Post your personal diet and sleep correlations here:

[rocketman]

those that have read my numerous threads know that i recently cut out all junk food and simple carbs, experiencing a massive increase in energy.

i'm ready to take the next step and have been doing research but don't know which way i want to go, so i would like to hear personal stories.

what i mean is that for as many references that i see with regard to cutting out all meat improving energy levels, i see just as many claims from people with regard to cutting out dairy. and for both of those, i see just as many claims with regard to cutting out grains or all carbohydrates altogether.

i will probably run separate trials of all 3, but i would be interested in reading personal claims as well.

one note though: i'm extremely worried about being able to maintan my muscle mass after cutting out whatever it is that i choose to cut out.

[aggie]

no expert...just someone who has done many different things over my 57 years to stay in the best possible shape and health that i can. everyone is so different and if someone is fortunate enough to be able to carefully prepare every meal and train regularly...that is fabulous...some of us have to do hit or miss, change up an mix up. our metabolisms are all different as well as body types and genetic make up....i am a carb freak...try not to over do or do the bad ones...but i crave them at times and my body seems to metabolize them well...i have been a strict vegetarian, not a vegan...went back eating fish and chicken...tiny bits of red meat...i had sensed a need and craving for protein. right now my diet is pretty boring to most people...eat pretty much the same way everyday...many servings of fruit, whole grains...salad...try to get fish or seafood at least 3 days a week. legumes, hummus...tiny bits of poultry if the protein need is there. i exercise regularly with cardio/light weights at least 3 times/week. trying to get at least 7 hours of sleep most nights to keep the cortisol at bay. being a post menopausal woman, i have different battles and needs...i am slight built, but still manage to keep decent muscle mass.

[funchy]

Diet: vegetarian ~15 years (eating free-range eggs and some cheese), recently trying to switch to 100% vegan. Dairy is crap -- avoid it. The only thing cheese did for me was give me fat. The percent of people who have problems digesting lactose (the sugar in dairy) is amazingly high, and you can be mildly intolerant and not know why you don't feel 100%. We are not baby cows. If you're going to eat eggs/chicken go with organic from a supplier you trust; they're finding arsenic showing up in commercial poultry because of it being in an additive farmers give the birds.

I never ate fish, even when I ate meat as a kid, and I turned out ok. You can get your omega-3s from less contaminated sources, and any claims fish boost brainpower are dubious. I'm top of my class in a competitive medical program, and any time I have "brain fog" it goes back to being stressed out, tired out, etc.

My physical energy is good enough for work and home, but I know if I could shed the extra pounds, I'd have more energy. Take care of your body, be active, etc. I feel best when I do a good walk, swim, or bike for 30-60 mins 3-5x a week.

My energy is good enough. The killers for me are stress, lack of quality sleep, and days I over-do things. If I manage my body's energy output, I do better not getting to the point of exhaustion. Quality sleep isn't just the right # of hours, but it means restful, recharging sleep. Anything from allergies to ambient noise/light to apnea to depression can make you feel un-rested.

Try to eat more whole foods and less processed, packaged, convenience type foods. I do believe food loses some of its nutrition the older and more processed it is.

Do make sure you're getting all the vitamins/minerals no matter how much meat or fish you eat! Common ones for Americans to be short on are B12 and D. Calcium is important to ALL body cells, and they're finding out the calcium in dairy isn't the most easily absorbed, so consider alternate sources of calcium. (Remember: D is essential for calcium to be used, so you need both) Therefore, it can't hurt to take a good daily multi-vitamin. If you worry you don't get enough omega-3s and you can't change your diet, flax oil is a great source.

Be aware that some people report a problem with artificial sweeteners
(eg aspartame), MSG, or other food additives. Wheat gluten is a natural food ingredient that can make some people feel crummy, and perhaps the people feeling better when they cut out carbs feel better because that means no gluten, too. Create a food log. Be aware some foods need to be our of your diet for a few weeks before you can be 100% they were the culprit.

Address any mental reasons why you might feel lethargic. The wrong outlook keeps our mental energy low, and a person may tend to lay on the couch in front of the TV each night instead of going out and living life. Depression/dysthymia can drain energy.

