Starting over, need suggestions

mountainrun73

I spent the better part of last week drinking waaaaay to much alcohol. Which triggers cravings for more. I realize that alcohol is basically a sugar, so while I don't crave sweets, my cravings for starchy carbs and alcohol are the equivalent of sweet cravings.

So I am going to start the Primal/Paleo way of eating to stop the cycle I've been in for a while now. Does anyone have any suggestions? I've dabbled in it before, but stop a) because it's rather expensive to buy so much animal protein and not fill the plate with rice or some other grain or replace the animal protein with lentils/legumes and b) my preferred form of exercise is running, so worry about not having enough energy. That and I keep giving in to those darn cocktails (my preferred choice is vodka, which I recently learned is typically distilled from wheat except for a very few very expensive brands - no wonder it triggers such a craving cycle in me). Which then leads to pasta. And crackers.

My blood sugar is way out of whack, and from everything I've read and experienced Primal/Paleo is the way to go to stabilize my blood sugar, moods, and help with weight loss.

Any suggestions on doing this on a limited budget? Any suggestions for endurance athletes? Anyone else have experience with killing starch/alcohol cravings?

Thanks.

meghanner

I agree with newmeadow. Eating strict paleo won't make you want to stop drinking alcohol. I don't mean to pry and am certainly not judging but, as a medical professional who sees many women who struggle with drinking problems, it sounds like you may need some greater support with this issue? I'd see that out independently from a clean healthy diet.

In terms of your paleo eats, if you're an endurance runner you will NEED starchy carbs in your diet for sufficient recovery. Fill your plate with yams, potatoes, plantains, bananas, white rice after your big runs. These are all cheap and rather clean sources of starch. Choose lower fat meats when you have a carb-heavy meal and then enjoy a lower carb, higher fat approach on rest days to help balance blood sugar and keep carb cravings away.

Make sense?

mountainrun73

Thanks for the replies. When I've eaten Primal in the past, I seriously have no desire for pasta or booze or crackers or any of that. That is why for me, I feel that my overuse of alcohol (which isn't every day, it goes in spurts) is my body's equivalent of eating all the cakes and cookies in sight. There is actually research showing that alcohol and sugar addiction are essentially the same. Also, when I've cut out alcohol completely for any length of time, it results in really quick weight loss. For me, there is a very clear connection!

As for the recommendation for carbs, I appreciate that - it makes sense. I love bananas after (or before, depending on how long I'm going) a run. I'll add sweet potatoes and white rice, too.

Any advice for making primal/paleo affordable?

FWIW, i just ate some eggs and spinach sautéed in coconut oil...and can already tell that my brain is better able to focus than when I just have a green smoothie.

JessiBelleW

When I go to the pub I have cider. 3 pints is still a 1/3 of my carbs for a day though. I love bourbon but Its made from 51%corn and I like it with coke..... to be fair cocktails often contain sugar syrup. I think you could find less carb/sugary alcohols if that's what you wanted? Ie a glass of wine has 3-7g of carbs vs 11g In a pint of cider.

Cheap sources of protein: eggs! Organ meats such as liver, kidneys, tongue, I often buy meat that's been special sticker (needs to be eaten asap). Where I live coconut cream/milk is fairly inexpensive

homesweeths

mountainrun73 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. When I've eaten Primal in the past, I seriously have no desire for pasta or booze or crackers or any of that. That is why for me, I feel that my overuse of alcohol (which isn't every day, it goes in spurts) is my body's equivalent of eating all the cakes and cookies in sight. There is actually research showing that alcohol and sugar addiction are essentially the same. Also, when I've cut out alcohol completely for any length of time, it results in really quick weight loss. For me, there is a very clear connection!

As for the recommendation for carbs, I appreciate that - it makes sense. I love bananas after (or before, depending on how long I'm going) a run. I'll add sweet potatoes and white rice, too.

Any advice for making primal/paleo affordable?

FWIW, i just ate some eggs and spinach sautéed in coconut oil...and can already tell that my brain is better able to focus than when I just have a green smoothie.

I'd urge caution in the "starchy paleo" department. Yes, you might need more starch because of your exercise, but you also need to listen to your body. Sounds like you're pretty good at that already.

