Noob Looking For Advice (weight Loss)

[BonbonUK]

Hi,

I'm new here having heard about Ray Peat via Matt Stone/180 degree health.

A bit of background:

I'm a breastfeeding mother (baby is 8 months) in my mid thirties, I'm generally looking for a little weight loss without crazy restrictive dieting/effing up one's metabolism. Everyone and their dog seems to be all about low carb thesedays but I find any kind of carb restriction really unpleasant, I seem metabolically wired to need a high carb intake just to feel well. I was happily a high carb low fat vegan for 10 years, but stopped several years ago because of iron and B12 deficiencies.

I understand grains are best avoided? I like and crave starch primarily (prefer potatoes, white rice, squash, cornflakes, homemade waffles/pancakes - I sometimes use a gluten free flour mix because one of my household is gluten free and it's just easier to make stuff we can all eat) and don't feel well without it, but I also like a small amount of sugar, usually after meals. I don't tolerate fruit well at all so have been avoiding it (I seem to have some FODMAP issues and tolerate table sugar better than fruit/juice). I've been good at avoiding PUFAs as I cook from scratch and have done since my 20s.

I have a strong aversion to animal protein (especially red meat, oily fish and eggs) I also don't like cow's milk, but will have it in coffee or mixed into a food like mashed potato or waffle mix. For protein I often eat Quorn (weird fungal protein food!), I have no idea if that is considered healthy or not, it seems to be a new food without much research. But, it is usually free of PUFAs (the non breaded kind) and soy free.

For fat I mostly eat coconut oil, coconut cream and kerrygold butter. I think I could cut back on the fat if that would help shift some bodyfat?

I think hormonally I'm a bit out of whack, post-partum I seemed to be in a constant brain fog with low motivation until I went on the progesterone only pill and that actually improved my mood and energy levels somewhat.

Re: exercise, I like short bursts of Yoga, walking and occasional kettlebell circuits, but burn out quickly with longer workouts.

Sorry for the essay! I'm just in need of something that will actually help me, I've been on all sorts of health forums and got all sorts of conflicting advice, this Ray Peat stuff seems the only thing that actually resonates with how I feel about food. I just want to shift a bit of body fat but continue to feel like a functional, happy human being :)

p.s. I take a low dose cod liver oil capsule every day, I suffered with a lot of joint/muscle pain post-partum (Post partum arthralgia) and the CLO really helped, should I stop that?

 

[charlie]

[ref]BonbonUK[/ref],

post 105972 Everyone and their dog seems to be all about low carb thesedays but I find any kind of carb restriction really unpleasant, I seem metabolically wired to need a high carb intake just to feel well. I was happily a high carb low fat vegan for 10 years, but stopped several years ago because of iron and B12 deficiencies.

Low carb diet kills the metabolism, plan and simple. You shift your body over to a stress state and eventually that stress state will start wrecking havoc.

post 105972 I like and crave starch primarily (prefer potatoes,...

Ray Peat said the potato is almost the perfect food. I want to eat a lot of an almost perfect food.

Ray said gluten is toxic to everyone, its best avoided.

post 105972 Sorry for the essay! I'm just in need of something that will actually help me, I've been on all sorts of health forums and got all sorts of conflicting advice, this Ray Peat stuff seems the only thing that actually resonates with how I feel about food. I just want to shift a bit of body fat but continue to feel like a functional, happy human being :)

You are in the right place. It all comes down to raising your metabolism.

Those were just some quick thoughts I am sure others will chime in.

See ya around.

 

[jb116]

Regarding the quorn stuff I've read that it seems a bit to be a nasty thing. Its very allergenic and I'd assume it's not an assimilative friendly substance. It's possible it is also contributing to your fodmap situation, although you may have had that issue before.

 

[BonbonUK]

Thanks for the replies already, seems like I'm in the right place :)

Regarding quorn being allergenic, you may be right (and also about the FODMAP thing), but there is info about quorn and intolerance that in my opinion may be propaganda from the soy industry who doesn't like the competition That said, I know I should probably avoid frankenfoods

 

[jb116]

post 105978 Thanks for the replies already, seems like I'm in the right place :)

Regarding quorn being allergenic, you may be right (and also about the FODMAP thing), but there is info about quorn and intolerance that in my opinion may be propaganda from the soy industry who doesn't like the competition That said, I know I should probably avoid frankenfoods

Yeah exactly, I'd be highly suspicious of a frankenfood before a natural, real food (not that they can't be allergenic as well!) but the risk lies most
with these concocted quasi-foods.

 

[michael94]

What is the macronutrient breakdown of what you are eating daily ( protein / carb / fat ) and your height/weight

 

[charlie]

post 105978 That said, I know I should probably avoid frankenfoods

:1

 

[BonbonUK]

What is the macronutrient breakdown of what you are eating daily ( protein / carb / fat ) and your height/weight

Something like 70% carbs, the rest around an equal split between fat and protein, this is when I eat according to my natural preferences, but I realise I should probably eat more protein.