And don't be afraid to address physical reasons why a person might feel lethargic. Find a good doctor you trust and build a good relationship with them. Occasional physical exams with bloodwork really tell a lot about your health.

And overall just try to stay active, happy, and feeling alive.

[Timothy Smith]

Originally Posted by funchy

Diet: vegetarian ~15 years (eating free-range eggs and some cheese), recently trying to switch to 100% vegan. Dairy is crap -- avoid it. The only thing cheese did for me was give me fat. The percent of people who have problems digesting lactose (the sugar in dairy) is amazingly high, and you can be mildly intolerant and not know why you don't feel 100%. We are not baby cows. If you're going to eat eggs/chicken go with organic from a supplier you trust; they're finding arsenic showing up in commercial poultry because of it being in an additive farmers give the birds.

I never ate fish, even when I ate meat as a kid, and I turned out ok. You can get your omega-3s from less contaminated sources, and any claims fish boost brainpower are dubious. I'm top of my class in a competitive medical program, and any time I have "brain fog" it goes back to being stressed out, tired out, etc.

My physical energy is good enough for work and home, but I know if I could shed the extra pounds, I'd have more energy. Take care of your body, be active, etc. I feel best when I do a good walk, swim, or bike for 30-60 mins 3-5x a week.

My energy is good enough. The killers for me are stress, lack of quality sleep, and days I over-do things. If I manage my body's energy output, I do better not getting to the point of exhaustion. Quality sleep isn't just the right # of hours, but it means restful, recharging sleep. Anything from allergies to ambient noise/light to apnea to depression can make you feel un-rested.

Try to eat more whole foods and less processed, packaged, convenience type foods. I do believe food loses some of its nutrition the older and more processed it is.

Do make sure you're getting all the vitamins/minerals no matter how much meat or fish you eat! Common ones for Americans to be short on are B12 and D. Calcium is important to ALL body cells, and they're finding out the calcium in dairy isn't the most easily absorbed, so consider alternate sources of calcium. (Remember: D is essential for calcium to be used, so you need both) Therefore, it can't hurt to take a good daily multi-vitamin. If you worry you don't get enough omega-3s and you can't change your diet, flax oil is a great source.

Be aware that some people report a problem with artificial sweeteners
(eg aspartame), MSG, or other food additives. Wheat gluten is a natural food ingredient that can make some people feel crummy, and perhaps the people feeling better when they cut out carbs feel better because that means no gluten, too. Create a food log. Be aware some foods need to be our of your diet for a few weeks before you can be 100% they were the culprit.

Address any mental reasons why you might feel lethargic. The wrong outlook keeps our mental energy low, and a person may tend to lay on the couch in front of the TV each night instead of going out and living life. Depression/dysthymia can drain energy.

And don't be afraid to address physical reasons why a person might feel lethargic. Find a good doctor you trust and build a good relationship with them. Occasional physical exams with bloodwork really tell a lot about your health.

And overall just try to stay active, happy, and feeling alive.

He-he, when dad's not at work, all he does is lie on the couch and watch TV.

[ginkgo]

Humans have been around 3 million years. The only animals that eat dairy are baby animals so the only dairy you should have is from sucking your momny's boobies. Adults drinking milk is a 10,000 year mutation among white people. Most non-whites cannot digest milk. The governor of CA was asked if he drinks milk. He said on Pumping Iron, "NO,milk is for babies."

Fish is not meat and other than mercury, they do not have bad things to say about that. Land animals are given female hormones that make them fatter and give more milk. Are you trying to be a girlie man? Also in the dairy foods. Milk is used to make paint and glue.

They say that grains have only been around 10,000 years. They cannot be eaten raw and are usually highly processed and most consumed in the U.S. are not whole grains. They are inferior to fruits and vegetables and other things that I will mention.

Animals foods have no fiber. All plant foods do have fiber. Animal foods have cholesterol but plant foods do not. So here are plant foods that have the high protein like meat.

First of all, the fungus or shrooms are great (mushrooms). They contain a unique type of protein. Then beans, nuts and seeds have a lot of protein. Gorillas are stronger than humans and eat little meat including ants. Like humans, they can eat anything, but chimps like bananas. One of them little guys is stronger than you. Also like Mike Tyson, they bite.

