Re: healthy regimen

I have to respond to this in athletese, but I'll try to provide a translation.

I did best on a 1500-calorie intake with a 55/20/25 split between carbohydrate, fat, and protein. When I started building strength, I changed it to 45/20/35 split to allow sufficient protein (I was under the impression I needed at least 1g per lb of body weight, which at the time meant 125g for 500 calories... everything was math, nothing was intuition. Lots of whey protein and sardines and chicken, not always from happy sources).

Something went wrong when I started displacing carbohydrate for protein, which cut out fruits. I lost energy and lost interest in my food. I started having trouble with my joints--probably excess acid from the flesh I was eating. (I don't have anything against eating meat for itself, but I was certainly eating miserable things).

As for timing, I enjoy eating small meals spaced out, say 200 calories, but the problem there is you never get the pleasure of a full stomach, and if you ever do eat to fullness, you (I mean I here) tend to go mad and eat far too much. It's metering out a drug, which leads to an addiction (I was not pleasant if circumstances kept me from my accustomed 200 calorie snack). So, while I enjoy that pattern, it is not best for me. Spacing out my meals and eating 600 to 700 calories in two meals over 6 to 8 hours keeps me better balanced.

I think I'm conking out after anything because, thanks to the refined carbohydrates I was eating, my insulin response is on a hairtrigger. All foods are Sugar foods--that's how I've accustomed my pancreas to thinking.

The ideal would be to intuitively eat small portions as snacks when hunger nags, stopping when hunger recedes, and then have a moderate meal at the end of my day, two or three hours before sleep. I count calories and macros because that is my habit, but I will never ever again base my intake around my protein grams! That got obsessive and problematic in a hurry!