Why is obesity in Central America so prevalent? That is the question…
I’ve been traveling a lot over the past few months, and expect to travel a lot more. I’m writing this email from a Spanish School in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua (don’t worry, I’m redoing their website for them, lol). It’s been a while since I’ve traveled, but I remember feeling like obesity was pretty rare everywhere I traveled back in the 90s and early 2000s. So I was pretty shocked at all the moderately to very chunky people I’ve seen in Costa Rica and Nicaragua on this trip. Hey, I feel right at home! As a Costa Rican woman said after seeing a picture of me sitting in a chair with my MacBook Air,
“He’s fat, but he’s got a nice computer.”?
Uhh, gracias, I guess?
Anyway, my curious brain can’t help but wonder why, and as I wonder why, I thought I’d share my thoughts with the thousands of you who are also plagued with curiosity about this topic. So, why are Central Americans so fat?
First off, purely from an observational standpoint, obesity isn’t as big of a problem here as it is in North America. Definitely not morbid obesity. But it’s much closer than you’d think it would be considering the local diet is built primarily around rice and beans. I mean, really. MOST people eat rice and beans for MOST meals along with fresh vegetable salads, eggs, poultry, seafood, fried plantains, fruit, and other odds and ends.
Plus, people seem significantly more active in Central America. Most people spend most of the day doing light activity of some kind. It’s not normal to just sit around glued to a screen. At least not yet. It’s more normal to, at the very least, sit outside and just watch what everyone else is doing. Walking and cycling are still very common forms of transportation for most people at least in part.
What I’m saying is, I know very few Americans who get this much activity and eat this cleanly. So you’d think, following conventional logic, that obesity would be much more rare than it is. It’s not rare at all though. While most everyone under 25 or so is pretty lean (though certainly not everyone), I’ve hardly seen a single person over 40 that isn’t markedly flabadelic.
And so, using more unconventional 180D logic, let’s dive into some more likely explanations for the rise in size.
As you guys know, I believe body weight to be primarily unconsciously, involuntary regulated. I believe that because it’s a fact, and I’m not an idiot that viciously defends theories and beliefs that were disproven by that whole science thing two thirds of a century ago. Considering that fact, the only discussion that has any real relevance to the conversation is in regards to factors that influence the body’s weight-regulating mechanisms (hormones that regulate metabolism, appetite, desire for physical activity, and so forth). Let’s talk about the prime suspects one by one:
Sugar
I think the most commonly-held notion about the rise in obesity in Central America is the large increase in recent decades in sugar consumption–mostly from soft drinks. I didn’t see many Costa Ricans drinking soft drinks, but they love their fruit juices–with and without added sugar. I also don’t see many Nicaraguans chugging down large sodas, but they have a variety of weird starchy drinks they love that are typically heavily sugared. The national drink is pinolillo, which tastes kind of like Nestle Quik with a bunch of cornmeal mixed in with it. Mmmm, sandy!
I’m not an outright sugar hater, but it would be kind of foolish to completely rule this out as a factor. Drinks are desired when one is thirsty, not hungry, and it’s hot here. If you are satisfying your urge for fluids with calorie-laden beverages, it’s easy to imagine that you might short-circuit your body’s ability to regulate energy and consume more than it can burn off. Or so the logic goes. In reality, the extra calories taken with fluids should result in a reduced appetite for solid food or increased metabolic rate or desire for physical activity. And in most people that’s exactly what happens. In fact, kids consume more sugar than adults the world over, and they are leaner than adults by far on average. Does sugar consumption really have a multi-decade incubation time to cause obesity? Sure, it could. So could any highly-palatable food, maybe. But sugar and palatable food also might not be all that relevant. There could be something else affecting weight-regulation hormones.
Vegetable Oil
If I’ve learned anything about Spanish, it’s that things don’t always translate perfectly to English and vice versa. For example, if I look up the word “butter,” the dictionary says “mantequilla.” So if I want to say something about butter, I use mantequilla. But, if someone in Central America says “mantequilla,” they are actually not talking about butter, but a yellow, plastic-like substance made from chemically-altered vegetable oil molecules. Language learning right??!! So complicated!
Seriously though, the common cooking oils and spreads are made from vegetable oil. Vegetable oil, while it doesn’t appear to have any immediate, short-term impact on bodyweight, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it can have an adverse effect on the body composition of infants, which largely determines obesity proneness later in life, and long-term metabolic consequences that favor excess fat storage. They also eat plenty of lard and chicken fat, which is rich in similar fats.
Fluoridated Salt
While living with a Nicaraguan family, I was kind of alarmed by the fact that the offspring in the family I’m living with look absolutely amazing, while the parents are overweight, puffy with excessive water retention, and riddled with health problems. It’s not particularly comforting to eat the exact same thing at the exact same time every day as they do. But, an argument can be made, seeing how much healthier and more attractive their offspring are, that the kids actually received awesome nutrition and that the health problems of the parents might be related to something else–like living through some hard-ass times in their past: like real, actual food shortages, violence, and political instability.
But if there is one thing that raised the hair on the back of my neck about the food in Central America, is that it is all seasoned with salt from one company (as far as I can tell), and that salt has the word “fluorizado” on the front. I’m not quite fluent in Spanish (hey, I’m getting pretty close though), but I’m pretty sure that means “fluoridated.” Seriously people, every morsel of food that people are eating in Central America is full of supplemental fluoride. This could definitely be a factor in the broad-scale thyroid suicide that is turning young hotties into frumpy sacks of lard and beans.
Screens
Screens are definitely a suspect, as Central Americans are just as hooked on TV and Facebook as the rest of the world. It hasn’t been like this for long though, so it seems unlikely to be more than just a small factor in the overall scheme of things, especially in Nicaragua, which was extremely technologically primitive until very VERY recent times. With screens typically comes fewer hours of sleep and fewer hours of physical activity. Most people think the lack of physical activity is a bigger factor because it leads to a reduction in calories burned. I’m more concerned about the lack of sleep, as lack of sleep seems just as capable of altering the weight-regulating mechanisms of the body as a lack of exercise–and perhaps more so.
Lack of Food
Past famines are known to yield chubbier adults and chubbier offspring. Nicaragua hasn’t always had an abundance of food. And still there are lots of underdeveloped kids running around. As everyone knows at 180D, going from food shortage to food abundance again and again can be very fattening. What I’ve noticed too is that the people here just don’t eat much. I was trying to subsist off of the portions I was served at my homestay house for several weeks, but I noticed my temperature was dropping, I was super hungry in the evenings, my sleep started to suffer, and I was even getting some swelling in my ankles just like my homestay parents! Supplementing with a dozen store-bought cookies per day, a daily banana smoothie, and some Gatorade and fresh OJ still wasn’t enough to meet my needs. I also noticed that the only breakfast I felt decent after eating was a monstrous pancake with bananas and copious amounts of maple-flavored corn syrup product. Lately I’ve been sneaking out at night for pizza and feel much better. Two slices in the evening and I wake up at what feels like 5 pounds lighter with no fluid retention.
I’m fully over my whole “I’ll just eat like the locals!” sentiments. Western food is awesome. There’s a reason why only peasants eat peasant diets. They suck.
And while peasant diets may be associated with leanness, I’m definitely not seeing it in Central America.
Meanwhile, the ridiculously lean and attractive tourists that visit San Juan del Sur (where I’m at now) from all over the world are crushing Western food and taking in 1,000-2,000 calories per day from alcohol alone (to better describe what the tourists are like here, I have often wondered if I was teleported into another dimension where I’m an extra in a neverending version of Point Break. I have yet to witness any bank robbers with U.S. president masks or meet anyone named Bodhi, but I feel it could happen at any minute). Then again, my Spanish teacher tells me that Westerners NEVER put sugar in their coffee and talk about soft drinks like they are the devil incarnate. They also exercise a lot harder than most local Nicaraguans, hiking and surfing all day and twerking and fornicating all night. So there’s that.
And I never would have thought that dieting could be a factor in anyone’s chubbiness in Central America like I know it to be in North America, but sure enough, my 21-year old Spanish teacher has wildly fluctuating weight patterns, started dieting in her early teens, just finished her 5th day of eating absolutely no food at all, and is sick with a lingering cold. She also mentioned making herself vomit when she ate back in the day, and prides herself on not being hungry. I was wondering why she was always complaining of being cold and looked like she was giving Chewbacca a piggyback ride whenever her shirt rode up her back. I get it now. And it’s too bad. She is really an incredibly cool person. I’ve tried to convince her of the dangers of doing what she’s doing, but she laughs at me hysterically. She has a perfect body and I don’t, so, you know, what would I know?
Conclusion
No real conclusion, just sharing some thoughts and observations from the 180D World Tour. Hopefully it can lead to some interesting conversation in the comments. What are your observations from countries outside of your own?
Do you think it would be hard to eat 2500-3000 calories a day in Central America and still minimize Vegetable Oil intake?
It would be easy to cook for yourself, eating lots of tropical fruit and coconut and what not. But going to restaurants, especially local, cheap restaurants, you’ll definitely get plenty of vegetable oil in your food. Although I should say, a typical lunch plate of rice and beans in Nicaragua isn’t oily, and the similar “casados” of Costa Rica are the same. But both are always served with plantains fried in vegetable oil and often other oily things with them. Gallo pinto (a mix of rice and beans) is often oily as well, unlike the lunch plates.
I should also say that I was probably getting meals served to me that average around 700 calories per meal if I had to guess. And, while small, they were absolutely delicious. Two plates of everything instead of just one and I may indeed find a central American diet to be very healthy compared to Western fare. It’s kind of hard to compare 700 calories of rice and beans to more like 1,200 calories of western food. Obviously you’ll feel a heck of a lot better after 1,200 calories than 700. That’s a totally unfair comparison.
And I should also add to what I said about the locals eating very little being a factor in weight gain. The thing is, when you eat very little on a consistent basis, any excess you do eat is likely to get stored as fat, as eating a low-calorie diet makes you a big calorie sponge waiting to soak up some energy. Most so-called obesity experts don’t have the mental flexibility to think this way, but it’s important to look at the whole picture both conventionally and unconventionally, especially when young people have the best body composition and eat as much as double the calories per pound of lean mass as fluffy people in their 60s.
Hi — I’m a very overwhelmed newbie and not sure where to post here. I’ve been reading tons on the blogs here, and it looks like your views have changed a lot and that you got burnt out/discouraged. So what is your current thinking on junk food, soda, liquids, poultry, nuts, etc. I haven’t dieted in years but have had a lifelong bad sugar habit. My temperatures run very low (95’s and 96’s) and seem to drop when I stand up and move around. I immediately stopped drinking so much water, but beyond that, I’m lost. I would welcome any suggestions.
No, my views haven’t changed at all really. I did get burned out/discouraged because:
a) The mythical health unicorn that I naively sought out to find isn’t out there
b) When you realize that not thinking about food too much and just living your life is the answer, you tend to want to stop writing about health and nutrition and go live your life
I suggest you eat, sleep, and de-stress enough to get your temperatures up. No need to try to restrict sugar or anything like that. There’s probably a reason why you like it so much, and it’s probably because it’s part of the solution, not the problem. A person with a low temperature should crave calorie-dense sugary, starchy, and/or salty food. It’s exactly what you need to reach a superior physiological state.
Hey Matt — thanks for the reply. So, I don’t need to force myself off sugar ASAP (because I thought it can lower temperatures)? If I can only read one of your books right now, which one would you suggest to get me moving in the right/warmer direction? Thank you!
I can totally understand the burnout. I guess all things come down to balance.
