Confused

[Isaac]

Hey all!

My name is Isaac and I have had a lot of health issues the last couple years. In my sophomore year of high school, I was diagnosed with gastroparesis after a two week hospital stay. I was already very skinny at the time 5'4'' and 100 pounds, but I got down to 85 pounds. I never was able to fully recover from that as I have been chronically fatigued for 7 years. Coming across Matt Stone, Ray Peat, and Danny Roddy have been very helpful. However, even with dietary adjustments such as more calories, saturated fat, salt, and less water and PUFA, I am still not able to do much physical activity as I get tired very quickly. I am on Armour thyroid and it seemed to help, especially with my hypoglycemia, but I still feel off. I've done a couple of hair mineral analyses with Dr. Garrett Smith, but I felt like not many of the supplements helped besides potassium. I have some food sensitivities, but they have become less harsh with more food and thyroid medicine. I still have a lot of acne especially around my throat/face and upper body, which really destroys my self-esteem. With eating more I went from 128 to 180 over the course of 6 months (a lot of it was muscle). I'm still holding onto quite a bit of fat (at least more than I'm used to), especially in the abdominal region and I'm not able to work it off with physical activity. I'm 5'7'' and 155 now. Also, I never feel rested when I wake up and usually feel my best at night. In the morning, I really hold onto a lot of water. I noticed if I do over exert myself, I get "growing pains" in my calves, which I have read a little about in one of Peat's articles, and I feel even more tired for a few days afterward. I'm really not sure what to do at the moment because I have just lost faith in doctors. If anyone has been through something similar, I would greatly appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.

 

[Mmmaurshmallows]

Hi Isaac!

Welcome! Glad you have found some relief so far. I recently spoke to Haidut on a thread about Synthroid and T4 v T3. Here is what he had to say about Armour...

"However, for the last several decades researchers like him have been consistently ignored by mainstream medicine and even the venerable Armour changed their formula to mimic better the effects of pure T4."

His point was that Armour was no longer as desirable a NDT because it wasn't the original T3 anymore. Just look under recent posts by Haidut to read the entire thread so you can see everything he said regarding thyroid replacement.

I hope this helps! :)

 

[Giraffe]

to the forum, Isaac.

I have some food sensitivities, but they have become less harsh with more food and thyroid medicine.

It sounds like you are on the right track. :)

Also, I never feel rested when I wake up and usually feel my best at night.

Are you skipping breakfast? Want to spell out for us what and how much you typically eat in day? Are you taking supplements?

When I found Peat's works I couldn't sleep more than four hours per night, I often woke up at least once, and I never felt rested. What helped me most was to eat a snack or drink some fruit juice or salted milk each time I suspected stress hormones rising (cold nose, frequent urination, headaches or feeling irritated). After a short while I started to feel ravenously hungry all day. So I was basically eating all the time. I was craving fruits a lot back than.

 

[papaya]

i knew immediately when armour changed the formula. i asked the pharmacist abt a recall and he said there wasn't 1, i said trust me it's coming these pills r inneffective. he thought i was nuts & then he saw me a few months later in the store & came out if his glass box to tell that me i was right & that they r on major back order. i had quit thyroid at that time for 2 yrs & just took iodoral & felt great. i was the at a drugstore & took my bp on 1 of those machines & it was so low & the pharmacist said it's obvi broken cuz you'd be dead. my dad took his and it was normal. i got scared and started back on thyroid rollercoaster that night and have regretted it ever since...

 

[Isaac]

to the forum, Isaac.


It sounds like you are on the right track. :)


Are you skipping breakfast? Want to spell out for us what and how much you typically eat in day? Are you taking supplements?

When I found Peat's works I couldn't sleep more than four hours per night, I often woke up at least once, and I never felt rested. What helped me most was to eat a snack or drink some fruit juice or salted milk each time I suspected stress hormones rising (cold nose, frequent urination, headaches or feeling irritated). After a short while I started to feel ravenously hungry all day. So I was basically eating all the time. I was craving fruits a lot back than.

