Peata's Log For Weight Loss & Misc

[Peata]

I would go to a tanning bed a little, but I thought those rays were supposed to be harmful...?

I have a couple heat lamps that I intend to set up soon as I figure out the best way to hang them. If you or anyone uses them, do you let them shine directly down on your head, or do you angle them another way? When I was using them before, I tried different ways but was usually uncomfortable with the brightness (not sure if I should be wearing protective goggles or just avoid looking directly at them).

Yeah, that's how I've felt about it as far as medical testing. I had a lot of tests that never really told me anything I didn't know. Just a bunch of money for something I already know by symptoms.

I'm back on cyproheptadine since Christmas night and doing really well with it. Whatever the irritability was about last time, it's not there now. I usually have to wait at least a week - sometimes 10 - 14 days to feel the full effect kick in for mood. I'm almost up to 8 mg. now and that's where I plan to stay for a while.

I knew I was packed with cortisol, adrenaline, estrogen, etc for the last week, and it was really evident on Christmas. Probably the stress of the holiday season didn't help. For once I didn't have any cypro with me but I was really feeling the need for it. As soon as I got home that night, I took some along with a little taurine (that I was already taking) and 100 mg theanine. I took some cascara too. Withing FIFTEEN minutes I felt a huge relief come over me. Just more relaxed everywhere. It kept happening after taking it, although the overall mood effect takes more time, as I said, somewhere around ten days for me. I can tell when it's working because I'll stop ruminating and worrying.

I'm intending to stay on cypro for a good long while and really give it a chance to lower that cortisol and serotonin and help my metabolism.

I'm not worried about weight gain from it. For one thing, I seem to be doing better about being more mindful when eating, and chewing my food a lot. Nicholas, I think it was, had a recent post on it too. I think it's helping my blood sugar be more stable, my digestive discomforts are much less. I discovered what seems to set off the immediate diarrhea after eating sometimes, is too much liquid at once. Anyway, with the slower eating and increase in chewing, I am eating less calories and getting full quicker. I eat every 2 - 3 hours but not as much food now. I feel that I am absorbing nutrients from my food better now that it's not dumping into my stomach in large pieces (sometimes I barely chewed because I was in a hurry to just eat and go do something else, or I would let myself get too hungry to eat slow).

Something in a salad today irritated my GI to where I had to take a little dramamine (for the lightheadedness and weird feeling I'd get). I think it was cannelini beans that did it. I also notice a bad effect from eating a lot of cold cereal (more than one cup) or a lot of popcorn. I think it scratches the intestines or something. So I've cut back on those things a lot.

I seem to have lost my taste for red meat, at least here lately. I want seafood, cottage cheese, small amounts of cheese, milk. I like a little sliced ham, chicken, eggs, and fruit, certain vegs, honey, coffee with milk and sugar (3 c. coffee day usually), soda, potatoes, cooked greens, mushrooms, sherbet. I am eating coconut oil at least 4 x day. I am not focusing on low fat these days, but because I am eating less overall it doesn't seem to hurt.

For supplements: taurine 500 mg. 4 x day, Bs, D&K, E with pufa, cyproheptadine 8 mg day in divided doses with biggest dose at night. At night I also take 100 mg. theanine, 500 mg taurine, 1 capsule cascara sagrada. Occasional Natural Calm. Not taking caffeine pills but relying more on coffee these days.

 

[Giraffe]

When I am in a state of restless excitement, things shift towards diarrhea. It is not directly related to what I have eaten, and it is not related to when I have eaten either. It is the restlessness that triggers it, and I need to make a deliberate effort to slow down, to move slower and to calm down my mind.

That said, I am not doing well with too much starch (two small potatoes maximum for me or I go into post-meal coma). Most issues have several causes, and those are often interrelated. It's definitely worth to observe what effect certain foods have, but for me restlessness is the most potent trigger of diarrhea.

