Sometimes, Is It Just A Matter Of Time?

Vileplume

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Joined
Jun 10, 2020
Messages
1,697
Location
California
I’ve been trying to implement Peat’s ideas into my diet for the past four months. Before that, I was carnivore/keto/fasting for a year, and for years before that I calorie restricted intensely to stay thin.

Things improved rapidly at first, then even more rapidly, and then they began to plateau. For the past two months, my symptoms (poor digestion, sleep troubled, white tongue, unstable pulse and temps throughout the day, really low HR while I sleep) haven’t really improved.

When I look through other members’ posts, especially experienced members, I see evidence of MANY ups and downs, sometimes spanning years. For those of you who feel like you’ve “healed” using Peat’s principles, describe what your journey was like. How long did it take? How many setbacks? How did you overcome them? How linear was your progress? Do you think in some cases, people just need time to overcome their plateaus?
 

Maljam

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
715
I have healed myself, I'm not sure if people would say I am "peating" but I'd rather feel good consistently than for people to think I am "peating." It took me about a year and a half to really stop and think, "I can't remember the last time I felt bad." The first few months were uncomfortable, but there should be a consistent overall positive trend in your health. Of course you will have minor setbacks but the bigger picture should be slowly moving upwards.

At no point did I think what I was doing was making myself worse than I was when I started. People need to be honest with themselves with this.
 

Uselis

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
333
I have healed myself, I'm not sure if people would say I am "peating" but I'd rather feel good consistently than for people to think I am "peating." It took me about a year and a half to really stop and think, "I can't remember the last time I felt bad." The first few months were uncomfortable, but there should be a consistent overall positive trend in your health. Of course you will have minor setbacks but the bigger picture should be slowly moving upwards.

At no point did I think what I was doing was making myself worse than I was when I started. People need to be honest with themselves with this.

Glad you regained what is yours ☺

Could you share your diet and lifestyle tweaks that helped most?
 

Maljam

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
715
Glad you regained what is yours ☺

Could you share your diet and lifestyle tweaks that helped most?

Many different things clicked together to help me. I eat pretty loosely now and don't worry about my diet much. My healing diet was much different though and I was strict for the first year. I felt good though so the temptation to "cheat" wasn't really there.

Generous amounts of saturated fat and lowering carbs was probably the main thing. Lots of butter, fatty lamb and beef. My carb source was completely potatoes for the first probably 6 months of this healing diet, they suit me great. I ate approx 150g of carbs a day. Macros probably around 20-25% protein, carbs around 25% and the rest fat. (I eat more carbs and less fat than this these days, this is just what healed me)

I was/am susceptible to the effects of cows dairy, so switching to exclusively goat, after reading Travis's posts, was another piece of the puzzle.

I exercise daily with walks, push ups, pull ups, nothing hugely strenuous, sprints when I feel like it. Moving every hour, doing something, a few squats, push ups.

I get as much sunlight as possible.

Now I rotate a lot of foods, I imagine this would cover all bases. I eat beef, lamb, chicken, pork, fish, eggs for my protein sources. Eat a variety of different vegetables as a side to meals to get other nutrients, rotating again. Basically eating as wide a variety of foods as I enjoy seems to be serving me well. I should add that some of the foods I eat now and benefit me, I couldn't have eaten before I healed.
 
Last edited:

Nicole W.

Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2016
Messages
583
I think in total it took 8 years. 8 years ago I was moving toward a very unhealthy state. My first clue that something was wrong was that I was having sinus infections that would not resolve. The sinus pain would last months and I would completely lose my sense of taste. During this time I had very high stress, always in an “emergency” state of mind and I was so exhausted by life. I was trying to control things I had no control over. That is never a good way to spend your time and energy. I was prescribed so many rounds of antibiotics to overcome something that in actuality was not a sinus infection but rather the result of inflammation from low thyroid and adrenal fatigue. From there I started to experience the strangest symptoms that no one really had an answer for. Headaches, heartburn, unrelenting pain in my arms and legs, fatigue, fungal infections, rashes, numbness, tingling, itching, and more sinus infections. It seemed like once I resolved one problem, another one cropped up. I was really frightened by these symptoms which added to the stress. Of course, I was worried it was cancer or MS or ALS or anything else my imagination could dream up.

Soooo.....My allopathic doctor suggested an SSRI.

