The free eBook I’ve been promising for a couple months is finally available. It’s a great introduction to my conclusions thus far and the latest and most precise direction on how to raise your metabolism/increase body temperature to date. Most of you received e-mail notification already, although my e-mail service does have a high failure rate – so many who have subscribed to the mailing list at www.180degreehealth.com may have not received it. If that’s the case – send me an e-mail at sacredself@gmail.com and I’ll send a link to the file right back.
For those who haven’t subscribed at www.180degreehealth.com please take a moment to do so and you will receive the link immediately.
Now everybody go read it and we’ll get a little Q and A going in the comments section here.
Look forward to a big week – including the latest update on Aurora and her jaw surgery recovery, the conclusions of my MILK diet affair – which concludes this coming Friday (30 days), and some venting about this girl that’s been living at my house for the last couple of months and appears to be attempting suicide by health (looks like she’s meeting her ammenhorea with a week of the ‘Mastur’ Cleanse).
Wow… the Master Cleanse dans la maison de Matt Stone? That's sacrilege!
Yeah, she's the devil incarnate in the religion of HED-ism. Last time she did the cleanse she said a dental infection came to the forefront and she had to go have it pulled. This was like, detox in her view. I'm going to go off in a blog post about it. It's the most unbelievably stupid thing I've ever seen – and I've seen some pretty dumb things done in the name of health. Been guilty of many winners myself.
Can't wait for the post.. My sister has been staying with me for a few days and I took notice of the fact that she had these silly Acai detox tablets that she probably spent an arm and a leg on, that are supposed to boost metabolism, clean out your putrid gut and do just about everything besides mow your lawn. I didn't say anything to her about them, but I did say something when I saw these "fat burners" in her purse.. Apparently, the miracle about them is Safflower Oil. I laughed my ass off, to say the least. She didn't really understand why it was so hilarious, mainly because she's a chubby vegetarian (who secretly really likes bacon, but thinks it's "cool" not to) that thinks canola oil and tofu are manna from heaven, and that I'm going to keel over and die from the amount of butter and cream I eat.
:D
Yes. This girl eats nothing but powdered superfood before noon. That's too bad the acai doesn't mow the lawn. I could use some help in that department today. The safflower is where they get the CLA from for CLA "fat burning" supplements.
Hey Matt,
Liked the eBook. Questions:
How important is it to skin potatoes if you're having them often? I remember as a kid hearing that the skin is 'where all the nutrients are,' but according to Stephen Guyenet, the Peruvians always skinned them, and the skin is where the glycoalkaloids concentrate.
Do you advise prepping brown rice the way Stephen does (with a 24 hour soak and re-used starter)? How about other grains like quinoa and buckwheat?
You are tepid about wheat bread- I have access to local uncertified organic wheat that I buy from the farm I get my meat at. I grind it by hand with a Country Living grain mill, and use the 18+hr no-knead bread recipe, with a small but of yeast, water and unrefined salt. I like it- it's tasty and we're making it often around here. Does the fact that it's freshly ground and long-fermentated make it kosher, or should I still prioritize other starches?
How important is it to avoid lard, fatty pork and chicken? I know the idea is to counterbalance a lifetime of Omega 6 overload, but getting it to 3g or 6g a day seems difficult, even while using lots of dairy fats, coconut and tallow for cooking, and avoiding just about all liquid oils (small bits of olive oil in dressings). Or perhaps the issue is I just don't have a sense of how much food translates to 3-6g of Omega 6. Can you offer sample portion sizes to help give me context, or direct me to somewhere that I might find that out?
How do you respond to someone like Don Matesz who argues that quantities of Omega 6 have been part of at least some traditional diets, like the San of the Kalahari, and their staple mongongo nuts? http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/2010/03/paleo-diet-basics-why-i-eat-walnuts.html Those and brazil nuts, both fairly warm-climate adapted and yet high in O6 seem to argue against the notion that O6 in nuts is necessarily a cold-weather adaptation and therefore metabolically slowing, and if honoring MANIFEST, should be avoided?
Along with that, the suggested avoidance of pork and poultry and their fats especially, make me suspicious of demonizing O6 fats from traditional whole food sources. It seems to me that Walnuts, Mongongos and Brazil nuts are not nearly the same as solvent extracted seed oils, and avoiding them, along with foods like avocados, may not be warranted. At least it makes this seem like kind of a fad diet.
A caveat too- I'm no big fan of nuts, can't access good quality ones near me and so don't eat them, and don't actually feel great (nor lousy) when I do. So even though this resonates with my own preferences, I have a hard time making sense of it. It affects me more when it comes to avocados and pig.
You haven't gone full-on South Pacific sort of diet recommendation, but you have in both the Metabolism and RRARF eBooks suggested the Kitavan diet as worth emulating. Is this because it may be metabolically stimulating to emulate an ancestral diet of this sort to regain robustness, after which we can eat a whole food diet that makes sense to us? My guiding principle is to eat regionally available seasonal food, for quality, freshness, ecological reintegration, and to support local regenerative practices. I don't have access to lobster or tuna anywhere near me, and have no interest in seeking it out to eat regularly because the healthy Kitavans do. And I can accept that these may be valuable to supply nurients and calories when avoiding O6 fats for a healing phase, but can't see these foods, or things like coconut becoming a staple forever. What are your thoughts? Is 180 compatible with a mostly locavore life?
Cool Matt- thanks again.
Thanks Rob. That's the kind of feedback I'm looking for. Knew I could count on ya.
Those who've followed me for ages know that I spent many years defending the consumption of nuts, and firmly believing that the omega 6 content of the diet was irrelevant. A lot of my own logic still keeps me there in that position.
But traditional peoples also didn't have that super high ratio of AA to EPA at the cellular level – whereas Americans have cellular levels through the roof. The fact that this can be reliably manipulated into balance by restricting omega 6 to pretty low levels according to the work of Bill Lands had an impact on me. Plus, I've yet to have someone tell me that keeping omega 6 low did them any harm – either neutral reports or reports of noticeable differences.
So I stick to my belief that we must identify collective imbalances and use the strategy that counterbalances that imbalance if we hope to return to the metabolic state of the untainted peoples of the earth.
Also, when eating liberally of fats, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep omega 6 consumption within range. Let's also not forget that nuts contain all kinds of anti-inflammatory nutrients that probably negate any negatives of eating them on the omega 6 front. Finally, remember that chronic high insulin levels are required to convert excess omega 6 in the diet to inflammatory AA. Presumably healthy high omega 6 eaters like those Don refers to weren't necessarily catapulted into a hyprinflammatory state by eating lots of omega 6.
Bottom line: Is it better to eat a lot of omega 6 or a little? Probably a little.
I don't think anyone should sweat small amounts of phytates in brown rice, and I think eating high-quality bread like that is fantastic – it's just not as much of a sure thing which is why I was "tepid" about them.
Hey Matt,
Appreciate the quick response, and glad to offer valuable feedback.
That's a great answer, and gives me the sort of reason I'm looking for. That, once again, the strategy changes because of the circumstances we find ourselves in collectively. Absent chronically high insulin and for most of us, huge overconsumption of O6 in seed oils at points in our lives, we might not have the need for such rigorous avoidance. I can accept that.
And for that reason it makes sense to emphasize starch- keeping protein moderate, high fat means high O6, and starch means low O6, plus glucose is a Grade A metabolism stimulator. Cool.
According to Bill Lands, how long does the cellular AA to EPA ratio take to change? Would there come a point in which balance is restored and hyper-vigilance is eased? Would that point be when we address and correct chronically high insulin levels?
Still curious about your take on potato skins- are the nutrients concentrated there, and/or the toxins? Better to remove them or leave 'em on?
Also- after reading your mention of Harley Johnstone, I read about Dr Douglas Graham and his 80/10/10 raw vegan program. I wonder whether his super low fat, minimal nuts seeds and avocado, and therefore low O6 guidelines are key to the apparent success, or at least long-term viability for his followers. Seems like that's one thing the Ornish crowd has going for them too- if followed, it's probably pretty low in O6.
Matt, thanks for the book! I've been following your blog for a couple of months and have had trouble getting oriented. The free e-book was EXACTLY what I needed to understand what the underlying premises are of your work. It's full of fascinating insight and funny as well.
Your approach makes complete sense. My first brush with serious nutritional info was McDougall and recently I read the Zone Diet which was full of cool stuff I had never heard about before. I've always been confused how such opposite diets could produce good results,at least claimed good results. But your theory gives the mechanism.
The common denominator is getting rid of the refined stuff and adding nutrient dense veggies. From there if you go higher on fat or starch is not so important.
What do you think of Sears claim that you have to have protein and fat with each meal to stay in the "zone." Do you sometimes just go starch and fat with your meals and skip the meat? It seemed like you do that sometimes from what I gathered in the ebook.
Also: We've been afraid of drinking milk since my wife was diagnosed with Polychondritis an auto immune disorder. After getting off milk for a while her problem seems to have gone away. But there are other good things she's added to her lifestyle so maybe it wasn't the milk. We only drank pasteurized Nonfat milk before which may have been the problem.
If we didn't have access to unpasteurized milk, (I'm sure we do somehow) you'd recommend trying regular Whole milk? Right now we drink Almond Milk with cereal which I now see could be spiking our O6s not to mentioned the problems with refined cereal.
Hey Matt,
Excellent read. My fave quote in the book was: ?This study PROVES I’m right… Bitches! I still need a Cliff Notes version with mix and match meal plans depending on your eating age group.
So basically HED IS sat fat/unrefined starches/veg/adequate protein. A while back I had this "crazy" idea (as one of those chocoholics who are ALWAYS hungry and I was gorging on trail mix with extra M&Ms, of course) that maybe just maybe I should have a glass of milk and some brown rice with butter when I get the snack attack. Well I think I did it once, but still wanted the chockie anyway.
OK so I have had some success with your zany ideas. I've tossed out lots of food with PUFAs and am keeping fructose low–eating baked potatoes, corn, do feel less urgency to snack. Have lost some weight. However how do you know if you are overdoing the heavy cream and butter? Do we need to put down some rules or will our bodies regulate themselves?
Also were you concluding that low carb eating eventually leads to insulin finding a way to rise anyway?
BTW, my low cal counting GFs think I'm mad with all the full fat and potatoes, but I tell them I feel better and have more energy since bringing in the starches. Coincidence?
If you go to cheeseslave.com Ann-Maire beat her sugar and wine craving with Amino acida and I did you, after reading her blog and taking her advice. Get the book (I got it used on Amazon) “The mood Cure” by Julia Ross. It’s fascinating. She wrote it after she watched patients struggle to lose weight and say the cycle of failures and figured out why after a 15 year study. Best!
Sorry about the typos! “I DID too” and whatever else I said incorrectly.
MAtt:
I got there from ANn_MArie at Cheeslslave and I am going to read your ebook but of course I am very unhappy to hear about you hating WAPF diet. No more comments for now…
I’m sorry the WAPF diet sucks so bad. I would love to love it.
Not a Julia Ross fan at all.
Oh forgot to ask…and I believe Rob was asking the same thing–where do you fall on almond milk?
Yay or nay?
Not a fan of nut milks. Seems like a good way to concentrate phytic acid and lectins and PUFA and then add sweetener to it.
But milk in general is not an essential component to the diet by any stretch. Don't feel pressured to consume it Yusuf if your lady has seen positive changes having eliminated it – but yes, lowfat pasteurized milk is not friendly to those with allergic reactions, and could be the reason for the allergy development.
Rob-
I usually eat taters with the skins. I like the earthier taste and it appeals to my kitchen laziness. But many do seem to fare better on peel-free taters. I think making a big fuss over skin vs. no skin is probably minutiae unless you eat as much as Riles does (5 pounds daily).
On Doug Graham-
Both Graham and Furhman seem to have good results with SOME people. They are both strong advocates of whole foods, exclude all refined foods, etc. The keys to the success of their programs is high nutrient density and yes – keeping omega 6 low. Plus, I think a high-fructose diet behaves differently on a low-fat diet vs. a high fat diet. Another key to Graham in particular, who is extremely high fructose, is a massive quantity of endurance exercise. I too note increased endurance performance on a very high carb diet. I did some calculations on Johnstone's diet and it looks like he consumes about 1,100 grams of carbohydrates daily (fasting BG about 75 BTW). That will make for a killer bike ride I imagine.
In fact, Graham's disciples eat so many carbs that I propose they create a new unit of measure called the "graham," which is 10 regular grams. In other words, Johnstone eats 110 grahams of carbs daily – a large portion of which is converted to free fatty acids in the liver, which really means that 80-10-10 is like 50-40-10, something I pointed out to one of these nutjobs recently which shut him up rather quickly.
Turbo-
Don't think you need to worry about the butter. Just keep eating that yummy food and blowing your friend's minds as you feel awesome and perhaps even continue to lose weight doing so.
