Rightio. As of today I'll post my food in here. The plan is, once and for all to sort my diet out. This week and next its about eating clean and getting advice. Then I'll start counting calories etc.

Cool beans

First bit of advice - no rice cakes

Alex wrote:Cool beans

First bit of advice - no rice cakes

Lolllll! Rice cakes are an emergency measure not a staple.

What sort of EFA amounts are you aiming to get in daily?

10-15g of BSD Omega 3 caps

Other Oils? Coconut, Hemp etc?

All cooking done with coconut oil. Any popcorn done with it too. No hemp, never found it over here. I have walnut oil.
Also eat 20g walnuts/pinenuts a day and when I do eat the imfamous rice/corn cakes have them with peanut butter.

I take it I need more oils? Cows milk is now out of diet as I can't get hold of unpasteurised anymore. Using rice milk instead.

Depends how you feel on them but I'd say 40g daily isn't a bad number to be aiming for.

Once you've settled on a number you may find it easier to work out macro's around that and add to it with whole foods like nuts (the more alkaline kind) and advocado.

For me I roughly know my EFA intake, then Protein/Amino Acid intake and then make up the rest depending on how I'm feeling but generally a decent slow carb source such as Brown Basmati Rice, plenty of Green Veg some Nuts, Almond Butter on Oat Cakes etc.

I'm not going to follow an alkaline diet, I am going to follow the kind of eating I used to do before I ended up with an ED. This does have similarities to the alkaline way, but is IMO a balanced diet that I feel in best health on. I do tend to eat avocado every day.

I didn't think I was recommending you to be alkaline apart from the nut choice - more balanced if anything.

Cool!

Well this is a very simple template for working out a diet from the bottom up -

1) roughly workout your efa and protein minimum requirements and select a range of food sources sources that meet this. Also workout your required daily kcals (roughly).

2) set aside a further 10% of your calorie total for saturated fats.

3) make up the rest according to whatever macro split you feel is most appropriate for what you are trying to achieve/ are most comfortable with (high fat/low fat, high carb/low carb, high/low protein etc).

If watching cals remember to consider drinks - both alcholoic and otherwise, and remember to drink plenty of water!

The only additional rules being to avoid processed crap in the main, but allow youself a little nice but unhealthy stuff now and again... if mostly eating healthy the inclusion of the odd bit of junk will be fine.

What are your specific goals right now?

I need to have goals. I had a very long conversation with a great mate on Friday who has been brilliant dealing with my emotional crap these last few weeks.
Spell them out and all that kinda stuff. So:

* Short term goal (2 weeks) - sort diet out
* Medium term goal (2months) - Lose 10lb and keep it off
* Long term goal (1 year) - Be able to wear hotpants on my 30th birthday

Now I know these will change as I reach targets but this is a focussing start.

I am currently on meds to control my ED, which seems linked to stress and punishing myself when I fail to reach targets. This is as much under control as it can be. My doc is extremely happy with the progress I have made and I discussed this with her and she thinks it is a great idea to get it nailed down. I freak when I lose control but by not monitoring my diet I freak more. Does that make sense?

GymBunny wrote:I'm not going to follow an alkaline diet, I am going to follow the kind of eating I used to do before I ended up with an ED. This does have similarities to the alkaline way, but is IMO a balanced diet that I feel in best health on. I do tend to eat avocado every day.

I agree, just follow a "healthy" diet that's enjoyable and you'll do fine.

What's your view on oily fish?

GymBunny wrote:I need to have goals. I had a very long conversation with a great mate on Friday who has been brilliant dealing with my emotional crap these last few weeks.
Spell them out and all that kinda stuff. So:

* Short term goal (2 weeks) - sort diet out
* Medium term goal (2months) - Lose 10lb and keep it off
* Long term goal (1 year) - Be able to wear hotpants on my 30th birthday

Now I know these will change as I reach targets but this is a focussing start.

I am currently on meds to control my ED, which seems linked to stress and punishing myself when I fail to reach targets. This is as much under control as it can be. My doc is extremely happy with the progress I have made and I discussed this with her and she thinks it is a great idea to get it nailed down. I freak when I lose control but by not monitoring my diet I freak more. Does that make sense?

Sounds like your goals are realistic and achieveable - which is the best start (and we'll all be on your case anyway making sure you get there!).

