Leptin Reset - Fit, Forty, and FABULOUS!

Week 1 Day 5:
Last night I woke TWICE ravenous with hunger. I ended up eating a hotdog. So frickin hungry. It's like hunger on steroids. Nothing I ever feel during the day. I feel like I'm going stark raving mad.

This morning I had breakfast, typed it into FitDay and had much too low carbs again. So I added a cup and a half of green beans. I have simply GOT to start eating carbs in the morning so I don't have them at dinner. I need to save my protein and fat for dinner so I can sleep through the night. Whew.

I've been to three stores near my home looking for produce, trying to avoid the longer hike to the incredible health food store, but I keep striking out. Nothing organic, and most of the veggies too sweet for me. I'm going to make a concerted effort to get some decent vegetables today so I don't get caught with my pants down yet again.

I didn't realize how incredibly low carb I've been eating on GAPS for the past year and a half. I knew I should be following their protocol and eating more veggies, but I never thought to count my carbs or figure out how many I want to eat till now. My body doesn't seem to like them. They make me tired and hungry. All I want is protein and fat.

I'm going to give veggies the good ole college try, though.

It's 8:20a and I'm already wanting a nap. Post carb coma...sigh.

***update
It's 10:30a. I ended up crashing for two hours. I'm starting to think I'm jumping up to too many carbs too soon. I'm not used to eating 50g of carbs a day. More like 15 to 25g. And then to eat green beans, which are so sweet...I think I just had a sugar crash. My poor body isn't used to it.

So I'm going to eat less carbs, and stick to dark green and totally not sweet ones for now.

Whew!

Leptin Sensitive - Week 1, Day 6

Last night, on week 1 day 5, I had a huge meal of very fatty roast duck and a few mushrooms. Was stuffed to the gills. Ate by 7p and slept at 10:30p. At 12 30a I woke stark raving mad with hunger. I was up till 3 30a. I tried a cup of tea and some other tricks to help me sleep to no avail. Finally I had some chorizo and a hot shower and fell asleep. I am so done with this night waking. I think I need to eat closer to bed time and have less carbs during the day. Maybe work my way to an earlier eating time. Perhaps I'm not leptin sensitive after all???

I an article on cheeseslave's blog. It's about not being able to lose belly fat. It talks about intermittent fasting, high cortisol, lack of magnesium on a paleo diet, and middle of the night cortisol insomnia. Sounds like me!

[url=http://www.cheeseslave.com/is-it-wheat-belly-or-cortisol-belly/]Is It Wheat Belly? Or Cortisol Belly? | CHEESESLAVE[/url]

So I've been wondering if I should just make some tweaks to this leptin sensitive diet - namely do Mark's protocol of WHEN: When Hungry Eat Now. And also add some magnesium to my diet. Apparently transdermally is the best way to do it. So I'm tweaking my food, timing, and supplements for now and will get back on reporting my daily doings soon.

I took my first CrossFit class. We happened to focus on shoulders that day. I didn't push myself too hard, and I felt fabulous after. Today, two days later, I feel pleasantly sore. Like I'm making new muscles, but I didn't overdo it. I was terrified out of my wits to go. I don't like pushing myself with exercise, and I've heard that's what CrossFit is all about. But I tailored it to my level of fitness, and I think it was awesome.

My belly is still exactly the same, if not bigger.

I'll figure it out!

Alright...I've decided to switch gears. Post leptin reset wasn't getting me anywhere. I gave up my car, bike an hour a day, started crossfit, ate less food, and ended up gaining weight. Perhaps because I wasn't eating breakfast before, and then started with his diet.

I recently came across the bulletproof executive [url=http://www.bulletproofexec.com]The Bulletproof Executive[/url] and decided to incorporate his fat burning ideas.