Not a fan of almond milk. Good. I only drank it cos I thought it was healthy and low in calories.
In the ebook you write to eat within an hour of waking so we can take advantage of our metabolism at a high point. Is this because of the low glycogen from fasting/sleeping all night? There are all the fitness gurus who swear by fasted cardio in the morning. And I used to do this and now I won't–unless it's something short and sweet like a walk or yoga. In the end I think fasted workouts are counter productive.
I just really wanted more of an explanation since I don't like to eat a big breakfast.
There's certainly some debate over that Turbogirl. While it's true that prolonged fasting periods decrease hunger and stimulate adrenal activity, that could simultaneously be its downfall long-term – wearing out adrenals and having a net-negative effect on metabolism in general.
But I've found just eating breakfast makes you hungrier in the morning and less so in the evening after practicing it for just a couple weeks. Plus, breakfast is often most under our control, as almost everyone eats breakfast at home out of foods they buy and prepare themselves.
And I think you can still get the benefits that some of the breakfast skippers get (like Martin Berkhan) by decreasing feeding frequency and widening the fasting period between meals. This is as simple as eating an early breakfast, midday lunch, and normal dinner with no snacking in between. In my experience this still has the same benefits to improving the metabolism to appetite ratio experienced by late breakfast eaters.
Interesting how that works, the body's capacity to convert one macronutrient to another. You could say those fats aren't important, since the body will make them out of carbohydrates, just as it can make carbs out of protein and cholesterol absent any dietary sources of it. But another way to look at it is, these substances are so important that, absent the materials themselves, the body will go to great lengths to manufacture them.
Coupled with the 'essential' fats maybe not being so essential, maybe we ought to think about the essential nutrients as those we will produce even if they're nowhere to be found in our diet. Or that the essential ones are pervasive enough, and/or unimportant enough that we don't bother producing them.
Dunno how this relates to proteins, however. Interesting to think about though.
I read the book. You sir, are one talented writer, and your turn of phrase just gets better with each book, I especially liked the part about your research style.
Anyway, my IF'ing is going fine. Hunger did indeed turn out to only be a passing problem, the past 5 days have been a cakewalk even without coffee. I took my morning axillary yesterday and it is still at 98.6F. My weight is down to 196 pounds, though I don't rightly know how much I weighed at the end of the milk diet (I was at 200 three weeks in), it's still not as a dramatic a drop as I had expected with a nearly halved caloric intake, though it's better to have lost less than you feel than the other way around. I definitely feel lighter and looser in my clothes, particularly the jeans.
Anyway, yes fasting does stress the adrenals, but is it more stressful than say going for a 30 minute jog or a swim every day? I don't think the passive glucose requirements during those 6 extra hours of fasting (assuming 10-12 hours of fasting from dinner to breakfast is normal) could amount to much more than what you burn during 30 minutes of moderate cardio. Yet I doubt that amount of physical activity could be detrimental to metabolic health as long as you take care to recover with enough nutritious food and sleep.
I believe it is the same with fasting as with any other stressful activity – whether it is harmful or not depends on how well you allow your body to recover (and on how much need of recovery your body is in). The danger is likely in too much compounded stress from different sources and not enough recovery.
Very low- or zero carb might be another story. Since you will always retain some glucose requirements, and yet never feed your body actual glucose, the adrenals are chronically overstimulated and never get a chance to truly recover.
In defense of Martin Berkhan he is the only I-F guy I've read who suggests breaking your fast if you want to workout–even if it's just BCAAs or a protein drink.
All of this talk about adrenal burnout. How does one know if their adrenals are toast?
I think coffee and tea drinkers have an edge for the whole fasting thing since caffeine suppresses the appetite. I am not able to have caffeine so a fast is just plain ol water.
Turbogirl- The 24 hr Adrenal Stress Index (saliva test) is what people use to check adrenal health.
@Rob A.
You said "… I have access to local uncertified organic wheat that I buy from the farm I get my meat at. I grind it by hand with a Country Living grain mill, and use the 18+hr no-knead bread recipe, with a small but of yeast, water and unrefined salt. I like it- it's tasty and we're making it often around here. Does the fact that it's freshly ground and long-fermentated make it kosher, or should I still prioritize other starches?"
I too have my own grinder and have been making a no-knead bread (spelt/buckwheat/yeast/salt/water according to a German recipe) but it is baked right after mixing. I'd be interested in your recipe if it's not too much trouble and Matt won't mind. It doesn't have to be a detailed account as I've been baking bread for years.
Would greatly appreciate it and maybe others would be interested too. thank you.
And Matt I've got the e-book (thank you) and plan to read it next week.
I have a choice between non-organic all grain fed raw local dairy and organic Straus brand dairy from Whole Foods which is pasteurized (but not homogenized) and has been grass fed for at least part of the time and otherwise fed silage and grains. What is the better choice?
Also, am I the only one who is intolerant of yams and potatoes? I love them, but feel crappy when I eat them. I wonder why?
I am getting most of my starch from the spelt tortillas available in the market.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the e-book. Just wondering why you recommend refined coconut oil instead of extra virgin?
I had another question too but I can't remember it right now.
Thanks,
Rachelle
@rmarie:
Below's the recipe, copied from here: http://smarterfitter.com/blog/2009/5/10/100-whole-wheat-no-knead-bread.html
(My one change is, since I don't have a kitchen scale, I don't weigh the flour- I just keep the coarseneess the same from one grind to the next and measure 3 cups by volume, and 1.5tsp of salt)
100% Whole Wheat No Knead Bread
If you've ever wanted to bake bread but were always too chicken to try, then please visit Jim Lahey's article and give No Knead Bread a whirl. I've been baking bread this way for months and I swear it's the best thing ever. Why? Because fresh homemade bread is like sliceable heaven. There is a certain beauty in its simplicity: water, salt, yeast and flour. That's all it takes! This is whole, natural food, folks. No preservatives needed. All that hippy stuff aside, what really gets me baking are the flavor and the time. Jim Lahey's recipe turns out a seriously delicious loaf of bread, and because there's no kneading involved, it's super quick to throw together (aside from the 18-hour rise time!).
Jim's No Knead bread is perfect for whole wheat loaves because it turns out a light, moist loaf. That's right, this is a whole wheat bread recipe that doesn't turn out a dense, brick-like loaf more suitable as a doorstopper than something you'd actually eat.
Here is my version made with 100% whole wheat flour. I use Doves Farm Strong Wholemeal Bread Flour because I like the flavor, but feel free to experiment with different brands and different blends. There's no reason you can do half whole wheat, half white, or get crazy with spelt, rye and malted grains.
100% Whole Wheat No Knead Bread
Whole Wheat No Knead Bread
470g whole wheat four
1/4 tsp. yeast
12g salt
350ml water
1. Combine all dry ingredients then add the water. Stir until the dough has the consistency of a shaggy ball, adding more water if necessary (chances are, you'll have to add quite a bit more water so don't be shy – it's better to have a dough ball that's too wet than too dry). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in a warm place for 12 – 24 hours (the longer you leave it, the lighter, more flavorful the result will be). The dough is ready when it’s about double in size and spotted with big bubbles.
2. Give the counter top and your hands a generous sprinkle of flour. Turn the dough onto the counter. Pull the dough at either end to form a strip. Fold this strip into thirds (like a business letter). Give the dough a quarter turn and fold in thirds again. I’ll refer to these folds as ‘seams?, i.e., ?right now your dough is on the counter, seam side up. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Oil a large bowl with olive oil. If you like, sprinkle the bowl with seeds (this is not only tasty, but it also makes it easier to turn the dough out of the bowl when you're ready to bake it). Put the dough ball into the bowl seam side down. Cover with the plastic wrap and let sit for 2-3 hours. The dough is ready when it has more than doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, remove the HOT pot and pour in a bit of olive oil. Swirl it around so that oil covers the entire inside of the pot. Now, take the bowl containing the dough and quickly turn it upside down over the pot so that the dough falls in seam side up. Cover the pot with a lid and bake for 40 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake another 5 or so minutes, until the loaf is browned. Cool on a rack at least 45 minutes before slicing.
Enjoyed the e-book. Thanks, Matt. If I were to buy your other books and then you later updated them, do you offer free upgrades, or would I have to purchase the updated versions separately? I'm also wondering if you ever see yourself doing an e-book on cancer.
What are your thoughts on fermented foods? It seems like most cultures have a fermented food they eat alongside with their meals.
Also could you explain we should restrict raw honey? I understand refined sugar but having trouble of letting go of honey.
Thanks for the great info.
I finished the ebook last night and really got a lot out of it. Thanks Matt. I have wondered why as someone who has eaten 'clean', absolutely no sugar and all whole foods for 20 odd years I should have health problems and on reading your book Matt I realised it was, quite simply, because I haven't been eating enough. In an effort to be thin and maintain thinness I have always been aware of what I eat and have followed low fat and then low carb … and frankly I think whatever I followed I would have ended up in trouble because I didn't Eat The Food! Perhaps things would have been worse if I hadn't eaten 'clean' but I regret not eating more now as health is far more important than being thin … you don't start to believe this until you are in your '40s and then it hits you.
The Broda Barnes quote also really hit home as I think on my low carb years (not that low carb either – just Schwarzbein) I really went overboard with the protein just because I was always hungry and she clearly didn't approve of carbs, fat on its own is unpalatable and so I would always overdo the protein. I think this has really overstressed my body.
Would it make sense that adrenal burnout occurs from not eating enough food Matt? Is there anything else I can do to help heal my adrenals. I know you are not into supplements … but perhaps there is something out there that someone knows about? I saw Dr Rind was selling an adrenal gland supplement … I was tempted. Any thoughts?
Also, I do struggle with giving up fruit. I gave a lot of it up when I was low carb and love eating it again now, as recommended by Ray Peat. But you seem to think it will not boost my metabolism and yet Ray Peat seems to infer that it will heal the adrenals and boost the metabolism. I just find starch very dry and dull and it always requires cooking. Plus I have always hated the flavor of whole wheat – and am fed up with making myself eat things I don't like for 'health' reasons. Enough!
I have been half heartedly following HED but find it really difficult to eat a lot at each meal and so snacking is necessary. I am also never hungry in the morning plus I find appetizing breakfasts hard to think up – starch, unless it is toast, is just not appealing and you don't seem to think bread everyday is a good idea anyway. Do you have any recipes planned for some sort of bread substitute – perhaps corn bread – something I could have with my eggs smeared with butter that would be a bit like toast? Plus, are you really ok with eating carbs without protein?
Finally, I wanted to mention Sidney Baker's book, The Circadian Rhythm. I always liked his book because he writes intelligently but he does suggest soy and lots of supplements. However, he encourages a decent amount of protein in the morning and more carbs for dinner (contrary to what all the 'popular press' articles will tell you) because the body needs carbs to regenerate. This makes sense to me and I'm going to incorporate it into my HED program. It still leaves me with the problem of what to have for breakfast however!
Dinosaur-
I think not eating enough could be one of the greatest stressors of all. As for fruit, it seems hard to vilify it based on logic and observation of the past. Some clearly do great with fruit. Perhaps it does have some healing effect on the adrenals which is why my body temperature plummets when I eat a lot of it as part of a mixed diet. Who knows? This certainly requires extra exploration, but fruit, without a shadow of a doubt, has an anti-metabolic effect on me in the short-term. But like I said, that's not proof of anything. In fact, in my experience it's totally plausible that things that aggravate conditions are the best thing for core healing of those conditions. The same would apply to honey – in response to the other comment above.
Collden-
You don't want to lose weight too quickly. Something I just realized for the first time yesterday is that, because muscle is not as calorie dense as fat, losing muscle calories is far more substantial than losing fat calories. I was trying to figure this out, as Aurora has lost a seemingly impossible amount of weight since jaw surgery if you try to calculate calorie deficit based on 3,500 calories per pound. Muscle, however, is more like 1,500 calories per pound – and the only way to lose more than 4 pounds in a week is to lose water and muscle (unless you are doing superhuman quantities of exercise).
As for IF vs. 30 minutes of jogging, I don't think there's any question that IF is superior. I would think it would be less taxing to the adrenals, cause less inflammation, and most importantly – it decreases the ratio of appetite to metabolism while jogging is far more likely to increase appetite with no apreciable change in metabolism. Not to mention jogging burns glycogen and not fat – it would be much better to walk in the fasted state or in a low-carb state than jog.
But I think you can easily expect to lose 3 pounds per week until you reach your optimal weight – which for our height is probably in the 160-170 pound range. Just prioritize protein as you lose weight. You don't want to lose a single ounce of muscle mass – and getting adequate daily protein can prevent this until you get close to the low body fat range.