Eight - ten pounds in two months am sure you will make. Because you are fit and active i assume you'll be looking to lose the weight through only a modest calorie restriction combined with exercise? I always think this is a better way than extreme calorie drops which down regulate the metabolism and make you feel pretty crappy... easier to become stressed when tight on calories too so i think losing the weight via workload and small calorie restriction is a better option because of this (as stress makes a diet harder to comply to).

Oh yes, and before and after photos of you in hotpants please!

Before Photo Found during a more hirsute day!

Simon...I nearly threw up my breakfast seeing that pic. BAD MAN!

Will not be posting up Wednesday's diet as it consisted mainly of stress and caffeine and worry. However, the situation resolved itself.

Thursday

8.00 - 50g museli with 100ml coconut milk, 100g grapes, 2x coffee with rice milk
12.00 - 100g chicken, tomato, 1/2avocado, 20g pinenuts, 60g corncakes
15.30 - 100g turkey, tomato, 1/2 avocado, 100g (cooked weight) wild rice, mango
17.00 - Major hunger attack, really wanted choc...instead had 3 raw carrots. Felt virtuous but not precisely happy.
18.30 - Stir fried veg, carrots, aubergine, zuchinnis, red peppers with 100g (cookedweight)couscous, 100g grapes
19.00 - 21.00 - In park, playing KIP, game bit like petanque. Much limping/running around being childish, pulling silly faces, teasing the opposite team and doing victory dances
22.30 - 100g cottage cheese

Supps at present
alcar 1g 3x day
fish oils - 10-15g x day
Dessicated liver tabs
400mg RR
Good ol cinnamon tea.
5x litres o water....yes with salt and squeezed lemon juice to make homemade electrolyte.
3 x cups o green tea, 3 x expresso

I can see my serratus all the way down to my waist now.

Also, and guys, please, I'm looking for serious comments here, I've started getting night sweats, and waking up in the wee small hours completely drenched in sweat. No idea why this is happening. Not on anything like clem or eph. It's getting silly.

^^ It's likely that your body is into a big detox mode. 5 litres of water is a lot (good though) and I suspect you're not used to it. Plus you're getting other liquids. In fact, I'd say it's a bit too much. If you keep the green tea and cinnamon tea then knock the water down to 4 litres.

And no coffee.. or just 1. If you have greens in the water it'll give you more energy and so you won't need the caffeine

I think that stress plays a huge role in our lives and night sweats could be a physical sign off this, so whilst diet will plays it's part dealing with the underlying reason for stress is just as important and requires resolving.

I'd cut out caffine for a start, so no coffee!

OK. I normally drink a min of 3 litres water a day or I get terrible headaches.

I am drinking a hell of a lot more coffee than I normally do as I like tea with milk and normally have 3 cups or so a day, but as I am not drinking cow's milk due to not being able to get fresh stuff...well, tea with rice milk just doesn't taste right, so subbing in coffee.

Si...I'll cut the coffee out gradually rather than go cold turkey and get withdrawal symptoms.

GymBunny wrote:Si...I'll cut the coffee out gradually rather than go cold turkey and get withdrawal symptoms.

Wimp!

Actually, pehaps just don't drink quite so much and none in the afternoon?

Trust me. I have given up drugs, I have given up smoking, I have given up chocolate. Of all the things I quit the one that gave me worst withdrawal symptoms was caffeine.

Besides which I think that as I managed to watch a movie with my flatmates last night while they drank beer, ate icecream, popcorn and milka chocolate with biscuit in it and I did NOT....I am allowed to be a wimp on the caffeine front today.

Will start with no caffeine after lunch.

Well done GB for getting sorted. You need to have some vices.In the grand scheme of things 3 cups of the black stuff a day isn't so bad. Better than 10 pints or 20 bensons

SCOTT GALTON wrote:Well done GB for getting sorted. You need to have some vices.In the grand scheme of things 3 cups of the black stuff a day isn't so bad. Better than 10 pints or 20 bensons

Thanks Scott. Food and my eating/not eating habits have held me back for so long it's getting silly. Though in terms of motivation, I find it hard to do this for myself.
You know Incredible Bulk on UKM? He's cutting for his first comp. Since January he's lost 50lb! That kinda motivated me to stop twiddling my thumbs and do something.
I'll post up Friday's food shortly and as of today I am starting a spreadsheet with all the food macros in so I can have a week of working out my calorie consumption. Then I'll have a better idea of how to improve things further next weekend.