The strongest land animals eat no meat. They are the only mammals that cannot jump. They are elephants.

Fruits are simple carbs. Many vegetables are simple carbs like tomatoes, nukes, I mean cukes (cucumbers), and bell peppers (see site above with quote from federal government about this).Did you give them up? They are good for you. Junk food is bad even if it is cookies with a lot of complex carbs. Here is an article about the myth of them: Biggest Nutrition Myth Ever Grains are complex carbs and there is nothing wrong with giving them up since man has done without them for 2,990,000 years.

If complex carbs are better for you then buy the bananas when they are green and eat them. They are mostly starch. Starch is the same as complex carbs and sugars are the same thing as simple carbs. But 1sugar is the white stuff and 2sugar is part of the plant food (see dictionary). If you let the green banana sit around, it will become yellow. It will then be mostly sugar. A sugar is the same as a simple carb, in case you forgot. So if you eat the yellow banana, you are eating a simple carb.

So do you believe the green banana (complex carb) is better to eat than the yellow banana (simple carb)? The site above has quotes from doctors and nutritionists showing that they are confused so do not feel bad. It explains how the myth got started. "i'm extremely worried about being able to maintan my muscle..." Lastly "Don't worry, be happy." If bodybuilding is making you worried, then give it up.

[rocketman]

gingko: your post seems to be lending towards the suggestion of giving up dairy, grains, AND meat???

so you basically survive off of just fruits/veggies, and lentils?

[JMonkey]

Ginkgo, are you crazy? Diets shouldn't be planned on what other humans eat, let alone other species.

[Orecle]

Originally Posted by rocketman

those that have read my numerous threads know that i recently cut out all junk food and simple carbs, experiencing a massive increase in energy.

i'm ready to take the next step and have been doing research but don't know which way i want to go, so i would like to hear personal stories.

what i mean is that for as many references that i see with regard to cutting out all meat improving energy levels, i see just as many claims from people with regard to cutting out dairy. and for both of those, i see just as many claims with regard to cutting out grains or all carbohydrates altogether.

i will probably run separate trials of all 3, but i would be interested in reading personal claims as well.

one note though: i'm extremely worried about being able to maintan my muscle mass after cutting out whatever it is that i choose to cut out.

Whatever you decide to do, if you keep your protein high still, the muscle will be kept.

this guy here is a vegan bodybuilder. is this the muscle mass you are going for, or bigger RobertCheeke.com

this is his story of how he put on mass.RobertCheeke.com As you can see thats alot of protein and calories.

Ps be very sure of the look you are going for. Some of the posters idea of muscle mass in this forum are tiny, compared to how someone who is around doormen. So are you going for the 'mens health' Matthew McConauhy look, or the Arnold schwarznegger doorman look. Both are completely different approaches to diet.

[liamona]

I've been on a LC diet for a while, but decided to try out Dr. Jan Kwasniewski's Optimal Diet after reading some intriguing posts about it on the Hyperlipid blog. I've been intrigued by it, but didn't want to have to monitor my protein, carbs and fats (the recommended ratio for these macronutrients is 1 part protein to 2.5 - 3.5 parts fat to 0.5 to 0.8 carbs—but I think athletes need to increase their carbs and protein, and reduce fats).

I've had to reduce my protein intake, and increase my fats even more than what I was eating before.

Thank goodness, I have a gallon of extra-virgin coconut oil! Otherwise I'd practically be drinking heavy whipping cream and eating double cream with every meal.

Monday morning I had my first OD breakfast of sliced tomatoes, egg yolks, cream, coconut oil and a cup of coffee with more cream. Within an hour, I felt so energetic I almost took a run around the block.

Tuesday I reduced my coffee to half a cup, and I may have to eventually eliminate it completely, because the diet is too energizing with caffeine.

I like that I can have more vegetarian meals that are also extremely satisfying.

By 9 at night, I can barely keep my eyes open.

[rocketman]

Originally Posted by liamona

Monday morning I had my first OD breakfast of sliced tomatoes, egg yolks, cream, coconut oil and a cup of coffee with more cream. Within an hour, I felt so energetic I almost took a run around the block.

what aspect of the diet do you attribute the energy increase to?

