"Craving" Bodybuilding Diet?

cyclops

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It's weird but all of a sudden, my old bland bodybuilding diet is sounding very appealing to me.

I think it is because I am associating this diet with the way I used feel. Not because of the taste. I used to feel really good eating like this. Light, fresh, nice stable energy and a zest for life. I feel as of late, very tired all the time, heavy, gloomy, especially after eating.

I used to eat something like this:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Egg whites
Blueberries
Almond Butter (small amount)

Lunch:
Grilled Chicken Breast/Turkey Burger/Very Lean Beef
Brown Rice
Broccoli
Olive Oil (small amount)

Dinner:
Salmon/Sardines/Tilapia
Sweet Potato
Spinach

Bed Time Snack:
Fat Free Cottage Cheese
Blueberries
Walnuts

Something like that. I also used to drink tons of water. Sometimes I probably just had a big grilled chicken salad without any starch, and I probably took fish or flax oil at each meal too.

Basically meals were some lean protein, starchy slow-burning "complex" carbohydrate and a little "good" (what I thought was good at that time) fat. Im sure many of you are familiar with this type of diet. I remember feeling pretty good eating this way though. Then I tried Paleo and eventually Ray Peat.

Like I said I been feeling pretty shitty lately and am craving a diet like this again. I think its my brain remembering feeling good eating this way, rather then the taste.

Any thoughts?
 
L

lollipop

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It's weird but all of a sudden, my old bland bodybuilding diet is sounding very appealing to me.

I think it is because I am associating this diet with the way I used feel. Not because of the taste. I used to feel really good eating like this. Light, fresh, nice stable energy and a zest for life. I feel as of late, very tired all the time, heavy, gloomy, especially after eating.

I used to eat something like this:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Egg whites
Blueberries
Almond Butter (small amount)

Lunch:
Grilled Chicken Breast/Turkey Burger/Very Lean Beef
Brown Rice
Broccoli
Olive Oil (small amount)

Dinner:
Salmon/Sardines/Tilapia
Sweet Potato
Spinach

Bed Time Snack:
Fat Free Cottage Cheese
Blueberries
Walnuts

Something like that. I also used to drink tons of water. Sometimes I probably just had a big grilled chicken salad without any starch, and I probably took fish or flax oil at each meal too.

Basically meals were some lean protein, starchy slow-burning "complex" carbohydrate and a little "good" (what I thought was good at that time) fat. Im sure many of you are familiar with this type of diet. I remember feeling pretty good eating this way though. Then I tried Paleo and eventually Ray Peat.

Like I said I been feeling pretty shitty lately and am craving a diet like this again. I think its my brain remembering feeling good eating this way, rather then the taste.

Any thoughts?
See in my mind, if you are feeling pulled to this, I would trust that. No one else can really answer this but you. Trust your cravings and instincts. I do mine.

edit: I think this is a perfect example of Perceive, Think, Act. Also it is a good example of experimentation. We all have to experiment to find what works for us. No way to escape that. Also I would try and figure out what this diet gives you that seems missing from current experience. In and of itself, that can be enlightening. Good luck!
 
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cyclops

cyclops

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See in my mind, if you are feeling pulled to this, I would trust that. No one else can really answer this but you. Trust your cravings and instincts. I do mine.

edit: I think this is a perfect example of Perceive, Think, Act. Also it is a good example of experimentation. We all have to experiment to find what works for us. No way to escape that. Also I would try and figure out what this diet gives you that seems missing from current experience. In and of itself, that can be enlightening. Good luck!

After many years of "peating" I'm starting to feel this way more and more too. I've learned allot, but maybe I need to follow my instincts at times too. Maybe we go through phases and cannot just say we will eat this one kind of way forever.
 

Kyle M

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Mar 20, 2016
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How much protein are you getting now? Protein seems to make some people feel really good, and not for others. The thing that stands out in that diet is that it's high in protein and low in fat.
 
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cyclops

cyclops

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How much protein are you getting now? Protein seems to make some people feel really good, and not for others. The thing that stands out in that diet is that it's high in protein and low in fat.

Thats a good point. Probably not a ton and I lift weights pretty often. I used to make sure I got 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, which was at least 220 grams a day. Now I probably get around 100-120. I used to eat more muscle meat, egg whites. I can't drink a ton of milk. Maybe Ill just try eating more protein.

Maybe Ill just try a little more "slow burning carbs" too and less OJ.

I think I'll try adding more sweet potatoes, lean muscle meat for protein, and fibrous vegetables, and more water to start. See how those changes make me feel.

Do some grilled chicken salads here and there too when I feel like it.
 

Kyle M

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Thats a good point. Probably not a ton and I lift weights pretty often. I used to make sure I got 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, which was at least 220 grams a day. Now I probably get around 100-120.

Yeah give it a try, I have noticed something similar. Some times when you focus on some aspects of diet, like the kind of carbs and the vitamins and minerals, you accidentally forget about something basic like protein level.
 