On coconut oil-
Extra virgin tastes bad (eventually), smells bad (once you're sick of it), and seems to give people more digestive problems. Refined coconut oil doesn't seem to have any disadvantages, other than buying it is less stimulating to the economy :)
Oh yeah, and some people do have problems with tubers and starch digestion in general. I wouldn't just ignore and power through taters and yams if they continue to give you problems. This seems to be pretty rare based on the general feedback I've received though.
Re coconut oil–
Well, that's interesting. I have been paying about $2 more per jar of extra virgin, thinking the refining process probably wasn't doing anything good for the oil. Do you know how it's refined?
I don't mind the taste, but I really only cook with it when I want a coconut flavor, and we take it with cod liver/butter oil in the morning. But if there's no difference I'll definitely spring for the savings and expand my use of it (although I've been quite happy using ghee for other sauteeing needs).
Hi Matt,
I've been a lurker for a little while. I really enjoyed your ebook, I read the entire thing today and got a lot out of it. Mostly peace of mind. I've been following your approach for the most part, just from my intuition. I'm in the same boat as you, having been studying and researching nutrition intensely for the last couple years.
Some questions… my 3 yr old son does not like meat or chicken. Sometimes I can get him to eat meatballs and he does eat canned salmon on occasion, but it's hard to get animal protein on a daily basis. He also doesn't like cheese or unsweetened yogurt. Up till now I've been relying on nuts and nut butters (which he's only had the last 6 months or so, I waited till he was 3 to start since his dad was highly allergic to them as a kid) for protein. I've recently switched him to macadamia cashew butter, before that he was mostly eating sunflower seed butter and pumpkin seed butter. We've also gone gluten-free, sticking just to quinoa and buckwheat for now. Considering he has had very little exposure to vegetable oils in his lifetime (I have been cooking with coconut oil and butter for about a year now), do you think this macadamia/cashew butter would be alright still? He eats it with celery or on buckwheat pancakes. Probably about 2-4 tbsp a day.
What are your thoughts on grains for infants and young children? I've been taking the primal approach with my 14 month old daughter and she does not get any conventional grains. I did try out rice cereal at first (constipated her for a week) and sourdough bread (seemed to digest it fine, but she also kinda seemed addicted to it) and the tapioca starch baby crackers (gave her bright green poop – which seems to be a sign of digestive issues with her). So for now I'm trying to stick to only buckwheat and quinoa with her too.
We recently bought a cowshare so we get 1 gallon of raw milk weekly (sometimes more), as well as raw butter. My kids both like vegetables and don't eat any sugar or refined grains or products of any kind. Everything they eat is whole foods. I'm still a little concerned about their protein and iron levels though. Any idea on what the ideal amount would be for them based on your theories? My hunch is that I shouldn't be as worried as I am, they are probably getting enough. My 14 month old is looking quite pale these days though and am wondering if she is anemic. The main foods in her diet right now are buckwheat, yogurt (lots – plain & whole), bananas, blueberries, butter, yams, sweet potatoes, small amounts of chicken, and cheese, sometimes she will eat beef but not always. She ate a 4 oz steak a few weeks ago but nothing since then. I also make smoothies out of yogurt, berries, bananas, raw milk, steamed spinach and sometimes romaine lettuce or celery juice added which they get a couple times a week.
Anyways, sorry for rambling but any suggestions would be appreciated. I still consider my kids to be quite picky eaters, although not compared to the mainstream kids to be sure. They've never had a hot dog or candy of any kind in their entire lives. Getting them to decrease their fruit intake (my 3 yr old could easily eat 4-5 bananas a day) and increase their meat and green veggie intake is a constant challenge.
Thanks,
Simone
@Rachelle, I get Louanna Coconut Oil at WalMart for around $5 or $6 for 31oz.
@Dinosaur, I used supplements from a company called Standard Process for my adrenals (Drenamin) and thyroid (Thytrophin).
@Anonymous, my son has a sweet potato allergy and from what his nutritionist says, it is not all that uncommon.
@Rob, there is a toxin in potatoes called Solanine and most of it is concentrated in the skin or close to the skin (someone posted this not too long ago) and can cause stomach distress is some people.
LOCAVORE: I buy almost all my food locally, but given there are few coconut trees in PA, I just buy big 5-gallons buckets of expeller-pressed coconut oil. I do use more butter, from a local dairy, than coconut oil, but some things, butter just doesn't work for. You can't make french fries in butter. You can't make mayo with butter.
COCONUT OIL: About virgin versus expeller-pressed coconut oil – when I started, I bought a small jar of virgin, and discovered it was only good in curries and other specifically coconut-flavored foods.
I wound up cooking with expeller-pressed and using the virgin stuff as a skin moisturizer. A coconut smell in that context isn't nearly as annoying as finding your omelet coconut flavored.
Expeller-pressed CO is minimally refined; there's a bunch of nastier ways of refining including solvent extraction and hydrogenation and other unpleasant things.
ADRENALS: To the person wanting to know what heals adrenals, I'm one of the moderators on an adrenal health group on Yahoo! and our standard answer to that question is 1000-2000 mg vitamin C, a good B-100 complex, and 1/4 – 1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt in water 2x/day.
There's nothing else worth doing without testing adrenals first, as the symptoms of low cortisol and high cortisol are nearly identical, see here for why: http://faqhelp.webs.com/salivatestingfirststep.htm
Glandulars are possibile treatment IF you have low cortisol verified by salviary tests and IF the glandular contains only cortical tissue. whole glandulars contain adrenaline, which those of us with low cortisol have too much of already.
I know a bit about this as… I make almost no cortisol. And that results in being housebound and often bedridden until treated properly.
And actually, I knew a good bit even before I got ill, as my sister was the first child born with the salt-wasting form of CAH who survived, right when they'd just figured out how to treat it. So I studied this in grad school and did a seminar on it (she was all over the literature).
MATT: I read your free ebook yesterday. I also read your free newsletter today, and about fell over at this quote: "not giving a prescription for avoidance to steer clear of the problem (this is like an auto mechanic fixing your engine instead of saying ?Ha, I figured it out. Looks like your engine isn’t working. As long as you don’t drive it you’ve got nothing to worry about!). "
You were talking about gout sufferers being advised to avoid purines, but it's the exact analogy I've used for diabetes, that low-carb is not the answer, simply because low-carb is like saying if your car doesn't run very well, not driving it much will prolong the life. Which is true, but not the answer, cause better than not driving it very often would be getting it fixed.
I've been low-carbing for over 2 decades, as I got T2 diabetes in my mid twenties, hit a research library, read bg profiles of the vairous macronutrients for normal, T1 and T2 people. Before ever hearing of Atkins or Bernstein or the Eades, I convinced myself low-carb was the way to go. And after two decades of low carbing, I had an attack of pancreasitis, and my bg never went below 300 again until I got on insulin. I take huge amounts of insulin and my bg still isn't as good as it was 4-5 years ago.
I got on insulin after an MI, which resulted in a CABG, which resulted in being disabled for about 3 years now. Been improving largely after quitting pretty much all the meds the doctors put me on, one-by-one, and starting on raw milk, lots of coconut oil and butter, and hydrocortisone and thyroid (T3-pnly meds, as I have a lot of rT3). I have normal temps now, as I specifically raised thyroid until I did – my temps were never over 97 the first two years after the surgery.
I've gotten better in the last 9 months from the things above than I did in over two years, all of which I was housebound, and much of which I was bedridden. But… I'm not there yet. I still have a lot of fatigue. So… decided my mitochondria are tired and am now trying d-ribose, acetyl-L-carnitine and large doses of B12 and Mg as per Dr. Myhill, who I like a lot. I have just begun, so no telling how successful this will be.
Here's the thing… since I got on meds to fix up my hypoadrenal and hypothyroid problems, I crave carbs all the time. Not sugar. But… whole wheat bread, potatoes, pasta. I've been a very naughty diabetic lately. Your ebook hinting that I could maybe NOT be killing myself with these foods is intriguing.
I see you got your bg down using your methods. But… I'm 99% positive you never had insulin resistance like I do. I wonder if you'd heard of folks using your principles who had REAL serious IR, as in two decades as a diabetic, taking 100 units of insulin a day, etc., improving on your diet.
@Simone, my son has TONS of health problems, stomach issues, tested positive for rheumatoid arthritis, etc. I was talking with his developmental pediatrician and asked him what he thought of Brewer's Yeast because it is a great source of B vitamins (long story) and he was OK with it. But as I was researching on Pub Med/NIH website, I came across stuff about low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) and arthritis and found that B12 helps the body make hydrochloric acid and that it all ties in with low stomach acid, arthritis, and can cause someone to not have a taste for meat at all. Since Brewers Yeast doesn't have B12, I switched him to powdered dessicated liver because fractionated synthetic vitamins are junk and toxic (don't get me started on that, LOL!). I just started this a few days ago. Not much of a difference yet, but he does seem to be a bit hungrier. I'll keep you posted.
On page 5 you write about nearsightedness. Even though diet may affect vision a lot, I think Kaisu Viikari may have the best theory about that. According to her, myopia is very often caused by spasm in ciliary muscle, which can be reversed slowly by using plus-lenses (or bifocals) at least when reading something, but preferably 24/7. In my case her theory has worked, my slight myopia is reduced and I can see significantly better, though not perfectly yet.
Viikari has written several books. Two of them in English. Panacea (500 pages with a lot of theory and information about 2000 patients if I can remember) and her latest extremely simple book "Learn to Understand & Prevent Myopia". I recommend you to check one of those.
Hi all… It's Sugar Addict!!!
I make a really lazy very easy no work spelt bread…. it's a mini loaf so I don't eat to much, but it doesn't make me hungry, or give me the shakes like white flour can… Here it is…
2 cups of wholemeal spelt flour.. (Doves do a good one)
1 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tsp Yeast
1 cup of warm water.
Mix all together in a bowl, cover and leave someplace warm for 2 hours.. (by which time it has usually doubled in size) Preheat oven to 250 C (thats UK think it's about 500 in USA)… if your just making a little round loaf, preheat the plate or tin your going to use (if your using non stick this does't matter but spelt dough is really sticky so it can prevent it sticking. Then using a big metal spoon, turn the dough into itself in the bowl turning the edges into the middle… a bit like a folding action.. it will create a bit of a ball and give it a light mix at the same time, then pour this ball onto the plate and bake straight away, or if your using a non stick mini loaf tin pour the mixture in and leave it to prove for about 10 mins and bake for about 35 mins…. It's not the best bread in the world but it is lovely and its no knead no mess and no time which is even better!!! Spelt flour uses less water than other flours and if you leave it too long it can go abit runny so if your proving it longer than two hours or overnight use less water or more flour because it seems to break down if left to long… also because of this it doesn't need a second prove. I like it anyway so thought I would post in case it helps…. I know I should make a sourdough… but have so far been abiy worried about my ability to commit to it!! Will try one day! See ya :)
First timer here.
Love this site,your humor and your style. Matt thanks so much for the book and all the hard work you do.
As an avid health reader for years, I totally relate to the learn more be more confused state most of us are in.
This past year I was turned on to the HCG diet which initially sounds crazy but then makes total sense when you start to learn how the hypothalmus gland masters the fat burning process. Dr. Simeons who started the protocol was an endocronologist who was light years ahead of his time. His idea that the metabolism could be repaired and reset allowing for extreme and quick weightloss with no loss of muscle worked well and now I'm able to maintain using Dr Mary Enig's and your principles.
I thought it would help your readers who might have a lot to lose, to be able to fix things quickly and then maintain with your methods. The Happily Thinner After site helped me the most.
Forgive me if you've profiled this diet protocol before but I couldn't find any mention of it and it sounds like so much of what you say in regards to the glands and hormones running things. Not calories in calories out…wet blanket theory.
Anyways thanks again… HomeSkillet for helping to change the world. XOX
Hope Aurora is doing fine.
In regards to hCG, I've read articles on the S.P.E.E.D. weight loss blog site about this. The opinion of those blokes, after surveying the literature, is that taking hCG has no effect. Matt, if you ever have time to examine this hCG stuff, I'd be interested to know your take on it.
Really enjoyed the new ebook, Matt. Thanks.
I have a couple of questions about body temperature. In something you wrote, Matt, I recall reading that above Broda's range of 97.8-98.2 is hyperthyroid. Is this true? If so, why are people here trying to raise their temps above that range?
Mine usually hovers around 97.8, give or take .1, having gone up on average .1 or .2 in the past 2 months of HED-type eating.
One or twice a week I'll have an outlying temp, usually low, sometimes high. Do I just disregard these?
Also, my temperature rarely goes up later in the day. In fact, it's often highest first thing in the morning. Does that mean anything?
@Dinsosaur: As for adrenal support. One suggestion from me would be so called "adaptogens". Those are herbs that help the body stay in balance and have a much greater resistance to stress. From increasing energy, to bein anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, immunostimulant etc. those herbs are supposed to do all that. And while this stuff certainly has to be taken with a grain of salt, research actually seems to support most of those claims.
