2004 New Start

[JAmanda]

Hey guys, well I am heading upwards for 2004- Iam sick of going off track, not eating enough for my bodys daily activities and normal functions. The past week or so i have been feeling so tired and lethargic- not to mention craving simple carbs BAD!! I have been not sleeping during the night and basically just running my body into the ground- not anymore I AM SICK OF IT! The reason I fell off the wagon to begin with was i noticed a 2 kilo increase in my weight on the scales- so I dont know why I do this but protein is always the thing I chuck out first- then I started skipping brekkie, or having very minimal amounts, started eating fruit- ate bugger all substantial food during the day when my body needed it- carried on with training. Then when it came to night time when my body needed the rest and sleep I would be screaming out for food- aND you guessed it CARBS- this goes on day after day, and i wonder why I am always so tired, my menstrual cycle is absent (has been for a number ofyears). I have decided that I am going to start fueling my body for function rather than using it as a comfort at night following a day of deprivation.This is my one and only focus for 2004 and i know that you girls are great when it comes to motivation and advice when things star getting tough.So here goes ( by the way i really prefer it when i get my carbs from veges and on alternate days I will have oatmeal for brekkie, carbs honestly make me feel very tired and sluggish.

10am- run 40minutes

11.30am- 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
mushrooms, red pepper and spring onion (as an omelete) 1 vit c tablet, 1 b complex tablet and 1 iron tablet.
3 glasses of water

2pm- 150grams chicken with salad (lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes)
3 glasses water

4.30pm protein bar (1/2?) 11 protein, 5 fat (omega 3) and 2 carbs.

6.30pm 150gram meat (chicken or fish) 3 cups of veges

8pm- 30grams protein crunch and 200ml lf milk.

Before bed 1 teaspoon of psyllium husks with water

This is my plan for today, does this look alright//

[imperfectly_lou]

Glad to have you back with us Amanda :)

As for today's plan...

I am concerned that you are not eating until 11:30am. That means your body has not had any food for over 12hrs and done a 40min run. Can you possibly have a banana or similar before your run?

Breakfast is very light on considering you have just run for 40mins. You need to replace your glycogen stores. Consider adding in a piece of wholegrain toast or some oatmeal.

Lunch looks pretty good to me!

Eat the whole protein bar!

Dinner looks good!

As does evening snack!

[JAmanda]

Hey thanks Lou- I didnt get out of bed until late thats why I am having my first meal later- And dont worry i havent gone 12hours without food as i was up the night before having fruit etc to try and feed my deprived body. I have felt better during the day following this- so good that I hopped on the bike for 30minutes tonight (i cant help myself!!). Atleast I am feeling that I have fed my body and im noit ravenous now, but i know that i am still not eating enough but this i think ids a good start!! I am hoping that i will have a good sleep tonight as I have training tomorrow morning at 7am (legs and chest) the girl I ma training with is very strong- and i dont like being second best, so my body is in for a hard session, any ideas as to what i should be having before this if anything??

[imperfectly_lou]

Good job Amanda!

As for tomorrow, you MUST eat before any form of weight training. Your muscles need readily available glycogen to grow which means you are almost wasting your time lifting on empty.

I would recommend eating about an hour beforehand - a mix of carbs and protein e.g. a piece of dark rye toast and 6 egg whites.

[playmaker]

welcome back amanda :) i agree with loo u can have 1/2 cup oats or some pasta u need glycogen to lift heavy. U cant imagine what kind of lift u gonna have when u eat the right foods the right time

[JAmanda]

Well I got up at 6am and had a shake and some glutamine and I done my best leg workout ever!!!!! So happy and I was feeling so refreashed when I jumped out of bed, I had a real good sleep. I am taking my bs, iron and vit c everyday and I reckon that has made a big difference. Some ideas of post workout food would be great- I had my omelete with a few mushrooms etc, 1 hwole egg and 2 egg whites, what else should I have here- Iknow it is important to get stuff back into the muscles. Today i done my leg workout and then went for a 30 minute run (how i done it i dont know as i lifted pretty heavy- but i felt so good). Now I am feeling a little tired so i am thinking i need something else- i thought about a 1/2 o a protein bar that has 15 grams of sugar, i read somewhere that you take high gi carbs after training - any ideas??

[JAmanda]

Hey playmaker can you give me a look at your diet at the mo- I would be really interested as iknow you are not one to have alot of carbs and you dont have fruit either? im sure when I had fruit it set me up for that sweet taste. Thanks matey

[Emma-Leigh]

Hey Amanda,

Welcome back. It is good to see that you are not giving up -- It says a lot about your determination and strength as a person!

Good luck.

[JAmanda]

You right emma- some times my determination is my worst enemy!!! No i always like the saying you are only as strong as your mind- that is definatley true in all aspects of life. Thankyou for your persistant advice and patience- I will get this right and achieve my goals!!

