is something wrong with my diet?

[hornstiener]

okay, i am on a 3,000 calorie diet, 41% protein, 44% carbs, 15% fat. i am 180 lbs, about 6.6% BF.
some details of diet: very clean diet with lean protein; very little sodium intake (less than 1,000mg a day); very little sugar intake (less than 30g a day); all complex carbs except yogurt and milk in my PWO shake; fats come from flaxseed oil and fish oil pills (of the 50 grams of fat i take in a day, only about 6 are saturated); only supps. are whey protein, multi-vitamin, and DHEA; i do consume alot of artificial sweeteners (splenda)

anyway, as many of you know from my other posts, i am having many problems though...

1) i cant sleep...i wake up about every 2.5 hours at night which obviously effects me for the rest of the day
2) i am not producing any testosterone...normal free test. range is 1.3-4.0 and my last bloodwork showed me at .2
3) my skin is very dry and cracked
4) i have developed abdominal fat even though the rest of my body is shredded

so i am just wondering if something is off in my diet and if anyone has some suggestions to try?

[MaggioMuscle]

Originally Posted by hornstiener

okay, i am on a 3,000 calorie diet, 41% protein, 44% carbs, 15% fat. i am 180 lbs, about 6.6% BF.
some details of diet: very clean diet with lean protein; very little sodium intake (less than 1,000mg a day); very little sugar intake (less than 30g a day); all complex carbs except yogurt and milk in my PWO shake; fats come from flaxseed oil and fish oil pills (of the 50 grams of fat i take in a day, only about 6 are saturated); only supps. are whey protein, multi-vitamin, and DHEA; i do consume alot of artificial sweeteners (splenda)

anyway, as many of you know from my other posts, i am having many problems though...

1) i cant sleep...i wake up about every 2.5 hours at night which obviously effects me for the rest of the day
2) i am not producing any testosterone...normal free test. range is 1.3-4.0 and my last bloodwork showed me at .2
3) my skin is very dry and cracked
4) i have developed abdominal fat even though the rest of my body is shredded

so i am just wondering if something is off in my diet and if anyone has some suggestions to try?

1. What are you doing when you wake up? Are you waking up to pee? To drink water? How long are you awake before you can get back to sleep?
2. Its the DHEA that is screwing with your hormones. Dont take any hormones or prohormones. They screw with your whole endocrine system, which only bodybuilders seem to think they understand. The endocrine system is a tightly controlled system with many complex positive and negative feedback patheways- even doctors have difficulty understanding. Go natural. If your doc prescribes it, that is a different story.
3. The fat supplements could be screwing up your skin. Also, you could be washing/showering too often. Or it could just be winter weather, a skin irritant, vitamin A deficiency or overdose, fungal skin infection- check with a dermatologist.
4. You have been eating too many calories for your level of activity.

Also, I think 300g of protein a day is twice what you really need to build muscle. I build 1lb of muscle a week on a 150g-200g/day allotment. Your distribution should be more like 60% carbs. Fat intake is fine, although on the low side its okay if its comfortable for you. Can you give me a list of everything you eat in a typical day? I can be more specific.

[Mad120987]

Originally Posted by MaggioMuscle

Also, I think 300kc of protein a day is twice what you really need to build muscle. I build 1lb of muscle a week on a 150g-200g/day allotment.

you mean 300g right?

i agree, drop your protein to around 25%-30% and up your carbs to around 55%- 60%

Maggio, couldnt it possibly be the signs or symptoms of dermatitis of pellagra ( or a niacin aka vitamin b3 deficiency ).... just throwin somethin out there. I know there is more to dermatitis than the flakey, dry, cracking skin.

[MaggioMuscle]

Yes. Corrected. Thank you.

[hornstiener]

1. i dont know why i wake up...i just do...not to pee or anything...i just wake up...so then i usually eat a little something then go back to bed in about 15-20 mins

2. my test. levels were low before i started the DHEA. i started that to try and help. But i'll stop until i visit the urologist next week.

3. what fat supps. are you talking about? i dont take any fat supps? As for showering, only once a day, and the weather has never been an issue before on my skin.

4. how can 3,000 cals be too many? i have been told i should be taking about 3,500 so i am already 500 below that. i lift 5 days a week and do cardio 7 days a week (5 days of HIIT and 2 days of 30-45 mins moderate). Also, i had been on an even higher calorie diet last year and did not gain the abdominal fat. i have only started gaining it now that my test. levels have dropped.

