Cravings

bethcongdon1

I've included a snack of a few almonds, banana, and some unsweetened coconut flakes almost daily. Although I crave sweets and there is candy in the house, I've resisted temptation to eat any or even just have a nibble so I think that my snack is helping me stay away from the sweets. Pasta and bread are really hard though. I can't believe I even want to just eat some crust that my son leaves on his plate after he has lunch. Any tips or tricks? What do you do when a craving hits or to prevent it? I think if we go out to dinner I may order a side of vegetables or definitely a salad as my appetizer which we normally always order and the bread that comes with a meal.

Lizzard_77

I will start by saying this, Whole30 rules are no snacking. If you are finding that you are hungry between meals then you need to adjust your meals to keep you full until the next one. If you are genuinely hungry between meals then you should make a mini meal following template. They say that if you are not hungry enough to eat fish and broccoli then you are simply having a craving and to just wait it out. If you could sit down to a plate of fish and broccoli then you are truly hungry and should have a mini-meal. Part of the point of this challenge is to change your relationship with food by defeating cravings (not giving in when you have them). your body will adjust and you will learn how much you need to eat at each meal to feel satiated. I am not saying this to knock anyone for snacking, simply trying to help you have the most successful Whole30 you can

That being said, if you are experiencing cravings, it may help to include a small amount of starchy veg with your meals, like some sweet potato or plantain. You don't want too much but it will help you get through. It probably is also wise to avoid sugars from fruits as they will prolong your cravings.

I have found that the process of making a drinking a cup of tea is long enough to help me move past a craving. I only have 2 cups of caffeinated tea in the AM (prior to 10 AM) then I move onto all sorts of lovely tisanes, Tulsi, Rooibos, Chamomile/peppermint. I will occasionally, early afternoon, have a cup of Numi's Chocolate Pue-erh (it's compliant). I will make Bulletproof tea with it to get my fat intake up for the day. Mind you, I only do this after the first or even second week to make sure my body is fully detoxed from sugars and my cravings are minimized.

I hope this was at least slightly helpful and not read as anything other than intentional support. I want all of us to have the best Whole30 we can have!

bethcongdon1

I used to have snacks 1-2 times before meals- anything from fruit and yogurt to cheese and crackers or chips and other junk. I read about the no snacking, but it is very hard for me to do. I will try to keep it to after exercise and definitely not after dinner. This morning I had some carrot sticks and avocado. At lunch I filled my plate up with more veggies than usual, some leftover chili, and added an egg. I was just looking at my kid's sandwich with a bit of envy though. I like the tea idea. Sometimes I know there is no possible way that I can be hungry. It has to be boredom. So I have been keeping busy. I love myfitness pal and how it tracks vitamins as well as fats, sugar, etc So handy. I may eliminate fruit too because I didn't realize how much sugars are in bananas and grapefruit. LOL. This is an eyeopener. Thanks for the suggestions!

shuki_cotren

I always have green tea to try to curb the craving! If I still can't curb the craving for sweets I'll have blueberries, because I LOVE them and they are super antioxidant rich...but I try my best to eat them right after a meal instead of as couch-potato food.