[imperfectly_lou]

I had a great leg workout this morning too Amanda :) Fantastic work!

As for post workout, you need carbs to refuel your glycogen stores. Your PWO meal is probably the most important one of the day because it will impact upon how well you recover, and hence your energy for your next workout.

I would have had some oatmeal as well as your omelette or a post workout shake made with whey and dextrose.

[playmaker]

Amanda i gain 6 kilos, i checked my boyfat is around 16-17% i will continue bulking until the end of january then i'll start cutting. i can give u an example of my bulking diet if u like

[JAmanda]

that would be great if you could do that and give me an idea of what you will do for your cutting. I have four kilos of fat that I want to lose- but want to go about it in an sensible way- not starve my body like I normally do. Its those last bits that are the hardest to get off!! Thanks matey much appreciated.

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally posted by imperfectly_lou
As for post workout, you need carbs to refuel your glycogen stores. Your PWO meal is probably the most important one of the day because it will impact upon how well you recover, and hence your energy for your next workout.

I would have had some oatmeal as well as your omelette or a post workout shake made with whey and dextrose.

Big bump on this!!

Your post workout meal needs to replace the glycogen stores - this is almost more important than protein in the immediate post-workout period. The reason being is that muscle growth does not just happen just post-workout - it happens slowly in response to increased stimulation.... So just making sure you get enough protein in your diet every day is the important bit... BUT your muscles need fuel to recover from their workout and as such - if you do not re-fuel them it will lead to protein catabolism as your muscle tries to make the energy, and will also lead to poor muscle energy stores for your next workout. It has even been linked to night time eating as your body craves sugar to try to repair itself!!

So, as Lou suggested - Have some oats or a peice of toast with your omlette and make sure your muscles recover well.

[playmaker]

Amanda are u dieting for a contest? If u stop eating carbs for a while u can easy lose the last bits of fat, try CDK. I didnt eat fruits and complex carbs but i had a lot of veggies mostly broccoli lettuce and green beans. The only way to reach a very low bf% is by lowering your calories and doing more cardio. U dont want to lose muscle so try to hit 200g of protein.
I dont know about u girls but when i was eating 1300-1500cals i was hungry and my attitude was very bad, i could be pissed off with anything, i didnt have my period for 3 months and the most important i couldnt concentrate with my studies. u can not stay for a long period of time at very low %bf, it's not healthy. If u dont dieting for a contest listen to Emma and eat. I'm currently 60 kilos with 16-17%bf and my maintenance calories to stay as i am is ~2400cals, i lift much heavier than before i had my period back and i'm sure i gain some muscle. My friends told me that i look much better than before. I will start dieting again just to be cut for summer holidays. A sample of my diet when i was 53-54 kilos:

1)whey,egg whites with veggies maybe some cottage cheese
2) postworkout meal shake 30g whey/30g glucose
3) chicken breast veggies maybe some cottage cheese
4) tuna or salmon and veggies
5)same as 3 or 4

The same boring foods, chicken tuna and broccoli lol, no way i prefer to have some pasta,bread and maybe a small piece of chocolate ones a while

[JAmanda]

I am heading overseas for a month in march- and my first comp will be probably be september. So the plans are that I want to stay lean and retain my muscle mass while I am away- i prob wont have much time for getting to a gym as I am touring around. I am thinking this break will prob be quite good for my body and wont do too much harm. I was away for new year so my diet today isnt that great.

Breakfast- 100 gram chicken
( this was really brunch)

2pm- 1 egg, 2 white omelete

6pm- 100 gram fish , brocolli and cauliflower

9pm- 50 gram tuna and 1 cup of veges

10pm low carb protein bar

since i have been following a more consistent intake of protein I have been feeling much better- and I look more vibrant. I am definately a person who can function on minimal carbs. Hope everyone had a great new year

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally posted by JAmanda
I am heading overseas for a month in march- and my first comp will be probably be september. So the plans are that I want to stay lean and retain my muscle mass while I am away- i prob wont have much time for getting to a gym as I am touring around. I am thinking this break will prob be quite good for my body and wont do too much harm. I was away for new year so my diet today isnt that great.

Breakfast- 100 gram chicken
( this was really brunch)

2pm- 1 egg, 2 white omelete

6pm- 100 gram fish , brocolli and cauliflower

9pm- 50 gram tuna and 1 cup of veges

10pm low carb protein bar

since i have been following a more consistent intake of protein I have been feeling much better- and I look more vibrant. I am definately a person who can function on minimal carbs. Hope everyone had a great new year

Hey Amanda - I hope you have fun overseas and it lets you rest. You sounds like you are feeling a little better and that is great - so a holiday will do you even more good!

If you want to follow a low carb diet then just watch your intake a little - this day is about 600 or 700 cals worth of food - not very much at all. On top of that, it is 600 to 700 cals worth of protein, which means than 20% of it is lost during processing - so in reality your body is only getting about 500 to 560 cals in a day like that.

