These past few days my appetite has been ravenous. [I haven’t done any form of exercise, though, so it’s definitely odd. But my body is far from normal, so I just went with it.]
Take breakfast for instance, usually a tupperware of oatmeal with the fixins will hold me over pretty well.
But I had this before I left for the hospital and was already hungry for my next meal by the time my shift started at 7 am. WTF?
I had a banana and breakfast cookie and praised the Lord when I saw my boss had gotten bagels for us all too. I had a cinnamon raisin one and that helped my hunger until noon.
My lunch break wasn’t actually until 4 pm, but obviously that wasn’t happening.
I squeezed in bites of lunch between random patient care (not ideal, but you gotta do what you gotta do).
The problem with my lunch was the “slim” nutrition of the noodles.
Wildwood makes good tofu, so that’s how I was lured into buying these vegan, gluten free, tofu-based noodles. Damn you impulse buy! They’ve been in the fridge for 6 months and I finally got around to eating them now because of the whole moving-clean-out-the-fridge thing.
I boiled them with kale and topped them with two fried eggs. You don’t have to be a rocket science to deduce how much staying power this meal had.
Enter cinnamon raisin bagel number two.
Afternoon snacking barely held me over. But I do like these dark chocolate Adora calcium disks. I’m all for dessert disguised as vitamins.
I had millet, tofu and salad for dinner with an avocado coated roll on the side.
This entire meal left me feeling satisfied but uncomfortable. FODMAPs fail.
The fact that I had two bagels from Costco (with who knows what additives) and several different FODMAPs groups (in the same meal no less) just reinforced what I already knew about my new diet.
I hate that I sacrificed my well being for the sake of finishing off the fridge contents. And I hate that I didn’t give my hungry hungry body what it wanted (real food).
I learned some real lessons here. Too bad I learned them the hard way.
1. Being frugal with food leads to failure. I’ve never skimped when it comes to providing myself with nutritious whole foods, I have no idea what I was thinking bringing such inadequate amounts of food to work.
2. Poor nutrition in the AM creates a pile up. It’s like pain management with my patients…playing catch up with your appetite is hard to do. You need so much more than you would have had you just started out with the proper amount. It’s important to start off with a solid base and then keep a good plateau.
My next day’s work meals were similar…but supplemented.
Breakfast was big (although you can’t tell from the photo).
Blueberry quinoa porridge with maple syrup up the yin yang. I also had a banana and greek yogurt on the side.
Lunch was a different kind of pasta “slim”…this time with way more oomph on top.
Spinach fettuccini with tofu ricotta and nutritional yeast. Much better (but I still won’t buy these again).
Candied nuts, carrots, millet, greek yogurt, and Adora chocolate.
In typical Elise fashion, I had a “normal” “healthy” dinner and then went balls to the wall for dessert, polishing off a few cups of salty cashews. I have a hard time when I already feel crappy not using it as an excuse to totally disregard my IBS friendly eating habits.
You see, even though the quantity and quality of packed food was better on my second day of work, I still felt pretty blah because I was dealing with lingering GI issues from the previous day. After my nut attack, I was definitely frustrated, but I tried not to dwell on it and instead focused on the next day. It’s wasn’t as easy at it sounds, and I’m not as zen as I seem (remember this is all written in hindsight).
I have been dealing with IBS long enough to know there are going to be bumps in the road. I just have to make sure the bumps don’t cause me to steer completely off course…a quick detour is fine, but days of off-roading is miserable. Sorry for the lengthy analogy, but it seems to fit.
What do you do when your hunger won’t quit? Or when your eating habits get off track?
Some weeks my hunger is just out of control crazy – and, I eat… a lot! I always bring more food with me to school than I actually eat just in case I get stuck in one of those “ohmygodifidon’teatrightnowimgoingtodie” moods!
This is exactly me, and exactly where I am today. Complete with unending hunger, wrong Fodmap mixing choices, and nut overload!! Today is recovery…and hopefully I can troubleshoot it to be a quick one. In the meantime, blah….
Totally random and not what you need to hear because I’m pretty sure you don’t eat them, but apples REALLY fill me up when I’m hungry…so much so that sometimes it’s really uncomfortable and I wonder if it’s a fodmaps thing, but I don’t know enough about that to judge?
Anyway I just wanted to chime in and say that your blog is a lifesaver because your meals are so easy and take so little time to prepare and are full of all of my favorite things, but I never would have thought to try some of your combinations on my own!