I've made some good experience with rhodiola rosea and Ashwagandha. You can read up a summary about the research done about those plants here and here
Just my two cents. I'd always be wary about supplementation, but I do think that you cannot do much wrong with those herbs when trying to heal your adrenals.
Oh and about coconut oil. I've tried all sorts of coconut oil and I agree that many unrefined oils can be very intense. However the only unrefined oil I could find in Germany tasted like crap, more like sunflower than coconut, that's certainly not right. Right now, I'm using an unrefined oil that is very mild. Certainly quite expensive, but the taste is really great. Fresh and coconutty, but very very mild.
jpatti and Will and Madmuh
Thanks for adrenal advice. Will look into it. Will, do you think the Standard Process supplement helped? How do i find that adrenal health group at Yahoo jpatti? Is there a link?
Valley Mom
I have a 3 and 5 year old and I have come to the conclusion that it is dangerous to overfixate on what they eat. I think it is more important to have them enjoying wholesome, delicious food (I'm constantly trying to improve my cooking skills!) made from the best quality ingredients you can afford and with as much variety as they will tolerate; and to focus on them not having emotional attachments to food (i.e. comfort eating) but enjoying different flavors: sour, sweet, salty, etc. If you limit their diet so much they are going to go crazy when they start being able to make real food choices. As long as you are not cooking with veg oil, tons of sugar and are using the best quality meats and dairy products you can afford and offering them lots of interestingly cooked vegetables then that is the best thing you can do in my opinion.
I actually find it fascinating how small children seem to regulate themselves with food intake if you offer them a wide selection of foods. Sometimes my 3 year old will eat a huge amount of cheese and then I notice over a couple of days or even a week that she doesn't want any cheese and doesn't even drink her milk … and then she wants cheese again. She always loves bananas though! I think they are a great food – relatively starchy after all! I also think different bodies need different food groups. My 5 year old was born big and is a big child and she loves starch whereas my youngest was born small and is still small and she still has yet to eat more than a mouthful of rice or a single potatoe … but she adores fruit. Fruit is her carb of choice. So I just go with it.
Good luck. I think it is so difficult feeding children because we want the very best for them … but I think a healthy attitude towards food is a greater gift than 'healthy' food (because we really don't know what that is for each individual yet … despite all the health gurus claims).
On HCG-
I believe that the HCG has no effect, and relies purely on what could be the greatest weight loss secret – which is basically a whole foods PSMF (protein-sparing modified fast).
As intermittent fasters have noted, when you are in fasted state, you are not hungry and your body is burning fat very effectively. But total fasting eventually leads to muscle loss due to the lack of protein. However, if you keep the total calorie intake down low enough, and still get 1 g per kg of LBM worth of protein (and just enough carb to spare protein), you get the best of the fasted state without lean tissue losses. In fact, a study done in 1931 that I turned Cusick on to http://www.cusickonnutrition.blogspot.com
showed that every single subject lost pure body fat, with not a single ounce of lean tissue loss or a substantial drop in metabolism (compared to averages at each respective weight) for up to 260 days on a diet with only 335 calories per day.
None of the subjects reported ever experiencing hunger either, but were more satiated on 335 calories than their normal diet (typical of fasting).
Anyway, intruguing, and Cusick certainly had that experience while trying it – losing 10 pounds quickly with a lasting blow to his appetite, no drop in body temp., and no rebound whatsoever.
Vida is another commenter who has tried HCG and has had great results, but like I said, I think it has everything to do with the diet and the product that people drop money for is a waste (and sounds sketchy as hell anyway).
I of course remain skeptical as always, that the weight can be kept off or that doing so is safe. Time will tell. Anyone who tries it better re-feed at any drop in body temperature.
Kids these days. All they wanna eat is sugar.
Strangely, when I eat a lot of sugar, I don't want to eat any meat either, but just more sugar.
How can you have any pudding (or substitute fruit) if you don't eat your meat!
I agree. You shouldn't stress over it too much. You are doing a great job of feeding those kids wholesome food. I do find that wanting to eat nothing but sweet stuff and shunning meat to be more of a pattern amongst today's screwy, hypersensitive, not quite right youth. Why can't they just eat the food!
Golden Papaya-
Barnes used desiccated thyroid, and when temps rose about 98.2 his patients often started running into hyperthyroid symptoms. That's unlikely to be achieved through eating lots of healthy food. Even those who have noticed high temps well above that range haven't reported such a thing.
JPatti-
I believe that insulin resistance can be overcome. But there's no doubt that your case is complicated well beyond just insulin resistance, and multiple decades as a diabetic is a hard thing to attempt to reverse. A recently-diagnosed type 2 with a fasting of like 140 mg/dl could easily drop blood sugar however.
But your blood pressure came down tremendously by incorporating some simple dietary changes. You just never know what might happen.
The adrenal group is here: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/ – but it's on hiatus for the week. We get literally hundreds of questions per day, so have to take time off to prevent burnout.
And here I am on my mini mod vacation posting about adrenals. Heh. ;)
WRT to rhodiola and ashwagandha, in our experience, these work best for folks who have both high and low cortisol at various times of day, but an overall normal level of cortisol over the course of the day.
With frankly high cortisol, you're better off lowering it with holy basil, phosphatidyl serine, zinc and/or DHEA.
With low cortisol you're better off frankly raising it with something like Isocort (if not too low) or just flatout hydrocortisone if you're really low.
Everyone is good with some sea salt, vitamin C and B complex – those are good no matter what the stage of adrenal issues.
We also recommend testing your B12 and D status; low B12 and D3 mimic a lot of adrenal and hypothyroid symptoms.
Well Matt, you don't seem to know if someone in my shape would benefit, so I'll consider the experiment.
Given that I keep giving into carb cravings lately, the main difference would be not feeling guilty about it. ;)
I've spent decades guilty about food and exercise so just not doing the guilt is an intriguing idea to me.
LOVED THE BOOK – thanks so much Matt. You're such a great writer, only you could make the topic of health & nutrition absolutely riveting! LOL. Well done.
Thanks Daisy. I think it's always fun and interesting to read what someone had a fun and interesting time writing.
Jpatti-
You never know. Pleasant surprises befall us when we start enjoying life and listening to our bodies instead of trying to boss them around all the time with what so and so said to do.
@Dinosaur, I was POSITIVE I had a thyroid problem but the chiro that I was getting them from didn't have the Thytrophin so I started with the Drenamin for the adrenals. The Drenamin stopped the pounding and racing heart, the dizziness when standing up, etc. I felt 1000x better. Even though I was gaining weight on 1500 calories a day and losing my eyebrows, I didn't notice a massive improvement from adding the THytrophin…it little improvement, but nothing like the Drenamin. You are supposed to only be able to get their supplements through Health Practitioners but I actually get some of them on Amazon.com. They have some of the more common stuff but not an extensive selection.
@jpatti, I would be interested to see how you would do if you replaced your B-100's with either a combination of Brewer's Yeast and Dessicated Liver or just the super-duper Cataplex B from Standard Process. Long story, but I have read, and then witnessed, how synthetic and fractionated B vitamins can be toxic and cause problems on their own but a whole food based supplement can work miracles. I have seen miraculous results with just Brewer's Yeast, but am now realizing that since it doesn't have B12, that adding Dessicated Liver for the additional B12 is probably the way to go.
Matt, just wanna weigh in with my Milk May report. After body temps initially climbed (12 days above 98 and a personal best of 98.4) after my period, they started to fall again. They have been dropping and this a.m. I am 97.2. I haven't been sticking any more or less with milk than I had at the beginning of the milk diet. I replaced at least one or two meals a day with milk every day in May.
I hadn't been monitoring temps as closely in the couple of months prior to the diet. So it's possible that HED had pushed my overall temps up a bit so that they were higher in one half of my cycle than they had been when I started HED.
I will continue replacing 1-2 meals with milk for the rest of the week (I've already bought the stuff!) But if temps remain in the 97s I'll just go back to HED and trying to figure out a way to get that push over the top that my temps need. I'm sad because I really thought that I was so close to it.
I'm reading the e-book now. OMGZ Karakte Kid reference is made of win.
Dinosaur I want to print out what you wrote and tape it to my fridge.
My pediatrician recommended cutting out fruit juice as a regular thing. I've cut back fruit to be a treat at our house. My son still eats a piece a day, but nothing like he was doing before. I replaced the fruit juice with whole milk and it's done wonders for his growth. He has moved from being underweight and average height for his age to being average weight and above average height.
I also did what dinosaur suggested: exposing him to lots of different flavors. My kid loves blue cheese. He'll eat gorgonzola with a spoon if you let him. I think part of his problem was he wasn't getting enough fat. When that was corrected with the milk, it balanced things out. He still craves sugar and shuns meat, but we quote the Pink Floyd to him daily:
"How can you have your pudding if you don't eat your meat."
He seems to be the same body type as my husband, tall and thin and builds muscle easily, metabolizes food quickly. (Seriously, thank you gene-gods for this. My check is in the mail.) Like my husband he is a starch lover. Fresh corn, potatoes, rice, good quality bread are what he lives on. He would eat spaghetti and meat balls (without the meatballs) every night if I let him. I try not to stress too much about impurities and quality. He doesn't eat every meal at home, and he won't for the most of his life. I try to cook for him as much as possible and hope that he'll develop a taste for nutritious foods as he gets older. What else can ya do really?
@ WILL – thanks for the rec on B12, that is very interesting. Never thought of that. What about Nutritional Yeast? Any idea?
@DINOSAUR – I agree, I've noticed the same thing with my kids. They seem to go through phases, craving different foods. My 3 yr old will avoid meat for 2 weeks straight then I'll make some meatballs and he'll scarf down 10 in one sitting. So who knows! I figure something in their bodies must be regulating what they need. I don't give them any sugar or candy, with the exception of Stonyfield yogurt for the 3 yr old on occasion. I fret a little bit more about the 3 yr old because he was fully vaccinated, before I knew better. I took him to a Naturopath in the fall and she determined he is deficient in nutrients. I decided going gluten-free was a big step. We've also been taking fermented cod liver oil but I'm just not so sure about that stuff. I saw more improvements just taking regular Carlsons Cod Liver which doesn't have the Vitamin A.
My daughter is not vaccinated, she is 14 months old and has never been sick a day in her life, with the exception of a fever for 24 hours right before her first birthday. Seemed more like an immune response then a sickness. She doesn't eat grains or sugar and has had almost zero exposure to vegetable oils. She is average weight, above average height and has maintained her growth since birth. I'm just a little worried about her possibly having Anemia since she doesn't eat iron-fortified cereals and not much meat, but a lot of yogurt, salmon, cheese, etc… wonder if I should get her tested, thoughts on that? I would go to a Naturopath, a regular doctor would probably freak if he knew I wasn't giving her "normal baby food".
My kids don't get juice, just whole fruit in smoothies. My son doesn't even like fruit juice when it's offered to him!! :D
I have read that increased protein can help children who are growth restricted.
@ Jennythenipper: My husband is the same, tall, well built, incredible metabolism and seems to get away with eating fast food every day. Thank goodness for good genes, but he can't stay health forever eating McD's every day. I notice his skin colour changes when he stops eating fast food – goes from red to more yellowish, and the puffiness goes away almost immediately.
Simone
Matt, I don't know if anyone has said this already, but in a relatively high fat diet, the increased vitamin E (ideally) and saturated fat would both be protective against O6 and PUFAs. The O3-O6 may also stay equal if there's enough sea food. In a low fat diet, however, one may have to be even more careful, since every gram of O6 counts more in proportion to saturated fat. Peat says that rats fet veg oils as the only source of fat are equally prone to cancer in both low and high fat diets. Or, in other words, vegan low fat is still very, very stupid.
And would be even if the case was not so, but your get my point.
I do get your point, and yes, low-fat vegan is stupid except for really acute diseases when you're like 68 years old – like perhaps heart disease. Do it for too long and you're in bad shape. Well, I don't have to remind you of that one.
Thanks Jenny. You nailed it. Ain't nothing more you can do without being psycho mom.
Simone-
Very doubtful that your kids have anemia. If they do, it's very unlikely that it stems from iron deficiency – which is an extremely rare version of anemia rarely witnessed in the Western world.
Matt,
"Muscle, however, is more like 1,500 calories per pound"
I had actually read 600-something calories a few months ago, but I don't have the source. May I ask where 1500 came from?
Thanks for the ebook Matt, I enjoyed it. I like that you are able to remain open to different information that doesn't necessarily jive with your current beliefs (i.e. natural fruit sugars being potentially healing).
Perhaps because I work in research, I feel the need to defend studies. Controlled experiments are an important way of supporting theories. Taken in isolation, their results can be misinterpreted if one doesn't see the big picture. But put together and used appropriately they can help tell a story of what is really going on. If we were to only look at healthy societies, for example, it is impossible to isolate all variables or to even know what variables are in play.
