Birdie's Mindfulness Log :)

Birdie

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At least I hope it will be a weight loss log!!

So, here I am at a weight that doesn't please me enough. I have lost ~17 pounds while a peatatarian. This took place last year between April and November. (Between Sept 2012 and last April, I'd gained 9 as a peatarian.) (And in the year before that I gained 20.)

Game plan: To follow Ray Peat's dietary and exercise advice in his February 2013 interview on Weight Gain. Also to read Andrew Kim and Cliff McCrary. I am not going to enter all I eat here. Part of my weight gain problem is over attention to food. I might discuss which principles are working.

I have fibromyalgia. When I weighed 10 pounds less than I do now, I moved better. And that is my goal.

Without stating what I weigh or what I want to weigh, I'll start there with a ~10 pound loss goal. If I find that I feel fine without losing all 10, that will change my goal. It's about how my body feels/moves.

There are different approaches in weight loss. Some do body measurements. Some talk about muscle vs fat tissue. I'm keeping it simple and going by weight. If you wonder why, it's because I'm not somebody either without any muscle or without any fat. Those people might use a different approach.

I use free weights, do gentle stretches, some yoga, in my own routine for an hour every morning. I've done this since college. It helps with the fibro. I adapt the routine to flare ups... I usually walk a half hour or an hour a day which helps too. But, I had to stop walking in January and just returned to it a week ago. I'm doing a half an hour every few days. Moving and being in the light are good.

I plan to encourage good metabolism along the way as per Peat's interview.
Probably another important thing in my case is to avoid stress. I'll try to stay away from arguments amap.

If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask. I hope that by reporting here it will help somebody else too.
 
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Birdie

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Re: Birdie's Weigh Loss Log :)

I just had a thought. My goal here is mindfulness. I want to be mindful of what I eat. Am I eating what my body needs kind of thing.

When somebody asked Ray about meditation in John's fundraiser, he talked about mindfulness. Keeping things straight. For me it involves re-setting my brain. A walk will usually help me with that. Sometimes a little gardening or knitting.
 

Ray-Z

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Re: Birdie's Weigh Loss Log :)

Birdie: Just want to wish you luck with improving your mobility. I have learned from your fibro thread and will look forward to learning from this one, too.

Mindful eating sounds like a good plan. (I confess I eat like a starving hyena.) And after you eat, you can mindfully attend to how your body responds to the meal.
 

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Birdie

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Re: Birdie's Weigh Loss Log :)

Thanks, Ray-z. :)

So, I've remembered that when I drank more milk, I had fewer cravings to eat for energy. So, I plan to remember to make up a milk drink every day. Today's was a strawberry peppermint one.

In it: 1/2 tsp glycine, some powdered milk, some sugar, some milk, my strawberry syrup... Blend... Add more milk + peppermint extract... Blend more. Used gelatin in our omelette this morning, so left it out of the drink. I don't tolerate a whole lot of gelatin.

Today was an upper body day so I used hand weights. Ray advises 5 lb weights for a 60 year old woman, but that's not for me with fibromyalgia. I am just moving up from my 2 lb weights to 3 lbs. I have been trying to move up to the 3 pounders for years. But even though I did very few reps and warmed up first, I'd get injured. So, to be able to move up now is some progress.

When I begin to get a little breathless whether from squats, or pushups or hand weights or a plank, I take a break and bag breathe. Today I did the bag first thing out of bed too. Trying for 3 times a day. I can't tolerate it for too long, but if I leave room for O2 to enter, it's more comfortable.

I have 2 unfun tasks for today. Finished the first one. Now, the sun is out so I'll take a walk. Then onward with Task #2.

I should have called this a "Mindfulness Log." That's more how I see it. Gaining weight is just a symptom of not being mindful, I find.
 

charlie

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Re: Birdie's Weigh Loss Log :)

Birdie said:
I should have called this a "Mindfulness Log." That's more how I see it. Gaining weight is just a symptom of not being mindful, I find.

Oh oh, I know someone who can change that for you Birdie! :mrgreen:
 
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Birdie

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Re: Birdie's Weigh Loss Log :)

Charlie said:
Birdie said:
I should have called this a "Mindfulness Log." That's more how I see it. Gaining weight is just a symptom of not being mindful, I find.