Bulletproof intermittent fasting [url=http://www.bulletproofexec.com/bulletproof-fasting/]Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting | The Bulletproof Executive[/url], with diet [url=http://www.bulletproofexec.com/the-complete-illustrated-one-page-bulletproof-diet/]The Bulletproof Diet (Upgraded Paleo) | The Bulletproof Executive[/url]

IF
Step 1: Finish dinner by 8 pm
Step 2: Drink Bulletproof Coffee in the morning
Step 2.5 (optional) – Work out
Step 3: Do not eat until 2pm
Step 4: Eat as much Bulletproof food as you like for 6 hours (until 8 pm)

DIET
Target 50-60% of calories from healthy fats (this is easy and tastes good), 20% from protein, and the rest from vegetables.

SUPP
Vit D - 1000 IU per 25 lbs weight (5000 for me)
Magnesium (ionic, oil, homeopathic) - 400 - 800 mg/ day
FCLO - 1 - 2 T a day

EXCERCISE
Sprint/ Intense Bike 2x a week
Crossfit 1 - 2x a week
Walk, bike, take stairs as much as possible

I'm still waking up with the sun, lowering lights at night, being as active as much as possible during the day, doing cross fit once a week and sprinting twice a week. Crossed fingers!!

2.23.12

wow...this bulletproof coffee is unbelievable. i'm not a coffee drinker, so the buzz and energy i have off it is phenomenal. if i felt like this everyday i could rule the world! i'm only needing six hours sleep. i try to sleep more but i just can't. this is day three of coffee and it's amazing. i'm getting the best stuff in san francisco, at four barrel coffee. haven't gotten the coconut oil yet, so it's just coffee and butter for now. i upped it to 3T today, and it was much more satiating. very easy to fast until 2p.

but i wonder...isn't the energy because my body thinks it's fighting poison? i read that about coffee somewhere. and isn't it burning out my adrenals? sigh. once my belly fat melts off, i'm going to stop the bulletproof coffee. but, for now, it's a hell of a ride!

i keep being shocked that my pooch isn't budging an inch. i mean, i started riding my bike an hour a day, crossfit three times now, i eat less, stopped sweets except for something small once a week...all vast improvements...and yet, if anything, my pooch is bigger! so weird. i hope it's not pre menopause hormonal stuff already. ayyy....

in any case, other than my pooch, i look fabulous and feel fabulous. i am so grateful for that. it's becoming more of a desire to figure out this puzzle...

[B]IF[/B]
[B]Step 1: Finish dinner by 8 pm[/B] no
[B]Step 2: Drink Bulletproof Coffee in the morning[/B] yes
[B]Step 2.5 (optional) – Work out[/B] not today
[B]Step 3: Do not eat until 2pm[/B] yes
[B]Step 4: Eat as much Bulletproof food as you like for 6 hours (until 8 pm)[/B]
got hungry and ate at 9:20p

[B]DIET[/B]
[B]Target 50-60% of calories from healthy fats (this is easy and tastes good), 20% from protein, and the rest from vegetables.[/B] yes

[B]SUPP[/B]
[B]Vit D - 1000 IU per 25 lbs weight (5000 for me)[/B] not yet
[B]Magnesium (ionic, oil, homeopathic) - 400 - 800 mg/ day[/B] not yet
[B]FCLO - 1 - 2 T a day[/B] yes

[B]EXCERCISE[/B]
[B]Sprint/ Intense Bike 2x a week[/B] wednesday and sunday
[B]Crossfit 1 - 2x a week[/B] sunday
[B]Walk, bike, take stairs as much as possible[/B] yes

Interesting stuff, czev. I concur that you don't look 40, you look just terrific. Really showing a lot of discipline with the journaling and the various tweaks. Will be interesting to see where this all goes...

Received my MCT oil. Yay! Had a bulletproof green tea. I'm concerned about burning out my adrenals with coffee, so I don't want to have it all the time.

Week 4 of crossfit today. My fourth class. My body fat is still the same as before I started. Sometimes I think I should go twice a week. I love how it makes me feel. Really a lot. I still dread it before I go, but then end up loving it.

