AdamWW's Retrospective 'Intuitive Eating' Test Log

[TheGymJim]

Hey Dude! Glad you came by.

I'm 100% of the opinion that almost everyone on these forums and who is 'into fitness' in general could easily meet their goals by guesstimating and now weighing/logging everything.

There may be exceptions when people eat out ALL the time, but for common food items if you're been tracking long enough you get really good at all.

Right now all I do is calorie track mentally only because i NEED to gain weight, and it's easy for me to just say "ok, 3 of my 4 meals today have to be 1000 calories, and I can have a 500 calorie snack... to get my minimum". Then if i'm still hungry, I can have more.

But, if I were trying to maintain or bulk in a 'lean' way, it'd be easy enough still.

I like not having to dissect everything

For me it's more like.

I know what 40g protein looks like. Eat a bolus of that 4x per day and that's protein met. I mostly eat stuff which comes from animals so I don't have to worry about meeting fat minimums, I like veggies so I pile them high. That way it just comes down to how much carbs I pile on my plate, how many meals I have and what the scale says. That's the case whether gaining or losing weight.

People overcomplicate these things.

[AdamWW]

For me it's more like.

I know what 40g protein looks like. Eat a bolus of that 4x per day and that's protein met. I mostly eat stuff which comes from animals so I don't have to worry about meeting fat minimums, I like veggies so I pile them high. That way it just comes down to how much carbs I pile on my plate, how many meals I have and what the scale says. That's the case whether gaining or losing weight.

People overcomplicate these things.

makes sense... i do make sure protein is high enough for me, too, because I also used common sources like chicken/eggs etc...

hitting fats and protein is very easy

[AdamWW]

Had a very stressful night after my sister ended up in the ICU. She's doing better though so I'm very happy about that.

Woke up this morning, had a smoothie, hit legs.

Ended up adding a little volume to squats and overall had a nice session. Slept a bit better last night, too, and ended up going out to lunch with mom/dad.

Probably going to be doing more meals out if I can... more money obviously but I find the inability to eyeball things very useful.

I'm feeling pretty 'watery' today... IOW: got that thin 'film' under my skin, hehehe... but it's all good.

Probably just gunna chill inside rest of the day since the sun is hiding this afternoon... make some nice snacks and watch the golf tournament... get nice and carbed/filled up for upper-body tomorrow.

I'm thinking probably breakfast for dinner again... been crushing eggs like no one's business!!

[AdamWW]

I feel like I won today.

Upper Body workout, sister is back home... ate when and what I wanted... and am about to hit my calorie goal early so I can get a good night's rest.

Barely moved at all outside of my early workout, but hey... body felt like not moving...

Just means more stored every for squats tomorrow

Also not as hot so Im thinking i'll sleep like a baby. Good days are nice to have.

[AdamWW]

Also won today, haha! Finally had the energy for deadlifts. No added weight but bar speed and ease of the lift was way up...

Ate like a champ, feel like a blob.

[AdamWW]

Had some bloodwork done yesterday related to Iron, B12, and some other tests to make sure I haven't compromised my immune system.

So far so good... my Iron/Ferritin levels as well as total protein are all within range. Protein was even fairly high, but still normal.

[TheGymJim]

Sounds like you're winning more than Charlie Sheen mate. Good chit.

[AdamWW]

Sounds like you're winning more than Charlie Sheen mate. Good chit.

Other than in the bloating area, that shyts annoying, but oh well... it's necessary for now. Gotta deal with the puff.

[AdamWW]

Bench is up to a new 5x5. Going to hold at this weight one more week then add 5-10lb

[boo99]

Bench is up to a new 5x5. Going to hold at this weight one more week then add 5-10lb

Nice Adam, progress is nice, aint it

[AdamWW]

Nice Adam, progress is nice, aint it

It really is

Training feels very different in an overfed state. Recovery is mentally exhausting, but seeing the strength go up is awesome.

[boo99]

It really is

Training feels very different in an overfed state. Recovery is mentally exhausting, but seeing the strength go up is awesome.