Sorry, I bleeped your comment out. Accident. Very tired. Love.

Hi Charlie! Thank you. I know who you mean!! :D
That would be grand!!
 
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Birdie

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Re: Birdie's Weigh Loss Log :)

Charlie said:
Birdie said:
I should have called this a "Mindfulness Log." That's more how I see it. Gaining weight is just a symptom of not being mindful, I find.

Oh oh, I know someone who can change that for you Birdie! :mrgreen:

And who is Mr Green?
 

charlie

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That would be me. :mrgreen:

I changed the thread title. Wasnt sure if you wanted me to take the "Birdie's" out of it though.
 
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Birdie

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Charlie said:
That would be me. :mrgreen:

I changed the thread title. Wasnt sure if you wanted me to take the "Birdie's" out of it though.
Yes, Charlie, I'm not sure. A mindfulness log can sound like a meditation log. So, well, I'm not quite satisfied with it but not sure how to change it. It's not a weightloss diet either.

So, for now, I'll just proceed!
I had gone up 2 pounds when I started this log. This was a warning to me since 2 can easily go to 10 if I keep going in that direction!

And, although thinking about being mindful about food (and supps too), I keep noticing when I'm not. But there is some small improvement and I've lost those 2 pounds.


I think one thing that is important, is to remember it isn't inevitable that everyone gains weight following RP. Has Cliff gained? No. He lost before starting Peat and has not gotten chub at all far as I see. Also, Andrew looks good. And Danny. And Ann Rose Korman looks slim to me. So, not everyone gains here. Sorry if I don't mention anybody else, but those people come to mind.

And btw I had gained 20 pounds the year before learning about Peatarianism. I was in a gaining mindset. I was not mindful. I just kept over-gobbeling. Also I was under a lot of stress. Still am but a little less. Aren't we all but sometimes it's more intense.

I gained 9 more from about January to April last year. So, when I say that I lost 17 between April and November, you can see I didn't get back to my usual weight. I think part of it is all this constant attention to "what am I eating." And, "How is it affecting me?". That's a problem. Oh, and being afraid that the leas twinge of hunger will release pufas or whatever!! My take is that really Ray is talking about fasting too long there, not eating every time I'm the tiniest bit hungry. But the bigger part for me is eating more when I'm full I like to eat!!

Anyway, just my thoughts. Now that I have about a year and a half of studying all this, it's pretty much a part of me. So, maybe I can step back a bit from the constant analysis. :geek:
 
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I have calculated my ratios a couple of times this week. Mainly I wanted to see my amounts of protein since it's hard for me to get enough. For the past few months I've been saying we aren't getting enough. So, time for action. Right now that means counting and thinking as I go.

I'm being more and more thoughtful during exercise. Paying attention to my muscles. This is necessary when you have FMS, otherwise you get injured so easily. Then you are set back for a week or two. It's easy to let my mind wander. If I wake up feeling good that's when it's really important to go slow. One pushup too many is deadly for me. I rotate upper body one day, lower the next for recovery. Then Sunday is less time and usually no weights.

Also I use my paper bag between sets and whenever it seems right. Whereas, I used to stop and breathe deeply, now I stop and breathe some CO2 with the bag.

Has anyone else been calculating their ratios? Did you begin to feel you might need more of some nutrients? How is your exercise going? Let me know. I don't come back here every day but it's no fun all alone!
 

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Hi Birdie. I've been doing some logging on Cronometer that shows total cals and a breakdown of carbs, fats, and protein, if that's what you mean. Basically it has a place where you enter the ratios you want, and the most Peaty ratio (for me) was 2:5:3 -- protein:carbs:fat. Then you put in your body stats and goal of maintain weight, and it comes up with about 94 grams of protein that I need to eat. Then I can enter my food and see where I stand.

Basically, it has been hard for me to keep up with the protein and the sugar carbs, but I seem to exceed my fat allowance on a daily basis. It has really been helpful for me to see this though, because I'm really trying to get a lot more calories from carbs than fat. So, I see that even thought I've increased my consumption of protein and sugar carbs TREMENDOUSLY, I still need to do more!
 