Are you familiar with a method of resetting temperature in 1 day, using things like thyroid and pregnenolone, dressing VERY warmly and keeping the thermostat high, taking your temperature 1-2 times a minute (yes, a minute) and making any necessary adjustments — all to force the body to stay at 98.6 for 16 hours straight? Supposedly, that resets it at a normal temperature, as long as you don’t get too cold anytime in the following couple of weeks. Interested to hear if you have any thoughts on that. Thank you, and I’ll take my answer off the air — lol
Yes I’m familiar with that protocol. It’s surfaced here many times, and I believe I discussed it some in my article on cold vs. hot water thermogenesis here: http://180degreehealth.com/hot-water-vs-cold-water-thermogenesis/
No, sugar helps raise temperatures. The best overall summary in any of the books is probably found in Diet Recovery 2.
Thanks for that. On that same topic of heating yourself “artificially”, what are your thoughts on Bio Mats (far infrared radiation)? I saw info on the site here on near infrared and red but not far infrared.
Good for you for getting more balance in your life. I think for a lot of people out there, the pursuit of health can become so all-consuming that everything becomes serious and studied, and there isn’t room for spontaneity or just being “a happy idiot” sometimes. It seems that there’s a lot to be said for not overthinking or “over efforting” anything, including health habits.
I’m working my way through Diet Recovery 2 and getting great tips. I’m wondering about sweating. For people who are trying to get their temperatures up to normal (and keep them there), should they avoid sweating, since that would cool the body? In other words, is bundling up in long underwear and layers of clothes, and cranking up the heat counterproductive?
Also, in some other sections here, I’ve seen where you and other people talk about the benefits of a refractometer (and a conductivity meter). Do you still think those are worth using? Thank you.
Oh i sooooo get that. Took me ages to figure that out, that no food type, quality or quantity was going to ‘fix’ me. Start doing things that bring you joy, ditch the stress in all forms as much as possible and choose wisely who you are around. Thats what works for me. And in doing so have rediscovered the joy in eating amazing food and cooking…rather than it being a source of stress or unhealthy obsession.
hey Matt,
just wondering if the above advice would be the same if, like me, the sufferer of sugar cravings was pregnant? Seems my temp is low, but I have very low appetite – not sure if the temp level changes in pregnancy & if your advice would alter too?
thanks :)
Hi Tash, just wanted to respond re: pregnancy, I learned from pregnancy and breastfeeding that sugar cravings meant I needed more fruit/fruit juice (that’s how it seemed to be for me anyway). The sugar cravings would go away if I had plenty of fruit, fruit juices, smoothies, jam etc. I ate sugar too but fruity things seemed more satisfying. I had an aversion to drinking plain water so drinking fruit juice was helpful there too. I had come from a place of being sugar phobic having done sugar free and fructose free diets, so it seemed for me embracing large quantities of fructose did me good :)
Oh thank God. My husband swears I am going to die of kidney failure because water makes me gag and apple juice is a way of life. I’m currently breastfeeding. Im glad I am not the only one.
I love this comment.
You should study the effects of psychological impact on our health, if you haven’t already. And share it with those of us who wait for you to turn it into entertainment rather than our own hours of research – haha. That would severely interest me.
The world of health and fitness can really be a fucking nightmare.
I watched a really great documentary part-series a couple of years ago and I wish I could locate the link/bookmark, because it dove into not just issues with the way we diet today (addressing metabolism) but also the reason why we see the same diets sold in different packages. It’s a look at the industry politically and economically.
If anyone happens to know what I’m talking about, please reply. In the meantime I’m going to be looking for it if I don’t get distracted.
Here it is fuck yeaaah
‘The Men Who Made Us Thin’
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2cuv9f
I haven’t read, but heard great things about Nina Teicholz’s book ‘The Big Fat Surprise.’
Similar expose of the moneymakers selling a lie.
Cheese, as well.
Yeah, I forgot about cheese because I don’t like their cheese and haven’t been eating it. But yes, they eat a lot of this really tart, firm, farmer’s cheese. And the occasional tortilla as well.
I eat a lot cheese and not gaining a lot weight, I do not think that cheese and fat will cause you obesity, it’s processed food loaded with plenty of vegetable oil.
I can see here very clearly people from India, they fry food in sunflower oil, but traditionally they used ghee or any saturated fats.
Sad.
Great read Matt and glad to see some writing and an update from you; I’ve missed your regular posts and wondered where you’d been. Then I read your comment:
“a) The mythical health unicorn that I naively sought out to find isn’t out there
b) When you realize that not thinking about food too much and just living your life is the answer, you tend to want to stop writing about health and nutrition and go live your life”
And I completely understood. These two points really struck a chord with me – there is no silver bullet nor can there ever be. Taking that on is a path to frustration, burnout and depression.
The growing paradox in the health and wellness space seems that the more people try to be ‘healthy’ or find the ‘healthiest lifestyle’ the further they often get from what ‘healthy’ really entails. Foundations are neglected, basic needs are not met and thus the structure falls. And then the focus to restoration and rehabilitation is placed in the wrong areas. I think ultimately that is where point B is of great value; its about moving on – mentally leaving it all behind.
Wish you all the best with your travels – look forward to the next article whenever that will be!
Jeremy
Thanks dude. Trying to maintain a little more activity round these parts. I realize that my contributions are needed, however redundant I may be in expressing point B from my comment. :)
Matt,
would possible rebound effect observed when descreasing the volume/frequency of walking or running and gaining weight apply also to resistance training? I wonder if, given the different nature of RT, it would still be benefitial to get serious on some 4-6x/week bodybuilding routine because of myokines and shifting the fat vs muscle inner battle in favor of muscle signalling, muscle mass, future muscle memory for easier mass regain…even though it’s an ambitious regimen that is not likely to be sustained long term. Thanks
I find there’s less of a “fat tissue supercompensation” effect after stopping resistance exercise vs. endurance-oriented exercise. But it can still happen.
what do you mean by this: “I find there’s less of a ?fat tissue supercompensation? effect after stopping resistance exercise vs. endurance-oriented exercise. But it can still happen.”
I am trying to stop endurance exercise but am worried about a lot of rebound fat gain :( what might I expect?
Hi Nicole, depends on how much you’ve been doing and whether you are going to transition to another type of exercise or do none at all. Doing none at all, suddenly, might indeed be fattening.
Matt,
Just read Diet Recovery and Diet Recovery 2 recently. I’m a little confused on the exercise part- is it more beneficial to cut cardio exercise out when trying to raise body temperature? I hover around high 97s and can’t quite reach 98s.
I’d say exercise in general is not conducive to recovery, of any type, sheerly from the usage of calories. But it also sucks to completely lose strength and fitness and what not, so I recommend brief forms of exercise. I wouldn’t get too caught up on those details. Do some short bouts of exercise or strength training or just take time off to rest completely if you’re in really bad metabolic shape going into it.
Thanks, Matt!
What is your recommendation when it comes to getting better body composition? Use short-workout methods in combination with Diet Recovery eating guidelines?
Also, what’s your take on ‘greens’? We live in a society that makes them seem needed everyday.
If you’re legitimately messed up metabolically, don’t worry about body composition. Get your metabolism in order, then slowly think about doing some exercise and building some fitness long-term. I have no real problem with greens, but I don’t see a big need to force a ton down. Those who need metabolic recovery usually have a very strong intuitive aversion to them, at least in the beginning.
Loved the term “flabadelic.”
I was just in Costa Rica (La Fortuna) over Christmas and I have traveled in parts of South America too. I have witnessed exactly the same thing. I was mainly attributing it to vegetable oil since I would smell it being used to cook everything. I ordered steak one night at a restaurant and they fried it in vegetable oil. Poor cow! Empanadas, yep good old vegetable oil. But the fluoridated salt-I never thought about that good old halogen. What a thyroid disaster waiting to happen. Am I going to have to smuggle salt into Central America now?
Damn I just missed you. I was in La Fortuna for 17 days in November. Cabinas Jerry for the win. I wrote a review, lol. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g309226-d2218894-r439157603-Cabinas_Jerry-La_Fortuna_de_San_Carlos_Arenal_Volcano_National_Park_Province_of_.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT
I also wrote a review of La Hormiga. I love that place. Hope you got a chance to eat there.
And hope you did some cool stuff while you were there. Rio Celeste is incredible.
Definitely want to smuggle salt in next time.
Funny story. My wife and I stayed a little out from La Fortuna in El Castillo in a house that looked at Mt. Arenal above the lake. So we went horseback riding and then hiked down into a gorge where there was a beautiful waterfall. My wife is a spanish teacher and I know enough Spanish to know that the guide we had was telling us jaguars travel the trail. So my wife asks him if we should be concerned and he said no because they get fed wild dogs all of the time and wont eat people. What?
Haha. I saw a 3-year old girl on patrol the other day beating dogs with a stick so they wouldn’t steal food. I walked that back way into the La Fortuna waterfall. Didn’t get eaten by any jaguars.
Sugar, excess carbs, crappy fats, sedentary lifestyle, fluoride. Antibiotics are probably a big fat factor, too.
There is a health unicorn, but few people want to ride the ugly beast because it’s not pizza and ice cream.
Here it is: Eat a TON of (mostly green) vegetables with every meal. Yea, that means breakfast too. Cut out sugars, wean off of carbs and train your body to use fat for fuel. Learn how to go ketogenic, but carb-up every 7-10 days at dinnertime to keep the metabolism from dropping. Protein should be moderate, and only from clean sources. Take Betaine HCL to aid in digestion. Take high quality fish oils.
For those with screwed up guts from antibiotics, cutting out all grains will be needed. Yea, that one did my head in at first, too…
That’s the gist. I did all that and a bit more, and “magically” (ha!) lost a bunch of weight, easily keeping it off without ever being hungry. Now I’m “loose skin balderdash” but that’s starting to tighten up, too.
Yeah don’t worry about that loose skin. It will tighten up just fine when you gain all the weight back plus extra from your retarded diet.
We’ll see. The weight has been off for a year, and I keep getting leaner and healthier on my super-healthy diet of organic veggies, healthy fats, clean protein and carbs only when necessary.
But hey, if you want to keep kidding yourself that being a pizza-and-ice-cream-pounding fat-ass is healthy, that’s your prerogative. It’s sad that you convince other people of such madness, though.
Tell you what. You keep blogging, I’ll keep doing my thing, and every 6-12 months I’ll drop in and let you know if I’ve ballooned back up to Matt Stone size, or if I’m still moving toward becoming Shreddy Balderdash.
Matt Stone saved my life. I was “healthy” like you once. So glad I’m warm now and sleeping well. Yes, I put on weight after breaking my two and a half year paleo obsession, but I actually did stop packing on the pounds and have been stable for over a year with great skin, strong immunity and joint pains gone. Yes, I eat the veggies, but I also love pizza and ice cream but don’t crave the ice cream so much as I eat my carbs with gusto.
I seriously haven’t eaten ice cream in over a year. I totally lost my taste for it. So weird.
Did you have poor skin on paleo?
Hi Kathy,
Could you share with me what did you eat and what do you eat now?
I am in a recovery and want to gain weight and improve my health and skin too.
Kathy,
Could you share what did you eat and what you eat now?
This is going to go one of two ways.
1. It turns out your one of the rare people for whom that is a viable long term dietary plan (Congratulations!!! Quit being a dick about it)
2. It will take more than a year, but you will gradually get cold, weak, bloated, constipated, sleepy but still comes the insomnia, moody swingy, and after you hit a weight-loss plateaux, nothing you do will stop you from your weight actually creeping up. (WTF??!). Even fasting 18 hours a day, eating less than 1500 calories and upping your fat intake doesn’t help.
Number 2 is how most of us got here, I suspect. We’ve heard your magic bullet, and we’ve lived it for years. You’re preaching to the cynical old vets, here, dude.
Good luck finding your health.
Well said Kathy :)
A-fucking-men!
Yeah, get back in touch in 2025. I don’t want to hear anything about the effectiveness of what you’re doing or its lack of side affects until then. I’ve heard it all before.
