Evelyn Benchimol Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Hi! Ok am on day 7 and have some questions. Someone brought some things up on my log and it got me into looking around the forum a bit more, which leads to my questions.... Could I be working out too much? I finally committed to a workout schedule. M/W/F - lunch hour 45min workouts (kettle bell or TRX). T/R 1.5hr kickboxing in the evening. Weekend off. I've felt great after the workouts and am FINALLY feeling my biceps!!! BUT... read something by Melissa in response to a post and wondering if this is too much. Can it be even if I'm feeling good? Snacks - I haven't been very hungry between meals. Mini munchies really and because I can't imagine eating a mini meal template, I've had: a handful of almonds (litterally like 6 almonds) and water, or an almond milk latte, or a hardboiled egg, or an apple w/ almond butter (only cause I was rushing off to a workout and didn't want to be hungry mid through). Also, I have a problem with breakfast because I can't eat until about 2hrs after waking so I've made myself mini smoothies just to fend off demons (less than 8oz of almond milk or coconut water with not even 1/2cup of fruit and then some kale and coconut oil). Am not using them to replace a meal but just tied me over til I get my breakfast. Is this totally wrong? Cravings.... is it normal to not really have had any until now? I mean I've been eating whole foods for a while now and really cut back on grains before starting the W30. Wondering if it was enough to detox me slowly so this hasn't been a shock. Yes I've been in a store or somewhere and gotten a whiff of something delicious but a quick mental reminder of W30 was enough. Could I be headed for disaster in the next few days? So, ya if anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate it! Before I head into week 2 I need to know if I need to restart, if I'm ok, if I just need to tweak something. My log is in the Whole30 log section under Ev's Whole 30 (started 3/4) in case you want to see what I've been eating. My meals have been bigger than what I've normally consumed and I've always been a snacker so it's kinda strange that I can pack that much in in a meal and not have to snack so much but could it be because my amounts and combos are right? Anyways... pls help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted March 10, 2013 Moderators Share Posted March 10, 2013 Whether you are working out too much depends upon additional factors you have not supplied. Like, what else are you doing? A job, caring for children, managing a home, volunteer work? How much stress are you living with? Are you sleeping good for at least 8 hours per night. If you are sleeping good, are not especially stressed, and are working around 40 hours per week and not 60, you might be okay to do 45 minutes at lunch 3 times per week and 1.5 hours at night 3 times per week for a total of just under 7 hours of exercise per week. If you are stressed or very busy, you might benefit from avoiding doing 135 minutes of exercise in one day. Feeling good is not always a useful way to judge whether you are exercising too much. I know. I have a long history of feeling good and adding weight or mileage to my training all the way up to the point of having back spasms that take 2 weeks to resolve or developing cartilage issues that demand I stop running for a while. I don't understand why you are eating smoothies instead of breakfast within an hour of waking. Liquid food burns through you quickly and does not accomplish the same hormonal signalling as real, whole foods. If you are not hungry within an hour of waking, it suggests your hormones are out of whack. One of the best things you can do if your hormones are out of whack is to eat within an hour even if you are not hungry. The food will help get your hormonal rhythm going properly. Eating a pre-workout snack is a good idea. One or two hard boiled eggs are is great pre-workout food. Check out the meal template again to review the details of what is ideal: http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf I had few cravings during my first Whole30 and nothing very challenging. I think I wanted a toasted, buttered bagel. Your absence of cravings doesn't really tell us anything about your experience. Just be thankful things are going smoothly. I am concerned that you are using almond milk. The stuff that comes in cartons from the refrigerated section of the grocery store usually has unpronounceable ingredients that you should not be eating. I've never found okay almond milk in a store. I hear making your own is easy and that would be okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyn Benchimol Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Thank you Tom for the detailed response, it's very appreciated!!! Re: workouts.... yes I work full time and have 3 small children so I guess I have a decent amount of stress and I've been getting about 7hrs of sleep lately. Trying to get that extra hour in but been tough. Nights is when I do laundry, prep lunches, etc. Smoothies... I had them because I'd wake up really hungry and just don't have the time to sit and eat a proper breakfast, I mean I guess I could if I inhaled it but forget about the proper chewing, enjoying the food, etc. My mornings are probably the most stressful time of the day getting 3 kids under 5 up and ready for daycare (dressed, fed, etc), so eating when I get to work allows me to breathe a little and take more than 5min to eat my proper breakfast. Can you suggest something I can have to tied me over to my full breakfast? Would a glass of homemade almond milk and half a banana or something like that be ok? Coffee might suppress my hunger slightly but I've been waiting until I get a full breakfast for my first cup. I guess I need to pick the lesser of the evils.... inhale a good breakfast, have a tiny smoothie to ease the hunger pains til breakfast, or wake up at least 20min earlier but then that makes it harder to get those 8hrs in..... Snacks.... thanks for reminding me of the template! Since I often workout at lunch, I eat right after but have been having a regular lunch with fats. I was now reminded by the template that the PostWO should not replace lunch and shouldn't contain fats? So how would you suggest I do this? I mean I finish working out by 1pm, shower, and am ready to eat by 1:30. I can't imagine squeezing in two meals before dinner at 6pm. And about the milk... yes homemade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted March 11, 2013 Moderators Share Posted March 11, 2013 I would eat boiled eggs for breakfast if I were in a hurry. And I probably would eat them in the kitchen, standing over the sink rather than seated for a proper meal. That is not ideal, but I am a big fan of a good dose of protein and fat in the morning and boiled eggs are great. I have been known to eat them with a big dill pickle as my veggie. You could eat one or two and then "finish" your breakfast later when you get to work. I try to eat 4 eggs per day because the nutrition is so good. Most women should target at least 3 and could eat 4 regularly. I would probably eat a can of tuna packed in water as soon as I finished working out, then shower, and then eat whatever you might otherwise eat for lunch. You might eat a little less protein at lunch after your post-workout meal, but maybe not. I have sometimes eaten a can of tuna at the gym and then gone home and eaten a full regular meal as soon as I could get it ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyn Benchimol Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Thanks Tom! Had that hardboiled egg this morning while cleaning up after the kids and packed up half a can of tuna for the gym! Hard getting used to the idea of eating so many eggs but I love them so totally enjoying it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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