I ate a very low calorie, low fat, vegetarian diet for years while also training extensively. I didn't sleep much, etc etc. It's a very similar story, and unfortunately pretty common.

It's been about a year since I both started paleo and graduated University--and therefore made a committed effort to "relax" -- and only now is my keratosis pilaris (a skin condition) clearing, only recently have I begun to feel satisfied when I eat, it took about six months for my acne to fade away, and it took about .. six months?.. for my hair to stop falling out. My point is that my health has continued to improve over time, but it really has been a slow journey. Give yourself some time and be as good to yourself as possible, and I promise (?!) you'll see improvements.

I have had very similar issues. I grew up as a competitive ballroom dancer (18 years) I was always told to lose more weight, purge, starve, etc. So I did. Not only did I yoyo diet for years, but I ended up vitamin d deficient and hypothyroid at the ripe age of 27.

There is good news though - your body is an incredible machine and do not be too hard on yourself. It will heal and correct itself in time. The key is to stick to the way nature intended for you to eat. Don't restrict meals, don't over-exercise, and I would stay away from dairy.

Though I still weigh more than I would like, Paleo has done wonders for me. Glucose and fructose is poison to my body, so I don't eat fruit even. My skin stays clear and my hair is shiny and healthy, in addition to noticing slow and steady improvements in my body every week. I think your body will naturally return to its optimal state if you take it easy, stay paleo, and just be ok with yourself. Your body has been through a lot of trauma, and I think it will take a while. Just don't get discouraged. Best of luck!

Seems like a lot of issues going on there, I don't even quite know were to start.

The mid section could be from cortosol it could also be from insulin resistance.

For the sleep, make your room 100% pitch black, get 8-10 hours of sleep a night. (When I say dark I mean can't see your hand 1 cm in front of your face dark) Also, try to avoid eating carbs right before you go to bed.

Also If you take a magnesium suplement before you go to bed, it should help with your sleep as well.

Are you taking fish oil? Personal I would get rid of the milk but I have not drank milk in years.

Cut back on the amount of carbs you are eating, switch over to more vegs per meal with a handful of berries.

What about the quality of the food you are eating? You are eating organ meats are they comeing from a good source or grain fed animals?

I'm still dealing with years of residue from trying to exercise 2 hours a day,plus walking 2 miles back and forth to work,smoking,high carb eating,and no definite sleep schedule(I go from third to first to second every week).Torn my quad during this time, and, as the fat/muscle ratio on my body changes, it is VERY obvious how badly it healed..big gaps and lumps from thigh to knee.Getting good fats in,cutting back on dairy(if you can't stand the withdrawal,use fermented,raw,or non homogenized products), and lowering carbs to a minimum comfortable level can help.Cutting all carbs can be a bit too stressful,sometimes easing back is better.As far as sleep goes,keep the lights out, and,when you can let your body sleep,do it.It may be 6 hours,it may be 16. The body knows when it needs more sleep to repair or less when it's feeling healthy.Just listen to it.

I started taking a raw, dessicated pituitary supplement (bovine from NZ, no mad cow there) in addition to adrenal and thyroid glandular complexes as well. Adding the pituitary (the "master glad") really gave me the extra somethin-somethin I needed to feel normal. My situation is entirely different, but I figure the pituitary stuff will help anyone as their body needs it. Sublingual B complex helps a lot, too. Of course "consult with your physician before starting any..." blah blah blah. I get the stuff from Amazon, where I read all the reviews, and no one reported any negative side effects, which is why I felt comfortable trying them out.

Hi. I know it's been 10 months since you posted this but I hope you still get to read these comments. I've also experienced the same thing. Very, very much alike!

I train for triathlons, and I've been training very hard to make it to the national team. I weigh 110 lbs but I wanted to lose 10 more, thinking that it will make me a better runner. My weekly schedule is so intense, run+bike or run+swim or swim+weights 6 times a week, for AT LEAST 3 hours a day. My rest day is Sunday, which many times means race time.

But the thing is, I was also trying to lose a lot of weight while training. So my average meal is like this: (breakfast) banana+peanut butter, (lunch) salad and chocolate drink, (dinner) peanuts and apple.

After years of training, I've experienced hypothyroid symptoms: weight gain of 10 lbs. in three days, no appetite, can hardly wake up, can hardly sleep, lethargic, etc. Blood exams told me I had low thyroid function. It was so frustrating: cannot train, cannot even find the energy to wake up, etc.

Five months after, as I'm writing this, I saw a dramatic improvement in my thyroid. Thank you, God! :-) I bought this book by Dr. Kharazzian (ordered from Amazon), "Why am I Having Thyroid Symptoms when My Lab Tests are Normal?" (something like this; I cannot remember the exact wordings). Then I religiously followed all his recommendations:

Absolutely no gluten (wheat, etc) , dairy, eggs, corn, soy, yeast Sleep 7-8 hours a day MODERATE exercise Less sugar, and no sugar at night Take recommended supplements (depends on your Thyroid Problem type, also indicated there). As for me, I took L-Tyrosine, B vitamins and Phosphatidylserine. All these measures worked wonders.

Yep, the thyroid is a very sensitive organ and it takes time to heal. But it's all worth the wait. Now, I'm back training again and I've lost all the weight I gained for the past five months. It will naturally come off with the regulation of your thyroid. :) And really, I'm eating more healthy now, and I'm feeling way better. Also, I listen to my body now more than ever. If I'm super tired from yesterday's training, no guilt feeling, I'd rest.

I've realized how commercialized foods are, that manufacturers sneak in gluten in various forms just to save money. Be wary. Diet contributes A LOT to our well-being.

On average day, it goes like this now: 1-1.5 hour training Breakfast: oatmeal+banana Lunch: rice+vegetables+a bit of protein A bit of walking Snack: banana+milk 1-1.5 hour training Dinner: vegetables+fruits+a bit of protein

Hope this helps. Let us know how you're doing.

Wow, you're trying to kill yourself.

No carbs or extremely low carbs diet are a way to do it. Excess of meats and milk (organic, raw or whatever) is a sure way to get cancer and add lots of bodyfat.

Your skin got fixed because of low testosterone--it's responsible for certain skin problems. Yes, your testosterone is very low. Not worth training like that and eating wrong, like you do, to mess up your system. Your HPTA should recover, with prolonged period or taking it easy and healthy eating. I don't notice you mentioned any antioxidants in your diet--well this is too bad. You need to include a lot of them and a lot of vegetables and fruit, organic.

Really, you're not in the right mind for going on all-milk diet--you're not 1 a year old anymore to live off milk, you're a grown up now and need to chew your greens, like nature intended. Try taking Tribulus Terrestris for HPTA and other testosterone-production herbs, you can get the whole complex in nutrition store. In general, for overcome exhaustion, take Rhodiola Rosea. But vitamin C and other antioxidants, wide range of them, should be central.