Nova: The Very Far Off Broadway Not-Musical

[HDD]

Eating should raise temps and ideally should rise to 98.6 and stay up for several hours. My temp used to drop after breakfast, I don't recall the #'s.

 

[Nova]

Eating should raise temps and ideally should rise to 98.6 and stay up for several hours. My temp used to drop after breakfast, I don't recall the #'s.

My temps have gone up since I started Peating. Used to test closer to 97 when I first started, now it's usually around 98. Improvement, but not normal.

I don't think I've ever tested at 98.6. Hell, that's a fever to me at this point.

Well, maybe I have some sort of hypothyroidish issue going on in addition to my litany of other issues. Like I said, you gave me a lot to think about in regards to planning the next phases of my journey.

 

[HDD]

Last quote in case you haven't seen it-
"Unless someone can demonstrate the scientific invalidity of the methods used to diagnose hypothyroidism up to 1945, then they constitute the best present evidence for evaluating hypothyroidism, because all of the blood tests that have been used since 1950 have been.shown to be, at best, very crude and conceptually inappropriate methods.

Thomas H. McGavack's 1951 book, The Thyroid, was representative of the earlier approach to the study of thyroid physiology. Familiarity with the different effects of abnormal thyroid function under different conditions, at different ages, and the effects of gender, were standard parts of medical education that had disappeared by the end of the century. Arthritis, irregularities of growth, wasting, obesity, a variety of abnormalities of the hair and skin, carotenemia, amenorrhea, tendency to miscarry, infertility in males and females, insomnia or somnolence, emphysema, various heart diseases, psychosis, dementia, poor memory, anxiety, cold extremities, anemia, and many other problems were known reasons to suspect hypothyroidism. If the physician didn't have a device for measuring oxygen consumption, estimated calorie intake could provide supporting evidence. The Achilles' tendon reflex was another simple objective measurement with a very strong correlation to the basal metabolic rate. Skin electrical resistance, or whole body impedance wasn't widely accepted, though it had considerable scientific validity. "
Thyroid: Therapies, Confusion, and Fraud

This is a list of symptoms-
Long and Pathetic List of Hypothyroid Symptoms - Stop The Thyroid Madness

 

[Nova]

How important is digestive health? I'm not talking about repopulating my gut flora or anything major like that. I'm thinking more along the lines of digestive enzymes. Some may be aware of my ongoing citric acid struggle. Citric acid has been my foe since late childhood. It's a weird issue to have. Not quite an allergy, more like an intolerance along the lines of lactose intolerance. (Which is also an issue for me.)

Awhile back, I theorized that a lack of a certain enzyme might be partially to blame for this. There are few people online who claim to have cured citric acid issues by taking said enzyme. I am considering doing so as well. Mostly because I'd like to be able to drink OJ and eat fruit without the worry and digestive issues.

I've also been considering taking a butyrate supplement, along with some mineral powders for general supplemental purposes and Gluthione to address my sadsack liver. I'm thinking that it may not be the wisest decision to take a bunch of supplements and herbs orally while I'm trying to fix this gut issue or while I'm attempting to optimize my liver.

Some things have to be taken orally, but most can be taken topically or via injection if need be. (Other routes are an option, but I'll not digress...) I also listened to the Danny Roddy podcast where he talks to Ray about taking vitamins. Lots of new thoughts there. Still percolating.

If I had the space, I could probably buy the supplies and do some amateur crack chemistry to mix my own supplements. So that's a future consideration, but not at this moment. I need to be sure of accurate dosing during this phase and that starts with ensuring adequate concentration and consistent potency. That means purchasing such products from reputable vendors.

I need to increase my budget for my next phase if I'm going this route too. Peat said in the interview on the podcast that it can take like 10x the dose when you take vitamins topically vs. orally. Realistically though, I could always wait to deal with my digestive issues. They aren't overtly negatively impacting me. Just making things a bit more difficult than I'd like them to be.

*************

Thyroid...I'm not so sure about addressing thyroid. I know that some of my problems stem from adrenal malfunction. It's easy to confuse adrenal malfunction with poor thyroid function. Thyroid hormone would probably help me with some issues, but I'm always going to have some level of adrenal malfunction. It is what it is.

I'm thinking that experimenting with thyroid hormone is okay overall. Like it's not something I'd never do, it's just something I'm not keen on doing right now. Part of the reason why is that I don't want the possible side effect of increased appetite. That's not such a bad thing if you're within a reasonable body weight range. Someone who's at a normal or near normal BMI can afford to gain a little weight via increased appetite, but someone who's at a BMI in the low 40s like me....not so much.

I know, it's the same argument I had awhile back. I can't afford to gain weight. Don't wanna eat more. Blah blah.

I feel that I need to establish healthy habits before hacking my thyroid. Healthy habits like working out, lol. Because if I'm going eat more, I need to be burning more.

Also, I'm more interested in experimenting with other things. Thyroid is something I plan on experimenting with down the road, when I'm closer to a healthier BMI and have the healthy habits of exercise and clean diet in place.

Good vibes to all.

