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So I’ve been on the 180 degree rollercoaster (auto correct wanted to change that to roller oater – very apposite don’t you think.) for about 18 months now. There’s been ups and downs, in both weight and health, but I finally feel like I’m good. My weight is stable, I eat around 3500 calories a day (5’9″ 40 y/o woman) and I feel good.
The biggest change for me has been the desire to exercise. I have always hated exercise, probably because my attitude towards it has always been that it’s a penance that needs to be paid for being allowed to eat. Consequently, I’ve never been a regular or an enthusiastic exerciser.
Recently though I have started walking – good, daft-punk-paced, sweating and puffing walking. I’ve taken up Krav Maga, I always wanted to be kick-ass and now I’m learning how. I also regularly pick up my once-neglected kettlebell and give it 50 swings. I’m training to be able to do a proper on-toes push up and I dream of the day when I can do a pull-up! I never have to push myself to do these things, I just feel like it. Believe me, this is completely foreign to me!So, how about you guys? What exercise do you do? Is it spontaneous or do you still have to make yourself do it? Or are you still not there yet?
I love hearing that. I think few are able to follow through to get to that point, but that is exactly how it should be. Your brain seems to work really well too. Using daft punk as an adjective is quite an accomplishment in my book.
I have always enjoyed activity until I friggen starved myself and then going out and running sounded pretty awful.. But now, now I feel like a machine! I have a large garden (like 50’x70′) that I work with hand tools and I’ve been mountain biking. I also ran last week for the first time in months- since I started refeeding- and it was enjoyable until I got my stomach cramps I always get (grrr). I was surprised how I didn’t miss a beat going back to running hills after so long a hiatus.
I have much more endurance now. Like I can work all day (most days). I haven’t been that way since I don’t know when.
Thanks for posting these experiences. It’s encouraging to hear right now when I feel totally decrepit. I also have a large garden, tons of fruit trees and 40 acres to take care of, but I can’t keep up, and that’s about all I do as far as labor/exercise goes. I’ve been like this for about 15 years with very occasional bursts of energy, which I imagine were adrenal in nature. My temps are almost always up all day now though, and not uncommonly hitting 99’s though they go back down when I’m sleeping, and sometimes when I’m just laying down… which is unfortunately a lot. (funny thing is, when I started RRARFing my temperature would go up only if I stayed down after eating. As soon as I stood up, it would start to drop, so it has completely reversed) I have a hard time even getting around sometimes because my ankles, feet and calves hurt. I think it is probably from edema- worse on really hot days. Doing two pull ups is a struggle, but I’m thinking it’s time to start a little strength training on better days, just to start nudging my body in that direction. Anyway, more stories like these would be helpful, and/or maybe other details about your experiences and course of events in re-feeding. What about a section somewhere for peoples re-feeding stories?
I like these stories too! I’m sure you will get there Steven!!
Here’s some more: I’m only few couple months in to refeeding, and am recovering from exercise much faster. Old overuse injuries — past foot/ankle tendinitis — are really firming up and haven’t felt this good and strong since I was an injury “virgin.”
I like to bike in the city for transportation, which is harder than you’d think if you’ve never tried it … it’s like intervals because I internalize pressure to pace with cars, and you have to stop and start and hustle to get green lights etc. Plus you gotta haul stuff. I can now do 5-10 miles functional bike riding multiple days in a row, and the only people who pass me now are people with better bikes … or cars. Two months ago, I’d have to rest 2-3 days after such a ride and had trouble keeping up with vintage cruisers.
Finally, last weekend I helped pack CSA boxes, and I was pleasantly surprised by my own vigor, if I do say so myself. I was easily lifting more and faster, and with a more outgoing mood, than the skinny vegetarians 10 years younger than me. That would NOT have been the case pre-refeed.
Redm72, sounds like a good deal. To have the energy and desire to exercise because that’s what you want to do is the way life should be. Steven, I feel for you man. I’ve had bouts of chronic fatigue for the last few years. It has become increasingly worse and happening more frequently to the point where I haven’t worked very much for four months now. I feel really bad for my dog because he became accustomed to lots of long walks and tha t just hasn’t been happening. The other day was the first time that I really felt like going on a long walk and wasn’t just pushing myself through it. I hope to get to where redm72 is at some point. It has really been hard to have to live at such a slow pace and not be able to do everything I’d like. It can be difficult to explain to those who are buzzing around full of energy and feel great. Do you have any ideas as to why you started loosing your energy? I know I’ve always gone through bouts of fatigue but I’m pretty sure that four months of zero carb no sugar followed by a year of paleo led me to this big crash.
I think a five year cycle of low carb/low calorie is what led to my low energy. I don’t think there’s anything that can be done to speed this up, everyone will get there in their own time – took me a year and a half!
