I Am The Locust

[realexplodingcat]

The next experiment in my constant quest to feel awesome involves a diet adjustment. For years, I have been more often tired than not. Discovering my reactive hypoglycemic tendencies helped me shake out the worst of my heartbreaking highs and lows (mostly lows). Still, I typically feel just shy of good on a good day. Also, it seems I can tire myself rather quickly and severely if I attempt to step up my exercise habits (which I really want to do).

Occam's Razor states: Given two equally predictive theories, choose the simpler.

So, the simplest possible solution to my fatigue might simply be: eat more. I did some research, talked to some doctors, and learned that someone my age and height who wants to maintain his weight (which is a nice number) and exercise several times a week should consume as much as 2200 calories. I added up what I consume on a daily basis and it only added up to 1800.

WTF? I eat six meals a day already!?! Apparently, my genetic predisposition to being a new age hippie, which requires me to eat all whole grains and absolutely no sugar to keep my blood sugar happy, also makes it challenging to load up on calories. Well, that answer seems simple enough. If I've been shorting myself 400 calories a day, that could explain some extra fatigue.

But I already eat six meals a day! I wish it were as simple as going to Burger King and eating a couple Whopper's a day. That would screw up my blood sugar. So, it's going to be tons and tons of beans, grains, veggies, nuts, and (yes) meat (protein is essential for balancing the blood sugar) for me.

I will be the scourge of Virginia's organic farms, upon which I will descend like a plague of insects, consuming all and rendering the land unfit for use. I will be to produce stands what the woolly adelgid beetle is to hemlock trees. If a nation refuses to free its slaves, prophets will call me down from the sky to blight the land. Eat all I can eat. I am a plague of one.

I am The Locust.

Comments

You Need This...

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Feel free. :-)

Re: You Need This...

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Haha! Great! Now I need buy another year of paid account to add it.

Re: You Need This...

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Toni thought about how the locust in that shot would look with the Flying Nun hat on it, and I figured I would leave that to krasota, since she was originally responsible for that. :-)

Re: You Need This...

[parhelion-spark.livejournal.com]

That is a wonderful icon. Tis impossibly awesome.
May I gank?

Re: You Need This...

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I guess so. I just threw it together for explodingcat, so if he doesn't mind, I don't mind. :-)

Re: You Need This...

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Go for it. I won't be able to use it until I get my act together and buy some paid LJ time.

Re: You Need This...

[parhelion-spark.livejournal.com]

*happy dance*

Mine only lasts til mid December, so i shan't stealage it long XD

[vade-retro.livejournal.com]

Goo goo ga choo

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

I guess I'd rather be a locust than a walrus.

[silent-muse.livejournal.com]

You are my hero.

So, we've got 16 grilled chicken breasts, a gallon of beef stew, and a 15 pound turkey among other things tonight. . . you coming?

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Man, I don't know. I just got a huge assignment from my class that's likely to kill my thanksgiving vacation next week if I don't get a start on it. Plus I don't think I'll be up that way for yoga, as I'm still feeling pretty blah. We'll see...

[cuppe.livejournal.com]

We are really fond of this cookbook. We have many veggie cookbooks, but this the big go to one. The roast green beans are especially fab..

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Roasting veggies is great. We do food like that sometimes.

[simonvervain.livejournal.com]

So, you've went from being a genetic hippie, to a plague upon the land?

Sweet!

Now we just need to harden the heart of the pharaoh, and you're all set.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

What is it with all that heart hardening? I'm pretty sure that the pharaoh would have let them go without much of a fight if the Lord hadn't been stepping in like that. History would be entirely different, I suppose.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

It's me and the chicken flu, baby. World's coming to an end!

[parhelion-spark.livejournal.com]

*ponders*

Hrm. I've had the same problem, and my diets even scanter than yours, it would seem. Bloody hell.
*resolves to look into this..stuff*

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Good luck. You have hypoglycemia?

I'm experimenting with protein shakes. It's a really easy way to dump an extra 200 calories into my diet with just a single 8 oz drink. Now I know why health food stores always carry a million different varieties of protein powder...there's no way a vegan can get enough calories without some sort of non-carby dense protein. Thankfully, I'm not a vegan.

[parhelion-spark.livejournal.com]

I dont actually know. Could, possibly, but I'll likely not know for another few years at the least. More likely I've just been unintentionally starving myself forever.

I'm a vegetarian, so HUH THAT EXPLAINS ALOT. Evidently I need to look into..er..shake things, too, since it seems that after doing all the irksome mathy stuff about how i eat, I've been averaging less than 1300 calories a day. X.x;;

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

I did the unintentional starvation diet for awhile. My wife is (was) vegetarian, so that made me a vegetarian for awhile. Then she developed an extremely bad allergy to soy and then eventually wheat, which pretty much left us with rather limited sources of protein (no tofu and seitain...i miss it so. I honestly do). I cruised like that for awhile, eating the same old diet without much protein, but I didn't last long before fatigue and hypoglycemia set in.