 

[Peata]

A little update so I can keep track of what I'm doing.

Supps: Taurine 2+ g day, Glycine same. B's. D&K. Singulair 10 mg at night. Cyproheptadine 8 mg divided. E w/pufa. 100 mg theanine night. I'm also getting some Natural Calm magnesium most nights.

Chewing food thoroughly. Eating prob every 3 hour. Building around protein and doing about 2:1 carb to protein instead of 3:1. Proteins like cottage cheese, cheese, milk, seafood (cod, shrimp, oyster, crab), chicken breast, ham slices. Getting adequate protein.

Red meat doesn't appeal much. I tried to eat a hamburger patty but was grossed out. I think I can eat certain red meat but it depends on the texture for some reason. Maybe this is a temporary change. Or not.

I've reduced liquid until my metabolism gets better. For one, that will help prevent dilution of stomach acid. I eat cheese in place of some of the milk, for example. Not worried about fat intake atm.

I cut out starch. I will make exception for potato at times. Otherwise, going to try to keep starch out until metabolism gets better. Using more salt again.

Back to caffeine at least 600 mg per day so this means supplementing some besides the coffee.

Getting fruit fresh and canned, and trying to eat/juice at least one orange per day.

Mexi-Coke or sugared Pepsi. Drinking slow and again, not as much liquid overall.

 

[Peata]

post 117339 When I am in a state of restless excitement, things shift towards diarrhea. It is not directly related to what I have eaten, and it is not related to when I have eaten either. It is the restlessness that triggers it, and I need to make a deliberate effort to slow down, to move slower and to calm down my mind.

That said, I am not doing well with too much starch (two small potatoes maximum for me or I go into post-meal coma). Most issues have several causes, and those are often interrelated. It's definitely worth to observe what effect certain foods have, but for me restlessness is the most potent trigger of diarrhea.

Yeah, that can trigger my IBS - stress, anxiety.

 

[Peata]

post 114506 Hi Peata... a few thoughts: I'm in agreement with SQu on the sunshine or red light or a tanning booth.

Also, even though you've tested negative for SIBO, those tests can be inaccurate.

Regardless, you have an irritable bowel. All the symptoms that you describe stem from the dreaded hormonal/gut flora imbalance. You don't really need to test for Prolactin. You already know what estrogen symptoms feel like. An irritated gut can make too much serotonin, so ya don't really need to waste time and money on testing for these things that you already know are issues.

I react to Cyproheptadine the same way, way tooooo groggy and depressed the next day.

What works better for me is good old fashioned Russian Penicillin a.k.a. Raw Garlic, just one dose followed by the carrot salad with stop the endotoxin driven estrogen/serotonin mess in it's tracks...oh, and total avoidance of wheat, even small amounts will keep feeding the microbes that you're trying to eradicate.

Btw in my completely non-expert uneducated opinion, these microbes are responsible for weight gain and difficulty managing blood sugar too.

I haven't got caught up on everybody's logs, but have you tried going completely 100% grain free for 30 days just to see what happens?

I would go to a tanning bed, but I think the rays are the wrong ones for us. I could ask the big salon near me what types of beds they have, maybe there is one in a better spectrum.

Yes, I'm going total no starch. I was thinking a little potato would be OK. What do you think?

 

[thebigpeatowski]

post 117875

post 117339 When I am in a state of restless excitement, things shift towards diarrhea. It is not directly related to what I have eaten, and it is not related to when I have eaten either. It is the restlessness that triggers it, and I need to make a deliberate effort to slow down, to move slower and to calm down my mind.

That said, I am not doing well with too much starch (two small potatoes maximum for me or I go into post-meal coma). Most issues have several causes, and those are often interrelated. It's definitely worth to observe what effect certain foods have, but for me restlessness is the most potent trigger of diarrhea.

Yeah, that can trigger my IBS - stress, anxiety.

