Ok. I have heard that a few peeps have been having a displeased gutworm.
Bottom line... you are hungry.
Is it normal for you to be hungry? ...... Ummmm.... yes, yes the heck it is.
A major influencing factor in your hunger is your "brain-nugget". Yup, I said - it's all psychological. Ok, not completely. You are hungry(er) because you are focused on eating. You have been spending significantly more time thinking about food within the last several days than you typically would be. Also, when you do get hungry eyes, you typically (and mindlessly) grab a quick [whatevers in your fridge] and shove it in your face hole. Another reason why you are hungry, is quite simply because you aren't eating enough (duh). Remember that 1 cup of rice equates to the caloric density of six cups of spinach. Therefore, you should up your calorie intake. As I told [Mike Jeng. Who? Mike Jeng.] earlier today - have a snack and a beverage other than water; and like I told Suzzy - grab yourself a handful of nuts (oh, grow up people!).
A quick address on another weekend comment
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| Sorry, I had to do it! |
I'm kinda headachey : yeah, thats the "withdrawl effects" from all the sugar you usually consume. Remember how I said this week was going to be a detox? You'd be amazed how dependent we are on If you need a sugar fix, get one of the borderline vegetables, like bell peppers (the red and orange ones tend to be the sweetest). It is amazing how sweet a bell pepper can taste.
Tips for suriving the day:- Drink H2O with your meals. Have coffee, tea, mineral/sparkling water with your snacks. Besides, thirst is sometimes misconstrued as hunger. That is why I have my first coffee at least an hour after I eat breakfast.
- Chew some gum. Sometimes, the psychological effect of chewing helps. It falls along the same as downing a whole tub of popcorn without thinking as you watch the tube - you have an oral fixation.
- If you are really hurting, have a diet soda, but limit these types of drinks as best you can (artificial sweeteners).
I chose to start on the weekend for several reasons (I'll get into that a bit later). Most people are more productive during the workweek, so hopefully you'll keep busy and focus on other things. The worst are the first couple of days. It will get better. You guys are doing great!
Keep it gangsta
-The Black Lion
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| Approx 3lbs of Carrots |
Thanks for the tips Manni! I am definitely going through withdrawals... and these headaches are a killer... Chewing gum is probably going to be my go-to technique for surviving the day.
ReplyDeleteI started a few days early (Wednesday). I've been snacking a lot on the stuff that won't get me in trouble -- broccoli, carrots, turkey breast, whey protein, some nuts. I pretty much snack (or "graze and forage", rather) whenever I feel hungry, which means I've been eating a lot less at meal time, as well. So far I'm feeling great.
ReplyDeleteI think the key for me so far has been having those foods around to satisfy hunger pangs so I don't go for the non-Paleo stuff. And also not being afraid to eat a lot of Paleo-approved foods -- like Manni said, it's hard to overeat on the Paleo diet. For example, there are less than 500 calories in an entire pound of turkey breast. Not a lot considering how filling it is, the protein content, etc.
You know what sucks??? A friend brought over a giant-ass cake from Costco yesterday and left it in our fridge. AAGHHHHH..I think I might light it on fire.
ReplyDeleteCut it open -- maybe it's a meat-cake?
ReplyDeleteOhhh, one thing that I've found really helps is ALWAYS try to have Paleo food with you! It's very easy to find yourself in a situation with no paleo-friendly food available (for example: the office or class you're in today is throwing a Domino's pizza party...and you are starving). Or in my case, I went on a road trip to NY this weekend with 10 of my "un-paleo" college buddies ... needless to say, the majority ruled and all of our stops consisted of McDonald's, Sbarro, and gas stations. But luckily, I knew this would probably be the case so I planned ahead! I packed several ziplock bags of Paleo food that you can take on the go!
ReplyDelete- Dehydrated banana chips
- Dehyrdrated apples
- Dehydrated blueberries
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Pumkin Seeds
- Coconut flakes
- Dates
- Turkey Jerky
- Buffalo Jerky
Now keep in mind, you always gotta check ingredients. It's easy to grab a bag of banana chips, and then see they have a shit ton of sugar and who else knows what. One thing I'm really starting to learn from the Paleo diet is to READ ingredients (yea ... kinda sad I'm just now really paying attention to that stuff).
Anyway, hope that gives you guys some ideas! I know a lot of us are all probably really busy and on-the-go, so I hope this helps.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the dehydrated fruit you can add AFTER week 1!
ReplyDeleteI am a little headachey and was wondering if it's because I cannot stop thinking about FOOD all the time. Anyway, I kicked off the day with an avocado smoothie. It's very refreshing and creamy, but a little bland. If I could add a couple tablespoons of honey that would help - anyone else have a suggestion? Here's the recipe:
ReplyDelete1 avocado
1 cup almond milk
8 or so ice cubes
1/3 peeled cucumber
Leah has it right. Def be prepared wherever you go....just in case! I think juice is my biggest nemesis right now. If it's all natural, would that not be better than a diet soda?
