Incorporating Peat's Advice. Migi

[migi]

Hey!
I've recently discovered this forum, and got absolutely crazy about it. I can't do my studies, I barely go outside these days, because can't stop reading threads. You, people, also seem to be obsessed with all this stuff. Help me to puzzle out my diet lacks!

I've always had enormous self-consciousness, what I'm eating, how do I look and how do I feel. This leads me to experiments with myself, especially in a cold time of year.
Shortly about me:
- 20 years old.
- Lean (168cm, 50 kg. Weight varies). Used to be skinny in teenage years.
- European
- Strong stamina (can go long miles), a little bit of movement, excercice a day - a must.
- Very food and weather dependent.
- Perfectionist.
- Love to party, flirt, going out, especially on summers.

Healthconcerns:
- Strong sick insomnia. I guess, related to psychological problems because it started in my last grade. Now on small doses of sleeping pills almost every night. Insomnia triggers headaches.
- Skin concerns: obvious keratosis pilaris, random minor breakouts on face, around nose, mouth, face oilier than I would like it to be. Plenty, plenty of moles, that appear on winter and spring.
- Enormous hair loss that started recently. I used to have very thick and long hair.
- Memory loss, started years ago. Blackouts when drunk.
- Irregular cycle with months of amenorrhea.
- Always cold. Body temperature - 35.5 °


You all seem to be really sensible talking about health. But for me it is so hard to notice changes inside me if they are not obvious. I believe that everything, everything is driven by hormones, that's why I got so intrested in Ray Peat.
What I notice in myself.. on summer all is quite perfect. This summer I was sunbathing a lot, had plenty of sex, ate complete crap. I even decided to donate blood and it was total bliss for me, face skin started to glow (it's all about iron, isn't it?) aaaaand it helped with insomnia! Crazy!. My cycle regulated itself. I ate portions of ice cream every day. So, the sun, sex and blood donation IS GOOD.

But now it is autumn again. What I get - menses are almost non-existent. Hair loss. I can't eat dairy, because I get breakouts around chin. Or at least I get it because of kefir. So I don't get calcium at all now. I can't use D supplement because I suspect I break out in some small artificial pimples that don't go away for ages, something like milia. In cold season I get so damn suspicious about everything I do.

I started supplement selenium. It is good for me. Sleep is deeper. Incorporating jelly was also very beneficial, I guess. I have been supplementing zinc for a quite long time, 2 years. Now my dose is only 7-9 mg daily.
On summer I did not control me, ate as much sugar as I wanted, as well as wheat flour, milk, coffee. It was good for me! Now I am very strict with myself because I feel I need it.

I mostly eat: oats, potatoes, honey, coconut oil, broccoli, bacon, pork liver pate, beets, spinach,
rye bread, dark chocolate (what is suuuch relief for me, i eat it all day long), dried cranberries, coconut shavings (tasty!!), some beef, carrots, other vegetables. I eat potatoes and pork now every day and I am afraid to gain additional weight, but I love them and my skin reacts good. I thought it is because iodine in potatoes, but I should research more. I am not going to give up vegetables. But my goal now is to incorporate dairy, orange juice and coffee and to see how my body reacts. I KNOW that I am deficient in calcium. And maybe have elevated levels of iron because of eating much of meat. I have no idea if I'm hypothyroid, but I love idea that I can support thyroids function in a tasty way!

I miss dairy and summer so badly. Cream, curd, cheese. Ice cream. Sun. I crave these things. But I broke out so really bad when I was drinking kefir every day here, in Sweden. Situation got even worse with yogurt. Hmmm. Going to the shop now to buy some fermented cheese. Because I want, haha! Going to continue how it's going for me.

By the way, what about all hormones in ordinary milk???? Folk on is talking so much on the internet about this.

Migi

 

[milk_lover]

If you miss summer so badly, you can simulate the summer in your own room by using red light, heat lamps, some vitamin D3 on your skin.

Your body temperature indicates you might have sluggish thyroid. How is your heartbeat? Usually hair loss is associated with low thyroid which can decrease your progesterone. Vitamin D is also important for hair. BTW Broccoli can be goitrogenic if not well cooked, hence it might contribute to low body temperature.

At 168cm, 50 kg is very skinny. How much calories do you eat a day?

Hormones in milk can be good like thyroid and progesterone. There is little estrogen to be concerned about, maybe mostly in the fat. Semi-skimmed will be good without sacrificing the taste of fat. Some female members of my family tolerate organic UHT milk better because it has almost no bacteria so not so much bloating and stuff.

