THE BEST Of TIMES, THE WORST Of TIMES

[sweetpeat]

I have radically reduced my Progest-E.

Wow! that's fantastic! I've been toying with the idea of doing a round of low fat eating, based on your experiences and some others here on the forum. Just to see if I get any further improvements in my health. I had elevated liver enzymes last fall. I recently did two weeks of high vitamin K2 dosing and have been trying to get more coffee/caffeine in order to help my liver get better. Since then, it seems like I don't need as much progest-e either. I just kind of forget to take it sometimes, but haven't noticed any ill effects so far. I'm hoping that means my liver is processing the estrogen better.
Do you drink much coffee?

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Yes, I'm from Seattle....I drink a lot of coffee

I also think being very very diligent with PUFA restriction is the most important, my liver seems MUCH happier for it.

 

[moss]

Hi BPeat

Have followed your progress silently commiserating with you in your hellish/liverish times, and cheering you on with your triumphs and keep coming back for another round admiring your willingness to share is both admirable and inspiring, thanks.
Coming back to your ‘Metronidazole Fiasco’ it reminded me of some of my most unpleasant gut/bowel disasters whilst travelling but the one that comes to mind was a large Giardia outbreak from contaminated water in the city I was living in at the time around 2000. I tested positive and was also experiencing a high level of work/relationship stress and the death of a family member, clearly ‘Not The Best of Times’….
Giardia hijacked my body and I was s****ing for my country and losing weight with none to spare thanks to low-carbs, white sugar was the devil and a starver. Reluctantly, I went to a Dr and was prescribed a round of antibiotics – Flagyl. Reading about your experience and others echoed mine as well. It sure did knock me for dead and contributed to umpteen more s***fests - the Giardia was bad but Flagyl - a shocker. Dizzy for days and could not function properly for a couple of weeks.
Eventually I did recover and over the years have periodically given myself regular tune-ups of herbal immune/antifungal/antimicrobials etc.
It is rare now that I suffer from any gut/bowel issues. Not suggesting you do this, I know you have gone down the herbal path and it has not worked so well for you. It also gave me pause for thought and whilst it is getting away from your lack-of-appendix, gut flora I wondered about several folks I know who have and do experience problematic gut/bowel issues. It would appear for some (not all) have also experienced other significant ‘gut’ episodes even many years earlier only to find perhaps it may have morphed into intractable and complex set of symptoms that most likely have never resolved.
There is no doubt adjusting diet and increasing metabolism enables one to get the energy in order to get to the next level and so on. My point here was to run Flagyl into the ground and to raise the possibility of giardia.

 

[Peata]

Hmmm...sounds like you are sensitive to estrogen like me. There isn't enough Progest-E on the planet when I'm churning out estrogen, trust me, I've tried to drown myself in the stuff.

My only suggestion for reducing estrogen producing fat cells is NOT a popular one: that is to inch down your calories and watch the scale very closely to see where your break even point is. BUT, you absolutely must not sacrifice nutrition at any cost, otherwise your body will just ramp down metabolism which defeats the whole point. I could not have done it without tracking on Cron-O, I needed to be certain that all nutrients were covered consistently on a daily basis. Once you know where your break even point is, you can decide from there whether to take the quick and dirty route or the slow and steady route. Perhaps you already know where your personal break even point is?


.....being at a farm, what about EMF?

I am hoping my latest change in diet will finally get the weight loss going. For over a year, I've made changes to my diet and tracked carefully on Cronometer: Changed the proteins, fat, carbs, starch, calories, etc. and made sure the nutrients were covered.

I am hoping what makes the difference this time is that I've radically changed some things all at once instead of trying one at a time. That would be that I've eliminated grains/starch and am keeping fat at 10% or less, keeping protein at 120 g. or so, while keeping calories in a range that should help me lose.

So far, from reducing starch, I seem to have more stable blood sugar, especially through the night. No waking up with adrenaline and fear. This is a huge good thing.

More protein ties in with that, where I seem to have more energy and better mood.

So now that I'm keeping the fat grams lower consistently, I hope that adds the final touch for some weight loss.

Thanks for all your help. Seems some of us are on a similar path metabolically, and you give hope.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Hi BPeat

....have periodically given myself regular tune-ups of herbal immune/antifungal/antimicrobials etc.
It is rare now that I suffer from any gut/bowel issues. Not suggesting you do this, I know you have gone down the herbal path and it has not worked so well for you. It also gave me pause for thought and whilst it is getting away from your lack-of-appendix, gut flora I wondered about several folks I know who have and do experience problematic gut/bowel issues. It would appear for some (not all) have also experienced other significant ‘gut’ episodes even many years earlier only to find perhaps it may have morphed into intractable and complex set of symptoms that most likely have never resolved.
There is no doubt adjusting diet and increasing metabolism enables one to get the energy in order to get to the next level and so on. My point here was to run Flagyl into the ground and to raise the possibility of giardia.