I can relate to this. Some weeks I have my hunger in control, I eat a snack before I get too hungry, and everything is peachy. Other weeks I feel like no matter what I eat I’m already thinking of when I’m going to eat next. I just make sure and pack snacks, and I try to emergency snacks like a bar or something I keep at my desk at work. I try not to dwell if I slip up or go off course for a day. Just like you did, you get back to it the next day.
Hope you start feeling better soon!
Hope you’re feeling better, but it’s always nice to read that others struggle with their eating habits (digestive issues or not). Good lessons! time to go fill up on a BIG breakfast:)
I find that I eat worse when I’m not working out on the reg, but make more of a concious effort to eat healthfully when I’m sweating on a daily basis. Although, unhealthy for me is too many torilla chips or too much daiya and vegenaise. In reality, my diet is pretty darn good, but I always know there is room for improvement.
I actually had a pretty bad day food wise yesterday, but am making an effort to do better today. 🙂
can definitely relate…and those ravenous days I end up reaching for way too many nuts, or even more stupidly some dried fruit…causing a very unhappy gut. I know better, but those kind of days it feels like a never-ending craving. Its hard to always have the exact right snacks on hand (I also work 11-12 hour days). And every office in my dept has a zillion snacks lying about as temptation. if I snap…I just try to remember tomorrow is another day…
I’ve noticed that on days where I’m eating everything in sight I haven’t been drinking enough water. Those are also the days when I’m feeling slow and tired. My “remedy” is to carry around a bottle of water everywhere I go and try to remember to drink some water every hour or so. Easier said than done…right?
Lately I am baking a lot of my own (I guess I’ll call them…) “protein muffins”. I use quotation marks because they are not exactly muffins, but I bake them in a muffin tin because I like the crunchy texture I get by doing it. Basically, I mix protein powder, some soy flour, oats, flax, applesauce, and some stevia, cinnamon, and almond milk. Then I bake ’em in lil muffin tins and chomp away ay them all week long. It’s almost embarrassing because I bake/eat about two dozen a week. It sounds crazy, but they are keeping me sane/satiated. They have a huge bump of protein and are sweet enough to feel like I am eating something treat-like.
I have these weeks often too. I feel awful when I go to town on the almond butter jar. And I hate that well-whatever-I’ve-already-messed-up attitude. So dangerous.
I’ve been doing clinical in Pediatric ER, so you can imagine how little time I have to eat snacks. I carry vegan bars in my pocket to eat while charting and have a green smoothie on the desk that I can gulp down when I have a moment.
I empathize, lol.
So are those Pasta “Sims” flavorful? I guess I’m interested in the spinach one. Seeing how even gluten free pasta has been a bother, I’m hoping to add other kinds of pastas outside of the current rice noodles that I’m incorporating during the FODMAPS elimination stage. Feeling good so far, but noticing that coffee is starting to maybe be a no-no.
I hate those days when it dawns on me that i’m at work and haven’t taken enough food with me…bad planning!
I’ve just started reading your blog and i love it. I’ve had IBS for years and i’ve been wondering about FODMAPS for a while. Where did you get all of your info from? There seems to be a lot of conflicting information on the internet. I’m considering the elimination phase but my only worry is that i already know that i react badly to some FODMAP friendly foods such as berries. Wish me luck!
My daughter has a lot of food allergies so I thought the Pasta “Slims” would be a good option for her…..ugh! They did not have a good texture nore good taste. I’m sure with a lot of work they would be eatable…
It’s funny, I tend to be much hungrier on days that I don’t work out. I don’t know why!
On days when the hunger won’t quit, I drink more water, figuring that I might just be dehydrated and my body is disguising the dehydration in a mask of hunger (the two sensations– dehydration and hunger) are a similar sensation.
I also regularly log all my food into an online database that tells me which nutrients I’m low in for the day, so I try to eat up foods that have the nutrients I’m craving. It’s more work that others probably want to take on, but I’m a bit of a control freak about my food…
And if all else fails, I’ll just make a giant salad.
perhaps the “slims” are best as a leftover meal since it would give them time to absorb whatever flavors they’re cooked with. Cook today, eat tomorrow type of deal.
i love your combination ideas . I look forward to your postings so I can pack my lunch some days. Like you , i also have days I can’t eat enough. I learned to pack more protein in snacks . I love Lara bars also thanks to you. I also keep at my desk 94% FF popcorn and Muscle milk shakes to eat/drink when I did not pack enough food. If i don’t eat enough my blood sugar drops and I’m in trouble> I love the simplicity of your food combinations. I pack my lunch everyday and is a challenge to keep it interesting. Some days, I make a shake of kale ,berries,almond milk ,pb, flax meal , 1/2 banana to take as a snack . it hits the spot and is good for me. Good Luck.