One of the wisest things I ever heard was from the book of Matthew (Stone):
“If you aren’t confused about health and nutrition, then you haven’t studied it long enough or deeply enough.”
That’s the damn truth.
A good litmus test Carl is just asking a health guru whether coffee is healthy or unhealthy. If they can give a clear, definitive answer one way or the other, you can be sure they haven’t studied health and nutrition enough.
Here’s the main reason why people crash and burn on high fat / low-carb: Most of us suffer from liver and gall bladder issues. If they’re not both working properly, we can’t break down and utilize fats efficiently.
That means if we’re trying to eat HFLC, we’re not absorbing the fats, thus not getting any energy source from our food. We can use glucose OR fats for energy, but only if we can properly metabolize the fats, so working on the liver and gall bladder is very important.
When I was a metabolic disaster, I couldn’t go for more than a few hours without carbs and I would want to stab anyone who suggested HFLC, so I get where you are all coming from because I used to be there.
The second reason is that people neglect to “refeed” their carbs. Being in ketosis is awesome, but everything has its downside (just like high carb diets do…). The easy solution is to go crazy on carbs one night per week. Save it for dinnertime so that even if you keep going crazy on the carbs all night long, sleep will eventually force you to stop. Then get back on the low carb train in the morning.
2025 it is, but I’ll continue to provide bi-yearly updates. And I will try to be less of a dick about it.
Thanks man. You and your comments are always welcome. I’m not trying to maintain a cult here, and I’ve been wrong enough times to know better than to shut anything and everything out.
Ouch!
Fatty B: the fact that u do a carb refeed shows you understand the importance of carbs for metabolism, so how could u think keto is a good idea? Keto is just a fad that’s currently popular. Next year it will be something else. Either way I wish you success.
Hey Matt,
I have been doing some research into Wifi and Cellular towers, and they seem to cause low blood sugar by making mitochondria release their calcium into your blood stream in response to stress. The calcium excites, and causes your metabolism to go higher to deal with the stress. But basically all the stress hormones associated with low blood sugar come into play. Did you see a lot of Wifi? Or cell towers going up?
Haha. I was just thinking about cell towers today as my head is 80 meters/yards from one while I sleep. Comforting!
Matt, I love your work! What to think about phytic acid? My teeth are horrible and I read that phytic acid is a big cause of cavities. (I do not diet) I read that I need to remove a lot of the unsoaked grains beans nuts and legumes from my diet. I really don’t want to do that because those are all yummy foods. I know I cab purchase sprouted bread and soak my beans but I love cereal and everything has wheat or sugar in it! What do you recommend for good teeth health? I’m only 31 :(
I don’t think about it too much. If you have serious dental decay issues, you might need vigilance about some things, but vigilance over your diet can be a double-edged sword. To rebuild and mineralize teeth you need to be in an anabolic state, which requires a calorie surplus, and the more foods you eliminate from your diet, the harder it is to get a surplus.
I think if I were you I’d be more cautious about high-acid foods until your enamel is restored, brush your teeth a lot less frequently (to help restore enamel), and spend a lot of time eating yummy things and laying around in the sun. I’ve found the mineral supplement Min-Col to be quite helpful for a lot of people. Of course, seeing Dr. G and getting your minerals straightened out is a good idea too, if you can afford it.
Have you seen this website? I’ve gotten some really great info from it… http://www.healingteethnaturally.com/
P.S. to Matt: if you have any thoughts on that Bio Mat (or is it Bio Matt??) — far infrared radiation for a way of heating up “artificially”, I’d love to hear them.
No thoughts turlegirl, but I’m glad that you’ve so enthusiastically volunteered to be a guinea pig on behalf of us all! I expect a full report soon! :)
If I can scrape together the $$ for a Bio Mat, I promise to give a full report. (But would selling my plasma — all of it — and maybe a kidney — lower my metabolic condition??)
Haha. How much you get for a kidney these days? I owe more money than I currently have. I need some creative solutions, lol.
I’ve heard this is supposed to help teeth:
https://www.standardprocess.com/Products/Standard-Process/Bio-Dent
However, aside from Amazon.com, Standard Process products are usually only found in the offices of Chiropractors. That alone makes me skeptical.
Who knows, though…
Avoid sucrose. Google around about sucrose and s. mutans. The worst plaque bacteria like the double sugar.
Either cut the sugars or go with honey or high fructose corn syrup.
Having traveled through Costa Rica, ecuador, and Peru I have come to the same conclusion, too much vegetable oil and fluoridated salt… the fluoridated salt to slow people down and make more controllable. My Mexican friend told me in Mexico, a lot of the water is not flouridated so they started putting it in the salt there also. I took my own tub of coconut oil when I went traveling to use for cooking.
Yeah, it’s pretty messed up.
Travelling in Japan right now. everyone is still thin. Even middle aged women like me. Sigh. Barely any fat in the diet still here – and lots of people on screens.
But still minimal personal automobile use. And they all seem to eat a lot and often.
Have you thought about the role of parasites in causing relative starvation at the tissue level?
My 7yo always skinny good looking kid put on a stack of weight the last 6 months – a lot around the middle- and I realised he had a bad case of thread worms ????. A bunch of combantrins later and many symptoms are reducing but weight isn’t changing. I read food ninjas a few years ago now which has informed our diet since- big thanks for that!
Very interesting about parasites causing a calorie shortage and making one prone to fat gain. How did you know he had some bad case of thread worms?
I knew because of the symptoms I had been trying to ignore for maybe nearly a year – itchy butt, grinding teeth and very restless at night, sleep very affected by full moon, general irritability and difficulty concentrating, demanding, then my husband and I got the itch, treated us all, and most of the symptoms resolved though are coming back a bit now so i think we need to re-treat. Interesting also because i always equated worms with weightloss. Also maybe not just thread worms we now know my husband has roundworms too :/
He just had a medical and blood test came back with high oestrogen, which makes all 3 males in our household with high oestrogen symptoms. (my 14 yo son has bad gyno and is pretty overweight).
Does eating a ton of sugar really reduce it?
any other suggestions?
Hard to see a future for any healthy animals n this planet- being flooded with endocrine disrupters as we are?
When I think parasite infestation, I think about my research on my animals with which we associate parasites more frequently with and more casually with than ourselves (even though we are animals.) I think about chicken owners/farmers who load their chickens up on Ivermectin on a routine basis and wonder why their birds still get bad cases of worms (the worms become resistant.)
I think specifically about the heartworm pill pushers and those who advocate to reduce the amount of pesticides we feed our animals because they actually ‘supposedly’ contribute to interfering with the animal’s immune system which is what is supposed to maintain internal equilibrium for the animal. Just like our immunity takes out colds and viruses (or should be able to) we should also be able to eliminate parasites, from me simply applying logic to this situation and opening a door for you to research. (sorry, I am lazy)
I’m only throwing in a reminder not to forget about what our immune system’s purpose is and maybe question why it sucks to begin with and can’t handle a non-confirmed worm infestation on its own.
Maybe you have figured it out by now.
He could also just be getting ready for a growth spurt. My 9 year old grandson did that and gradually is getting back to his skinny self.
Let’s see, if the young Nicaraguans are thin and the older Nicaraguans are fat, I think the answer is obvious…the older Nicaraguans eat the younger Nicaraguans.
Seriously though, if I had to bet my life on it I’d guess it’s a heredity/genetic driven phenomenon coupled with the effects of accumulated stress. Just like the rest of us.
I have had some really bad digestive stuff to the point where I’d have to quit eating frequently for a day or so, start back on broth and meat, then eat again, feel messed up again quit, etc.. The foods I could consistently eat without any trouble are almost pure sugars (like evaporated cane juice, maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, or just refined sugar), saturated fats, and meat. I don’t give a fuck about what anyone says about sugar or what it does to them, it’s the thing that burns quick for me and doesn’t seem to feed whatever is partying in my guts, unlike starch or any of what everyone thinks is the most healthy fiber rich plant stuff. Since re-feeding and being indoctrinated by you, I try to get a lot of calories no matter what. As a result, I’ve had to eat a fuck ton of straight sugar and high sugar food whether I like it or not, over the recent past, probably going on about a year or year and a half (did about a year starch free), in an attempt to keep my calorie intake high enough to function at a high level. Given that fats are much more calorie dense than sugar, that is not so easy as people might assume. For instance, even recently, toffee is a mainstay of my diet. I shit you not. I’ll make a huge batch, a couple pounds at a time, and pig out on it to keep my calories up. I try to make it with extra sugar (usual recipe is half butter half sugar) but it’s still heavily skewed toward fat calories. Regardless, I eat quantities of sugar that seriously concern anyone I tell, which I take every opportunity to do :) I steadily lost body fat and it is usually spontaneous and in spurts, but of the couple of times I thought it was associated with an event, it was usually when I was eating an especially lot of sugar. Recently I lost body fat rapidly after eating up to two cups and possibly more of coconut sugar a day. I didn’t count, but one pound bags were disappearing at a rapid rate. I don’t know, I just felt like it, so I did it. I would grab a stick of butter sometimes and eat on it while I ate spoonfuls of sugar. My friend said he knew that eating sugar would train my cells to blah blah blah and I would end up wanting to eat more and more sugar. I didn’t. I got sick of it and lost about 4 pounds of body fat.
Anyway, I seem to have finally found something that is letting me eat normally again (berberine of all things), but my system seems very well trained to consume large quantities of sugar, which is fucking awesome. But, my diet is pretty low in PUFA, no flouride, no artificial anything, few very processed foods, and no real junk food ever. I need to do some writing or videos of my own on diet before I lose interest, go back to just having a life, and forget what I’ve been through. Short version, As promised (sort of) post refeeding, I dropped gradually back to my “normal” weight and have done okay at maintaining a normal body temp. I never ever restrict calories on purpose, though an interesting observation is that I can for a couple of days before I actually lose any weight (I think that only happened once after fasting for 3 days to get my gut straightened out) and my temperature and weight set point seem pretty robust in terms of negative effects of stress, lowered calories and raised calories, as well as type of food. In other words, stressors have not produced rebound or calorie storage.
Matt good to see you posting! I get why your posts are few and far between. Your comment about the skin… ????
Do us a favor, do post from time to time. Sometimes the thoughts creep back about my incessant need, to lose 10 lbs….like being 5ft 5 and 143… is the worst thing in the world. Then I remember that food is good, breakfast is my friend. I can slip so easy… then I read this and realize that less stress, being warm, ice cream, cheese, energy are all more important than those 10 lbs.
Did you find any Vanilla Nut Taps in Costa Rica?
https://youtu.be/FSvNhxKJJyU't=1m2s
Oh wow great reading.I was/am overweight,low thyro +on natural meds. Went on a really healthy diet with low carbs moderate protein lost lots of weight felt great very happy and then tried to maintain while adding things back. I have slow metabolism and low body temp.I read Matt’s books and embarked on trying to raise my temp from 96.5 I have been slightly successful to 97.8. I have gained 22 pounds, have become depressed and unhappy because of it. Being overweight subdues who I am. Two positives were no constipation/better sleep.Thanks Matt, I do still refer to your information and do use certain suggestions you offer.
Could you elaborate more on the unicorn? Thanks :D
It has perfect abs and lives to 140 years old.
Haha OK so it’s still possible to be as healthly as a horse? :P
No, but for 4 easy payments of $19.99 I can sell you a supplement that will make you hung like one. Respond now, while supplies last!
It worked for me!
Lance, if you’d like to be an official testimonial for my “Mr. Ed in Bed” product, send your before and after pics to: robbwolfsmom@gmail.com
On the way! I hope she’s using dual, widescreen monitors!