Hi moss! There was a time where I thought I had giardia, but I never got properly tested for it so I still don't know. I finally broke down and got health insurance just recently, I guess that means that I will get lots of testing done now. I meet with my new doctor on Friday. This insurance provider makes you go through their whole system, just another a hoop I have to jump through in order to be able to see the GI specialist in Seattle.....but since I'm currently not experiencing a problem, they will think I'm crazy or that it's all in my head.

I actually prefer the herbal ant-fungal/antibiotic route, I find them far more gentle on my system, but perhaps not strong enough if I'm hosting something ugly? I don't think I can ever take Flagyl again, it's so harsh....maybe a lower dose? Or a different anti-biotic long term?

When I look back over the years, I think that my gut problems were caused by more than one issue. Initially, by being hypothyroid, I was always cold and constipated. I think eventually certain microbes began to populate my small intestine where they don't belong. I had low stomach acid and upper GI stomach bloating issues which lead to alternating constipation/diarrhea. All of that went away when I got on a proper thyroid dose and starting making sure I had all of my nutrition covered. So yes, raising metabolism has definitely fixed that part of my issue.

My only remaining problem is in my very lower bowel and it's only on occasion. Very much Intermittent and so far more difficult to pinpoint. My digestion was perfect until I took the Metronidazole, having never taken it before I had NO idea it would be so hard on my system. I seem to have a heck of a time re-balancing after a total gut flora washout....that's where I thought having an appendix might be useful.

I am never constipated now, ever since my appendix ruptured and I took massive doses of anti-biotics my intestines have gone the other direction... a tendency toward loose bowels, especially if I'm not careful with what I consume. My gut microbiome seems more fragile, like there aren't enough species in enough quantities to keep things in a resilient/hearty balance....I dunno, just more speculation on my part....

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I am hoping my latest change in diet will finally get the weight loss going. For over a year, I've made changes to my diet and tracked carefully on Cronometer: Changed the proteins, fat, carbs, starch, calories, etc. and made sure the nutrients were covered.

I am hoping what makes the difference this time is that I've radically changed some things all at once instead of trying one at a time. That would be that I've eliminated grains/starch and am keeping fat at 10% or less, keeping protein at 120 g. or so, while keeping calories in a range that should help me lose.

So far, from reducing starch, I seem to have more stable blood sugar, especially through the night. No waking up with adrenaline and fear. This is a huge good thing.

More protein ties in with that, where I seem to have more energy and better mood.

So now that I'm keeping the fat grams lower consistently, I hope that adds the final touch for some weight loss.

Thanks for all your help. Seems some of us are on a similar path metabolically, and you give hope.

I think starch is great for some people, young men seem to need it and do quite well with it (my own sons thrive on it). For me, it's just empty calories that mess with my blood sugar and for very little nutrition. I think Peat said somewhere that the calories from starch aren't equal to the calories from fruit, I have found that to be true in my experiment. Plus, starch tastes like sh*t without being smothered in fat. Potatoes and rice are only appealing to me with TONS of butter, so what's the point? Starch might be an awesome tool if I was chronically underweight or perhaps an athlete.

I do tolerate starch much better now gut-wise than I did a year ago, unfortunately, even masa harina can make me gain fat in minutes, so it's not something I can eat on a daily basis. Maybe someday my metabolism will be so stellar that I can indulge every day, for now starch is special occasion/party food. I ate a lot of starch during the holidays, but I was also getting too much thyroid medication, so now I think that was a factor that I wasn't considering at the time....I'm a dullard that way.

 

[Amazoniac]

Hi BigPeatowski!

It can be an issue of gut diversity from when you stopped eating starches in favour of fruit. Maybe you forced yourself to adapt to fruit instead of starches. Now everytime you have some starch you are not that used to it an can possibly be creating endotoxins. The toxic overload could be disposed as fat instead of circulating freely.
Fruit without doubt has more micronutrients than starches, but I don't think they are enough to justify the weight gain.
I also think that the more you avoid a food, the less adapted (or resilient if excessively toxic) you become.
What you are implying is that in your case fruit doesn't mess with blood sugar regulation like starchea, therefore with insulin being more stable you don't have to rely so much on metabolism to handle the stored fat. Is that what you meant?