Maybe try to increase your healthy fats by using fatty fish like salmon or sardines or by adding some nuts/seeds to your salads or another whole egg to your omlette - this will increase the calories and also give your body some energy to work with so your muscles can use the protein.

Anyway - it is your body, and you are in charge - so you have to be the judge of what you need... Just remember it is the only one you get, so take care of it ok.

Have fun and try to get back occasionally while you are away to keep us all informed.

Good luck.

[playmaker]

Amanda count between 150-200g of protein try to hit 200g, for ur postworkout shake u can have 20g of glucose with 100mg ALA and 40g of whey protein, for the rest of the day do not have more than 20g of carbs and that must be from fibrous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce. Add 3 fish oils to each meal (for EFA’s), 200mgs of selenium/day (4x50mg) (stimulate your natural thyroids production), the rest calories must come from fat. I highly reccomend coconut oil its great for cooking and helps losing weight. Coconut oil contains Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) which the body metabolizes quickly, converting the fats to energy rather than storing them as fat. it's a stable, healthy saturated fat that does not elevate "bad" (LDL) cholesterol,support healthy thyroid function,contains antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal properties. Check this out: http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/24/coconut_oil.htm
Dont forget to have a refeed day (carb load day) U have a lot of time girl.Good luck!

[JAmanda]

Hey emma and playmaker thankyou for your wonderful advice once again. Good point emma- I knew that my diet yesterday was not near enough food- and it showed in my workout today ( i thik i am starting to understand my body). I trained back and bis today and then went for a 30 minute run, but my weights were pretty low today and i even felt as though i was not concentrating enough (maybe lack of fuel to the brain!!). So taking that into consideration I thought i would have some oatmeal for brekkie. Will post you the rest later. Thats interesting playmaker about that selenium- I will look into getting some.

[JAmanda]

Hey guys feeling heaps better at the mo- here is the diet.

Am weights- back and bis 1hr

7am- 1whole egg and 2 egg white omelete, mushrooms
coffee

12pm - 100 grams fish and salad

4pm- 50 gram tuna wrapped in large leaf of lettuce

5pm 40 min cardio

6.30pm- 100 gram chicken and salad

9pm - 1 cup ofvege and 100 gram chicken with slice of fat free cheese

10.30pm sugar free jello

This diet is very much keto I know- but i hinestly feel so good on this. For the past couple of days I have monitored my food and my moods and have noted that after having oats in the morning- by 10am I was famished and felt like I was falling asleep on my feet- very sluggish. But this protein day I feel full of energy and very light. I know the importance of having a day with more carbs so I will introduce that in a couple of days. Any comments welcome

[mirror]

that's about 650 calories?! how long have you been on that diet, IMO it's starvation! honestly I think if you're determined to eat like that for a couple of days, have a carb day at least every 3rd day. because you are in major calorie deficit.
I don't know howyou can function on so few calories. It's my understanding that keto diets have much more fat than you are getting so that the calorie count doesn't drop too low.

[playmaker]

Amanda do u know what is gonna happend when u start eating normaly??? U should have at least 1500-1600cals, u starving urself.!!I calculated ur protein intake it's not more than 115g, also ur fat intake is very low,you are going to lose some serious LBM on this diet. I hope there is some calorie cycling or huge refeed invovled. Check this link i hope it helps: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/tracy3.htm

[JAmanda]

Hey playmaker- I know that this is very low. When you follow this way of eating where do you get your fats from, I want to do this as healthy as poss. I am thinking flaxseed oil/ tablets to crank up the fat intake as I dont want to get into the habit of eating too much cheese etc. I am thinking i do this for 3 days and then refuel- your thoughts, where are you emma?? Or do you think I am better sticking some oats in at brekkie?? Just made me feel very sluggish. I know i need some efas anyway. I definately dont want to go down the track of fluctuation of weight though- but i have fat that I still want to lose.

[playmaker]

How about some fish oil capsules? i have 6 capsules of 1 gram daily u can also eat fish with more fats like salmon, oil olive or CLA capsules, coconut oil, if u follow this diet u can have some carbs but no more than 20-30g. For breakfast u can have 4-5 egg whites cooked in 1tabspoon coconut oil with mushrooms or a small salad. Its better to have most of the carbs after ur workout. Coconut oil fuels your thyroid and increases body temperature thus burning off unnecessary retention of carbs. I read Lyle McDonald's new book "the ultimate diet 2" its a diet for people who are already lean and want to rid of the last bits of fat.