So I don't think pointing to a study is in itself a cheap tactic, if the experiment is well designed and does in fact provide evidence that supports an argument. We just need to understand them for what they are and not take read in too much to a single result.
EL 66K,
You said… "in a relatively high fat diet, the increased vitamin E (ideally) and saturated fat would both be protective against O6 and PUFAs. The O3-O6 may also stay equal if there's enough sea food."
Very interesting. Can you point me to where I can find more info on that?
Matt,
I was hoping you would, but you didn't respond to that part of EL 66K's comment. What are your thoughts on it?
BTW, I really enjoy your blog :)
Does refined coconut oil still have any vitamin E in it?
@kilton You seem to be right. One pound of beefsteak trimmed of fat is 641 calories according to nutritiondata.com. Apparently, muscle has even fewer calories than Matt says.
Never thought about it before, that it could take so few calories to put on lean mass as compared to fat.
@Matt, you need to install a forum, these comments are an awkward way to hold discussions.
@Everyone – Never found a group of people who'd read all the stuff I've read before. Usually, in a group, I'm the know-it-all wrt nutrition. Very kewl to be here.
Since properly giving up all sugar (including fruit) for the first time in a LONG time, I'm detoxing like mad yet feeling healthier already, my digestion is better and my hands & feet feel warm for once, not icy cold. I'm so glad I decided to do this instead of dabbling in Ray Peat-ism any longer. Not saying it doesn't/can't work for anyone, but for me it was bad news because it almost convinced me that sugar was healthy for me and gave me an excuse to justify my sugar addiction.
The fructose-leptin connection is interesting.
Hey Matt and everyone,
Maybe some of you folks can share some words. I've been RRARfing it up for about a month or two now, and in the last few days am having a bit of a crisis of confidence- I'm fatter than I think I've ever been. My waist is bigger and I dislike my body composition more than I have in many years. I want to keep at it, but my short term fears make me want to low carb again, or start plowing at the treadmill or something. I've lost weight before that way eating less and exercising more, and actually kept a bunch off, maybe because I was inadvertantly doing HIIT and lowering my set point. Still- in all honesty neither my lady nor I are fans of the fat gain. Set point theory and the principles behind RRARF all make sense, and I even see this as a sort of permaculture way of building health and losing weight- initial up front effects that are unimpressive, but building health and abundance long term. My food has been super clean- no refined sugars, no vegetable oils, highest quality produce, grass fed raw dairy, etc. So I try to keep in mind that if I'm gaining weight on whole foods, it's because my body needs to put the weight on to heal and feel safe again to rebuild muscle. I'm trying to keep a long term picture in mind here, but I look in the mirror and it's tough sometimes.
Other people experiencing this? Any words to share? your help would be much appreciated.
Also- I'm not even by most standards overweight. Just low on lean tissue, I guess. 5'11, 155lbs. My waist has just gone up probably 3 or 4 inches, from 31", 32" to 35" and I'm having a hard time looking past that. Thanks for any help.
I have also gained some weight over the past couple of months of HED. 3 or 4 kilos altogether, some muscle, but definitely some fat around the middle, too, which I'm not thrilled about.
Hopefully it will go away eventually, but honestly I feel so much better, especially mentally, eating this way, that even if it doesn't I'll be ok with it.
@Rob…yep, been there, LOL! Except I was almost 200lb with a waist that was quickly approaching 40 inches. I was having trouble tying my shoes and labored breathing so I had to stop doing HED the way that I was doing it (loading baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, and cheese!). That was when I started carb cycling. That allowed me to eat lots of each macronutrient, just not at the same meals. I think that HED acted as a slingshot where I was going the opposite way of where I wanted to go, but when I switched it up, I started flying in the right direction. Even when I started carb cycling, I learned from Matt that I shouldn't be hungry, eat good quality whole foods, etc., etc. Hang in there!
RobA,
Of course you gained fat! When you eat more calories than you burn your body will store the calories as fat, especially when you are sedentary. Just because you are eating "healthy" foods does't mean it wont be stored as fat, it doesn't matter if you are eating raw milk and organic veggies, and avoiding oils and sugars.
At your height/weight with a 35" waist means you have very low LBM and high BF%. Doing low carb dieting for so long probably stripped all of the muscle off your body since the diet is so catabolic, so you shouldn't go back to that. Now you are eating too many carbs and the fat is going straight to your waist which means you may need to raise your carbs more slowly until you can tolerate them better. You should be more moderate with your carb intake, but not too low.
GoldenPapaya,
You have the right attitude. If you feel better with a little extra fat then that is OK. No need for everyone to be super lean.
Rob – I know exactly how you feel right now. I'm a female high school senior, about to graduate… and while even at my highest weight i don't look "fat", I still feel very uncomfortable having extra fat. I guess I just am remorseful that I ever dieted in the first place.. I would've have to deal with this! Hah.
I try to keep that objective mindset, and it helps me keep my mind off the fact that I went from a size 0-2 to a 6 in the past couple months. Keep in mind, I'm only 5'2" ;)
I slowly upped my carbs, BTW.
Rob A:
I'm with you there too. I've actually gained around 10 kilos probably a bit less. While I think there certainly were some quite some lean mass gains in there as well, a lot of it obviously was fat aswell. For some reason though I store pretty much all of it in (at?) my lower body. This is certainly still has it's benefits, as I'm still looking fairly lean shirtless, but it also kinda bugs me, because I'm looking a little "unproportioned" and cannot wear most of my pants anymore. :-(
Even though my extra fat is pretty unnocitable most of the time (as long as I'm wearing some comfortable jeans) I still kinda freak out every now and then and think "scre this shit, I need to lose some weight", even though I know this is totally irrational because I still look rather lean by most standards. However those freak-outs only last ten minutes or so and I think an important part of most peoples healing process is swallowing that bitter pill for a while and learn to like your body whether you have some extra fat on or not.
I think some of those Gabriel woo-woo methods can definitely help with that, although I don't do that stuff.
However I'm practicing meditation and am looking into doing some positive affirmations or something, because I think both of those things are some very powerful tools.
@ Rob: Hang in there. I have experienced simular things except I have gone from wearing 34" to 36". After about 8 weeks things leveled out and weight gain seems to have stopped. I am about 185-190lbs now @ 6ft1 and I used to be around 175-178lbs plus I also started lifting weights again upon starting HED so some weight is muscle for sure.
My body seems pretty happy here for the time being but I am holding more fat than I would like. So hopefully it will drop off with time. I think it already is starting to as trousers are getting a bit looser in spite of weight being the same.
Saying this I have never been doing HED in the way Will did with the triple topped taters. I just eat to appetite more a less including lots of good carbs. I do not go crazy on the fat but don't avoid it either. Since eating carbs again my appetite for protein has gone down loads. In my Paleo days I would eat half a chicken for dinner with veggies. Now I only have about 1 breast with a good serving of taters and vegetables/salad…..
In retrospect it seems most of the fat gain came during the first 2 months when my body was shocked at not only the carb intake (which I tapered in BTW) but the increase in overall calories as being free to eat from all food groups opened up the floodgate in terms of appetito.
Stay strong and have faith the fat gain will stop and you will start leaning out.
Oh and Matt, awesome book by the way. Not completely through it, but I really like it.
I just read the part where you said to have at least 8 hours of sleep per day. Do you think this still applies for summer? It kinda seems natural to me to sleep less during summer and I noticed that I'm definitely getting tired later in the day now that the sun is finally out. However I think I could do with a little more sleep, especially, because I woke up at 5:20 a.m. just today (because I was so stupid to set my alarm clock precisely one hour earlier than I need to (yay!)).
Hey Rob, where are you are your temps at now? Have you made health gains? How are yo feeling beside the insecurity about the number on your pants?
I think we all go through this. You are looking at undoing years of programming to think a certain way about your body. Thin = healthy. I can look at myself a year ago, twenty pounds lighter (and only one pants size by the way, I know I've regained some lean mass out of this) and know that I didn't feel as good as I do today. I also had more insecurities about my body than I do now. I am keeping two ideas in my head right now. I would honestly be OK with my current weight for the rest of my life. I imagine my ideal body as much leaner and am trying to get there. I will not get there through undoing the gains in health I've made. If there is a way to get lean while maintaining these health gains, I will do it. Otherwise forget it.
Daisy: I agree. I used Ray Peatism to feed my sugar addiction. HED+ fructose was bad news for me. I put on pounds in the middle quicker than anything. I quit after a few weeks.
Chris said: "Saying this I have never been doing HED in the way Will did with the triple topped taters. I just eat to appetite more a less including lots of good carbs. I do not go crazy on the fat but don't avoid it either. Since eating carbs again my appetite for protein has gone down loads. In my Paleo days I would eat half a chicken for dinner with veggies. Now I only have about 1 breast with a good serving of taters and vegetables/salad…."
I was the same. When I first went on HED I was fat starved and had been doing endurance sports without enough carbs. I was choking down tons of lean protein every day to stay satiated. I still try to build my meals around protein, but I don't eat anything like the amount I did before doing HED. I went on HED a year ago and started eating fat and starchy carbs like never before. Around January of this year I found my cravings for fat and starchy carbs start to subside. Lately I've been craving veggies more than anything. When allowed to eat to appetite, your body will figure out what it needs.
@Rob,
Hard to think this way, but the weight gain can be thought of as healing, glad your thinking that way. How has your basal temp been responding?
I am at 8 months of HED/RRARF this week. My weight gain is still stable at 10lbs over the 8 months; I'm 195 – 6'1, so bodyfat percentage is slightly up. Yep hard to look in the mirror, but it took many many years to get messed up, so hang in there, it could take many years to heal up!
Have seen the biggest body fat gains/changes in the last few weeks, after doing a one week raw milk diet. The raw milk diet I dropped my basal from 97.4 to 97.0, and I lost 3lbs. This was due to lactose issues, that I could not overcome. So big rebound affect when back on starch/sat fat/meat, and my basal is slowly starting to creep up again. I gained back the 3 pounds, but I think I lost some lean mass with that rebound… be careful with the dieting.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement.
@JT- I was only super low carb for a few months, so I'm not sure if that cannibalized much muscle- the main downsides were sleep trouble and a crazy obsession with avoiding carby food. I don't think I'll go back, even though I did slim out some.
My main body comp concern are the love handles I've had since I was an early teen (nearly 26 now, so half my life). Even losing weight in high school, weight lifting, putting on muscle and getting to 8% body fat by college didn't seem to help- they always stayed. At one point, I got so thin that an ex- thought I had an eating disorder. So I think there's something going on besides the calories and besides the exercise routine. Some reason my body wants to hold onto the fat there. We can get Jon Gabriel about it and look to the exit of my grandparents around that time 11, 12 yo, leaving me in an unstable household that they had previously protected me from somewhat, and that fat protecting me on some level. Makes sense, but recognizing it alone doesn't seem to resolve the issue.
@ Chris- thanks man. It'd be nice if the weight reached its max sometime soon- I have hope that it will. I'm also thinking of lifting weight maybe, or just doing some exercise, like Tabata sprints a couple times a week. Just to see what the effect would be in maybe re-calibrating the hormonal environment.
@Jennythenipper- Temps I think are going up. I had early readings sometimes of 94.6, but more commonly high 95s to mid 96s. I've hit 98 sometimes recently, but it remains erratic. Had a 97.9 day followed by a 95.8 day last week. so it's hard to say. Other health gains I haven't seen much of. I feel generally alright, but not as energetic as I'd like. Various minor concerns- warts on my had that broke out a couple months ago, dry skin, dandruff. No headway yet. Hands and feet seem warmer, but it's also summer, so I don't know what to make of it. It does feel good, though, to eat a lot and feel nourished and imagine that I'm helping myself.
Also- I've noticed my protein needs go down too as I've eaten more starch- a bit of meat or a few eggs does the trick, where a few months ago, I'd be ravenous and could eat through 8 eggs in a serving or a pound of meat.
@ MadMUHH- I think that woo-woo stuff is legit, for me anyway, and was thinking of that today. I think focusing on that sort of acceptance is important, and Gabriel even says that coming to those terms makes it possible for the weight to come off, since it's no longer an issue that demands attention, even if the attention comes in the form of extra lbs.
Thanks again everyone- appreciate the kind words.
RobA,
You may be carb intolerant accroding to Charles Poliquin who is one of the top strength coaches in the world. he says that he as found that people who hold the fat around the love handles cannot handle too many carbs. Like i said, be more moderat with your carb intake if the fat bothers you. You could also work your way up into a higher volume bodybuilding routine so that you can utilize more of the carbs you eat. Check out Scott Abel's Metabolic Enhancement Training which will be the best you can get.
