AdamWW's Retrospective 'Intuitive Eating' Test Log

[AdamWW]

The allergy docs I have worked with all said Claritin is inferior to Zyrtec (also Allegra). If you have nasal symptoms Flonase is great but take 2 weeks to kick in fully.

Yeah I picked up a bottle of Nasacort which is quite similar to Flonase and am likely going to try it out. Obviously a different type of medicine altogether but worth a shot.

My only issue with Zyrtec was that I noticed it dried out my nasal passages and caused occasional bleeds..

[AdamWW]

On a training and diet note... my appetite is thankfully on fire today... i'm already at 3k, just ate a big dinner, and still hungry... so... will have zero issue hitting 3.5k today and feeling very strong.

Tomorrow is my lower-body squat focus... definitely going to add 10lb from last session for a 4x5...

My stomach is definitely full/bloated but unlike most days where that deters me from eating more, today i'm looking forward to just letting myself be 'spilled over'.

Today's session was a great reminder of the power of an actual surplus and good sleep.

[AdamWW]

And yet another awesome workout...
Woke up a little late, but got amazing sleep... yet another thing that has been going great lately. Sleeping better, waking up feeling more rested...


Squats are up 5% from last week... energy throughout the whole session... and even after a brutal workout I still feel great and awake.

Really stoked to finally be making all this progress

[AdamWW]

And this is what all my meals looked like today... some of them look awful, mainly because I ran out of plate space, heh, but all were very tasty. totals were just over 3.5k.... smoothies are my friend for extra calories


Pre-workout banana/PB/protein/spinach smoothie

Meal 1: Eggs, English Muffins, Kiwi, Carrots and Veggies, Strawberries, cream cheese, and a chocolate (lol...)

Meal 2: Pancakes, breakfast burrito, more kiwi, veggie dip, salad, milk

Meal 3: tempeh stir fry, sweet potato, guac, mustard, milk

Late-night smoothie: yogurt, cherries, dates, more peanut butter

[AdamWW]

Chia flax tortilla?

Dunno, it was a frozen burrito I had sitting around Pretty solid though really.

[AdamWW]

Evol or Amy's?

I've considered making breakfast burritos before but I don't half the energy to dedicate half my day cooking and half my day wrapping my burritos up.

Brand called Sweet Earth

[AdamWW]

Oh yeah, they make some great products.

Yeah they're solid. Was on sale at Whole Foods

I agree though making them myself is a pain... and they don't really keep like a sandwich does.

Reheating eggs is... yeah... no

[AdamWW]

Felt like shyt all day.

Woke up without good sleep super bloated... thankfully it's an off day from the gym.

I haven't hit my calorie goal... still have a lot to get in... but I think I ate too much of something that doesn't agree with me yesterday and I'm dead tired... not sure what else to do.

Got a golf match pretty early tomorrow so I gotta get up at 6... stomach is feeling a little better now but man, it's been rough all day. I think I still have like 1200 calories... too... but i'm just in pain. Bloated, stabbing pains, gas... just no fun at all.

Guess we'll see.

[boo99]

How are you feeling today Adam, bloating and pains still?

Hopefully gone

How was golf

[AdamWW]

How are you feeling today Adam, bloating and pains still?

Hopefully gone

How was golf

Feeling MUCH better.

Went to bed early, got good sleep.

Golf was... well... odd.

Shot an amazing front 9... then the worst back nine i've had in... maybe 8 years...

BUT... i'm just happy I feel normal

[boo99]

Feeling MUCH better.

Went to bed early, got good sleep.

Golf was... well... odd.

Shot an amazing front 9... then the worst back nine i've had in... maybe 8 years...

BUT... i'm just happy I feel normal

Good to hear you're better

Dunno what that 9 means, no clue about golf but you wrote amazing so that sounds great

[AdamWW]

Good to hear you're better

Dunno what that 9 means, no clue about golf but you wrote amazing so that sounds great

Hehehe, 'front 9' refers to the first 9 holes (first half) of a traditional 18 hole round/match.

it's kind of common thing for people to have better or worse back vs. front nines, either due to mental triggers (focusing, etc) or just running out of steam.