I found that I tolerate some paleo starches better than others. I can't do white potatoes, because they affect my inflammation issues (so I'm on AIP, pretty much, these days). I find that bananas can hit me pretty hard and trigger carb cravings. However, on one or two occasions I found myself *craving* bananas (and this is when much more "interesting" cheat-food was available -- we were traveling, and at an end-of-tournament celebration in a *very* fancy food store with amazing treats, and all I wanted was a banana, so that's what I got, and it didn't trigger cravings but made me feel deeply satisfied. Makes me think I was low on potassium or something).

Most fruit is too sugar-saturated for me, so it is a very occasional treat. (Like local tree-ripened peaches, in season. Sort of self-limiting.) I do best when my daily fruit consumption entails a cup of fresh berries, or half a grapefruit.

I do not ultra-low-carb. I find I go into ketosis when I dip below 80g of carbs a day. (That's a lot higher than the 30-50g I've heard people talk about.) On the other hand, I can't eat 100g of carbs two days in a row, or I'll trigger carb cravings. So I try to stay between 50-80g a day, with two days a week between 100-150g. But I am not a runner. Am pretty sedentary, and trying to get into walking again, even though I don't really enjoy it.

The carbs my body seems to do best on involve root vegetables like yams/sweet potatoes, beets, artichokes, some carrot, occasional squash. I often find myself rounding out the day with a cup of one or more of these, roasted or, in the case of beets-carrots, made into AIP "nomato" sauce.

It took some "listening to my body" to figure this out, and everyone seems to work a little differently.

As far as making it affordable?

I buy meat from a farmer (beef under $5 a pound if you get a quarter or half at a time). I found boneless leg of lamb at Costco this month for $5 a pound. Costco also sells wild-caught frozen fish, frozen in individual portions so I can cook one filet at a time. I used to eat a lot of eggs, but can't stomach eggs right now. Too bad, because they were pretty cheap protein, and I was able to buy pastured eggs from a local family for half the price they're going at the store, so they were good quality. I buy whole chickens and cut them up or roast them whole, cut the meat off and make bone broth from the carcass. I help out someone with an organic vegetable garden -- free veggies in exchange for labor. When I'm not feeling well enough to work in the garden, I get organic veggies at Costco. I just have to work at eating them so I don't end up throwing them away and wasting money instead of saving it.

When I'm getting my veggies from Costco, my meals are pretty repetitive -- like having organic baby greens a couple times a day, to make sure they get used up, and then the next week I'll buy organic baby spinach instead. When I get them at the farmer's market or from helping my friend with the organic garden, I get a little more variety.

Pretty much any green (kale, beet greens, chard, that sort of thing) tastes better stir-fried with onions, sprinkled with ACV or balsamic or lemon juice. Pretty much any root vegetable or combination thereof (and Brussels sprouts! and squash!) tastes amazing, tossed with oil, seasoned and roasted in an oven until they caramelize. Actually, I like broccoli and cauliflower done this way, too. I buy the big bags of Normandy mix at Costco and roast half a bag at a time. It's supposed to be several meals' worth, but my family tends to eat them up pretty quickly.

mountainrun73

Wow, what a thoughtful and very helpful response! Thank you so much! I am starting to wonder if, like you, too much fruit triggers carb cravings for me. I was on a huge green smoothie (just greens, cucumber, and fruit) kick for a week or two preceding the recent carb/booze indulgences. I am making myself limit fruit for the time being to see how my body responds. Yesterday I had a banana blended with whey protein (not paleo, but should be ok on primal, and I typically really don't like breakfast, even after a run). I also added almond milk (unsweetened) and some coconut oil. I figured the banana was good since I did a 4.5 mile run. That kept me full all day.

Yes, I think listening to my body will help. I finally figured out how to adjust my macros, so I will play around with it and be more diligent about tracking my food intake to see what works for me. Interesting that you go into ketosis below 80g of carbs a day. How do you check, do you use keto strips?

For right now, I'm aiming for below 100g per day as suggested by Mark Sisson in the Primal Blueprint (the "sweet spot" for fat loss). I'll see how that goes. Though I had a cocktail last night, it wasn't a craving thing. Making an effort to ensure I am taking in protein and fat at each meal seems to really help me stay balanced.

After a day of better fat and protein intake, I slept well for the first time in over a week last night. Today's run was short but good, and my focus on studying is the best it's been in a while.