– Mr. Tripod
Matt! Good to hear from you. My thoughts on this post is that kids have brand spanking new organs and can eat and drink wtv and still be magic. I ate like a complete lunatic until the age of 21, just the worst crap u can imagine, chain-smoked 40 cigarettes a day, drank heavily and barely exercised yet still felt like a Greek god. After 21 my health took a swan dive.
When you’re older with insulin resistance, mitochondrial damage, declining pancreatic function and a fatty liver, it doesn’t matter how much sugar you snort, you’ll still feel like crap.
P.S. what happened to your postprandial hypotension after breakfast that you mentioned last time?
Good point about the young peeps Skeptic. Amen. The postprandial hypotension doesn’t exist as long as I sleep well and don’t overexert myself physically or mentally the day prior. So it’s a rarity for me these days.
Excellent point, Skeptic!
I smoked and drank from about 18 to 22, but was also eating the junk food into my early 30s. I then started eating “healthy” with fake soy meats, rice milk, protein shakes, and other processed crap.
It wasn’t until my 40s that I started wising-up. Then unfortunately, I got on the Paleo(TM) bandwagon and the related foolishness like Low-Carb, Low-Carb High-Fat, High Intensity Training, Intermittent Fasting, etc. After a few years, it wrecked me.
Now, three-and-a-half years on, I’ve still not recovered.
I’m so glad I found Matt’s stuff before I descended into the Paleo and low carb craziness, I think it saved me a lot of health problems, I had very little rebound weight gain from “eating the food” and remained at a healthy weight since. I was calorie restricting and on the verge of trying intermittent fasting when I read Matt’s Diet Recovery and realized that maybe I crave food, carbs, sugar and sleep, because, you know, my body actually needs/likes those things. I think Matt said something like “you’re body is not a lazy pile of junk that sabotages itself” and that stuck with me :)
I mean “your body” :D
I agree. I am now 46 and have finally realized/accepted that my body is innately intelligent and I need to shut out all the nutrition “experts” noise and just listen to my body. when I do it often craves fruit, greens, and healthy proteins anyway but if it really seems to want a damn pizza, I give it the damn pizza.
Hey Matt!
I don’t know where to write this, but I will try it here.
What do you have to say to people who have OCD, ADHD, brain fog, depression, etc?
I wish I could start doing a protocol likes yours… Still, I think that’s what I was doing before starting dieting.
I’ve started by removing dairy products and gluten.
Ok, I feel “better”.
Those were the first foods I’ve put on my “do-not-eat-list.” Well, now this list is getting bigger and bigger and, of course, I am feeling worse and worse.
It’s really unfortunate for me that most diets that talk about these subjects are always related to Paleo-Low Carb-Restricting All foods-etc…
Do you have any 2cent about these type of problems, Matt?
“When you realize that not thinking about food too much and just living your life is the answer, you tend to want to stop writing about health and nutrition and go live your life”
I’m glad that you are living your life! I wish I could say the same…
Before I had no life, mental health problems and tons of allergies, but at least I would never care about what I was eating.
Now I still have no life, mental health problems and worse metabolism problems (never felt so cold in my life) and I am afraid of eating (this is when you know you are really sick).~
Ok, I can breath with both my two nostrils during the night while lying on the bed. Hooray! But… where’s the sleep?
Hey Leandro,
Like many people with many conditions, the common solutions out there usually send a person in the wrong direction, worsening their problems and heightening their sensitivities/condition. It’s the same with weight. Many recommendations actually make a person more prone to gaining weight, despite initial success.
I think this mostly has to do with something very VERY fundamental, and that’s treating things with a medication mindset. What medicates a problem is not what solves a problem, and in fact, what medicates a problem only provides symptom relief while making the root condition worse. I’m sure if you suddenly went back to what you were eating before, you would actually feel worse. I consider this proof that what you’ve been doing is worsening your problem.
While I doubt you’ll ever be in absolutely perfect health, just like I doubt I’ll ever be able to run a 9.7 second 100 meters or have 20-20 vision, I’m certain that there’s a way to improve your functionality.
Many have had great results overcoming these problems by just saying fuck it, eating the food, and trying to maximize metabolic rate. I think the worst case scenario is that you feel like shit, but at least you won’t be eating a miserable diet and living in fear of contamination.
Thank you very much for your words!
“I’m sure if you suddenly went back to what you were eating before, you would actually feel worse.”
–Yeah… Pretty much it.
“Many have had great results overcoming these problems by just saying fuck it, eating the food, and trying to maximize metabolic rate. I think the worst case scenario is that you feel like shit, but at least you won’t be eating a miserable diet and living in fear of contamination.”
–I’m kinda doing that now. I know that this will probably not fix my mental issues, but at least I want to try fixing my huge muscle loss, being anemic and malnourished.
And yeah, I’ve learned and unlearned a lot. It has been a hell of a journey, and it feels like it will never end…
But at least I don’t want to commit suicide like I wanted 1 year ago when I was on SSRIs seeing no hope for me (still not thinking about food or changing my eating habits as a cure, so to speak).
?If you aren’t confused about health and nutrition, then you haven’t studied it long enough or deeply enough.
This is so damn true. And, curiously, it is sentences like these that still make me thrive and give me some hope.
I think you said the most important thing in your “2” book … the underlying/root problem is not the food, and putting emphasis on the food not only makes you hyper focus on it, it leaves you with no focus on the problem itself. How a person feels about herself is all of it … and our culture is looking in the wrong direction (outward) for the answers. Thanks so much for all of your honest and insightful thoughts!
Hi Leandro,
I have most of Matt’s audio books and especially recommend:
* 12 Paleo Myths: Eat Better than a Caveman
* Solving the Paleo Equation: Stress, Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep
I’ve been down the Paleo/Low-Carb wormhole and it wrecked me. It left me fearful of certain foods and I became more and more restrictive. The aforementioned books really helped me relax my sphincter, figuratively speaking.
Also, check iTunes for a podcast entitled “Evil Sugar Radio.” They are acquaintances of Matt and have similar, overlapping ideas. They’re also pretty funny.
I wish you much luck.
Thank you for your recommendations! I will hear them for sure!
Leandro. Consider detoxification. Not hippie juice/fast/purge detox, but something more sophisticated. I’ve been using Christopher Shade’s stuff for about 2 years. It’s a slow process. No one seems to understand the problem like he does, not even close. Before I found him, it all seemed like bullshit, probably because most of it is. Re-feeding was really helpful for me, but it left me with a lot of problems to still solve and created some new ones that slowly faded away with other strategies. Like everything else, it’s going to work well for some people and not be enough for others.
If you think about the things that have changed in our environment to cause an increase in chronic health stuff and food allergies (which is what everyone should be thinking), cumulative exposure to ever greater numbers of toxic, system deregulating substances has to be near the top of the list, and it’s at the top of mine. We know that a lot of toxins we are now exposed to are endocrine disrupters and gum up the works in all kinds of ways, including messing with gut health and flora. It is not normal to have to quit food after food and you may, like me, find yourself in a position where you can’t eat the food whether you want to or not. Even post re-feeding, I gradually lost more and more foods until the few I had left were causing me problems. Just the past week, I’ve been able to eat all kinds of stuff overnight, just from taking some antimicrobials, the most effective of which seems to be Oregon grape root, though I need more time to be sure. Digestive problems are actually about the last thing I seem to be left with and I’ve been saying for a little while now that if I could solve that problem I’d be on the home stretch after 19 years of trying to figure this stuff out. Fingers crossed.
The things that helped me post re-feeding were:
Iodine got me out of a real bad rut and it is a good detox substance I think, though it basically just dumps the stuff into your blood stream for your kidney’s to deal with. Educate yourself on iodine and be wary of the hype and propaganda around it, it’s highly politicized and hard to find anyone really rational and truthful on either side of the argument.
Detoxing with Chris Shades stuff (watch youtube videos, this one is great. I’ve watched it probably 6 times and still feel like I should take notes and study them. https://youtu.be/gITuONNWWK8 ) His stuff is expensive, but very powerful. I’ve used various of his products, but I think the IMD and Clearway cofactors are the important parts and the rest could be added later or probably not at all. Those are the two I use. I think he would tell you the same thing.
I think those were both huge for me and I’m not done yet with detox. In fact, I wonder if it’s not going to be an ongoing process for me and a lot of people. I’m sure I’m forgetting something really important that helped me. LDA was interesting and probably helped me, but it doesn’t address why we are messed up in the first place. Certainly learning to nasal breath 24/7 helped and Gokhale posture method is awesome https://youtu.be/mtQ1VqGGU74 . But seriously, detox!, you’ll know if you need it because it will kick your ass when you start. I had uveitis (autoimmune inflammation of the eye) for a year just from starting it and stirring things up. I’m glad I kept going instead of quitting. My inflammation in general is so much better.
I feel like re-feeding laid a foundation for my recovery, but it’s hard to believe it’s THE solution for anyone with problems like you describe. Sure, if someone was perfectly healthy and then messed themselves up eating with their brain, or not eating at all, that is one thing, but that can’t account for the rapidly increasing percentage of chronically ill people we are seeing. Seriously, I challenge anyone to come up with a more likely candidate for burgeoning chronic health problems and the global increase in endocrine dysfunction than cummulative toxic exposure and dysregulation caused by such. I think it’s going to prove to be the closest thing to a key, but 98% of attempts at it and information etc is probably nearly useless. Re-feeding, like everything else, is probably just addressing the symptoms if that is the cause, useful, but will still fail to set a lot of people on the path to self regulation, which should always be the goal. Eliminate the source (mercury fillings, shitty food, contaminated water), clean out the junk, then work on fixing the systems that are dysregulated as a result. Good luck!
Thank you very much for all your words!
I really need to do something different, but the problem is that I’m in a complete helpless state where everyone can convince me that their ideas are the best.
If I hear someone saying that X is better, I easily believe in it.
But then I hear someone saying that Y is actually better than X, and I will also believe in it.
Then I think a little more about X, and I conclude that I don’t know what to believe or what to do.
Living with fear or not knowing what path should I choose, being so confused about health and nutrition, I continue to remain the same and to not changing anything at all.
I feel like I need some guidance, but in my country there is no person that sees science like that Matt’s quote.
And when I try to do something alone (involving supplements) I’ve actually have worsen my situation. Then you want to go back, but there is not turning back. Then I become more scared, stressed and even more helpless.
It’s a vicious cycle, basically.
I can check what you’ve recommended about detoxification. But again, I feel like I will not be able to do it alone. I’m so wired and with brain fog to the point that even brushing me teeth seem to be really hard task.
But I will still try to see what Chris Shades says.
Thank you very much again!
http://fluoridealert.org/content/top_ten/
Gosh, looks like the EU has many countries Fluoridating their salts. #10 has a list of the countries and Examples of European fluoridated salts.
Matt, it is good to read another one of your posts, and I sure like the comments section….laughing with plenty of tears!
Nice to see a post from Mr. Stone :)
Most Hispanics, love their fried foods; that includes deep frying as well. Using the worst oils available, vegetable oils. In the mistaken belief they are heart healthy.
Tostones[0] is a perfect example of this; it is fried twice.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tostones
True. In the last 24 hours I’ve had fried shrimp and fried tortilla chips in my house. I saw fish on the counter this morning and that usually ends up being fried whole.
Any opinion on “evidence based” trainers and nutritionists – Aragon, Schoenfeld etc. – who advocate calculating macros according to your ideal weight with about 3-5g/kg carbs and 1,5-2g/kg protein, resistance training and just waiting till the body slowlx gets to and settles on this “setpoint”? It seems to me the only reasonable way to ever manipulate body composition, although I accept if one ever deviated from this later he would be at increased risk of obesity compared to spontaneous eater, possibly. Still, these guys seem to have consistent long term results, as well as IIFYM+lifting general public. They often even quote studies showing that monitoring like this decreases likelihood of regain. Of course it turns into quesstimation of portions after some time anyway.
