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Calories and Cravings


abur0418

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I am about to start my Whole 30 at the beginning of next week. I am an active female in my 20s and rigth now I eat generally healthy- no white bread or carbs, limit grains and pack in lots of veggies and fruits. I am going on whole 30 to try to curb my extreme carb and sugar cravings and to resolve issues wtih hormones and reproductive issues. I don't need to lose weight, but I don't want to gain it!

I am worried about gaining weight on Whole 30. Right now I really restrict myself by limiting calories which causes out of control cravings and then overeating and feeling guilty...and makes me miserable. This is why I am doing a Whole 30- but I am seriously worried about eating MORE and gaining weight, even though I am cutting out the bad stuff.

Does it make sense to *kind of* still watch my calorie intake? What are some ways I can make sure I am not overeating and consuming way too many calories while still giving my body what I need to stop cravings?

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Please don't change this wonderful program by counting calories and/or weighing yourself. Your issues are exactly why you should do this. You are the epitome of someone who should.

If you embrace it and do it as written in the book, you will be astounded at the results. Just follow the meal template faithfully and make sure you are eating enough.

The amount of food will be difficult for someone who has been used to counting calories. My guess is that you won't eat enough at first and you will be hungry and want to snack. Eating 3 times a day is what allows your hormones to re-set. However, it may take you some time to get to that point so rather than chewing someones arm off or totally going off the plan, feel free to eat a mini meal of protein, veg and healthy fat.

A little history about me. I succesfully lost 84 lbs on a very calorie and carb restrictive diet. I discovered Paleo and Whole 9 right after I entered the maintanance phase. I was so used to counting everything and was so addicted to weighing weekly if not daily that it was tough for me. I committed to my first Whole 30 over a year ago and fell in love with it. Eating whole nutritious foods and counting nothing was such a gift after eating space food for almost a year. I pimped my scale out to my neighbor and haven't thought of weighing. My clothes have never fit bettet, my energy is through the roof and my moods are amazingly steady.

You are going to do great. You will find a ton of great support on this forum so be sure to ask questions if you have them. Good luck. :)

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The others are right. It really is impossible to do a W30 and even *kinda* keep an eye on the calories. The W30 is designed to teach you a whole new relationship with food, to nourish your body and listen to it so you are giving it what it needs to be the best it can be. If you're still tracking calories then, basically what you're saying is you don't trust the program or your body. You're going to dictate to your body rather than the other way round. I know it's really hard to break habits like counting calories, scary even. but trust me and the thousands of others who've done a W30. Leap in, follow the meal templates and don't even think about the calories involved and, as has already been said, ask any questions you have, Good luck.

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I second what the others said. I have always had to watch my weight and have spent all my life counting calories, fat, carbs, etc... weighing sometimes multiple times daily. It was hard for me to make the switch as well, but it works! I feel great and my weight has never been more stable that it is now. No more counting...When I'm hungry, I eat. I am still working on the scale obsession though.

Good luck and just believe in the program!

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Calories and nutrition are two totally different things! You've focused a lot on the calories a lot and that doesn't sound like it's working for you, so why not put that to rest for 30 days and switch your focus to nutrition instead? It's ONLY 30 days. At the end of it, you can evaluate how you feel and determine how you want to do things going forward. Consider it a trial separation from calorie counting!

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  • 3 weeks later...

From experience, and what everyone else has suggested, you will not gain weight. You are in your twenties, I am in my 40's (with 2 kids)! trust me, much easier for me to gain weight and on Day 22, I have not gained weight. Though I never counted calories, I was fanatical about portion control and frequency (I was eating every two hours for over a month before doing the whole30 to lose weight i had put on.) and I ate what I thought was super healthy!