What's surprising is that not everyone gains when eating to appetite of mixed, unprocessed foods – even while sedentary. I still get e-mail from people who lost weight instantly. Pretty amazing.
But I went through it too Rob, albeit I ate very uncleanly to add the love handles and lil' belly. All my weight gain occurred in 7-8 weeks – about 20 pounds from lowest to highest.
But still, I got to the point where I was eating to appetite and actually losing weight. In April I had lost 7 pounds YTD, eating uncleanly, to appetite, no exercise.
Right now as I resume exercise and eat very cleanly, I'll lose very quickly. At 5'9", 35" waist, and 190 pounds I'm pretty muscular for a non-weightlifter. I did gain a couple inches in the waist.
I always think back to the Ancel Keys subjects, who, upon eating to appetite after losing all that healthy tissue and having their body temps. fall to below 96 degrees, gained weight around the abdomen and love handles at a rapid rate. Their appetites, especially for the fat/sugar combo. was insatiable. That was step 1. At this point they complained of feeling fat and weak and had self-confidence/body image issues for the first time in their lives. Step 2 was rebuilding a bunch of lean mass lost in the arms, legs, and torso. Last was a drop in appetite, a completion of metabolic healing, and a drop in body fat nearly to where it was at the start of the experiment.
Total time elapsed: 58 weeks.
And that was pounding a lot of milkshakes, sodas, pastries – no mind for quality or anything like that.
JT-
You're still not seeing the point here. Eating more than your body can burn? We're trying to change the unconcious automatic factors involved in weight regulation, just like the guys in Keys's study witnessed – every single one of them.
Step1 – They ate more than they burned
Step 2 – Built muscle out of the excess they ingested due to rise in metabolism and corresponding anabolic hormone production
Step 3 – High metabolism paired with blunted appetite. During weeks 33 to 58 they lost fat eating as much food as they wanted while living their lives as usual.
I've been in that stage all year long. Only actively force-feeding myself or sugar binging has been able to stall fat loss, but the moment I stop fat loss resumes again.
Undertow-
Are you still eating 4 meals per day or back to 3? I'm thinking you might get more bang per calorie by increasing your meal spacing/decreasing meal frequency. Seems to help, and help with body composition/calorie partitioning.
Madmuhh-
Less sleep in the summer is probably totally fine and natural. It probably also leads to more of a seasonal physiology, losing fat in the summer and gaining it prior to hibernation.
On LBM calculations – which is further discussed in the newest blog post…
LBM is 2/3 to 3/4 water – which is why a lean steak has 600 calories – 150 grams of pure protein.
But 150 grams is only 150 grams – .35 pounds roughly.
So, technically if you lost 9 pounds of lean mass, you would be losing more like 6 pounds of water and 3 pounds of protein (which would be 454 grams * 4 calories per gram * 3 pounds = 5448 calories).
So technically, 1 pound of pure protein, or 454 grams, is more like 1816 calories.
1 pound of LBM that is 66% water = about 600 calories
So if you don't account for water loss, LBM has 600 calories per pound like Venuto states.
If you account for water loss, pure body protein accounts for 1816 calories per pound.
Since fat has 9 calories per gram, technically 1 pound of pure fat represents 4086 calories. The 3,500 calorie per pound standard must account for water and other fluids and cell membranes and what not.
9 calories/4 calories = 2.25
3500 calories/2.25 = 1555 calories
That's how I got 1500 calories per pound, but clearly that is inaccurate. I'll update this on the latest post.
Getting a little bit nervous here, reading about people that have gained 10-15 pounds on a 6 foot frame. In the last 4 months of RRARRF, I've put on at least 25 lbs (not sure what it is now since I made my husband hide the scale over a month ago) on my 5'7" frame. I think it might be even more than that, considering the continuing tightness of my pants.
I feel better, mood-wise and energy-wise. My temps came up pretty quickly, from around 97.4 – 97.5 to 98.0 most mornings.
I cut out sugar (actually mostly sugar-substitutes since I was LC for the last 1.5 years) and PUFA's, already didn't do caffeine or nicotine. The only indulgence I've kept is a few squares of dark chocolate every day – which as of today, I'm cutting out too.
I just wonder if I'm doing something wrong, or if I'm just not patient enough. I'm more than a little uncomfortable with all this extra weight, esp. since most of it is around my midsection. Ugh.
I switched back to 3 meals after about 2 weeks ago, I found that after 7.5 months, 4 large mixed meals per day was getting harder to get down, being 3hrs apart. Lack of hunger I guess, although I never felt too full eating 4 meals per day. Plus 3 meals is easier then planning for 4. Basically I eat the quantity of 4 meals spaced out in 3 now.
I am at week 32 of the Ancel keys study, if we look at it that way. I am going to keep at this for at least 52 – 60 weeks (hoping the basal will finally get to ~98.0 after a year, time will tell), before I start to incorporate back some moderate exercise. That will most likely be body weight exercises and light squats/DL's, and maybe a couple skipped IF breakfasts during the week.
Matt,
I understand what you are trying to do, and I don't even think it is a bad thing necessarily. I just want the people to know what to expect when they eat a ton and remain sedentary. You need to tell your followers to expect to get fatter and be cool with it.
Undertow-
I think you'll be fine to get back into some exercise.
Danyelle-
Once the temps come up, I don't think there's much need to continue forcing yourself to eat as much as possible. As you'll note in the free eBook, I'm saying that one month is probably the most effective window of time – and make a note about it being open to experimentation – such as "intermittent" overfeeding and such.
I think you could easily lose weight from the state you are in if that's what you're looking to do, and those temps. and feeling good will probably stick. Just eat plenty of protein as you try to lose some fat and watch the thermometer to make sure your body isn't fighting against it.
This will be a primary focus of 180 this summer, and I don't anticipate you, or anyone with a body temp like that having any trouble getting lean. For starters, I would reduce meal frequency. A good way to get things started would be a short 18-24 hour fast to force your body into fat burning mode, which kills appetite and can even bring metabolism up even higher.
I'll be posting about this kind of thing throughout July and August.
JT-
Some gain and some lose eating to appetite while sedentary. Richard Johnson points to trials in which subjects on a no-fructose diet automatically reduced calorie intake by 25% while reporting the same level, or an even greater level of satiation than the controls.
It's usually just long-time low-carbers, or those who are really underweight with very low body temps that see substantial (more than 10 pound) increases in fat.
Matt,
It looks like most of the people here are gaining weight. Maybe this is a good thing, I don't know, you can be chubby and healthy probably. I think the biggest flaw in your program is the lack of exercise, this was key in my recovery as it normalizes hormones and helps with carb tolerance which is why Schwarzbein recommends it for recovery too. I now have to force feed myself just to maintain my weight because my activity level is so high. I also do no cardio which is important because I don't want to do metabolic damage. I feel the best I ever have and I eat a ton of sugar/fructose!
If you are going to insist your followers stay sedentary then at least tell them to moderate their carb intake so they don't get really fat.
Can you show me where to find more info on Johnson's study?
Thanks Matt.
I haven't exactly been forcing food down the last 2 months, just eating to appetite, but the spontaneous appetite reduction has been elusive. I'll try the short fast and then spacing out my meals.
You sure sound positive. I'll let you know if I notice any changes.
Oh, and the other thing I wanted readers to know is that besides improved mood and better energy and increased temps, my allergies (pasteurized dairy, seasonal and pet hair) have almost disappeared. It's kind of a big deal.
I'm in the same place as undertow. I'm thinking about adding back in exercise. I have remained reasonably active, not sedentary all along. I have a four year old kid, it's pretty tough not to remain sedentary. I go on walks where I end up carrying him (40 pounds of wiggling monkey) for substantial periods. I just haven't done regular exercise like I was when I started– running 15-20 miles a week and lifting weights five days a week.
Danyelle: I was clinging to my dark chocolate squares too 1-3 per day usually, not even a "serving size" according to the packet. Milk helped me kick those. It really put the breaks on my sweet cravings.
@ Dinosaur/ValleyMom/Jenny: When I first got off the low-fat kick two years ago and allowed real butter in our home my kids would eat it by the spoonful. They would seriously ask for a spoonful of butter. They both experienced a growth spurt at that time, too. Now they still love butter but they never ask for it like that anymore.
@ the general weight issue: I've gained 25 lbs since 2008 (starting at my lowest weight since puberty after yo-yo dieting for several years) when I started eating somewhat normal amounts of real food (12 of which came after starting HED early this year and officially swearing off dieting). By my numbers about half of it is lean body mass (woo hoo for strong bones!), so high marks there.
I'm with the rest of you. I'm at the borderline of acceptable weight gain, feeling uncomfortable wearing this size in jeans and wishing the fat would magically come off in a hurry! Then again, I've got two kids and a passle of animals to take care of, I just had surgery in March and have yet again unsuccessfuly dabbled in IF (back acne and donut cravings tell all if I want to know whether or not I'm taxing my adrenals).
I think being impatient is probably the biggest danger here. I think trying to force any weight off my rear is going to result in a setback.
Okay, done with the venting here. Just glad I'm not alone! Choosing health over weight is not easy, but every time I focus on weight my health flounders.
Just wanted to say thanks so much for the site and the e-book!
Love the HED, and having been there and done that as far as various diets, really feel that eating lots of nutritious whole foods and getting plenty of rest actually makes sense.
Have definitely put on weight since I stopped dieting a few months back, but from everything I've read, it can take about a year or two for the body to really get out of famine mode and start naturally shedding fat. But after all the diets, nagging health issues, obsessions, and quest for a sustainable way of eating that actually works, it seems well worth it to be patient in exchange for a future of naturally healthy body composition.
Yay RRARF! :)
I am the same as you gals on the borderline acceptable weight gain. I am fatter than i have been in 25 years and have cellulite on my legs that i never had before and almost no clothes fit. i was at 127lbs and around 18% BF at 5'6 starting 7 months ago, which was not under or over weight I am now around 142lbs and 23+% bodyfat. I ate to appetite only and didn't force feed myself on HED. I tried reducing my calories down to 1300 doing a protein sparing type range of macros and reintroduced tennis and weights in April and lost nothing so it is hard to know how to progress now as i am not happy at this size or amount of bodyfat. My temps have come up a bit but were never very very low. The positive for me has been overcoming carbophobia :) i have had no other physical improvements but then i wasn't really suffering with anything either and i have always eg prioritized no sugar, whole foods and rest, so none of this was new. Maybe just more patience is needed
Just wanted to chime in with my on progress and questions.
I'm curious to know, all of you who have gained since starting HED, what is your dieting history? What kind of diet did you eat and for how long before starting HED? I just can't help but think that it's those who did LOW-CARB (or other metab-damaging diets) for prolonged period of time, who are experiencing the significant gains. I think not only are ex LOW-CARBERS (and others) going to gain, but it will take longer to heal. BTW, I did experiment with low-carb for a short time (less than a year) over 6 years ago. But through lots of research, I've since learned much of what Matt has discovered. I've experimented with different things too.
I'm female, late 30s, 5'3" and no idea what my fat % is. My usual weight is about 110-115, but I had been progressively gaining recently. Probably from NOT EATING ENOUGH. I've always eaten relatively healthy – not by our government or society's standards – I've always known not to fear saturated/animal fat, nor carbs. And to avoid HFCS, PUFAs, food adds, etc. And I cut out refined sugar (for the most part) a long time ago. But do eat natural sugars like in fruit.
These are my dietary rules. If it was made by nature, I will eat it. If it's made or processed by man, I usually won't eat it.
I started HED about 2 weeks ago. I was about 126 when I started – but not sure of exact weight because I didn't weigh myself on day one. I'm eating a lot more than usual, upped my fat & carb intake, and eating moderate protein. No exercise. I've gained a little. This morning I weighed 132.4, which is what I've weighed for the past 3 days now. So the weight gain seems to have stopped (for now). My body temp is up to 98.0.
At first I was not thrilled about the gaining BUT I FEEL AMAZING! I sleep soooo much better! I used to wake up several times, I don't wake up during the night anymore. My skin is getting soooo soft – used to be really dry. No more gas. Lots of energy, great mood – feel good sense of well-being. And too many other health improvements to list. BTW, I've noticed my body is reshaping, so I don't think the weight gain was all fat, I think some is muscle and/or other lean mass that my body is restoring.
Ladies (and gents), I think as your body heals the weight thing will take care of itself. And remember that the number on the scale means nothing. If you like how you look, then it doesn't matter how much you weigh.
Oh and MATT, I would still love to hear your thoughts on EL 66K's comments about Vit E :)
And is it possible for body temp to go from 97.7 to 98.0 in 24 hours? Mine did. It was 97.7 yesterday morning and this am it was 98 even. Is this good, bad, or neither?