Yeah I have lots of opinions about their approach. For starters, the title “evidence-based” that they’ve given themselves is hilarious. Just like everyone else, they choose the evidence they like and ignore the evidence they don’t. Yet they honestly seem to believe that their beliefs are “science” and that everyone else’s isn’t. It’s a great way to elevate themselves as trustworthy to the public, but it’s not reality. They take “studies” at face value and try to shoot down contradictory evidence and ideas the same as any other guru.
And I’m sure the approach is effective for many mildly out-of-shape people for up to many years. That doesn’t make it special or a real solution that addresses the real cause. And when you whittle it down, it’s just intentional calorie restriction with the belief that if you maintain lean mass, no metabolic harm can be done. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Yeah, I agree. That leaves us with sleep and possibly some lifting, or walking. Hahahahaha!!!:)
:(
I was also kinda intriqued by Stephan Guyenet’s or Ari Whitten’s diet ideas, but again, this real food thing is kinda like Tarzan living in the woods shouting “IT’S EASY! I’M LEAN AND MY SOCIAL LIFE HAS NEVER BEEN BETTER!” with a mad smile.
Personally, I think they’re full of shit.
hey Matt for a few years now i’ve been looking for an answer with no success. I dieted to get lean in the past, now for the last couple of years all my body craved was bagels form Dunkin, hash browns, i grew an aversion to fruits vegetables, meats, chicken, ice cream, i ate a lot around 3000 calories, no one could answer my question as to why healthy foods made me nauseous, but your comment on aversion to greens hit home for me, i think this is what happened, i slowly am able to eat some meats, not craving much fruits/veggies yet, sometimes a banana, does all this make sense? I’m hoping my cravings for healthy foods comes back along with eating processed stuff, any thoughts? Thank you for your insights, God Bless.
Yeah it makes sense, and that’s a good sign that you are developing some new tastes for sure.
Hi Matt,
Nice to see this blog active again. Your revelation of non existence of ultimate health diet is interesting. I have been browsing through ur articles and while I can see a shift in perspectives in some areas, your stand in sugar as pro-metabolism substance and even healthy in certain scenarios. Am I correct in assuming this?
I have been experimenting with ur suggestion – mainly removing my restrictions and eating more sugar and bread and food. While I did not reduce my fat belly, I did experience nice benefits – better energy, better poop, better sleep, better shaped poop and an unexpected wonderful effect – increased level of horniness????.
However after a whole week of travel where I did not have access to good calorie dense food and eating generally around 1-2 meals a day, I seem to crash after returning back and trying to get back to my regular food schedule.
I have been trying to Refeed and while I can see an improvement in my pop structure, however my Temps are still stuck around 97c and my belly fat has certainly increased.
Do you have suggestion on how to mitigate this? Would increasing my sugar intake and restarting refeed be a good idea? My current fasting sugar level is 81mg/do and my cholesterol is high (around 260). I have also seem to have issue of never feeling truly rested even though I sleep around 8 – 9 hours
Yeah I think a very short refeed and “resleep” would be good after your travels and a drop in temperature. And yes, sugar seems to be as helpful, or more helpful, than any other food substance.
I grew up raised by a guy who followed Joel Fuhrman type stuff–highly restrictive, calorie fearing vegan. I had problems all through high school from that combined with track and cross country. Shit hit the fan when I read wellness mama’s post about how grains were killing me and I eliminated grains while still running a ton. I developed POTS and tons of food sensitivities, thought I was dying and looked like it. Turned paleo and lost 15 more pounds because I thought I had “leaky gut” or whatever, then went to see Dr. Mark Hyman in 2015 and he said lower carbs. Developed horrible blood sugar issues. Didn’t get to go to college because too sick. I read several of your books about 9 months ago and started eating whatever I want but still worrying about everything and still having pretty high blood sugar and irregular blood pressure. Don’t really know what to, feel like I’m gonna die early. I’m a 19 year old girl
Matt, now that it’s far down the line and you’ve experienced and learned so much what do you think causes acne? Is it pufa? Sugar? Vitamin A deficiency? Vitamin D deficiency? I remember before a long time ago you wrote it was a problem with fat metabolism? What would you tell a person with acne to do to eliminate the problems? Keep in mind it could be gut related problems or an overgrowth?
You might find this of interest:
http://www.cheeseslave.com/end-of-acne-video-interview-with-melissa-gardner/
Matt Stone is a fake. A useless health writer. His approach only works for people coming from a disordered eating background, or people with minor health issues, such as “palpitations”. Has Matt ever cured people with cancer, dementia, congestive heart failure, autism, etc? People have REAL issues in the REAL world, Matt. Not just minor “can’t get over myself, I don’t eat enough and I get insomnia” type of issues. Let us see Matt curing the degenerative, irreversible diseases (according to mainstream medicine). At least with Ray Peat, his understanding of the toxic effects of estrogen, he offers some things people can try in cases of extreme diseases. And the truth is, several people have probably been cured by Peat’s approach, especially his focus on reducing estrogen. If estrogen is high, nothing will work. Matt’s approach won’t reduce estrogen, but may in fact increase it, due to eating so many foods potentially irritating to the bowels. So Matt, what do you have to say for yourself? You seem to be wasting your time with this blog, and the discussions are more or less meaningless. “Eat for heat”, “Heat more” – tell that to a cancer or dementia patient. Will it really help?
You’re right Jackoff. I should start pretending to have the cures for those diseases like all the other health gurus and their interesting-sounding theories. Have fun with Peat. Maybe you could get together with him and Jack Kruse on a Buteyko retreat somewhere.
Jackoff is my grand daddy’s name. Please call me by my first name, Jack Smack Rack. Yes, Matty. You don’t claim to cure those diseases, but then for who is your approach? We are all sick. What I’m really intrigued by is your experience with RBTI. They use diet to cure pretty serious diseases like cancer, do they not? Was it RBTI that motivated you to not experiment with Peat’s supplements, like thyroid, pregnenolone, progesterone? (you saw what can be done with diet alone, without risky hormones/supplements)? Have you personally seen, or heard about, anyone curing dementia or some neurological condition like MS… with juts dietary approach?
So you can’t cure pancreatic cancer, end stage kidney failure and spine metastases? What the fuck, dude. I want my money back. Should have gone to that shaman who promised that the ulcerative breast carcinoma will smell like lavender after a few minutes of his magic.
Gold star for Ondrej!
Why so mad, Jack? Are you just looking for a fight, or does someone close to you have one of those conditions, and you’re panicked because you don’t know how to help?
You seem to be missing the main point of Matt’s work: that a chronically low temperature/metabolism can lead to all the problems you named — and more. Here’s what one health care practitioner out there said: “When the core temperature of the body is cold every organ, gland, and tissue is affected and becomes hypo-functional or may even become hyper, as in the case of hyperthyroidism, in a last ditch effort to compensate for the hypothermic condition of the body. Hypo-function in the body means that there are fewer hormones, and less of every chemical involved with normal body and brain function….It might be said that you are dying in direct proportion to the coldness of your body.” http://davidjernigan.blogspot.com/2012/11/cancer-and-low-body-temperature.html
Doesn’t sound like “minor health issues” to me.
Turtle girl: I work with sick people in my job. The temperature theory is pretty much the biggest BS of the century, sorry to tell you. I’ve measured oral, armpit and ear temperature in my sickest patients, and I have never ever seen any correlation between temperature and health. I had sick patients with temperatures of 98.6, even 99 degrees. Sure, now you will say, “that’s because of stress hormones artificially keeping temperature high”. To that I say haha. That just shows your theory is flawed and there’s no real way to test it. The only consistent sign I have seen in health issues is edema and water retention: sick people typically have more edema and water retention. That is true for cancer as it is for MS, allergies, etc. So I think high tissue estrogen is responsible for all diseases. Sick emaciated people, high on cortisol or free fatty acid, such as concentration camp victims, typically don’t get cancer or MS or stroke. So all the other stress hormones aren’t as toxic as estrogen. Unfortunately I haven’t found an effective way to suppress estrogen in my patients. Some respond OK to progesterone, but most actually bloat up more on progesterone (indicating it is changed into estrogen). Thyroid, aspirin, and all the other Peat anti-estrogen’s aren’t as effective in practice as they are in theory. Calcium Glucarate, DIM, brocolli, and other of those junky hyper marketing anti-estrogens are useless and typically full of side-effects. The diet most effective at reducing estrogenic symptoms has been a diet high in carbs, low in fat and protein. So lots of white sugar and starches. Fruits can typically be irritating so patients often respond badly to fruits or juices. Vegetables are horrible. That is why I’m here actually. Because I do believe Matt to be on to something. But I also believe there must be another more effective, targeted approach for curing degenerative diseases, and that approach probably involves lowering of estrogen, either directly or indirectly. Any ideas anyone?
Jack Smack Rack,
As for lowering estrogen, that reminded me of the fact that mine tested high. So, my Integrative Medicine Doctor wanted to “fix” the problem by giving me a medicine to block the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. I remember the name of the medicine as Arimidex, but I never agreed to the prescription or bothered to look-up the details. Well, I just did — it’s listed as a “Hormone based chemotherapy.” Granted, I’m a layperson and not medically trained, but that seemed a fairly aggressive strategy.
Anyway, as for lowering estrogen, I believe I heard John and Jeanne Rubin talk about eating one raw carrot per day to help clear estrogen. I just Googled that, too, and it looks like it originated from Ray Peat. So, you’re likely already aware of this idea.
http://eastwesthealing.com/raw-carrots-and-hormone-balancing
You mentioned broccoli. That made me think of Michael Greger and his “hack-and-hold” strategy for broccoli.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/second-strategy-to-cooking-broccoli
http://nutritionfacts.org/2016/02/09/how-to-cook-broccoli
http://nutritionfacts.org/2012/04/12/the-best-detox
I hardly eat any raw vegetables. Instead, I usually steam or pressure cook them. Maybe the “hack-and-hold” strategy has some merit, if you’re not already having your patients using raw broccoli.
I wish you good luck.
Carl
Oh, I see now. Your observations, experience, and research are more valid than those of others.
Edema can be caused by low potassium levels. Potassium is an electrolyte. Low electrolytes can be caused by overhydration. Chronic overhydration can lead to low metabolism, and one sign of that is low temperatures. Even if they don’t have low temperatures — at least not yet — do you know for a fact that the people with edema that you mention are not chronically overhydrating themselves? I don’t know the answers, but that would seem worth checking out.
Re: reducing estrogen, vitamin B6 is supposed to help with that. But of course, you don’t want to take any B vitamin in isolation.
I’m a little bored with this thread, but I will say that, if pressed, I would probably recommend something like a high-calorie, fat-free milk and fruit-based diet (and maybe some potatoes and rice) for someone seriously ill with a life-threatening illness and no other shot.
As far as taking temperatures, an overweight out-of-shape person can stand up and walk up 10 stairs and have their temperature go over 100. That doesn’t mean that their buttholes are a toasty 99 when they just wake up in the morning (a better indicator of their true resting metabolism).
If you don’t think metabolic rate and edema are related, I can’t help you dude.
And yes, I really do think maintaining the metabolic intensity of youth is the best defense against elderly diseases. There’s more to it than that, but that’s a big chunk of the overall picture.
What kind of comment is that: You are getting bored with the thread? You only like the mindless comments of your sheep followers? Sorry to sound harsh, but I thought you were a bit above such a comment, especially since you have read 100s of books on health, including Peats. You have to be kidding about edema and metabolic rate, right? Please comment on this: How come concentration camp victims, with an extremely low body core body temperature (extremely hypometabolic), had no edema at all? I mean, have you seen a bloated/swollen woman in the concentration camps? They were all skin and bones. And surprisingly, the ones that survived, actually lived lives relatively free of degenerative diseases like cancer. I think this proves that estrogen, which is the cause of edema, actually is the main cause of degenerative diseases like cancer. It also shows that people who are devoid of estrogen, are devoid of edema, and pretty disease free, even when under malnutrition and extreme stress. What about the fact that thyroid hormone causes edema and estrogen elevation? Just read around the literature Matt – thyroid hormone supplement is known to cause gyno and water retention. Hyperthyroidism is associated with gyno. A simple google search for “Thyroid and estrogen” or “hyperthyroidism and estrogen” will prove the relationship they share.
