Freezing cold feet

[zooma]

I've just adopted a 'peat style' diet over the last 3 days and so far things are going really well. I have more mental and physical energy, I'm sleeping better, not craving any foods and actually have to be conscious of getting enough food in.

The only issue is my feet are constantly freezing cold. Now this is something I've had for at least a couple of months so it isn't new, but I think it has gotten worse since starting. I had been experimenting with intermittent fasting so I thought it could have been that but it persists.

Each day I've had 1.5-2 quarts of milk, 1 quart of oj, ~1 oz cheese, 1 raw carrot, 1tbsp coconut oil. Also some coffee, small amount of citrus fruit, and a coke today. Tried to add salt during the day but probably hasn't totalled more than 1tsp/day. The first day I was also drinking a lot of water but I realised I was drinking too much liquid.

Any suggestions? Would love to solve this, the only small problem with a new diet I'm really enjoying :)

 

[Peatri Dish]

My input would be to increase salt and sugar and keep fluids down to just as much as you thirst. I was used to drinking way too much in order to get "6-8 glasses a day" in. Also I was not eating enough of the right foods and I was constantly peeing and freezing. Sipping is better than drinking. Also try to double up socks, etc. to do what it takes to warm those babies up! Soaking,rubbing them and putting them in warm slippers. When your feet are cold you are setting up a cascade of inflammatory mediators. So, it's more than just comfort.
For myself, I had to practice paying attention and catching it when it first starts or else it's much harder to warm them up. I also had to work at increasing the sugar in my coffee etc. Things tasted way to sweet to me at first because I was used to avoiding sugar. Same with salt - I had to work at remembering salt.

 

[zooma]

Thanks for the reply. I think I'm the same regarding learning to have enough sugar and salt so I'll keep that in mind. Are people just adding salt to all everything?

I've cut out drinking water now because the milk and orange juice should easily provide enough fluid on their own, so I don't think I am taking in too much now.

Any other input would be appreciated, increasing my body temperature in general is a current goal of mine so that would be good too.

Edit: Just thought of something. Am I eating too little? pretty sure I've been between 1500-1700 calories if that. Male/5'11" and overweight if that makes any difference.

 

[tara]

Welcome zooma

3 days in and already noticing important improvements is great. It might take longer than that to get everything sorted. :) Probably good that you cut the extra water of top of the the milk and OJ.

I second Peatri Dish's recommendation to do whatever you can to keep your feet warm.
Chronically cold hands and feet has been one of my issues. It's improved a lot over the last year or two, but still sometimes gets me. I can never get to sleep if I have cold feet. In addition to Peatri Dish's good suggestions, I've found an electric blanket helpful to warm the bed up before I get in, and sometimes a short walk helps. I've been known to get out of bed and soak my feet in a bucket of hot water. Some people find bag-breathing or other breathing exercises help.

Cold extremities can be a symptom of high adrenaline, and salt can help lower adrenaline. You could try tracking body temps to get more info about how your metabolism is running, too.

Yes, I think 1700 cals is way too little energy to sustain a healthy warm metabolism. Have you been eating so little for a long time? That might be why your feet are so cold. Intermittent fasting probably wouldn't help. There are people here who would interpret Peat differently, but I'd suggest adding at least 1000 cals, more if you are hungry for more, maybe gradually. I'd suggest including a bit more protein too - aim for at least 80g /day, but may be good to get more. Since you are already getting ~3 l fluids, I wouldn't add any more - I'd try getting some more solid food in, and/or adding more sugar to drinks etc.

Any tactic that increases cellular energy production, which is required for everything including keeping warm, will require fuel.

Good luck

 

[Peatri Dish]

Oh yes! Some of the people who post here salt their OJ! Which I tried but yuck! I've done it in an emergency, though. If I'm cold and I realize I haven't had enough salt it's a quick remedy.
Also, I'm with Tara. eat up! You can't stoke your metabolism on so few calories. I've been in the same boat in terms of overweight. If you have been heavy for any length of time then you already know that dieting makes it worse. It's really about metabolism.
I suggest you start slow adding a few things like salt, sugar and more calories. As you progress you will know which things are working. The best source of information about Dr. Peat's recommendations is his web site - his articles. They're a bit to slog through at first, but that's the only way to get a coherent picture of metabolism and hormones.
Good luck and welcome!

 

[zooma]

Really appreciate the help from both of you. Today has been much better due in main to reducing my water intake I think. I'm trying to add salt here and there, although I haven't eaten much solid food since starting (other than cheese which already has plenty of its own salt) so it has been tricky. How much are we talking? 1-2tsp has been about what I'm getting.

I'm going to up the calories closer to 2000/day I think but bearing in mind I'm trying to lose weight I don't think I can go any higher than that for the moment. Should I try and add calories in the form of protein (bumping from 80-90g up to 130-140g) or is it okay to eat even more sugar?

I have been doubling up on socks etc but the aim is to avoid this

I'm definitely going to continue to read Dr. Peat's articles. I've always been interested in nutrition science so they are a goldmine! But of course they are heavy going and aren't aimed at providing recommendations so I want to make sure I don't misunderstand and damage myself.

 

[Peatri Dish]

There's a great KMUD interview on weight loss. You should check it out. Peat talks about how the body processes sugars much better than starches. I have known that for a while. In my twenties I went vegetarian and put on a ton of weight because I ate more starch to cover protein - beans! Ugh!
Most important is to get the metabolism stoked, though. Even if that means not losing for a while, it's worth the extra time spent on healing. Otherwise, it's lose, gain, repeat. Lose, gain, repeat.
(At least that has been my experience.)
Good luck!
Keep us posted!

 

[aguilaroja]

Three days is a short time span for repleting metabolism that has been low. Noting improvement with a few dietary maneuvers is encouraging.

It may be helpful to read over Dr. Peat's articles about thyroid as a basic orientation about metabolism. Often times cold extremities reflect a low overall temperature. Please consider tracking your resting temperature and pulse.

If you are in the northern hemisphere in December, attend to overall warmth as well as hand and foot warmth in the pending winter. Those with low metabolism are influence more by ambient temperature and food temperature (relatively "cold blooded"). Incandescent and red light will help relieve the biological stress of winter darkness.