[JAmanda]

Hey I think I got a little confused with the ckd diet- i dont think I am aiming at getting myself into a ketosis state as like you all say I am calorie deficient as is- my thoughts im not sure how right they are- but if i am in such calorie deficit and not losing weight why is this??? Im persuming my body is in starvation mode. So now ( you are probably all thinking just get to it and stop thinking about what you are doing!!) I am going to retain my 100 gram protein a day, have some flax tablets, heaps of veges (not going to stress about only having 30 grams and some oats or sweet potato occassionaly in the morning. I feel as though i have gained fat around my middle, but i think this was from not eating enough protein etc during the day- and then eating the carbs at night- this is when it has been stored rather than utitlised. Maybe having the fat supplements may kick start me too- another question I have fish everyday (although not salmon) so should I still worry about supplementing with efa or no??

[mirror]

supplement with fish oil caps plus fish in diet.
nuts are dense fat and calorie sources
get your calories up, girl! your body is storing fat because it is stressed by the famine you're subjecting it to. fat storage on the lower abdomen is a tell-tale giveaway of this.

[JAmanda]

thanks matey- I am definately going to get my little head around this one. I have the tablets now and I added olive oil to my tea tonight and i will have some nuts before bed.

[imperfectly_lou]

I don't mean to sound harsh frustrated with you Amanda, because I HAVE been there, but I would like to know when you are going to start EATING???

You are in serious denial if you think that you are doing even comes close to being healthy..... :(

[JAmanda]

Dontworry- you will know how frustrating this is for me too. I have an obsessive nature- so everything iread I try to do without the important pieces, like doing low carb with no fat just protein, or doing all carbs and nothing else. The thing i dont understand is i function perfectly well eating what I have for the past 2 days and I am not even hungry.- eventhough I know I am in deficit. I have eaten this amount for so long ( i am talking 6 years) this last year ihave eaten more than ever since my ed. I willl be hoest with you in saying I dont know how I would eat 1800 calories- I know its my food choices and I have ot include more calorie dense foods.

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally posted by JAmanda
Dontworry- you will know how frustrating this is for me too. I have an obsessive nature- so everything iread I try to do without the important pieces, like doing low carb with no fat just protein, or doing all carbs and nothing else. The thing i dont understand is i function perfectly well eating what I have for the past 2 days and I am not even hungry.- eventhough I know I am in deficit. I have eaten this amount for so long ( i am talking 6 years) this last year ihave eaten more than ever since my ed. I willl be hoest with you in saying I dont know how I would eat 1800 calories- I know its my food choices and I have ot include more calorie dense foods.

You know Amanda - I hate to say it but I agree completely with Lou.

You keep saying 'I know' and 'I am going to' and 'I will' and 'but' ... but nothing really changes. You never really change. You think about trying 'this fad diet' or 'that fad diet' or 'maybe if I do this' or 'maybe if I do that'... but I think you are just doing these things because you are trying to delay making any real constructive changes in your life.... From making any true changes.

This makes me ask the question - Do you really want to change?

You see, at the end of the day, you have to change - no one else can do it for you. We can sit here and tell you that you are being unhealthy and you are seriously compromising your future, and that you should 'try this' or 'do that' until we are blue in the face, but it is not going to make a damn difference at the end of the day.

So, I think you have some serious thinking to do. You have to pull your head out of the sand, stop denying the fact that you are not 'dealing' with your food issues, stop trying to keep yourself in this sickness and start doing something constructive to improve your situation. You have to discover why you insist on following this self-destructive path? You seem to not want to get better!!

You are going to have to make yourself better - you can not just hope it will happen, because eating disorders do not just 'get better'. You have to sit up, pull your finger out and start to do battle with yourself. You have to kick and fight and yell and force yourself to do what you do not want to do.....

You have to change your compulsive behaviour. You have to be strong enough to make the change from seeing yourself as a 'victim' of your situation and to start to create yourself a better situation. You have to start being a pro-active, confident and well-adjusted individual - willing to tackle life's difficulties with a sensible and responsible attitute - NOT hide yourself behind 'this illness' and hiding yourself from reality by starving yourself - continuing to make yourself sickly and weak and a victim...

Hell, if I had a choice to be strong and passionate about life or to be weak and destructive I know what I would choose..

So what are you going to choose?

[playmaker]

Emma excellent post!

[JAmanda]

Well emma I read your post and thought how dare she!! But thankyou its just what i need, I frustrate myself with all the big ideas of what im gunna do. Today I have cranked my protein up to 150 grams per meal, I am eating heaps of veges, flax with each meal and adding things lthat i dont usually have like cheese etc.I am a person with an extremelySTRONGmind and although it has taken me a while to get there- I WILL.

[Emma-Leigh]

Amanda - You have to come to the realisation that this goes far beyond what you are putting in your mouth - It is mental, not physical. It is obvious that you don't want to change, or that you can not change - otherwise you would have done it by now...

I strongly suggest that, if you do not make the mental shift yourself, you go and talk to someone that can help you find out why it is you continue to sabatague your life.... because, by keeping yourself in this 'sick role' as 'the girl with the eating disorder' that is exactly what you are doing...