Again, thanks soooo much for your thoughtful and helpful reply!

vermilyeadana

I want to thank you for your post. I can relate to everything you are dealing with and I will connect with this thread to see what advice others are giving. Please keep us posted! I am going to abstain from alcohol as well and see if it helps. . So long, cosmos!

mountainrun73

vermilyeadana wrote: »

I want to thank you for your post. I can relate to everything you are dealing with and I will connect with this thread to see what advice others are giving. Please keep us posted! I am going to abstain from alcohol as well and see if it helps. . So long, cosmos!

I'm going to send you a friend request, we can support each other!

So in the last couple of days, I have made a concerted effort to make sure that I am consuming protein with each meal. Breakfast has been whey protein with unsweetened almond milk, a little fruit, spinach, and coconut oil. No cravings. Better focus. Last night, I had 2 beers at the baseball game. Barely finished the second. For me and my experiment of n=1, it seems that there is a direct correlation between adequate protein (and good fat) intake and not drinking much alcohol due to total lack of desire. And my studying yesterday was so much more focused than it has been for the past 2 weeks!

vermilyeadana

Great news! I'm glad to have you as a friend. I have decided that I will abstain from alcohol Monday through Thursday. I will allow a cocktail with dinner on the weekends-only if I have kept carbs low for the day. I think I just enjoy the taste too much and use it as a crutch when I am bored...or hungry...or happy.LOL. I will check in on Friday.

mountainrun73

That's a good plan - I indulged the past couple of days, but really find it much easier to not overindulge when I'm eating enough protein and fat and fewer carbs. Imagine that!

smallfries78

meghanner wrote: »

In terms of your paleo eats, if you're an endurance runner you will NEED starchy carbs in your diet for sufficient recovery. Fill your plate with yams, potatoes, plantains, bananas, white rice after your big runs. These are all cheap and rather clean sources of starch. Choose lower fat meats when you have a carb-heavy meal and then enjoy a lower carb, higher fat approach on rest days to help balance blood sugar and keep carb cravings away.

Make sense?

I thought the rule was "carbs before [running], proteins after [running]"?

SharoninBeaufort

If you have not tried a challenge of sorts either a 21 Day Sugar Detox or Whole 30 might help you break the cycle and provides some guidelines for both during and after the challenge. I have done both a few times, usually when it feels like things are getting out of control ...craving sweets, wine and carb-y things. It has helped me.

Kimberly_Harper

mountainrun73 wrote: »

That's a good plan - I indulged the past couple of days, but really find it much easier to not overindulge when I'm eating enough protein and fat and fewer carbs. Imagine that!

This is how it works for me. Alcohol is the one thing I have cravings for - I don't crave sugars, breads, dairy, or anything like that. However, when I am eating enough fats and proteins, I don't crave my cocktails as much. I drink either Vodka (Ciroc brand of Vodka is distilled from grapes), Tequila, or dry white wine when I do drink, and it is getting way easier to limit myself to one or two servings. I didn't drink alcohol for my first few months of Paleo, though. I think that helped too.

mountainrun73

Kimberly_Harper wrote: »

mountainrun73 wrote: »

That's a good plan - I indulged the past couple of days, but really find it much easier to not overindulge when I'm eating enough protein and fat and fewer carbs. Imagine that!

This is how it works for me. Alcohol is the one thing I have cravings for - I don't crave sugars, breads, dairy, or anything like that. However, when I am eating enough fats and proteins, I don't crave my cocktails as much. I drink either Vodka (Ciroc brand of Vodka is distilled from grapes), Tequila, or dry white wine when I do drink, and it is getting way easier to limit myself to one or two servings. I didn't drink alcohol for my first few months of Paleo, though. I think that helped too.

I am glad to hear that I am not the only one to experience reduced cravings through this eating style! Most people struggle with sugar, some with bread/pasta (I struggle with that too when I give in, I give in big time) but nobody seems to talk about alcohol. It breaks down in our bodies like sugar! I haven't had any or craved any for the past few days. Eating a lot of fresh veggies and proteins and fats.

WBB55

@mountainrun73 I don't know you, and I don't mean this in a judging/insulting way. Just as a "here's how you sound to an outsider":

You say you can't afford to eat tons of meat, but you can afford alcohol? If you were on a budget to the point where you are eating rice because you can't afford chicken breast, then you can't possibly afford enough alcohol to make alcohol a problem unless you are prioritizing the purchase of alcohol over the purchase of nutritious food. How much do you spend on alcohol per month? (Perhaps you're making your own wine, or something...?)