Checking In Again

[DavidGardner]

I do a lot more reading than participating in this forum, but I'd like to say thank you to everyone who makes this community happen.

The information from Peat's articles, Matt Stone's books, and this forum have cumulatively changed the way I think about health and helped me through some very difficult time periods.

I'm past the one-year mark for sobriety from alcohol, and quit tobacco in March of this year. I'm sleeping better, looking a little better, and feeling--well, not so much better but more in control. I still deal with the ups and downs of bipolar disorder and struggle with ADHD and anxiety, but I have more tools now to cope. In short, I'm learning to manage my life more through lifestyle, mentality, diet, and some supplementation rather than drugs and medication.

So here's what I've learned:
1. Carbs rule. I went through a Paleo phase twice in my life. It actually helped short-term, but I don't see how I could ever go back to it again. I used to maintain my weight at 3000 kcal / day. Now I eat around 4000 +/-500 and stay at 165 lbs.

2. Too much serotonin and estrogen sucks. I always intuitively knew this before I understood anything about either of the two. I always drank coffee in part to counteract the effects of estrogen (fluid retention, malaise, depression). Lately, I've been able to keep estrogen low by restricting fats.

3. There's always another way. I used to drink because I thought it was my only option, because it was the only way to cope, it was my destiny, or I just couldn't control it. Now I've learned that there is always more than one way to solve a problem, and I don't feel trapped or out of control of my life so much.

And a lot more.

But still some issues! (Sorry for going on...)

I'm a night eater. I eat the bulk of my calories at night and still have not found a way around this. I can skip breakfast and lunch and work out fasted (things I used to think would be amazing). But my evening meal is a massive, starch-heavy, segmented binge. My weight is stable so I guess it evens out, but I question whether this is a healthy lifestyle--or if it's jacking up my stress hormones. I just have no appetite during the day, I'm repulsed by food, and when I have eaten daytime meals, I still end up eating a very large evening meal, so I've resigned myself to the habit until I can work out a solution.

Also, I feel extremely stressed in the morning. I've cut back my coffee intake, and this helps, but I still feel like I'm running on adrenaline and cortisol. Maybe I should just suck it up and start drinking juice and eating gelatin for breakfast, regardless of how I feel about food.

Those are the main challenges (that are up for discussion here) that I am still facing, and I think they are interrelated. I will have to post if I make any progress here because there is not much information around on dealing with night eating syndrome. Thank you all as always for your input and for hearing my predicaments .

 

[Dessert_All_Day]

I'm a night eater. I eat the bulk of my calories at night and still have not found a way around this. I can skip breakfast and lunch and work out fasted (things I used to think would be amazing). But my evening meal is a massive, starch-heavy, segmented binge. My weight is stable so I guess it evens out, but I question whether this is a healthy lifestyle--or if it's jacking up my stress hormones. I just have no appetite during the day, I'm repulsed by food, and when I have eaten daytime meals, I still end up eating a very large evening meal, so I've resigned myself to the habit until I can work out a solution.

A starch-heavy meal isn't my cup o' tea but if that's what you're craving it's probably fine as long as you're mixing up the foods enough to get adequate vitamins and minerals.

Also, I feel extremely stressed in the morning. I've cut back my coffee intake, and this helps, but I still feel like I'm running on adrenaline and cortisol. Maybe I should just suck it up and start drinking juice and eating gelatin for breakfast, regardless of how I feel about food.

Try to identify the cause--whether it's job related or family related or something else. If you deem that it's inescapable stress, simple sugars are your friend. Consider trying things that sound crazy such as Coke or Red Bull or a chocolate milkshake immediately upon waking up.

 

[Pompadour]

Hello! You write:

I can skip breakfast and lunch and work out fasted

I feel extremely stressed in the morning.

Work out fasted increases cortisol too much.
Here you can read about it Comparison of the effects of acute exercise after overnight fasting and breakfast on energy substrate and hormone levels in obese men
An hour post workout the cortisol level is almost twice higher if workout in fasted state.
Here is the table to compare Comparison of the effects of acute exercise after overnight fasting and breakfast on energy substrate and hormone levels in obese men

Compared to the post-prandial exercise, the exercise performed after overnight fasting showed low glucose and insulin levels but high cortisol, growth hormone, and FFA levels before exercise. Hence, the latter treatment could have a long-term positive effect on body fat reduction but negatively affect physical health because of the high concentration of cortisol.

I used to make my morning workout before breakfast in fasted state also. But lately i notice that because of that i am too stressed in the morning. So last week i try to at least drink a cup of milk with some honey before. I think it helps.