Word

Can relate to this from my screwed up eating patterns

[AdamWW]

Word

Can relate to this from my screwed up eating patterns

it's getting more familiar now... still doesn't feel 'good' all the time, but I'm starting to realize that I have no desire to track food and numbers for the rest of my life. But, the only way of getting there is to at least estimate, and err on the conservative side (IE - assuming things actually have LESS calories than they probably do).

it feels like, as an adult, I shouldn't need to control things given the years of experience I have... i'm looking forward to, once i'm weight-restored, just never tracking this crap again.

[boo99]

it's getting more familiar now... still doesn't feel 'good' all the time, but I'm starting to realize that I have no desire to track food and numbers for the rest of my life. But, the only way of getting there is to at least estimate, and err on the conservative side (IE - assuming things actually have LESS calories than they probably do).

it feels like, as an adult, I shouldn't need to control things given the years of experience I have... i'm looking forward to, once i'm weight-restored, just never tracking this crap again.

Oh yes, I felt freedom releasing that counting crap but as you said if estimating gets you there then that's the way it has to be for now

[AdamWW]

Oh yes, I felt freedom releasing that counting crap but as you said if estimating gets you there then that's the way it has to be for now

Eventually I'll be able to not track at all, I think, but for now after testing my ability to trust intruition, it's not consistent enough to rely on for my weight gain. Some days i'm ravenous and it's no issue, I probably could get 4k on those days without issue.

Others, though, something happens to my digestion and I get like 2300 or something, and way more protein than needed. So until my hunger signals are normalized, I do at least need to mentally guess in my head. It's not too taxing for now, though, because I tracked for so long I know what roughly 300 calories of starch looks like, meat, etc... and I've been sticking so mainly whole foods i'm familiar with OR 'fear foods' that have labels with calories.

So while i'm not 'planning' my meals like I used to (I literally used to sit on my phone in the middle of the night and plan out tomorrow's exact items) I'm thinking recalling for a minute after each meal how many cals it was... so i'll keep a lose running total in my head that I KNOW will land me in a surplus. But in general it all starts with making sure I feel like eating, and then if I end up feeling more hungry than my goal, I just keep eating.

One thing 'they' (the interwebs) never told me about recovery: dietary fat is VERY, VERY important.

This is only a theory, but, when you think about it, if someone in recovery were to be in a negative calories balance and they're TOO lean to pull additional calories from bodyfat (cuz they don't really have any), consuming protein and even carbs to some degree would be suboptimal: if you're lacking in fats sources, then once the protein and carb calories are used, you're back to where you started because there was insufficient dietary fat during those meals to deposit on your body for later lose. So you just end up back where you started.

It's great for people WITH more bodyfat to eat more carbs and protein, but for me, additional FAT in my diet is very important... that's what I'm finding.

A whole avocado, a few tbsp of nut butter, a few eggs, some flax, and some cheese every day has been great for this. Also salmon

I'd estimate something like 30-40% of my calories are now coming from fat, whereas before I would always aim for about 1/2 of my weight in KG for fats, and I always ended up eating more protein, too.

[boo99]

Eventually I'll be able to not track at all, I think, but for now after testing my ability to trust intruition, it's not consistent enough to rely on for my weight gain. Some days i'm ravenous and it's no issue, I probably could get 4k on those days without issue.

Others, though, something happens to my digestion and I get like 2300 or something, and way more protein than needed. So until my hunger signals are normalized, I do at least need to mentally guess in my head. It's not too taxing for now, though, because I tracked for so long I know what roughly 300 calories of starch looks like, meat, etc... and I've been sticking so mainly whole foods i'm familiar with OR 'fear foods' that have labels with calories.

So while i'm not 'planning' my meals like I used to (I literally used to sit on my phone in the middle of the night and plan out tomorrow's exact items) I'm thinking recalling for a minute after each meal how many cals it was... so i'll keep a lose running total in my head that I KNOW will land me in a surplus. But in general it all starts with making sure I feel like eating, and then if I end up feeling more hungry than my goal, I just keep eating.

One thing 'they' (the interwebs) never told me about recovery: dietary fat is VERY, VERY important.

