Getting enough to eat

[ldmon]

I think the poor speech was caused from drinking too much water.  As in, over-consuming water.  The last couple of days, I've not been drinking much water, and I feel more alert during the day, my speech has come back to me, and I think I'm not retaining water. 

I'm not going to see a doctor, because they're probably not all that with it in terms of only eating one meal a day and my case.  I'm an anomaly to doctors, because most people eat three meals a day, and therefore, they don't know what to classify me under.  It's kind of sad, but I just have to take my health into my own hands.

I think health is reflected in how one looks.  For example, people wear makeup, have fake-tans, put on teeth veneers, have plastic surgery done to alter the appearance in effort to appear healthy, but they are not underneath the outside appearance.  A person who has no surgery/cosmetic touch-ups and looks healthy probably is healthy.  I am under this category.
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Lastly, has anyone noticed that they get extremely tired/feel slow after thinking about food?  I can think about food, smell something fragrant like food, and it makes me salivate, and I get tired.  I'm wondering if this is called insulin sensitivity.  I believe so.

Thanks guys.

[Tauwin]

Poor speech is caused from drinking too much alcohol - not water.  Smelling food and then becoming tired is not 'insulin sensitivity.' Insulin sensitivity is your body's capability of using insulin to metabolize blood glucose - the more active and physically fit one is- the less insulin they will need to produce to aid the breakdown and movement of glucose into cells for energy.  You don't need to tell the Dr.'s you are only eating one meal a day for them to analyze your bloodwork- their job is not judging patients -it is helping them.  It is not 'one meal a day' that is causing the symptoms you have described in your posts. I was concerned about you and your health- however now I am just annoyed with you. Good luck just the same.

[peter]

The reverse is also true. I have many male and female friends who live on junk food, drink little water and engage in no exercise, yet they are relatively thin by most standards and having glowing complexions. Why? Because they are "happy go lucky type-people" who, for the most part, love what they do for a living. Likewise, it is not common to hear of people who drink alcohol in great excess and still seem to look great. You see, Idmon, there are a number of factors that contribute to outward appearnce. For example if i ate well and exercised, yet had no friends, sex like, poor job, or whatever, those factors might possibly influence the way i acted, and therefore, i would probably not project a positive, attractive appearance. The way a person thinks, has a real positive or negative impact on the way they not only feel, but also look.

Drinking too much water causing slurred speech...only if its spiked with 99 proof. I'll say it again, a poor functioning thyroid (hypothyroidism) is often equated with slow speech. Other possible causes include deficiecies of magnesium and iron. A simple test to find out whether you may have an inactive/overactive thyroid is the following:

For a man, bring a thermometer to bed. Shake it well and place it on your night stand or something similar. Immediately upon awakening in the morning,place the thermometer in your armpit region for 10 minutes. A reading below 97.8 - 98.2 strongly indicates low thyorid function. A reading above this range is suggestive of an overactive thyroid gland.

And Lastly, as Tauwin said already, there is no need to tell the doctor about your eating behaviour. Simply say what types of food you eat and in what quantities. If problems arise, then it may be advisable to discuss your particular diet, but not until then.

Now, if you do the test above and fall within the range, good. Then try implementing some of the other suggestions we've made. Asking for our advice and yet not taking us up on it, at least when we seem to be offering something of value, can be something of a slap in the face. Perhaps, we've had similar experiences to you, or know someone that has, and therefore we're trying to advise you as to what has worked for others. Are you picking up what i am putting down? If so, re-read our posts, put somethings into practice, then report back on this particular matter, but only after you've made some changes and given those changes 4-6 weeks to take effect. How's that sound Moderator, Tauwin?

[peter]

One more thing Idmon...it never hurts to try and educate yourself on any type of personal matter, prior to posting on a board like this. That way, you may be able to have a more meaningful discussion with those around you.

Now, don't get me wrong, we're here to help. However, as Tom Cruise said in Jerry Maguire, "Help us, help you".

[DN Moderator]

Peter, I would tend to agree with you.  We're all here to share our experiences and help.  It always makes lifestyle and dieting much more beneficial & effective when there's a community in which to do it.  We've all been living these diets for a number of years now, and have experienced ups and downs alike.  ldmon, while you seem to be incredibly intelligent, you also are quite young.  It's very important to listen to good advice when given, especially by those who've had much experience in the nutrition area.  Again, don't take that the wrong way.  I believe we all want to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.  Some of the things that you've expressed here have concerned many of us, because we don't want to see you make choices that will perpetuate any state of poor health.   Again, my advice is to make sure that there isn't some underlying physical issue that is causing your symptoms.

[Tauwin]

Good Advice!! hey, sorry if I sounded a bit harsh and/or rude.  Idmon- check in and let us know how you are holding up.

[peter]

Yes, i second what Tauwin said in his last post.

[The Saint]

Sorry for sticking in my tuppensworth but I've been reading through these posts and Idmon, you seem to contradict yourself a lot.  1100 calories?  How do you even know that?  You'd have to weigh your food and be counting the calories, which is an unnatural way to eat, the warrior diet is meant to get you in touch with the natural rhythms of life.  I lived with an eating disorder many years ago, and I lived on 1000 calories a day with a punishing excercise program.  Keeping my eating within 1000 calories required a lot of time and effort in just working it all out!!  I'd be dizzy with blurrred vision just from insufficient calories during the day.  My body reacted in strange ways to the slow starvation and I ended up wrecking my metabolism and became hypoglycemic. 

