How to Survive The First Few Days

Something I have learned is that surviving the first couple days of this program can be tough. My body feels incredibly hungry all the time, and I am constantly craving sugar.

After the last time I tried this program, I said that the key to success is surviving the first three days. After that, it will get easier!

Here are some of the things I did to help reduce hunger pangs and cravings:
1) Drink lots of water. It is much easier to fool my stomach if it constantly has something coming in, so continually sip lots of water. Drinking water does, of course, also have other health benefits.
2) Don't worry about the amount of food you are eating. I find the first few days I feel like I am constantly hungry and therefore frequently eating. Don't worry! You are at the beginning of a new journey. Your appetite WILL go down!
3) Preplan your meals. When you are hungry and feeling like you could eat the entire contents of your pantry, it is good to already know what you are going to eat. I also find it helpful to aim for a bit under my 20 grams of carbs so that I have space to add snacks as needed
4) Have appropriate snack foods available. I find it helpful to have some high protein foods available that can be grabbed in a hurry - cheese, hard-boiled eggs, lunch meat (make sure you get the sugar and nitrate free kind), canned tuna or salmon, smoked salmon, and so on.
5) Record what you have eaten right away. That way you can see how well you are doing. (I have faith in you!)
6) Eat something small every two to three hours. That way your blood sugar will stay more even.
7) Packing a brown bag lunch? Pack something extra that will keep if you don't need it, but can be eaten quickly if you find yourself still hungry. I am adding this tip because my poor husband ate his lunch yesterday and was still starving. He needed to have packed more protein and it was too late to do anything about it.
8) Make sure you are getting all your vegetables in. Not only do they have lots of vitamins, but they also have lots of fibre that will help keep you feeling full.

Keep busy and keep focused! You can do this!