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Birdie

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crX said:
Hi Birdie. I've been doing some logging on Cronometer that shows total cals and a breakdown of carbs, fats, and protein, if that's what you mean. Basically it has a place where you enter the ratios you want, and the most Peaty ratio (for me) was 2:5:3 -- protein:carbs:fat. Then you put in your body stats and goal of maintain weight, and it comes up with about 94 grams of protein that I need to eat. Then I can enter my food and see where I stand.

Basically, it has been hard for me to keep up with the protein and the sugar carbs, but I seem to exceed my fat allowance on a daily basis. It has really been helpful for me to see this though, because I'm really trying to get a lot more calories from carbs than fat. So, I see that even thought I've increased my consumption of protein and sugar carbs TREMENDOUSLY, I still need to do more!

I agree. Every so often I must check the ratios. I use fatsecret which was recommended early on. I thought the name was cute!!

So, today, I am keeping track of my ratios and my husband's. He did not get enough protein yesterday. So far, at breakie, he got 21g. I will be happy if he gets 80 per day. He and I are smaller people, so we don't need 100.

We drink enough oj (with baking soda) and fruit, so although I'm counting it in fatsecret, it isn't something I need to change. Fat is something we are watching. My husband has been downing a lot of ice cream. He wants to substitute cottage cheese for that. Since I've been on this mindfulness kick, cottage cheese is looking better to me, too.

We're at about zero starch which is good. Otherwise, it's hard to get all the nutrients, including protein without feeling stuffed. Mindfulness includes not feeling stuffed, right?!

I think my husband put on about 4 pounds with Peat eating. I feel that's not entirely true. It's not Peat eating, but rather, overeating acceptable foods, mainly ice cream.

Must get back to work. I wanted to mention my yoga/stretch/weights routine progress. I'll just say there has been progress.
 
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I awakened with more energy today. My husband said the same. Yesterday, I kept track of our protein again. I'm not near the figures, but I think mine was around 75 and his around 60g. In keeping with our ratios and the calories we eat, this is good. He, also, said he had more energy this morning. The only thing that has changed is that we've increased our protein.

This is very encouraging. Ray has said that often it is protein deficiency that causes anemia rather than an iron deficiency. My blood tests pointed to iron deficiency anemia. I have hemolytic anemia. I plan to use the higher protein approach rather than higher iron. We'll see how it works.

Night before last I had a bout of IBS. After a few hours, I vomited. The good news is that there was no blood. This indicates that I don't have a stomach ulcer. You may recall that a few months ago, I vomited blood. Only once. I had been using a lot of aspirin and not taking enough food or water with it.

When you have hemolytic anemia, you need to be aware that possible there is some internal bleeding going on. So, I'm glad I've had no evidence of blood from top or bottom. Still, that can't rule out the possibility that bleeding is going on somewhere. But, if I show tip top blood results in about 3 months, I'll decide all is okay.

So, for today, being mindful about what I eat, how I exercise, and how I spend my time. It's amazing how un-mindful I've been so there is room for so much improvement. That makes it an adventure.
 
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Jenn said:
b-12, copper, zinc are all related to anemia. It's rarely a lack of iron. B-12 is derived from protein. I hope you like shrimp.... That would cover all your bases.

Very true, Jenn, that anemia is rarely caused by a lack of iron... Yes, I've been doing B12 injections (methyl form when I can) for many years, so I assumed it wasn't a B12 defic. I do a weekly shot, though I hate it, and sometimes think of just using a lozenge, which would be okay too. My Cu and Zn are covered by supps.

Unfortunately I had to stop shellfish last a few weeks back. A bad reaction... :( Thanks and will let you know how it goes.
 
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Okay, so here's what I'm being mindful of today:

1. Since chronically high PTH can cause anemia according to Peat, I'm remembering to up the CO2, protein and progesterone.
Milk, fruit, meat.

2. Since vitamin E reacts with iron in the stomach and should be taken away from iron rich foods, I'm taking my E with non-meat meals.
My husband doesn't want to be bothered with that, which is reasonable. I'll do it for now.

