Not Feeling Well After Starting To "Peat"

cb4

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I have recently started to eat more like Peat, not exactly his diet but using his principles. After years of a no sugar, relatively low carb, high protein diet I got sick of the cold hands, low libido, social introversion, etc. So I decided to start eating sugar and milk and OJ and potatoes. I noticed that my tolerance to caffeine is better, my hands are warmer and I am generally happier, but I now feel like ***t in the morning - until I have some caffeine (which I never drank for years probably because the adrenaline and cortisol were keeping me amped throughout the day and I never felt I needed caffeine.) Is there some kind of detox or adjustment that occurs when your metabolism starts to increase? Am I doomed to feel like crap in the morning as long as I eat this way?
 

InChristAlone

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I have recently started to eat more like Peat, not exactly his diet but using his principles. After years of a no sugar, relatively low carb, high protein diet I got sick of the cold hands, low libido, social introversion, etc. So I decided to start eating sugar and milk and OJ and potatoes. I noticed that my tolerance to caffeine is better, my hands are warmer and I am generally happier, but I now feel like ***t in the morning - until I have some caffeine (which I never drank for years probably because the adrenaline and cortisol were keeping me amped throughout the day and I never felt I needed caffeine.) Is there some kind of detox or adjustment that occurs when your metabolism starts to increase? Am I doomed to feel like crap in the morning as long as I eat this way?
I felt this way too on caffeine, only reason to get up was to make coffee. I decided it wasn't a good thing and have been doing well getting my health back without stimulants.

Take it slow, hardest transition is from low carb to high carb as you probably developed a bit of insulin resistance on low carb.
 
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cb4

cb4

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Thanks. Taking it slow is tough. Its hard to come to the realization that your not really healthy when you thought you were doing everything right. I feel like I am righting an ocean liner and making a major adjustment so it makes sense to have patience. Funny about the insulin resistance when I always avoided sugar with the idea I was keeping any risk of diabetes at bay.
 

Tarmander

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Have some juice by your night stand. If you wake up in the middle of the night take a swig. Can help keep your metabolism high through the night and help the morning be a little less rough.
 
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cb4

cb4

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If I can sleep through the night I consider it a victory. I wake up often to pee, I guess I will try to replenish some glycogen when I wake up. Thanks for the tip!
 

Regina

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If I can sleep through the night I consider it a victory. I wake up often to pee, I guess I will try to replenish some glycogen when I wake up. Thanks for the tip!
and a bit of salt by the bed.
 

WestCoaster

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I have recently started to eat more like Peat, not exactly his diet but using his principles. After years of a no sugar, relatively low carb, high protein diet I got sick of the cold hands, low libido, social introversion, etc. So I decided to start eating sugar and milk and OJ and potatoes. I noticed that my tolerance to caffeine is better, my hands are warmer and I am generally happier, but I now feel like ***t in the morning - until I have some caffeine (which I never drank for years probably because the adrenaline and cortisol were keeping me amped throughout the day and I never felt I needed caffeine.) Is there some kind of detox or adjustment that occurs when your metabolism starts to increase? Am I doomed to feel like crap in the morning as long as I eat this way?

The reason you got cold hands in the past is because of high protein in the diet. It is an extremely common mistake for those who go paleo (assuming you did with the no sugar), by additionally going low carb and high protein. It's supposed to be moderate protein and higher fat. High protein is no different than going high carb, does the exact same thing to the blood sugar. The end result was because of the high protein, because protein is very satiating, your calories were too low, and your thyroid slowed down turning your hands and feet into ice. As I said, this is a very common mistake for someone who embarks on low carb (whether they want to admit it or not).

If that is the background you came from, then yes it's likely the Peat principles of diet will probably make you sick unless you eat an exorbitant amount of calories. Remember, to keep your thyroid happy, you'll need a steady stream of energy. Things like Milk, OJ, and especially potatoes will burn through you in the blink of an eye. The only way to keep the furnace going to have a steady source of calories for your body to burn. This includes throughout the night. If you're waking up during the night, you need to eat something (or a lot before bed) if it's peat style eating. You don't need to do it that way though; you can get away with eating fatty meal for dinner, and it should carry you through right till morning. Remember, Carbs burn quickly, fat burns slower.