It sucks though because if I had stayed on point and continued my good trend all day, I probably could have won.

BUT, I did win two 'skin bets' (meaning I had the best score on two particular holes) so I won back $45, which is cool.

To be honest I do know that my low bodyweight hurts my golf game, too... I used to be able to hit my drives VERY, VERY far because I'm a taller dude and I've since lost about 20% of my distance.

[MosToorani]

A random question Adam...

How long have you been hovering around the same weight?

Cheers,

MT

[boo99]

Hehehe, 'front 9' refers to the first 9 holes (first half) of a traditional 18 hole round/match.

it's kind of common thing for people to have better or worse back vs. front nines, either due to mental triggers (focusing, etc) or just running out of steam.

It sucks though because if I had stayed on point and continued my good trend all day, I probably could have won.

BUT, I did win two 'skin bets' (meaning I had the best score on two particular holes) so I won back $45, which is cool.

To be honest I do know that my low bodyweight hurts my golf game, too... I used to be able to hit my drives VERY, VERY far because I'm a taller dude and I've since lost about 20% of my distance.

I like the "skin bets" hehe

Now I know some golf vernacular, ty

Oh hopefully your golf improves too!

[AdamWW]

A random question Adam...

How long have you been hovering around the same weight?

Cheers,

MT

far too long.

I'll put it this way... when my EX broke up with me in 2015, I was 159lb, maybe 12%-13% bodyfat or something...

I dropped a pound a month on average until I hit an all-time low (it actually matches my all time low from my original ED development when I was 17-18years old)... i bottomed out at 125lb. 6 feet tall, mind you.

Since then, i've hovered between 125 and 129... I haven't had a morning weigh in above 130lb since fall of last year, but even then, I was already hovering very low for a while. So in terms of the general ballpark? It's been... years...

This is why i'm taking dramatic steps to force calories in even if I 'feel' no hunger... it's not acceptable anymore (not that it ever was).

I'm basically having to flip-turn everything around... exciting... scary... all that.

I'm consistently blown away by how my body is responding to food though, because i'm definitely eating more than I did when I was 150+, and yet I have veins through my chest, obliques, abs.... it's kind of gross... my NEAT seems to go through the roof and I have FORCE myself to not move... THAT is hard...

WIth that in mind... it's just past 2pm and i'm already 2500 calories deep and feeling fine. Zero issues today.

[AdamWW]

Woke up after some decent sleep.

I was particularly sedentary yesterday which I believe let me recover from golf/lifting/life moreso than I usually do.

Did my lower-pull workout today and it went pretty well.

I only added 10lb to my deadlift and only on the first set, BUT, they were better speed-wise than last week and all my accessories were hit or exceeded, too... so I count that as progress

I also did something I don't typically do, which is having a smoothie as my first 'meal' which also served as my pre-workout... basically just 2 frozen bananas, peanut butter whey, spinach, flax, almond milk, and strawberries... kind of like a PBJ smoothie.

Actually worked very well in making sure I didn't get nauseated from my typical process of coffee and solid foods. Might have to make it my new ritual.

It's been really hot over here just as it has in many parts of the country I know.... so i've been eating most of my meals cold.

One thing I Hate about hot weather: it KILLS my appetite... completely. I'm definitely getting to the point where I have to force feed a bit to hit my goals... not too fun ;o)

In case anyone is interested my lower-pull day consists of (these are WORKING sets):

Deadlifts 4x5
Leg Press 4x10
Weighted Hyperextensions 3x10
Seated Ham Curls 3x10
Ab Works (varied) 3x15-20
Calves 4x15-20

Depending on how I feel, I often do some dead-hands on the pull-up bar somewhere to loosen my arms since otherwise I never stretch them out much.

Most of my workouts take 60-75 minutes or so, depending on warm-up time.