While I am eating more meat these days, there are some other healthy ways I'm getting more calories that you could look into. The protein shakes, for one. Also, more fat. Fat is dense with calories. Good fat like flax seed oil, olive oil, and nuts. Nuts are great, protein and fat. Eat your tofu! There's extra, because I'm not allowed to eat it anymore!

I miss pudding made with tofu.

[parhelion-spark.livejournal.com]

I didn't know there was ever a thing such as tofu pudding. Intriguing!

haha, i took forever getting back to this, sorry. I actually have been getting more fat as of late, and it's increased my energy level significantly, which is yay!

The best bit of all this, is of course, it doesn't at all seem to interfere with my old ability to metabolize sugars to a frightful extent, which equates to having lots and lots of cake...and aliveness!...without need for guilt.. muahaha..

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Yay fat!

Boo sugar!

Well, you can eat all the cake. That leaves less of it sitting around to tempt me. Glad to hear you have more energy.

I can't remember the brand name. But there was this powedered pudding mix that you dump in a blender with a block of tofu, sooo goood.

[parhelion-spark.livejournal.com]

Aww, sugar is fun! It makes one so boingy and disturbing to others.
*nods happily*

Hrm. I must investigate this. For pudding is joy.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

See, I've never experienced a sugar high. My system clobbers it and causes my blood sugar to plummet. I only get sugar lows.

I found the pudding! (http://www.morinu.com/product/mates.html)

[twilight-spirit.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I'm actually starting to move in the veggie direction myself. Made a Mediterranean Vegetable Stew last night (and last weekend) which will be lunch and dinner tonight, also. Unfortunately, I've actaully gained back almost all the weight I lost last summer, so that's part of the motivation in addition to being-all-healthy-and-stuff.

I remember last time I was down there, you guys had a book out from the library, I think, that you were very seriously considering getting a copy of. It was this thick compendium of international vegetarian recipes. Did you end up getting that? I'd really like to know what that was because I might like to get that myself.

Also, do you take a multivitamin? I take a good multivitamin in the morning every day and it does seem to make a little difference in my energy level.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Oh, no...I'm definitely not moving in the veggie direction. That would kill me. The protein is essential for balancing the blood sugar and getting me enough calories. But otherwise, I still take what I need from a vegetarian diet, using lots of beans and veggies and whole grains in addition to meat.

I take vitamins occasionally, but I'm not consistent enough to notice whether it helps my energy.

We do own that book now. It's a good one. Madhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian."

Did you lose your discipline with the diet? How is your hypoglycemia? Is that a problem anymore?

Do you know who's going to be around during the Thanksgiving break? We might be travelling up next week.

[twilight-spirit.livejournal.com]

Excellent! I'll definitley look up that book.

I got a gf, that's what happened to my diet. :) I'm trying to get back on track with that, although perhaps not as extreme as before. I don't even notice that I have hypoglycemia anymore, partly because I still do watch what (and when) I eat, but probably mostly because I make sure I get enough sleep now. I'm even considering changing my lifestyle so that I can get up early and go to the gym. I *really* want to start getting back in shape. Otherwise I'm feeling pretty good these days.

Kenn and Eleanor are planning to be in the area for a bit, though I'm not sure on the details. Not sure what Mr. Mangin's plans are, but I suspect he'll be up so he can see his dad. Bill? Curtis? Who knows... Maybe we could all take in the new Harry Potter if things work out?

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

It's a great book just for reading, too. She writes all kinds of info and history about various ingredients.

GF's are terrible for diets :) Jocelyn bakes far too often...although it's not such a problem now because I just don't eat baked goods anymore. Not worth the hit on the blood sugar.

I seem to feel good for awhile, then get really tired for awhile. I go in cycles. I'm hoping just eating more evens out my energy. I do go to the gym between 2 and 4 times a week. I've been doing Ashtanga Yoga (fast, aerobic type of yoga). I figure I must be burning too many calories, leaving me tired and prone to hypoglycemia, which makes me take it easy for awhile, then I start feeling better and hit the gym hard again, starting the cycle all over.

Maybe we can meet up sometime next week. I'd like to see Harry Potter. I've been wondering about Mr Mangin lately. I used to see him online around the time he graduate from his master's program...but then he disappeared.