I hope my post didn’t sound too chirpy. It took me at least 6 months to get to what I described above, which is still not “top performance,” those cheery examples notwithstanding. At least. I had been doing other health-fixing stuff like fixing some vitamin & mineral deficiencies (Vit D, iron, magnesium) before I started refeeding, so that was part of it. Unfortunately, the first phase of the health stuff was grain-free, which was inadvertently low-carb, which probably slowed me down despite the better nutrition micronutrient wise (hence the need to feed).
My epic reply was just lost to some kind of browser refresh or something. I usually know better than to type anything lengthy into a reply box. The micro version, lyme disease 15 years ago, antibiotics helped somewhat, rife helped somewhat, stopped trying to kill it off and still stuck in limbo, unable to get my life back, though in many ways I’m MUCH better than I used to be. My health history is long and bumpy and not worth going into too much detail about here, but definitely some food issues (wrong kind, not enough, too much, etc..) from as early as teens. also a short vegan stint and quite a bit of vegetarianism in there, especially during developing years. It’s still difficult to believe food and eating issues is/was the primary cause of my decline though. Regardless, I’ve had a low body temp for the past 15 years at least and it has risen a little as I’ve improved, but rarely over 98. I used to take it obsessively, but didn’t really know what it meant and the whole world of thyroid issues was pretty much chock full of uselessness. I’ve been feeling for years like I could snap out of it and be normal again, because I have done so (not deliberately unfortunately) every once in a while over the past 6 years or so.. like to where I’ll feel almost normal for anywhere from an hour to a month. Very uncommon, but it does happen. Of course that could be more of an adrenal/stress state too. I doubt that lyme is the primary culprit here. People argue the infectious organism v.s. host terrain as the cause of disease thing all the time, usually taking sides with one or the other. Clearly it takes both to cause infectious disease and some organisms are more virulent than others… Lyme is a pretty nasty customer, but I still feel that it’s likely that it’s just what finally broke the camels back. (OMG, I just boiled the crap out of my chicken stock. Sarah Pope is going to kill me! ‘:( Actually it’s guinea fowl stock. That’s what he gets for being smart enough to fly into the garden this morning.)
Yesterday morning I was supposed to go sell at the farmer’s market, one of my few meager sources of income. I really struggled through getting everything ready the evening before and very early yesterday morning, but realized by the time I was ready to go that I was soooo not up for getting there, setting it all up, and standing around talking to people for 3 hours. So, I went back to bed and watched an entire season of Dexter instead (thanks library). yay (if I could make those letters any smaller or otherwise less enthusiastic I would) And all that harvested food just sitting in coolers. That’s my life though, usually moderately frustrating to totally crappy with occasional rays of sun to string me along. I can’t make plans with anyone without qualifications and don’t know what to expect from my mind and body from hour to hour let alone on a larger scale. Sorry, I don’t mean to whine too much (you guys aren’t bartenders) (…are you? I’ll have an IPA. sorry, I’ll have to tip you in carrots and scallions), but I’m pretty bummed. It does really help to hear that this is working for some people. Accounts like these are probably the main reason I went this route, v.s. just going with Matt’s heretical ideas alone. I am experiencing heavy emotional stress right now and not sleeping well. I imagine that is hindering my progress, but I haven’t been very successful at managing those lately. I still remember what it’s like to be compelled to exercise, and to walk around feeling like there is time and energy to do everything. My legs being some combination of sore/numb/weak has become a pretty big problem in the past few weeks. I guess I’m about 3 months into RRARFing. I try to take the RR part seriously, but am inclined to push it a wee bit lately for survival and sanity’s sake, and because my temps are decent during the day unless I push really hard. I think I have a lot of damage to undue. At my worst I hit a low of 125 pounds then stayed at 135 for years in spite of never losing my appetite and generally eating three meals a day, though apparently not large enough. I’m now 194 and probably done gaining. I’m guessing a well built version of myself with light to moderate body fat is probably 160 to 175 @ 5’ 9″? Always been lean until re-feeding. I’m really seriously hoping that urge to exercise hits me at some point.
Steven don’t be sorry man. Let it flow. It’s much easier for me to read than to type so no worries there ;) my problems haven’t been around for a long as yours but a very similar. My life has shrunk. I am a subcontractor who quit my main source of income four months ago. I love music and was playing in a band but had to give that up due to as you said, never knowing from one day to the next how my body will react. I can’t plan anything so I can’t line up any big jobs at the moment. I’ve been doing projects around the house and put one full eight hour day in and then was wiped out for three days. I could out hike any of my children who are all in there twentys now there are days where my legs feel so weak a flight of stairs is a challenge. The good news is(sarcasm) my doctors say I’m in good health. This has caused depression,frustration,and feeling like less of a man. Almost all of my friends have stopped calling because I never have the energy to do anything and sometimes I feel like people think I am making all of this up or that it’s all in my head. That can be the most frustrating. Maybe there won’t be an answer for you.maybe there won’t be an answer for me. But in some way it just helps to know I’m not alone. Keep on plugging away brother!
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