 

[HDD]

Hi @Nova , I just came across this in my notes and thought I'd pass it along to you. I'm not trying to persuade you about thyroid but thought the following might be helpful in some way.

RP: The main thing that keeps blood sugar stable is the ability of your liver to store sugar, wherever it got it, it needs Thyroid hormone to store sugar, it also makes you use your sugar more sparingly, producing many more times of ATP molecules per unit of food, you get if you metabolise it into lactic acid which you do when you don’t have enough Thyroid. Thyroid makes you spare your glucose, not waste it, and store it in the liver, so it’s the basic thing for stabilizing your blood sugar. If you have cholesterol, which is only produced if the liver is in good condition, low cholesterol is behind serious adrenal failure, because raw cholesterol is raw material all of Pregnenolone, progesterone, DHEA, and cortisol. If your cholesterol is low and thyroid is low, you can’t make any of these. If you don’t make enough of these other steroids, then you will turn any trace of cholesterol into Adrenaline or Cortisol and get ecess cortisol, so you can get either adrenal failure or adrenal over activity, as a result of having a sick liver or any underactive thyroid.

Q: Is 220 a good sign of a strong Thyroid?

RP: Yes, anywhere 160-230 is good, but if your Thyroid is very active your cholesterol will probably go down to 200 or 190. There is this mirror-image relationship behind cholesterol and thyroid function.
Health And Diet - One Radio Network 4 Dec 2013

 

[Nova]

Thoughts:

Thyroid makes you spare your glucose, not waste it, and store it in the liver, so it’s the basic thing for stabilizing your blood sugar.

Am I wasting glucose? Not sure. I'm not absorbing properly and that much is obvious. The question for me is, does thyroid hormone help with insulin regulation? As long as my insulin levels remain high and my body isn't utilizing the insulin, there is no hope of blood sugar levels evening out.

Which is why my focus is on increasing insulin sensitivity. I need for my cells to get with the program and recognize that they need to be using insulin instead of resisting it. That's jmho, I'm no medical expert.

If your cholesterol is low and thyroid is low, you can’t make any of these. If you don’t make enough of these other steroids, then you will turn any trace of cholesterol into Adrenaline or Cortisol and get ecess cortisol, so you can get either adrenal failure or adrenal over activity, as a result of having a sick liver or any underactive thyroid.

Yes, anywhere 160-230 is good, but if your Thyroid is very active your cholesterol will probably go down to 200 or 190. There is this mirror-image relationship behind cholesterol and thyroid function.

I do suspect that my liver is not in good spirits. This is probably where a lot of my issues originate. Thyroid may help with that. I just feel that I need to be in a healthier state, stronger metabolism, before I start taking thyroid hormone.

My cholesterol is actually high. Higher than the range listed. Not by much though. I suspect that my cholesterol levels are going to remain high for awhile since I'm losing a lot of weight. Free fatty acids and such.

*********

Thanks for sharing. Lots to consider down the road... :)

 

[Nova]

“Sometimes I wonder if we ever truly let anyone completely in. The desire for another human being to know you, all of you, all the pieces, even the ones you’re ashamed of — is huge. But too often, we sit down and sort through the pieces only picking out the pretty ones, leaving the ugly ones behind, not realizing that choosing not to share with someone else is like committing a crime against our very soul” ― Rachel Van Dyken, Toxic

*************

The pieces are finally coming together.

I've come to realize that what I thought of as this great tragedy was actually a blessing of sorts. The theft of my savings was in some ways a good thing. Being broke gave me some time to think, to plan, to visualize and solidify my intentions. I also had a lot of work to do in my headspace. I was putting that off because I didn't want to face a lot of what I had buried. I buried that ***t for a reason, but I needed to exhume those things, examine them. A lot of forgiveness needed to be given in order for me to be able to move on, I think.

Now for the pieces!

EXPERIMENT OUTCOMES:

• Improve / increase insulin sensitivity.
• Continue weight loss with the anticipated outcome of getting within normal BMI by June 2017.

DIET:
I've decided to pursue a controlled ketogenic approach for the next phase. I know that ketogenic approaches are not for everyone, and that they are contrary to Peat's recommendations. So is rapid weight loss. However, I've been asking myself which is worse: short term ketogenesis or long term obesity? I'm inclined to vote for the latter based on personal experience.

Currently, I am looking to lose a lot of body fat. I'm still about 90lbs shy of being in healthy BMI range. I carry most of my weight in the middle. I have like zero hips and small boobs, despite being obese. I don't even know if I have the potential to change my shape, but I'm pretty sure that I can get rid of this disgusting fat mass on my abdomen. Saying good-bye to my belly fat will be weird, but welcome.

Researching different diets and listening to umpteen health podcasts led me to consider the Bulletproof diet. As with all diets, there are some things I agree with, like, etc and some things I don't. I've done several different low carb / paleo-ish type diets. The ****-kicker about those types of diets are always the insane amounts of protein that one inevitably has to consume to feel full. I've never been much of a meat eater, so any diet that requires that I eat meat several times a day is a fail.

The Bulletproof diet varies from standard low carb and paleo in that it requires you to consume a lot of fat. Like 70% of your calories per day are supposed to be fat. And I'm like "whoa, WTF?"