When you insist on eating a rediculously small number of calories, 95% of which is coming from protein, and you are compulsive about exercising every morning on an empty stomach, and you make excuses for why you 'can't eat this' or 'can't do that' and you STILL can't get passed 'the extra weight' you are holding as to the reason why you have to put your body through this torture, then it is painfully obvious to everyone aroung you that you have deeper issues you are not willing to address.

Can you not see that this is not healthy behaviour!!?? It is definately not the kind of thing that will see you achieve good results in the competitive fitness/figure industry - you will just not be able to keep up with the girls who actually do this seriously.

So, if you are going to do this - then do it properly. Hell - What is the purpose of doing anything in such a half-hearted way? All that happens is you get average results - which will make it easier to feel 'worse' about yourself... which then makes it easier to continue to live as a 'sick' person.

So if you have such a 'strong' mind then be strong -

Eat enough.
Train enough.
Rest enough.

- You are going to have to show us that you are strong, because as of yet we have not seen anything to demonstrate it at all...

[imperfectly_lou]

Thank you for posting that Emma - that was exactly what I was thinking but unable to articulate into words.

Here is something that may help you Amanda...

You cannot recover from an eating disorder on your own terms.

Believe me, I tried. I spent over a year with my therapist, THINKING I was recovering, because I was going to my appointments. I fought every step of the way to maintain control.

Of course I needed to do excessive cardio - I am different from everyone else
I only need 1,300cals a day - I am different

Bull****!

I am no different, and you are no different from anyone else.

It doesn't matter whether you carb cycle, eat more protein, whatever.

Because it is what is inside that needs working on. I know you say you have been to therapy etc, but you haven't really made any eating progress for months, so it is obvious you haven't DEALT.

Wouldn't it be nice to live a life free of this?

I promise you the grass is greener on the other side - not perfect, but so much more fulfilling.

So stop saying "I can't" - because all that means is "I won't"

You either do it or you don't. We can't make that decision for you.

[JAmanda]

Thankyou you are all so right, I am talking with someone now and check out my diet today- we have removed the scales so im not able to weigh myself. Here goes

2whole eggs and 2 egg white omelete
1/2 cup oats
1whole protein bar
150 grams(raw) chicken salad, 1/2 sweet potato and 1tspn olive oil
1 yoghurt and tbspn nuts
150gram tuna and veges
60 grams protein crunch and 1 cup soy milk

this is only the start and you are right this is not hard to do I just wanted to keep the image that i had for many years in being the skinny girl who eats very little- bull****!!!! Thats so true lou. I feel great, but i know this will have times of difficulty , im not going to fool myself of that- so I am talking with some1. Thankyou guys your are all one in a million!

[imperfectly_lou]

Looking much better Amanda. Keep it up..... and stay positive!

[JAmanda]

u betya matey- and im not doing this for any of you guys, I am doing this for myself (impressive aay!)

[sillygirl]

Heya Jamanda-

As harsh as Emma & Lou may seem when it comes to this, I agree with them 100%. You have to make up your mind to do this for YOU.

The difficult thing with eating disorders is that there is never a specific moment when the person with the ED says, "Hey, I think I'll just stop this behavior and go back to eating normal!" and everything is fine & dandy. It doesn't work that way.

Recovery is definitely a process. For some people it takes a few months; for others it takes years. I once read that the average time to recover from an eating disorder can be up to seven years. Seven years.

At first I'd use that as an excuse for my deviant ways. I was binging? Well, no one could expect ME to be recovered right away! I had a good seven years! I was starving myself? Once again- I couldn't blame myself. Average recovery for an eating disorder is seven years.

Then I realized I didn't want to be part of that statistic. I didn't need to be. You don't need to be, either.

I do know, however, how scary it is. That's the sick thing about disordered eating. It pulls you in and drags you down. It becomes your comfort zone- the one thing you can turn to. It waivers from you being in control of it (ha!) to it being in control of you.

Take babysteps, Jamanda. You're doing great. You realize you have a problem, and you're in that meticulous point where you're realizing that your disordered eating habits aren't going to get you where you want to be in life. Slowly just "let it go". Increase those calories, and cut back on the cardio. Slowly, slowly.

You'll still have your moments. You'll want to go a day without eating lunch or dinner; you'll be in the gym and suddenly want to do 2 hours of cardio. I still have them, anyway. But they're fewer and farther between. And when that voice pops up in my head, another voice pops up and simply says, "No."

Failure isn't the going down, but the staying down. You're picking yourself back up. Be proud of yourself. And keep at it.

All the best,
sillygirl :)

[Emma-Leigh]

Good to see Amanda - keep working at it - Sillygirl and Lou are two perfect examples of overcoming these issues. Even if you do not want to listen to what I have to say you need to trust them. They know what they are talking about.