TheDrumGuy

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Sep 27, 2017
Messages
119
Some people just need starch IMO. Nothing warms me up like starch. And no it's not increasing stress hormones, literally within minutes of eating starch my hands warm up. Without starch, I doubt I'd have been able to lower stress hormones the way I have, my hands are basically warm all day now. It has been almost 5 years since my hands have been normal like this. My blood sugars are also very stable with regular starch and sugar, I can eat like 300g starch in one sitting and my blood sugar is fine. Just don't eat massive amounts right off the bat, I think that's what screws a lot of people up.
 

TheDrumGuy

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Also I think there's some studies out there, sugar is better at repleting liver glycogen and starch is better at repleting muscle glycogen. So if you're lifting a lot I think some post workout starch may be ideal.
 
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cyclops

cyclops

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Add milk/cheese and I think that diet looks really good. Bring it on Peat purists.

Thanks. It might have been even more Peat because I actually included 1 or 2 whole eggs with breakfast and a glass of skim milk here and there.

It really doesn't seem like a terrible diet. Peat says well cooked oatmeal isn't that bad. He likes white rice more then brown, but brown used to give me really stable energy. I'd eat vegetables well cooked. I could change the nuts to macadamia. I guess the fatty fish is the worst thing, but I've been including some canned sardines in my diet lately and I feel really good eating them.
 

raypeatclips

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Thanks. It might have been even more Peat because I actually included 1 or 2 whole eggs with breakfast and a glass of skim milk here and there.

The only questionable things would be walnuts, the fish and almond butter, the rest I would eat if you feel better eating it compared to not eating it. Some people are just not as healthy without starch, for whatever reason. I don't care what Peat has said about it, and I'm not interested either, the difference is night and day.
 
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cyclops

cyclops

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The only questionable things would be walnuts, the fish and almond butter, the rest I would eat if you feel better eating it compared to not eating it. Some people are just not as healthy without starch, for whatever reason. I don't care what Peat has said about it, and I'm not interested either, the difference is night and day.

Yeah bodybuilders used to claim that oatmeal, brown rice, and sweet potatoes were the best carbs because of the glycemic index or something and its effect on blood sugar. I don't know if the science is sound, but I definitely feel it! Sweet Potatoes give me more stable energy then white potatoes and white rice really knocks me out compared to brown rice. Even when including with other foods I feel the difference. I always felt ready to take on the world after a meal of lean meat, sweet potato and broccoli for instance.

Thats what most bodybuilding meals are: animal protein, slow-burning complex carb, fibrous veggie and some good fat like a some almonds or fish oil caps lol. olive oil too.

Oatmeal started to give me some issues though. I started to feel tired after eating and got hungry very soon afterwards, but that might have been when mixing whey protein in it, I forget. Brown rice always made me feel great though.

Could me a million other factors though. Maybe Ill try some of this stuff out.
 
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Oatmeal started to give me some issues though.
Oatmeal is the worst! I'm afraid to eat it. :emoji_grimacing:

Before I even thought much about what I eat, I noticed that brown rice never satisfied me. I'd feel hungry really soon after, whereas white rice satisfied me well.
 

raypeatclips

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Yeah bodybuilders used to claim that oatmeal, brown rice, and sweet potatoes were the best carbs because of the glycemic index or something and its effect on blood sugar. I don't know if the science is sound, but I definitely feel it! Sweet Potatoes give me more stable energy then white potatoes and white rice really knocks me out compared to brown rice. Even when including with other foods I feel the difference. I always felt ready to take on the world after a meal of lean meat, sweet potato and broccoli for instance.

Thats what most bodybuilding meals are: animal protein, slow-burning complex carb, fibrous veggie and some good fat like a some almonds or fish oil caps lol. olive oil too.

Oatmeal started to give me some issues though. I started to feel tired after eating and got hungry very soon afterwards, but that might have been when mixing whey protein in it, I forget. Brown rice always made me feel great though.

Could me a million other factors though. Maybe Ill try some of this stuff out.

Science can only take us so far. My health was absolutely far worse following a diet that I could post on here and receive lots of positive replies to. I'm not saying Peat is wrong, I still "follow" Peat. I feel like you know you felt better on starch, but you were posting here to hope people respond positively to your idea, to encourage you to try eat a bit more starch? I find it insane on this forum when people say they eat "Peat" I.E lots of liquids, no starch, and feel terrible, and people continue to persuade them to avoid starch. The Volkheimer persorption research used raw starch, I don't believe the same negative effects happen with well boiled starch. People are so quick to damn starch as "all the same" because of this. Other arguments are that it doesn't have as much minerals as fruit, and then the same people are eating 1-200g white sugar a day.
 
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I still consume some sugar, don't get me wrong. I just think the caution against starch on this board is a bit excessive, especially when there are people who are reporting their health deteriorating after stopping starch.
I'm sure, but who here apart from ex ketosis can say how much "sugar has improved my health"?
 

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