Fasting is a big component of Bulletproof and that is something that I have done well with in the past. The last few months, I've been making more of an effort to graze and/or have at least 2-3 good meals per day. While that seems like a good thing and is recommended by Peat for the most part, it doesn't work for me. My blood sugar levels have become unmanageable. Constantly low, dropping after meals and I've had several major hypoglycemic episodes.

When I first started Peating and especially during my epic 55lb in two months weight loss, I was 16/8 intermittent fasting 4-5 days a week. Some days every single day. I felt great and had only one major hypo episode during that time. (That was when I went like 40 hours without eating.)

However, I'm not ready to say "screw Peating" just yet. Avoiding PUFAs has given me a different perspective on food and health. Eating a Peat-style diet has really changed my thinking and my body. I do think that Peating is a good way to achieve optimal health status. I'm just not in the right place to benefit from Peating at this time.

My plan is to follow a modified version of the Bulletproof Rapid Fat Loss Protocol for 90ish days and see where I'm at by then. I've read articles about people losing 60-80lbs in 3-4 months doing this version of the Bulletproof diet. It's pretty radical, with the actual protocol recommending 6 days of fasting and 1 feast day per week. On fast days, you don't consume anything but supplements, coffee, coconut oil, butter, salt and gelatin. And some water, but who drinks water?

I'm thinking of modifying the protocol to include 2 feast days per week. I get hangry (hungry + angry) when I go without carbs. Also, I will need to consume carbs on a somewhat regular basis to assess whether or not I'm actually becoming more insulin sensitive. That will mostly be judged by how I feel and what my blood sugar readings say. I'm going to have baseline bloodwork done sometime this month and also at the end of my experiment.

SUPPLEMENTS:

I may add or subtract things as time passes. Experiments are not perfect processes, as most are aware.

• Quality vitamins, for the most part.
• Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium powders.
• BCAAs, EAAs and gelatin/collagen for upping protein.
• Pregnenolone for hormonal purposes.
• Acetyl CO-A supplement to hopefully address my citric acid issue.
• Cinnamon and possibly magnolia bark to help with insulin sensitivity
• Activated charcoal for toxin absorption.
• Glutathione for my liver.
• DIM to flush out excess estrogens.
• Probiotic, possibly.

OTHER:

FITNESS: Fitness is an outcome I'd like to pursue. I would like to know what it is like on the "fit side" of things. I've been an obese computer jockey / couch potato for most of my life. So I suppose I'm kind of intrigued by what my body might be capable of. Like what are my limits?

LIGHT HEALING: I'm going also to experiment with healing via light. Looking into a couple of different portable infrared saunas and a few other such products, such as Vielight devices and Biomat.

MEDITATION: Meditation has played a large role in my journey thus far. I'll be continuing with that, trying to lengthen the times where I am in a proper flow state (or abject nothingness of mind, whichever).

MEDIA: I'm also taking a break from media. Mostly from TV. I'm a TV addict, as pathetic as it is to share that with the world. I'm not capable of going cold turkey on TV but I am capable of making better choices. So I'm listening to a lot of podcasts and music and using my DVR to fullest extent possible so that I don't have to deal with jarring commercials 24/7. Netflix, I'm avoiding because it's too easy for me to get sucked in. Before I know it, I've spent an entire afternoon watching something I've watched 99 times before.

READING: I've also decided to read more. I used to read like 1-2 books a week, sometimes more. I'm a voracious reader. Beyond avid, exists voracious lol. The last year or so, I fell out of the habit due to life happenings. I do enjoy reading though and it's a great way to expand the mind.

WRITING: I have lots of projects going at the moment. Really need to narrow it down to just 2-3 to focus on. My ultimate goal is to be able to live off of my writing and not just moonlight here and there and publish on niche sites. Not sure of how this will play out, it's just a vague notion at the moment.

Good vibes to all in 2017.

 

[Nova]

It's been awhile since I shared anything here.

Lots of things have changed for me since my last post.

MAJOR CHANGES:

1. I quit my job.
2. I've assumed partial custody of my youngest nephew.
3. I'm adjusting to being "mommy" which is something I never thought I'd do, tbh.
4. I have resumed my former faith practice.

I ended up choosing not to do the modified Bulletproof diet thing I wrote about in my last post.

Instead, I decided to focus on improving my gut health and building some muscle. I have been consuming resistant starch several meals each week, in addition to eating lots of fermented foods, lean proteins, gelatin, and fruit. I'm no longer hung up on weight loss, numbers on the scale, all of that sort of thing. I've been lifting weights and doing bodyweight exercises. Still walking when the weather permits and spending time on the elliptical that I purchased off of Craigslist when it doesn't.

I'm focusing on living and cultivating gratitude, patience, and love in my life, mostly. I've continued with my meditation practices and have committed to daily morning practice for the last month or so. The anger that I had a couple of months ago has faded away. I've also been incorporating what I call "micro-meditative responses" throughout the day. I've had plenty of opportunities to practice these the last few weeks since my nephew has been with me full-time.

Excellent vibes to all!