Anonymous yes my temp can vary by 0.2?C from day to day, which half of the menstrual month are you in? 98 is great :) I had been lowish carb for 18 months before trying HED (50-100gr of carbs per day), and lowish cals before that + overexercising for some of that time (tho not for a year prior to HED).. I am not worried at all about scale weight I gauge it on how i look and fitting in clothes, it it this i am not happy with. I also lost muscle mass due to stopping weight training for 6 months. I do agree i think us low carbers probably have gained the most and things may take longer to rectify. It is great that you feel so good and are seeing lots of other improvements, i think that can help counterbalance the perspective on the fat gain ;)
Like jennythenipper I too am chasing around a little youngster, that and walking about 45mins daily are my exercise for now. I want to wait until my basal responds, and I atleast hit 97.8 before I add back in weights and maybe occasional sprints. 97.4 is the highest I have hit in the 8 months on RRARF so far. But that is up from 96.8 in the beginning.
@anonymous, I was doing very low-carb for 9months and low-carb for 3months, before I started HED/RRARF, I quickly gained 10lbs, in the first few months. And no weight movement in the last 5months, even though I increased caloric intake over those 5 months. My body is really re-shaping it self as well.
Hi Jedi
Yeah, speaking of monthly cycle… I'm glad you asked that. I meant to say that some (or all) of the weight gain in the last 2 weeks could be from pre-cycle water retention (should be starting any day now).
Was that the reason you asked or was there another reason?
I've never been that big on weighing myself either – I've always judged by how I look with no clothes on and how clothes fit too :) I hate to see women get caught up in the "number" on the scale. Like Matt said about his schmookie-wookie, she looks great at 130… a lot of women would be terrified by that number.
I feel great and the way my body is (only 2 weeks in) already reshaping, I'm sure I will soon LOOK great too. And I will be fine with being (it's now about 15lbs) higher than my usual weight :)
BTW, this is "Anonymous" …just created a profile (well a display name and photo anyway :)
Hello all!
undertow, thanks for the feedback :)
On temperature variation, if your temps are just low, that points to thyroid. If your temps are swinging wildly, that points to your adrenals.
Cherokee,
Thanks for your story and input. We always love reading of where people came from, their past experiences, etc. As well, business committments mean that I am way behind on things happening with this great blog, so just getting caught up!
I have never dieted, per se. Oh, I have gone lower carb, but NOT low carb as it is defined. I doubt I have metabolic damage from dieting, but likely have some from eating too much refined sugar, PUFA's and the like.
What I have always enjoyed is eating and working out. Due to pretty favorable genetics, I have gotten big (lots of muscle added, but fat as well, classic overbulking). Shade under 5'8" and just over 240. I have referred to myself as "stocky", "chunky", "husky", etc. LOL Being right around 20% bodyfat means I am carrying 190-195 pounds of LBM. I am in this more for the health side of things, much more so. Oh, as I get leaner, the physique is going to really come out and will not complain about that. But I do want to experience that which those are healing talk about here. The uninterrupted nights of sleep (and deeper sleep as well), the better skin tone, the lack of digestive problems, the general feeling of well being.
Now I have recently taken a step backwards. All in the last month or so. Eating crap (and too much of it), just plain sloppy on my part. My weight is holding steady at 243 (have gained 6 since starting the HED/RRARF thing), but now my morning temps are down to 96.1 when I was over 97 a few months ago and making great progress (one day last week I was at 95.8). I just finished the ebook from Matt and will try and get back into the full swing of things ASAP. Eating to appetite and then HED for as long as it takes. My challenge is that "eating as much as possible within 30 minutes of awakening". I just do not have the appetite for lots of solid food first thing in the morning. Am going to experiment with my own homemade weight gainer (lots of calories) types of drinks. Just drink down a 1000 calories first thing and go form there.
Will,
That's an interesting point. My temps tend to fluctuate, and I think maybe are coming up, but they certain swing up and down. Can you tell me more and/or direct me to where I can find more information about how to distinguish between thyroid and adrenal issues?
And, if it is more adrenal issues, what's the best route? Check out that Adrenal Support Yahoo group?
Also- everyone responding to me before, thanks again. That gaining weight around the belly first thing you mention, Matt, certainly applies in my case. I've been at this for sort of a month or two, maybe I'll give it another few weeks and begin eating just to appetite, and not actively trying to stuff myself. Coupled with a bit of sprinting, maybe I can kick start the lean gains and fat loss I'm looking for. We'll see.
WILL, when you say "swinging wildly" do you mean going up and down or are you referring to the jump up that mine made in 24 hours? I'm curious now to see what it is in the am.
GREENMONSTER, thanks for your input too. I am doing it mostly for health reasons too. I knew that my recent progressive weight gain (before HED) was my body telling me that something was wrong – which is what made me decide to address it.
I really do believe that Matt is on to something here. I realize, like even he admits, that he doesn't have all the answers, but definitely feel that he's on the right track, based on my own knowledge and health research. And I like that, like me, he remains open-minded and objective – unlike the "gurus" who stick to their narrow-minded conclusions no matter what or how much evidence to the contrary comes along.
I really hope that those of you who are getting discouraged by the weight gain will stick with it. It's going to take some time for your body to adjust FROM low-carb or whatever dieting you did before HED, first, and THEN time to heal. Hang in there. And please keep us all posted on your progress :)
UNDERTOW, good to know that your weight gain stopped at 10lbs and you're experiencing reshaping too.
I think that's something that we should all keep in mind. We were all surely lacking some muscle and other lean body mass from past dieting, that doing HED will restore and we'll experience body re-contouring – which is why the number on the scale means very little in the big picture for me.
Cherokee,
Low stable temps are usually thyroid related, temps that spike say ~0.5F day to day are considered adrenal. Start here: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/temperature/
Ya glad the weight gain stopped fairly quickly for me, body re-composition is still changing, which is making my posture better, posted this before, but large lean mass gains in my core. Although might also be attributed to organ growth as well. Time will tell, but I am committed to eating this way for my health and my family. I take real pride in cooking and feeding my fam this way.
My daycare provider was laughing at how lean and light my 3yr old is, lighter then some of the 1yr olds. Yep that is what whole foods and lots of butter, cream, raw milk, and coconut oil can do, as I get perplexed stares ;)
There's a great deal of info regarding adrenal and thyroid problems on Dr. Rind's website. See overview here: http://www.drrind.com/therapies/metabolic-therapy and a chart outlining symptoms of adrenal or thyroid or both here: http://www.drrind.com/therapies/metabolic-scorecard
His method of tracking your temperature is to take it three times daily (around 3, 6, and 9 hours after waking and at least 20 minutes after eating, drinking, or activity). This is averaged for the day and charted over a long period of time. So no, I don't think a jump of several tenths of a degree from one morning to the next would be that significant without being part of a general pattern.
For anyone who cares, these website pages were published in Wise Traditions (Weston Price Foundation's journal) a few issues ago.
Thanks for the book, Matt! We've been internet-light for awhile, so it's good to have downloaded things to read. I'm trying to share you with my family without being too evangelical…
JT, I ate 3000+ cals a day for over a year and didn't gain a thing – plus I don't really exercise. And I'm a little person. So it's definitely not calories in – calories out. Diet was high fat, moderate carbs, mostly fruit, lots of veggies, and moderate protein, but lots of nuts.
Of course, now that I've added in about 1000 more calories a day of starches, cut out fruit and PUFAs, and eat "balanced" at every single darn meal, I'm finally gaining – all in the tushie and tummy. From 120 to 130 in a month. I too don't like the tight pants. I haven't really decided if I feel any better yet though. Probably because I still don't get nearly enough sleep. I'm also comparing how I feel now to when I was taking Armour – that was my best health ever. But then it became hard to get Armour and I never went back on it, decided to try to overcome things on my own instead.
My temps are still all over, but we're in the middle of moving and I'm not too sure where the thermometer went, so I haven't been tracking it too carefully!
As for coconut oil, I use unrefined Nutiva, it's been my main fat for 3+ years, still love it. Maybe I'm just a coconut freak. I even pan-fried some steak in it the other night.
What undertow said, LOL!
When I was taking my temperature, I took it every morning over the course of about a month and a half and I charted it in an Excel spreadsheet. My temps were all over the place. When I was taking Drenamin for my adrenals, the pounding heartbeat that made me feel like I was going to die went away. I slept better, was able to actually stay awake through a whole day, which before I would fall asleep several times during a typical day. Thytrophin (for the thyroid) helped, but not nearly as much as the Drenamin.
Lorelai,
Yes, there is more to it than jut calories in and calories out, but that is the most important thing when it comes to weight gain or loss.
Yeah, Matt and I disagree big time on the fructose being fattening and starch isn't. Sumo wrestlers get hugely fat on a high starch diet.
It makes no sense to me that you feel great on armour and then get off of it to try to overcome it with some sort of magic diet. You should work with your doctor and do what works for you instead of just bulking up because someone told you that it was healthy.
Great feedback. I can certainly second that low-carbers (and fruitarians) gain the most weight doing RRARF. The funny thing is that people on SAD almost always lose weight like crazy the moment they switch to real food – even if it means intentionally trying to overeat and cutting out exercise. They just can't do it. Metabolism increases, appetite drops, and weight pours off.
GreenMonster-
I think the most important thing is eating cleanly. I too got sloppy and watched my blood sugar go back up, my fat loss stop, and my body temperature fall. After all, a lot of the ideas that were put together and shoved into RRARF stemmed from the belief that refined sugar was enemy numero uno, and getting it out of the diet was the most important thing. However, it was mandatory to go through a healing process and be able to eat ad libitum to overcome the physiological need for an hourly sugar fix.
But there's no doubt in my mind that no one has achieved healing of any kind until they can at least eat the amount and type of food that their body wants to eat (excluding refined stuff) without gaining weight. I think that's step 1 on the path to "metabolic healing."
I sure as hell ain't going back to low-carb. Like most people here… sleep is better, mood is phenomenal, skin is more clear, breath is fresher, teeth are stronger and pain-free, and all signs point to greater overall health. Fix your health problems first. Feel great. Then slowly address body composition. At the end of the day, it's more important to me that Danyelle overcame lifelong allergies than the fact that her body composition has noticed a sudden and probably impermanent decline.
JT-
I don't think there is a need to totally abstain from exercise for very long, and the new eBook reflects this – stating that full dedication is only something that can realistically be done for 30 days, followed by reintroducing light exercise and no longer actively trying to stuff yourself.
But I've been through numerous high exercise periods. I know how you feel. I've felt it again and again and again in my life. Exercise is great, but it is overhyped in today's day and age, when nobody gets their diet in order but instead rely on exercise to "get away with" more dietary deviance. I live in the mecca of this mindset – perhaps one of the leanest counties in North America. But I hardly no a single person in my area that hasn't gotten cancer by the age of 60, numerous surgeries, and all kinds of stuff.
JT, when I had to make do w/out Armour, I realized that I didn't want to be dependent on a pill – and I don't think I should have to be. I really believe diet should be able to fix most modern health issues. I was a supplement queen for a few years, and it's nice to take exactly zero pills a day!
If, like Matt said, fruititarians tend to put on a lot of weight, that explains it. I was high cal, high fat, but "raw" fruits, veggies, nuts, dairy. And it was mostly fruits, that was how I coped w/ no more SAD and sugar. I allowed one starch a day and meat every other day, often raw too. I still think it was the right diet for me at the time, cleared a bunch of issues up, but then I hit a wall.
Plus, the more I learn, the more I think it's adrenals at fault and not thyroid. I know I should test, but that's another cost for down the road.
I only listen to Matt to the point that he makes sense, anyhow. Lucky for him, he mostly makes sense. More so than any doctor I've ever been to, even naturopaths.
Matt, I like the new talk about mitochondrial activity. That's something that speaks to the repressed biochemist in me (I have a Master's in biochemistry that I use for nothing but homeschooling). Still, I think mitochondria are a bit of a passing fad, like telomerase and life-span were a few years ago.
JT, are you saying that you do not think that somebody will get fat on a high-fructose diet, or that starch is more fattening?
I think there must be some individual variation in what a person handles better. When I hear these things about people getting emotional or gaining tons of weight from having some fruit in the diet I don't see how that can possibly be a normal reaction to fructose.
I don't see how fructose can be as satisfying as starch. To have the bulk of your carbs come from fruit and sugar just isn't practical.
JT, what does the rest of your diet consist of? I do much better with sugar than cooked starch, too. I can add sugar to kefir and tea and be alright with it, but sugar in baked goods doesn't work. Sometimes it appears to be the sugar causing the problem, but it can be about what you are taking it with or what kind of junk you have hanging around in your body. Last year when my uric acid stores were high I couldn't even eat a few cherries. One thing about sugar that makes it easier on my system than starch is that it's totally digestible leaving nothing to gum up the digestive tract. There is a difference between HFCS and fruit, too.