[JAmanda]

This is a really good email to wake up to to start my day. I know that it can take along time to recover- but i do feel that I am on the road to recovery- just along way to ge I suppose. Like a couple of days ago I was very tired and my usual routine was to go to the gym and do cardio- but i listenend to my body and didnt- for me that is a huge achievement!! This is what I plan to eat today, my personal trainer wants me to have 2 days of getting the calories right up to begin with ( i think this is going to be a great way for myself to start slowly- here goes and I want all your thoughts on this.these days are also where he wants me to get my carb intake right up.

1/2 cup oats
protein shake WITH milk instead of water
protein bar (20 gram sugar, 20gram protein)
150 gram fish and salad with 1 large kumera
150 gram chicken, 2 cups of vege and another kumera
not sure on what else to have, your ideas will be great, maybe I could have some fruit and yoghurt.
He wants me to get roughly200 grams of carbs, I know kumera has alot ( they are big babies!!)

Guys im actually excited about doing this for once in my life, Im thinking as these days get easier i will be able to increase calories during the week gradually. Im also only allowed to do minimal exercise on these days.

1/2 cup oats

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally posted by JAmanda
This is a really good email to wake up to to start my day. I know that it can take along time to recover- but i do feel that I am on the road to recovery- just along way to ge I suppose.
Just keep going and don't give up - the more you do to fix yourself, the easier it will get.


I was very tired and my usual routine was to go to the gym and do cardio- but i listenend to my body and didnt- for me that is a huge achievement!!
Congratulations!! :D Keep listening to your body - it will eventually begin to tell you what it needs (you just have to train it so it knows what it needs first - it is still going to be 'confused' with the years of starvation - but give it time!).


my personal trainer wants me to have 2 days of getting the calories right up to begin with ( i think this is going to be a great way for myself to start slowly- here goes and I want all your thoughts on this). these days are also where he wants me to get my carb intake right up.
Good - You need to get back to eating correctly - not that 'protein is all I need' stuff you were doing before!! :D I am surprised your trainer didn't pull you up a while ago and sit you down to have a good talk!!

A couple of days (I would have gone with 4) of concentrating on getting your diet back on track is the best thing to do.


1/2 cup oats
protein shake WITH milk instead of water

protein bar (20 gram sugar, 20gram protein)

150 gram fish and salad with 1 large kumera

150 gram chicken, 2 cups of vege and another kumera

not sure on what else to have, your ideas will be great, maybe I could have some fruit and yoghurt. He wants me to get roughly 200 grams of carbs, I know kumera has alot ( they are big babies!!)

Looking good so far (although I am unsure as to how these meals are split?? - I think I got it right?).

200g of carbs is a lot to try to get to when you are used to nearly none - but it can be done!! :) Fruit would be an excellent idea - an apple or a pear would be good. Yoghurt is also great!

Other ideas with carbs -
* Smoothie with some yoghurt, protein powder, milk and berries?
* Rice? - I know you are not a real fan, but basmati rice is low GI and easy. You can add it to salads etc to make it easier to eat.
* Some chick-peas/legumes with some tuna
* Barley, chicken and vegetables soup (really easy to make - just boil up some barley in some low sodium vegetable stock, dry fry some garlic and onions, add this and some vegetables to the stock and cook - then add some chicken - EASY!!)
* Make protein pancakes with oats, egg whites and cottage cheese
* Good low GI breads (such as rye sourdough or grained breads) are also an idea - you could make tuna melts??

Other meal ideas -
* Some salmon (healthy fats) with some steamed vege's
* Some natural almond butter/peanut butter or some walnuts with some cottage cheese
* Omlettes

Just go for it - get creative and keep that positive attitude! :D

[JAmanda]

Thanks so much Emma- they were some great meal ideas and im feeling really positive about this- but enough typing i must get to the eating or the day will be gone- and I would ahve had one of those routine unhealthy days- no more !!!!

[JAmanda]

Well my weekend went reasonably well with additional foods, I reached 1200 calories yesterday- really pitiful for what was supposed to be a carb up. I had training this morning and my trainer wants me to stick at 1200 calories for a good 4 to 5 days to see what my weight does, he believes we need to find my maintenance number, and like you have all told me below 1000 or even 1000 is far to low especially when I want to start dropping back for competition.We will start with 1200 and see what happens- i realise there will be a weight increase to begin with but i am going to just deal with that. Like he said our aim is to train my body to eat as much as I can!!! I have a sore throat today and infection on the chest- like he said it is because I donot eat properly, and now its time to sort it out- I cant believe eating disorders, weird!!! I had such a better sleep last night and was not hungry for food- like my trainer said my brain had a better sleep!! Another thing that i find hard and would love to know what you guys done after your ed and thats you have all these very small clothes that you feel you should always fit into- maybe I should just chuck them. So this morning i am going to have 1/2 cup oatmeal and 3 egg omelete- is this 2 much (only one yolk) seems like a big brekkie to me. I know forget about it and just eat it!! Thanks for your advice

[JAmanda]

Just another question is having 1 whole egg a day to much saturated fat???