I'm thinking I really need to flush out toxins and take vit d, k, and magnesium, as most people are deficient in these. And they can affect belly fat. Going to look into these asap. :)


Feb 26th, Day 4

[B]IF[/B]
[B]Step 1: Finish dinner by 8 pm[/B] yes
[B]Step 2: Drink Bulletproof Coffee in the morning[/B] had bulletproof green tea, instead.
[B]Step 2.5 (optional) – Work out[/B] crossfit...sprints, chin ups, squats, power lifts, for an hour.
[B]Step 3: Do not eat until 2pm[/B] yes
[B]Step 4: Eat as much Bulletproof food as you like for 6 hours (until 8 pm)[/B] yes, broth, tuna, blueberries, roasted mushrooms and onions, raw liver, eggs.

[B]DIET[/B]
[B]Target 50-60% of calories from healthy fats, 20% from protein, and the rest from vegetables.[/B] 59% fat, 26% protein, 15% carbs

[B]SUPP[/B]
[B]Vit D - 1000 IU per 25 lbs weight (5000 for me)[/B] no
[B]Magnesium (ionic, oil, homeopathic) - 400 - 800 mg/ day[/B] no
[B]FCLO - 1 - 2 T a day[/B] no

[B]EXCERCISE[/B]
[B]Sprint/ Intense Bike 2x a week[/B] sprint at crossfit
[B]Crossfit 1 - 2x a week[/B] yes, crossfit today
[B]Walk, bike, take stairs as much as possible[/B] biked to and from crossfit, played soccer with son, walked

i wrote the following email to my fasting yahoo group, called fast five:

I have been trying to do fast five on and off for years, but have an obstacle I run into. I've never been able to do fast five for more than a day or two.

I typically fast in the morning. I try to make it until 12p and then eat till 5p. But I get too hungry a few hrs after I fall asleep. Like crazy hungry. I think it might be a cortisol issue? So I wait and eat between 2p and 7p. Same thing. I stretch it out to 8p. Same thing. It's much worse when I exercise. I've tried eating eggs and canned fish at 8p and going to sleep at 930p. Still wake up starving sometimes. It takes me two to four hours to get back to sleep. I noticed that carbs at night make it worse, so I eat carbs earlier in the day. I STILL wake up hungry.

I eat a paleo diet. 50% fats, 25 to 30% proteins. About 1800 to 2000 calories a day. I dont eat sugar in any form, except on special occasions. I bike an hr a day for transportation. I do crossfit once a week.

I have five pounds to lose and I just can't. I'm going to get my vit d levels tested, in case that is the issue. Any ideas? How many calories do you eat a day? What do you eat?

Here's a sample of what I do for food and exercise:


February 17, 2012

Foods Calories Carbs Fat Protein Cholest Sodium Sugars Fiber
Lunch
Homemade - Beef Broth, 1.5 c 23 0g 0g 5g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Homemade - Chicken Soup Broth, 1.5 cup 57 1g 2g 7g 0mg 300mg 0g 0g
Deli - Beef Mortadella With Pistachios, 168 g 270 9g 12g 27g 75mg 2,670mg 0g 0g
Cheese - Gouda, 4 oz 403 3g 31g 28g 129mg 927mg 3g 0g
Dinner
Homemade - Slow-Cooked Pork & Beans, 1.5 Cup 326 24g 9g 36g 84mg 606mg 0g 3g
Lifeway Kefir - Plain Unsweetened, 0.25 cup 28 3g 1g 3g 3mg 31mg 3g 0g
Snacks
Lara Bar - Chocolate Mint, 1 bar 190 25g 9g 5g 0mg 0mg 19g 5g
Lee's Pig Skins - "Seasoned Dipper" Cracklins, 0.75 oz. (14g) 120 0g 7g 14g 23mg 375mg 0g 0g
TOTAL: 1,417 65g 71g 125g 314mg 4,909mg 25g 8g
Exercises Calories Minutes Sets Reps Weight
Cardiovascular
Bicycling, 12-14 mph, moderate (cycling, biking, bike riding) 314 40
TOTALS: 314 40 0 0 0