 

[SQu]

I dont know that point though I do know it was once much lower than it is now because I'm weight stable on higher calories than before. Dropping to 1800 calories for about a week I'm finding metabolism though not belly fat is dropping, even with everything well covered and checked daily on cronometer, sometimes excepting folate ( green leaves - blaah). I'm trying to stop that drop with t3, which luckily I already take and tolerate well. If this continues I'll have to raise calories a bit - maybe by 100 and see! Or just take a break over the weekend which anyway marks the end of my first goal of almost a month. I'll probably take that break, I need it. But then I need to make an adjustment and get back to it. It's tiresome avoiding fat like this but I do feel better for it.
I credit the farm break with about 10 hours of light per day - it was winter so nice to be out and moving all day, and yes less emf. Modern life is just bad for our health.
Thanks for the support and suggestions!

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Hi BigPeatowski!

It can be an issue of gut diversity from when you stopped eating starches in favour of fruit. Maybe you forced yourself to adapt to fruit instead of starches. Now everytime you have some starch you are not that used to it an can possibly be creating endotoxins. The toxic overload could be disposed as fat instead of circulating freely.
Fruit without doubt has more micronutrients than starches, but I don't think they are enough to justify the weight gain.
I also think that the more you avoid a food, the less adapted (or resilient if excessively toxic) you become.
What you are implying is that in your case fruit doesn't mess with blood sugar regulation like starchea, therefore with insulin being more stable you don't have to rely so much on metabolism to handle the stored fat. Is that what you meant?

Hi Amazoniac...yes, I definitely think it has to do with gut flora. Potatoes, in particular, used to give me terrible gas and bloating, but not so much anymore. That part has improved. I eat them on occasion.

Other starches like wheat flour make me very constipated and cause some sort of brain inflammation, like serious brain agitation and my guts just stop moving. I've only eaten wheat three times in the last three years and I have the same reaction every single time, it is permanently off the list.

I do eat organic popcorn on occasion (with immodest amounts of butter), it doesn't seem to cause me problems other than I can easily eat twelve quarts of it. It's a treat when I need a salty crunchy snack, but definitely NOT a food for losing fat, I don't think. I dunno...I should do an experiment.

The problem I have with rice is that I can eat a giant amount of it and never feel full, like I could just keep eating and eating, it doesn't trip the satiety button in my brain. Just seems like empty calories and an unfavorable insulin reaction for it. I like rice, it's something that I will eat if I'm in a restaurant, but that's kinda rare. Calorie for calorie, I'll drink OJ and eat whole fruit over a bowl of rice any day. For me, as a sedentary old woman, rice is just filler and fairly unnecessary.

Starches and fat were cut out of my diet last summer when I was trying to lose some fat and was having MAJOR gut issues. I added them back into my diet mid-September, so to be clear, I do eat them now on occasion (with the exception of wheat). However, if I was going to try to lose some fat I would cut them again, if only to save me the piles of butter that I inevitably drown them in. I'm not sure if I answered your question tho....

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I dont know that point though I do know it was once much lower than it is now because I'm weight stable on higher calories than before. Dropping to 1800 calories for about a week I'm finding metabolism though not belly fat is dropping, even with everything well covered and checked daily on cronometer, sometimes excepting folate ( green leaves - blaah). I'm trying to stop that drop with t3, which luckily I already take and tolerate well. If this continues I'll have to raise calories a bit - maybe by 100 and see! Or just take a break over the weekend which anyway marks the end of my first goal of almost a month. I'll probably take that break, I need it. But then I need to make an adjustment and get back to it. It's tiresome avoiding fat like this but I do feel better for it.
I credit the farm break with about 10 hours of light per day - it was winter so nice to be out and moving all day, and yes less emf. Modern life is just bad for our health.
Thanks for the support and suggestions!

I took a folate supplement for a while too, noticing on Cron-O that I wasn't always getting enough. I do eat well cooked dark leafy greens on occasion, as well as some asparagus here and there, and artichoke hearts (bottled in water)..... a rotating combination of these seem to be plenty to cover folate.

I could NEVER have done my fat loss experiment without thyroid medication, pretty sure I would have slipped into a freezing cold coma. It's also NOT something I would recommend during a dark cold winter, long sunny days and plenty of vit. D from sunshine is ideal....and NO other stress. I could not have done it if I had to be pleasant, say in a customer service type job....pretty sure I would have been fired/and or burned at the stake.

Truly, it is tiresome as hell....and tedious and boring. But I simply couldn't wait around for four years tho, my health situation warranted extreme measures. I did it in 4-6 week increments and then took breaks as necessary.