[Emma-Leigh]

Hey,

I think that, considering you were on 600 cals, 1200 is A LOT better!! Just keep working up to a reasonable calorie number - slow and steady and your body will respond positively.

Breaky looks ok, although I would probably increase the whites a little, something like:

- 1/2 oats (150 cals, 29C, 6P, 2.2F)
- 1 yolk (57 cals, 3P, 5F)
- 4 whites (48 cals, 12P)
Total = 255 cals, 27C, 21P, 7.5F (45%C, 33%P, 25%F)

Not too bad... Good cals, good carbs and protein is good too - fat may be a tiny bit high for some people (I think 25% is about the max you would want).

To answer if 1 yolk a day is bad - not at all. Only 2g of fats in the yolk are saturated, so this is not going to harm you at. But, if you are concerned you could drop the yolk and add more whites or some almonds or some natty PB or something?

[JAmanda]

thanks emma- I think I will drop the yolk on the ood day. Do you or anyone else know of a good multi vitamin. I think this is something I need to start using on a regular basis.

[JAmanda]

Well guys I feel I am going quite well- here goes yesterday,

am- glutamine, 2 omega 3 tablets, multi vit
6am - weight training- chest triceps 1 hr
30min bike

8.30 am- 30 grams oatmeal
4 egg whites
coffee
12.30pm- 100 grams (raw)chicken and salad
1/2 kumera

4pm- protein bar ( 9 grams fat, 1 saturated, 22 protein and 4 carbs) 250 calories

6.30pm- 100 grams tuna and 2 cups veges

7pm walk 8km'

8.30pm- 80 grams chicken cooked weight 2 cups of veges
jello+ 2tbspn almonds

I drank 4 litres of water- found this reasonably easy although I do feel like I finish one meal and am preparing another!! All feedback welcome.

[imperfectly_lou]

Amanda my dear....... EAT before weights! You are literally wasting your time lifting on an empty stomach. No available glycogen = no muscle mass built!

Secondly...... eating more does NOT give you an excuse to walk 8km in the evening! That must have taken about 70mins, which puts you at a total of 100mins cardio for the day plus 1hr weights! That is nearly 3 hrs exercise!!!!!!

Food is looking much better! :)

[JAmanda]

thanks lou, would it be okay to have a protein shake then before training. I dont usually do that much cardio- but i was very bored and it was a greaT DAY. Any other suggestions??I was looking at the beverly international vitamins for supplememntation as I feel i need a really good multi.

[imperfectly_lou]

You need carbs and protein before working out with weights, so can you maybe have a protein shake with 1/2 a banana or similar?

As for a good multi, do you have GNC in New Zealand? The Women's Multi is really good... not cheap, but best one I have found.

[JAmanda]

Hey guys feel I am going so very well- check this out!!

AM before run Protein shake

Run 30 minutes (fast pace), abs 20min

7.30pm 3 egg white and 1/2 egg yolk made into omelete with spinach and 75 grams tuna
1/3 cup of oatmeal

10.30am- protein shake and 1 apricot

12.30pm- 85 grams tuna
3 brown rice wafers

4pm- 2 egg whites

elliptical trainer 30 minutes

6.30pm- 120 grams (raw weight) chicken and 2 cups of veges


9.30- 2 cups veges and 50 grams tuna

Also had 2 multi vits and 4 litres of water today as well. I am pretty pleased with my efforts today. Although I felt very tired at 4pm- could this be from the brown rice I had- not use to or the significant amount of protein i had today. This is a program I have been given from a consultant from beverly international nutrition. Tell me whaT YOU all think. I also cant believe but I was hungry for all this food today.

[JAmanda]

Hey guys feel I am going so very well- check this out!!

AM before run Protein shake

Run 30 minutes (fast pace), abs 20min

7.30pm 3 egg white and 1/2 egg yolk made into omelete with spinach and 75 grams tuna
1/3 cup of oatmeal

10.30am- protein shake and 1 apricot

12.30pm- 85 grams tuna
3 brown rice wafers

4pm- 2 egg whites

elliptical trainer 30 minutes

6.30pm- 120 grams (raw weight) chicken and 2 cups of veges


9.30- 2 cups veges and 50 grams tuna

Also had 2 multi vits and 4 litres of water today as well. I am pretty pleased with my efforts today. Although I felt very tired at 4pm- could this be from the brown rice I had- not use to or the significant amount of protein i had today. This is a program I have been given from a consultant from beverly international nutrition. Tell me whaT YOU all think. I also cant believe but I was hungry for all this food today.

[JAmanda]

Hey guys I am still hitting my intake requirements for theday!!

Protein shake and 5 gram glutamine
weights 1hr chest and back

7.30am- 3 egg whites with mushrooms made into omelete (1/2 yolk)
1/2 cup oats

12.30pm- 4 brown rice wafers with 150 gram of tuna on top. (this =32 gram carbs!!!!