February 18, 2012

Foods Calories Carbs Fat Protein Cholest Sodium Sugars Fiber
Breakfast
Trader Joe's - Double Chocolate Biscotti, 2 Biscotti (28 g) 300 38g 16g 2g 40mg 120mg 26g 2g
Puffins - Peanut Butter Cereal, 3/4 cup 110 23g 2g 3g 0mg 230mg 6g 2g
Lunch
Eggs - Scrambled (whole egg), 1 large 101 1g 7g 7g 215mg 171mg 1g 0g
Trader Joe's - Organic Lowfat Yogurt, Raspberry, 6 oz. 130 23g 3g 7g 15mg 75mg 19g 0g
Dinner
Cheesecake Factory - Original Cheesecake(Corrected 9/6/11), 0.5 slice (151g) 230 22g 15g 4g 80mg 165mg 17g 1g
the Cheesecake Factory - New Orleans Shrimp, 0.5 dish 353 49g 7g 12g 0mg 0mg 2g 0g
Snacks
Ghiradelli - Dark Chocolate Squares With Caramel, 1 squares 63 9g 4g 1g 2mg 12mg 7g 1g
TOTAL: 1,287 165g 54g 36g 352mg 773mg 78g 6g
Exercises Calories Minutes Sets Reps Weight
Cardiovascular
Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace, walking dog 48 15
TOTALS: 48 15 0 0 0
February 20, 2012

Foods Calories Carbs Fat Protein Cholest Sodium Sugars Fiber
Breakfast
Silvey - Mexican Frittata, 1.5 Slice 612 17g 42g 42g 515mg 1,353mg 7g 3g
Simply Potatoes - Shredded Hash Browns, 1/2 cup 70 16g 0g 1g 0mg 55mg 0g 1g
Uncle Eddie's - Vegan Cookies - Chocolate Chip Walnut, 5 cookie 650 90g 30g 10g 0mg 550mg 50g 0g
Dinner
Homemade - Beef Broth, 1.5 c 23 0g 0g 5g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Bill's - Shrimp - Sauteed, 3 oz 77 0g 1g 24g 165mg 160mg 0g 0g
Boston Market - Beef Brisket, 2.5 oz 144 0g 8g 18g 59mg 356mg 1g 0g
TOTAL: 1,576 123g 81g 100g 739mg 2,474mg 58g 4g
Exercises Calories Minutes Sets Reps Weight
Cardiovascular
Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace, walking dog 48 15
TOTALS: 48 15 0 0 0
February 21, 2012

Foods Calories Carbs Fat Protein Cholest Sodium Sugars Fiber
Breakfast
Generic - Egg Scrambled - Large (Usda Data), 3 egg 210 2g 10g 9g 416mg 132mg 0g 0g
Butter - Salted, 2 pat (1" sq, 1/3" high) 72 0g 8g 0g 22mg 58mg 0g 0g
Homemade - Chicken Soup Broth, 1.5 cup 57 1g 2g 7g 0mg 300mg 0g 0g
Pork - Cured, bacon, cooked, pan-fried, 2 slice cooked 84 0g 6g 6g 18mg 384mg 0g 0g
Dinner
Olive Garden - Salad With Dressing, 1 serving 290 23g 20g 5g 0mg 1,530mg 0g 4g
Generic - Steamed Clams - Small/Medium/Large, 1 cup (8 large clams, 12 medium clams, 15 small clams) 138 5g 2g 24g 63mg 708mg 0g 0g
Old Country - Sourdough Bread , 2 slice 180 34g 2g 6g 0mg 300mg 0g 2g
Butter - Salted, 1 tbsp 102 0g 12g 0g 31mg 82mg 0g 0g
TOTAL: 1,133 65g 62g 57g 550mg 3,494mg 0g 6g
Exercises Calories Minutes Sets Reps Weight
Cardiovascular
Bicycling, <10 mph, leisure (cycling, biking, bike riding) 310 80
TOTALS: 310 80 0 0 0
February 22, 2012