[Lena Carpenter]

Let me offer a little bit different perspective. After starting to get up early a little less than a month ago, first at 6am and now at 5am, I am full with less amount of food and some foods, specifically meat and salty foods, don't feel right to eat anymore. I'm still craving sweets, but I believe those cravings can be easily fixed with some fruit. In fact, I found myself fantasizing about fruit lol

P.S. For me personally eating things like nuts, nut butters, and beans seems more clean way to get protein than eating meat. Fresh raw fish might be a bit of an exception. I have mixed feelings about whole grains (actual whole grains, not made into flour). Some seem better than others. Buckwheat is awesome

[DoctorB2B]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

Humans have been around 3 million years.

Not the humans that we are familiar with, Homo Sapiens have been around for roughly 90,000 years.

The only animals that eat dairy are baby animals so the only dairy you should have is from sucking your momny's boobies. Adults drinking milk is a 10,000 year mutation among white people.

This should be clarified ... whites are not the sole owners of this mutation. It's also prevalent throughout the middle east and northern Africa as well.

Fish is not meat and other than mercury, they do not have bad things to say about that.

Meat is defined as the flesh of animals and animals are defined as a living organism characterized by voluntary movement which qualifies fish is meat.

They say that grains have only been around 10,000 years. They cannot be eaten raw and are usually highly processed and most consumed in the U.S. are not whole grains. They are inferior to fruits and vegetables and other things that I will mention.

Who is they? Name your source ...

Animals foods have no fiber. All plant foods do have fiber. Animal foods have cholesterol but plant foods do not. So here are plant foods that have the high protein like meat.

First part is true, however there are no plants in existence that ounce for ounce have more protein than animal sources can provide.

Gorillas are stronger than humans and eat little meat including ants. Like humans, they can eat anything, but chimps like bananas. One of them little guys is stronger than you. Also like Mike Tyson, they bite.

Anatomically, it's not even fair to try and compare chimps and gorillas to humans. This seems like more of an agenda based paragraph than anything else. Both have more muscle and bone density than humans allowing for substantially more potential strength relative to their size. They also use all four extremities for normal activity whereas humans use legs only for transport. Center of gravity is another point to bring into the equation.

The strongest land animals eat no meat. They are the only mammals that cannot jump. They are elephants.

Again, what seems to be agenda more than anything else. You can't draw a comparison between an elephant and a human. On average they can weight 50-75 times that of a human ... their strength should correlate with their size.

Grains are complex carbs and there is nothing wrong with giving them up since man has done without them for 2,990,000 years.

So where do you suppose insoluble fiber should come from?

The site above has quotes from doctors and nutritionists showing that they are confused so do not feel bad. It explains how the myth got started. "i'm extremely worried about being able to maintan my muscle..." Lastly "Don't worry, be happy." If bodybuilding is making you worried, then give it up.

What explains this? You're talking carbohydrates ... most within the bodybuilding community consider their protein intake to be of higher priority for muscle mass.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by rocketman

what aspect of the diet do you attribute the energy increase to?

I think it's the coconut oil.

[rocketman]

Originally Posted by liamona

I think it's the coconut oil.

can you please expound on this? is it known to increase energy? and how much should i consume?

[Dimond]

Raw Vegan. Have tons of energy, prefer not to sleep much. Currently it's mostly a simple diet of smoothies, soups, salad, fruit, occasionally other things.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by rocketman

can you please expound on this? is it known to increase energy? and how much should i consume?

All my info. comes from reading Bruce Fife's "The Coconut Oil Miracle," but you could probably find more online. The Cliff Notes version is that the body burns up the medium-chain fatty acids in the oil quickly and efficiently.

He recommends starting out with a small amount, like a teaspoon or two, and building up to two to four tablespoons.

[rocketman]

Originally Posted by liamona

All my info. comes from reading Bruce Fife's "The Coconut Oil Miracle," but you could probably find more online. The Cliff Notes version is that the body burns up the medium-chain fatty acids in the oil quickly and efficiently.

He recommends starting out with a small amount, like a teaspoon or two, and building up to two to four tablespoons.

interesting. i will definitely try this.

[liamona]

Be sure to get a high-quality oil, like Nutiva or Tropical Traditions.