I'm So Hungry! Clean Eating Kick Start Day 9

Congratulations to everyone (including ME!) who has made it through the first 8 days.  I survived my road trip with snacks to spare and not a single cheat.  I wasn't even tempted.  (But remember - almost everyone I was with knows about my commitment to clean eating, so no one tried to tempt me.  And, I've been doing this to some degree for so long, I am used to being in restaurants and social settings and making good choices!)

On my first go-round, this was about the time I woke up HUNGRY.  Not hungry, HUNGRY!  I couldn't for the life of me remember ever being this HUNGRY before...ever!  I was empty.  I felt so light and completely empty.  I couldn't even shower and attempt my morning routine - I had to run downstairs and eat something.  I had a hard-boiled egg to "tide me over", as my mom used to say and then I ate a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon and sweet potato hash with a bunch of grapes and two cups of coffee.

I had been eating things that "fooled" my system or blocked my system or hung out way too long in my system most of my life.  I feel certain I had never before eaten clean, healthy, wholesome, unprocessed foods for 8 days in a row.  I doubt that I had ever made it an entire day without a diet soda or piece of bread or cheese or something else that was nearly void of nutrients and the right kind of calories.

Here are the things that worked best for me to curb my new-found hunger AND stay squeaky clean:

• Eat More.  It's pretty common for people to not eat enough when switching to a paleo diet.  You need a certain number of calories to fuel your body.  Veggies are great, but remember, nutrient-dense does not equal energy-dense.  Most veggies are too low in calories to give you the energy and sense of fullness you need as you are converting to clean eating.  Eat more proteins (eggs and meat) and healthy fats at each meal.  (fyi - your body can only process about 30% of daily calories from protein - so don't go overboard)
• Add some "safe" starches.  Low carb diets can trigger hunger and cravings.  You are learning a new way of eating and feeding your body the foods it was designed to eat.  Carbs in healthy people are not the devil.  Try adding some safe starches to your meals - sweet potatoes, plantains and winter squash.
• Don't snack - eat mini-meals!  In the past when I was hungry, I popped a handful of pretzels or cereal or a few cubes of cheese in my mouth.  Even now, I am tempted to just grab a clean bar or piece of fruit when I'm crazy-hungry.  Instead, I have a "mini-meal".  I mix it up, just like I do at meal time.  I have a bit of protein (hard boiled egg, sliced turkey or cubes of chicken), a few raw veggies and a sliced avocado or a drizzle of avocado oil or spoon of almond butter and maybe a few grapes or half a sliced pear.  
• Give it time!  A Paleo diet was a drastic change from what I had eaten my entire life.  I went from an empty calorie diet to a nutrient-dense diet.  My poor body was starving for healthy foods and water.  I am sure I had a lot of nutrient deficiencies to fill and the signal my system sent to my brain was "I'm HUNGRY!"  I didn't give up - I kept eating healthy, whole, nutrient-dense foods and meals and eventually found perfect balance.
• Don't drink your calories.  It's pretty convenient and pretty tasty to get caught up in the smoothie-craze and drink your meals.  The problem is - most smoothies are made primarily of fruits and juices and the sugars digest much quicker than whole foods AND, the food is already in liquid form so it goes through your digestive system quicker, making you feel hungry just a short time after eating (or should I say "drinking").  Try sticking mostly with solid, whole foods.  I have no scientific proof, but for me, I feel better if I eat a few raw veggies every day.

Take some time to make sure you are actually HUNGRY and not just craving something with your brain.  Cravings have very little to do with actual physical hunger - they are triggered by stress or boredom or anxiety and probably won't be satisfied by eating a nutrient dense meal.  I feel thankful that my cravings subsided once I got off sugars and empty snacking.  If you have a craving - think of a non-food solution until your unhealthy cravings subside.

If it's actually hunger - try and couple of the tricks above.  And keep making good choices in food.  Change is never easy, but in this case - it's worth it!