Initially with refeeding (without Amour), I felt full at first, but then I became extremely ravenous as well. My hunger would literally never go away. Eventually that faded and I am now eating a lot less (not intentionally). I still feel so full in the morning that it's really hard for me to eat much of anything. I feel like my digestion just stops when I go to sleep.

Breakfast: Nothing or a small banana. I feel warm at first, especially after I take Armour, but within a couple of hours, my hands and feet are freezing.

Snack: 2 bananas (I now I need to substitute this with something more concentrated, but it's convenient being a student).

Lunch: Usually 2 baked potatoes w/ butter and ketchup or turkey sandwich on pita w/hummus and spinach, Pepsi with real sugar

Dinner: 3 Baked potatoes w/ butter and ketchup or sweet potato w/ butter and maple syrup, and Pepsi with real sugar

Snack: 2 Baked potatoes w/ butter and ketchup or vanilla yogurt

I get a hypoglycemic/tired feeling if I eat sugar rich foods alone and seem to feel better with a predominantly starch-based diet. Baked potatoes with butter and ketchup make me feel really warm, as does anything with a combination of fat and carbs (pizza especially). I do have MTHRF, so I cannot eat many folic acid rich foods without getting more acne and facial swelling, which sucks because refined foods like pizza, cereals, and breads are the foods I crave most. I have noticed after the addition of pop to my diet, I am able to tolerate dairy, which I previously had a lot of trouble tolerating. Drinking pop has made me feel really warm and my veins seem to almost pop out of my skin, so my ability to digest dairy could be attributed to the increase in body temperature, but I'm still not sure. Cold foods like fruits or vegetables seem to really kill my body temp, but if I eat them at the right times in the day, I seem to do alright. I usually feel more cold in the morning and hotter at night, so I try to eat more concentrated foods in the early part of the day.

 

[Isaac]

Hi Isaac!

Welcome! Glad you have found some relief so far. I recently spoke to Haidut on a thread about Synthroid and T4 v T3. Here is what he had to say about Armour...

"However, for the last several decades researchers like him have been consistently ignored by mainstream medicine and even the venerable Armour changed their formula to mimic better the effects of pure T4."

His point was that Armour was no longer as desirable a NDT because it wasn't the original T3 anymore. Just look under recent posts by Haidut to read the entire thread so you can see everything he said regarding thyroid replacement.

I hope this helps! :)

Thanks for the reply Maureen! I am definitely going to check out more sources for thyroid hormone because Armour doesn't seem to be working as well as I had planned in the months I have been taking it. Are there any brands of NDT that you would recommend? I hear mixed reviews, but I'll keep looking on this forum to see.

 

[Giraffe]

Isaac, no thyroid brand will help with your health issues if you eat like a mouse. Try to have breakfast within half an hour or an hour after you get up. :) Cortisol is highest in the morning, and ironically you don't feel hungry when you run on stress hormones, but you need to break this vicious circle. Try to find something that is easy to get down. How about egg pancake or rice pudding with hot apple sauce? And a glass of orange juice?

You need at least 80 g protein. You are getting 40? You can check your macros and micros with cronometer. Ignore their recommendations for calories (should be higher) and iron (lower is better).

I also tend to feel cold when I eat fruits on their own, but it's fine with dairy or any protein.

There was a thread I recommend you to read. I think the situation discussed there has a lot in common with yours.
Afternoon Exhaustion

 

[tara]

Welcome Isaac?
If you feel like telling more ...
How old are you? Just wondering if you are still of growing age.

Coming across Matt Stone, Ray Peat, and Danny Roddy have been very helpful. However, even with dietary adjustments such as more calories, saturated fat, salt, and less water and PUFA, I am still not able to do much physical activity as I get tired very quickly.

How long have you been doing these things? I think it would not be unusual for it to take a year or two to get substantial recovery from starvation, and that's if you consistently eat enough. I guess you've come across Gwyneth Olwyn's articles at youreatopia.com?