[hornstiener]

ah, i just realized what "fat supplements" you were referring to...the Flax seed oil right? If so, i will take that into consideration.

also, i realize 300 grams of protein is a little high, but does it really matter as long as i am still only taking in the necessary amount of calories (in terms of not gaining extra fat)? whether it is 3000 cals from 60% carbs and 25% protein or 3000 cals from 45% carbs and 40% protein wont make a difference in terms of fat gain will it?

thanks for the info though

[hornstiener]

**** i keep forgetting to answer all your questions...

my daily food sources (in no particular order or format):

22 oz of 99% lean ground turkey (4 oz = 1g fat, 28g protein, 0g fat)
10.5 oz yam (about 4g protein, 82g carbs, .4g fat)
8- 1/2cup servings of rolled oats (1/2 cup = 2.5g fat, 6g protein, 27g carbs)
4 scoops of ON 100% whey gold standard (1 scoop= 24g pro, 3g carb, 1g fat)
4 oz skim milk (0g fat, 6g carbs, 4g protein)
1 fat free yogurt (0g fat, 11g carbs, 5g protein)
1 tbls of flax seed oil (14 grams fat)
6 flax seed oil pills (1= 1 gram of fat)

those are the basics obviously combined in different ways throughout the day...extras include splenda, pepper or other no-calorie seasoning, about 3 liters of water, a no-calorie green tea, and a no-calorie energy drink, 2 multi-vitamins, and 2 50mg DHEA pills...thats it...very clean, very basic, very natural

[Sam_2005]

" I lift 5 days a week and do cardio 7 days a week (5 days of HIIT and 2 days of 30-45 mins moderate). "

You are most probably overtraining. 5 days lifting in my opinion is too much stress on the CNS, on top of that 7 cardio sessions!!! is ludacras, HIIT is a short cardio routine no need for 45 mins of it, it should also only be done 2-3 times a week.
You have probably depressed your CNS from a week that has no rest at all . Lack of sleep is a common sign of this.

[MaggioMuscle]

Originally Posted by hornstiener

also, i realize 300 grams of protein is a little high, but does it really matter as long as i am still only taking in the necessary amount of calories (in terms of not gaining extra fat)? whether it is 3000 cals from 60% carbs and 25% protein or 3000 cals from 45% carbs and 40% protein wont make a difference in terms of fat gain will it? thanks for the info though

No, it makes no difference in terms of fat gain. But the body would prefer to gets its three carbon sources from glucose instead of converting it from protein. Also, it is not yet known if the work the kidneys have to do to excrete the extra protein waste may be harmful to them over time. Last, carbs are a better energy source because they are more quickly utilized, contain fiber, vitamins and minerals and are cheaper.

[MaggioMuscle]

Originally Posted by Sam_2005

" I lift 5 days a week and do cardio 7 days a week (5 days of HIIT and 2 days of 30-45 mins moderate). "

You are most probably overtraining. 5 days lifting in my opinion is too much stress on the CNS, on top of that 7 cardio sessions!!! is ludacras, HIIT is a short cardio routine no need for 45 mins of it, it should also only be done 2-3 times a week.
You have probably depressed your CNS from a week that has no rest at all . Lack of sleep is a common sign of this.

Good point!

[hornstiener]

no no, i dont do HIIT for 45 mins...i do 4-5 days of HIIT for only 15 mins or so..then the other days i do 45 mins on the elliptical or something of just moderate intensity...but either way, it is a lot of cardio....

so you think that might be my problem? i dont know, i had my cortisol levels checked when they check my testosterone, and the cortisol levels were fine, so i am not sure that is it. plus, i have trained like this for 5 years now, and have only recently started to experience these problems...dont you think i would have had problems prior to this?

either way, i will take your advice and back off the cardio a little to try and balance things out...then if i start to gain more fat, i'll just back down the protein intake a little.

thanks for the responses

[hornstiener]

okay, so how much cardio do you recommend if i am 180lbs and eating 3000 cals? i want to just do enough to be able to bulk up, but not gain unnecessary fat (obviously, isnt that everyone's goal ). but you know what i mean, if you think i am doing too much, please throw me some suggestions.

the bad thing is, because of my schedule, the only time i can do it is in the morning right before i lift. and like i said, i lift m-f.

thanks guys

[Mad120987]

in my opinion you should do medium intensity for 45 mins 4x a week if you want to loose weight because it seems to work better for burning fat. I know everyone will say, NO! HIIT is the way to go, but i claim 45mins 4x a week because i know from personal experience that I respond 100x better to long medium intensity cardio for fat loss.

While trying to bulk i would do HIIT 2-3 times a week cause HIIT is focused more on working your CV system. That is very good for you. You will not gain fat at 3000calories and doin HIIT 2-3 times a week. Check your weight once every 2 weeks and if you dont see a 1lb gain every 2 weeks, either add 500 calories or stop ONE of the cardio sessions but i DO NOT believe in no cardio cause your heart and lungs are every bit as important, if not more important than the rest of your body.

[jiujitsugirl]

Sometimes a lot of artificial stuff can be a challenge for your body. I would back off the artificial sweeteners for a while.

Also, sometimes a lot of protein is hard on your system. Maybe back off the protein for a week (not too far off) and see if it changes.

Also, I've read that eating a small potato before bed can help sleep.

Sweet dreams.