[AdamWW]

RE Speed: Did you ever find rack pulls to help you with that initial burst? They helped me out some, but I had to stop doing them because they were a hassle to setup back when I went into the gym later in the day. Good to know you're doing well. The heat is killing my appetite and desires, too. So, it may be ****ty, but it's nice in some twisted way. I've been shifting most of my daily calories to breakfast which I have after I get back and shower in the morning, so around 7 AM. Light lunch, veggies and fruit snack, and then something light but filling for dinner. Helps me sleep without overheating even with my place set at 60*.

Never liked rack pulls... i'm sticking to all conventional and full RoM lifts until I'm strong enough to justify tweaking things.

And yeah i've been doing a similar thing: getting more calories in the mornings before it heats up.

My morning PB + Banana + SPinach + Protein smoothies have been a great change for me!

[AdamWW]

Had a small 'mental' win today...

A friend of mine who works for a local fitness center offered me a DEXA Scan as well as an RMR (resting metabolic rate) test for Free... and as tempted as I was... I turned it down...

As curious as I am, I think somewhere deep down it's probably something I want because I want to see how lean I am and thus feel proud of it or something... I don't know...

Similarly with the RMR testing... I feel like it might influence my food intake... which obviously wouldn't be a good thing.

Kind of sucks because it's basically $300 worth of tests for free... but yeah... live and learn

[AdamWW]

Could have taken a raincheck. I remember wanting to take one years ago but felt it would be a waste of time. In your case, I think you made a wise decision. RE the first reply to me:

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of rack pulls because they, surprise, take a lot out of you. Also really easy to kinky your should blades and pinch a nerve. Having a lower TDEE I don't care about hunger anymore, but it feels nice to eat a heavy meal for breakfast and make it to 3-4 PM before feeling hungry and wanting to eat.

My water consumption has shot up though. 2-3 gallons of ice water a day. If I go a few days with say a gallon, I puff up like a fish. I don't sweat at work, but the AC must be drying me out a lot. Have a good week, dude.

I've been really enjoying my new approach to eating, except on days where my hunger doesn't kick in until later.

Because I'm using a minimum target, if I only hit 2k by 6pm... it can be hard for me to WANT to eat anything because especially with my reflux issues going to bed on a full stomach just DOESNT work... I wake up feeling full and I can't eat without ill-feelings for hours, which just perpetuates the cycles.

So, I find getting about 40% of daily fat and about 50% of my daily carbs (just a general target) finished by noon to be very helpful. I've also been experimenting with higher fat days, too, and limiting things that are high in water content and fiber... it seems to help a lot.

Yeah I don't know... mentally I've also been feeling very odd... too...

In ED recovery, for me anyway, because I am/was so obsessed with this idea that I can control and optimize things, now that I'm NOT doing that and i'm not food-focused all the time... it feels like I've lost a passion or a hobby... like I can no longer feel interested in watching food videos, cooking shows, etc... because I just don't care.

Similarly, because I'm basically just doing a YOLO bulk, i'm having to rediscover what I actually care about... it's just... I dunno, different. It's good, but I'm 33 and it feels like learning to walk again. I dunno.

But yeah I am already feeling a little watery/puffy on my lower abs, but that might just be water... who knows..

I'm kind of treating the whole thing like an experiment... learning what my body actually needs, etc... and if I gain a bunch of fluff... oh well... i'm like... 7% bodyfat so... what the hell could happen anyway?

[boo99]

I've been really enjoying my new approach to eating, except on days where my hunger doesn't kick in until later.

Because I'm using a minimum target, if I only hit 2k by 6pm... it can be hard for me to WANT to eat anything because especially with my reflux issues going to bed on a full stomach just DOESNT work... I wake up feeling full and I can't eat without ill-feelings for hours, which just perpetuates the cycles.

So, I find getting about 40% of daily fat and about 50% of my daily carbs (just a general target) finished by noon to be very helpful. I've also been experimenting with higher fat days, too, and limiting things that are high in water content and fiber... it seems to help a lot.

Yeah I don't know... mentally I've also been feeling very odd... too...