Remember, the body is very very efficient at telling you if you're doing something wrong. If you're eating a particular way and it's making you feel like crap, you'll likely have to stop.
 
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cb4

cb4

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I ate a pint of Haagen Das last night and woke up feeling great.

Yeah, I definitely was not getting enough calories. I found the paleo diet to be too restricting and after following it for so long (albeit incorrectly) I became extremely intolerant of things like fruit and juice and even certain fats. So I would just eat less, which was not a problem because I had no appetite. I really screwed up my body even going to the extreme of all meat for a while which is the most unhealthy I have ever been in my life.

Coconut oil had disasterous effects: I have a tendency to be underweight so the coconut oil was revving my metabolism but my caloric intake was still low. I became very thin and started to have respiratory problems.

The bottom line is that I initially went on the paleo diet not for weight issues (I do physical labor for work and burn through anything I eat) but for my mental health. I had suffered from anxiety and depression for years and the paleo diet did wonders for those symptoms but at a high cost I think. I also found my personality changed on a paleo diet. I became more detached and aloof, assertive but sometimes at the cost of others needs and feelings, just more of a jerk (I guess adrenalin and cortisol will do that). I find the more sugar I eat, I get a little anxious now but I am friendlier and more happy go lucky. After reading Peat, I am starting to understand that the anxiety and depression may actually stem from not eating ENOUGH sugar and carbs.

I am interested in the ideas of William Wolcott and Donald Kelley and the metabolic typing diet. I wonder if those who have a tendency to be thin (like me) should actually load up on the carbs and heavier people benefit from more protein and fat. I definitely think that the metabolic type diet is a bit simplistic as calories still are king. But lets face it, 100 calories of coconut oil are going to do very different things to your body than 100 calories of bread. It is a combination of amount and type of food which affects weight, is it not?
 

aquaman

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List your meals and times of day along with calories per meal and macro splits
 

DaveFoster

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Definitely get enough calories. It's hard to do with low-fat. Starch before bed often results in cold hands/feet upon rising.

A decent idea is to eat your protein and carbs in the morning and afternoon, and have fat and carbs in the evening.
 
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cb4

cb4

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My big mistake was that I never equated protein with carbs. It has only been recently that I learned that protein raises insulin just as much as carbs. Yes I agree, DaveFoster, eating protein at night without fat is just like eating carbs at night without fat. Both force me awake at about 2:30-3:00 am with that cortisol surge as blood glucose drops. A nice buttery snack or ice cream (I used to use peanut butter to cure my insomnia) seems to do the trick.

I was on a kick for a while where I used a lot of Ezekiel bread (they say it digests just like a vegetable!) thinking that my problem was insulin control and Ezekiel bread claims to be a low glycemic index food (I now scoff at the idea of the glycemic index!) and that meat was also low on the glycemic index. Art DeVany advocates a grainless, low refined carb diet with the idea that his insulin levels are remaining stable but I wonder...

Reading Ray Peat is like learning the earth is not flat. It forces you to look at food and metabolism from an entirely different perpective. I have to admit, the idea of shoveling tablespoons of sugar into my mouth is thrilling (which goes to show you how much my metabolism is screwed up) so now my main focus is approaching this in a sane and balanced way without going overboard.

As far as calorie counting and macros, I tried it for a couple of weeks once. It worked. The more I was focused on keeping track of everything the better off I was but it required some time and discipline and I gradually just stopped paying attention. I am the type of person who has to stop and remind myself to eat otherwise I end up being overactive and underfed.
 

DaveFoster

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Reading Ray Peat is like learning the earth is not flat.
Whoa, easy there. None of your pseudo-science.

flat-earth-625x350.jpg
 

schultz

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Whoa, easy there. None of your pseudo-science.

flat-earth-625x350.jpg

lol, second best mainstream science argument of all time. "That's just psuedo-science!"
Best mainstream science argument of all time... "That guy is just a quack"
 

DaveFoster

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lol, second best mainstream science argument of all time. "That's just psuedo-science!"
Best mainstream science argument of all time... "That guy is just a quack"
True! Every doctor who doesn't give Prozac and Ativan for every symptom = quack.
 

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