Once I realized that allopathic medicine was going to be of no use, I decided to try using other modalities: i enlisted the help of naturopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists, energy healers and of course, I was always implementing Ray’s ideas. I learned as much as I could and took calculated risks when it came to treatment options. To be honest, most of the things I tried did not work and in hindsight I probably wasted a lot of money. BUT, some things did work and put me on a zigzag path to regaining my health. One step forward, two steps back. And then visa versa. Nothing was linear. Healing is not linear. Like I said, one thing goes away and then some other problem takes its place. But, if I had not been brave and tried EVERYTHING, I wouldn’t have found the things that actually were effective. So, as much as you can, keep trying new things (within reason), be strategic as possible and open minded.

Don’t get bogged down with inconsistencies, if you are utilizing different healing modalities. When you are bringing in a variety of healing techniques into your life, you’ll find that they don’t always align with each other in terms of safety or efficacy. For example, Ray has said monolaurin is unsafe, but I’ll tell you, that sh*t saved my life. I use it to this day and I still feel that the benefits far outweigh the costs if there truly are any. My naturopath insists that sugar is carcinogenic and should be avoided but drinking OJ every morning restored my blood sugar levels and helped me make health gains in other areas. Don’t shoot me but I have also used a lot of Ray Peat no-no’s (NAC, Glutathione, glutamine, lots of estrogenic herbs, essential oils etc...) over the years and some of them have been helpful. Every single thing you try has the potential to help or hurt and it’s effects are individual to you.

In the end, time and consistency with the things that “worked“ helped me get to where I am now, which is pretty darn healthy. I’m 52 and I feel like I did when I was in college. No aches and pains, limber, good energy, good digestion, always looking for a laugh about something, general optimism and open mindedness about now and the future, loved and loving by/toward others etc.. In the end, the foundational things that Ray recommends like thyroid, sleep, sun, good diet, having fun, having love in your life (even if its just from a pet), lowering stress and reframing upsetting events were the things that probably got me to this point along with little detour interventions from naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture and herbals.
 

Uselis

Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
333
Many different things clicked together to help me. I eat pretty loosely now and don't worry about my diet much. My healing diet was much different though and I was strict for the first year. I felt good though so the temptation to "cheat" wasn't really there.

Generous amounts of saturated fat and lowering carbs was probably the main thing. Lots of butter, fatty lamb and beef. My carb source was completely potatoes for the first probably 6 months of this healing diet, they suit me great. I ate approx 150g of carbs a day. Macros probably around 20-25% protein, carbs around 25% and the rest fat. (I eat more carbs and less fat than this these days, this is just what healed me)

I was/am susceptible to the effects of cows dairy, so switching to exclusively goat, after reading Travis's posts, was another piece of the puzzle.

I exercise daily with walks, push ups, pull ups, nothing hugely strenuous, sprints when I feel like it. Moving every hour, doing something, a few squats, push ups.

I get as much sunlight as possible.

Now I rotate a lot of foods, I imagine this would cover all bases. I eat beef, lamb, chicken, pork, fish, eggs for my protein sources. Eat a variety of different vegetables as a side to meals to get other nutrients, rotating again. Basically eating as wide a variety of foods as I enjoy seems to be serving me well. I should add that some of the foods I eat now and benefit me, I couldn't have eaten before I healed.

Thanks for lengthy response! It's inspiring to read stories from people who completely healed!
 
OP
Vileplume

Vileplume

Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2020
Messages
1,697
Location
California
I have healed myself, I'm not sure if people would say I am "peating" but I'd rather feel good consistently than for people to think I am "peating." It took me about a year and a half to really stop and think, "I can't remember the last time I felt bad." The first few months were uncomfortable, but there should be a consistent overall positive trend in your health. Of course you will have minor setbacks but the bigger picture should be slowly moving upwards.

At no point did I think what I was doing was making myself worse than I was when I started. People need to be honest with themselves with this.

So awesome to hear that you healed yourself, and I must admit I’m envious that you always felt headed in the right direction. Overall I have definitely moved toward greater health over these last four months, but as soon as I improve a symptom, another seems to pop up, and I’m never totally sure of the cause. Blood sugar seems to be the most general culprit when things go south, with digestion a major factor too.
 