This is only a theory, but, when you think about it, if someone in recovery were to be in a negative calories balance and they're TOO lean to pull additional calories from bodyfat (cuz they don't really have any), consuming protein and even carbs to some degree would be suboptimal: if you're lacking in fats sources, then once the protein and carb calories are used, you're back to where you started because there was insufficient dietary fat during those meals to deposit on your body for later lose. So you just end up back where you started.

It's great for people WITH more bodyfat to eat more carbs and protein, but for me, additional FAT in my diet is very important... that's what I'm finding.

A whole avocado, a few tbsp of nut butter, a few eggs, some flax, and some cheese every day has been great for this. Also salmon

I'd estimate something like 30-40% of my calories are now coming from fat, whereas before I would always aim for about 1/2 of my weight in KG for fats, and I always ended up eating more protein, too.

Wow interesting

So you think they are (were) on that.......fat is bad for you train?

[AdamWW]

Wow interesting

So you think they are (were) on that.......fat is bad for you train?

no no not at all...

I'm speaking from a metabolic point of view.

I've always eaten aout 50-80g of fat per day naturally but what I mean is I suspect that requirement changes when you're super lean.

You can persist on lower fat in a lean state for a SHORT period (ie - bodybuilders doing contest preps), but when you're as thin/light/lean as I am for THIS long, having lower dietary fats catches up with you because you don't have stores of essential fatty acids.

If I had more fat storage, that'd be different.

[boo99]

no no not at all...

I'm speaking from a metabolic point of view.

I've always eaten aout 50-80g of fat per day naturally but what I mean is I suspect that requirement changes when you're super lean.

You can persist on lower fat in a lean state for a SHORT period (ie - bodybuilders doing contest preps), but when you're as thin/light/lean as I am for THIS long, having lower dietary fats catches up with you because you don't have stores of essential fatty acids.

If I had more fat storage, that'd be different.

Oh ok I get it

It seems everything gets more critical when very lean; when I was going to compete and down to 125 lbs, SLIGHT changes in lab values etc made me very symptomatic where as now, at a higher weight, the issues arent felt or minimal

[AdamWW]

Oh ok I get it

It seems everything gets more critical when very lean; when I was going to compete and down to 125 lbs, SLIGHT changes in lab values etc made me very symptomatic where as now, at a higher weight, the issues arent felt or minimal

Bodyfat is a buffer we can use to synthesize critical nutrients when our dietary sources are insufficient... so yeah, the leaner you are, the less flexibility you'll have before feeling really bad.

That's often why people in recovery REALLY sell themselves short trying to gradually come back into refeeding... if you just SLOWLY gain fat again, anytime there's a short scarcity you end up feeling horrible. Best option is to allow your body to fully repair... it makes everything so much easier.

Plus, in my situation, there's probably a good deal of internal repair happening that I can't even see.

[AdamWW]

Today I did my lower body #2 day, squat focus.

Ended up finally getting the 5x5 I needed. Going to add 5lbs next week for sure.

I even managed more reps on leg press afterward, which was awesome!

Finally, i got the rest of my blood work back... they did these serum protein analyses to make sure I didn't have any cancer markers/indicators in my bones. Finally came back normal, so that should clear me of some immediate concern. Probably the additional food is working.

I did have very slightly high albumin, but I eat a higher protein diet so that's pretty normal.

[AdamWW]

Something interesting has been happening mentally during this process. I've found myself feeling lonely and bored, angry more often, and also having these brief periods of extreme 'emotion' (not a specific emotion even, but a kind of deep pondering followed by weird thoughts and feelings...).

I've lost interest in watching those YouTube 'What I eat' videos almost ever... I rarely now seek browsing pictures online of food, watching food shows (though some are still kind of fun), etc.

Conversely, i've found myself getting more 'into' random things... stuff that I thought I lost interest in but now I feel like I wanna start again.

I guess maybe it's my mind being more free of food focus and thinking about more important things... I have to say it's kind of overwhelming.

I'm starting to suspect my ED has been used as a coping mechanism for loneliness and a lack of motivation to go in a certain direction with my life. It filled a void...

