Help interpret my labs please!

[bexo]

Hey all,

im new to this lifestyle and slowly making changes to integrate a new diet. Ill give some backstory as well as recent labs (January 2020) and maybe you all can help point me in the right direction! Im trying to heal from 10 years of being vegetarian, as well as having a struggle with anorexia about 6 years ago.

im 24, female, 115-ish lbs, and began eating white meat again in January 2020 after my dr convinced me that my body was going to give out if i didnt. I feel 10x better since eating meat again, but ive never eaten red meat (even before i went vegetarian, never had a steak or burger) and am still having crazy pms some months as well as struggling with emotional symptoms (anxiety, depression, fatigue, terrible memory) and what i think are thyroid symptoms (cold hands feet nose ALWAYS), although my comprehensive thyroid labs came back within normal range. Also occasional acne and a lot of oil production.

here are my labs detailed by what came back outside normal range as well as some other important ones:

Total cholesterol 174
hdl 54
triglicerides 62
ldl 106 (came back as high, dr wants it under 100)

homocysteine 11.1 (high, dr said she wants it below 7)
urea nitrogen bun 5 (low, dr wants it above 7)
carbon dioxide 18 (low, wants it above 20)
ast 11 (borderline, wants if above 10) idk what ast even is
alt 6 (borderline low)
magnesium 4.7

tsh 2.03
t4 total 9.0
t4 free 1.3
t3 free 3.5
t3 Total 124
t3 reverse lc/ms/ms 15
thyroglobulin antibodies less than 1
thyroid peroxidase antibodies less than 1
iodine serum/plasma 64

all within normal range for thyroid panel

total testosterone 54 (high, should be below 45)
sex hormone binding globulin 153 (high, should be below 124)
mpv 12.8 (high, should be below 12.5)

ferritin 44 (normal but she wants it around 100)
b12 329 (normal but lower end)
folate 17.7 (normal)
iron total 128
iron binding capacity 337
iron % saturation 38

progesterone 0.1 (normal, blood taken mid follicular phase)
estradiol 127 (normal, follicular phase)

vitamin d LOW 20 (she wants it above 80)

since these labs were taken january 2020 ive done vitamin d supplementation (not continuously but high dose weekly for about 4 months and make sure to get outside enough, winter is also tough)

also was on cod liver oil for a bit but i stopped my body hated it and didnt even want to swallow it

vitamin b12 occasionally but not enough to make a difference i dont think

im starting to be open to things like organ meats and good quality bison, elk, etc but its something that i struggle with since ive never eaten red meat before

and getting raw milk later today to try!

any advice or help understanding what these labs mean is appreciated! Im worried about my cholesterol since it was high but still eat grass fed butter, pastured eggs, and cheese.

i also want to get new updated labs but i have a huge problem with needles so i put it off as much as i can

thank you!!

 

[Peatful]

Welcome.

While the labs are helpful- your history tells the story.

For context: I had restricted eating for about 20 years- anorexia for about six of those.
I am fully recovered and have regained my life back

You’re cholesterol is high because your thyroid is high- higher than it should be for a 24 year old.
1.0 or under is your goal. Peat says .4 is great iirc.
Your difficult PMS is also due to high thyroid.

You may not understand what im saying or why im saying it- but one of the last things you need to do mentally, and physically actually, is have the mindset of another diet- or a “better” way of eating.

What you need to do is repair your relationship to food and to yourself to truly regain your health.
It may not be a popular or talked about stance here- but it is foundational.

Reach out any time.

 

[bexo]

Welcome.

While the labs are helpful- your history tells the story.

For context: I had restricted eating for about 20 years- anorexia for about six of those.
I am fully recovered and have regained my life back

You’re cholesterol is high because your thyroid is high- higher than it should be for a 24 year old.
1.0 or under is your goal. Peat says .4 is great iirc.
Your difficult PMS is also due to high thyroid.

You may not understand what im saying or why im saying it- but one of the last things you need to do mentally, and physically actually, is have the mindset of another diet- or a “better” way of eating.

What you need to do is repair your relationship to food and to yourself to truly regain your health.
It may not be a popular or talked about stance here- but it is foundational.

Reach out any time.

I hear what youre saying, even with exploring these topics i have had to catch myself and make sure im not seeing it as an all or nothing approach, or something to restrict myself to. I truly want to feel better, healthier, like a young 24 year old should feel. The idea of red meat and raw dairy has been swimming around in my mind since last january, but i wanted to give myself time to adjust and experiment first.

since eating meat again i put on 10 lbs in a year which i desperately needed to do, and im okay with it! this past year i also let go of the need to constantly be moving and sctive. Im learning to recalibrate my life and my mind every day. My body was suffering for a long time and i want to give it the best now.

i guess the thyroid thing makes sense because my maternal ancestors all have thyroid issues as well. how do you recommend i start to heal that? i feel lost because i want to do the best for my body and heal, but its so hard to find information out there than doesn't advocate dieting mentality. If incorporating some of these guidelines into my life like more protein etc will help that process, im all in for it.

what would you recommend to start?

thank you for answering and also for your truthtelling and concern

 

[PxD]

Hey all,

im new to this lifestyle and slowly making changes to integrate a new diet. Ill give some backstory as well as recent labs (January 2020) and maybe you all can help point me in the right direction! Im trying to heal from 10 years of being vegetarian, as well as having a struggle with anorexia about 6 years ago.