OP
Vileplume

Vileplume

Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2020
Messages
1,697
Location
California
I think in total it took 8 years. 8 years ago I was moving toward a very unhealthy state. My first clue that something was wrong was that I was having sinus infections that would not resolve. The sinus pain would last months and I would completely lose my sense of taste. During this time I had very high stress, always in an “emergency” state of mind and I was so exhausted by life. I was trying to control things I had no control over. That is never a good way to spend your time and energy. I was prescribed so many rounds of antibiotics to overcome something that in actuality was not a sinus infection but rather the result of inflammation from low thyroid and adrenal fatigue. From there I started to experience the strangest symptoms that no one really had an answer for. Headaches, heartburn, unrelenting pain in my arms and legs, fatigue, fungal infections, rashes, numbness, tingling, itching, and more sinus infections. It seemed like once I resolved one problem, another one cropped up. I was really frightened by these symptoms which added to the stress. Of course, I was worried it was cancer or MS or ALS or anything else my imagination could dream up.

Soooo.....My allopathic doctor suggested an SSRI.

Once I realized that allopathic medicine was going to be of no use, I decided to try using other modalities: i enlisted the help of naturopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists, energy healers and of course, I was always implementing Ray’s ideas. I learned as much as I could and took calculated risks when it came to treatment options. To be honest, most of the things I tried did not work and in hindsight I probably wasted a lot of money. BUT, some things did work and put me on a zigzag path to regaining my health. One step forward, two steps back. And then visa versa. Nothing was linear. Healing is not linear. Like I said, one thing goes away and then some other problem takes its place. But, if I had not been brave and tried EVERYTHING, I wouldn’t have found the things that actually were effective. So, as much as you can, keep trying new things (within reason), be strategic as possible and open minded.

Don’t get bogged down with inconsistencies, if you are utilizing different healing modalities. When you are bringing in a variety of healing techniques into your life, you’ll find that they don’t always align with each other in terms of safety or efficacy. For example, Ray has said monolaurin is unsafe, but I’ll tell you, that sh*t saved my life. I use it to this day and I still feel that the benefits far outweigh the costs if there truly are any. My naturopath insists that sugar is carcinogenic and should be avoided but drinking OJ every morning restored my blood sugar levels and helped me make health gains in other areas. Don’t shoot me but I have also used a lot of Ray Peat no-no’s (NAC, Glutathione, glutamine, lots of estrogenic herbs, essential oils etc...) over the years and some of them have been helpful. Every single thing you try has the potential to help or hurt and it’s effects are individual to you.

In the end, time and consistency with the things that “worked“ helped me get to where I am now, which is pretty darn healthy. I’m 52 and I feel like I did when I was in college. No aches and pains, limber, good energy, good digestion, always looking for a laugh about something, general optimism and open mindedness about now and the future, loved and loving by/toward others etc.. In the end, the foundational things that Ray recommends like thyroid, sleep, sun, good diet, having fun, having love in your life (even if its just from a pet), lowering stress and reframing upsetting events were the things that probably got me to this point along with little detour interventions from naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture and herbals.

I appreciate such a thorough response, and it’s reassuring to hear that you also had a zigzag journey toward health. I feel quite inspired by the positives youre currently experiencing. I’m 28 and it sounds like by those metrics, you’re enjoying better health than me! I hope to feel similarly soon.

I have tried many different things with diet, and I’ve supplemented some vitamins and thyroid, but I haven’t ventured much into supplements. Regardless, hearing that it took you eight years makes me feel less like I’m ******* up with my current two-steps-forward-one-back progression
 

Maljam

Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
715
So awesome to hear that you healed yourself, and I must admit I’m envious that you always felt headed in the right direction. Overall I have definitely moved toward greater health over these last four months, but as soon as I improve a symptom, another seems to pop up, and I’m never totally sure of the cause. Blood sugar seems to be the most general culprit when things go south, with digestion a major factor too.

Eating more saturated fat and less carbs over a long period I believe is the reason I fixed those two issues specifically.
 

Capt Nirvana

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Messages
108
I’ve been trying to implement Peat’s ideas into my diet for the past four months. Before that, I was carnivore/keto/fasting for a year, and for years before that I calorie restricted intensely to stay thin.

Things improved rapidly at first, then even more rapidly, and then they began to plateau. For the past two months, my symptoms (poor digestion, sleep troubled, white tongue, unstable pulse and temps throughout the day, really low HR while I sleep) haven’t really improved.

When I look through other members’ posts, especially experienced members, I see evidence of MANY ups and downs, sometimes spanning years. For those of you who feel like you’ve “healed” using Peat’s principles, describe what your journey was like. How long did it take? How many setbacks? How did you overcome them? How linear was your progress? Do you think in some cases, people just need time to overcome their plateaus?
I've cherry-picked from the Ray Peat non-protocol and it's helped me overcome several problems, including edema (gone for years now), petechiae (also gone for years). and silent migraines.
 

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