In the past, this was a major trigger for me as well. It could hit quite suddenly at the most inopportune moment: for instance at auctions when I'm bidding against my "competition" (many were friends/acquaintances). I would be so stressed by the rising prices/heat of the moment and would suddenly feel that familiar rumble in the lower gut. At the time I had NO idea why it was happening.

I gave up going to auctions, but then it began to happen at estate sales too, especially if there was a LOT of competition. I noticed as time went by that I was becoming less resilient to stressful situations and even an unpleasant phone conversation could suddenly trigger a loose BM.

Probable contributing factors in my case: Simply being peri-menopausal, profound unhappiness in a sh*tty marriage (and nasty divorce), ensuing financial ruin and finally culminated with taking a boatload of antibiotics when my appendix ruptured.....stress is a killer for sure.

Based solely on my own experience, I think stress ALONE can alter gut flora and trigger an imbalance, in spite of eating a "perfect diet".

I've spent years tweaking my diet and it has been quite helpful, but altering my lifestyle and mental outlook/attitude has been every bit as important.

Dietary changes can be difficult, but for me facing some unpleasant emotional stuff, altering my thoughts/views about stuff and modifying my entire lifestyle proved to be the bigger challenge.

I'm not saying this applies to anyone here because there is no way I could even know such a thing. But if your diet is 90% on target and you're using good supps, what else is left? High dose safe anti-microbials and mental/emotional/life-style stress mitigation :2cents

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Yes, I'm going total no starch. I was thinking a little potato would be OK. What do you think?

There are safer tanning beds, some that use a different ballast system and employ different spectra. I can't recall the specific brand, you can do a google search and then find a tanning salon that carries such a brand. Mercola sells them too, but he's such a huckster I hate to even mention his name.

I recently built this contraption (attached below) and use it as a sauna (surrounded with canvas painter's drop cloth suspended from the ceiling). It's 1000 watts of infrared lights, 20 minutes before bed followed by OJ with Natural Calm ionic magnesium mixed in makes for excellent sleep and safe detoxification.

I have it located in an upstairs bedroom that has very low wood ceilings as my house is over 100 years old. You could build a frame work out of pipe or wood to create a sauna if your location doesn't allow for ceiling suspension.

I've been eating some well-cooked sweet potatoes with no issues, but I still cannot eat starch from grains on a DAILY basis. Once in a while seems to be just fine, but too much starch too many days in a row and I will start to bloat.... a feeling I've come to hate, so I don't go there.

Also, I think eating grains causes me joint pain, but I could be imagining that there's a connection. I don't eat them often enough to be positive...

 

[Peata]

Great light setup, BP. Gives me ideas. Do you use tanning bed goggles under that or just lay with your eyes closed?

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Sometimes I just close my eyes, other times I use sunglasses. I do have tanning bed goggles, but I have not been able to locate them since I moved so for now it's eyes shut with sunglasses ....happy sweating!!!

 

[Peata]

My weight went down 12# for a short time during my hard weight loss efforts but then crept back up a little and would not budge. Over the holidays it started going up a little more. So lately I've been trying to look at it a little differently. Obviously I have problem with cortisol, estrogen, etc. I mean, with PCOS, acne and all, plus the weight has mostly been in my abdomen. There is some fat distributed all over, but if not for the belly, I wouldn't look "fat". I've always had issues with stress, even as a child, so I'm sure that helped set me up for hormonal imbalances and the like. So, with so many signs of the high cortisol I decided to work on that the most.

It seems to be helping so far. I've lost a few pounds this week (prob. mostly water.) My skin seems calmer.

My cortisol reducing regimen:

(Some of this is rehashing what I wrote Mon).

I take 8 mg. Cypro divided through the day. It does not make me abnormally hungry, so I'm not afraid to stay on it longer than I used to. I want to let it lower my cortisol, increase metabolism, stabilize mood, and the many other good things it can do.

