Aaron
Member
I've encountered a few isolated Ray Peat concepts over the years but had never explored the full Ray Peat approach, and now that I have, it seems to coincide with every epiphany I've ever had about my own health.
Let me tell you my story. I'm 24 years old, but I've had major health problems since 16 when I suffered from severe acne and depression, the latter of which has followed me through life up until the last year or so (during which I still experienced depression but only in the context of a DUI ordeal).
I felt my health was improving during my first couple of years of college, during which I ate SAD (Standard American Diet) and lifted weights religiously, reaching a fairly shredded 6'5" 250 physique but I experienced a lot of fatigue and productivity issues. Having two botched appendicitis operations did not help with things and this is when I began losing faith in doctors.
In 2015, time off and a big ego while deadlifting resulted in a catastropic lower back injury and my health deteriorated again. For a couple years I could barely get out of bed. I had very little energy and felt hopeless. I developed mild gynecomastia and chronic digestive problems. Modern medicine was useless. Cycles of letrozole and tamoxifen and a marijuana addiction further robbed me of my health. I concluded, mostly from NutritionFacts.org info, that a mostly vegan diet with lots of nut butters, whole grains, and green smoothies would solve my problems. They became far worse. I'm sure I was promoting excess endotoxin, cortisol, estrogen and serotonin and hurting my thyroid, liver, and gut all along.
Despite reinjuring my back in a drunken car wreck in February 2017, my health has slowly returned and I attribute that primarily to a diet much higher in animal protein and lower in whole grains and vegetable oil.
Over the last several months I've become the best physical version of myself I've ever been, and I attribute that to a Ray Peat approach which I've much refined over the last couple of months. Lots of milk, lots of protein with a broad amino acid profile, lots of citrus, PUFA depletion, raw carrots, and the basic Peat supplements (aspirin, niacinimide, biotin, selenium, vitamin E) have been incredibly beneficial. Currently 6'5" 240 12% body fat, deadlifting over 500 pounds and benching 315 for reps with no pain whatsoever. I can even do backflips and back handsprings, which is kind of nuts for a never-athlete of my size. My grape-sized gynecomastia has completely gone away. I look and feel like I'd want to, and it makes me unbelievably happy, even though I am underemployed due to this journey lol.
The scientific knowledge on this forum goes a little too deep for me to contribute just yet, but I look forward to absorbing more and continuing to push the envelope with you fascinating bunch.
Thank you to anyone who reads this, and keep on Peating.
Let me tell you my story. I'm 24 years old, but I've had major health problems since 16 when I suffered from severe acne and depression, the latter of which has followed me through life up until the last year or so (during which I still experienced depression but only in the context of a DUI ordeal).
I felt my health was improving during my first couple of years of college, during which I ate SAD (Standard American Diet) and lifted weights religiously, reaching a fairly shredded 6'5" 250 physique but I experienced a lot of fatigue and productivity issues. Having two botched appendicitis operations did not help with things and this is when I began losing faith in doctors.
In 2015, time off and a big ego while deadlifting resulted in a catastropic lower back injury and my health deteriorated again. For a couple years I could barely get out of bed. I had very little energy and felt hopeless. I developed mild gynecomastia and chronic digestive problems. Modern medicine was useless. Cycles of letrozole and tamoxifen and a marijuana addiction further robbed me of my health. I concluded, mostly from NutritionFacts.org info, that a mostly vegan diet with lots of nut butters, whole grains, and green smoothies would solve my problems. They became far worse. I'm sure I was promoting excess endotoxin, cortisol, estrogen and serotonin and hurting my thyroid, liver, and gut all along.
Despite reinjuring my back in a drunken car wreck in February 2017, my health has slowly returned and I attribute that primarily to a diet much higher in animal protein and lower in whole grains and vegetable oil.
Over the last several months I've become the best physical version of myself I've ever been, and I attribute that to a Ray Peat approach which I've much refined over the last couple of months. Lots of milk, lots of protein with a broad amino acid profile, lots of citrus, PUFA depletion, raw carrots, and the basic Peat supplements (aspirin, niacinimide, biotin, selenium, vitamin E) have been incredibly beneficial. Currently 6'5" 240 12% body fat, deadlifting over 500 pounds and benching 315 for reps with no pain whatsoever. I can even do backflips and back handsprings, which is kind of nuts for a never-athlete of my size. My grape-sized gynecomastia has completely gone away. I look and feel like I'd want to, and it makes me unbelievably happy, even though I am underemployed due to this journey lol.
The scientific knowledge on this forum goes a little too deep for me to contribute just yet, but I look forward to absorbing more and continuing to push the envelope with you fascinating bunch.
Thank you to anyone who reads this, and keep on Peating.