Stepping in the right direction? page

[CiKi90]

I am new, and worried about my efforts toward going completely Primal. Since having food issues in the past, my hunger cues are pretty messed up, so for now, as suggested through psychology articles on satiety and hunger, I am keeping a "hunger log" and tracking how I feel every hour or so throughout the day, until I can find my natural rhythm again. With 1 being starving, and 10 being stuffed, I try to not let myself get past 3 before I decide to eat, and really try to not eat until I feel stuffed, feeling comfortably full at a 7 or 8 is where I am to be.

For now, I don't have a real schedule for my eating, I just try to notice when I am hungry. Usually I'll have coffee when I wake, and then an hour later I"ll follow up with fruit and nuts, or an omelet with turkey sausage and veggies. For lunch, if I am hungry, I'll have a big green salad with chicken breast or shrimp, or a canned seafood salad with avocado and veggies. Around dinner time I tend to get very hungry and am prone to late night binges, so I try to make this a bigger meal so that I'll feel satisfied. Some nights I'll make a stew with kale and squash and meat, or a turkey burger with mushroom caps as bread, or lettuce taco wraps, etc. If I work out that day, I'll have an Isopure Zero Carb protein shake with coconut or almond milk, a banana, and maybe some avocado, coconut oil, spinach... whatever I feel like. The problem, though, is after everything is said and done, I tend to crave sweet foods really strongly! I want to just eat spoonfuls of table sugar out of the jar, or I yearn for a big bowl of sugary cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or lots of chocolate. Sometimes, I can't stop myself from eating these things (although I have gone completely grain free for 7 days in a row now, and completely dairy free for 4 days in a row) But I do tend to eat way too much nut butters, cocoa powder, stevia, and sugary things at night! I know this messes with my digestion but I don't know what to do.

For exercise, I used to do some Chronic Cardio but I have cut down to about 6-8 miles a week, with maybe 2-3 of those miles being sprints. I do 2 sets of the heaviest weights I can handle at 10 reps, then 8 reps, about 2-3 times a week.

If it helps anyone to give me advice, I am a 22 year old female, 5'3, and maybe around 105lbs, up from 85lbs about 3-4 months ago. I am living TPB in order to cure my IBS, build muscle, have a healthy body composition, and live my life with passion and happiness instead of living in fear of foods and being fat-phobic.

Thanks for reading my post, I know it was a little long. Any help/advice/comments/constructive criticism would be very appreciated!

[sarahelyse]

I eat on just about the same schedule with you - coffee, salad, then HUGE dinner! And it works really well for me.

My biggest piece of advice is to get rid of the things you crave after dinner. Don't even allow them in the house, if necessary! I've had cravings like that before, and I would go back and forth to the kitchen looking for something sweet. After enough trips to convince myself that there was nothing there, I finally just gave up and did something else. Even my strongest cravings can be quelled this way - I would rather go without then drive my butt to the store to buy whatever unhealthy thing I'm craving! Especially when its so cold out!