Foods Calories Carbs Fat Protein Cholest Sodium Sugars Fiber
Breakfast
Butter - Unsalted, 1 tbsp 102 0g 12g 0g 31mg 2mg 0g 0g
Lunch
Butter - Salted, 1 tbsp 102 0g 12g 0g 31mg 82mg 0g 0g
Dinner
Trader Joes's - Chicken Chili With Beans, 1.5 cup 435 48g 14g 29g 75mg 1,215mg 9g 9g
Fritos - Original Corn Chips (1 oz) Bag, 1 Package 160 15g 10g 2g 0mg 170mg 1g 1g
Bill's Daisy - Sour Cream, 2 Tbsp 60 1g 5g 1g 20mg 15mg 1g 0g
TOTAL: 859 64g 53g 32g 157mg 1,484mg 11g 10g
Exercises Calories Minutes Sets Reps Weight
Cardiovascular
Bicycling, 14-16 mph, vigorous (cycling, biking, bike riding) 194 20
Bicycling, <10 mph, leisure (cycling, biking, bike riding) 174 45
TOTALS: 368 65 0 0 0
February 23, 2012

Foods Calories Carbs Fat Protein Cholest Sodium Sugars Fiber
Breakfast
Kerrygold Irish Butter - Butter, 3 Tbsp 300 0g 33g 0g 90mg 315mg 0g 0g
Lunch
Sadler's Smokehouse - Beef Brisket, 3 ounces 260 0g 19g 21g 70mg 560mg 0g 0g
Homemade - Chicken Soup Broth, 1 cup 38 1g 1g 5g 0mg 200mg 0g 0g
Carl's Junior - Cheeseburger - Kid's, 1 burger 290 25g 15g 12g 40mg 790mg 5g 1g
Dinner
Schwan's - Beef Hot Dog, 1 frank(2oz) 150 0g 14g 6g 30mg 510mg 0g 0g
Homemade - Ham Hock and Navy Bean Soup, 1.5 cups 340 50g 7g 23g 15mg 210mg 0g 19g
Homemade - Scrambled Eggs (1 Egg), 3 large egg 225 3g 15g 18g 645mg 0mg 0g 0g
Texas Star Nuts - Walnuts, 1/4 cup 200 3g 19g 5g 0mg 0mg 0g 3g
Snacks
Green Pastures Blue Ice Clo - Fermented Cod Liver Oil, 15 ml 120 0g 15g 0g 23mg 248mg 0g 0g
TOTAL: 1,923 82g 138g 90g 913mg 2,833mg 5g 23g
Exercises Calories Minutes Sets Reps Weight
Cardiovascular
Bicycling, <10 mph, leisure (cycling, biking, bike riding) 233 60
Bicycling, 14-16 mph, vigorous (cycling, biking, bike riding) 194 20
TOTALS: 427 80 0 0 0
February 24, 2012

Foods Calories Carbs Fat Protein Cholest Sodium Sugars Fiber
Breakfast
Kerrygold Irish Butter - Butter, 3 Tbsp 300 0g 33g 0g 90mg 315mg 0g 0g
Lunch
Homemade - Chicken Soup Broth, 1 cup 38 1g 1g 5g 0mg 200mg 0g 0g
Kerrygold - Pure Irish Butter Unsalted, 1 tbsp 100 0g 12g 0g 30mg 0mg 0g 0g
Homemade - Ham Hock and Navy Bean Soup, 1 cups 227 33g 5g 15g 10mg 140mg 0g 13g
Dinner
Bird's Eye - Steamed Broccoli, 1.5 cup 45 6g 0g 3g 0mg 30mg 3g 3g
Napa Valley Naturals - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 Tbsp (14) g 120 0g 14g 0g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Blueberries - Raw, 0.33 cup 28 7g 0g 0g 0mg 0mg 5g 1g
Homemade - Beef Broth, 1.5 c 23 0g 0g 5g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Oscar Mayer Bacon - Bacon - Hearty Thick Cut Bacon, 1 slice 50 0g 5g 4g 10mg 250mg 0g 0g
Vital Choice - Sardines, 1 Can 62g 220 0g 12g 28g 78mg 90mg 0g 0g
Snacks
Liqumins - Concentrace, 1/2 tsp 0 0g 0g 0g 0mg 37mg 0g 0g
Texas Star Nuts - Walnuts, 1/4 cup 200 3g 19g 5g 0mg 0mg 0g 3g
TOTAL: 1,351 50g 101g 65g 218mg 1,062mg 8g 20g
Exercises Calories Minutes Sets Reps Weight
Cardiovascular
Bicycling, <10 mph, leisure (cycling, biking, bike riding) 77 20
TOTALS: 77 20 0 0 0
February 25, 2012