 

[Isaac]

Isaac, no thyroid brand will help with your health issues if you eat like a mouse. Try to have breakfast within half an hour or an hour after you get up. :) Cortisol is highest in the morning, and ironically you don't feel hungry when you run on stress hormones, but you need to break this vicious circle. Try to find something that is easy to get down. How about egg pancake or rice pudding with hot apple sauce? And a glass of orange juice?

You need at least 80 g protein. You are getting 40? You can check your macros and micros with cronometer. Ignore their recommendations for calories (should be higher) and iron (lower is better).

I also tend to feel cold when I eat fruits on their own, but it's fine with dairy or any protein.

There was a thread I recommend you to read. I think the situation discussed there has a lot in common with yours.
Afternoon Exhaustion

Thanks Giraffe! I forgot to add that I usually put gelatin into my Pepsi, but that still probably wouldn't get me to 80 grams. I've heard mixed opinions on caloric consumption, so I've always just gone by my body temp because after tracking my caloric intake/macros for 7 years, it has gotten exhausting. I have read on several sites that caloric intake should be upwards of 3000 cals, but it's pretty hard to reach that unless I just force feed myself and I feel like it just leads to fat gain without a compensatory gain in health. Some days I am able to reach it, but most of the time not, especially with foods like potatoes. I guess I feel like I'm eating a decent amount overall, but may be lacking in a little protein. I'll definitely check out that thread.

 

[Isaac]

Welcome Isaac?
If you feel like telling more ...
How old are you? Just wondering if you are still of growing age.


How long have you been doing these things? I think it would not be unusual for it to take a year or two to get substantial recovery from starvation, and that's if you consistently eat enough. I guess you've come across Gwyneth Olwyn's articles at youreatopia.com?

Hey Tara! I am 22 years old. I got sick in high school at 14 and haven't been the same since. I have increased my calories and limited my PUFAs and water for just over a year and a half. I have looked around in youreatopia.com and saw the 3500 calorie recommendation among other articles. I was able to eat that much at the beginning of refeeding when I was ravenous, but my hunger has slowly dissipated as my metabolism has improved along with the addition of Armour.

 

[Giraffe]

I've heard mixed opinions on caloric consumption, so I've always just gone by my body temp because after tracking my caloric intake/macros for 7 years, it has gotten exhausting. I have read on several sites that caloric intake should be upwards of 3000 cals, but it's pretty hard to reach that unless I just force feed myself and I feel like it just leads to fat gain without a compensatory gain in health. Some days I am able to reach it, but most of the time not, especially with foods like potatoes. I guess I feel like I'm eating a decent amount overall, but may be lacking in a little protein.

I see what you mean. You should enjoy your food, but honestly your diet sounds a little dull to me.

What are foods you feel good with? Maybe we can come up with a few suggestions that are convenient for a student.

Have you checked what your sodium intake is? - It's so much easier to get sodium in your diet with starches (pizza, potatoes...). I wonder if it's because of the sodium that you crave those foods.

 

[Isaac]

I see what you mean. You should enjoy your food, but honestly your diet sounds a little dull to me.

What are foods you feel good with? Maybe we can come up with a few suggestions that are convenient for a student.

Have you checked what your sodium intake is? - It's so much easier to get sodium in your diet with starches (pizza, potatoes...). I wonder if it's because of the sodium that you crave those foods.

What constitutes an exciting diet haha? I feel best with a predominantly starch-based diet. Although sugar helps extremely well with mitigating my stress response, it makes me feel tired and shaky with too much. To keep my body temperature up, any starch (along with fat) that is dry, without folic acid really helps keep my energy levels up (it's pretty hard to find in anything processed). My body temp really increases when I increase my protein intake closer to 100 grams, but quality meat and milk products are pretty expensive. I haven't checked my sodium intake, but I imagine it's pretty high since I put salted butter and salt on my potatoes. Sugar, salt, and fat are the things I crave most in that order. I've also been really craving a lot of foods with high calcium lately. I haven't eaten dairy regularly in years due to lactose intolerance, but now I am able to tolerate most products so the floodgates have opened so to speak. Keep in mind, I don't feel good on any diet of my choosing, but a starch-based just seems to make my fatigue less worse.