It lasted a long, long time, sorry to say. And my metabolism is what I would say, when not ill, very high. I am skinny without trying. I have a friend that was really irritated that I looked like I did (very surface thinking since I felt terrible but he was solely focused on thinness) and didn't exercise. It really bothered him because he knew me when I exercised hours and hours a day (made me hungry, irritable and tired and binger) and always liked to say that was why I was thin. Then I did nothing for like 5 years but eat crap and not sleep and did not exercise (studied instead) and was still thin (and unhealthy and miserable). However, when I make changes, usually they occur pretty quickly. I think I really have started to feel much better just recently. So it was well over a year at least for me. But honestly, my attitude was TERRIBLE so I absolutely do not think lack of effectiveness can be blamed on the diet but on my poor attitude. HOw much one contributed to the other and which preceded which is not easy to say.
However, here is what I am finding is now working best and by best, being calm and not tired, not being hyper, feeling my brain is working properly but no manic--and I know people are gung-ho on hyper-metabolism here but I don't enjoy running around like a manic energy person despite the fact that my thinking may be quicker. I'd rather be "dumber" and more calm. But right now I am feeling just right. Caveat here: my meditation practice is more important than ANYTHING I eat. This seems to have the biggest effect.
Now I have found the following:
cut out: yogurt. Milk is better. NO bloat. Some minor gas because I switched to one percent and it is harder to digest the lower fat in terms of not having a bit of gas. It is none if I heat the milk but sometimes I don't have the time. Yogurt, while it satisfied my urge to have more protein, gave me some pain and some bloat. I can tell because little by little, I eliminated eggs (BAD) any kind of potatoes (sweet or otherwise with every possible cooking method, recommended and otherwise-ALL BAD RESULTS WITH POTATOES), rice, grains, (BAD).
I stopped trying to get 100 grams of protein. Instead this is what I do: I try to do like 3:1 carbs to protein. It may be that I get 60-100 grams of protein but the key is that I don't force myself to eat more of it than I feel like (which I was doing) and I make sure to have WAY more sugar. I do tons of juice with no problem at all. Fruit if I feel like it but it doesn't do the trick for enough sugar by itself. I eat it more as a snack. Juice is way easier to pack in the sugar. I do grass fed meat. Works much easier for me and no constipation, than trying to eat fish. I have grass fed meat pretty much each day. Buy a pound at a time--usually lasts at least two days. I eat plenty of gelatin and just drink it because I am too lazy and impatient to wait for it to harden. Coffee works great but I do not do liquid coffee-I make my own cold brew espresso concentrate. I hate coffee. I like shots of espresso with lots of milk.
Also I am obsessed with mushrooms. White are mildest. I have to watch it with those because if I eat too many I smell like a mushroom. Have to eat enough sugar when I have those. I despise the carrot concoction, hate peeling it and don't see why I want beta carotene. I love the mushrooms. Was cooking them in butter. As soon as I cooked them with coconut oil last night, voila, no stuffed-up nose. So now since I digest coconut oil better though I would prefer butter, I'm sticking with that. I find it is a bit more detoxifying than I would like but I prefer not to have a stuffed up nose.
What I notice now: I look muscley and skinny with less bulk since I stopped the yogurt. So not bulkey muscles. Skinny vegan-ish looking but no wasting. But definitely less bulkey and less pain without yogurt. So it may be easier to eat, but milk is INFINITELY easier to digest. I love eating meat. I would eat much more if I could . But I have to watch it. Too much and I don't digest it well. And it really needs to be very low fat.
I feel now, the way I would like. Calm and focused and not anxious and not exhausted. Normal. Again, I know the goal is better, faster, etc., but I don't enjoy this. I like being able to be slow and focus and be more intentional with what I"m doing. Caffeine still seems to do very little to me. It does not matter if I go forever without it, or have it. Have no difference in any alertness either way. Still love aspirin.
I think I may have not answered directly, but this was sort of everything I am finding. Oh, and I do love cheese, but cheese does not particularly love me. Mushrooms however, are my greatest joy.
