OK, ladies, can we talk about how we FEEL when dieting? Wanna check I'm normal :)

[SteelWeaver]

I'm very interested in hearing about the physical and psychological sensations etc. everyone experiences when dieting. I also want to hear from women who are maintaining their bf% below what they know/feel to be their setpoint, how that feels. Does it feel like you're "dieting"? Do you feel deprived?

OK?

For me, the most obvious things are how cardio gets harder and harder the further and further away from a carb-up I get.

That, and the sense that the marrow is slowly being drained from my leg bones, so that they go wooden, then leaden, I start stumbling more often, and have problems standing and moving quickly. I have to allot extra time to walk to the station in the mornings, since I move much more slowly.

But I can still somehow power my way bam bam bam through a heavy workout.

I get so grumpy I can barely stand to be with myself, I dream about food, wake up hungry a few times every night, and cannot WAIT for each meal.

Wanna tell?

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

You just made me so happy that I'm not on a precontest diet anymore.

 

[pryncess]

Used to make me grumpy sometimes too and of course deprived and most times, like a big failure/quitter when I caved.

I'm not a bb, took me a long time to learn it's what your made of that counts, not how many pounds it registers on the scale! For the past couple years now, I've been 40lbs lighter than the rest of my life. I still diet alot--cause I still got a big fat ass and because it helps me when I'm in bad eating mode to refocus (before the clothes get tight).

I feel for you though, I didn't have contest pressure and am still far above your bf % I'm sure--so much harder when you are only a little bit away, someone's got to find a cure for that

 

[princess]

i get extremely bitchy. i have to pay special attention and make a real effort to try and not snap/be short with people.

i also tend to kinda isolate myself. friends always want to go out to dinner/for drinks, and alot of times, i have to pass on this to avoid the temptation (because if its not right in front of me, i can ignore it, if something...a piece of cheesecake, a nice martini, whatever...is sitting right in front of me, its much harder to say no).

i don't feel totally deprived, because i would always allow myself a weekly cheat meal. this gave me something to look forward to and kept me from caving during the week (most of the time!).

energy...non-existent. stackers or xenadrine become my best friend!

 

[JJFigure]

I tend to over-react a lot - and be very verbal about it. I definitely have to watch my moodiness, but I'm pretty easy going, so I feel the moodiness more than the people around me. Around my period, I definitely feel deprived - the rest of the month I'm usually ok. Late night hunger sucks, and since I workout in the early am, I go to bed early to avoid it. My cardio definitely starts to suck before a carb-load - it just seems to get harder and harder. My lifts have been consistently strong though - go figure.

I am finally learning to keep some fat in my diet - it helps keep your energy levels higher, and all you have to do is account for the calories. I also think I feel less hungry this time around thanks to the added fat. ONE MORE WEEK!!

 

[SteelWeaver]

JJ - I'm rooting for you girl - hang in there!


So .... no-one else gets the draining leg marrow thing?

 

[Cheetarah]

I just wanna say that after about a year of trying to drop body fat I discovered that my body's set point is right around 18% body fat which totally bites ASS!!!!! I managed to make it down to 15% and just loved the way I looked but I have to be friggin starving all the time even to hold 15%!!!!!! I don't know how you other ladies do it, going below 15% and even into the single digits, I don't think I could do it.

I dieted at 2000 calories for 3 weeks which is what got me down to 15% and the first week I HAD to cheat with an extra protein shake here and there cause I got to feeling so weak and dizzy I was afraid I was gonna pass out if I didn't get something to eat. I couldn't train the way I normally do or anything. I hated the lack of energy I had and feeling hungry constantly but yet liked the way I looked. Well so of course I have since gone off that 2000 calorie diet which I finished about mid July and now 2 months later, here I am back at friggin 18% body fat! I still eat very clean but started increasing my calories back to where I feel comfortable and this is where it has gotten me so far, back to 18%! It just sucks so bad that just eating clean alone isn't enough to get me to 15%, I have to friggin starve all the time to be as lean as I'd like to be!!!! Anyway, so that's my rant.

I feel better sharing this with people who really understand!

 

[SteelWeaver]

Bumpity bump. Tell me more

 

[w84me]

you must be in precontest mode ... ugh ... after reading these posts, my mental stress of dieting is coming back to me.

Other than precontest mode - I eat pretty clean except for one meal during the week (reward time!) - like princess above mentioned. If you look at it as a reward instead of a cheat - its easier to deal with and typically I don't want to be "too" bad.

Precontest?!? totally different... Call me George Foreman with the grill to go ... I have one at work, home, in my car (in case I am invited over to someone's house to eat) yes, thats sad.

But I try to hang at the gym as long as possible when I get weak. I look for others that typically know what I NEED to hear to inspire me another day, or thru the night. Dizzy, light headed, hating to sweat too much cause I see muscle mass draining out of my pores!! legs weight twice as much as they should look. Try to stay away from friends that don't understand what the hell I am doing. Stay busy or sleep. Dream of food.

Best part of making love to my hubby? licking the salt while he sweats!!!

 

[Ceebs]

When I've been dieting for a few months - like I have been since May - mentally I feel totally apathetic about everything. Things that should rightfully upset me roll off my back, and things that should make me happy just kind of seem "blah". I'm even apathetic about my apathy - I feel like I'm observing it from a third party's stance. Lack of neurotransmitters and hormones, yes, no, maybe?

Also, no sex drive. What. so. ever. Though this ties into the above...

Steel, I actually get the leg-marrow-draining feeling now after an intense cardio workout, accompanied by muscle twitches in my hamstrings.

And although I complain and grouse, I woke up this morning, and my stomach was so cut, I swore I could see my liver poking out. The apathy went away for a moment, and I remembered why I do this.