Noticeable decrease in strength page

[LauraTX]

I’ve been Primal for roughly 2 months, 80/20 I should say. Things are great aesthetically however I’ve never had much of an issue with weight though now, for the 1st time in a while, my tummy is solid which has been a result historically difficult for me to obtain. I remain very active & drink a lot of water, both of which have always been a fairly normal part of my daily life. The differences I have noticed since beginning the primal diet have been in my sleep patterns & strength. I have basically become an insomniac and I've noticed a serious decrease in my upper body strength. I am worried that this may have something to do with my carb intake, or rather lack of, however (on paper) that logic simply doesn’t make a lot of sense.

I should inform you that I have been under an unusual amount of pressure resulting in large doses of stress and emotional angst…. Also, this is the first time I have ever been on a diet of any kind.

Thoughts?

[peril]

Are you doing PB or just the diet aspects?

Are you getting enough protein?

Are you making sure you get all your micronutrients? B group vitamins are essential to vitality

[LauraTX]

I would have to say just the diet aspect though I believe many of the PB guidelines are naturally incorporated into my life style.

I eat a lot of eggs & chicken however I have never been much of a steak person & I do not take vitamins.

I admit I am ignorant (for the most part) to the percentage of any vitamin I intake daily. Actually, someone suggested I sign up to this forum to get a chart of carbohydrates politely pointing out that I do not have a good grasp on what is or is not.

I have perused the information pages however I've recently started a new career and am inundated with training, tasks, & clients. Needless to say, the overwhelming amount of information is discouraging & having never been a “health nut”, I don’t have a knowledgeable foundation to work from.

[CE402]

Throw in some starchy tubers and see what happens. I found my performance seriously waning once I got within 5-10lbs of my ideal weight, especially with high-intensity activities. Cut back fruit (fructose) down to one or two servings a day, also removed most nuts from my diet (linolaic acid) and fermented dairy and replaced them with sweet potatoes, rutabagas, beets and other starchy tubers (glucose) along with upping my protein uptake to 1.0-1.25g/lb bodyweight (150-210g). Had more energy to workout and really felt better. I might eat two or three spuds a week now; generally half post workout with some lean meat and the rest for dinner on heavy lifting or sprinting days. Near as I can guess is after close to a year of almost ZERO starchy tubers I was chronically low on muscle glycogen.

I also ran a few days through fitday and found I was eating to satiety at a massive caloric deficit (500-1000/day) Once I started eating more, not only did I lose weight again, but I really began gaining strength.

Of course, this also coincided with a drastic reduction in work related stress as well for unrelated reasons. So that could be it, too...

[peril]

I would have to say just the diet aspect though I believe many of the PB guidelines are naturally incorporated into my life style.

I eat a lot of eggs & chicken however I have never been much of a steak person & I do not take vitamins.

I admit I am ignorant (for the most part) to the percentage of any vitamin I intake daily. Actually, someone suggested I sign up to this forum to get a chart of carbohydrates politely pointing out that I do not have a good grasp on what is or is not.

I have perused the information pages however I've recently started a new career and am inundated with training, tasks, & clients. Needless to say, the overwhelming amount of information is discouraging & having never been a “health nut”, I don’t have a knowledgeable foundation to work from.

Offal and red meat are the best natural sources of the B group vitamins. A good chance that you are deficient.

What about protein? Are you getting enough? You need between 0.7-1.0g per pound of lean body mass

For the insomnia, try supplementing magnesium, which is hard to get in sufficiency from diet

[Nion]

I would say eat some red meat, it sounds similar to the symptoms of Anemia. (iron deficiency)

[katiethepiano]

I would say eat some red meat, it sounds similar to the symptoms of Anemia. (iron deficiency)

I would agree. Anemia and stress go hand in hand with me.

[LauraTX]

I would agree. Anemia and stress go hand in hand with me.

How are they correlated? Do you know how quickly a person can become deficient to the point of anemic?

[LauraTX]

I would say eat some red meat, it sounds similar to the symptoms of Anemia. (iron deficiency)

I thought of that initially however I was tested for everything no more than 3 months ago & I want to say my iron count was normal, perhaps only slightly low (if at all).... to my recollection. That's not to say I couldn't stand to up my red meat intake or try to include more B vitamins into my diet.

I like the magnesium suggestion however I am VERY leery of any sleep aid as I have yet to find one that doesn't render me groggy & unsuitably lethargic the next day.

[LauraTX]

Throw in some starchy tubers and see what happens. I found my performance seriously waning once I got within 5-10lbs of my ideal weight, especially with high-intensity activities. Cut back fruit (fructose) down to one or two servings a day, also removed most nuts from my diet (linolaic acid) and fermented dairy and replaced them with sweet potatoes, rutabagas, beets and other starchy tubers (glucose) along with upping my protein uptake to 1.0-1.25g/lb bodyweight (150-210g). Had more energy to workout and really felt better. I might eat two or three spuds a week now; generally half post workout with some lean meat and the rest for dinner on heavy lifting or sprinting days. Near as I can guess is after close to a year of almost ZERO starchy tubers I was chronically low on muscle glycogen.

I also ran a few days through fitday and found I was eating to satiety at a massive caloric deficit (500-1000/day) Once I started eating more, not only did I lose weight again, but I really began gaining strength.

Of course, this also coincided with a drastic reduction in work related stress as well for unrelated reasons. So that could be it, too...

Thank you! ... I appreciate the personal example; I have heard this elsewhere as well. I will let you know what I try and how it worked out. I'm not looking to loose any weight but I could stand to gain a little muscle mas.
The stress is dissipating slowly but surely in both my personal and work environments; hopefully that wont be a factor much longer.