6pm- 120 grams fish and 2 cups veges

8.30pm 2 cups veges
jello and 2 tbspn nuts

I H ave a question- the last 3 days I have added the brown rice at lunch time and each day by 3 pm I am sleeping on my feet- why is this- I didnt have anything btwn lunch and dinner yesterday as I was sleeping- felt very drained. Is this a sign that I could be insulin sensitive to these types of food???

[Emma-Leigh]

Originally posted by JAmanda
I Have a question- the last 3 days I have added the brown rice at lunch time and each day by 3 pm I am sleeping on my feet- why is this- I didnt have anything btwn lunch and dinner yesterday as I was sleeping- felt very drained. Is this a sign that I could be insulin sensitive to these types of food???

If you are looking for an excuse not to eat carbs - No.... ;) hee hee... can't get out of healthy eating that easily!!

But seriously - I doubt that it is carbs are the problem... You need to address your other diet problems:

You might be getting tired because you are not eating regularly enough - your meals are about 5 hours apart at the moment, and they are not very big meals, so you are not keeping your body fueled consistantly and so you are probably getting a little fatigued from this. Another thing is that if you work out first thing in the morning and you do not give your body the appropriate nutrients to recover, then you end up getting tired and run down mid-afternoon (it is the same kind of thing that happens if you skip breakfast all together).

Also, brown rice crackers are not the best thing to eat - they are not the same as brown rice and are higher in GI and lower in fibre and nutrients.

My suggestions:
- Make sure your eating well pre-workout and that your post-workout meal is sufficient for recovery (that means CARBS and PROTEINS and it means a decent hit of these things).
- Make sure your meals are a MAXIMUM of 3 to 4 hours apart - especially if you are having such small serving sizes.
- Make sure you are eating the RIGHT TYPE of foods - that means LOW GI carbs!! NOT rice crackers.
- Make sure you are adequately hydrated
- And make sure you are sleeping well

For your meals, what about something like this:

WAKE UP.

Meal 1:
1 banana (120 cals, 30g carbs)
Protein shake (100-110 cals, 25g protein)
Glutamine

WORK-OUT

Post-workout/meal 2:
1/2 cup oats - dry measure (150 cals, 27g carbs, 6g protein, 2.5g fat)
25g of quality protein (100-110 cals, 25g protein)
Glutamine

Meal 3:
120g Cooked Tuna (112 cals, 26g protein, 1g fat)
120g cooked Kumera (110 cals, 28g carbs, 4g protein)

Meal 4:
100g cooked atlantic salmon (150 cals, 25g protein, 5g fat)
1 cup cooked broccoli (60 cals, 12g carbs, 4g protein)

Meals 5:
1 yolk + 6 whites (130 cals, 21g protein, 5g fat)
1 cup raw mushrooms (16 cals, 2g carbs, 2g protein)
1 cup cooked spinach (48 cals, 7g carbs, 5g protein)

That is about 1150 cals, 110g carb, 140g protein, 15g fat - it is still in your current calorie range (not nearly enough for you - but heaps better than 600 cals) and is not too bad a ratio.

Listen to your body - if you are tired and out of energy FEED YOURSELF and see what a difference it makes - Remember the new philosophy is to WORK WITH your body NOT to fight it all the way....!! :D

[JAmanda]

Well all is well, and I am sleeping soundly right thru the night- the first the time in ages. Thanks emma for your info on brown rice wafers- I was unaware of this and yesterday didnt have them and no crash for me mid afternoon. I do believe that I obviously need to stick to the low GI carbs to prevent this bout of tiredness. I also understand the need for having more regular meals thruout the day to prevent these drops. So far

7am- glutamine, protein shake with 1 apricot

9am run and abs

10.30am- 1/2 cup oats and coffee

1.30pm- 100 grams fish and salad
100 grams kumera

4.30pm- protein shake with 1 apricot

7.30pm- 150 grams tuna and 2 cups veges, 2 flax tablets

10.30pm- 2 cups veges- might have some sort of potein here as well- I am aware that a protein shake is not the best option at this time of day, need something more slow release- dont say cottage cheese as i hate this!!!! Will have some glutamine before bed too. I s it alright to have my flax tablets here or should I have them at some other time of the day. I am also having 4 litres of water a day .

[JAmanda]

Well this is amazing I have increased my calories over the past 2 weeks and the weight is starting to drop!!!!!!!!

7.30 am 1/2 cup oats
protein shake
2 flax tablets and multi vit

10.30 apple and yoghurt

1pm- 150 grams tuna and salad, 1/2 kumera

4pm training and cardio 1 and 1/2 hours
6pm postworkout shake with glutamine
150 gram fish and salad

9.30pm havent decided yet, I know this isnt still prob up with what I should be having- but im getting close and can see my metabolism catching up quite nicely- im so happy!!!My strength is getting alot better too!BONUS