Lorelei, there is a natural thyroid very similar to Armour that you can buy at health food stores made by American Biologics. A medical supply store that I had bought Armour from started to sell the American Biologics stuff when the FDA made them stop selling Armour. (I no longer take either).
It's a little much to say that "most" people here are gaining more weight than they like. But that's certainly the scary part of this. If I understand the theory correctly, we become overweight in the first place because of a health problem — a hormone imbalance or organ fatigue of some sort. To heal that, we have to give our bodies extra energy, so there may be some temporary weight gain while we're overfeeding and haven't healed the problem yet, which will come off once we're healthy.
But what if you do the overfeeding and don't fix the health problem? If the problem is low metabolism from past calorie restriction, than overfeeding alone may fix it. But what if your health problem is that your adrenals are fatigued, and you don't address that with extra salt and/or supplements? What if the original problem was a food intolerance, but you don't identify that, so you keep including it in your overfeeding? What if you simply don't eat enough extra to heal? It's easy enough to see that eating more could drive weight up and up, if the underlying problem isn't identified and addressed.
Lorelei,
I am not saying you should take any pills, but what is the difference between taking dessicated thyroid and any other food? What is your proof that all health problems can be cured by diet? I don't know of any legitimate mainstream or alternative health practitioner who believes this. If your adrenals were the problem then why did the thyroid cause the improvements?
BrianH,
Yes, I think that starch is a little more fattening. But, when you mix the 2 it seems to give the biggest response. You can get fat on fructose as well, it just depends on calories.
Betsy,
I pretty much eat the typical bodybuilder diet of 5 meals a day of white rice and lean meats. 1 meal a day is protein and sugar drink. I probably get around 100 grams of sugar a day and 300 grams of starch, 150 grams protein, and less than 50 grams of fat.
Aaron,
What is the proof that we become overweight in the first place because of a health problem? I don't think this is true, most of the people I know got fat because they eat a bunch of junk, and live sedentary lifestyles. But, there are a small minority that are fat because of some underlying health problem.
Great eBook. It really brought it all together for me.
With regard to kids I agree that overemphasis on what they are eating is unhealthy. When we were gf/cf, my daughter started becoming obsessed with what she ate. This is to some degree her personality. She still worries about what is healthy and she is only 7. We are now focusing on healthy food while avoiding gluten at home, but we added dairy back. I do think it is better for us to be dairy free too, but the trade off at this point isn't worth it.
I also would be cautious of attributing health differences to vaccinations. Only one of my kids has had one immunization shot (my oldest). My second has had the most health issues from infancy. I'm not saying I'm a fan of immunizations, but it is difficult to pin health issues on them when there are so many variables. Just my 2 cents
Cherokee- The shift in temp can be related to your cycle. You can expect your temps to be about .5 higher btwn ovulation and menstruation. The book Taking Charge of Your Fertility explains why (basically extra progesterone causes it to go up…if I remember correctly:)
JT I have trouble understanding your point of view. You say that you don't really disagree with Matt on everything, but your diet and most of your responses reflect a completely different perspective. I'm not saying this to argue that you are wrong, I enjoy reading your replies, but I don't really understand how your philosophy fits in with his at all.
Eat less? Exercise more? Replace starch with sugar? Boost thyroid? Why would you choose to have the bulk of your carbs come from white rice?Why low fat, do you think fat is fattening? I'm not asking you to answer these I just don't see the big picture in what you are trying to say.
JT, I didn't say anything about proof, I said "theory." But if obesity was caused by eating too much and being sedentary, then I know a lot of fat people who should be thin and thin people who should be fat. You mean there are people who really believe it's that simple? The Schwarzbein/Stone idea that you get fat because your metabolism is messed up makes a lot more sense.
Of course, when you say "eat too much junk," that's a different story, because the junk eventually causes a health problem, and then you get obesity. That explains societies that developed metabolic diseases out of nowhere within a generation of adopting a Western diet of refined carbs. It also explains how so many people can stuff away the junk food while staying thin for years, especially in their teens and twenties, and then it catches up with them and they can't have an extra dessert without gaining weight. It took that long for the junk to screw up their metabolism.
The diff between taking thyroid and food is w/ thyroid I'm dependent on the gov't allowing it, the manufacturer making it, and the dr prescribing it. Food, not so much.
I've seen diet changes work worlds of wonder in both myself and my kids, for all kinds of things. Of course drs don't encourage dietary changes over pills for health issues, what would we need them for otherwise? Oh wait, they recommend lowering fat and protein. Eating more grains. That kind of garbage. I'm not saying everything can be cured by diet. If I get shot, I guess I'll go to the hospital! But seriously, many of the syndromes and issues people have today are diet-related.
Thyroid and adrenal issues are intertwined. Too many theories out there about which is the root problem… I'm tired of sifting thru them all. I'm just going to eat well and forget about it all for now. Keep it simple…
Lorelei, I think it was Dr. Schulze that said "if I'm in a car accident, by all means, I want an ambulance and for those guys to shoot me up with whatever is required. That is what heroic medicine is for and Western Medicine is the best in the world for that. But for the chronic, lifestyle diseases, I will go the natural route and take care of that myself." That is, of course, paraphrased from memory, but that is the general idea, along the lines of what you said about getting shot.
Yeah, I don't even bother with health insurance, that tells you what I think of it all!
Will: Great quote, definitely my point of view on things.
My temperature is up to 98.5 today! I don't eat a lot of calories; maybe even less than
1500. I'm not trying to restrict calories; it's just hard to get that many when you're only eating kefir with a couple of berries or cherries and some sugar. I believe the reason my temperature has gone up is that I've been on an extremely low uric acid diet for about a year now, minus 3 times I went off it for a month at a time to try different diets.
Great Betsy. Uric acid could certainly be a prime factor in a low metabolism and a broad spectrum of disorders. We know it's primarily responsible for hypertension and gout – why not assume it's implicated in all the facets of metabolic syndrome?
Matt, that's an interesting way to look at it. I think I'll look up metabolic syndrome and see if I have/had other symptoms. One of the times that I went off the low uric acid diet it was to try a "metabolic syndrome" diet, but it didn't work, and I went down hill again. But if uric acid is the cause of metabolic syndrome, then getting it out would be a good diet for metabolic syndrome.
Maybe there are other ways, too.
Ha, health care! I can sing my very own song about that. In Germany you pretty much have to have a health insurance, which certainly is good for accidents and whatever, but apart from that, bah! All you get for free is the conventional medical treatment which I don't give a shit about. You have to pay for almost all alternative/herbal/natural treatments, which totally sucks.
I guess the best thing is to educate yourself as good as you can and simply stay away from the doctor, which still sucks, becuase you are paying money for nothing.
Also everyone says how this is a super great thing and totally superior to the US system, which it is to some degree, I suppose, but still, I cannot really understand how you can be happy about something like this. Well, enough ranting.
madMUHH,
I agree with you wholeheartedly man. I don't know how the requisite insurance is gonna play out for me in the States in a few years, and I'm hoping I can duck it. But it sucks, being forced to pay into an insane and really dangerous medical system that, aside acute injuries, I have no plan on utilizing. I don't want my money going to pay insurance companies to administer chemo to my neighbors. And if I'm going to have to pay extra to visit a naturopath or ayurvedic doctor or whomever, what's the point really?
I'd be down for some sort of single payer system that guarantees everyone emergency care- that seems legit enough, and could live with taxes for it , I guess. But being legally bound to pay some company to make a commission providing me a service that I don't want- that's a terrible deal.
BrianH,
I don't know why you are confused on my position. I have been pretty clear on what I did to fix my problems. I don't want to be too critical of Matt, so i like to point out where we agree. I agree that for purposes of health that people should just eat whole natural foods to appetite and do the right type of exercise moderately. For my personal diet, I go with what works, I am not an idealogue anymore, different things work for different people.
Aaron,
I don't believe that you know a lot of people that are fat but eat little calories. If this would true then EVERY metabolic ward study wouldn't have shown the opposite. Yes, alot of people can stay skinny and have a nice physique eating junk, genetics play a huge role in this.
Lorelei,
I know thyroid and adrenal issues are intertwined. I overcame major adrenal issues by using mostly the right type of diet and exercise. Finding the right medical professionals to properly diagnose and treat me were crucial to my recovery. I wold have just been pinballing back and forth from one thing to another if I hadn't done this.
thanks for sharing this site, you can download lots of ebook from here
http://feboook.blogspot.com
I just came upon this site today…bought and read the eBook already…have been eating high fat and protein for awhile, as I was monitoring my blood glucose. I have been diagnosed as insulin resistant. I already allowed myself to have brown rice and potatoes today. I think I was majorly craving it. It feels good and is scary…I am afraid of gaining weight…seems like a lot of people do. I have followed Sally Fallon's work as well as Schawarzbein…have also done the raw food thing. I am kind of confused right now as to what I should be focusing on…seems like you have a very brand new addendum to the eBook. The sample menu in the Kitchen book for RRARF showed that I should be eating almost all carbs…I saw very little protein. Can you clarify? I am about 60 lbs overweight. I have bad sleep apnea, high blood pressure too. I have been losing weight lately because I have become more active and have been taking Metformin (glucophage)…My sugar numbers are usually around 100 or so in the morning and 2 hours after very low carb meals…
Any info would help.
Thank you,
Katie
Kate-
I think the sooner you ditch the WAPF and ideas of Schwarzbein and other low-carbers the sooner you will overcome insulin resistance.
Low-carb is a viable last resort for problems with insulin resistance and high blood sugars, and Dr. Richard Bernstein gives the best and most concise information on that. I discuss al this in 180 Diabetes.
As for protein, I encourage you to enter the food I put into the RRARF menu verbatim into nutrition software. You'll find daily protein intake higher than the diet of any peoples of any nation in the world.
For example, Day 1 includes more than 125 grams of protein (milk, canned fish, potatoes, brown rice, bread, crackers, beans).
In fact, you'd make much more progress following McDougall's starch-based diet than you will Schwarzbein – unless you have some kind of legitimate underproduction of insulin, which is rare.
Thank you Matt. So, to be more clear, I will focus on high starch, low fat, lots of veggies and animal protein when I crave it…also, as for exercise, Gabriel had said something about 4 hours of exercise a day for insulin resistance…seems excessive, especially during the RRARF period…I have been doing some rebounding and walking. My temperature this morning was a 97.9, higher than it has been in the past. Any feedback is so appreciated. Thank you for this site and all of your amazing dedication and passion. Your knowldedge is phenomenal.
I do not share Gabriel's beliefs about exercise. Mostly because if you stop exercising, it's like stopping a low-calorie diet. Both exercise and low-calorie diets are known to cause weight loss and improve insulin sensitivity. Only problem is that both make you want to rest and eat a lot of food, which causes rebound and a worsening of weight problems, insulin resistance, and more.
I've experienced this countless times from working as a Wilderness Ranger in my youth. I have nothing against exercise. It is extremely healthy overall. But its application as a medical treatment is short-lived in my experience.
I prefer to come in the back door by eating to appetite and not exercising, which naturally makes your body decrease its insulin resistance instead of you trying to force it to happen with willpower and discipline.
I say try RRARF in full for 30 days, with a starch emphasis (but don't be obsessive or totally fat phobic) without the exercise. Try to sleep a lot. Relax.
Start exercising once you've noticed both your fasting and postprandial numbers starting to come back within the optimal range.
This happens regularly for people around here. I'd love to see fasting in the 70-85 range and postprandials at 90-100.
Do not celebrate if postprandial falls lower than fasting. This isn't a good sign. Blood sugar should rise after eating, just not to the stratosphere. I can tell right now that your high BG is from a prolonged low-carb, high-fat diet, as your fasting is high but your postprandials are not very high. You should kick this rather quickly I would bet.
If things don't work out, don't get discouraged. I'm as open-minded as they come and we can troubleshoot the program and try to figure out what is going on.
Welcome to 180. Love ya. Hope we get to learn from each other.
Heya Matt,
Thanks for your guidance…I have been doing great eating higher starch meals…I feel so good. I would imagine my serotonin levels are rising…much less anxiety. My energy is basically great. I feel lighter and move better. I have been enjoying eating my meals. I love your books and think I have a major nutritional crush on you (bashful batting of eyelashes…) Thank you so much. I will keep you posted.
Warmly,
Katie
A nutritional crush! Yes! I'm honored!
Hi Matt, just wondering why you are anti-Julia Ross? Her amino acid protocol have helped me and friends of mine a lot.
Yes, pretty anti Julia Ross. Well, I wouldn’t necessarily say “anti,” but there are better ways to achieve her objectives, and parts of her protocol, like usage of 5-HTP and eating lots of protein, are at odds with good health and metabolism.
so I am going through Diet Recovery and Diet Recovery 2 and hear their are 2 books called 180Degree Health and 180Degree Diabetes. Where do I find these
Its Important