Something I'm learning from my GWF - my highs and lows

[AnnetteW]

I'm putting this in it's own thread as I think it's really important and don't want it lost.

I think this calorie tracking device is the coolest invention in the world, and tracking the outcomes is starting to make so much sense to me.

You know how we diet, do what we're supposed to do, and then don't understand why we crash, or why we have extra energy, or this or that...well, I'm starting to see it just based on the numbers.

Okay, so yesterday was a good lo-cal day for me and a high burn day. I had a 1500 deficit. What I'm starting to see with my tracking is that if I have a high deficit for a day or a couple fairly high deficits for a few days, if I don't give myself enough food, I burn out (duh.)

In my 2nd week data, I can see three deficits in a row over 1000 calories (I'm considering that a moderate deficit, just for a word to use. Yes, it is high, and it's my goal, but it's not as high as 1500.) Right after that, I crashed. I seriously woke up one day, did a cardio workout (which felt great at the time, as I was on a caffeine high) but the rest of the day I didn't move.

It took 2 days to recover from that. I can see that in my step count, plus looking at my "calorie" grid online, I seriously was "straight line" all day.

So once again, I see that I had 3 pretty high deficit days in a row. That's now warning me...I'm going to eat more calories today, aiming for 4 full meals and high protein, so I don't crash tomorrow.

I hope this will work. If this does work, it will be a great way for me to track the days ahead of me, not only the ones behind me. Who knows, maybe I work on a 3 day cycle. There's so much I could learn from this.

Now I need to track "notes to myself" in my Excel file on how I feel physically.

[CindyC]

Hi Annette,

Thanks for sharing that. This is my 5th day with the GWF and I have already noticed how my sleep or lack of it effects my energy level and calorie burn. So no surprise that you are finding calorie deficit has a similar effect. Our bodies are very smart and know what is needed for nutrition and rest.

Cindy

[Leigh P.]

If you ladies haven't seen you might enjoy this article as it gets into some of what you are talking about.

http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/fre...ng_fat_is_neat

I also go into more details in the Metabolic Repair.

In short, what you are stating is the perfect argument for breaks and refeeds. If only more would take part and head the warnings.

[Aoife]

I think of dieting like productivity and training. There needs to be resting and regrouping. Precisely because you can only go so long before you've gone too far. You have the days (or even a couple in a row) where you're super productive and get a lot done, or are at a huge deficit and hardly hungry, or rock a tough workout leaving you a puddle of a former person… but then there needs to be a day or two to recover. You need to plan out the next set of activities to get done and digest what you've accomplished, or you need to rest and let your body rebuild, or you need to refeed in some way to maintain energy to keep rockin that deficit.
Burnout happens when you don't naturally let yourself recover from whatever you're doing. When you work through the weekend. When you never take a vacation. When you never eat a friggin cookie.

[LisaS]

Originally Posted by Aoife

Burnout happens when you don't naturally let yourself recover from whatever you're doing. When you work through the weekend. When you never take a vacation. When you never eat a friggin cookie.

I was going to say this is me - but I do eat an occasional cookie and love my weekend nap, so I'm safe

[CindyC]

Hi,

Now a few weeks into the GWF and tracking my calories I have noticed that throughout the day if my calorie burn is a few hundred calories higher than my calorie consumption, that is when I feel hungry. Even if I just recently have eaten something. It has made me aware of why I used to be hungry all the time, before my GWF when I was undereating all the time. Our bodies are so smart and now I am able to listen and understand this whole process much better.

Cindy

Originally Posted by CindyC

Hi Annette,

Thanks for sharing that. This is my 5th day with the GWF and I have already noticed how my sleep or lack of it effects my energy level and calorie burn. So no surprise that you are finding calorie deficit has a similar effect. Our bodies are very smart and know what is needed for nutrition and rest.

Cindy

[dianas]

Originally Posted by Aoife

I think of dieting like productivity and training. There needs to be resting and regrouping. Precisely because you can only go so long before you've gone too far. You have the days (or even a couple in a row) where you're super productive and get a lot done, or are at a huge deficit and hardly hungry, or rock a tough workout leaving you a puddle of a former person… but then there needs to be a day or two to recover. You need to plan out the next set of activities to get done and digest what you've accomplished, or you need to rest and let your body rebuild, or you need to refeed in some way to maintain energy to keep rockin that deficit.
Burnout happens when you don't naturally let yourself recover from whatever you're doing. When you work through the weekend. When you never take a vacation. When you never eat a friggin cookie.

Excellent post.