I used to work out like crazy- weights, cardio...(i would run 3-4 miles in the morning, then bike 30 in the afternoon)

Then it all came to a halt this past november/december- injuries from my feet to my shoulder. I have done minimal cardio, almost no weight lifting, and started the whole 30 this past February. Though I have not taken my BMI since my first day on whole 30, i know my body fat has gone down because I can see more definition in my body (in my core and upper body). this was confirmed by what other's have said about how i look. both people in the gym asked me what i had been doing, and people at work commenting i looked thinner. I was not looking to lose weight with the whole 30, but had the same concerns, did not want to gain weight. i probably eat more than what is prescribed- more than 1-2 palm size portions of protein, way more fat... (i tend mix and match fats in my meals- some coconut flakes, olives, avacodo, maybe some nuts) love to load up on veggies!!

it has been a RELIEF to not worry about tracking and writing down every morsel i put in my mouth! (I have journals that go back years- even still have my tracking sheets for my weight and bmi measurements from years back) it is easier to function now. I will say, the first 3 days I would wake at 4 a.m with pain I was so hungry. All I could think about those first few days was eating. I did what was suggested... drink a glass of water and wait it out. After 5-6 days I no longer was hungry inbetween meals. After around day 6 or 7 i decided to give up the one afternoon snack- But like others have commented, my energy level is stable- constant (I work as weekend ski instructor and am not tired after 5-9 hour days of instructing!) and i go about 4-6 hours between meals with NO hunger pains and NO mood swings out of being famished! It's definitely a life style change worth exploring!! i plan to not go back. My REAL foods do taste soo much better!

i feel your pain!

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My situation is similar. I was religious about eating every 2-3 hours, worked out like crazy....then I injured myself. Trying to cut back on calories because I wasn't working out was making me starve myself. That's why I decided to do whole30. I am still a little worried about the sheer amount of food and calories I am eating but trying to ignore the anxiety. It's been two weeks and I haven't gained so....I guess I'm fine.

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  • 4 weeks later...

if you catch yourself online looking up, "calories in one parsnip" just slowly back away :P

That and the "is this a small [fill in the blank] or a medium?" and getting out the ruler to measure the diameter of a sweet potato or an apple. I've been so tempted to do that so many times :/

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Do NOT count calories please! Follow the meal template and trust it. This is the time to change your relationship with food for good. Tracking calories interferes with that. Start listening to your body and not a calorie tracking tool.

I have a similar concern to abur0418 as far as not wanting to gain weight, except I actually do need to drop some excess pounds. I am on day 6 of the Whole30, and I believe I've been following the meal template correctly, but I feel really "heavy". Since I'm a full-time grad student, I am always on the move, so cooking quick meals is ideal for me. That means that I usually sauté some veggies and a protein in coconut oil with maybe another veggie on the side or some avocado. I'm a little concerned that maybe I'm eating too much fat, and that's what is making me feel sort of "heavy" or bloated - the coconut oil is a cooking fat, the meat has fat, and if I have avocado on the side or olives, that's more fat. How do you know when it's too much?

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I have a similar concern to abur0418 as far as not wanting to gain weight, except I actually do need to drop some excess pounds. I am on day 6 of the Whole30, and I believe I've been following the meal template correctly, but I feel really "heavy". Since I'm a full-time grad student, I am always on the move, so cooking quick meals is ideal for me. That means that I usually sauté some veggies and a protein in coconut oil with maybe another veggie on the side or some avocado. I'm a little concerned that maybe I'm eating too much fat, and that's what is making me feel sort of "heavy" or bloated - the coconut oil is a cooking fat, the meat has fat, and if I have avocado on the side or olives, that's more fat. How do you know when it's too much?

W.J. -

It's normal to feel all kinds of different things during the first couple of weeks of a Whole30. Please trust that D&M designed the meal planning template in a way that would provide weight loss for folks who need it. Follow it to the best of your ability, don't think too hard, and give yourself time to adjust.

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W.J. -

It's normal to feel all kinds of different things during the first couple of weeks of a Whole30. Please trust that D&M designed the meal planning template in a way that would provide weight loss for folks who need it. Follow it to the best of your ability, don't think too hard, and give yourself time to adjust.

Thanks, Robin. I guess where I am is very much still part of the realization phase - realization of just how much the food I have been putting into my body has affected me.

I am working on the "don't think to hard" part. I'm pretty much conditioned to do so in my field and many times it carries over to other areas of my life. Thank you for your response!

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