I Really Need Help With Thyroid And Adrenal Issues

feather310

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Hello. I've been reading so much on this site and have listening to almost every Raypeat podcast I can find. The information here is incredible. I am writing to ask for some advice. I've been dealing with thyroid, adrenal and hormone issues for a long time and it just keeps getting worse. My doctor told my I'm making this all up but if you look at my labs, you can clearly see I'm not! I went to a neuropath and did a lot of stuff but even he is confused on why I'm not responding. I've taken every antibody test, liver test, liver cleanse, elimination diet, food allergy testing and nothing. I'm so tired and fatigued. I can get through my day but have to lay down all the time. The weekend sucks because all I do is sit on my couch. Everything I read on this site is contrary to what I know about health. I'm a paleo/low carb person who really dug myself into a hole. I'm wondering if I did this to myself with diet. I've followed a lower carb diet for a long time. I love eating high fat and veggies. But I think I am slowly killing myself. Can I get some advice from you all?

I take 25mcg cytomel, 112 mcg levothyroxine, and 300mg xymogen t-150 OTC thyroid glandular. Blood tests haven't budge in a few years despite additions to thyroid supplementation
t4 2.7 ug/dl
Free t4 .87 ng/dl
tsh .448 uiu/ml
free t3 1.6 pg/ml
t3 59 ng/dl

Here's my daily food and activity levels:
Awake at 6am.
-Morning Pre-workout: 1/2-1 scoop of karbolyn or UCAN Superstarch on workouts > 1 hour. usually 1-2 days a week I take this otherwise I train fasted with 1 scoop bcaa.
Workout: weights 45 minutes. Maybe walking 10-20 minutes if I have time.
-Post Workout: 5-6 oz chicken/ham/fish, 1-2 cups cooked veg (cauliflower, zucchini, Brussels sprouts), 1 large sweet potato, 1 T chia seeds.
-Breakfast: homemade muffins (3 eggs, 1T coconut flour, 2T flax seed meal, 1T psyllium husk, 1T coconut oil, cinnamon, cocoa powder, baking soda)
Break: Walking at work 1 hour
-Lunch: big salad: staples are 5-6 cups mixed greens/romaine, 1 cup roasted brussel sprouts, 1/4 cup roasted zucchini, 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, 3 x-large raw mushrooms, 1/2 red onion, 3 radish, 1 rib celery, 5-6 baby carrots, 2 T chia seeds, 1/2 avocado, homemade dressing (mustard, melted coconut oil or MCT oil, balsamic vinegar), 5-6 oz protein (chicken/fish/beef). I switch it up sometimes adding macadamia nuts, fermented veggies, dried seaweed or kelp, olives, or other salad toppings.
-snack sometimes but rare: few slices of homemade beef jerky, homemade dehydrated plantains, 6-10 almonds, celery or carrots
-Dinner: same as lunch. usually more fat at dinner in the form of fattier cuts of beef, bacon, avocado, roasted/sauteed veg in oil, more salad dressing, nuts, etc... whatever i'm in the mood for
Home around 6pm. Shower, eat and in bed by 9:30-10pm.
Snack: 2-3 oz 85% or 90% dark chocolate or a few bites of grain free granola. 1 cup plain greek yogurt mixed with pumpkin.


No grains and I limit how much omega 6 I get. I eat 85% organic and make sure the dirty dozen are always organic. Fruit is rare in my diet but sometimes I'll throw back some berries or eat an apple. I drink coconut milk occasionally with a scoop of super greens maybe once a week. I rarely eat out unless with friends so I'm probably eating out 4-5 times per month.

Supplementation (spread from morning to night): tyrosine, acetyl-carnintine, creatine, ppq, nadh, choline, ginseng, rhodiola, cordyceps, pregnenolone, dhea, b-complex, b12, Pantothenic acid, green tea extract, cayenne pepper, inositol, magnesium glycinate, melatonin.