Haven't been taking theanine. Will prob stay on Singulair for at least another month to help control chronic cough I get this time of year (and usually turns into bronchitis but I credit Singular with keeping it under control).

Sleep, of course.

Working on mental outlook. Cypro helps with that too.

I eat smallish meals every few hours, making sure to get a protein with the carb. Adequate daily protein is easy if I base a meal with it.

Chewing well. Eating and drinking slower. I get full faster, and I think I'm absorbing nutrients better now.

I am not eating much red meat, but this is just personal thing for now, not sure it has anything to do with the weight loss.

I am starch-free to reduce cortisol.

My overall carb level has gone down to around 300 g. or less per day. The reduction has come from eating no starch. I am still using white sugar in coffee, and using some honey,and I also eat fruit and get in a little fruit juice. And some real-sugar sodas, about 12 oz. per day.

Less liquid, more solids. At least until metabolism improves. This seems to have helped cut down on diarrhea and bloat.

I've been back on Taurine since just before Christmas, and back on Cypro since Christmas night. I also take Glycine and get at least 500 mg. caffeine per day. I can tell water weight has gone down some.

I supplement some Bs and now and then, D & K. E with any pufa.

Taurine is 500 mg 4 x day, same for Glycine.

I woke up 97.9 deg. today. Usually I am 97.7 or 97.8.

Not too concerned about fat intake, although I see it's mostly below 25%. Mostly saturated.

Calories are averaging 1700, where before I struggled to lose on 1300. I am eating til satisfied, so again I think eating slower chewing more has helped and likely nutrient absorption improved. If I start being more physically active I will increase calories some. I need to build some muscle.




It's been 3 days since I really starting implementing all this together (including no starch)

 

[thebigpeatowski]

My totally biased non-expert opinion is that you might consider supplementing with extra B VITAMINS every single day and also more vitamin E (like 1000 IU of mixed high d-Gamma) every single day. You could try the high E every day for a month, I found it this dose helped TREMENDOUSLY with estrogen.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

.... I've always had issues with stress, even as a child, so I'm sure that helped set me up for hormonal imbalances and the like. So, with so many signs of the high cortisol I decided to work on that the most.

Me too Peata....I was adopted at birth. The protocol in 1966 was to not allow the birth mother to hold her baby so that no bonding would take place. By law, the birth mother has 7 business days to relinquish her rights. So for my first 8 days of life I was kept in a separate unit and only held for bottle feedings from a nurse.

My biological mother was a minor teen and sent away to an un-wed mother's home to await my birth. I can only imagine how stressful that must have been. I developed a life long over-reaction to even small amounts of stress which was very evident as a small child. My brother, who is also adopted at birth (but from different family), has life long emotional/addiction & gut issues as well. I always thought it was due to our upbringing which was less than ideal, but now I think it definitely started even earlier.

Peat talks somewhere about this hormone profile continuing into adulthood, but I can't recall where I read it. :?

I HATE to think we are permanently ruined....I just refuse to believe/accept that. However, I've had to alter my views and belief system entirely.....recognizing that I simply must take extraordinary measures on a daily basis to stay on an even keel. By extraordinary measures I mean that I seem to have a higher need than most people for some nutrients, a higher need for sun light, a higher need for anti-microbials, extra measures to reduce estrogen, a lower tolerance for alcohol etc.

I'm such a High Maintenance Wench, LOL

Ooops, I meant to add this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20886335

 

[Peata]

I'm not sure why I developed a high amount of stress/response to stress at a young age. I did not have a difficult start like you, but I still was always an anxious child and developed GI issues by junior high. OCD. No doubt the chronic high cortisol helped me get hormone imbalance/pcos at young age. And high serotonin and estrogen, etc. I refuse to think we are permanently ruined either, it is probably like you say, we just have to take more measures to remain balanced.