You definitely need to be eating more, and during the day too.  The idea of eating live foods during the day is to stock your body with the nutrients and enzymes required for digesting your main meal later.  I probably eat as many calories in fruit during the day as I would if I was eating a sandwhich instead.  If you feel hungry during the day, a piece of fruit suffices.  Hunger pangs usually pass off, and you know you're going to reward your body later with an enjoyable meal.  I don't see how you can be enjoying your meals in the evening.  Esp if you're eating the same things all the time.  When you tell us that you'd only come off the warrior diet if someone force fed you, that kind of rings warning bells for me.  Your relationship to food and your experiences on the warrior diet do not seem healthy or safe to me.  I'm sorry if this is offensive to anyone, genuine concern is the motivation of my comments, as it is for the rest of those who have added posts. 

[ldmon]

The Saint, sorry to disappoint you, but I worship food.  Perhaps it is you who does not have a good relationship with food. 

That being said, I think I wasn't eating enough.  If I don't eat to the point where I feel stuffed and literally cannot eat anymore without exploding or having my stomach protrude into my heart and suffocate me, I feel tired during the day.  Otherwise, I feel very energetic and happy go lucky.

So, I'm doing great.  How is everyone else?

[DN Moderator]

ldmon, I'm certainly glad to hear that you're doing better!

[maine]

Idmon, i have the EXACT condition that you have its freaking ridiculous. ive lost muscle and strength yet stuff myself everday following the guidelines or not. sometimes i switch the meal to lunch then fast till the next day till dinner.im five seven and 100lbs. i weighed this weight a couple of months ago but was incrediably strong for my size but always ate alot of protein and never got sick or weak.your stomach should be acidic, not alkaline which is what your blood should be. though now, whatever i eat i feel like crap. i think im suffering from caninida overgrowth or a clogged up system. anyway, i love food to and stuffing myself at night which is what keeps me on this diet. how did you get better?

[charleslong]

T
So, I'm doing great.  How is everyone else?

Doing very well. Thank you. Glad to hear your doing great.

Charles

[sdave72]

What everyone needs to know who's doing the WD is how your body fulfills it's glucose needs all day long while you're fasting.  Mostly from liver-glycogen, but more importantly it robs the proteins from skeletal muscle (see gluconeogenesis). Thats muscle wasting.  If you conform to the typical western diet, that means at your nightly meal you're eating 275g of carbs and 75g of protein for the average 2000cal meal.  A huge insulin spike ensues and your adipose tissue swells in response to this massive glucose load.  But you're not getting enough protein to both replace what your body broke down for sugar PLUS what your body needs otherwise.  So what is the net result?  Fatness and weakness.  One of Ori's main arguments is "This diet basically guarantees you six to eight hours a day of fat-burning hormones running in your body" - this statement is misleading.  Its true the HORMONES will increase, but what about the ENZYMES to burn this fat?  Unless dietary carbohydrates are restricted the body will continue to primarly derive it's energy from glucose.  Sugar and carbs inhibit the genetic expression of fat-burning enzymes, and rapidly too.  So yea, you're going to burn some fat during the day, but your 'engine' is running on glucose.  End result?  You're gonna gain fat and lose muscle - the experience of many WDers, including myself. 

[Parisrose]

sdave72 - just curious.  What exactly are you eating if what you say is what you have seen and experienced?  Do you think many WDers are eating too many carbs in relation to protein thus the end result you mentioned?  Have you had any success on the WD and do you still follow it?  Again, not being judgmental here - just curious to hear your personal experiences and viewpoints. 

[sdave72]

I started the WD in May 2005.  I'd no problem adapting to the diet, and I did feel much better.  However I noticed my muscle mass decreasing as my body fat rose even though I'm active and exercise regularly.  It dawned on me that I was wasting away, yet getting fat!  To top it off a blood test earlier this year (March) came back with a high-risk lipid profile. 
After much research and some modification, I stayed on the WD but removed saccharides (sugar, starch) from my diet, replacing it with lots of protein and some fat (this was in April).  This changed the picture completely, and in short order too.  With empty glycogen stores and no sugar coming in, the body switches out of glucose-buring mode and into fat-burning mode.  Daily glucose requirements fall sharply (so less muscle is wasted), and now the fat-burning ENZYMES build up and fat now runs the 'engine'.  The human body has a much greater capacity to store fat than glucose, and it's way more efficient (by weight and energy).  Needless to say, I lost ALL the adiposity and regained my muscle-mass (and more!). And to top it off, a blood test last month (November) revealed my lipid profile is awesome and shows less than 1/4 average risk for CHD.
To directly answer your question, absolutely YES - many WDers are eating too many carbs.  Ori is right on the money with controlling hormones thru diet.  But I think the most important one to control is insulin.  Anyone who thinks insulin's only effect is to lower blood sugar needs to do some serious research.  This is a powerful hormone that wreaks havoc on the human body, and in my opinion is the main cause for the Metabolic Syndrome or whatever you want to call it - the disease of modern civilization or SyndromeX. 
Btw, do you know what the minimum dietary requirement for carbohydrate is?