A few more things. I'm a binge eater. the only way I can control binges is by keeping blood sugar steady and eliminating foods that cause me to binge which includes sugar. That is why I started low carb because it helped my brain not to be so addicted to sugar. I can binge on large amounts of vegetables without the drastic weight gain. Also, I lost my menstrual cycle at age 18. I started with progesterone cream in Jan 2016. My anxiety drastically diminished. I feel I was running on cortisol before but since adding progesterone, even my urge to move is gone. I like the lower anxiety but feel so apathetic. I added dmso to the progesterone cream in May and that triggered my period to start. I've been regular ever since. Clearly my hormones are a mess. I've had every test under the sun so if you want specific blood markers I can give you those. My female hormones basically look like I'm 5 years old. DHEA is low as well.

You're thoughts on diet and thyroid/adrenal fatigue? Am I eating too little or does it look adequate? Do I eat more starch, more fruit, more sugar? If so, what do I cut out? I want have no energy crashes and no blood sugar crashes. I want to be my energetic self again! And, I don't want to gain any more weight. Please point out anything you suggest I could do differently.
 

paymanz

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So you avoid high carb foods because it makes you a binge eater?

What's wrong with being a binge eater?


Carbs are a big part of peat diet.
 

paymanz

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That binge eating habit probably stems from inability to store glycogen , caused by insulin resistance, fasting and high fat intake.

You simply need more carbs.
 

HLP

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You appear to eat a VERY controlled and structured diet. I did that too and had an unhealthy relationship with food. I beat myself up for craving sugar for years. When your body is out of balance, you will try to medicate yourself with food...thus the strict control. In the long run, this makes you a prisoner to yourself. Get rid of the seeds, nuts and avocado and protein powders. Start the day with coffee, milk, sugar, gelatin and fruit. I think you are eating too many vegetables. Have a large carrot salad daily. Eat more seedless ripe fruit, raw or cooked. Snack between meals. Reduce the amount of muscle meat you are eating in exchange for liver, oysters and shrimp. More dairy might help and less starch except for potato. If you don't feel well, don't force exercise. This was a huge mistake I made for many years. Pay attention to your body temps during the day. If you get cold hands, feet or nose have a small salty and sweet snack. Be careful not to drink too much water. You don't need as much as you think. It is not your brain addicted to sugar, but low glycogen levels in your liver.
 
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feather310

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Jan 22, 2017
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Thanks. Paymanz, yes I believe binging is from low glycogen levels and inefficient sugar supply. Carbs seem to be the main answer but incorporating them is the hard part. Nothing wrong with binges except when I feel out of control. Sometimes I eat and eat and can't ever get full Even when eating a large amount for fruit. Veggies have been the only thing to prevent weight gain. I was eating more fruit and starch but put on 30 pounds.

HLP, thanks for your detailed advice. So less starch except potatoes? Is it better to eat them warm or cooled for more RS? Are you saying my brain is addicted to the low glycogen levels? I can try to eat less meat but liver is so hard to choke down. I get it though, high nutrient dense protein.

What is a good aim for macros starch/sugar/protein fat per meal and per day? I want to maintain my weight and lose a bit but also reset they thyroid and energy levels.
 

paymanz

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How was your fat intake when you gained 30 pounds eating carbs?

I suggest you to go very low fat ,high carb.that's what I can think of,and your free thyroid hormones are a bit low,I have no idea why?! Despite your high dose supplementation!

how is your temp and puls?

I suggest you first correct your fatigue problem and then worry about weight control.that morning workout is unnecessary! In my opinion, a short walk is god but a workout,no.
 

docall18

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I would say first thing is stop ALL the supplements your taking.

Your body will typically be very high in PUFA/FFA - so take Niacinamide (500 mg x 3/day), one aspirin/day, coconut oil & Vitamin E.

Slowly add coffee after every meal.

You are overloading on protein - aim for 100g/day. Google Peats recommended diet chart- ie stop kelp, nuts, plantains, etc etc.

Add more sugars esp OJ, fruit, milk.
 

Herbie

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Jun 7, 2016
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Hi, Just my humble opinion...

