too much to eat... I couldn't finish it. But then I went the from 12 until after 6 pm without really bad hunger. I think it's tricky to figure this food amount thing out. I find that I feel like I won't lose any weight after the amount of food it takes for me to get full in a meal. Even if I am eating less frequently, I think I might be eating more. Who knows... we will see! I dreamt about eating a McDonald's carmel sundae last night. Two bites, and I was kicking myself. It's funny because I NEVER go to McDonald's, and if I do it's usually in Ukraine where a sundae is pretty much the only thing I want (they have yucky food). Overall I don't have a headache today like I did yesterday. I still feel REEEEALLY thirsty all of the time. Makes me a little nervous how thirsty I am... but I keep drinking tons of water. Hope everyone is doing well! So far no extreme crabbiness after I eat breakfast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aberrantatavia Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I eat within an hour of waking, then eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm satisfied. Then eat again when I'm hungry. I do follow the guidelines when I eat, I rarely eat a piece of fruit or just something on it's own. What I've found is that for the first few days, I eat like a football player... or at least feel like I do... LOL And then my body naturally adjusts itself so that I stay satisfied for several hours. Once your body picks up on the fact that you aren't feeding it junk and that it doesn't have to worry about starving for lack of nutrients, it will adjust and you will release the fat. You can try to "make" it happen by regulating these things yourself, eating smaller quantities only every few hours, but from what I've heard from others and experienced myself - just letting your body adjust itself is the most effective route for long term health. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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