[twilight-spirit.livejournal.com]

I'm no expert, but doesn't your body find the energy it needs from *somewhere* no matter how many calories you take in daily? If you're eating less than you're using, you should be burning either fat or muscle instead. If you're burning fat, you might be undergoing ketosis ... you should be able to tell this if you feel a bad taste in your mouth on a consistent basis. This was how I lost a lot of weight last summer. I'm not sure if there's an analogue for burning muscle. So I'm not sure your theory washes ... although I'll be the first to admit I could be wrong. Are you losing a lot of weight?

Ken apparently does not have an internet connection at his new apartment. I got an e-mail from him a week or so ago, and he explained why he hasn't been on AIM recently. Apparently he and his roommate are considering taking the plunge possibly this month, in which case we should see him online again.

Definitely, let's see if we can meet up next week. I don't really have any commitments after Thursday, so anything goes. It's been too damn long since I've seen you guys. :)

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

My weight is very consistent, which is a big mystery to me. But I've had many different sources telling me 1800 calories is definitely not enough. I don't know. Maybe my body has reached some kind of equilibrium which results in me feeling slightly less than good all the time. While my weight is consistent, I can often lose it very easily. If I suddenly increase my activity, like when I traveled to San Francisco and walked everywhere, I shed pounds like mad even while eating more than I usually do.

Maybe there's something we don't know yet about where energy comes from. Another mystery: when I first started working out I did an intense 8 week training program with a personal trainer. I did not eat enough, in fact I ate less then than I do now. Oddly enough, I didn't lose much weight (which may be why the trainer and I didn't realize I wasn't eating enough). I just got more and more tired until I could barely get off the couch for weeks and had re-induced a major bout of hypoglycemia. Obviously, I was burning energy, but I don't know where it came from because I didn't lose any weight.

The next time I actually lost weight very quickly had nothing to do with exercise. I wasn't exercising at all. The only thing I did was remove dairy products from my diet (while replacing it with other stuff so as to not reduce calories). Suddenly, I lost a ton of weight. Ever since then, my weight has been stable (minus the ability to lose it quickly during sudden bursts of activity).

I don't know anything for sure. I'll try eating more and seeing what happens.

[twilight-spirit.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's freaky. It's almost like your metabolism goes erratic when you change up your exercise habits. The only thing I could suggest is maybe add a little more fat back to your diet as you've probably cut a lot of that out like I have. I know it's suggested to eat something carb-heavy before going to the gym, with a baked potato being the most often suggestion. I'm guessing that would cause sugar problems for you, though, so perhaps a few peanut butter sandwiches would do the trick since pb breaks down slowly.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Yes, perhaps that's the missing ingredient in my theory--metabolism variations.

I'm definitely adding some fat to the diet. I pretty much had none in it before.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Of course, I always forget (since it's instant death for Krasota) that tofu and seitein are good sources of protein for a veggie/vegan diet. I used to love that stuff, have you experimented with it yet?

[twilight-spirit.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of seitein. I'll have to see what that's all about. I've never worked with tofu, but I've had it in salads now and again. I was figuring mostly on legumes for protein when I eat veggie. I'm not planning on giving meat up at this point, but I'm not ruling it out for the long term either.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

I might have misspelled it. Seitain...something...I usually call it satan. It's basically the wheat version of tofu. Concentrated wheat protein. It makes a good fake meat substance. If you go totally veggie someday, you ought to try more tofu and seitain. Legumes do have protein, but you need to eat a lot of them to make up for what you miss in meat. Consider, 1/2 cup of great northern beans = 8 g protein. Only 1/4 cup tuna fish = 14 g protein. Plus, the beans are a carbohydrate, if you pay attention to carb counting (they are a good carb though, low on the glycemic index). It's been a long time since I looked at tofu or seitain but I'm pretty sure it packs in a denser amount of protein per serving, closer to actually eating meat.

[twilight-spirit.livejournal.com]

I suspect I'm going to stick with meat at least a little just for that reason. However I really wonder if the amount of protein the average person consumes is really necessary in a healthy diet.

BTW, I bought that book today. Looks like some good stuff! I'll have to check out her other books, too.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

I have one of her Indian cooking books. There are some good recipes in that. Glad to hear you're enjoying that book already.

If you mean the average American, I think the amount of anything the average American person consumes is often unnecessary.

The best way to do things is to really examine yourself and figure out what works best. I do believe we're all different, some people need more or less of certain things. It's up to each of us to take information and advice when its available, but ultimately pay the most attention to what our own bodies are telling us.

[ismene.livejournal.com]

Add cheese and extra butter to everything. That should give you some extra calories, even if you can't eat cookies.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

I really want cookies.

Dairy products don't seem to agree with my skin. I think I'll add olive oil and poultry to everything.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Yay fat!

Boo sugar!

Well, you can eat all the cake. That leaves less of it sitting around to tempt me. Glad to hear you have more energy.

I can't remember the brand name. But there was this powedered pudding mix that you dump in a blender with a block of tofu, sooo goood.