Women who eat a ton without gaining.... page 31

[Zach]

I would definitely up the fruit intake and is it possible to get some dairy and eggs in there? That is certainly a ton of fat you are eating, in mu opinion way to much PUFA, i would lower the nut intake and add in a bigger variety of fruit, also coconut. Basically more sugar and saturated fat, less unsaturated fat. Also im sure you do but use salt liberally.

[amber_maiden]

What does a day in your current diet look? Hows your stress and sleep?

Stress levels are high currently... Divorce can do that to you. haha.
Sleep has been pretty bad. Last week could NOT sleep, no matter how hard I tried... I would just lie there. I figured this had to do with me hiking too much (though it was only an hour a day, 5 days a week...), so I stopped for a few days. Sleep returned. I get about 6 hours a night (have a 10 month old daughter).

[amber_maiden]

I would definitely up the fruit intake and is it possible to get some dairy and eggs in there? That is certainly a ton of fat you are eating, in mu opinion way to much PUFA, i would lower the nut intake and add in a bigger variety of fruit, also coconut. Basically more sugar and saturated fat, less unsaturated fat. Also im sure you do but use salt liberally.

Allergic to eggs, but i do mix them in with patties, meatballs, etc. Dairy I am allergic to- badly- but eat on weekends when/if I cheat at all.
Will definitely add in more coconut oil. I was thinking about this anyways, and just ordered a gallon of it from my favourite brand/company. Will try and add in more fruit... but it's expensive.

Add in salt? Will do.

Lowering nut intake... I guess if I replace most of the cals with coconut oil, that will be fine.

Making coconut cream tomorrow...

Thank you btw, for taking such an interest in this. If I can gain back some weight, I'd be very very happy! Thank you.

[Omni]

In answer to Omni:

Have you missed periods before going paleo?: Years ago... 6 years ago about, when I was a raw vegan. My weight dropped veyr low on that diet, and I got my period back when I became only a vegan and dropped the raw- and gained the weight back. It still took several months for my period to come back then, however. Still kept it when I went gluten-free vegan.

Are there any other long term symptoms in your past, anxiety, depression, skin conditions, autoimmune?: I have acne on my jawline, that I can't get rid of... or rather, small bumps. I get stressed out easily. That's about it....

So periods and stools have been fairly consistant, that still doesn't rule out merely changes in the body.

You seemed to indicate you were ok when being gluten free Vegan, why the switch to Paleo?

The stressed and acne is an indicator of ongoing issues, though you've probably had that for a while and the stress in particular may be an indicator of not being able to gain weight, and in particular the belly fat when you up your carbs. Sometimes that belly fat is an indicator of high cortisol, so it seems your issue may come back to the stress, whenever you gain it's on the belly so you cut back to avoid it.

Your Vegan times are relatively recent and if this caused or aggravated some underlying conditions, then it may take time to correct, I personally a firm believer that even most asymptomatic individuals are likely sick, they just aren't sick enough for a diagnosis, this was my situation, and to heal a lifetime of being partly sick will take a while.

With my partner, we are now into year 7 and she is approaching remission according to all her medical numbers, but in our eyes she may still be a good 5 years from healing her body fully.

[amber_maiden]

So periods and stools have been fairly consistant, that still doesn't rule out merely changes in the body.

You seemed to indicate you were ok when being gluten free Vegan, why the switch to Paleo?

The stressed and acne is an indicator of ongoing issues, though you've probably had that for a while and the stress in particular may be an indicator of not being able to gain weight, and in particular the belly fat when you up your carbs. Sometimes that belly fat is an indicator of high cortisol, so it seems your issue may come back to the stress, whenever you gain it's on the belly so you cut back to avoid it.

Your Vegan times are relatively recent and if this caused or aggravated some underlying conditions, then it may take time to correct, I personally a firm believer that even most asymptomatic individuals are likely sick, they just aren't sick enough for a diagnosis, this was my situation, and to heal a lifetime of being partly sick will take a while.

With my partner, we are now into year 7 and she is approaching remission according to all her medical numbers, but in our eyes she may still be a good 5 years from healing her body fully.

I was fine as a vegan, and started eating because I needed a change after 8 years of being vegan. My boyfriend eats meat, so I started eating it. I feel better eating it vs. when I was vegan. I have more energy than before and I put on muscle on very easily- even though I'd train as a vegan and not even look it.

The acne on the jawline is not a new thing. Been around for the past two years.

Potatoes seemed to make me gain weight in my stomach, as did rice, when I was still vegan. I'm not 100% sure how I'd react to it now, but I avoid it.

[PaleoMom]

What about adding in some cod liver oil? It would balance some of the omega 6 in the nuts and I believe it is a very traditional food to give to women to ensure good fertility (or simply menstrating in your case). I think balancing that ratio might improve the acne as well. I know it makes a big difference for me.

[Zach]

Stress levels are high currently... Divorce can do that to you. haha.
Sleep has been pretty bad. Last week could NOT sleep, no matter how hard I tried... I would just lie there. I figured this had to do with me hiking too much (though it was only an hour a day, 5 days a week...), so I stopped for a few days. Sleep returned. I get about 6 hours a night (have a 10 month old daughter).