FROM RP's REGENERATION and DEGENERATION:
In aging, the removal of inactive cells becomes incomplete (Aprahamian, et al., 2008). It is this removal of cellular debris that is essential for regenerative healing to take place. Degenerating tissue stimulates the formation of new tissue, but this requires adequate cellular energy for phagocytosis, which requires proper thyroid function. “Hyperthyroidism” has been shown to accelerate the process (Lewin-Kowalik, et al., 2002). The active thyroid hormone, T3, stimulates the removal of inactive cells (Kurata, et al., 1980).

Regenerative healing also requires freedom from substances that inhibit the digestion of the debris. The great decline in proteolytic autophagy that occurs with aging (Del Roso, et al., 2003) can be reduced by inhibiting the release of fatty acids. This effect is additive to the antiaging effects of calorie restriction, suggesting that it is largely the decrease of dietary fats that makes calorie restriction effective (Donati, et al., 2004, 2008).

 

[Amazoniac]

Hi BigPeatowski!

It can be an issue of gut diversity from when you stopped eating starches in favour of fruit. Maybe you forced yourself to adapt to fruit instead of starches. Now everytime you have some starch you are not that used to it an can possibly be creating endotoxins. The toxic overload could be disposed as fat instead of circulating freely.
Fruit without doubt has more micronutrients than starches, but I don't think they are enough to justify the weight gain.
I also think that the more you avoid a food, the less adapted (or resilient if excessively toxic) you become.
What you are implying is that in your case fruit doesn't mess with blood sugar regulation like starchea, therefore with insulin being more stable you don't have to rely so much on metabolism to handle the stored fat. Is that what you meant?

Hi Amazoniac...yes, I definitely think it has to do with gut flora. Potatoes, in particular, used to give me terrible gas and bloating, but not so much anymore. That part has improved. I eat them on occasion.

Other starches like wheat flour make me very constipated and cause some sort of brain inflammation, like serious brain agitation and my guts just stop moving. I've only eaten wheat three times in the last three years and I have the same reaction every single time, it is permanently off the list.

I do eat organic popcorn on occasion (with immodest amounts of butter), it doesn't seem to cause me problems other than I can easily eat twelve quarts of it. It's a treat when I need a salty crunchy snack, but definitely NOT a food for losing fat, I don't think. I dunno...I should do an experiment.

The problem I have with rice is that I can eat a giant amount of it and never feel full, like I could just keep eating and eating, it doesn't trip the satiety button in my brain. Just seems like empty calories and an unfavorable insulin reaction for it. I like rice, it's something that I will eat if I'm in a restaurant, but that's kinda rare. Calorie for calorie, I'll drink OJ and eat whole fruit over a bowl of rice any day. For me, as a sedentary old woman, rice is just filler and fairly unnecessary.

Starches and fat were cut out of my diet last summer when I was trying to lose some fat and was having MAJOR gut issues. I added them back into my diet mid-September, so to be clear, I do eat them now on occasion (with the exception of wheat). However, if I was going to try to lose some fat I would cut them again, if only to save me the piles of butter that I inevitably drown them in. I'm not sure if I answered your question tho....

Rice only works if you consume them as a complement and without relying on it for your major source of calories. Otherwise, and I have to agree with you, it's empty compared to fruits and other starches. A lot of people in this forum have problem with rice since their diet is higher in carbs and they try to rely on it for calories. In this case, it surely is problematic, for lacking enough micronutrients and disregulating blood sugar. But if your diet is lower in carbs, you probably won't have to rely on it for those aspects, it'll be just a complement to a meal to supply enough carbohydrates.

 

[SQu]

Thanks for the folate tips! I like asparagus and artichokes so will look into it. The freezing cold coma - I shudder at some awful memories! Not going there ever again, but my recent slowdown did ring some bells. I took more t3 yesterday and what a difference it made! I was surprised and very pleased!

I'm in the same situation you describe - can't wait around for not much to happen and clearly my extra zillion pounds play a role. Coming up for 4 years since I put them all on, and 2 years peating. I'm grateful for many improvements if i think back - but this area needs a strategy!

Winter is coming but it's sunny and the latitude means vitamin d year-round. So we'll see!

 

[aquaman]

So far, from reducing starch, I seem to have more stable blood sugar, especially through the night. No waking up with adrenaline and fear. This is a huge good thing.

Interesting!

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Thanks for the folate tips! I like asparagus and artichokes so will look into it. The freezing cold coma - I shudder at some awful memories! Not going there ever again, but my recent slowdown did ring some bells. I took more t3 yesterday and what a difference it made! I was surprised and very pleased!

I'm in the same situation you describe - can't wait around for not much to happen and clearly my extra zillion pounds play a role. Coming up for 4 years since I put them all on, and 2 years peating. I'm grateful for many improvements if i think back - but this area needs a strategy!

