Hi Smiley,

I was listening to a Robb Wolf podcast the other day and what you are describing is basically due to cortisol probably due to over training. You may also be eating too little carbs for your activity level. You may want to try eating some more tubers or roots and look at the affect it has. Remember Paleo isn't low carb per say. Its the the correct amount of carbs. I would start by cutting back on the hard training and just do some walking or playing. Robb says if you don't sleep you don't lose weight or recover so get the probable cortisol issue under control.

Just my thoughts!

given your activity level, and the fact that you're feeling fatigued, you may consider that you might be over-training. it's not a good place to be, so read up on it and decide whether that might be your case.

I concur with overtraining. Chronic training can lead to chronically high levels of cortisol. High levels of cortisol can interfere with sleep. (your sleep issues)

In addition, you're probably not eating enough carbs for the work level you are doing (your fatigue issues along with sleep).

So, multiple things. Reduce crossfit sessions (maybe take a week off) and see how that affects your sleep. Once you resume crossfit, make sure and get in carbs afterward to help recovery time.

Hi, Smiley, sorry you're not feeling well right now.

I'd say being sleep deprived and tired may be more important than what you're eating. If at all possible, I'd work in catching plenty of zzzs. Are you stressed right now? Being sleep deprived and stressed will kill weight loss.

Have you changed your mix of foods lately? For example, have you thrived on coconut products in the past or could that be something that doesn't work for you? Have you considered 3 workouts per week vs. 4? Or are they all different?

The above are just examples of things I'd look at--if you want improved results, you'll need to change what you're doing. Doing more/less, eating more/less, changing what you eat, etc.

Best wishes!

Hi Smiley

I second what others are saying in that you may want to up your carb level. I don't think anyone else has yet pointed out that it doesn't look like you are eating very much. You probably would be better off eating a lot more than you are during your workout days. Personally if I underway I get extremely lethargic. Eat more!

My first instinct was that you were not eating enough, and having read the rest of your question I think that's probably the case. If you enjoy the crossfit and want to stay active then you need to make sure you eat well, pay attention to recovery, and have time to get extra sleep. It's not easy to get everything right, which is why too much exercise can be counter-productive for weight loss.

Even those at the higher end of the fitness scale would tend to advise at least a week off every 3 months if they are training regularly. So you can either take it easier every week, or keep the effort up and take a complete break every so often. Right now though it's probably worth resting and making sure you are fed well enough and caught up on sleep. There's not really much point training until that's fixed, apart from the fun of course :)

Sleep and possible overtraining might be the issue.

[begin Mr. Wizard]

Here is an experiment you can try at home!

[end Mr. Wizard]

Take your temperature and resting pulse. Write it down.

Take 3-4 days off crossfit (yes, really) and just try to get in some low impact stuff, walking, swimming, lots of sun if you can.

Make sure your room is blacked out well, and focus on sleep. The Yogi Sleep tea has been awesome for my wife and I, especially in those times when my brain decides at the exact moment it hits the pillow, to ponder just what did a Neanderthal's home smell like, is a Circus Monkey's hat comfortable, or how I can solve World Peace. ZMA also works well for me, but female mileage may vary, as ZMA has had mixed results for women - my wife included.

As soon as you start to feel better, take your temperature and resting pulse. If you were overtrained, chances are your temperature will be lower as well as your resting pulse.

Smiley, Ive had clients with the exact same issue you are having. Here is what we did.

Judging by your diet and activity level, you are carb depleted. For one day you should 'carb up'. Not only will this make you feel better, it will give you greater strength and you will learn something else that is extremely important.

Weigh yourself in the morning when you get up after you use the bathroom. For the rest of the day, consume high carbohydrate foods, - and protein if you want, but very low fat. The important part is the carbs. Shoot to eat 500-800-1000 grams of carbohydrate. And drink a ton of water (at least 1.5 and preferably 2 gallons). You can even drink gatoraide or another sports drink if you want to. A large sweet tater, is about 400grams total, 80 grams of carbs, so put a lot of honey on it(no butter) if you choose to eat it.

You should feel better pretty quickly.

The next morning, weigh yourself when you get up after you use the bathroom. The scale should reflect an increase in weight. 100% of that increase is stored glycogen in your muscles and liver + the water that accompanies it. Make note of this weight, this is your glycogen LOADED weight and what I consider your true weight. Its going to show an increase of 1-10lbs. The more weight it shows, the more you were glycogen depleted.

Worried that the increase is fat? At the upper range - 1000 grams of carbs = 4000 calories. For one day, your body uses about 2000 calories. So, there are 2000 ' extra calories. But they are NOT going to get stored as fat. Human physiology does not allow for this to happen (in YOUR case). Your body will up the burning of carbs in the presence of these carbs, and it will store them, but it will store them as Glycogen, not fat.

Let me know how it goes if you don't mind or if you have any questions.

Some of the weight will be roughage (Thanks Nance), IF you decide to do this with some paleo foods like fruit. Here is my suggestion and it goes well with Paleo.

White Potato (no butter)

White Rice

Honey

Sweet Potato (no butter)

Sports Drinks

Out of those, the one I like the least is Sports Drink. Mix and match the rest, if you want to make 2 cups of white rice and then cover it with honey, be my guest.

Write down how many carbs you have eaten as you eat them during that day, its important.

In my experience a lot of Crossfit gyms work newbies waaaay too hard and they end up overtraining and burning out. Don't be afraid to say you are going to take a week off. Also, when you are on a training day, like others have said you are going to need to up the fat or carb (or both) content of your diet.

I'm no expert and I'm very new to paleohacks but I'd like to make a suggestion.

Start a food log and note how you feel after you eat (immediately and hours later), I also like to note bowel movements, etc. After a while, you'll notice a pattern about certain 'trigger' foods. You also may notice that certain combos of food cause you to drag your feet and have a hard time falling asleep.

I also agree with not getting enough carbs on heavy workout days, possibly not enough food. I'm an endurance athlete and finding the right combo of foods is so important to performance during and recovering after your workout.

When I'm struggling falling asleep, I practice a little yoga method. I lay in savasana and practice Ujjayi breathing. after each 'complete breath', I relax my facial muscles. It always works for me!

Best of luck!