3. I was mindful in the kitchen. (Or was I?) I've been trying to work out a custard/panna cotta. After a few failures these past months, I came up with a good one today.

As you know, I'm trying to work more milk into my husband's diet. He's eating cottage cheese. My panna cottas though have been lousy. So, using my Vita-mix which will heat things up, I first put 1 tbsp gelatin over a 1/4 cup milk to soften... Then, put in blender, 1 1/2 c milk, 1.2 cup sugar and 1/8 tsp salt. Blended til hot. Added gelatin milk. Then added 1 egg and 1 yolk and 1 tsp vanilla.

I started by putting this in custard cups in a bain marie, but after a while of keeping them at 300 F, realized that the eggs had been hot enough already, and that the oven would do nothing for the gelatin. So, popped them in the fridge. They came out yummy. But, I don't know if I'll make these again, because they are too tempting. Hardly what I need when I want to lose a few pounds. Let's face it, I'll eat more than my husband does. His discipline amazes me.

I can't cook everything and keeping the basics (rinsed cottage cheese, broth, rinsed grated carrots, oj jello, etc) available is enough work. What do you think? Is it hard for you?
 

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Are you getting enough calcium? Because a lack of calcium (or vit D or vit K) is the most obvious reason for high PTH.
 
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kiran said:
Are you getting enough calcium? Because a lack of calcium (or vit D or vit K) is the most obvious reason for high PTH.
Yes, getting plenty of Ca, vit D and vit K.
Ray said that chronic high PTH can cause anemia and that the answer was to increase CO2, protein and progesterone. Glad to get the Ca, D and K feedback to possibly add to that info.
Just for the record, I do not know that I have a high PTH. I'm just treating my anemia with milk, fruit and meat. And increasing the CO2. That's the answer to most problems isn't it!!
 
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Hi. I've been working on my project. It's been too long since I visited the Forum!! Glad to be here.

I've listened to Ray's latest interview, "The Heart, Palpitations, Progesterone, Estrogen," a couple of times and that's gotten me to increase my progesterone... even more. To help with my mindfulness in this area, I set a timer. Every 50 minutes, it rings. I get up from my work. Move a little. Take Progest-E, T3 and a nib of salt. Now, when I put my hands at waist level to test for estrogen dominance evidence of bulging veins, I see improvement.

I'm still avoiding starch and think I've lost a little weight. I've stopped weighing myself for now but clothes are roomier. I've also removed chocolate for the time being. You may recall that I stopped ice cream. On alternate days, I rinse a batch of grated carrots, rinse cottage cheese and make oj jello. I keep these items available to use every day. Broth of course with meat. That's not everything I eat but just some of the main items.

Still working at getting enough protein. Most days are good for that.

More later.
 
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One food I like to have available is spaghetti squash. We bake them and then scoop into glass containers for the fridge. Then, it's easy to add butter, salt and have it with some meat and broth.

Another standby is melons. I didn't have enough of either today and ended up hungry. Drinking oj and coke isn't enough. I need the more solid fruits. And they have to be prepped ahead.

So, I ended up eating more cheese today to fill up. Being prepared with the right foods is crucial.

I am not able to tolerate as much gelatin as I'd like. Every time I increase gelatin (or chocolate) I get a shingles outbreak. It's been a long while now since that has happened. I'm just putting some in my first coffee and eating jello. I had hoped that taking extra lysine would solve the gelatin problem (the arginine/lysine ratio thing) but it doesn't seem to work.

Still working on my high estrogen issue. Getting enough sugar often enough. Thyroid supp, progest-E globs... The usual.

I devoured Ray's latest newsletter on Cancer yesterday.

This is my mindfulness log so I will say I have been quite quite mindful. Noticing when I go onto automatic. Today, when there was a melon on the counter, I ignored it. That's an example of automatic. Being passive. And we have a spaghetti squash in the garage. So, off automatic here. Getting hubs to bring in the squash. Tomorrow we chop and bake.

Mindfulness is a good thing that keeps you honest... :lol:
 

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