Should I eat more starchy veggies?

[Medowsweet]

Day 4

 

I have been having carb withdrawal symptoms: hungry even right after eating, craving bread (even tho I don’t even like bread), brain fog (like drunk but without the high), irritability, really tired around 2-5...

 

I had more carbs and I feel much better...

 

But will increasing my carbs prevent me from getting fat adapted?

 

Part of my wanting to do this is to get fat adapted.  I don’t want to be “in ketosis” I just want to be able to switch from burning sugar to burning fat without any pain or hunger.  To go 6 hours between meals if I have to, to be able to dip into my fat reserves and eventually lose weight... you know that kinda thing.

(P.s I am also on day 3 of my period if that matters)

For dinner I had:

Shrimp scampi (a whole cup of shrimp but I left most of the oil in the pan)

2 tomatoes (raw, eaten out of hand while cooking)

Butternut squash with gee and dates (mimics my grandma’a recipe with butter and brown sugar- 1 cup serving had maybe 1 date and maybe 1 the gee)

 

I fee SOOO much better then lunch which was:

 

Breakfast was:

3 eggs

Mushrooms (1 cup?)

Onion (1/2 med)

Bell peppers (2 small)

Tomatoes (2)

Avacado (1/2)

Coffee with Thai kitchen type coconut milk

 

Lunch:

1 can tuna

1/2 avacado

2 tomatoes (compari)

Cucumber (maybe 2 inches?)

Bell pepper (2 mini)

Blue and raspberries mixed Berries (about 1/2 cup) with coconut cream

 

Snack:

1/2 Apple with almond butter 

 

I was like pull my hair out I’m gonna die starving between meals!!!

 

[laura_juggles]

The only thing you can do is increase your starchy carbs and see what happens. Most people do well to have at least one fist-sized serving per day. 

[Jihanna]

Where you are in your cycle definitely makes a difference, and part of figuring out how yours affects you is in the trial and error. If you're feeling crappy with fewer carbs, boosting starchy veggies is a good way to counter that. I absolutely have to alter what I eat based on where I am in my hormonal cycle AND based on how I'm feeling emotionally (I'm diagnosed bipolar and have found that boosting my carbs a little here and there can definitely help keep me balanced).

In terms of changing based on cycle, I've learned that my own body benefits from increasing both protein and starchy carbs leading up to and especially during that week, with a bit more focus than usual on making sure I'm getting plenty of iron and vitamin C (not from supplements, but from the food on my plate). In general, that week sees me hungrier and more easily tired, so I do my best to counter those effects by boosting intake appropriately.

I've also learned that WHEN I eat starchy carbs matters... a lot. Morning starch is good for me because it helps me push out to lunch without snacking and generally helps me feel balanced overall, and dinner starch works for me because it helps me sleep better. If I eat starchy veggies between noon and 3, though, I guarantee you I'll be ready to pass out by 5pm if not earlier.

There's room to maneuver in this, and if you're wanting to become fat-adapted for long-term effects, that tells me that you're in it to make long-term changes to your lifestyle... that means you've got time for the trial and error as you find what works best for your individual body so you can get the best possible effects without feeling boneless during your cycle