Day 22- pants tighter and where's the Tiger Blood?

[Cliffer]

This is my first time doing Whole 30.  I have the meals down great, cooking every day for dinner, leftovers for lunch; usually fruit or eggs and veggies and sometimes meat for breakfast.  It's the in between meals that gets me, I think.  I bought some RX bars, some Lara bars, some dried apples- most days it's one bar after lunch, and not every day for the dried fruit.  I've been eating fresh fruit maybe twice a day.  This has gotten me through the feelings of being deprived and the need for some form of sugar initially.  But I feel like as I'm getting closer to the end, I'm now having more mental cravings (not so much that I need the taste- but just looking at the things around thinking- "no none will know if I cheat and eat this..."- I haven't cheated though!), and I'm feeling tired and bloated.  I'm feeling like I may be very disappointed in 8 days when I do step on the scale.  I'm discouraged today.  Anyone else struggling as we get closer to the end?

[Shani_SWP]

Hi @Cliffer,

Congratulations on making it to day 22, it sounds like you've turned into a chef! Now, it's time for some tough love. RX Bars, Larabars and dried fruit are meant to be emergency foods, not daily snacks; emergencies like when you get stuck in a meeting that runs long, and you don't have time to sit and eat a regular meal, or you're at your kid's baseball practice or stuck in traffic. It sounds like you may have replaced your regular carby snacking (chips, cookies, candy, etc) with healthier bars and fruit, but remember, these are still sugar bombs, even if the sugar comes from dates. Make sure to follow the meal template so you're fueling yourself enough to avoid in between meal cravings; what is your "fish and broccoli" mini meal to determine if you're really hungry or if you're just bored/angry/tired/upset? Fruit is also recommended to be "occasionally" so try to cut back to one serving a day. As for the cravings, go back to what brought you to Whole30, remember your why (this is the mental work portion of Whole30). Whole30 isn't meant for weight loss, it's meant to change your relationship with food. Update your list of "what to do when cravings hit" and focus on other NSV. You still have another 10 days of reintroduction after day 30 that includes Whole30 foods, so start working on your reintroduction plan and focus on one day at a time.

Meal template: https://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf
Hunger vs craving: https://whole30.com/how-many-meals/
NSV list: https://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-nsv.pdf
Whole30 reintroduction: https://whole30.com/reintroduction-prep/ & https://whole30.com/reintroduction/

Trust the process. You got this!

[Cliffer]

Thank you so much- somehow, I've made it this far without seeing the meal template.  I knew I shouldn't be snacking as much- but also haven't been eating large enough meals, or adding enough fat.  This is helpful.  I know I have a sugar addiction, I'm proud that I've made it this far, but have really been leaning on the rx and lara bars.  I completely lost my mind at the buy 2 get 1 free bar sale Whole Foods had- bought WAY more than I care to admit- in a panic on Jan 1! All to say, lessons learned.  I'll clean it up for this next week, focus on reintroducing in a healthy way, and may continue on a less strict version- so I at least don't have to worry about oil and seasonings when making healthy choices dining out.  Thanks so much for the feedback!

[Shani_SWP]

You're very welcome! If you are still having sugar cravings by the end of next week or having bad hangover symptoms, you might want to consider extending your Whole30 for another week or two to feel less bloated, and hopefully experience that Tiger Blood! Hey, I understand the sale thing, but just because you have them, that doesn't mean you need to eat them all until they are gone.   Focus on getting the healthy protein, then filling your plate with vegetables, and add your fat. Maybe consider carrying a meat stick + nuts as your emergency mini meal rather than something sweet.

I do mostly paleo (or what I like to call Whole30 + chocolate) when not on a Whole30. If I cook, it's still Whole30 because after 2 years, that's just how my kitchen is setup, and it's easier and nice to know I'm fueling myself in the best way. DM me or on Instagram if you have any more questions.