johneast
Level 2 Valued Member
Hi Bill,
Sorry to hear that you and your wife are suffering right now.
Obviously the diet you have at the moment isn't working for you and something needs to change. There are also a lot of people on the internet who have something to sell or are just convinced that what works for them will work for everyone so it's sometimes difficult to find the right answer. It's easy to recommend a diet (paleo, warrior, low carb) because it's a proven formula, and even easier to tell people they are doing it wrong because if you followed the formula then it would obviously work right?
I'm not criticising anyone, I'm just trying to let you know where I'm coming from. After a year of going to the gym (not really knowing what I was doing) I still hadn't lost the fat I wanted, so I looked at better ways to train (Kettlebells and Pavels Hardstyle system. Awesome!), and better ways to eat. I started on the warrior diet which I quite enjoyed but it was sometimes awkward as I was the only one in my family doing it. Because of this awkwardness I moved to a more primal diet, got good results on that and then lightened up on the whole primal thing and am currently eating a fairly low carb diet, but not so strict. The point is it isn't a program, it's something I kind of 'felt' for myself, and this I think is key. Everyone is different. Everyones body chemistry, hormone levels etc are different.
A couple of posts ago you listed the food you were eating and it seemed to me that it was low carb AND low fat. Have you tried increasing the amount of fat you eat?
Just to share, here's what I eat. I train before I eat in the morning but my training is only light at the moment (mainly just swings) because I've got a shoulder injury (been going on too long!) I'm resting.
Before training: water and fish oil
After training: Protein shake (undenatured whey protein), berries & natural yogurt
6 mile cycle to work
mid morning: Smaller protein shake, banana
lunch: Salad made of leaves, feta cheese, beetroot, tomatoes, protein (i.e. chicken or high quality sausages, high quality burgers, tuna etc), pear. Dressing made with extra virgin olive oil (lots) and balsamic (not too much).
Afternoon snack: apple
6 mile cycle home
Evening: A large meal made with something like chicken, broccoli (covered in lots of butter), sweet potato
Indulgence: a few squares of very dark chocolate, glass of red wine.
I also have a full fat latte most days
I'm not suggesting you eat like me, as this is something I've worked out for myself and at the moment it seems to be working. The most important thing for me is that I enjoy my food (I do) and I feel satiated. I eat light in the mornings and ramp it up during the day. The fat in the yogurt, cheese, oil, lattes and the butter help to keep me satiated, and after a day of kettlebell swinging and cycling, the sweet potato is very welcome.
If you don't feel satiated on your diet your body is obviously lacking something. Better to find that 'something' (more fat? more carbs?) and enjoy your life than stick to a formula that' making you miserable and making you lose muscle.
One final thing, I haven't used them myself but I've heard good things about precision nutrition (http://www.precisionnutrition.com). They seem to have an individual approach.
Keep us posted.
Sorry to hear that you and your wife are suffering right now.
Obviously the diet you have at the moment isn't working for you and something needs to change. There are also a lot of people on the internet who have something to sell or are just convinced that what works for them will work for everyone so it's sometimes difficult to find the right answer. It's easy to recommend a diet (paleo, warrior, low carb) because it's a proven formula, and even easier to tell people they are doing it wrong because if you followed the formula then it would obviously work right?
I'm not criticising anyone, I'm just trying to let you know where I'm coming from. After a year of going to the gym (not really knowing what I was doing) I still hadn't lost the fat I wanted, so I looked at better ways to train (Kettlebells and Pavels Hardstyle system. Awesome!), and better ways to eat. I started on the warrior diet which I quite enjoyed but it was sometimes awkward as I was the only one in my family doing it. Because of this awkwardness I moved to a more primal diet, got good results on that and then lightened up on the whole primal thing and am currently eating a fairly low carb diet, but not so strict. The point is it isn't a program, it's something I kind of 'felt' for myself, and this I think is key. Everyone is different. Everyones body chemistry, hormone levels etc are different.
A couple of posts ago you listed the food you were eating and it seemed to me that it was low carb AND low fat. Have you tried increasing the amount of fat you eat?
Just to share, here's what I eat. I train before I eat in the morning but my training is only light at the moment (mainly just swings) because I've got a shoulder injury (been going on too long!) I'm resting.
Before training: water and fish oil
After training: Protein shake (undenatured whey protein), berries & natural yogurt
6 mile cycle to work
mid morning: Smaller protein shake, banana
lunch: Salad made of leaves, feta cheese, beetroot, tomatoes, protein (i.e. chicken or high quality sausages, high quality burgers, tuna etc), pear. Dressing made with extra virgin olive oil (lots) and balsamic (not too much).
Afternoon snack: apple
6 mile cycle home
Evening: A large meal made with something like chicken, broccoli (covered in lots of butter), sweet potato
Indulgence: a few squares of very dark chocolate, glass of red wine.
I also have a full fat latte most days
I'm not suggesting you eat like me, as this is something I've worked out for myself and at the moment it seems to be working. The most important thing for me is that I enjoy my food (I do) and I feel satiated. I eat light in the mornings and ramp it up during the day. The fat in the yogurt, cheese, oil, lattes and the butter help to keep me satiated, and after a day of kettlebell swinging and cycling, the sweet potato is very welcome.
If you don't feel satiated on your diet your body is obviously lacking something. Better to find that 'something' (more fat? more carbs?) and enjoy your life than stick to a formula that' making you miserable and making you lose muscle.
One final thing, I haven't used them myself but I've heard good things about precision nutrition (http://www.precisionnutrition.com). They seem to have an individual approach.
Keep us posted.