Weight loss = hormone imbalance?

[JacksonHunt]

Greetings Whole 30 Community, 

 

My name is Jackson. I'm 34 and I've completed 3 proper (100% by the book) Whole30's over the last 15 months. Generally speaking, I try to stay as close to Whole30 and or "paleo" as possible since I discovered the number of food sensitivities I have during reintroduction. I know the subject of weight loss is generally taboo so I'd like to qualify. I'm not trying to lose weight. I haven't tried to lose weight through any of my journey. However, as occurs with most of us, weight loss happens. I have lost about 40 lbs during my journey though the numbers I'm truly proud of were the reductions in my cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure: cholesterol 290 (total) down to 200, blood sugar (fasting) 105 down to 90, and BP 140/85 down to 115/67. 

 

Anyway, none of that is why I'm posting. As I said, I have lost weight and have periodically continued to do so in small increments for several months. My "ideal" weight according to my doctor is around 185 lbs or so and I'm currently around 190 with fluctuations up to 193 on a regular basis. I'm bike and weight train but not to excess and not for weight loss. I eat 3 regular meals a day and don't snack a lot but do when I'm exercising more or am hungry. I believe very strongly in the psychology of food and in food addiction being a real thing so I try to never let myself get into the starvation mindset. Thus still seems to be the problem though. I've noticed that each time I drop a little body fat my hormone homeostasis seems to completely disappear. I randomly dropped 2.5 lbs last week. Normally I would chalk that up to regular fluctuation in weight and all that but I was physically feeling and seeing the increased leanness. At first I was okay with this. A slightly flatter tummy, slightly smaller love handles, I'm going to the beach next week... you get the idea. Weight loss isn't the goal but feeling good about yourself is and about your relationship with food, life, exercise, etc. is. Flash forward two days and I'm a bit of a wreck. Suddenly lethargic, not wanting to exercise, decreased focus at work, feeling too tired to play with my daughter or do things around the house, and the worst part? My dear old friend the sugar dragon and about 12 of his friends showed up.

 

My question is this: how do I get through this and/or keep it from happening each and every time my body naturally adjusts to my new lifestyle of exercise and healthy eating? The program tells us that we can't make it on grit alone. Eventually willpower gives way to hormone imbalance and I feel like the crux of this thing is my hormones. There have been several articles on the body's leptin response to weight loss lately and the body's downward adjusting of BMR to try and stop weight loss/starvation. I'm a bit freaked out about it I guess. I'm terrified my body is going to sabotage me and I'm not going to have any say in it either way. I know that's a long post to get to a question that may have been asked/answered elsewhere. Preemptively I will add that yes I get enough fat and carbohydrate. I do track my food for purposes of monitoring sodium and protein intake and I generally fall in the 1900-2100 calorie range so I'm not starving myself or playing games with macros, ketosis, or any of that stuff. I eat plenty of fruit, veggies, clean meats, and almost no grain (occasional long-grain rice blend but that's it).

 

Well, I guess that's it. Any thoughts on how to avoid these rough patches and or make it through without binge-eating jellybeans would be greatly appreciated!

 

Best, 

 

Jackson 

[jmcbn]

It's difficult for us to comment on what could be going on postWhole30, particularly when you are adding in off plan foods.

You say you stay fairly close to Whole30 eating, but what does a typical day of food look like for you?

Are you including pre & postWO meals?

You say that you '...believe very strongly in the psychology of food and in food addiction being a real thing so I try to never let myself get into the starvation mindset...' Do you come from a background of disordered eating? Do you keep a food diary to look for patterns of when/why/how these situations that you describe with the sugar dragon arise? 

[Tom Denham]

I weigh 185 pounds. I have weighed 185 pounds since 2011 or early 2012. I have been as heavy as 190 since then, but fluctuating 5 pounds when you weigh 185 is no big deal. Seriously. Having your weight vary by 2.5 pounds is not a sign of anything in particular.

 

I realize you are not doing a Whole30, so you can weigh yourself every day if you like. However, weighing yourself is not a good thing. It does not provide useful information on a daily basis and it is bad for your relationship with food. You can count calories/macros, etc when you are not doing a Whole30, but you should not. The counting does not help. It honestly hurts you. If there was value in tracking your food, we would coach you to do it. Tracking makes you nuts. Stop. Reading scientific articles about food, weight loss, hormones, etc. can make you nuts. Read novels, eat food, workout, play, sleep, work. Quit trying so hard. 

[JacksonHunt]

jmcbn and Tom, 

 

Thank you both for responding. I think you both have some good points. Specifically, Tom, I think you're right in that I'm probably over analyzing and should let go a bit. 

 

A normal day for me would be as follows: 

 

Breakfast - 3 eggs scrambled in ghee with an Aidel's chicken sausage and black coffee

 

Lunch - grilled chicken breast or two cans of tuna and a garden salad (no dressing). Sometimes grilled fish (today I had two grilled mahi fillets and a baked sweet potato)

 

Dinner - grilled or baked chicken or fish, usually a steamed or roasted vegetable component, and sometimes a starch like potatoes or as I noted the occasional (once every couple of weeks) long grain rice.

 

Snacks - if any would be an apple with some almond butter or a compliant Lara Bar.

 

Other than coffee I drink a couple liters of water a day.

 

I workout at night usually after dinner and once my daughter is in bed. So, I usually don't do anything for a post workout meal. If I'm really tapped out I'll have an apple or some fresh cherries but not much else.

