On Food Fridays I will tell you about everything I ate that day. No matter if it is a good day or not: you will see it all.
This Friday you are going to see things that I usually never eat and that are not LCHF at all. I’m just trying different strategies right now. Not giving up low carb, don’t worry. Lets see how things go.
1st meal: 10.30 AM
300 grams of oatmeal and bran porridge
5 grams of butter
3 slices of smoked pork
1 slice of cheese
1 slice of bacon
2 eggs
Snack: 3.30 PM
30 grams of sunflower seeds
2nd meal: 8 PM
130 grams of frozen broccoli
65 grams of 10% cream
45 grams of cheese
165 grams of minced salmon
20 grams of butter
50 grams of smoked chicken thigh meat (not on the picture)
Nutritional information
I was just wondering about today’s macros and calories with all this porridge and inserted the data into Lifesum (previously ShapeUp Club). 17% of energy from carbs which means going from normal LCHF (5%) to reduced carb nutrition. But the grains shouldn’t be the source of carbs. I just don’t feel great eating grains, I get heartburn and bloating in my stomach. Maybe more fruits and root vegetables?
That’s exactly what LCHF has become for me: more and more difficult.
The first 3 months of LCHF was such a breeze for me. I had only weightloss weeks with a couple of zero-weeks and no actual weightgain weeks. Weight kept melting off me and I wasn’t really hungry either. The perfect combination in a way.
But right after the 3 month mark things got more complicated. I started to have weightgain weeks here and there and summer came along with all the fruits and berries.
And now the last 6 months have been tough. Honestly, LCHF has gotten more difficult for me and I have had more cheat days. And therefore more gaining weeks. I used to not cheat at all. Now there has been Christmas holidays and my backpacking vacation… All cheating. And also some random cheats here and there.
“With moderation”: strugglin’ with that part…
I am human. I do make mistakes. I do sometimes crave carbs and give in to my cravings. Maybe I’m a failure considering I have a whole blog dedicated to LOW CARB and fitness but here it is: I do make mistakes. I am not perfect!
But what worries me more than cheating now and again is the fact that I don’t know when and how much to eat. This is horrible!
For almost a year I weighed my portions, counted macronutrients and calories and based my portions around numbers. Not my actual hunger or appetite. But that strategy got tiring and also didn’t work that great. It also made me stress and obsess about food. That was just not OK.
So from the beginning of 2014 I started to try to eat according to my hunger levels, like the original LCHF theory tells you to. And what is also normal for a human being. Eat when you are hungry and until your hunger has been satisfied. Simple, right?
It sounds simple and theoretically is. But in practice – I’m struggling!
I have lost my ability to really tell when I’m full and when I’m hungry. On some days I don’t feel hungry until dinnertime but when I start to eat, I feel like I’m unfillable. I could empty out my whole fridge and more. On other days I feel like snack eating all day long but don’t want a whole meal… I rarely feel like I’m done when I finish my plate of food. I have to snack on top of it, even if it’s just some cauliflower. That’s a problem.
Either way: I eat too much. That’s my main problem. One big meal, lots of small meals – all end up being too much. I don’t feel full. I can feel hungry (kind of) and then waaaaay too full. Nothing in between!
My eating is so messed up. Even if I’m low carb, my eating habits and patterns aren’t normal.
It’s really my big goal to starting acting like a normal person in the kitchen: eat when you’re hungry until you’re full. Not stuffed but full. Don’t snack all the time. Have your plate of food and leave the kitchen. Don’t make eating a way to pass time. Don’t eat out of boredom or emotions. Be normal!
When did easy (and normal and natural) things become so difficult?
Nourish, Train & Flourish 