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Nutrition Why isn't this working anymore?

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Harry Westgate

Harry Westgate

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Certified Instructor
Hello everyone,

So, around this time last year, I'd been on the Warrior Diet for about 2-3 months, following a routine of waking up around 7:30am, exercising in the morning upon rising, having 30g of protein in the form of whey protein, then having about 3-4 servings of fruit (apples) throughout the day, as well as black coffee. Around 6pm, overeating would start. Calories didn't exist, I just ate as many nuts and veggies as I wanted, probably consuming over 3,000kcal, and I showed no restraint. Life was good, and I was lean; ~64-66kg at 5'9.

This year, everything has been the same, apart from timing... Shift work commitments have meant that some nights (2-4 nights per week), I can't do my overeating until the early hours of the morning (possibly not finishing eating until about 3am)... The next day I then continue to do as I've always done; listen to my body, and I may usually still find myself wanting to start overeating again at around 6pm, so I do. The food choices are still the same, and in the same huge quantities.

Trouble is, this isn't just 'not working as well as it used to', it's not working at all!!!... I'm about 70kg and frankly I look like crap...

Could anyone explain why this is so? Might it be that the WD must be followed with a consistent feeding window that I simply can't stick to anymore? Do I now need to follow a different way of eating on days that I'm working on the evening? Do I need to make sure I don't start overeating until later in the evening if I'd been eating until 3pm the night before?

If anyone has any knowledge and advice, I'd really appreciate it. I'm kinda desperate! :(

Many thanks,

Harry
 
PS to lay it out a little clearer, my current inconsistent schedule means that on some days my undereating phase lasts up to 24hrs (there's been times when it's lasted longer), then on some days only 15hrs or so... Should this be an issue? I'm well aware that the WD works very well with a 20hr undereating phase (which I consistently had last year).
 
PPS I'd also add that the dietary regimen that I outlined above could take me from zero to hero in a matter of days, for instance over Christmas I went about a week where I threw all cares out the window and ate what I wanted, when I wanted it, but then within 3-4days of returning to the nut-and-veggie WD, I'd drop a couple of unwanted kilos... I just can't understand how it seems to be having no positive effect on me anymore in terms of body comp...
 
Okay so in response to you both, stress in the 'feeling stressed out' sense, is unlikely to be the issue... I simply don't feel any more stressed than I did last year.

Regarding sleep, okay - should I then abandon the WD until I can have a more consistent sleep pattern, or just focus on sleeping enough? Like, go to bed later on work nights (obviously) and just accept that I'll wake up later the next day (so no more alarms allowing me only 4hrs sleep...)?
 
Yep, four hours is not enough. Especially if you are training. You could try eat stop eat. That might work better with shift work.
 
Hello,

@Harry Westgate
There are now prooves that a poor sleep quality or quantity tends to fat gains.

WD is based on surcompensation in eating. If you postpone a meal one day, and take the next meal at the right "theoretical" time, you will have more calories that needed for the day.

Then, if you do not want to give up WD:
when you know that you won't have X hours without eating, you eat "as the usual" the first time, and you eat less (fruits...) the next meal . That way you won't have to modify your schedule to go to bed. The day after, you do your "normal WD".

It works for me

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
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Just my $0.02. The concious feeling of stress is a very late presentation in most people. Unless you are practicing a mindful pattern of living which keeps you very aware of how you feel almost 24/7 (which sounds exhausting tbh) working nights and having erratic shifts will be stressful. Looking back on certain periods of my life, when I felt like an absolute machine, I realised I was probably red lining with stress constantly, I just couldn't feel it at the time.
Be good to yourself. 70kg at 5'9 isn't so terrible right now, just work slowly back to where you were.
Geoff Neupert had observed that IF for some of his clients whilst stressed was pretty detrimental and they had to go back to a more traditional eating pattern.
Good luck
 
Hello,

Stress reduces insulin sensitivity (lots of things are linked to it). May be you could try breathing techniques to relax yourself (yoga, Wim Hof methods, tai chi...) ?

"the more you think about your weight, the heavier you will be", so try - easier said than done - not to think about it.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
The larger part of your answer is because nutrition and lifestyle can be a moving target, and you are trying to replace the need to consult with a professional by using an online forum.

But yes, chronic stress sticks out as the low hanging fruit you might want to attend to.
 
Interesting how this thread has been almost entirely towards stress and sleep. This could be your problem.

I would try to be more fundamental and evaluate what you eat and how you mix what you eat. I for example might eliminate nuts on a regular basis. Beyond the individual foods are you properly mixing your fats and carbs. Required reading should be the 8 pages about the WD on Ori's website. Some mixing/refinements that are not in the book.
 
DavThew said:
The concious feeling of stress is a very late presentation in most people. Unless you are practicing a mindful pattern of living which keeps you very aware of how you feel almost 24/7 (which sounds exhausting tbh) working nights and having erratic shifts will be stressful. Looking back on certain periods of my life, when I felt like an absolute machine, I realised I was probably red lining with stress constantly, I just couldn't feel it at the time.
Click to expand...

That's some golden wisdom right there. Coming from a doctor, too... I think we can all take something from that. Thanks, @DavThew

Good luck with it, Harry!
 
@Harry Westgate, shift works takes quite a toll on a person; it's more than just lack of quality sleep. For those of us who've never done shift work, imagine jet lag.

In your place, I'd try a different eating approach, wonderful though the WD is. I recently switched to Tim Ferriss' "Slow Carb" diet, and while I hope to return to following a WD schedule with Tim's food ideas, right now I'm eating several times a day - still probably not a "meal" by most definitions, but definitely more than I used to eat during the day, and my weight is down without any effort.

In a nutshell, Tim has you eating no white food - no bread, no cheese, no dairy, he frowns on nuts (you can read about the diet to learn why - I'm just repeating what I've read), and he makes a statement that you'll eat a lot of the same few foods over and over, which I've found to be true. Lentils have become a mainstay of my diet. What I know of this diet suggests it's nearly 100% effective, so it's what I recommend to you. It's discussed in his book, The 4 Hour Body.

FWIW, I'm pretty lean to start with and usually weigh around 153; I'm down a couple of pounds even though I'm eating more, and I cheat a little. Most people who don't cheat lose up to a kg per week. But speaking of cheating, he has you take 1 day per week as a Cheat Day, and suggests eating everything bad for you and then some, and in sufficient quantities to almost make yourself sick. It's a fun thing to do.

-S-
 
@Steve Freides sounds good to me; I've ordered the book. If I may ask, just so I can do a bit of shopping tonight so that I can get started before the book arrives:

-Do I need to count calories?
-How often am I eating? Breakfast, lunch, dinner sort of thing?
-I prefer eating the same staples every day so it looks perfect - so do eggs, lentils and veggies sound okay?

A cheat day sounds amazing. I'll start with that today ;)

Thanks to everyone who's chimed in!
 
Sounds amazing to me Steve. I like that in that article he outlined a plan for the late sleeper like myself. If this ends up working for me to get lean, it looks very sustainable.
 
Welp, I bought the book as well and I think I am gonna give it a shot. I already have a cheat day and fast 1-2 times a week. Maybe I can get rid of the last 5 lbs around my waist that never seem to go away no matter what.

Also excited to see how much I can reduce my grocery bill as the book suggests is a bonus!
 
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