In a killing loop

[Midoriconcept]

So, I really really need a respawn, or maybe a way of not getting fragged again...

 

I joined Nerdfitness forum long ago, I guess it was 2011 . Wow so long?

 

I was just fresh of 'Why we get fat' and my beleif system on nutrition was getting heavily shaken. I found the forum and I asked the usual questions. Is it possible that everybody is so wrong? Is low carb dangerous?

 

Go replies, got insight.

 

Somebody mentioned Paleo diet. 

 

BAM. I was on something.

 

I lost 10 Kg with no effort at all. I was feeling energetic, happy. 

Started training, joined a crossfit box even (one of the first in Belgium at the time). 

 

I would never reach the goal of being very lean, I always carried some fat, but overall I was ok. I thought I knew what I had to do. 

 

Did I gained some weight? Let me do some more strict paleo...

 

And it was easy. 

 

This was before the safe starches, before the resistant starches, before dairy is OK, legumes are OK for somebody.

 

Everything was pretty easy. 

 

Then things got complicated, again. But I tried to stick to what was right for me. Years passed, I got a new stressful job, got my first child, sleepless night.

Gained back most of my weight, and I cannot seem to get back on track.

 

I tell myself: I am going to do a whole 30 or I will be primal 80%... Then I cannot resist to crap food. 

I did not entered in a fast food restaurant for 2 years.. Now I crave McDonald... When I am little bit down I stuff myself with chocolate, and shitty stuff.

 

Before was so easy to say no. Now I just can't.

 

And I wonder why? I do not like my job, so maybe I compensate. 

Paleo is mainstream now, so I am not the owner of a secret truth... Or maybe it is because it is just too complicate now, not a simple rule to follow. 

 

Yes, I am asking for some help, and I am sorry if I am so unclear, but I feel empty of any energy, fat and powerless again.

[Why not?]

I have some of the same issues you have. If sweets are in the house, I eat them. And eat them. And eat them until they are no longer in the house. I do similar things with snacky foods. Solution: I don't bring them into the house. It saves me money and it keeps me healthier.

 

So that's one approach, just stay away from the things that tempt you. When it comes to fast food, and things like that, I just think about what it is that I'm putting into my body. I train hard, so my body needs all of its spare energy to recover. I can't afford to be wasting energy getting rid of crap that I put into my body. So each time you're looking at a candy bar or a fast food restaurant, think about the effect on your body. If you don't know all that it will do, educate yourself. There are a lot of resources online and in print on how what we put into our bodies affects us. You talk about how stress and lack of sleep has a negative effect on your diet, and I get that. However, what you have to remember is that when you are stressed and not sleeping well, that's when it's MOST important to eat right.

 

You're right about how Paleo has become more complicated. It seems like there are a few different definitions of it out there. I find it helpful to put food into one of four categories:

 

Lots: eat lots of lean meats, vegetables, nuts, and seeds

Some: eat some fruits

Little: limit your intake of grains and starches

None: avoid processed foods, particularly those high in sugar

 

You mentioned that you have a background in CrossFit. CrossFit has a ton of information on nutrition. http://crossfitimpulse.com/nutrition/, for example.

 

I also recommend looking into the Zone diet. Try reading Enter the Zone by Dr Barry Sears.

 

It will become easy to say no again. The hardest part with diet is getting started down the right path and sticking with it for the first couple weeks. After that it becomes progressively easier. You are going to succeed with this.

[PJRILSTU]

Fellow cycler. It sounds like you are the all or nothing mentality as well. I eat clean and exercise regularly for a few weeks, then something stressful happens and bam.... back to square one... and I stay at square one for a couple of weeks. Then back to clean eating and exercise. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. 

 

I too joine Nerd Fitness back in 2012 and posted a flurry of posts about how awesome I was doing. Then the holidays hit and my wife got pregnant again, and well here I am nearly three years later. 

 

I think we need to make sure we ease into the process. Take care of our social situations. I don't know what your social life is like, but you need the support of those around you. You need to also let go of any mental baggage.

Then we need to be prepared to take baby steps, not go whole hog. Some people can do the all or nothing way, but for most all or nothing means all or nothing for everything. So as soon as you fail even a little bit (it's impossible not to) we go right back to the nothing.

 

That's just my two cents. But I know we can do it. I wish you the best. 

[PJRILSTU]

Oops posted in the wrong thread. I was so tired last night. Sorry.