Gaining fat

[ldmon]

Hey, the past week, I've been eating starchy carbs with every meal and having a light protein snack with fruit during the day, in effort to gain back some muscle or at least feel better than I have been (I had fatigue just from walking up stairs or just walking across campus), and the first couple of days, I noticed I had more energy the following day, and the past couple of days, I've been gaining some fat. But I still don't have much muscle mass to speak of (lost it all on the warrior diet), so basically, I don't know what I've done to myself, and I don't want to become fat.  So could someone make some recommendations?

I have an idea that eating more fruit or simple sugars with fat is the reason I have gained body fat.  Usually, complex carbs don't turn to fat on me if I eat two small/medium size potatoes with my evening protein meal.

Could it be hormones?  What am I doing 'wrong?'

[energizer]

Personally I think you should add more fats to your diet. Try adding Coconut products to your diet, I find they provide lots of energy and are good for muscle growth. Saturated fats like those in coconuts and butter also help regulate hormones and are good for testosterone production.

P.S How long have you been on the diet? I felt the way you describe when I first started but now I feel excellent and have more strength than ever. It may be that you are taking a long time to adapt.

[ldmon]

For five or six months, I've only been eating at night, but a huge meal.  And I lost a lot of body mass.  However, I've lost quite a bit of muscle as well as fat.  I just want to increase my muscle mass a bit. 

I'd love to produce more estrogen-balancing hormones; by the way I'm a female.  Estrogen, although is necessary for female health, can easily over-accumulate in females and make them react emotionally (mood changes), physically (fat gain), and mentally (slowed mental adaptiveness), in my opinion.  But that doesn't mean females are less of usefulness to humanity or anything.

Interesting you think I might be taking a long time to adapt.  It could be that.  I think it could also be a combination of me losing so much muscle mass and decreasing my liver capacity to detox that my body has gone into shock or something.  I'm just looking to improve my health right now.  I don't mind if I gain a little body fat if I feel better.  Though, I usually don't keep excess body fat on for long.  It usually comes off of me in a couple days if not one full day.

I'm trying a bit of resistance exercising at 12PM or 1PM and then eating a high glycemic fruit (ie a banana) with sugar-free, all natural, peanut-butter with it, and then an egg or other really light protein food as well as a bit of full-fat yogurt.  Then I sleep.  I did this routine today, and felt ok.  But I still feel weak, even after a big meaty dinner with meat and potatoes and liberal amounts of unsalted butter on the potatoes. 

It's not like I don't eat quality food.  I don't understand why I could be losing muscle mass like this.  My only explanation is that I'm a female, so I have more estrogen as I get older (I'm almost 19 by the way), and this hormone is known for storing more fat on the body and making muscle as small as possible.  Don't ask me why it is this way.  I think it sucks, and never wanted to lose muscle and have fat gain on my body my whole adult life. Such is life.  I learn to live with it. 

[loscalzocanfly]

I enjoy your open minded look at life idmon, however i just wanted to comment. You say you  tried resistance training and than recover with a banana (high glycemic correct?) than you proceed to nap?

I have been on this diet for a similar amount of time, and agree 100% that it is life changing for the better. Yet when i work out i find myself either skateboarding to where i push myself to new levels w/ my body (almost like CFT however no resistance w/ the skateboard). Than there are the days when i dont have the leisure time to skate, so i run over to the gym. Where i follow the CFT prgm pretty close. Yet the entire reason i decided to reply was to inform you that only once have i ever felt the need to nap after working out, and i found the solution quite quickly just on these forums somewhere. Anyways, i found i just needed to use  a better recovery meal, so i decided i would use some cash towards the suggested "warrior recovery products". Let me say im 19, and i feel absolutely wonderful with the view of my body in a consistent postive increase in lean muscle, no fat. In the course of 2 months out of the 4 i have followed the WD!

I find when i skate i just use it for a fat buring session, than the next day or whenever i feel right about going to CFT i go head on strong, which i have found to be much more beneficial in fatloss / muscle growth compared to any other regimen i have tried...Im not even looking to get bigger either, its just niced to feel / look better!

[loscalzocanfly]

My point i meant to get across was that i always come out of a workout with way more energy than when i went in with! 

[ldmon]

You come out of a workout with more energy; however, you've only been on the diet for two months, right?  I've been on it for 6, and I'm pretty sure I was depriving myself for the first five months of not eating anything daily straight for 20 hours and then only eating within the 4 hour eating window, and not eating enough during that window for about two months.  I was also chronically restricting my intake of starchy carbs, so that could also have interfered with my liver's health, which affects everything.  So, now I'm just trying to get some strength back, and it seems to be working.  Sleep and food are good remedies. 

I seem to be doing very well if I take it easy during the day and only work out briefly/intensely for 10-15 minutes around noon or later then I eat something that will cause an insulin spike (ie banana with PB on it, apple, maple syrup, etc. fruit) and a light protein, such as a hard boiled egg with spices, and it keeps me satiated and feeling energized the entire day until I eat a big feast at night.

And at the moment, I'm a college (aka piss poor) student, so I can't afford the meal replacements Ori sells.  I'd love to when I get out of college and get a real job though for sure!

As for now, I seem to be doing fine health-wise with the noon-time snack and big dinner.

Thanks for your input by the way.