I know the title is slightly convoluted and I apologize for that- this is my first question to be hacked. So some background, I have recently just lost approximately 30# through a PSMF (not with refeeds as the first time I did Lyle's program with the refeeds I felt that shite for 3 days after and have come to the conclusion that I just do not process carbs other than veggies well at all if how my body feels says anything about it). I also have lupus that I was officially DX with 2 years ago that is currently in remission. I believe that my background of competitive swimming since the age of 5 through 20 concurrent with constant eat disorder issues (undereating, overexercising chronically) while eating SAD (re: low fat, standard "carb-up" approach for meets) set me up for the autoimmune disease, severe depression I went through, and weight gain that was a source of constant frustration to both me and my long-time nutritionist as I could not lose it despite rigid calorie counting and exercising a ton (triathlons, weights, etc). I went through a huge change in mindset after reading Schwarzbein's book and beginning to delve into the delicate balance of hormones and food and started to actually warm up to the idea that fat was not the enemy. I also was forced to slow down a LOT, i.e. my dr. actually told me not to do anything for a month when I first started having the worst of the Lupus symptoms and to be honest I could hardly move from the bed or think properly. SHe of course still had some carbs in, though carefully counted out in grams and not the high GI kind. Then I feel into the metabolic typing experiment which said I needed to eat like a hunter-gatherer, although he kept his carb amounts too high for that category I believe to not rock the boat too much, but I did immediately lose weight (water I'm sure though I kept my carbs around 120 daily).Then it was MarksDailyApple and the primal crowd and I actually went VLC, was eating only two large meals a day with lots of fat and protein, IFing, but felt like I was gaining weight and getting chubbier. So then I found Lyle and did his PSMF which worked like a charm but then I had this mindset that I'd be "free" of my ED once I lost the weight...well, no not at all, still counted calories, exercised too much right when I came off, had carbs at 120-150 (veggies/fruits), and was still indulging too much every weekend). So I gained it all back...then I started seeing a weight loss doctor to see what was "wrong" with me. Well, no matter what I did I still couldn't lose weight so I said, screw it, we're PSMF again but this time I'm transitioning SLOWLY, not going straight into crazy workouts, and stopping all this calorie counting and weighing nonsense as it clearly hasn't helped to date.
So, here I am, 7 weeks post the official end of my PSMF although I kept losing after. I barely exercised on the 6 week program, and no refeeds but managed to lose more but less lean mass than last time. I do not count calories and don't know my official weight as I ask doctors not to tell me. But to get to the point (and thank you for bearing with my extremely long story but I think it does play into how my current hormone levels may be working) I work as a chef in a restaurant so I am on my feet 6 days a week for 7-9 hours a day. I also do hatha yoga 2x week, swim 45 min 2x a week (I love swimming), and weights 2x a week for 45 min with some walking beforehand and always workout fasted which I prefer.
I have started reading GCBC, THe Quilt, and have been furiously reading through posts here to try to find out if I should not be exercising at all due to my job and what I should be eating. It is hard to eat at work at all- I bring homemade grass-fed beef jerky and chew a piece when I get the opportunity. Sometimes I snag some leftover meat and butter though I try to avoid dairy. I am just parenoid about any fat regain and would honestly like to see some improvement in my bodyfat % (lower)- currently my docs tanita scale says 33% but I think thats bullocks, I'm 5'7" and if my doctors badly veiled hints are any indication I am hovering around 145# with a very muscular build- think mesomorph. But I am worried about my hormones levels- I have had no period for 3 months and have only had about 3 periods in the last 12 months. I have always been irregular with a "trigger-switch" for them meaning literally any change in my diet or exercise would mess it up. So I am worried that adding more fat means that I will just store it instead of use it for energy if my hormones aren't optimized but I have no idea how to tell! I crave fat A LOT and am honestly thinking of tossing the coconut cream concentrate jar because I can just spoon that stuff out (granted I only have one real meal a day due to work). How do I go about testing to see if I'm leptin resistent/sensitive as well as other hormones and how does my exercise and work routine fit into this?
**I know this is very long and probably confusing, so let me know what I need to clarify!
