Hi All! I am new to the forum, and this is my first post
I have started the REPAIR program today, and I am nervous/excited to get this whole process underway! I am a 27yo female with a history of chronic dieting, but most recently I underwent a 4-month period of overtraining and undereating in an attempt to lose a few, but alas, I think I've done FAR more damage than good. The symptoms I've been experiencing lately seem to point to a body in stress, and my ultimate goal is to get to a maintenance level of eating ( a truly NOVEL idea for me
) with a reduced training schedule.
A l'il about my background
14yo - Starting "dieting"; developed anorexia nervosa. Weight dropped from 120 to 90lbs in a very short time (2-3 months).
14-16yo - struggled with AN but decided to get better on my own. Weight bounced up quickly.
16-21yo - Struggled with binge eating, restricting, over-exercising, bulimia. Weight remained fairly consistent.
21yo - Started BFL and got great results. Felt in control and loved weight lifting!
22+yo - Started to develop GI issues, food intolerances...combined with overexercising, problems with food control.
Fast forward....developed an apparent gluten intolerance (GI problems)
26yo - Continuing w/ weight training 3-4days/wk + HIIT 3-4 times/wk + intervals/SS 1-2x/week....decided to try Lyle's RFL after failing to lose any weight. Did WAYYY too much exercise on low cals. Did one 12-day RFL program, took a week 'break' but still trained, just upped cals by 2-300, and then did a second 12-day RFL round (NOT recommended), again with too much exercise. Lost weight for the first time in a long time.
....It was around this time last year that I started struggling with bouts of lethargy, extreme fluid retention (especially after eating carbs), intolerance to heat/cold, low energy, irritability, anxiety, fluctuating body temperature. I started bingeing on the weekends, until finally I just stopped going to the gym for 6 weeks.
Ok....so the past 4 months, I decided (despite common sense) to start training again, and I went hardcore. Weight training 4 days/week, all supersets, heavy as possible, no rests in between sets, 45-60min/session. This combined with SS cardio at first, then intervals, SS, HIIT 5-6x/week. Yeah
. My cals were averaging 1100-1400 at a weight of 135 lbs (some days sub-1000). Carbs = lowwww. Dumb. Oh, and taking EC stack 3x/day + lots of coffee & diet Pepsi.
My current symptoms include:
1. EXTREME fluid retention: swollen face, hands, feet, stomach, legs, calves, eyelids. Waking with sleep lines all over my body that last for a long time. I retain water when I either train too hard on low cals for a few days OR eat a buttload of carbs for a couple of days (note: I don't retain water after a decent 1-day refeed).
2. Resting heart rate at 78-80bpm. I think this is high. I wake up with my heart racing, overheated and full of water. Lovely.
3. Days where I just feel like ass. Lethargy, extreme fatigue, burning eyes, difficulty moving, sore legs (aching joints). Fluctuating fluid retention and body temperature (freezing to sweating within a few minutes).
4. Headaches - almost daily. Uncommon for me. Popping Advil almost daily.
Ok, so I did the quiz, and I figure I'm a pretty effed-up Level 3. I can't believe I won't be going to the gym for the next few weeks (I'm a known regular there! hahah), but I'm willing to do WHATEVER it takes to just be normal. I don't want to obsess about food anymore. I don't want to train like a maniac on no food just to maintain and feel like ass. I'm ready for this.
I have the next 8 weeks all mapped out. Starting cals are set at 1100 for the first 2 weeks (this is lowww, but who knows what my current screwed up RMR is currently....)
Macros
Goal/Actual: 1100/1035
30gF, 78gC (16g starchy carbs), 120gP
Supps: Calcium (650mg x 2), Fish oils (4g), MV, 2 Probiotics
Activity
None. Sat around all day feeling pooey. Full of water today because of carbs yesterday. This is sooo not cool.
Enough rambling for my first post! Any feedback through this trying process will be GREATLY appreciated
