[quote]eressea wrote:
[quote]Powerpuff wrote:
Sorry you’re having a rough time. Maybe getting a more objective opinion from a coach would be good. Consult with your doctor? Also, a lot of us really like the way we look when we’re all carb-depleted. People can get kind of hooked on wanting to see that look because our muscle definition shows more, so when we see normal fluctuations from water, we don’t like it. Maybe if you were severely restricting carbs and sodium, normal now feels “bloated?”
Also, I had assumed you were a beginner in your first year. Sorry to have misread that! Still, you might see some really nice gains now that you are eating more healthfully? I say focus on that.
Take care, you!
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I believe I’m actually more carb-depleted now than I was when being vegan, since to eat enough protein you need to eat something that is also high carb. I used to eat legumes once a day (no grains, no wheat flour). But, as regards sodium, practically nothing has sodium unless you add too much salt, which I didn’t. I’m not a sweet tooth, in general I’m sort of a savory person, I’d rather eat a salty snack than a candy. My weight remains unchanged in general terms, I will post some pictures soon so as to receive objective opinions (own opinions are always subjective :p)
Thank you for your support Puff, I really appreciate it! By the way, you can call me Lucy, that’s my name.
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Oh, you’re very welcome, Lucy. If your scale weight is basically unchanged, then you know that you aren’t suddenly bloated or fatter. Happy to look at pictures, but since you’re doing some resistance training and your scale weight hasn’t come up - I wouldn’t give that a second thought. It’s very unlikely that you’ve somehow recomped in the opposite direction/ loosing muscle and adding fat. I think it’s likely a skewed body image thing.
BTW, the first year I started lifting, I let my scale weight come up about 10 pounds in a year’s time. That’s a very gradual surplus, but it really helped me get stronger and build a foundation of muscle. I was already a fairly lean runner, but didn’t look very athletic. Anyway, try to not be afraid of letting the scale inch up a bit. I don’t think I would have gotten anywhere if I hadn’t done that.
Many of the women who come here are already carrying extra weight, and so they want to loose scale weight but gain or keep muscle at the same time. That’s a whole more complicated issue, IMO. You’re in sort of the opposite position where you can just worry about building, knowing that if you were severely restricting calories before, you weren’t letting your body put on muscle like it is capable of doing. So, I’d say if you can let the scale inch up even a pound or two a month over the next few months - It will be a healthy thing. Your lifts will all go up a bit, and you’ll look more athletic and less fragile. Hopefully some of the weight gain will be in the form of bone density, which won’t show in the mirror at all. That’s a very real thing, and it will be great to try to treat your osteopenia so you’re less likely to get a stress fracture. Plus, you’ll be less likely to have a bad case of the flu put you back in the hospital.
Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to say this. Most of the men here can relate in some sense, unless they are a perma-bulking Powerlifter. 
Anybody who’s pushed their body to be leaner than it wants to be, is familiar with the desire to inhale 6 chocolate chip cookies, and chase that with a half a jar of Peanut Butter! A lot of people here have experimented with dieting, often in a not so smart way. And this hobby/ lifestyle can totally feed an obsession with food details and some binge eating.
A lot of the men here, who you and I would probably think have really attractive builds, are always unhappy with some body part they are trying to improve. It’s kind of the nature of focusing on aesthetics. On the positive side, this hobby can be very healthy, when it focuses on function and athleticism, and when it doesn’t create extremes with unhappiness, OCD or perfectionism over body image. Self-acceptance, talking to yourself with kindness, and gratitude for health is a battle for a lot of us I think.
About what some of the guys deal with, you might like this article from a blog called “The White Coat Fitness.” The article is called “The Road to Fit Causing ED A Personal Story.”
Later you!
Edited