 

[Blossom]

post 118281 My biological mother was a minor teen and sent away to an un-wed mother's home to await my birth. I can only imagine how stressful that must have been. I developed a life long over-reaction to even small amounts of stress which was very evident as a small child. My brother, who is also adopted at birth (but from different family), has life long emotional/addiction & gut issues as well. I always thought it was due to our upbringing which was less than ideal, but now I think it definitely started even earlier.

Wow! My mom was adopted after she was found starving to death by the neighbor at 3 months old! Apparently her mom died in childbirth and her father then abandoned his children who were left to care for my mom on their own. I've always suspected that this rough start hugely impacted my mom and it's seemed to carry on somewhat with her children including myself and grandchildren. I believe these things can impact generations for sure! Thanks for the link BP and sorry to get off topic in your thread Peata. :)

 

[Peata]

I was taking 2g a day for a while with top results, it balanced me out when combined with eggs, vitamin D and pregnenolone.


Now taurine after about a year's break makes me lifeless, so something has shifted in me.

I would still recommend trying it.

Sounds like your health is really good now from your other thread. You aren't taking too many supplements at all now, are you?

 

[Peata]

My totally biased non-expert opinion is that you might consider supplementing with extra B VITAMINS every single day and also more vitamin E (like 1000 IU of mixed high d-Gamma) every single day. You could try the high E every day for a month, I found it this dose helped TREMENDOUSLY with estrogen.

Sorry you may have told me before, but what brand of E do you recommend? Was it Solgar?

 

[tara]

My totally biased non-expert opinion is that you might consider supplementing with extra B VITAMINS every single day

I'll add my totally biased non-expert opinion to regular B-vits. And every meal, or at least twice a day, might be even better than once a day.
(I don't have such clear experience with E yet, so no opinion on that.)

 

[Peata]

I'm doing a B vitamin supplement usually 2 x day.

I'm also using niacinamide now.

 

[Peata]

I have a Swanson vitamin E on order that haidut recommended. I'm going to try it to reduce estrogen. Solgar and Unique E hasn't helped and I've tried the liquid and capsules. Estrogen - I feel that is still the biggest factor going on in all my health issues (though many are better now).

The other thing would be my messed-up glucose metabolism. This has been a problem pretty much all my life but my diet experiments over the years really mucked it up worse. Especially since before RP I was doing a stint of very low carb, then went from that to some extreme calorie restrictions and intermittent fastings. Then trials of green juices, mostly raw, back to lowish carb, etc. No wonder when I added sugars back I blew up. Too much fatty acid messing things up. Nothing works, I've tried it all, usually more than once. So once again, I'm trying to get my body to learn to use sugar. I'm back to very low fat, high carb, med/high protein. I'm using less white sugar and more honey. More fruit. Pretty low starch (under 20 g. day). I'm having 30 g. protein when I get up. I use casein.

My supps are:
Taurine - 2 g. (lowered this from 3 - 5 g.)
Cypro, dose varies. I've done up to 16 mg day, but usually 10 mg.
Niacinamide. Dose varies. I have to take with sugar in system or I can get a headache, but so far I haven't had a bad one. Usually taking 300 mg. 4 or 5 x day.
B's. I take a low dose multi. Extra B1 now and then.
D&K, daily or every other day.
ionic Magnesium (natural Calm) usually 2 t. per night.

Some other notes -
I can't eat oranges, they really mess up my GI. I guess they are just not ripe enough.
Too much liquid causes bloat, so I have to watch that.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Sorry you may have told me before, but what brand of E do you recommend? Was it Solgar?

I take the Swanson's Maximum Strength Gamma Tocopherol softgels, seems fairly clean (gelatin, glycerin, rice bran oil, purified water and caramel color).

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-maximum-strength-gamma-tocopherol-30-sgels#label

In the past I have used Unique-E (for years), Purely-E for several months and then I tried one bottle of the Solgar 1000 I.U.....been using the Swanson's one linked above for several months now and I like it best so far.