ReplyDeletePJ: Muscle Milk may help. A scoop of either Vanilla or Cake Batter flavor.
ReplyDeleteRebecca: Instead of that, I'd rather you have a piece of fruit and a glass of water.
Squirt: Thanks!
All valid points Manni...thanks for the post. I feel like paleo isn't HUGELY different from how I was eating before, but it's DEF still an adjustment. I'm down in Savannah, GA, this week for work and of COURSE my co-workers wanna LIVE it up and go out eatin' and drinkin' every nite....ugh! oh well... I can make it....solo. Already went to the store and got some canned, wild caught salmon, broccolini, pure protein bars, kale chips, etc. I should be good to go.
ReplyDeleteDef nice to have this blog and KNOW you're not the only one making this commitment!
Yeah, I think I've been eating too many almonds and too much Muscle Milk. HA! To quell my hunger, I think I've just been overeating on that because I don't have enough other stuff handy. I need to drink more water. The no-fruit thing for week 1 is REALLY hard for me....
ReplyDeleteBut I think I'm mostly fake hungry. Not ACTUALLY hungry, but I just think I am. That's the hardest part!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely easy to rely on nuts a lot, particularly when starting off with paleo, and this is great, particularly while at work. Try mixing it up, though! A personal favorite of mine is boiling any type of vegetable and pouring olive oil on top.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thanks to work yesterday, I was able to squeeze an 18 hour fast into my day by not eating dinner last night. Great opportunity to take down a huge meal this morning.
Sumi, not eating fruit is prob one of the hardest parts for me. Thank goodness, it's only a temporary thing, but even when we can start eating it again, I know I'm gonna have to watch how much I consume because I can kill a whole pack of blackberries in one sitting. I am in love with berries and can't wait to consume a tasty serving next week :D! Also...I think I'm gonna need to learn to spice things; I made eggs today with turkey, bell peppers, spinach and onions, it tasted pretty good but could have definitely gone with some seasoning (at least some salt and pepper or something).
ReplyDeleteSumi/Leah - I definitely relate with the no fruit rule; that's the hardest part for me too :/ It's funny you mentioned having too much Muscle Milk though. Manni and I talked about it briefly this morning because if I could, I'd be drinking those shakes at all hours of the day. They're tasty, more nutritious than chocolate mousse, what's not to like?! Manni can probably explain further, but it seems like we're only supposed to drink it pre/post workouts. I've also read that it's ok to have before bed, but seems a bit excessive to have it 3x per day.
ReplyDeleteTristan - your veggie idea sounds like a good snack. Another easy option is jerky (just watch the sodium)!
Anyone have any suggestions to combat mindless snacking when bored at work? Yesterday, when my afternoon slump hit at 3pm, I turned to gum since I wasn't truly hungry, but chewing gum for hours on end everyday isn't very appealing either..
I was just reading about protein powders and the Paleo diet. Most powders are made from whey, casein, soy or egg protein. Whey and casein (the main ingredients in Muscle Milk) are dairy products, which means they aren't strictly Paleo, even before/after workouts. Soy is not paleo. Egg protein is, but it's not absorbed as fast as whey, so it's not as great as a post-workout supplement. Believe it or not, they also sell BEEF protein powders (incl. "fruit punch" flavor), which sounds really gross, but I suppose would be the most Paleo of all protein powders.
ReplyDeleteMuscle Milk also isn't just a protein powder. It's a protein blend with other stuff added, which makes it higher in calories, carbs and fat than straight protein powder. This might be what Manni was getting at when he said only take it pre-/post-workout -- that's when the Paleo For Athletes guys say to have your extra carbs (to build glycogen stores, or something like that). But according to the internets, if you drink it often during the day you may end up sneaking a lot of extra calories into your diet. This is desirable for those looking to pack on mass, but not so much for those looking to get lean.
If ya want muscle milk and wanna be conscious of calories, I suggest Muscle Milk Light. They dont carry a ton of flavors in the stores but some supplement websites (I use vitacost.com) have more options. I always like choc/peanut butter and cake batter.
ReplyDeleteBut I def agree it's not true paleo and I prolly relied on them too much for diet control. Miss em actually :(
Ok so I have a question. When I go to the kitchen feeling "hungry" when I've already had a fair amount of protein, carbs and fat beforehand, I'll grab (begrudgingly, I might add) a dish of steamed vegetables to snack on; however, as soon as I even spear the vegetables with my fork, I lose the "hunger feeling" (mainly because plain veggies are a little boring and not exactly salivating material...even though olive oil and vinegar helps). Does this mean I'm not truly hungry, or should I just eat the damn vegetables or what?
ReplyDeleteOh I forgot to add, from what I've noticed is that if I eat a few bites of the vegetables it tends to hold me over for a few more hours...whereas if I don't eat those few bites, I find myself back in the kitchen looking for something else to eat about 10 minutes later. Fabulous haha.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is I need FRUIT back in this diet! It's killing me. I'll try some of the snacks mentioned... Thanks for all those suggestions.
ReplyDelete