Any tips to speed up recovery?

[Anthony B]

        I'm on day 49 now, and the last 3.5 weeks have been the worst weeks of my life. Unbelieveable anxiety for no reason, difficulty breathing, insomnia, depression spells, numb pleasure response, lost about 10 pounds (which is not good for me) fatigue- just the worst i think i could ever feel. I have taken up some new methods that i think will help such as:

-avoiding stimulation (Facebook, twitter, youtube, video games) have been at it 100% for a week and it seems to help.
- meditation
- Plenty of rest
- diet changes
- prayer
- positive thinking as much as i can

      I've been testing out herbal remedies such as ashwaganda, but they seem to have a backlash once the effects wear off and i feel worse than before.

Is there anything else you guys can think of that much ease this transition while my body is balancing itself out?

 

[Canuck99]

Well, according to what I have read, a lot of people are saying you are going through a normal phase...

You say you have lost 10lbs and that is "not good for me", so I am going to assume you are pretty skinny/scrawny?  You are right, that isn't good, and that is probably why you are so tired.  My guess is that you are not eating very well and probably dehydrated. 

I would say work out, but that isn't good right now because you've lost too much weight and your body is under severe stress and until you feel less tired, you shouldn't do that. 

You need to evaluate your diet and how much water you drink.  Cut out everything but water, and get the usual 8 cups of water a day into you.  You may want to buy some electrolyte powders to put into your water for a couple days too, as that will help with dehydration (IF that is the problem).

As for diet, you are only losing weight if your calories burned are more than calories taken in.  Half that 10lbs is probably loss of muscle mass and fat, which isn't good and a small part of the reason you are feeling like shit.  You need to eat more, but the proper food. 

I am going to assume you were on a shitty diet before, with lots of crap high in sugars and fats (chips, chocolate bars, etc).  Keep in mind that just cutting that out can affect your brain as much as quitting porn can. 

Start with your diet and water intake and look at what you are doing with those.  I bet you start feeling better within a few days. 

As for types of diets, check out www.bodybuilding.com or just google search for GOOD HEALTHY diets.

 

[Anthony B]

No I'm not scrawny or skinny, at my peak i was 5'8" 150lbs with 8.2% body fat.

          The only things i drink are juice (vegetables and fruits through a juicer), water, and sometimes tea. I don't drink caffeine, alcohol, or anything like that. I know i don't drink enough water during the day so i thank you for reminding me to .

          As for my diet, i eat healthier than probably 95% of america: Mainly whole food plant based diet with whole grains, grass fed meats, chicken breast and juicing. occasionally ill have bread or pasta. I eat fast food probably once a year and have never had a sweet tooth, i can't remember the last time i had a candy bar or chips or anything of that nature.

            I experienced my initial burnout 2 years ago, and prior to that i was in the gym lifting weights 4 days a week and was pretty yoked. My muscular body gave me a huge confidence in high school, but i haven't lifted since i experienced my burnout a couple years ago.

 

[Gabe Deem]

@ Anthony B

Is there anything else you guys can think of that might ease this transition while my body is balancing itself out?..... - diet changes

Something that I did late in my reboot was intermittent fast. So this would go in the "diet change" category. However, it really is not a "diet", it is a schedule of eating. Instead of eating all hours of the day, you consume all of your food for the day in a small window of time (example 1pm to 9pm). You still eat the same amount of food you would normally eat, you just eat it closer together, and the majority of your 24 hour day your fast (don't eat)

I did the "lean gains" style intermittent fasting with an 8 hour window. I still do this because I love it. There were a few days I cut my window down to 4 or 6 hours.

Intermittent fasting has been shown to increase your D2 receptors which correlates with increasing motivation and concentration.

http://www.bnl.gov/thanoslab/Thanos%20PDF/ZuckerD2_2007.pdf

I only recommend this to anyone who has a schedule that would work with this. I happen to have mornings free most of the time and that is when I fast, then I eat right before I go to work, take one meal to work with me, and eat right when I get off. I should say you are supposed to drink plenty of water all throughout the day.

I know this sounds crazy, but it definitely helped me become more disciplined. I also feel it gave me increased motivation, concentration. Could have just been the reboot though. Who knows?