Backloading template questions

[MerBear]

Hi everyone,

 

Meredith here, on Day 10 of my 2nd official Whole 30!  

 

Since I last did W30 (~ 1.5 years ago), I've run into a bunch of health issues, mainly adrenal fatigue.  I since then have started a strict regimen of supplements and acupuncture to help reduce my symptoms.  Most recently, I've been working with a nutritionist to implement a backloading program to help me become less insulin resistant (I've put on weight steadily for the past few years).  So I've been eating a boat load of healthy fats and proteins throughout the first half of the day, with a low GI veggie at lunch, then refueling my glycogen stores in the evening, while adding extra glycogen reloading after weight lifting in the evening (about 3x a week). I've been feeling a LOT better because of it!

 

I'm also back in the gym (hence my post in the athlete section), and now that I'm on W30, I. Am. So. Hungry.  All the time.  Yes I'm sure it's hunger.

 

So my questions:

 

Even though I'm on day 10, could my body be still working out the detoxing portion of the W30?  I.e., should I just try to suck it up for a few more days until my body shifts into a more fat adapted mode?  Or should I try throwing more low GI veggies into the day?  Could this be because of my training?  I'm currently at 4-6 days a week (pretty regularly 5 days), 3 weight training days, and 2 circuit / xfit days.  I feel like I'm eating so much already, I just don't want to eff this up.

 

My food daily:

 

Meal 1:  coffee w/ 1/3c coconut cream, 2-3 eggs, 1 link chicken sausage cooked in coconut oil

Meal 2:  5-6oz ground beef over 2 C cooked / chopped kale, pico de gallo salsa, 1/2 avo if needed

Meal 3:  8oz turkey or chicken, 2 C cooked / chopped kale, 10ish oz yams, added carbs (like grapes, applesauce) on the evenings I weight lift

 

Snacks only if needed:  a HB egg of 1/4 c almonds.....

 

Supplements:

Zinc, Cataplex B, Zypan (more for the HCL for my digestion), Adrenal Complex, Vitamin C, D-Hist (OTC homeopathic allergy supplement), Magnesium, Kavanance to help me sleep at night

 

Any thoughts / suggestions are warmly appreciated!  Thanks!

[ladyshanny]

First, if you are recovering from adrenal fatigue, 4-6 days in the gym doing heavy lifting or crossfit style is going to work directly against healing.

 

Second, you aren't eating enough.  At all.  On days that you work out you get two extra meals.  Pre and post workout.  PRE should be fat and protein and POST should be lean protein and starchy veggies.  Using fruit is not recommended because it preferentially replenishes liver glycogen, not muscle. 

 

The rest I can't comment on as I don't particularly understand how not eating vegetables at all for breakfast is going to help your adrenals recover.

[Munkers]

My own reading/studying on adrenal fatigue had led to an understanding that low carb is not necessarily the way to go when your aim is to support your adrenals. You'll help to reverse the insulin resistance just by adopting a Whole30 lifestyle--carb counting/intentional reduction isn't really necessary beyond that. You are REALLY active and coupled with the adrenal fatigue, you probably don't have enough starch in your diet. I would recommend upping the starchy squash, root veggies, and other higher starch vegetables and considering incorporating them into your breakfast and lunch. Low carb can be great for weight loss, but it also increases your cortisol and that's the exact opposite of what you want to do when you're trying to support your adrenals.

 

Where is the fat in your lunch and dinner? You list the lunch-time avocado as "if needed." What do you mean by that?

 

I would suggest more variety in your diet, especially in the veggies that you eat. Micronutrient intake is also important for healing your adrenals and the best way to accomplish that is with variety.

[MerBear]

Thanks Ladyshanny and Munkers for your detailed responses.  I completely forgot to add that I am feeling a LOT better (hence all the training) and my adrenal fatigue was diagnosed months ago.  I feel like I'm on the upswing of it.

 

I will for sure implement veggies into meal 1 and eat more.  I'm finally starting to hear my body requesting more food...I wasn't sure if my signals were my body shifting into fat adaptation or what (hence my post / questions).  

 

Munkers, I listed avocado "if needed" if I am hungry and I feel like I need more.  I felt like the 85/15 ground beef I was eating was enough fat, sounds like I really should implement the avo regardless.

 

I'll work on getting more variety into my meals.  Thanks again!