I thought I had adrenal fatigue couldn't hold a job down or a relationship and ate like this way you describe. Reminds me of the Doug Kaufman anti fungal diet. Basically no sugar and no grains, no diary but some greek yogurt. but what happens is you crave and eat so much fat but its actually a craving for sugar has to be certified organic or you will die. This diet supported the adrenal fatigue symptoms and I mean it was what was causing the symptoms. Its low thyroid, slow metabolism from all the pufa fat, green veggies and lack of carbohydrates.

I found about Ray Peat and got right into all the podcasts and starting drinking coffee with milk and sugar, cut out all the pufa, got a juicer and got fresh oranges, kept the butter and coconut oil around but switched to refined. Ate potato's white fish, shell fish, dates, fresh fruit, made banana smoothies with milk and honey, it was a great time of my life I felt so much happier and free and could enjoy food and life.

I simplified my diet and life and gave the gym a rest until I felt ready again. I put my energy into learning from Ray and adapting it into my life and building a deeper relationship with myself and body.

I would cut out all of the supplements except the progesterone as you won't know which are helping or hindering at this point.

Cut out the pysslumm husk, the flaxseed, the chia seeds, cauliflower, zucchini, Brussels sprouts,sweet potato and pumpkin (beta carotene no good when metabolism is slow), fermented veggies, dried seaweed and kelp . Become familiar with PUFA and cut it all out like nuts and avocado, plantains are yum but very high in serotonin so I would be careful of them. Try milk chocolate. I hope you can tolerate milk and cheese and enjoy them, if you cannot tolerate it there are ways of remedying intolerance.

I used to binge too because I was basically starving myself and was the body saying we need sugar!! I ended up with liver problems.

Be prepared to sleep in and feel good about it not guilty.

I don't know what country your in but certified organic food isn't always what it seems, care less about the certification as it can be more stressful trying to only eat that way.

Far better to put the energy into getting well then wasting it at the gym in these circumstances.

Do the work on the inside and the outside will take care of itself.

Look into the great lakes hydrolysed gelatin.

I thought I had all food intolerance too but now I don't and eat all the foods people are intolerant too and am fine.

Less is more!

Keep it simple!
 

InChristAlone

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Yeah adrenal fatigue can be a cover for starvation, symptoms for both are so similar.
 
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feather310

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Wonderful, thank you BenjaminBullock. Everything is so confusing. I suspect I have candida which is another reason I cut out dairy and sugar. Very good advice but changing my whole eating patterns is going to be very hard. I have so much to learn but will do my best to follow this advice. I love all of the foods you say to cut out. :-(

Also, I remember why I stopped using collagen supplements. It makes me so sleepy. How do you get over this?
 

Herbie

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The theory behind that diet is that you will starve the fungus and it will leave your body but I've only seen symptoms become worse.

Ray's theory is that the reason the fungus problems happen is because if your stave the fungus/bacteria of sugar it will move out of the intestines looking for sugar and spread throughout the body and if you eat sugar then the fungus/bacteria stay in the intestines within a healthy balance.

He recommends the carrot salad for keeping the bacteria under control (grated carrot with white vinegar and coconut oil with a salt) once per day in between meals, Its mildly antibiotic.

Also he uses activated charcoal to keep the bacteria under control as well as penicillin.

I know this is contrary to the natura path thinking that eating more and more bacteria and cultures from yogurt and fermented foods will remedy a bacteria over growth.

From my experience it made things worse.

Look up his work on endotoxin excrement of bacteria in the intestines and its effects and the foods which promote bacterial growth in the small intestines and the effects endotoxin can have on the body.

When I learnt of this it hit home and I knew I wanted to cleanse the intestines of the bacteria and its said by allopathic medicine that healthy people have a sterile small and large intestine but still have bacteria in the colon.
 
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Herbie

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Search on here I've seen others become tired from gelatin, I think its because it lowers stress hormones.
 

Herbie

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Take it easy and make small changes I probably bombarded you with too much infofmaton at once, Ive been actively studying this and living it for 2 years. Do your best to either read Rays articles on his website, if its a bit too much science and you prefer to listen then here is a huge resource of interviews with Ray over the years. Master List: Ray Peat, PhD Interviews – Functional Performance Systems (FPS)

Its not that you would cut those foods out forever or even listen to me, just until you overcome the fatigue.
 