I'm 5'6 and weigh 64kgs, I weighed 58kgs before pregnancy and feel best somewhere between 52 and 58kgs (I have a light ectomorph type build, so don't really get fat, just "skinny fat" and think I look best when quite lean as I have very skinny arms and legs!).

 

[michael94]

post 105996

What is the macronutrient breakdown of what you are eating daily ( protein / carb / fat ) and your height/weight

Something like 70% carbs, the rest around an equal split between fat and protein, this is when I eat according to my natural preferences, but I realise I should probably eat more protein.

How many calories...

 

[Nicholas]

fat loss, if done in a manner which preserves health and metabolism, is dictated by the body itself. All you have to do is focus on regulating blood sugar and everything else falls into place. You don't want to lose fat too quickly because of the free fatty acids and it's such a huge stress to your body. If you want more info. on regulating blood sugar, i can post some stuff here.

 

[charlie]

post 106022 fat loss, if done in a manner which preserves health and metabolism, is dictated by the body itself.

Truth right there.

 

[tara]

Bonbon

I know what you mean about conflicting health advice. Hope you find ideas here that are helpful.

Some of us use cronometer to get an idea of what nutrients are in our daily food, and whether we are short on anything in a particular. Peat generally recommends 1200-2000mg calcium, and at least as much calcium as phosphorus, preferably 1.5:1, and especially emphasises the importance of calcium for shedding unnecessary fat. Getting plenty of calcium may be particularly important while you are eating for two - if there's not enough to go around, I think it comes out of your bones to nourish baby. If you can't get enough from milk etc, Peat recommends clean eggshell powder or oystershell as possible supplements. Good calcium metabolism needs other nutrients too, esp. magnesium and I think vit-K and D.

There are other ways of getting fat-soluble vitamins than from cod liver oil, although it could be that the fish oil is having a short-term anti-inflamatory effect (at a cost). Are you getting regular sunshine?

If you don't get on with fruit at the moment, potatoes have some useful potassium as well as protein and other things. Green vege broths can be another source of magnesium and other minerals. Some people find a good clear apple juice easier on the gut than whole fruit or juice that still contains some fibre. Do you have just as much trouble with sugar-sweetened stewed fruit as with raw? How about honey? Peat recommends strained orange juice, because the pulp can be hard on some people. Commercial juices are unlikely to be as good, though some of use them for convenience, cost etc.

Protein-wise, have you experimented with shellfish, non-oily fish, various cheeses, fresh or aged, jelly, to see if you can find other forms you can enjoy? Or maybe experiment with other ways to include milk with other things - in with the mashed spuds seems good. Custards, milk puddings, rice pudding, cheesecake, chowder, ...

You could try replacing wheat with other alternatives for a couple of weeks, and see if it makes anything better. Some commercial 'gluten-free' products are loaded with gums etc for binding that can be hard on the digestive tract, so I wouldn't make them a major part of diet. It's possible that gluten is making it harder for your system to cope with fruit etc. I don't think you have to suddenly ditch all the starchy food, but you could try some gentle experiments with replacing some of the grains with more sugary foods.

I'm in favour of you not restricting your food to the point of suffering hunger, esp. while you are breastfeeding. You may not need loads of fat, but I wouldn't try to go very low fat while feeding. Normal needs while breastfeeding and taking care of very young children are typically over 3000cals.

 

[charlie]

post 106026
I'm in favour of you not restricting your food to the point of suffering hunger, esp. while you are breastfeeding. You may not need loads of fat, but I wouldn't try to go very low fat while feeding. Normal needs while breastfeeding and taking care of very young children are typically over 3000cals.

:1

 

[BonbonUK]

Thanks for the advice :)

I use cronometer occasionally and seem to get around 2400 cals a day when eating to appetite without restricting.

Cronometer tells me I should eat a maximum 2157 cals a day but that feels too low to me, and I believe in following one's appetite rather than trying to restrict. The only weight loss techniques that have worked for me in the past have created a small calorie deficit without me noticing, such as giving up a food I eat a lot of (e.g. bread) or avoiding snacks.

 

[tara]

post 106085
Cronometer tells me I should eat a maximum 2157 cals a day but that feels too low to me, and I believe in following one's appetite rather than trying to restrict.

Cronometer and many public calorie calculators/recommendations are too low, probably because they are based on studies that measure what people say they eat rather than what they actually eat (and on average people tend to underestimate).

 

[Experienced]

[ref]BonbonUK[/ref],


Low carb diet kills the metabolism, plan and simple. You shift your body over to a stress state and eventually that stress state will start wrecking havoc.


Ray Peat said the potato is almost the perfect food. I want to eat a lot of an almost perfect food.

Ray said gluten is toxic to everyone, its best avoided.


You are in the right place. It all comes down to raising your metabolism.

Those were just some quick thoughts I am sure others will chime in.

See ya around.

even try to avoid Oats? are oats even toxic for the body?

 

[sele]

I have a strong aversion to animal protein (especially red meat, oily fish and eggs) I also don't like cow's milk

Welcome to the forum.
You will face a difficult time getting 80g+ proteins.
Proteins are vital for metabolism, hormonal balance and (of course) good looks. :)