Intro
Have been Peating since April 2018. Prior, I used to eat a lot of meat, relatively little carbs (50-100g a day), and a higher amount of fats as well as plenty of vegetables/salads. Fruit intake was limited and dairy intake was very restricted. After starting Peating, dairy intake has increased a lot, fruit intake is high, and about half my muscle meat intake has been displaced by gelatin/broth , liver, and low-fat seafood. Vegetable consumption has fallen and consists of a serving or two of something raw per day, e.g. a carrot and a bell pepper. My PUFA intake is maximum around 5-7g per day, but often less, on a 2500 calorie diet. I've added coffee as well, which I can tolerate since I started eating more carbs. Prior to 2018 I limited myself to one cup of coffee a week for social occasions and it would make me jittery/tired but wired for the rest of the day.
Started supplementing with Vit E in 2017. Started taking half a tab of aspirin a couple of months ago. Take 5,000 IU of Vit D 3-4 times a week since 2017. I've been taking Vit K2 since last year. I shine a red light on myself 4-5 times a month for 15-20 mins. I also was taking Umzu's TestroX supplement from 2016 up until a couple of months ago. Did Intermittent Fasting from 2017-2020.
I've noticed positive changes since starting Peating. My skin doesn't sunburn any more. I wake up with adequate energy on 7-8 hours of sleep, and I sleep deeper. I recover much faster from weight lifting (within a day or two max). Prior to 2017, I needed 8+ hours of sleep just to be functional and would still crave naps, and it would take me 3 full days to recover from a squat or deadlift workout. My mood and disposition has improved as well.
I'm 5' 10" and 180lbs. BF is probably around 14-15% (can faintly see my abs), with a fairly muscular build. Libido is good and always has been, including pre-Peating. I weight lift with weights or bodyweight 3-4x a week and go for walks a couple of times a week.
The issue
My blood test results changed significantly after starting Peating. Most of the markers have improved, but TSH remains stubbornly elevated (between 3.5 and 4.5). I've spent 3 years trying to tackle it but I'm out of ideas. Looking for input and ideas from the RPF community. Maybe someone else has had a similar issue. My FT3 and FT4 are OK, although ideally they could be a bit higher. I just had my annual physical a week ago and my doctor is now recommending a visit to an endo because of the chronically borderline high TSH and because total T4 fell below the range this year. Note that cholesterol has also increased a lot since starting Peating, although I've not a strong opinion on whether or not that's good or bad. My TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios are still in the normal ranges.
Either way, based on these labs, my thesis is that I should turn over more of my cholesterol into hormones, but am not doing so because my thyroid isn't quite up to the job. After 3 years of Peating, I feel like I'm out of ideas on what to try next to accomplish this. The only Peaty thing I haven't tried yet is taking supplemental thyroid, but I view this as an artificial crutch and not a long term sustainable solution, so I haven't tried that (yet). Or maybe these blood markers are all fine and I should not be concerned over it?
The attached image has a progression of bloodwork markers over time since 2016. Below the numbers are notes on the various supplements and dietary tweaks I was trying at the time. There is a period from mid 2019 to mid 2020 where I was testing some of my thyroid markers frequently while trying different supplements. There weren't any meaningful changes in that one-year period.
Have been Peating since April 2018. Prior, I used to eat a lot of meat, relatively little carbs (50-100g a day), and a higher amount of fats as well as plenty of vegetables/salads. Fruit intake was limited and dairy intake was very restricted. After starting Peating, dairy intake has increased a lot, fruit intake is high, and about half my muscle meat intake has been displaced by gelatin/broth , liver, and low-fat seafood. Vegetable consumption has fallen and consists of a serving or two of something raw per day, e.g. a carrot and a bell pepper. My PUFA intake is maximum around 5-7g per day, but often less, on a 2500 calorie diet. I've added coffee as well, which I can tolerate since I started eating more carbs. Prior to 2018 I limited myself to one cup of coffee a week for social occasions and it would make me jittery/tired but wired for the rest of the day.
Started supplementing with Vit E in 2017. Started taking half a tab of aspirin a couple of months ago. Take 5,000 IU of Vit D 3-4 times a week since 2017. I've been taking Vit K2 since last year. I shine a red light on myself 4-5 times a month for 15-20 mins. I also was taking Umzu's TestroX supplement from 2016 up until a couple of months ago. Did Intermittent Fasting from 2017-2020.
I've noticed positive changes since starting Peating. My skin doesn't sunburn any more. I wake up with adequate energy on 7-8 hours of sleep, and I sleep deeper. I recover much faster from weight lifting (within a day or two max). Prior to 2017, I needed 8+ hours of sleep just to be functional and would still crave naps, and it would take me 3 full days to recover from a squat or deadlift workout. My mood and disposition has improved as well.
I'm 5' 10" and 180lbs. BF is probably around 14-15% (can faintly see my abs), with a fairly muscular build. Libido is good and always has been, including pre-Peating. I weight lift with weights or bodyweight 3-4x a week and go for walks a couple of times a week.
The issue
My blood test results changed significantly after starting Peating. Most of the markers have improved, but TSH remains stubbornly elevated (between 3.5 and 4.5). I've spent 3 years trying to tackle it but I'm out of ideas. Looking for input and ideas from the RPF community. Maybe someone else has had a similar issue. My FT3 and FT4 are OK, although ideally they could be a bit higher. I just had my annual physical a week ago and my doctor is now recommending a visit to an endo because of the chronically borderline high TSH and because total T4 fell below the range this year. Note that cholesterol has also increased a lot since starting Peating, although I've not a strong opinion on whether or not that's good or bad. My TC/HDL and LDL/HDL ratios are still in the normal ranges.
Either way, based on these labs, my thesis is that I should turn over more of my cholesterol into hormones, but am not doing so because my thyroid isn't quite up to the job. After 3 years of Peating, I feel like I'm out of ideas on what to try next to accomplish this. The only Peaty thing I haven't tried yet is taking supplemental thyroid, but I view this as an artificial crutch and not a long term sustainable solution, so I haven't tried that (yet). Or maybe these blood markers are all fine and I should not be concerned over it?
The attached image has a progression of bloodwork markers over time since 2016. Below the numbers are notes on the various supplements and dietary tweaks I was trying at the time. There is a period from mid 2019 to mid 2020 where I was testing some of my thyroid markers frequently while trying different supplements. There weren't any meaningful changes in that one-year period.