My Story Thus Far

[Pieter]

Gonna try to keep this concise. Im turning 29 shortly and thanks to this forum I can finally say it feels like my health journey is busy taking an upswing.

All my health issues list:
Was a fat prepubesent
Lost baby weight but kept flabby stomach
Fibromyalgia at 18
Slumped out of university
Struggled with social anxiety all my life
I suspect ive been high estrogen my entire life
Started balding early 20s
Started greying late 20s
Hair has always been coarse
Started IF and weight started to fall off but also I looked scarely sick(but hey i thought it was great)
Keto and IF later I actually have to thank for pushing me in this direction cause it screwed me up so bad (but hey I could see my abs...)
Losts the little sex drive I thought I might of had
Started noticing ADHD like symptoms recently because im again without a job but atleast im finishing my studies through the post
Always thought I was doing the right thing by taking those damn fish oil pills(felt like they reduced inflammation)
Realized that soy in the foods that i so loved was ramping up my emotional state so atleast I stopped eating them
Fungal infections on feet, groin, tongue
When I was young the cold never bothered me, I always wore shorts in winter. Now If I go out to socialize at night I literally get so cold my teeth chatter
I suppose I could go on but these are just some of my health issues

What im doing post Ray Peat discovery incorporating some other things which you can give your opinions on:
Wake up and take 180mg Vitex extract (it noticeably makes me more motivated hence me writing this post)
Eat breakfast shortly after waking(eventhough I have lost my abbility to feel hunger years ago with all the fasting)
Breakfast is raw 6eggs, 500ml low fat milk and a cup of precooked sorghum(opinions please)(sorghum increases dht and I figured id rather have my T turn into DHT than into E)
Been avoiding fruit for years. Not anymore!
I also eat my raw carrot or 2 everyday
Supplementing zinc picolate, B6, Biotin, Kelp, Selenium, Ginseng, Liqourice, B5, chromium, B1, Magnesium chloride, cypro

Using body temp to gauge my progress and food intake
Drinking coffee with sugar in! Funny how ive been punishing myself so long by drinking coffee without sugar.

Using Holosync meditative tracks before sleeping at night and no blue light before sleep.

Exercise has been walking everyday on the farm(its a long shot away from the weight lifting OCD keto IF life I was living for so long)

This is just my 2cents. Thanks for reading and opinions are very welcome as are any questions.

 

[Richiebogie]

Hi @Pieter,

Regarding fungal infections:

I had a rash on my toes and soles of my feet until I stopped eating wheat and other seeds.

You could try replacing sorghum with potatoes, OJ, dates, bananas or other fruits.

It may take a few weeks to clear up (if it is going to clear up).

What do your lunch, dinner and other snacks look like?

 

[Pieter]

In between meals im eating fruit and drinking coffee at the moment. Lunch I will eat left over supper which is generaly meat and vedge and rice or potatoes. Fungal infections has been around since a teenager. Things that seem to suppress it are coconut oil (i add it to my first cup of coffee), fulvic acid, ketosis in the beginning(i read that fungus also becomes fat adapted somewhere...?), Strong probiotics also work. Nothing has ever cleared it up completely. I think I have SIBO and im hoping daily carrot and coconut oil will help fend it off while I build my immunity back up

 

[Richiebogie]

So intermittent fasting made you lean but sick?

Did it also keep you warm all day, perhaps due to stress hormones?

It sounds like you are eating a lot of protein - 6 eggs, milk, meat, sorghum, rice...

What is your total calories eaten per day and breakdown by macros (Protein, Carbs, Fat)?

Are you currently getting more flabby or more lean?

 

[Aaron]

Good move dropping the phytoestrogens, but I would also drop the vitex and licorice. Vitex is a pointless form of prolactin replacement therapy and will leave you feeling simultaneously emotional and pacified, and the licorice is quite anti-androgenic. Why are you taking that out of curiosity? I would really start to question any herbs you are taking. You want to experience the full brunt of a stressor so you can develop positive strategies to deal with it - herbs won't do that for you and IME meditation is more powerful than any herb. I used to take a lot of them. And have you checked for mold in your living situation? Good luck with everything and welcome :).

 

[Pieter]

So intermittent fasting made you lean but sick?

Did it also keep you warm all day, perhaps due to stress hormones?

It sounds like you are eating a lot of protein - 6 eggs, milk, meat, sorghum, rice...

What is your total calories eaten per day and breakdown by macros (Protein, Carbs, Fat)?

Are you currently getting more flabby or more lean?

Hi, yes after reading Ray Peats take on things I do believe IF raised my stress hormones and lowered my thyroid function.
No I wasn't warm at all. But what i did perceive as benefits were lowered inflammation in body and mental clarity until i broke the fast (16hour fast/8hour eating window).
I never used to count calories...lazy I know and thats why IF and then Keto IF was so attractive to me. I knew it worked for me because Ive been experimenting for years (ever since Dave Aspreys bulletproof coffee came onto the scene). At the moment im using some of the guidelines Jack Kruse set out in his Leptin Reset diet to help fix my circadian rhythm and this entails getting at least 50-70g of protein upon waking in the morning hence the 6eggs.

 

[Pieter]

Good move dropping the phytoestrogens, but I would also drop the vitex and licorice. Vitex is a pointless form of prolactin replacement therapy and will leave you feeling simultaneously emotional and pacified, and the licorice is quite anti-androgenic. Why are you taking that out of curiosity? I would really start to question any herbs you are taking. You want to experience the full brunt of a stressor so you can develop positive strategies to deal with it - herbs won't do that for you and IME meditation is more powerful than any herb. I used to take a lot of them. And have you checked for mold in your living situation? Good luck with everything and welcome :).

The Vitex I found is a very powerful dopamine aganonist. I take it intermittently when I need more dopamine.
The licorice yes Ive read this about these anti-androgen properties but its part of the adrenal supplement Im taking and the combo of panax ginseng extract, echinachea extract and licorice extract I must say it seems to be increasing androgens. Licorice allows cortisol to hang around in its active forms and I think that allows the adrenals to focus on creating the other sex hormones and not just chronically pumping out cortisol all the time.
Mold might be my problem, I have thought this for a very long time. Thanks!