@Blossom @tara @Jennifer @lindsay and others are smart ladies who can help you.

 

[tara]

migi

If you miss summer so badly, you can simulate the summer in your own room by using red light, heat lamps, some vitamin D3 on your skin.

Supplemental red light (orange through near infra-red) seems like a good idea to me in the dark of winter. Strong incandescents and heat lamps maybe.

If you are not currently managing milk, trying different forms of milk and cheese may show up some form that will work better. If not, eggshell powder can an other way of getting calcium.

- Always cold. Body temperature - 35.5 °

If you have measured this accurately (eg thermometer in armpit for 10 mins), then it indicates lowish metabolism/thyroid function.

How many calories are you eating? Not many people can be sustainably healthy at your low weight - I wonder if you have been seriously undereating, and whether that could be contributing to your health issues. If can certainly mess with many things, including sleep, dysmenorrhea, low body temps, hairloss. (Possibly also memory loss, though the alcohol might do that anyway.) You should not be as thin/low weight at 20 and upwards as you were when you were younger - it is normal to keep growing a broader stronger skeleton etc up till about 25. BMI 17.7 would be considered medically underweight in some places - don't know where the Swedish ranges lie. Restricting calories to suppress this can cause harm. One result can be down-regulation of thyroid function.

That your less restrictive summer diet seemed to be good for might be a good clue. Maybe the icecream etc was doing you good.

Here's a related thread (not from Peat).
Recovery From Undereating - Youreatopia

Blackouts when drunk.

I strongly suggest avoiding drinking enough to risk this. Maybe when you are robust again in the future your system will be able to handle the odd drink (not that it's good for you, just that a little will do less harm than a lot). Getting drunk is unlikely to do you any good, and at the moment you seem particularly vulnerable to harm.

Lycka till.

 

[Blossom]

Welcome @migi! I can't think of anything to add but I'm glad you're here and enjoying the forum.

 

[migi]

Feels so good to get friendly answers. Thank you all! Tack :)

At 168cm, 50 kg is very skinny. How much calories do you eat a day?

My weight reached 53kg last winter, but this summer it dropped to 48. It varies, as well as fat layer. I'm not so concerned about it, while I look normal no matter how much I weigh, proportions are okey. I do not look too slim, not sick slim. Shoulders are wider than hips, I have quite feminine breast and more muscular legs. I don't think I'm undereating while I guess I always managed to consume over 1500 calories, sometimes I eat more than my father does. However, I always was a strong carbs eater (in teenage years), plenty of biscuits, snacks, bread, cereals - with low nutritional value. I could eat nothing but biscuits. It is difficult for me to change this. I will definitely read tara's thread about Youreatopia.

If you have measured this accurately (eg thermometer in armpit for 10 mins), then it indicates lowish metabolism/thyroid function.

I thought that it is my natural temperature. Noticed it many years ago. When I had 36,6 I would feel sick, I couldn't go to school. When complained about low temperature to a doctor, she just said that my thyroid is fine. Oh well...

don't know where the Swedish ranges lie

Just moved to Sweden, actually I'm from one of Baltic states. But girls here are lean, as well as in Sweden.

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Bought some Gouda cheese today. Trying to incorporate to the diet and see how body reacts. Thanks again for your answers! Good to be here. Continuing to read and research about thyroid. There is a mass of information actually in this forum.

By the way, the part about red light teraphy... Are you guys talking about LED lamps like these?

 

[tara]

I don't think I'm undereating while I guess I always managed to consume over 1500 calories, sometimes I eat more than my father does.

1500 cals is semi-starvation - approximately half what you probably need as a growing maturing young woman. That might explain most of your health troubles. If your father is eating so little too that may cause him trouble as well. How you look is less my concern - than is sustainable health. Fashion sometimes clashes with that. Doesn't necessarily mean you should double your food intake overnight (unless you are hungry for that much) - there are different opinions about how to approach this situation around here.

When complained about low temperature to a doctor, she just said that my thyroid is fine. Oh well...

I don't know how typical Swedish drs and endocrinologists deal with this, but in many places the 'normal' thyroid hormone ranges are quite compatible with low thyroid function for some people. If you have the test result numbers you can post them here if you want to - may get other opinions.

Just moved to Sweden, actually I'm from one of Baltic states. But girls here are lean, as well as in Sweden.

There are strands of anorexic culture in many places.