 

As for a diary, I did keep one during my first whole30 and that helped me to track how I felt. Especially during reintroduction when I learned that I can't eat corn or wheat due to severe joint inflammation. I do track food intake for purposes of protein mostly. I lift weights and part of growing muscle requires a conscious intake of healthy protein and nutrient dense calories. I don't feel like that strays too far from Whole30 convention in and of itself. Though I understand that calorie tracking for the purposes of restriction and daily weigh-ins are both inherently bad.

 

And while I agree that reading can make you nuts, I don't think that knowledge (outside of bro science) should be shied away from. The Hartwigs use science as the basis of the Whole30 and hormone imbalance is the founding component of It Starts With Food. I'm not trying to over think it but I do want to understand how becoming leaner (as I noted with the physical changes not just the scale) can actually work against the body's hormones and ones psychological relationship with food. And yes, I do have a history of food addiction. Any indulgence sets me back and I have to by hyper vigilant of that fact. Just living life isn't as easy once you've been obese and fought so hard to come back from that. Relaxing can too often be the precursor to backsliding and falling off the wagon.   

[jmcbn]

I'm not sure that I understand your concern - are you concerned that you're not at what your Dr considers is your ideal weight? Are you concerned that you sometimes lose weight? Or are you concerned that when you do drop some pounds that it effects your mood?

I'd comment that other than the fat you sometimes eat as a snack you make no mention of fat in any of your meals. Fat is an essential part of the diet, and a lack of it could cause hormonal imbalance, and will certainly effect mood as fat is needed for brain health, as well as for many other bodily functions. Fat will also stave off any cravings that might have you looking to 'indulge' as you put it. In short fat is your friend.

Also, post workout your body would much rather have protein for muscle recovery & repair. Fruit won't even replenish muscle glycogen, but rather liver glycogen, and it will also likely cause blood sugar spikes & crashes - again effecting your mood.

I'm not sure that you have hormonal imbalance, but rather a ways to go in healing your relationship with food & losing that low fat mindset - the suggested tweaks to your meals might help.





 

[MeadowLily]

It was on the nat'l news today, fitbit stats can be dangerous to your health.  Creating more obsessive everything with logging every rep, set and step.  Similar to if a tree falls in the forest, if a fitbit isn't counting steps...are they real.  They are. 

[Karen_Suep]

I noticed your breakfast is strictly protein. May wanna throw veggies in there.

[JacksonHunt]

My concern is essentially #3 that you listed. Except replace mood with feeling physically/emotionally/mentally compelled to eat high fat/sugar junk or frankenfoods. I am not of the low fat mentality. I do struggle to get enough healthy fat though. I cook most protein and veggies in ghee, evoo, or coconut oil, which adds a fair amount. Couple of tablespoons with breakfast, lunch, and dinner adds a fair amount. I also put 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds on my salads. Add to that some almond butter and I've generally been thinking I get enough but I can try and add in more if that seems light. I generally don't respond well to nuts and I don't eat high fat proteins. 

 

As for post workout, you're probably correct in that I should balance my intake better to restore glycogen. However, I'm usually working out within 60 minutes of dinner, which tends to be high protein/fiber/carb so I usually feel pretty balanced going into and out of lifting. If I'm doing interval cardio on the bike for 30 minutes or so then I generally skip post workout intake. I think you're right though in that my relationship with food is still fractured. I'm not sure that it will ever be truly repaired. 

 

I should also note that I don't fitbit. I do try and hit 150 grams or better of protein per day. I tend to feel a bit deflated and shed lean mass if I consistently drop below that. I'm not a bodybuilder or a muscle fanatic but I do carry a little bit of extra lean mass over what my bmr would normally dictate. If I track food it's simply to make sure I'm around that 150 gram mark and that I'm not eating too much salt (blood pressure issues noted in original post). I guess I have really just felt that each time I shed body fat, my hormones "feel" off. And as I've noted, I'm not trying to lose weight. I've tried to embrace this healing lifestyle to the fullest and not find ways to cheat around the plan. 

 

I will try adding some additional healthy fats into my routine and see if that helps me through the transitions or in the day-to-day. I'll also try to add some veggies to the morning routine! 

 

Thanks all for the feedback. 

[Karen_Suep]

Instead of seeds and nuts, try adding things like mayo, pesto, schmaltz/lard/tallow, avocado/guac, etc to your food after you cook it. Cooking fats often stay in the pan/plate and not into our bellies. I personally love dipping my veggies in homemade southwest ranch or guacamole on my burger patties.

[jmcbn]

... I guess I have really just felt that each time I shed body fat, my hormones "feel" off. And as I've noted, I'm not trying to lose weight. I've tried to embrace this healing lifestyle to the fullest and not find ways to cheat around the plan....

 

You are definitely light on fat. Add an additional source to each meal over above what you use for cooking, and I think it would also be helpful for you to include at least a few servings of oily fish each week (salmon & mackerel are good examples), and foods that will naturally raise dopamine levels due to their tryptophan & serotonin content - foods like turkey, tuna, oysters, mushrooms, liver, bananas, pineapple, walnuts - this should help with those feelings of anxiety, particularly when eaten alongside starchy veg.

And do add in that postWO meal - regardless of what you've eaten before your work out your muscles need that protein immediately after a workout for muscle  protein synthesis (about 20-25g is good) - we recommend PRE and POST WO meals in addition to your 3 main meals, but the pre is dependant on when you train in relation to your last meal and I don't think you really need this.