Not eating enough?

[Elliottsmama]

So I'm on day 4 of the Whole30. It's going just fine. Today I noticed two things:

1. I am bloated (not unusual) and having a "fat day". LOL (<--also not unusual)

2. I am a little hungry even after lunch. I can't tell if it's all craving, but some of it is, though I'd be happy with some fruit.

So because I was feeling bloaty and fat, I was convinced I was eating too much food. So I went over to fitday and put all my food in there. Let me start by saying I am NOT a calorie counter. I hate counting cals. I get obsessed over them so I don't do it. I did this just to check and it's not something I plan to keep track of by any means. Anyway, I am NOT overeating and in fact may be undereating. It looks like my meals are averaging about 500 calories each. Dinner might be a little more, but not much. I am 36 years old. I have an active lifestyle in that I have a toddler, but I have not started formally exercising yet due to a hip injury. I am 5'6" and currently 149lbs with a goal of losing about 10 lbs, but mostly just losing fat even if the scale doesn't change too much. I am also still nursning my son who still nurses quite frequently for his age (about 6-7 times a day). I'm thinking I need to be over 2000 calories at least and I'm only at about 1500-1700 tops. I am eating meals according to the template. I usually feel full after the meals. Yesterday I got really hungry before dinner and again today I got hungry (still am) after lunch. Same lunch...I'm thinking it isn't enough for me. Other than that, I've not been hungry or waking up starving and the cravings haven't been too bad.

Here is today just to give you an idea of what I'm eating:

breakfast - 3 eggs with mushrooms and onions scrambled in a little coconut oil, 1/2 avocado, and about 3/4 cup of cut up watermelon and cantaloupe

lunch - about 4-5oz of chicken breast made into chicken salad with homemade mayo, 1/2 apple, celery, and onions; all that on top of a huge bowl of organic lettuce and spinach with some pecans sprinkled on top; about 3/4-1 cup of watermelon

dinner - beef brisket with roasted brussel sprouts and a sweet potato (I'll add fat if needed...I need to look at the recipe again to see what the beef calls for)

So should I be adding stuff in somewhere? I am really hungry right now and I just finished lunch about 30 minutes ago. I don't think I ate too much fruit to be the cause of cravings. I ate the fruit before the meal actually and finished it during so it wasn't after either. Since I was hungry after lunch both days with the same meal, I'm thinking I won't plan on that again or need to seriously add something to it. I added nuts today to see if that helped. Nope. It could also be that I'm on day 4 and just starting to crave or something.

Any thoughts? Sorry for rambling.

-Bree

[KitchenWitchy]

Hi Bree! I wonder if maybe it would help to eat more veggies and less fruit at breakfast? I have found that when I eat a breakfast heavy on protein and fats with moderate portions of veg, I don't get hungry between meals. It took some experimenting to find what worked for me. So maybe tweaking your template a bit would help?

Also if you are hungry between meals, it's recommended to add a mini-meal of protein, veg, and fat. It sounds like you are really active so maybe that would help you?

I can relate to feeling bloated during whole 30! Usually happens to me when I don't eat enough leafy greens or sweet potatoes.

[notacommittee]

Are you hungry for anything specific, or just hungry in general?

I would say, if you're not craving sugar or junk food, and you're physically hungry, then eat more! Either add more to your meals, or add another meal - just use the template and don't snack only on fruit or nuts.

[Elliottsmama]

Thanks. I'll try skipping the fruit and seeing if that helps. I didn't have fruit the at all the first two days and just added a little yesterday and a little more today so maybe that is the cause of the increased hunger. If it is, is that something that will improve? I'd hate to have to limit fruit forever since it's so tasty and healthy. Like once my body is more reset, is it easier to incorporate it again?

I ended up having two grass fed beef hot dogs and mustard and a whole cucumber as a snack. I did notice that I was still hungry later. Something was up today. I did end up feeling cravy and not just hungry for more meat. I wanted fruit. I wasn't craving junk, but I did want more fruit and my son had some raisins and I think I would have eaten the bag if I let myself. I made him quinoa and didn't have a bite. I didn't even want a bite. That was a big. I did want the raisins though. I may have to lay off the fruit a bit until the cravings pass and see if the hunger is better. I had a really big dinner and my calories are way up so who knows. I'm not going to start counting calories though. That's a dangerous game. I'll just stick to the rules and see how I feel and hope that's a good indication of how I'm doing.

Thanks.

Bree

[Jinkse21]

Definitely don't start counting calories...defeats the purpose of Whole30 and building a better relationship with food. I think your meals looked great except I would have added more fat to to them and maybe a little more protein. With all of the veggies and fruit you had, they can cause you to feel bloated and full which means you are hungrier in a shorter amount of time because they have a lower calorie content.. Protein and fat will satisfy you a lot longer. I know it will be difficult but good fats are good for you!

Personally, I think the amount of fruit you are eating is fine...it's definitely not excessive. Since you are breastfeeding, I wouldn't worry about cutting them out. Also, a mini-meal that includes protein, fats (didn't see with your hot dogs and cucumber), and veggies may also help out since your metabolism is pretty high right now.

You'll definitely learn a lot about yourself and what it takes to satisfy your body's needs but you'll figure it out! You're only on day 5 so you have time! ;-)

[Elliottsmama]

Yeah I hadn't put the hot dogs and cucumbers in there because I ate them after the first post which included plans for dinner, but I hadn't actually eaten it yet.

Thanks. I'll try to up the protein and fat and see if that helps. I do think the only times I got hungry though were after my chicken salad meals. Maybe the chicken was not a big enough serving or there wasn't enough fat added since it's lower in fat naturally. Good point about the veggies and fruits being temporarily filling, but making me hungry soon after. Great point! Ahem...TMI, but I have noticed a difference in the bathroom department too. That should help me lose weight too. LOL

Today's plan is:

breakfast - grass fed ground beef burger with onions and 1/2-1 avocado and roasted brussel sprouts (not in the mood for eggs)

lunch - steak, sweet potato, and salad with avocado and olive oil as fats

dinner - beef brisket with mashed cauliflower and ghee, and probably a small salad as well with added fat

I might have a little fruit at lunch.

[Jinkse21]

Today's meals look perfect! Let us know if you feel better today!

You should start a daily log/journal under My Whole30 Log so you can see where you need to make adjustments and log how you feel. It's a great way to see how your relationship with food changes in the end.