Winter is coming but it's sunny and the latitude means vitamin d year-round. So we'll see!

Hi sueq...yes, you are at a far better latitude than me for sure! I love T3, wish it's effects lasted longer tho...

Asparagus "kills several birds with one stone", so to speak. It's good for folate, vitamin K, low in calories and the fiber seems to be beneficial for my gut flora. I like it slathered in butter and salt, but when trying to cut fat intake then a squeeze of fresh lemon juice stands in for the butter. :2cents

 

[sunmountain]

Hi BigP

Can you say a bit how you use temps and pulse to monitor the effect of foods or supplements -- whether they are suiting you or not -- and making adjustments accordingly?

I feel like I need to start doing that in addition to crono if I am going to try and figure things out. I was checking upon waking, but I want to know how it can be used to identify if certain foods/supps are suiting one or not...other than just how they make you feel which is sometimes not reliable.

Thanks

 

[narouz]

Asparagus "kills several birds with one stone", so to speak. It's good for folate, vitamin K, low in calories and the fiber seems to be beneficial for my gut flora. I like it slathered in butter and salt, but when trying to cut fat intake then a squeeze of fresh lemon juice stands in for the butter. :2cents

I love asparagus too.
But...is it a goitrogen?

Somewhere Peat said "roots, shoots, and tubers" are safer foods,
or something like that.
I look at asparagus
and I deem it a shoot. :)

 

[SQu]

Great suggestion, thanks! I love asparagus, and definitely need the K as well as the folate. K is one of those supps that gave me a boost when I introduced it. I had a bit of a look into folate and found also mangos, oranges, papaya, and chicken liver, all of which I like. And broccoli, which I don't, plus it's got those goitrogens!
A very nice way to have asparagus (if you are not watching fat at the time), is with hollandaise sauce. It's basically melted butter and egg yolk whipped together with a bit of salt and lemon juice. And it is heavenly!

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Great suggestion, thanks! I love asparagus, and definitely need the K as well as the folate. K is one of those supps that gave me a boost when I introduced it. I had a bit of a look into folate and found also mangos, oranges, papaya, and chicken liver, all of which I like. And broccoli, which I don't, plus it's got those goitrogens!
A very nice way to have asparagus (if you are not watching fat at the time), is with hollandaise sauce. It's basically melted butter and egg yolk whipped together with a bit of salt and lemon juice. And it is heavenly!

I don't like broccoli either. I cannot digest raw broccoli at all, but even though I didn't enjoy it, I forced myself to eat it (both raw and steamed) for years telling myself how "healthy" it was...icky and so goitrogenic!!! My poor thyroid.

I absolutely adore Hollandaise sauce too, I make it homemade in the blender all the time, it's absolutely delicious on EVERYTHING...but yeah, not low-fat.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Hi BigP

Can you say a bit how you use temps and pulse to monitor the effect of foods or supplements -- whether they are suiting you or not -- and making adjustments accordingly?

I feel like I need to start doing that in addition to crono if I am going to try and figure things out. I was checking upon waking, but I want to know how it can be used to identify if certain foods/supps are suiting one or not...other than just how they make you feel which is sometimes not reliable.

Thanks

Hi sunmountain, the foods that make me warmest are salt, sugar, saturated fat and some starches. For instance, when I am hungry I get cold, so I will often eat a combination of salt, saturated fat and sugar and I warm up very quickly. Caffeine and aspirin work too, but must be combined with enough sugar. Some notable combinations that work well for me:

Pecorino Romano cheese (which is very salty and fat) + OJ
whole raw milk + honey + salt
salted OJ or salted cantaloupe + cottage cheese
baby red potatoes fried in coconut oil + salt
coffee + sugar + milk + aspirin
aspirin + coca cola
ice cream
sea salt chocolate bar + milk
popcorn cooked in coconut oil + butter + salt

When I did my fat loss experiment I cut the starch and saturated fat from my diet and I was definitely colder. I spent a lot time in the sun and took more thyroid meds to stay warm. I relied heavily on salted fruit/OJ, caffeine, aspirin and sugar during the experiment. I took my body temperature often (several times a day), pulse only twice a day.

When I added the fat and starch back in to my diet I had to drop my thyroid medication all together. Took me a while to figure that out and I am currently in the process of deciding if/how much thyroid medication I need.

 

[tara]

A very nice way to have asparagus (if you are not watching fat at the time), is with hollandaise sauce. It's basically melted butter and egg yolk whipped together with a bit of salt and lemon juice. And it is heavenly!

Yum!