Ethel,
I eat the Pasta slims (tofu shiriaki noodles) every once in awhile. It took me awhile to get used to the different texture and flavor, although the flavor (or lack thereof) is pretty much just like tofu. You really need to flavor them up to make them worthwhile. I use them in stirfrys and sometimes in place of pasta. Just make sure you have substantial sauces and spices to mask any dull taste they have. They are good to bulk up a meal without a lot of extra calories. You can also do half shiritaki noodles/half pasta or other noodles (soba maybe?) so that you aren’t just eating tons of carbs.
p.s. they have a funky smell to them when you first open them (something they are soaked in). You just have to make sure to throughly rinse them or par boil before using.
My hunger is usually the worst when I’m sitting, doing mundane work, like at my job. I work 12 hour days in front of a computer and I find myself wanting something else to do instead of just staring at my computer screen, so I reach for food. Fortunately, I know this about myself, so I make sure to go to work, armed with an arsenal of healthy, wholesome food! My coworkers all laugh at the amount of food I bring and always question how I stay so thin since I eat all day long. If they just looked at what I ate, though, they would know. I have tons of cut up veggies with hummus or guac for dipping, lots of fresh fruit (bananas, oranges, berries) and maybe a few nuts and soy yogurt for more substance (although I have to make sure to pack a measured out portion of nuts, not bring the whole bag or I will eat it all!). I think the key to fighting hunger is preplanning. I always joke around that I carry around a banana in my purse for those “just in case” hunger moments, and yes, I do always have it and it never lets me down!
oh my…. I feel you Elise. A streak of good days keeps me going but one bad day can set my whole eating habit way off.
Sometimes I feel frustrated about my IBS and the foods I can’t eat that once I get GI symptoms, I just say “what the heck” and worsen it even more. You would think I would know clearly by now without reminding myself…all you can do is dust it off and start fresh!
on the days I feel constantly hungry, I just eat. Of course I stick to my usual foods. But I find it’s the hardest when you aren’t home. So always carry food or keep in mind something you can easily buy at a store!
Ah yes, I have days like this too–I call it BPS. Bottomless Pit Syndrome.
I usually just roll with it, trying to emphasize satiating protein and fat. Translation: lots of PB sandwiches and Cashew Ginger Tofu.
Aw. I hope you’re feeling better!
Aren’t appetites ridiculous? I will never figure mine out.
Some days I’m not hungry all day, and some days I can’t suppress my hunger no matter how much I eat. But, I just try to listen to my body and make the most of it.
I’m the exact same way when it comes to eating in the mornings…if I start my day off without an adequate meal, it’s a downward spiral all day.
Enjoy your weekend!
I have days like that, too! A few days ago, no matter what I ate, I was still hungry. It’s annoying, but as long as I’m eating healthyfully, it’s okay.
I have those hunger issues sometimes as well. I have found that if I make poor food choices in the morning, I continue to roll with that pattern all day. I have been in such a food rut for the past couple of months with living back at home. I just kind of fell into eating whatever my family was having and I just don’t have a happy tummy. Thankfully, I just moved yesterday and have the kitchen all to myself so I am ready to get back to some healthy eats! 🙂
I, too, sometimes fall into the pattern that once my tummy feels bad, I just keep eating in hopes that something somewhere will calm it down. Strangely, eating chocolate usually does calm it down (maybe it’s psychological, but you know what they say about the placebo effect!). When I was younger, I had ravenous days right before my period began. When I was pregnant with each of my three daughters, I was ravenous, too – never nauseated, but always starving!!! My appetite was very subject to hormonal influence! Now that I am past all that I don’t really have those extra-ravenous days…. I do find that I overload on food when I am tired. I have stopped eating apples to calm my FODMAPS sensitivity, and I do feel much better, but they were my convenient go-to food. Now I keep ziplock bags of FODMAPS friendly dry cereals (Peanut Butter Puffins, anyone?) in my tote bag. They are dry so they keep fresh and are convenient to eat in the car when I am tired after a day of teaching.