Glassy
Member
Some things are easy to do and also easy not to do.
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I avoid beta-carotene. I can't remember the exact explanation, but I think it was something about beta-carotene acting like PUFA. Is there another decent fiber source aside from bamboo shoots and white mushrooms?
A high calorie diet won't necessarily increase your metabolic function. The problem isn't the calorie intake, it's your body's ability, or lack thereof, to utilize those calories in energy production (ATP). The best thing to do is eat pro metabolic foods (i.e milk, surcose, salt, orange juice, ripe fruits, coconut oil, gelatin, saturated fat, etc.) and limit the really nasty things, primarily PUFA, soy, gluten, etc. Doing this, by itself, should help a lot. If you're gaining weight while doing this, then the problem might be you're caloric intake is exceeding your resting metabolic rate (RMR).
Curious @Glassy, how would you attack this problem? Low fat higher carbs and the fat you do eat make it saturated fat?The issue seems to be the accumulation of body fat that almost feels like a by product of becoming more healthy. It doesn’t have to be but it seems to be common.
Curious @Glassy, how would you attack this problem? Low fat higher carbs and the fat you do eat make it saturated fat?
Thank you @Glassy - very informative. You seem balanced in your approach and I am sure like myself, others reading this can benefit from your effort in this great response.Hi Lisa,
This is how I’m tackling it (I decided not to embark on standard calories restriction) as we approach spring here in Australia. I’m about 10kg heavier than I’d like to be which is about what I put on in water and fat since finding Peat last November. I have no serious health problems or blood sugar issues and my thyroid seems to functioning ok. I just want to drop some subcutaneous body fat without feeling like cr@p.
My approach:
Very low total fat (aiming for <10g) with plenty of easily digesting carbohydrates. High calories in the form of well cooked starches, fruit, juice, juice concentrates and some low fat protein (gelatine, Greek yogurt) in addition to any protein inherently found in the starches and fruit. Protein should be less of a concern when in a calorie surplus (less catabolic) and I’m cutting back heavily on animal flesh.
The aim is to go higher than TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) but no need to go crazy. Your BMR should catch up to this intake over a couple weeks (it’s slower to respond to a surplus than a deficit). You should also be able to self regulate (you will find it difficult/unappealing to consume more food) without the risk of fat accumulation (because fat intake is low).
Your body will produce some fat from the carbohydrates but it’s insignificant since your body also requires some fat even when predominantly burning carbohydrates for fuel and humans suck at DNL. With the surplus calories, I assume that most fat consumed will go straight to storage or at least offset any body fat that would have been used for processes requiring fat and so I minimise this as far as it feels comfortable to do so.
Without a doubt if you’re going to consume fat go for the most saturated kind. CO is said to behave more like a carbohydrate than a fat and also has many protective properties but I’m on the fence as to whether it can be processed and stored as body fat (it’s probably the safest source for minimising fat accumulation though - I’m still not adding it to my carrot salad again just yet). I have liver once a week as well as a dozen massive Tasmanian oysters. I cook my liver with beef mince and use some tallow which is the highest fat meal of the week but I figure the fat probably helps with absorbing the nutrients. The oysters have have with some trimmed bacon and cheese and is my second highest fat meal.
Some notes:
At some point I plan to start incorporating more saturated fat back into my diet but that’s all dependent on how I feel. I think the occasional higher fat meal is fine as well as long as it’s low PUFA. I’m taking vit K, magnesium and some Cascara regularly because I feel it’s good for my body right now. I’m sure people could benefit from taking thyroid, niacinamide, aspirin, cypro, taurine, etc if they help but they’re not of much benefit to me right now and I don’t want to introduce more variables.
Thank you @Glassy - very informative. You seem balanced in your approach and I am sure like myself, others reading this can benefit from your effort in this great response.
I do think you have understood what seems to be the general struggle here. Healthier but a bit overweight (not obese) from all the posts I have read. But people do struggle with weight gain. I did at first as well transitioning from vlc to Peat diet and did not drop fat down fast enough as I increased carbs. I had been on restricted diets for so long, I think the added gain actually served my health. Then overtime as my GI improved and I found a happy median in diet and movement, my weight normalized and the fat reduced without much effort.