Oh, and on a final note: I am not going to take anyone's word as truth and even my own as things change. However, I find the prototypical Peat idea of lots of sugar, adequate protein (for me--otherwise with more, I don't digest it well because I think I have to consume an immense amount of sugar then which I cannot do if I eat more protein as I am too full then), steering clear of starch, seems to work the absolute best for me. Trust, if I could eat potatoes, rice, bread, etc., I would. But it doesn't work for me. Oh, and bananas were THE WORST.
However, here is what I am finding is now working best and by best, being calm and not tired, not being hyper, feeling my brain is working properly but no manic--and I know people are gung-ho on hyper-metabolism here but I don't enjoy running around like a manic energy person despite the fact that my thinking may be quicker. I'd rather be "dumber" and more calm. But right now I am feeling just right. Caveat here: my meditation practice is more important than ANYTHING I eat. This seems to have the biggest effect.
Now I have found the following:
cut out: yogurt. Milk is better. NO bloat. Some minor gas because I switched to one percent and it is harder to digest the lower fat in terms of not having a bit of gas. It is none if I heat the milk but sometimes I don't have the time. Yogurt, while it satisfied my urge to have more protein, gave me some pain and some bloat. I can tell because little by little, I eliminated eggs (BAD) any kind of potatoes (sweet or otherwise with every possible cooking method, recommended and otherwise-ALL BAD RESULTS WITH POTATOES), rice, grains, (BAD).
I stopped trying to get 100 grams of protein. Instead this is what I do: I try to do like 3:1 carbs to protein. It may be that I get 60-100 grams of protein but the key is that I don't force myself to eat more of it than I feel like (which I was doing) and I make sure to have WAY more sugar. I do tons of juice with no problem at all. Fruit if I feel like it but it doesn't do the trick for enough sugar by itself. I eat it more as a snack. Juice is way easier to pack in the sugar. I do grass fed meat. Works much easier for me and no constipation, than trying to eat fish. I have grass fed meat pretty much each day. Buy a pound at a time--usually lasts at least two days. I eat plenty of gelatin and just drink it because I am too lazy and impatient to wait for it to harden. Coffee works great but I do not do liquid coffee-I make my own cold brew espresso concentrate. I hate coffee. I like shots of espresso with lots of milk.
Also I am obsessed with mushrooms. White are mildest. I have to watch it with those because if I eat too many I smell like a mushroom. Have to eat enough sugar when I have those. I despise the carrot concoction, hate peeling it and don't see why I want beta carotene. I love the mushrooms. Was cooking them in butter. As soon as I cooked them with coconut oil last night, voila, no stuffed-up nose. So now since I digest coconut oil better though I would prefer butter, I'm sticking with that. I find it is a bit more detoxifying than I would like but I prefer not to have a stuffed up nose.
What I notice now: I look muscley and skinny with less bulk since I stopped the yogurt. So not bulkey muscles. Skinny vegan-ish looking but no wasting. But definitely less bulkey and less pain without yogurt. So it may be easier to eat, but milk is INFINITELY easier to digest. I love eating meat. I would eat much more if I could . But I have to watch it. Too much and I don't digest it well. And it really needs to be very low fat.
I feel now, the way I would like. Calm and focused and not anxious and not exhausted. Normal. Again, I know the goal is better, faster, etc., but I don't enjoy this. I like being able to be slow and focus and be more intentional with what I"m doing. Caffeine still seems to do very little to me. It does not matter if I go forever without it, or have it. Have no difference in any alertness either way. Still love aspirin.
I think I may have not answered directly, but this was sort of everything I am finding. Oh, and I do love cheese, but cheese does not particularly love me. Mushrooms however, are my greatest joy.
Oh, and on a final note: I am not going to take anyone's word as truth and even my own as things change. However, I find the prototypical Peat idea of lots of sugar, adequate protein (for me--otherwise with more, I don't digest it well because I think I have to consume an immense amount of sugar then which I cannot do if I eat more protein as I am too full then), steering clear of starch, seems to work the absolute best for me. Trust, if I could eat potatoes, rice, bread, etc., I would. But it doesn't work for me. Oh, and bananas were THE WORST.