[Strawng]

I'm starting to suspect my ED has been used as a coping mechanism for loneliness and a lack of motivation to go in a certain direction with my life. It filled a void...

Fuking A right. You won't believe how much emotion, motivation, & "self" you're starving away. The rage, the ambition, the depression, loneliness, heartbreak, unfulfilled desires, & most of all, the joy I starved away continue to surprise me as I recover more & more. My life continues to look VERY differently from eating differently, & I have a feeling you may be headed a similar route. It's probably going to feel awful at first honestly, then it's going to feel overwhelmingly great, and back again. Keep at it & know A LOT of feelings are going to come up if you continue on your path. This is a really, really GOOD sign that you're changing! Keep at it man.

[AdamWW]

Fuking A right. You won't believe how much emotion, motivation, & "self" you're starving away. The rage, the ambition, the depression, loneliness, heartbreak, unfulfilled desires, & most of all, the joy I starved away continue to surprise me as I recover more & more. My life continues to look VERY differently from eating differently, & I have a feeling you may be headed a similar route. It's probably going to feel awful at first honestly, then it's going to feel overwhelmingly great, and back again. Keep at it & know A LOT of feelings are going to come up if you continue on your path. This is a really, really GOOD sign that you're changing! Keep at it man.

amen to that. i sat there on my couch last night suddenly wanting to cry... not even joking... because I suddenly felt this deep yearning for a romantic relationship... having all these weird thoughts about my future... just seriously random shyt I haven't thought about in years, I presume because I was filling any and all available free brain space with meal planning, numbers, counting, etc...

Without those things, it's like I have no passions... i'm having to route my thoughts to areas I haven't had to in such a long time it's like I don't know WTF to do with my brain....

Same goes with the roller-coaster of cravings: one minute I hate the idea of food, the next minute I could eat a house. Seems pretty clear I totally disobeyed my body for years... and here it is fighting back. Crazy times dude.

[boo99]

I'm starting to suspect my ED has been used as a coping mechanism for loneliness and a lack of motivation to go in a certain direction with my life. It filled a void...

Also that is my take on my issues as well

I am so phukin bored etc that eating would fill that void (pun intended) but I realize I have to get to the root of the issues to stop the branch (the overeating) from taking over

[AdamWW]

Also that is my take on my issues as well

I am so phukin bored etc that eating would fill that void (pun intended) but I realize I have to get to the root of the issues to stop the branch (the overeating) from taking over

Some people use booze, some use drugs, others use sex/porn... you name it... it's all on the same spectrum: replacing the need to deal with real life by obsessing or indulging in distractions and controls.

[AdamWW]

Just a random check in... life is going good... feeling stronger every day.

Bloating is still rough, and emotions are still all over, but sleep, libido, energy, and lack of food focus from the extra intake has made certain things so much easier.

More able to think about 'real' life than I have been in a long, long time. It's a really odd feeling. Feels like it'll take some getting used to, this whole 'normal human' thing.

[boo99]

Some people use booze, some use drugs, others use sex/porn... you name it... it's all on the same spectrum: replacing the need to deal with real life by obsessing or indulging in distractions and controls.

How true

I'm glad I don't drink anymore which made my eating even more uncontrollable

Just a random check in... life is going good... feeling stronger every day.

Bloating is still rough, and emotions are still all over, but sleep, libido, energy, and lack of food focus from the extra intake has made certain things so much easier.

More able to think about 'real' life than I have been in a long, long time. It's a really odd feeling. Feels like it'll take some getting used to, this whole 'normal human' thing.

Right on Adam

Do you have an Eve in your life

[AdamWW]

How true

I'm glad I don't drink anymore which made my eating even more uncontrollable




Right on Adam

Do you have an Eve in your life

No love life at the moment ;o)

It's tough when you're working through these issues, but there is someone I'm 'interested' in!

[boo99]

No love life at the moment ;o)

It's tough when you're working through these issues, but there is someone I'm 'interested' in!

Nice and I understand issues > romance, which is prolly why I am single a while now

[AdamWW]

Life is like a rollercoaster. Or a pretty girl bobbing up and down as you appreciate the top of her head.

lol

wow... subtle!