Sure yeah, I wasn't really advocating for a calorie deficit. I'm not a fan of major restriction of dietary fats, in fact most of the studies Peat has mentioned saturated fat is good for metabolic function. In fact Peat stated you can have up to 50% of your calories from fat and not experience problems provided that were saturated fats.Having an abundance of calories is important though. Your body will automatically increase NEAT and your BMR if there is a surplus of calories than can’t be stored as energy. This is why Ray cautions high fat intake if you are concerned about body fat accumulation. Fat is easily stored for later energy use and has no real upper limit. If your excess calories are in the form of carbohydrates your body either has to excrete them, burn them, store them as glycogen or convert them into fat for storage.
DNL in humans is ramped up when fat intake is low and carbohydrates high but we’re not like rodents. It’s very hard for us to convert all the excess calories into fat storage and so metabolic processes are raised. NEAT increases (fidgeting, moving your arms/legs, etc) unconconsciously - you don’t need to consciously stand up every few minutes to force this. This increase in metabolism inherently also raises our requirements for nutrients (minerals, vitamins, etc). In this state most ingested fat is stored in preference for burning the surplus of carbohydrates.
Yes it’s important to minimise seeds, nuts, legumes, beans and their oils. Standing up regularly or going for walks may have benefits but it will not raise your metabolism unless you eat to match this requirement. It may limit fat accumulation or burn some fat, but this has the affect of lowering your BMR over time.
I think many people on this forum have had a lot of success with raising their metabolism (and their health) by increasing caloric intake, minimising PUFAs and seeds while supporting the body with animal fat and coconut oil. The issue seems to be the accumulation of body fat that almost feels like a by product of becoming more healthy. It doesn’t have to be but it seems to be common. I think many people on this forum try to tackle this superficial problem by taking supplements and drugs in the hope it will reduce body fat without the stress of caloric restriction.
I thought you might find this article of interest.Just google lichen sclerosus and you'll understand ,desperate for answers- want to cure not use steroids/ estrogen which are the only known medical treatment. Months of research brought me to this forum. I was in remission it took work, following Ray Peat principles. Buy, had a recent flare, I suspect dairy. So cutting that out, going back to lower protein to see what happens. Post you provided is very helpful, thanks again
Thank you Blossom yes, this is I hope going to be very helpful. My diagnosis was suspected but not confirmed by biopsy- generalized inflammation being treated as Lichen , cause of inflammation unknown. Cause of soreness, pain unknown. I refused long term Clobetasol for a condition that was only suspect. lesions are gone/remission that residual pain could be a form of neuropathy is not impossible. Im going to pick up some PEA and take it with ALA , cant locate the gel in the US unfortunately. Ill repost after using it for a whileI thought you might find this article of interest.
Therapeutic utility of palmitoylethanolamide in the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with various pathological conditions: a case series
Great! ThanksThank you Blossom yes, this is I hope going to be very helpful. My diagnosis was suspected but not confirmed by biopsy- generalized inflammation being treated as Lichen , cause of inflammation unknown. Cause of soreness, pain unknown. I refused long term Clobetasol for a condition that was only suspect. lesions are gone/remission that residual pain could be a form of neuropathy is not impossible. Im going to pick up some PEA and take it with ALA , cant locate the gel in the US unfortunately. Ill repost after using it for a while
I think you are right, unless you are particularly small, that gaining weight on 2000 cals would indicate your base metabolic rate is low.But I do feel like my metabolic rate is nowhere near 2000, because if I eat 2000 per day I slowly gain weight.
Fructose isn't a problem, especially if it's from freshly juiced fruits. Fructose has a GI of about 19 and it increases energy expenditure and CO2 production more than glucose.I'm having a hard time losing weight while aiming for 1,500 kcal per day -- a deficit of around 500-600 kcal for a mid-30's male, if BMR calculators are to be trusted.
I lost weight slowly but surely on 1,500 kcal before adopting a more Peat-like diet. Not easy, but still losing a kilo or so per month. For example, I used to eat potatoes every day because their satiety index is the really high. Low in calories but stave off hunger for a long time. Besides, resistant starch was all the rage among the paleo crowd a while back, but according to Peat, maybe starch isn't all that great.
I'm also wary of orange juice as fructose is usually considered pretty bad (one thing that I especially remember is that fructose is prone to form AGEs, just like PUFAs are prone to peroxidation), but am willing to give it a go just to see how I feel.
The weird thing is that when I was in my 20's, I could eat anything and stay very skinny. Around 32 or so that all stopped and I started putting on weight. I don't have any of symptoms of low thyroid (I more often feel hot than cold, I'm not tired, pulse is around 80-90, body temp is close to 37, etc). But I do feel like my metabolic rate is nowhere near 2000, because if I eat 2000 per day I slowly gain weight.