This could be a big part of it. Try to prioritize sleep and anything to relieve stress. Also your diet may be effecting sleep, too much protein and unsaturated fat will cause inflammation and stress, adenalin and cortisol will be elevated and you wont be able to sleep. Do you get up to pee at night or have the urge to pee? Wake up at 3-4am wide awake? Restless legs, painful feet and anything else?

Allergic to eggs, but i do mix them in with patties, meatballs, etc. Dairy I am allergic to- badly- but eat on weekends when/if I cheat at all.
Will definitely add in more coconut oil. I was thinking about this anyways, and just ordered a gallon of it from my favourite brand/company. Will try and add in more fruit... but it's expensive.

Add in salt? Will do.

Lowering nut intake... I guess if I replace most of the cals with coconut oil, that will be fine.

Making coconut cream tomorrow...

Thank you btw, for taking such an interest in this. If I can gain back some weight, I'd be very very happy! Thank you.

What happens when you eat dairy? Do you know if its lactose, casein or whey or just eveything? Coconut oil is great for thyroid issues but it also suppresses hunger and raises metabolism so be aware you might have to eat more to gain weight. Eating whole coconuts is beneficial as well. Try for more tropical fruit, oranges and bananas are cheap.

[Omni]

Stress levels are high currently... Divorce can do that to you. haha.
Sleep has been pretty bad. Last week could NOT sleep, no matter how hard I tried... I would just lie there. I figured this had to do with me hiking too much (though it was only an hour a day, 5 days a week...), so I stopped for a few days. Sleep returned. I get about 6 hours a night (have a 10 month old daughter).

I missed this post, Divorce, A sleepless week, sounds like you may well be on the limit, the effects of this may be as extreme as a chronic infection.
I think there has been lots of different angles thrown to you and most I think are valid, I don't think you are as haealthy as you may think, I don't think there is a quick fix either.

Did the acne outbreak occur with the divorce process?

Did a quick search of some acne stuff, likely a hormonal imbalance probably brought on by inflamation, lack of antioxidants, probably because you body was working overtime before this trying to maintain health.
Just one of the links I looked at:
Research shows inflammation causes acne
Not necesarily the definitive article on acne, but just a starter.

[TCates190]

I do feel like I'm rebuilding inside. The fatigue I'm experiencing is very much like after a long day of hard physical labor and very much not like when I just had chronic fatigue. Subtle, but different.

When you say you did something similar, do you bump up calories by quite a bit? If so did you gain and then have it come off at the same caloric level? I'd love more detail if you are willing

I realized about 2 months ago that I wasn't eating anywhere near enough (I was too wrapped up in getting "ripped") my energy levels SUCKED I felt weak me generally sh!tty. So, I said screw it and starting eating to my hunger levels....which were insane. I'm talking about 2500-3000 cals a day for a couple weeks. I got "fuller" and gained a little but of fat but honestly not as much as I expected. My workouts skyrocketed, I PR'd on every lift by at least 10 pounds. Now I'm eating to my hunger levels still, but my hunger has decreased a little bit now that I'm caught up. I have days where I'm around 2500 and days where I'm around 1800..I just go with it. And now I'm getting a bit leaner slowly it seems. So through the whole thing I've gained about 4 pounds...muscle? Fat? Both? I dunno. And it has stayed but I'm looking trimmer. Plus I'm not angrily starving all the time so that's a plus!

[YogaBare]

I realized about 2 months ago that I wasn't eating anywhere near enough (I was too wrapped up in getting "ripped") my energy levels SUCKED I felt weak me generally sh!tty. So, I said screw it and starting eating to my hunger levels....which were insane. I'm talking about 2500-3000 cals a day for a couple weeks. I got "fuller" and gained a little but of fat but honestly not as much as I expected. My workouts skyrocketed, I PR'd on every lift by at least 10 pounds. Now I'm eating to my hunger levels still, but my hunger has decreased a little bit now that I'm caught up. I have days where I'm around 2500 and days where I'm around 1800..I just go with it. And now I'm getting a bit leaner slowly it seems. So through the whole thing I've gained about 4 pounds...muscle? Fat? Both? I dunno. And it has stayed but I'm looking trimmer. Plus I'm not angrily starving all the time so that's a plus!

Yeah... I'm experiencing something similar. The difference in my hips between when I'm starving myself and eating 2500-3000K a day of good food is max two inches (I don't weigh myself). And actually it's probably working out better, cos' I cant sustain it when I starve - i just end up binging on shit food, putting on weight, then being depressed and sedentary. Similarly, when I'm eating this much I actually want to exercise.

The more I'm turning this over in my head, the more it makes sense. I'm sick of the yo-yo weight and not being able to eat to my appetite. It's not a way to live. The minimal extra weight is worth it (although I have a strong suspicion that if I keep going with this I'll lose some of it wthout trying. Think it's already happening...)