Now, I have found that my patients who take oral contraceptives do complain of feeling colder, and when a woman starts contraceptives she does complain of subjective lower body temperature. Yet I haven’t found there to be an objective drop in oral temperature. Likewise, when a person starts taking thyroid, and they get bloated from it (indicating estrogen increase), they also complain of feeling “colder”. Perhaps the body is increasing estrogen in a protective mechanism against the excess thyroid, or the excess thyroid just stresses the HPTA somehow, I’m not sure. If anyone has some input, please share.
Oh and Matt, about the fruit and milk diet: I found my sickest patients to do worst on fruits and milk. I suspect they both irritate the bowels. I’ve seen fruits create edema in patients just hours after they were eaten, even when ripe, organic, cooked, and of the “low impact kind” (like watermelon). I actually think fruits (and milk) will increase estrogen, so should be contraindicated in the treatment of degenerative diseases, especially in patients who respond poorly to them.
I’m sure the concentration camp peeps had extreme edema, as the starvation subjects of Ancel Keys were all gaining weight by the end of the experiment solely from the accumulation of water. The pictures included in the book of their giant cankles were pretty incredible. http://younextyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/MenAndHunger-2.png
Also, I thought you might want to look at this email someone sent me today. Guess trying to fix their guts or whatever didn’t work out. Gluten FTW…
Dear Matt
I only wanted to say thank you for saving my life.
I have been struggling with IBS for about 14 years, chronic constipation for two years, back pain, borderline personality disorder, insomnia, anxiety disorder, chronic stress, “thislistisnonexhaustive obvs”?
In an effort to recover last April I started the GAPS diet (I also fit the female spergy profile because life has been highly generous to me). At first it was great at first but didn’t solve the constipation issue and I eventually ended up with depression, huge pain in the spine and kidneys, unbelievable migraines and a bloated face. The recommandations for more fat only made me fatter, the almond flour also made me fatter, not less constipated. I eventually wondered whether I would have to kill myself for it to stop, which wasn’t so enjoyable. I also lost a lot of people’s support around me, and sleep.
I then read your blog and realized that although I had not been purging myself on a daily basis for about 10 years, I never came to terms with my eating disorders. Starvation, low BMI, IBS, insomnia, gluten removal, and thus a low carbohydrate intake fit the overall picture. I’m French so two parameters worsened my overall condition : the pharmaceutical lobby (I was on paroxetine, zolpidem and so on from 15 years old) and food customs. When I removed wheat it became hugely complicated to get enough carbs, we are not so ahead of gut issues because it’s not as big as in the USA I suppose. (in 2012 no one would understand why one would not have bread).
Anyway, I suppose that eating has been the most courageous decision I ever made. It’s draining. For the first time in my life, my mind has become my body’s servant, which is rather ironic. The constipation is gone and I don’t feel like throwing myself under a train anymore, which is cool.
I can eat more and more foods I believed would never cross my plate anymore. At first rice gave me headaches but I felt like insisting and now it makes me sleepy. Same thing with sourdough bread and ice cream. Thus I believe intolerances may result indeed of a sluggish metabolism indeed.
My migraines are slowly subsiding, and it seems that half a litter of ice cream and a kilo of potatoes a day are barely making me fat (I put on about 3.5kg or 8lbs in a month). I believe I am now battling with high cortisol, resulting from a life long of starvation and drug abuse?. It feels very much like anorexia recovery. I’m still worried about the swollen lumps next to my eyes but hope it will be ok with time?
That’s all
have a nice day
“Matt Stone is a fake. A useless health writer. His approach only works for people coming from a disordered eating background, or people with minor health issues, such as ?palpitations?.”
First, you make a blanket proclamation that Matt is a fake. Then, in the same paragraph, you contradict yourself and admit that his approach does work for certain people.
Perhaps I’ve missed it, but, in the years I’ve been reading Matt’s blog and books, I don’t recall ever seeing him announce a cure for anything.
Also, the fact that you mock people who undereat or have insomnia suggests that you’ve never dealt with either. Best case, you’re simply ignorant. Worst case, you’re mean.
Wherever you may fall on the spectrum, I hope you’ll learn to have compassion for your fellow humans, one day – without first having to suffer through your own health issues.
JackSmackRack,
Meet Bungc#ck Booger Suarez Razz. Matt is NOT fake. He admits to uncertainty and unknowns. Ray Peat is kind of cocksureand certain about too many things. Peat has not cured any diseases….. Why not find bloggers out there who really are fake? You are the guy wasting time it seems. Put it to good use.
Hi Matt,
Recently, I have found myself re-reading Diet Recovery. I read it three years ago, when I was sick with anorexia nervosa and trying to find alternate viewpoints regarding health and weight. Although I found it interesting then, I wasn’t in a place to take the plunge. Fast forward a few years, and I wholly believe that my metabolism has never recovered from anorexia, or from the years of dieting prior. I am now at what is considered a healthy weight, perhaps even overweight, and I have never managed to develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise. On top of that, my poor body still thinks it’s going to be starved to death and overexercised and it seems to hang on to every amount of fat that it possibly can.
I exhibit a lot of the symptoms you discuss in your book, including very cold fingers and toes, a low temperature (around 96 or 97), frequent urination (SO annoying), always feeling like I can sleep, and just feeling under the weather most of the time. I’ve decided that I’m done dieting. I’m done counting calories and obsessing over exercise every day. I want to restore my body to a healthy place, and I think Diet Recovery could get me there. I guess I’m commenting because i want to know if you think I’m a good candidate for the program. I’m currently very active (I’m a bike commuter, and bike about 10-15 miles daily, although not at a very aggressive pace) and I love that activity. I’m ready to rid myself of the obsessive gym-going, but I’m curious about whether you think I could recover my metabolism while keeping my cycling. Thank you!
Hey Matt. What’s your opinion on coca-cola and pepsi-cola? Is chugging 3 liters (quarts) of it per day OK and “healing” from metabolic damage? Or would such an amount cause diabetes?
Matt,
Have you seen that ?Just came across.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6w3y1irTvLE
He doesent really nitpick much other then he says matt is wrong. Would be nice to hear the points. And the refeeding thing is for short term I believe even Matt I think eats lower fat anyways compared to when your recovering and need more calories.
Body temp. Yes there is something there (brody barnes). I belive the guy with the most comments on that video was a flat earther so be wary on what you believe.
Hi Matt : )
Glad too see you are still around. Also glad to hear you are in the tropics. ; ) Keep a look out for breadfruit trees -which get damaged at 50 degrees F. hahahahaha!
Take care,
Tropical Razz
Hi everybody,,
To lend support to Matt’s cause: It is the history of human endeavors, including science, that things we thought were infallible were built on sand. Einstein’s General Relativity theory, 100 years plus worth of support (and the THEORY that showed Newton’s “Laws” wrong, really appears on the verge of being DETHRONED by a true genius, a physicist named Eric Verlinde (a student of Gerard t’Hooft, the Nobel winner in 1999. Verlinde’s theory, which HAS strong evidence, implies our understanding of gravity is all wrong, that it is an emergent phenomena, not a force of nature. Verlinde’s CREATIVITY was a major factor. Science is more creative than procedural. Some discoveries were even pure serendipity. Without creativity and ideas we have very little. We are extremely fallible humans trying to figure it out. No singular method exists. Different physicists used many, many very different methids, as Feynman stressed in a 1970’s documemtary. Einstein used imagination and principles of symmetry, Dirac used guessing equations, etc.
Verlinde’s new theory of gravity is a major breakthrough in physics-ENORMOUS- and I am very, very excited. This is a suoer exciti g time!
As Alan Guth noted, EVEN quantum field theory-farrrr and away the most supported theory in our human intellectual history -MAY be shown to be outright wrong (or modified at least one day). But so far, it is strong .
Consider this fallibility-even Einstein’s PREVIOUSLY well supported theory can be very wrong. Consider that the next time a calorie fool starts wanking on about this discredit model. Calories, joules, BTU-ALL exactly the SAME. Fr too many units all measuring the exact same mathematical fiction called energy. Energy, itself, is not ANYTHING-purely a NUMBER, NOR are its units ANYTHING either. (all we need is one common unit) Energy is a verynuseful mathematical FICTION.It is not stuff, nor a thing, nor any constituent that makes up the universe. Atoms, fields, particles-they are all actual stuff. Energy is NOT stuff at all.
Scientists, physicsts etc. DISLIKE the term “law”. Back in the day pre 1900, this term was used simply because they liked it. Physicists today know better-what “law” was ever true? Ohms? Nope. Newton’s? No. Boyle’s ? No. Alan Guth pointed this out. All we have are theories.
Feynman noted laws are ONLY our best guesses that went through the sieve. These laws are DESCRIPTIVE, NOT at all prescriptive. We have had to outright change or at least modify many. “Laws” are totally tentative and were described by our very fallible human intellect. No law (more correctly THEORY or principle) observed by physicists is any sort of madate whatsoever on nature.
If Einstein’s General Relativity theory is on the ropes, what chance does the B.S. of the nutritional and fitness industries have? We already know the common lore about obesity is alllllll very, very wrong and Matt knows it , too. We ALL see it. I think we should bring this up to Lyle McDonald et al.
RAZZLE-DAZZLE!!!
I loved your “Bungc#ck Booger Suarez Razz” comment!! EPIC!!
It’s great to see you again, Razwell!
:)
Hi Carl,
Thanks. : )
Great to see you, too. Hope all is awesome.
I LOL’d that you liked Booger Suarez/Santos/Bungc#ck.
Take care, buddy,
Bungc#ck Razz LOL!
Razwell!
Everytime I read those nicknames, I laugh aloud! : ) You’re one of the funniest and most creative people I’ve found!
I hope all is well with you, too. Until we meet again, I wish you nothing but the best!
Sincerely,
Carl
Jack S.R.
Well, you answered my original question to you: you ARE just here for a fight. Stop trolling (do you have the self discipline??) You said you wanted input on ways to lower estrogen. People have given that to you but you’ve ignored all of it. Instead, you’ve focused on insulting Matt and everyone on here. Troll.
The condition of hypothyroidism can cause edema, fool, not “thyroid hormone supplements”. What kind of degree do you have, where that’s what you learned?
Hey Matt. Was wondering if you have any tips for acid reflux? I get it quite often and mostly at night
If eating normally (and getting your metabolism up) doesn’t work you should try sleeping in a tilter position. Someone wrote to me recently that this practically changed their life. Might be worth looking into if you’re really struggling.
Hi Richard,
I realize you asked Matt the question, but I hope you don’t mind my responding, too. Like you, I’ve also suffered with acid reflux – mostly at night.
While I think Functional Medicine folks are a bit “off in space” (Hyman, in particular), some of the following information has been helpful to me. As you will see, there’s a lot of overlap.
drhyman[.]com/blog/2013/09/26/7-steps-reverse-acid-reflux
drhyman[.]com/blog/2010/07/17/3-simple-steps-to-eliminate-heartburn-and-acid-reflux
amymyersmd[.]com/2014/06/what-your-doctor-didnt-tell-you-about-gerd
chriskresser[.]com/pills-or-paleo-reversing-heartburn-and-gerd
scdlifestyle[.]com/2010/04/the-specific-carbohydrate-diet-cures-gerd
scdlifestyle[.]com/2012/03/how-to-supplement-with-betaine-hcl-for-low-stomach-acid
scdlifestyle[.]com/2013/10/4-common-betaine-hcl-mistakes
scdlifestyle[.]com/2015/04/4-quick-and-natural-heartburn-remedies
So, for me, here are the things I think have been the most helpful:
1. Taking “Betaine HCL with Pepsin” with meals. I use the “Solaray” brand, but any HCL with Pepsin will likely work. I use the “How to Figure Out Your Betaine HCL Dose” article (from the above 2012 scdlifestyle post) to guide me in how many HCL capsules I take. Should you decide to supplement with HCL, BE CAREFUL! Go slow and get help if you’re unsure.