Foods Calories Carbs Fat Protein Cholest Sodium Sugars Fiber
Breakfast
Homemade - Chicken Soup Broth, 1 cup 38 1g 1g 5g 0mg 200mg 0g 0g
Butter - Salted, 2 tbsp 204 0g 23g 0g 61mg 164mg 0g 0g
Lunch
Homemade - Ham Hock and Navy Bean Soup, 1.5 cups 340 50g 7g 23g 15mg 210mg 0g 19g
Noodle Bar - Broccoli Steamed, 56 g 20 4g 0g 2g 0mg 20mg 0g 2g
Kerrygold - Pure Irish Butter Unsalted, 1.5 tbsp 150 0g 18g 0g 45mg 0mg 0g 0g
Dinner
Boston Market - Beef Brisket, 2.5 oz 144 0g 8g 18g 59mg 356mg 1g 0g
Generic - Chocolate Birthday Cake, 0.5 slice 219 29g 9g 5g 0mg 0mg 33g 1g
Trader Joe's - New York Deli Style Cheesecake, 0.10725 of cake (125g) 300 24g 21g 5g 105mg 165mg 17g 0g
Lard, 1 tbsp 115 0g 13g 0g 12mg 0mg 0g 0g
Snacks
Texas Star Nuts - Walnuts, 1/4 cup 200 3g 19g 5g 0mg 0mg 0g 3g
TOTAL: 1,730 111g 119g 63g 297mg 1,115mg 51g 25g
Exercises Calories Minutes Sets Reps Weight
Cardiovascular
Bicycling, <10 mph, leisure (cycling, biking, bike riding) 174 45
TOTALS: 174 45 0 0 0
February 26, 2012

Foods Calories Carbs Fat Protein Cholest Sodium Sugars Fiber
Breakfast
Kerrygold - Pure Irish Butter Unsalted, 2 tbsp 200 0g 24g 0g 60mg 0mg 0g 0g
Dr. Bernd Friedlander - Mct Oil, 4.33 tsp (4.6 g) 165 0g 20g 0g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Lunch
Homemade - Chicken Soup Broth, 1 cup 38 1g 1g 5g 0mg 200mg 0g 0g
Kerrygold - Pure Irish Butter Unsalted, 1 tbsp 100 0g 12g 0g 30mg 0mg 0g 0g
Wild Planet - Sustainably Caught Wild Albacore Tuna Fillets, 6 oz 360 0g 18g 48g 45mg 750mg 0g 0g
Dinner
Generic - Sautéed Mushrooms & Onions, 9 oz (approx 1/2 c) 284 32g 14g 14g 36mg 113mg 0g 9g
Eggs - Scrambled (whole egg), 2 large 203 3g 15g 14g 429mg 342mg 2g 0g
Beef - Liver - Raw, 100 g 135 4g 4g 20g 275mg 69mg 0g 0g
Homemade - Beef Broth, 1.5 c 23 0g 0g 5g 0mg 0mg 0g 0g
Snacks
Blueberries - Raw, 1 cup 83 21g 0g 1g 0mg 1mg 14g 3g
TOTAL: 1,591 61g 108g 107g 875mg 1,475mg 16g 12g
Food Notes

woke up in the middle of the night starving. was up from 130a to 5p

Exercises Calories Minutes Sets Reps Weight
Cardiovascular
Bicycling, 14-16 mph, vigorous (cycling, biking, bike riding) 97 10
Running (jogging), 7.5 mph (8 min mile) 85 7
Strength Training
Squat 4 3 15
Overhead Press, Barbell 3 10 35
Chin-Ups 3 6
TOTALS: 182 17 10 19 50

here's a response i got:




On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 1:02 AM, Heather Twist <HeatherTwist@gmail.com> wrote:

That "crazy hungry" thing is one of the reasons I've been trying to figure out the whole food issue. I used to be "crazy hungry" ALL THE TIME. I'm not sure what-all causes it, although it has gotten way better since I started changing my diet. Here are a few things I think affect it:


1. Fibers. Your diet does not seem to have many. Our ancestors actually ate a lot of plant material (they can tell by the dental wear patterns) and the fibers, as they digest, produce butyrate in your gut. This stuff is highly great for your gut, and makes you satisfied for hours and hours after a meal. Konjac is one of the best fibers.

2. Format of your foods. You mention "Apple Crumble". What is an Apple Crumble? I'm guessing it includes apples plus some cookie-like topping? How about eating say, 2 whole fresh apples?

3. Fresh foods. Adding a lot of nice green vegies to my diet makes me feel great. Like, today I had 3 cups or so of mixed lettuce, carrots, sweet peppers, anaheim peppers, celery ... topped with a salad of tuna, lime juice, Sciracha sauce, homemade mustard. Then half a tilapia, fried in coconut oil, and some sauteed asparagus, with a kind of pesto made from pureed basil and raw cashews and garlic. That was some hours ago, but I can't think about food at this point, I'm too full. And I'll still be too full tomorrow. Note that most of the meal is vegies ... they do good things. The spices do good things too: ginger, pepper, and all the others are really good for your body, and give your metabolism a boost.

4. Cortisol: absolutely. It's a big one in the gluten-intolerant community. One whiff of gluten, and I have "the hungries" for days. Casein does it to me too. You can experiment with what works for you in that department.

5. Just plain lack of calories. You are really active, and within 5 lbs of your goal weight? How do you know what your goal weight really is? YOU might think your body should be "120", but your appestat is thinking, "125!". People who want to be really "ripped" have a lot of tricks to do that, including just plain suffering through it. All in all, the "weight" is just a number, and the extra 5 lbs might be fat, or it might be extra water, muscle, or nice strong bones (strong bones weigh a lot). But women tend to carry extra fat under the skin so your body might rebel against getting rid of it.

One trick that the body builders use ... that works ... is MCT. It's an oil, part of coconut oil, and it does seem to trick the appestat when used with meals and good for getting rid of that extra 5 lbs. The main downside is that it is rather pricey, and should not be taken on an empty stomach. I'd try extra soft fiber first though, esp. in the form of fresh veggies.

and this response:


I agree with Heather regarding your goal of 120 -- the appetite center in your brain has know way of knowing what your goal weight is -- it operates on million-year-old biology mechanisms, not numbers. It looks like your body "likes" 125 as a set point and getting lower than that can be a tough fight that makes only a subtle difference in appearance. It may help to get the opinion of a trusted friend on whether you have "extra" fat at 125.

When starting Fast-5, have you tried the gradual-adjustment method instead of a cold-turkey switch?

When you wake up starving, do you eat something? If so, your late-night wakeup may be your body's 24 hour clock saying "feed me -- you fed me yesterday at this time." You may be able to knock out that 24-hour "alarm" by getting through it a couple of times without eating. I know that's not easy, and I don't suggest it lightly.

Do you track your calories every day or was this record a short-term thing? If it's an every day thing you do, it may take a leap of faith to leave the counting behind and let your body do the counting. Thinking less about the numbers (weight and calories) may let your body ease into a more comfortable rhythm that gradually gets you where you want to be.