In ED recovery, for me anyway, because I am/was so obsessed with this idea that I can control and optimize things, now that I'm NOT doing that and i'm not food-focused all the time... it feels like I've lost a passion or a hobby... like I can no longer feel interested in watching food videos, cooking shows, etc... because I just don't care.

Similarly, because I'm basically just doing a YOLO bulk, i'm having to rediscover what I actually care about... it's just... I dunno, different. It's good, but I'm 33 and it feels like learning to walk again. I dunno.

But yeah I am already feeling a little watery/puffy on my lower abs, but that might just be water... who knows..

I'm kind of treating the whole thing like an experiment... learning what my body actually needs, etc... and if I gain a bunch of fluff... oh well... i'm like... 7% bodyfat so... what the hell could happen anyway?

You could meet a beautiful, rich, Seattle female who golfs and lifts

[AdamWW]

You could meet a beautiful, rich, Seattle female who golfs and lifts

haha, that's MORE likely to happen if I get fatter

[AdamWW]

This is a great post, and I'm happy you're doing better. As for the reflux.... yeah that hit me hard the past few years. I used to think I'd be immune for life. Well, life plays cruel tricks. I avoid certain trigger foods after a certain hour now if I want to sleep in peace. I do understand the loss of a hobby/passion you're feeling. Not too late in life to make "getting big and strong" a passion.

Oh it is, it definitely is.

I'm kind of on this 'I'm going to show everyone what i'm made of' mentality right now... ready for transform or whatever. Change is fun

[AdamWW]

Feeling like a boss today.

Lifted upper body bench/row focuses...

Bench didn't increase but I added some rowing reps. Also just had really solid stamina the whole time and felt great.

Even had a good meeting with my manager about a big project im doing... super stoked.

Going to chill at home and maybe go on a short bike ride now that I fixed my tires... weather is PERFECT, and appetite is back in full swing

[AdamWW]

Do you post in the biking thread? Also, have you decided what you want to do pc rig wise? Good to hear you're feeling better. Feeling like poop here. Very tired and spacing out despite getting a full night's rest. Though it might have to do with leaping out of bed in morning because my acid reflux was coming up my throat. Couldn't push it down/swallow it and ended up throwing up a little into my bathroom sink. Last thing I ate before bed was some celery and an apple.

Nah im not deep enough into cycling for that... I just ride for fun in the sun and exploring.

PC rise I dunno... I haven't been playing anything much at all because work and golf have been keeping me busy, so I'd need some kind of push to do that really.

I can be a major flake on hobbies ;(

[AdamWW]

Been having some bloating issues making sleep suck hardcore.

Might try upping my fats and reducing veggies and other types of carbs to see if it helps. Got real bad sleep last night cuz I was bloated the whole time... maybe like 5 total 'broken' hours and I still have these sharp cramps going on.

[AdamWW]

went to gym

warmed up for squats

did 2 working sets

felt like passing out

nothing seems to feel right today. that 'rock bottom' feeling. basically zero movement...took a shytty nap... useless.

[AdamWW]

Yeah, I just drive back home on days like that or do some minimal cardio so I don't feel useless. I ended up trying to sleep in today instead and couldn't. Felt like death all day long. I'm so tired now but not the same tired where you can easily fall asleep. I ran 12 miles yesterday. That should give you an idea of how tired I was but couldn't sleep.

Forcing myself to do cardio when my BMI is 17.2 probably is not a good idea, especially if I feel depressed and like garbage.

[AdamWW]

Yeah, I wouldn't advise that, but I'll trade you metabolisms.

really? because I can tell you I feel like shyt most of the time. seems like there's more important things, like for me: not dying.

[AdamWW]

Nah, I'd love to eat and be able to burn off things with that sweet TDEE of yours. I already feel terrible most of the time. The wonders of getting older. Or maybe because I keep myself up at night wondering. A lot.

I'd prefer not reading comments about my TDEE in a positive light, it feeds my disordered thinking.

[AdamWW]

That's the spirit. Go eat a pint of ice cream. Daddy Soja's orders, young man.

You're being really cavalier about a serious issues i'm dealing with.