im 24, female, 115-ish lbs, and began eating white meat again in January 2020 after my dr convinced me that my body was going to give out if i didnt. I feel 10x better since eating meat again, but ive never eaten red meat (even before i went vegetarian, never had a steak or burger) and am still having crazy pms some months as well as struggling with emotional symptoms (anxiety, depression, fatigue, terrible memory) and what i think are thyroid symptoms (cold hands feet nose ALWAYS), although my comprehensive thyroid labs came back within normal range. Also occasional acne and a lot of oil production.

here are my labs detailed by what came back outside normal range as well as some other important ones:

Total cholesterol 174
hdl 54
triglicerides 62
ldl 106 (came back as high, dr wants it under 100)

homocysteine 11.1 (high, dr said she wants it below 7)
urea nitrogen bun 5 (low, dr wants it above 7)
carbon dioxide 18 (low, wants it above 20)
ast 11 (borderline, wants if above 10) idk what ast even is
alt 6 (borderline low)
magnesium 4.7

tsh 2.03
t4 total 9.0
t4 free 1.3
t3 free 3.5
t3 Total 124
t3 reverse lc/ms/ms 15
thyroglobulin antibodies less than 1
thyroid peroxidase antibodies less than 1
iodine serum/plasma 64

all within normal range for thyroid panel

total testosterone 54 (high, should be below 45)
sex hormone binding globulin 153 (high, should be below 124)
mpv 12.8 (high, should be below 12.5)

ferritin 44 (normal but she wants it around 100)
b12 329 (normal but lower end)
folate 17.7 (normal)
iron total 128
iron binding capacity 337
iron % saturation 38

progesterone 0.1 (normal, blood taken mid follicular phase)
estradiol 127 (normal, follicular phase)

vitamin d LOW 20 (she wants it above 80)

since these labs were taken january 2020 ive done vitamin d supplementation (not continuously but high dose weekly for about 4 months and make sure to get outside enough, winter is also tough)

also was on cod liver oil for a bit but i stopped my body hated it and didnt even want to swallow it

vitamin b12 occasionally but not enough to make a difference i dont think

im starting to be open to things like organ meats and good quality bison, elk, etc but its something that i struggle with since ive never eaten red meat before

and getting raw milk later today to try!

any advice or help understanding what these labs mean is appreciated! Im worried about my cholesterol since it was high but still eat grass fed butter, pastured eggs, and cheese.

i also want to get new updated labs but i have a huge problem with needles so i put it off as much as i can

thank you!!

Two things I noted:

Your cholesterol, and especially LDL, is not high. The LDL upper limit of 100 has been lowered repeatedly over the years to artificially low levels, probably to get more people onto statins, not because it creates demonstrably better health outcomes. You total over HDL ratio is around 3.4 or so, which puts you at low risk for heart disease. The ratio is more important than your LDL or total cholesterol numbers.

Vitamin D at 20 is indeed low, but achieving a level of 80 is hard to do and is unnecessary. As long as you're at 45 or 50, you will reap the overwhelming majority of the benefits of Vit D.

 

[Peatful]

I hear what youre saying, even with exploring these topics i have had to catch myself and make sure im not seeing it as an all or nothing approach, or something to restrict myself to. I truly want to feel better, healthier, like a young 24 year old should feel. The idea of red meat and raw dairy has been swimming around in my mind since last january, but i wanted to give myself time to adjust and experiment first.

since eating meat again i put on 10 lbs in a year which i desperately needed to do, and im okay with it! this past year i also let go of the need to constantly be moving and sctive. Im learning to recalibrate my life and my mind every day. My body was suffering for a long time and i want to give it the best now.

i guess the thyroid thing makes sense because my maternal ancestors all have thyroid issues as well. how do you recommend i start to heal that? i feel lost because i want to do the best for my body and heal, but its so hard to find information out there than doesn't advocate dieting mentality. If incorporating some of these guidelines into my life like more protein etc will help that process, im all in for it.

what would you recommend to start?

thank you for answering and also for your truthtelling and concern

I can recommend many things-
here are some general ideas

1- get off this forum. It has many restrictive eaters and lots of supplement recommendations. Its the best forum in the world- with the best minds. But IME its not where you need to be right now.
2- journal. Listen to your body. Like you did with the cod liver oil. It in its infinite wisdom knew. And you knew. You’re probably much much hungrier than you think.
3- watch some Stephanie Buttermore. Kayla Rose- Probably her content is the best. Or Alice Olivia. Dont follow them- but watch and see what strikes as true for you.
4- eat 40/30/30. Carbs protein fat. At each meal. You need to keep your BS stable to help stop the chaos of your hormones. Also start small. Maybe 6-8 small meals a day. Dont track calories. Dont body check in mirrors.
5- the hardest is being mentally ready for weight gain. Know it will be temporary. But it is difficult but necessary. Stephanie Kayla and Alice all talk about this at length. Kayla best. Then Alice. Stephanie still has issues- but shes on a well documented journey.
6- you will recover quickly. You’re young. Your body wants to heal and it knows what to do if you allow it.

 

[ArnieSoderwall]

b12 329 (normal but lower end)

I personally would not feel comfortable with a B12 that low.

Keep in mind the ranges are determined by a statistical delta (2 standard deviations I think) from people taking these tests...IOW a generally sub-optimally healthy population.