2. I try to stop eating at least two hours before bed. On the other hand, I can’t sleep if I’m hungry. So, if I’m 2-3 hours from sleep and I’ve not had a significant meal, I’ll eat.
3. Related to #2 above, I especially avoid protein-heavy meals before bed. Really, I try to avoid tons of protein, in general.
4. Personally, I found that eating too much dark chocolate seems to cause me acid reflux. Granted, my digestion seems screwed-up, so this is probably not an issue for many others.
5. Ginger tea (non-caffeinated) helps settle my stomach, should I start feeling acidic.
6. Related to #5 above, I avoid carbonated beverages. Previously, I would drink Reed’s Ginger Brew, thinking it would help. You know, ginger and all. But, I later read that carbonated drinks are linked to acid reflux problems. If you drink carbonated beverages, I would drink them earlier in the day and at least an hour before or after meals.
7. Finally, I think Matt’s suggestion to sleep in an inclined position is great advice. Depending on your bed and it’s frame/foundation, you may be able to simply use a few bricks/boards to elevate it. Or, you can search for a wedge bed pillow. I just found some on Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers for around $30 or $40.
I hope you find some relief!
Can anyone direct me to a refractometer? I’ve searched several threads on here and clicked links, but they are now “not found”. I searched on ebay, and the only urine refractometers I find have VERY narrow ranges of measurement (e.g. Specific Gravity: 1.000 – 1.050, Refractive Index: 1.330 – 1.360). I’m confused, because I’ve read on here about people having brix readings (what is that?) of 6 and 7. Am I looking at the wrong thing?
Can anyone help me with the refractometer question? Bueller? Anyone?
I’m having a lot of trouble getting my temperature up for long. I’m eating dense foods and only drinking 24 oz of fluid a day (way down from my usual 72+ oz) — almost all Gatorade and coconut milk, maybe 1 oz of it is water. I’m only peeing 3x/day, and the 3rd time has very little color, so am I still overhydrating? I’m also constipated.
I’m also confused about whether exercise would help or hurt right now. I see on another thread here where people talk about Maffetone raising their temps, but you (Matt) said it can be counterproductive at this point?
I don’t think you need a refractometer. I’d love to know what kind of ballpark calorie quantity you are eating each day. Maybe take an inventory of that for a few days and report back?
I eat around 2,200 calories a day (and almost always have) — even though I’m very sedentary right now, but not by choice: it’s because of debilitating fatigue and weakness. Although my weight has gone up and down by 30 pounds (more than once) over the years, I’m still able to eat a lot every day without gaining.
I’m guessing that my biggest obstacle might be my sleep disorder, which I’ve had since my teens. Sleep studies always show the same thing: that I hover in the lighter stages of sleep all night and spend almost no time in the deeper, restorative stages. I’ve tried zillions of things, with no effect. Even with lots of blankets and keeping the heat up, I still run too cold. That’s why I was wondering about a BioMat, thinking that if I could keep warmer in the night, maybe my sleep quality would improve? — and so would my metabolism.
Thanks, Matt. I would welcome any thoughts on all that.
Have you ever tried eating a meal or a very substantial snack both right before bed and halfway through night as well? I find food to be the greatest asset in achieving greater sleep depth.
Hi Matt.
I recently discovered your blog. It is a breath of fresh air! I see that you are not online as much, but I wanted to take a shot at asking you some questions. Basically, I’m wondering if I am a good candidate for the refeeding process (with calorie dense “junkier” foods included). I have a Hx of anorexia, restrictive eating, exercise bulimia, and just plain diet mentality. Most recently (past 2 yrs) I’ve had a baby and at first really pushed to lose any baby weight quickly- exercising hard and eating “healthy” while being sleep deprived and nursing. I did lose weight getting a little below my prepregnancy weight if 124. BUT I would always end up binging on sugar and fat every four days or so. My son is now 21 months old. I have been a lot less restrictive with my eating which includes a lot of whole foods, veggies, fruits, whole grains, meat, dairy,etc. I still exercise moderately to vigorously 5-6 days per week doing heavy weights 2x and kickboxing and other classes the other times. I also am on my feet doing house work a lot and go on walks too. I feel like I am eating till I’m full at at meals, but still end up really craving sugar at night and will often binge on cookies, ice cream, candy chips, etc at least 2 nights per week. What gives? I have gained some weight since I’ve stop trying to compensate for the binges- maybe 8 pounds or so. I’m now 5′ 2″ and I think about 131 or so. I have a more muscular build and am 30 yrs old. My temps seem to stay in the high 96- 97 range. Any thoughts on why I’m still having strong binge urges and what might be helpful? Thank you!
Hey Emily,
You’ll probably have these urges until you’ve gotten your temps up. Sounds like you’ve probably stayed halfway stuck with a low metabolism since your anorexia days. I think upping the palatability and “binging” during the day starting first thing will probably put you on a big eating rampage for a few weeks, but stick with it and be consistent and see it through all the way to the end (high temps, no more weight gain, and even slow, steady, weight loss eventually if you’re lucky).
I’m around and still answer almost every comment, so keep me posted.
Thanks so much for the response. I’ve never fully surrendered to this approach. It will be a leap of faith for sure, but I’m tired of same old, same old. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks again!
If I were you, I would consider easing-up on the exercise.
Wow you weren’t kidding about the eating rampage! I’m still eating mostly nutritious whole food based meals but bigger portions and more carbs AND I’ve been hitting the ice cream, cookies,and chocolate hard. I really want to see this through, but I feel like a crazy person right now. I want a restored metabolism, but I’m really having to face the fear that I might end up stuck xx pounds heavier.
Dude what are you doing in Central America anyway? I’m intrigued. Just for the fun of it? Lately I’ve been nursing a fantasy about selling all my belongings and becoming another gringo for the Costa Ricans to take advantage of.
PS, totally unrelated of course, but do you have any insights on rosacea? Methinks I’m developing a case of it, including ocular rosacea, eek. I’m red, burning eyeballs deep in theories about too much estrogen, or an overblown population of normal human skin mites, or insulin resistance which maybe is actually cortisol resistance and zinc deficiency or rather too much copper which actually is too much estrogen or whatever and I am NOT enjoying it. It’s just making me really reactive an paranoid. On the other hand, doctors will likely only give me long term antibiotics as they seem to suppress the inflammation, and that ain’t my cuppa tea, so research here seems necessary. If it weren’t for the fact that it can possibly destroy your vision, I’d probably not care so much. So what the hell, any ideas? Peat thinks it’s all estrogen, not enough progesterone. But I have super long luteal phases in my menstrual cycle, so wouldn’t that indicate I have enough progesterone?
What a mouthful. Carry on with your plantains and your mantequilla. Also, how much Spanish would you say one needs to know to get around down there? I’ve tried to learn it a few times and nothing ever sticks for me, but last year I went to Puerto Rico and within a week I already felt the language kinda coming together in my head. I feel I’d need to be in an environment where it’s actually spoken to pick it up.
I’d go with Nicaragua over Costa Rica. The weather is better, there is now officially less crime, it’s way cheaper, and the places you’ll probably want to go to (Ometepe Island, Granada, San Juan Del Sur) require no Spanish whatsoever really, although I think those who travel here and make no attempt are super lame.
I also think you’re overthinking the shit outta that rosacea. Just reading what you wrote gave me rosacea too. I’d probably just focus on fundamentals of self-care and let your body manage it.
This recent study is related to this post Matt. Not sure if you have seen it but it was recently published:
Indigenous South American Group has Healthiest Arteries of all Populations yet Studied
Conclusions
This study provides clues to the healthiest lifestyle. This group was monitered for heart health and incidence of disease was incredibly low. Their lifestyle suggests that a diet low in saturated fats and high in non-processed fibre-rich carbohydrates, along with wild game and fish, not smoking and being active throughout the day could help prevent hardening in the arteries of the heart.
https://www.shirtandtiefitness.com/scientific-research-studies/
I’ve been impressed with Dr. Jason Fung’s research and writings, and he believes the North American obesity epidemic beginning in the late ’70s was attributable to: 1. the dietary guidelines emphasizing grains, and 2. the acceptability of snacking, gradually moving from “no, you can’t have a cookie, you’ll ruin your appetite,” to “you must eat 5-6 times a day or your metabolism will shrivel up and die!”
Increased sugar consumption plus increased snacking sounds like a possibility. When they veg and people-watching, are they drinking sweet drinks, and snacking to boot? That could do it.
I saw very little snacking and they seem to drink NOTHING. It’s crazy. I don’t think they’ve changed their diets much since the 70’s. It’s not like they are on some health fad.
Most are too young to remember, but that was the time of Twiggy…super thin became the new rage and few were left behind in their quest to be supermodel thin….beginning for many, decades of famine in a land of plenty.
Thereby creating fatties.
And these women raised children to be overly concerned with ‘don’t eat this/that, you’ll get fat’ thereby overriding their children’s natural appetite/hunger signals and natural stops. Children won’t snack endlessly, anymore than properly fed/on time adults will snack endlessly or even overeat.
I’ve been doing the Diet Recovery Diet just for a few days, but not sure if I’m the right type. By that I mean that I don’t fall into the category of symptoms of a low metabolism. I on average have very good temperatures.I wake up with about 97.8. I never have to go to the bathroom urgently, neither during the day nor a night. I go about 4 times a day and 0 at night. However, my problem is that I have low-er blood pressure. On average I have anywhere between 100-107 so I am not sure what is wrong with me. I have cut out drinking so much water. I used to drink quite a lot, but I always put a pinch of salt on my tongue as per Dr. Batmanghelidj. I thought this must be the culprit, but I dont see any changes yet in blood pressure coming up. One thing I have noted is that I feel a lot more slow since increasing carbs, I guess because it lowers cortisol. Just feeling confused right now. Any help or insight would be appreciated. Thanks..
Too early to tell right now. It’s normal to feel tired when adding carbs and overall calories. It’s a sign that you actually need the rest. Your blood pressure isn’t extremely low. Do you have strong negative symptoms with it? Or are you just worried about the number?
Hi Matt. Yes it is true I do need the rest, but I guess carbs lower cortisol so it makes me slower.. I don’t have as much energy as I know I should if I had 120/75. If I’m under stress I really notice it.
Since upping my carbs I am crashing a lot now, especially at night. I wake up few-several times a night with adrenaline, and reach for salted popcorn like you say in your book, and it goes right away thankfully, and fall asleep again.
During the day, I’m getting hypoglycemia numbers when testing my glucose, that I never had before upping my carbs, so I’m not sure if I’m eating too many carbs now. They aren’t processed carbs, just real food,like potatoes, beans, fruit, almonds, and popcorn. Some of these are my snacks, too every 2-3 hours. Through it all my blood pressure hasn’t risen much, except on occasion. I noticed that my temps drop when I have a glass of sea salt, so now I put in a little bit of magnesium and potassium chloride. Perhaps that is the reason for the hypoglycemia. Perhaps my mineral balances aren’t right, but until I can get up my sodium it’s so much of a juggle, because I need all of them. I guess I just keep trying. ONe thing I noticed is that I have lost weight since upping my carbs and snacking !! I was normal weight before, so that is pretty crazy I lost weight on carbs !!