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Milena

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New here but on candida. I went raw fruit and a bit of veg for 2 years (stable weight but overweight). Despite allllll the sugar and fructose one of the nice things that happened was that candida and athletes foot disappeared in less than a week! Definitely not sugar :).
I think it is about sugar being in the bloodstream though when lots of triglycerides are floating around and blocking one part of the insulin receptor chemical process to signal the GLUT4 transporter to migrate to let the glycogen in. I think it affects WAT mostly rather than muscle cells. Bumps up the insulin too as brain senses high glycogen and keeps signalling for more insulin. Many of the scientific studies use the 'John Hopkins' mouse strain which also has a problem with the insulin receptor chemical signalling process and invalidates a lot of studies or at least their conclusions.
 

HLP

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Ray mentioned that Candida spreads its filaments in search of sugar, moving out of the intestines. Listen to his youtube clip for an explanation as to how eating sugar keeps Candida contained.
 

Milena

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Wonderful, thank you BenjaminBullock. Everything is so confusing. I suspect I have candida which is another reason I cut out dairy and sugar.

Eating only raw fruit and veg and quitting meat when I went raw for a time stopped candida dead in its tracks for me in a week. I can't get the ripe fruit and the acid was hard on my teeth but candida - not related to the amount of sugar you eat, just the amount swilling around unused in the body. Fear not :)
 

BelovedGal

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Hi, Just my humble opinion...

I thought I had adrenal fatigue couldn't hold a job down or a relationship and ate like this way you describe. Reminds me of the Doug Kaufman anti fungal diet. Basically no sugar and no grains, no diary but some greek yogurt. but what happens is you crave and eat so much fat but its actually a craving for sugar has to be certified organic or you will die. This diet supported the adrenal fatigue symptoms and I mean it was what was causing the symptoms. Its low thyroid, slow metabolism from all the pufa fat, green veggies and lack of carbohydrates.

I found about Ray Peat and got right into all the podcasts and starting drinking coffee with milk and sugar, cut out all the pufa, got a juicer and got fresh oranges, kept the butter and coconut oil around but switched to refined. Ate potato's white fish, shell fish, dates, fresh fruit, made banana smoothies with milk and honey, it was a great time of my life I felt so much happier and free and could enjoy food and life.

I simplified my diet and life and gave the gym a rest until I felt ready again. I put my energy into learning from Ray and adapting it into my life and building a deeper relationship with myself and body.

I would cut out all of the supplements except the progesterone as you won't know which are helping or hindering at this point.

Cut out the pysslumm husk, the flaxseed, the chia seeds, cauliflower, zucchini, Brussels sprouts,sweet potato and pumpkin (beta carotene no good when metabolism is slow), fermented veggies, dried seaweed and kelp . Become familiar with PUFA and cut it all out like nuts and avocado, plantains are yum but very high in serotonin so I would be careful of them. Try milk chocolate. I hope you can tolerate milk and cheese and enjoy them, if you cannot tolerate it there are ways of remedying intolerance.

I used to binge too because I was basically starving myself and was the body saying we need sugar!! I ended up with liver problems.

Be prepared to sleep in and feel good about it not guilty.

I don't know what country your in but certified organic food isn't always what it seems, care less about the certification as it can be more stressful trying to only eat that way.

Far better to put the energy into getting well then wasting it at the gym in these circumstances.

Do the work on the inside and the outside will take care of itself.

Look into the great lakes hydrolysed gelatin.

I thought I had all food intolerance too but now I don't and eat all the foods people are intolerant too and am fine.

Less is more!

Keep it simple!

Wow, that was an encouraging post! :thumbsup:
 

Momado965

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Aug 28, 2016
Messages
1,003
That binge eating habit probably stems from inability to store glycogen , caused by insulin resistance, fasting and high fat intake.

You simply need more carbs.

Where did you read that? She may not be eating a good amount of protein. I noticed that with myself. I can get away with 4-5 days low in protein but after that is just endless cravings for sugar.
 

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