Hitting the Plateau
And becoming an Irish Fisherman Bodybuilder
When I first stopped the potato diet to take a stabilized measurement for my potato diet results article, I hit a plateau in my weight loss for a week beforehand. I hoped that taking a break would help break the plateau.
I tried a modified McDougall diet afterward:
After 3.5 weeks on McDougall, I did lose weight, but according to the DEXA scan, it was all lean mass loss and no fat loss. I also experienced minor muscle twitching that I had to fix with magnesium supplementation. My strength training performance was also reduced, and I was developing that ‘skinny vegan’ body, but I wasn’t vegan.
In practice, it became my potato diet, but I ate bread most of the time instead of potatoes since I was sick of them. The bread had zero prep, along with some brown rice, more vegetables, and eggs. I quickly got sick of brown rice so that I couldn’t have it as a staple like bread. I also reduced my strength training to once a week effectively due to some unrelated program changes. After that result, I realized I probably needed a longer break to help reset my body and prepare for the next weight loss stage.
I’m estimating since I’m ~24% body fat, I am no longer in the ‘obese people are in protein sparing’ mode. Thus, tricks like low-protein diet-induced fat loss might not work for me anymore. But it also might mean that standard bodybuilder bro advice might start working for me now.
The Irish Bodybuilder Fisherman Diet
So, for now, I’m following what I call an “Irish Bodybuilder Fisherman” diet. I focus mostly on gaining muscle with a ~150g of protein/day target and increased strength training. I’m also making sure I’m getting a minimum of 1100mg of choline a day since an experiment based on my genetics showed really good mental energy results when I did that.
Why the fish focus? I’ve been neglecting omega-3s for quite a while due to fears about bad fish oil supplements and pollution contamination, so I researched and found out that wild salmon, cod and sardines fished from non-polluted oceans are pretty good. Sardines are an omega-3 powerhouse on top of that, having some of the highest calorie: omega-3 ratios out there, and cod is pretty much pure protein. I was surprised how a pure protein can actually taste good.
Also, in the past, when I took fish oil while exercising at a CrossFit gym in 2011, it significantly improved my recovery times, which feels like a big hint that I will probably benefit from the fish. On top of that, half of my genetics are British or Irish Isles, along with some other coastal peoples on both sides, and my father’s side likes fish, too.
Proteins (150g target)
Frozen fish (salmon & cod), baked in a halogen oven on parchment paper after thawing in the fridge (choline, protein, omega-3 + more)
Lactaid cottage cheese (occasionally)
Poached eggs in the microwave, targeting somewhat runny for more nutrition, but not too runny that egg whites are uncooked (choline + more)
1 canned sardines tin (omega 3, protein, calcium + more)
Other canned seafood, such as oysters, occasionally (zinc + copper)
Starches and Plants (the rest)
Instapot steamed potatoes (my starch basis + general nutrition)
Frozen “riced” cauliflower cooked via microwave, great with eggs (for methylfolate + more)
Frozen fruits (I really like fruit)
Frozen acai (sometimes, when I feel like it)
Carrots are used to round out vitamin A. Genetics are okay for beta-carotene conversion.
Supplements
Anything coming up short in Cronometer that day, usually copper and zinc, which I space out to reduce absorption conflicts.
Biotin 600mg due to biotin genetics
TMG Betanine 750mg due to choline-related genetics
Sunflower Lecithin 1200mg also due to choline genetics
Alpha GPC 600mg also due to choline genetics (can you see I’m experimenting lol)
Creatine 5-10g
Collagen Peptides 10-20g when I feel like it or some joint is feeling off. If I have it daily, I get sick of it fast, which is probably an indication that there are limits.
Misc
Soy & other low-calorie, low-fat sauces for sodium and taste
Coffee, tea or sugar-free energy drinks
Some treats here and there, making sure I eat my core requirements from above
Results so far
Overall, my weight has stayed stable, hovering around 181lbs for the past couple of weeks. I’m firmly still in the ‘twilight zone’ of hard-to-measure changes.
I suspect frozen blueberries fruits might be stalling my progress, so I plan to reduce or remove them as much as I love them. I stalled weight loss in a fairly easy-to-test way when I added blueberries to the potato diet previously. I will also probably remove the treats and cottage cheese since dairy is growth-promoting.
I’ve noticed my body and fingertips have gotten colder overall with this diet, even counting the colder days, which isn’t a good sign metabolically. I estimate it might be the protein. Before doing the potato diet, I’ve had mildly cold extremities and low cold tolerance for a very long time, but nowhere near intense enough for a Raynaud's or cyanosis diagnosis.
I plan to compensate for all of this by eating more potatoes. I’ve noticed that starch has increased my temperature in the past, which was a special attribute of high-starch diets in general for me; nothing else has done that. I will do this by making potatoes my go-to “snack” food whenever I'm hungry and have already filled out my other nutritional targets. I’m also no longer sick of potatoes and find them tasty again.
My strength training performance has predictably improved a lot. It's better than when I was on the potato diet, and I’m starting to build up some muscle definition. I plan to expand my weight training to 4 days a week, along with my usual 2 days of ice skating, desk treadmill and general daily walking.
You might also notice a lot of frozen foods. This is mainly targeting my estimated histamine sensitivity. By going frozen, you often get the freshest form of food possible, which preserves the most nutrients and has the least amount of histamine. Manufacturers & grocers like doing this because it essentially reduces spoilage and improves margins. Most frozen seafood is flash-frozen on a boat, giving you a form of freshness that is hard to beat. I avoid anything ‘previously frozen’ since you might as well just thaw it out yourself and get the benefits of the frozen freshness.
Another issue with the diet is consistently high dietary niacin B3 intake. I’m usually above the UL amount of 35mg even without drinking it in an artificial form, hovering around 45mg per day, with some days reaching 100mg due to energy drink usage. I’m curious if this causes issues, but I don’t really notice anything. A nice thing about this diet is its high selenium intake; I often hit 200mg without supplementation.
Overall, I’m following intuitive eating in this framework. If I feel hungry, I eat; if I don’t, I don’t. If I’m sick of something or a supplement, I stop eating it and replace it with something else if it covers a major nutritional requirement. I record everything in a chronometer to make sure I know where I am with my requirements.
Traveling Soon
I will fly to London for a vacation (long story) around Nov 25 - Dec 3, so I will take another break from the diet and general exercise beyond walking. I’m curious what London will do to my body and if this vacation break will also help me break my plateau. One friend told me to avoid gas station pastries, so I’ll make sure to eat only fancy ones.