I just wanted to also mention that my temperatures was 98.6 F after I ate breakfast of salted oatmeal, banana and coconut milk along with a BLT sandwich (egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato) but my blood pressure is 100. I do take supplements, but I know that it’s not them, as I mentioned I wake up with lower blood pressure. I wonder if its possible to have good thyroid function but weak adrenals..
So, you went to central america and this is all you noticed? Fat people? Man you should have taken a pupusa to the cranium with that estupidez.
I write about health, obesity, etc. That’s not all I noticed. It’s all I wrote about pertaining to health and nutrition.
As a central American: boy what? What kind of headass’ry is this? Before you start talking about out our diets talk about the impacts that first world nations put on us and how they exploit our work. Yall white people love talking shit but fail to recognize how this is all just a response to your actions. Being fat is good as sometimes we go without food for a while. We get paid very very little. Please stay Way from our culture.
I wasn’t talking shit in any way whatsoever. Get a hold of yourself.
What about the trauma from the central american civil war that occurred just a generation ago?! Trauma definitely plays a major role in health, but something that continues to be ignored in western medicine. Judging an entire community for being ‘obese’ or ‘fat’ is a white way of looking at things; ignoring the important concepts and ways that have made people use food as comfort.
There is no judgment in this article. You must be assuming I’m looking at obese people in a derogatory way. Huge misunderstanding on your part.
I also hinted towards the effect that past strife likely has had on Central Americans.
“…the health problems of the parents might be related to something else?like living through some hard-ass times in their past: like real, actual food shortages, violence, and political instability.”
You’re an imperialist charlatan with completely half baked ideas. This blog is sloppy, racist, misogynistic, and puerile. And why? Cause someone called you fat with a good computer and you decided to “show them” with this shitty, insulting anti-Central American blogpost. Are you 12?
1. You insult the members of a culture of which you are a guest, as though you know anything about them. You clearly don’t. Zero compassion extended to them. You don’t even bother examining why certain foods/drinks are available to them or how they got that way. No substantive understanding or assessment of how politics impacts diets or how Central and South America are mined for goods that can be exported to Western countries like the US.
2.You carelessly make some shitty observations about some people being a certain way and then stumble around like a drunk pendejo trying to find asinine reasons to support why they’re all this way. Your logical leaps are death defying and the sycophants on your site gobble it up. I mean wow, kids are thinner than their parents. That never happens anywhere else. It must be Central Americans penchant for fluoridated salt and starchy drinks. Tf.
You give a cursory nod to the hardship and famine that has befallen the country–hardship wrought by white imperialists like you and those hard drinking tourists– before launching into the ‘real’ reasons you think folks are fat. Your conjectures are asinine at best.
3. You insult your young teacher–I’m sure she would love to know you called her chewbacca–completely making light of what sounds like an eating disorder so you can bash on her. Who does that?!
Does it make you feel good to compare people to a sack of beans? To call them frumpy?
This blogspot is nothing more than a classic case of pot calling the kettle black all because you got your feelings hurt. Next time you feel an itch to write bullshit about Central Americans, I would invite you to have your teacher to vomit on your laptop instead. The results couldn’t be half as bad as this cockamamie garbage.
My feelings were not hurt, and this post is not insulting or meant as derogatory towards ANYONE, certainly not the Central American people that are my dearest friends on the face of the planet.
I am also not an American imperialist. No one is more critical of the United States and their long history of economic terrorism than I am.
Consider this Facebook post I wrote on another page of mine a couple weeks ago:
“Hi, my name is America. I’m an Economic Terrorist. I drop atomic “sanctions” on every country and democratically-elected world leader who isn’t willing to let my huge and powerful corporations move in and take over. Their people may starve or kill each other because of my actions, but it’s their fault. They could’ve had Happy Meals and free refills if they had done what I told them to do.”
I left the country for a reason. I’d still be in Central or South America if I didn’t have a girlfriend in the U.S. that cannot leave.
My teacher and I are very close. I’m also great friends with her mother, her mother’s best friend (I did extensive work for her for free), her good friend (I offered her a job), and on and on and on. We talked about this kind of thing (obesity, eating disorders, Westerners and their sugar phobia, etc.) at great length and playfully insulted each other for fun, often laughing hysterically.
All you’re doing here is projecting onto me what you believe about me based on other communications, discussions, past and present events, politics, and more.
But you’ve got the wrong person, and you’re just embarrassing yourself by assuming I am something that I am not, in any way.
You don’t know me, the nature of this site and my research, or anything really. I appreciate that you are, like me, an active participant in social justice, equality, and human rights. But you’ve made a mistake and picked a friendly target this time.
So sexist: “This could definitely be a factor in the broad-scale thyroid suicide that is turning young hotties into frumpy sacks of lard and beans.”
Please stop.
That wasn’t gender specific.
You entitled piece of shit. I hope you get diarrhea to the point that you don’t want to eat my people’s food ever again. Sandino used to kill people like you, go back to Europe and eat your disgusting porridge and leave my people alone. You fucking asshole. I’ve spent YEARS studying nutrition, you couldn’t be more ignorant. Keep eating that western food you love and enjoy a slow death fucker.
If you’ve studied nutrition for YEARS (I’ve studied it much longer), then perhaps you could explain why Southeast Asians have virtually no obesity whatsoever, at any age, while Central Americans living in rural areas who don’t eat any Western food and are very physically active do.
One of your rants points out that being fat is a good thing because you often go without food. If that’s so, then that is why those who are fat are fat. Famine causes fat storage. Duh. Same result from repeated self-imposed famines (dieting) where food is abundant.
You need to sit all the way down, bro. Like Raquella said, your observations of young folks being healthy and while their parents are overweight/suffering from health problems are applicable nearly the world over, especially in the US. Your selective anecdotal observations are just that, and aren’t supported by statistics; the World Health Organization’s data shows that Nicaragua and the rest of Central America, while clearly following the world trend of increased weight and obesity, do not have outstanding numbers, even within Latin America (http://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/overweight/en/).
Also, your blog post shows no understanding of the impact of imperialism on Central America. Latin America’s entire food system was transformed by the ‘green revolution’, destroying the local food economies sustained by peasant farmers, imposing the US industrial agribusiness model, and flooding markets with cheap processed foods. Poor folks the world over are experiencing the same symptoms of the capitalist industrial food system, and you’re comparing apples and oranges when you juxtapose the health outcomes of poor folks in Nicaragua with privileged western asshole tourists like yourself. Poor folks in the US and Europe are fucking obese, too. These issues and their solutions go far beyond the question of people’s individual choices, it’s about addressing systems, and your condescending judgements of people showing you hospitality and making do with the limited choices available to them aren’t helping anything. Go fuck yourself.
I didn’t say that obesity was only something going on in Central America.
I said in the article that obesity is not nearly as bad in Central America as it is in the U.S.
Not everyone in the world experiences obesity in adulthood at the same level. There was U.S. imperialism in Asia as well, yet Cambodians and Vietnamese are much leaner as adults. They too, eat mostly cheap starch, like rice. I want to know why. 180DegreeHealth is an inquisitive health site where all matters of health are discussed with curiosity.
As far as cheap Western staples, that’s the point of the post. I don’t see rural Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans eating many cheap, processed, American foods. And I saw them being a lot more physically active. If they were just gobbling down fries and milkshakes and cheeseburgers and watching TV it wouldn’t have been worthy to write an article discussing it.
I made no judgments in this post. No condescension in this post whatso-fucking-ever. If you read it another way, it’s because of your biases towards obesity. Not mine. I have none.
I’m also not an asshole tourist.
Please stop embarrassing yourself with these absurd accusatory tangents, baseless assumptions, irrelevant political discussions, and racial vitriol.
How do I opt out of this comment thread? Please, make it stop!
Haha Jon. Seriously. My head is about to explode.
http://180degreehealth.com/comment-subscriptions/%5Bmanager_link%5D/
You can also click the “Manage” your subscriptions. Left of and next to Submit Comment box.
Did Fatty Balderdash bloat out yet? No word from him 6 months on. I was on keto diet for 12 months and carbing up occasionally like he says as I am a cyclist. I got lean af, then one day the scale reversed, and my weight just started going up with no diet change. it was like watcging a train wreck in slow motion, all the time in the world to think about it but absolutely nothing that could be done to avoid it. Now I am HCLF Vegan for 4 months, and thiugh my weight has gone up and now stabilized, I have been having the time of my life eating the most delicious foods, all day and every day. And have drive energy to boot. The best thing is I am no longer per-occupied with weight. I realize I am at a good healthy weight even though I am 7kg heavier than my keto low and I am eating healthy. People tell me I will start to loose weight again naturally on HCLFVegan, but I am so over that now. Health beats (percieved) looks.
I’m a very overwhelmed newbie and not sure where to post here. I’ve been reading tons on the blogs here, and it looks like your views have changed a lot and that you got burnt out/discouraged. So what is your current thinking on junk food, soda, liquids, poultry, nuts, etc. I haven’t dieted in years but have had a lifelong bad sugar habit. Thanks for that. On that same topic of heating yourself ?artificially?, what are your thoughts on Bio Mats (far infrared radiation)? I saw info on the site here on near infrared and red but not far infrared. Took me ages to figure that out, that no food type, quality or quantity was going to ?fix? me. Start doing things that bring you joy, ditch the stress in all forms as much as possible and choose wisely who you are around.
As I was reading the most recent post, I was overcome with a strange feeling of familiarity. And then I realized why: they were actually my words, verbatim, cut and pasted from 2 of my previous posts (there was also a cutting and pasting of part of another post). This is either a whole new level of laziness — or my thoughts are so stellar that I need to find a publisher. Tomorrow.
People in hot climates have a slower metabolism. That’s why they gain weight more easily than people who eat the same in colder climates.
Africans and Asians live in the tropics as well, and they are much leaner than Central Americans. So there are some exceptions. Like, a few billion, lol. It’s interesting that where the climate is the most perfect (Pacific islands), people are fatter there than anywhere else in the world.
I’ve lived in CR for the past 15 years, and I’ve noticed the same thing.
My wife’s family (they’re Costa Rican) does not eat processed food. It’s just too expensive for them to buy the imported American food, and McDonald’s would be a treat for them. Nor do they drink sodas.
However, they are all mostly overweight. My FIL isn’t, but he’s type 1 diabetic and doesn’t eat sugar.
The rest of them? They do add some sugar to their fruit drinks, but for the most part, I think what makes them so overweight is the incredible amounts of bread they eat with their daily brunch and mid-afternoon coffees. Fresh-baked baguettes of bread, smothered in plastic margarine or sour cream, and served with local cheese.
They also eat so much food! Carbs aren’t satiating at all, and they eat all day long. It’s a typical local diet, but they eat so much food. Lunch, breakfast, dinner, and the 2 coffee breaks are like buffet spreads. It’s all healthy, but it’s just so much of it!
Thanks for the input Steve. I didn’t know about the bread and margarine.
Carbs are actually quite satiating (there is a such thing as a satiety index, and starchy foods like potatoes and beans are some of the most satiating of all foods). I felt more satiated in Costa Rica than I do in the U.S. I’d say, especially eating simple food like gallo pinto with eggs.
Oh gosh, after 15 years here, I hate gallo pinto! No idea how ticos eat it day in, day out!
Haha. Yeah, I don’t understand gallo pinto. I love rice and beans the way the are served for casados, but gallo pinto seems like dry, bland, gruel.
When I first read your post about fat Central Americans it occurred to me that you’d already answered that question in one of your books … that a history of food deprivation can create a fat culture once food is more plentiful. Isn’t that a part of the answer? We spent a year in Guatemala, where malnutrition is still very high. Some of those who are able to eat decently now are not fat while others are, which goes along with so much of this discussion suggesting that there are a LOT of different answers to the question :-)