Hello from Australia

mujuro

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Joined
Nov 14, 2014
Messages
696
Hello everyone!

Just wanted to introduce myself. Male, early 20s, 6'1", 225lbs.

Some history...
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TLDR; I had on and off health issues ever since mid-2012 when I began a stupid crusade for year-round lean physique, culminating in a total thyroid meltdown March 2013. Issues consisting primarily of stress intolerance, anxiety, depression, mood lability and insomnia. I had no idea - despite my excellent knowledge of nutrition within the bodybuilding context, which is strictly for fat loss or muscle gain - just how far off I was when it came to healthy dieting. Things weren't always bad, but the bad periods usually lasted longer, waxing and waning, similar in nature to bipolar disorder.
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I was diagnosed type 2 bipolar shortly after graduating high school, and was medicated for about 5 years. I took up bodybuilding during that time, which kept my mind focused. Never encountered any health issues - immediate or long lasting, psychological or otherwise - despite the minor experimental dabbling in AAS. In early 2012 I gave up serious bodybuilding, dialed it back to a more casual intensity, and I decided to come off the medication. HPTA function was never an issue.

I began to experience sleep problems and anxiety shortly after I embarked on a typical low carb fitness style of living in mid-late 2012. This included occasional fasting, lots of the wrong fats, no sugars, etc. I got very lean, down to ~8% bodyfat drug free, still very muscular at about 210lbs.

Still medication free, I tried T3, which immediately improved my mood and energy and wellbeing. But I used too much and for too long. In March 2013 things got worse, and I was borderline hyperthyroid. I stopped the T3 but my thyroid was already suppressed. I endured 5 weeks of total hell in a hypothyroid state, which eventually recovered. Things were getting much better around December 2013, but still not completely healthy. I went backwards from March of this year, when I began my degree. Being unmedicated, my symptoms came roaring, eventually not even being able to attend classes. That's where I was at until about a month ago when I implemented some Peat ideas.

I found Peat's writing by chance one day when I googled "coconut oil" and was captured by the very unique thinking. I have implemented some of the dietary principles: more calcium and salt, much more sugar, almost no starches, less muscle proteins, more cheese/dairy. Most remarkable improvements:
- sleep! I can sleep all night, I can fall asleep before midnight, and I don't wake up with stomach-turning anxiety. I can't emphasize just how much better my sleep is.
- energy. Energy in the gym is improved, physically. While I may feel mentally drained or lacking in sleep, my physical strength and stamina still prevails, so if I just force myself through the first 10 minutes of a workout, I can get enough momentum to keep going. I keep it to 40-50minutes, sipping on salt and sugar drink throughout.
- general anxiety. I don't catastrophize things. Learned helplessness is diminished, still not removed entirely.
- skin. Much less glossy, holds a healthy glow, texture is more supple.
- GI habits. No more IBS symptoms.

Issues still to resolve:
- pathological, almost debilitating procrastination

Thanks everyone. Sorry for the drawn out post. Glad to be here.
 

tara

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Joined
Mar 29, 2014
Messages
10,368
Welcome mujuro :welcome

Glad you've found this approach helpful.
 

north

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Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
156
Cool. Interesting since I found peat after 1,5 year on below 7% bf and intermittent fasting.
I had similar issues like sleep and anxiety and extreme procrastination, plus brain fog and General unsoicial depressed behavioral patterns.
I got imidiete improvement just buy eating fruits and calcium-rich-proteins. Since then it's been good periods bad periods but I defenitely feel after 1 year it's been more and more consistent. The bad ***t gets less severe, shorter timeframe, and the good stuff keeps lasting a tiny bit longer with every step.

Some things I feel is worth looking into is light, and mental practice - meditation. Of if you're not ready for that, just learning principles of meditation I find very beneficial for understanding how the mind ***** with you. When aware of that it is way easier to acknowledge bad thinking/patterns and break the cycle, I find this extremely valuable during stressful situations (work, gym, and happenings where one could get nervous, pressure at university). To me it's the natural course of extending peats diet ideas, and he also talks about brain patterns.
 

charlie

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The Law & Order Admin
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Jan 4, 2012
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14,363
Location
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mujuro said:
Issues still to resolve:
- pathological, almost debilitating procrastination

mujuro, :welcome2

Regarding what I quoted, might want to check into "learned helplessness" which Peat talks about.

See you around. :hattip
 

4peatssake

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Joined
Feb 7, 2013
Messages
2,055
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62
:welcome2 mujuro!

Glad you've joined us!
 

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