What Do You Guys Think Of My Lab Results? Got Some Pretty Weird Symptoms

[ro.]

Hi guys,

I'd really appreciate if you give me your opinion on my lab results. I have only included the ones i thought were most important. I have attached my breath test results and the full results for my tests on 26/06/15 and 19/10/2015 if anyone is interested.

Waking temps and Waking HR

Date Temp HR
06-Nov 97.4 68
07-Nov 97.6 69
08-Nov 96.6 62
11-Nov 96.9 77
12-Nov 96.8 67
13-Nov 96.7 73
14-Nov 97 73
15-Nov 96.9 74
16-Nov 96.5 75
18-Nov 96.9 67
19-Nov 97.2 83
20-Nov 97.3 69
21-Nov 97.8 82
22-Nov 97.5 96

Hydrogen and methane breath test

I did a hydrogen and methane breath test to test for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. My results suggested “mild small intestinal bacterial overgrowth with a high level of colonic fermentation”

26/06/2016

· Calcium 2.51 mmol/L or 10.04 mg/dL
· Phosphate (Inorganic) 1.14 mmol/L or 3.52 md/dL
· Erythrocyte Sed. Rate (ESR) 2.0 mm/hr
· C-Reactive Protein 0.1 mg/L

19/10/2016 – 3 months after I realised I was losing my hair (which was very stressful), actual ESR and CRP haven’t gone up by much but relative values have. Results are after around a 16 hour fast at 12:30 pm

· Total Cholesterol 4.88 mmol/L or 188.41 mg/dL
· HDL Cholesterol 1.73 mmol/L or 66.8 mg/dL
· LDL Cholesterol 2.68 mmol/L or 103.47 mg/dL
· Triglycerides 1.03 mmol/L or 91.15 mg/dL
· Serum Total Protein 75 g/L or 7.5 g/dL
· Albumin: Serum 54 g/L or 7.83 umol/L
· Fasting Glucose 6.02 mmol/L or 108.47 mg/dL
· Calcium 2.55 mmol/L or 10.2 mg/dL
· Phosphate (Inorganic) 1.22 mmo/L or 3.78 mg/dL
· C-Reactive Protein- 0.4 mg/L
· Erythrocyte Sed. Rate 5.0 mm/hr
· Ferritin 67.8 ng/mL or 152.35 pmol/L
· Free Thyroxine (FT4) 17.7 pmol/L or 1.38 ng/dL
· Free Triiodothyronine (ft3) 5.1 pmol/L
· TSH 2.6 uIU/mL
· Vitamin D - 25 OH 53 nmol/L or 21.23 ng/dL
· Prolactin 294.9 mIU/L or 13.91 ng/dL (I THINK)
· Folate 19.2 nmol/L or 8.47 ng/mL
· Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) 180.1 pmol/L or 244.04 pg/mL

09/12/15

· H.pylori specific antigen negative
· Calprotectin 22 ug/g

06/02/2016 – non-fasted results, taken between 3-6pm

· Free Thyroxine (FT4) 17.6 pmol/L or 1.37 ng/dL
· Free Triiodothyronine (FT3) 4.8 pmol/L
· TSH 1.5 uIU/mL
· Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies 6.1 IU/mL
· Thyroglobulin Antibody <10.0 IU/mL

05/02/2016 – non-fasted, was feeling kind of anxious/stressed at the time, 5.pm

· FSH 4.0 U/L
· LH 4.5 u/L
· Prolactin 158 mIU/L or 7.45 ng/dL I THINK
· DHEAS 17.4 umol/L or 641 ug/dL
· Total testosterone 13.6 nmol/L or 391.93 ng/dL
· Cortisol 249 nmol/L or 9.03 ug/dL

What do you guys think of my lab results? I've got some pretty weird symptoms:

• In march 2014 I got an incredibly sore/inflamed throat and felt fairly unwell. A couple of weeks later I woke up one day and my fingers were very stiff. They now constantly tingle, ache and are swollen. This "tingly" feeling has moved to different joints in my body but also in my face and lips.
• My body has a slight tremor
• I get muscle cramps quite a lot
• I get heart palpitations. Might have started after taking MDMA one night. My heart used to always elevate to around 100 after eating meals but now the palpitations/heart rate elevations seems to be kind of random.
• I get very bloated, as shown by my hydrogen and methane breath test.
• My hairline is receeding and I have grey hairs, this started age 22 and I am now age 23.
• My ability to smell has gone way down and this is apparently one of the best markers of approaching death!
  

Really appreciate any advice you guys have and thank you for making it this far!

 

[Giraffe]

@ro. , want to tell us something about your diet? What, how much do you eat? Do you have issues with certain foods?

Muscle cramps could be low magnesium. Low zinc causes hyposmia (impaired smell). Receding and greying hair can also be diet related (too little calories, too little copper).

 

[ro.]

@ro. , want to tell us something about your diet? What, how much do you eat? Do you have issues with certain foods?

Muscle cramps could be low magnesium. Low zinc causes hyposmia (impaired smell). Receding and greying hair can also be diet related (too little calories, too little copper).

I've been vegetarian all my life. I mainly eat rice, lentils, potatoes, beans, vegetables (onion, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, courgette and salad vegtables), pasta, eggs, hearbs + spices, coconut oil, butter and cheese. I'm now moving towards a peat diet and am gonna try incorporate meat and move away from the grains and legumes and include more fruit and dairy.

I feel like when i eat around 3+ eggs my headaches tend to get worse. I think kidney beans also make my headaches worse and make me feel more crappy generally.

I think I probably eat around 2,500 - 3,000 cals a day but I'm very skinny - 5"11 and 60kg. Everyone always comments on how much I eat, however my increase in appetite started around 15 months ago when,due to work, i was mainly eating 1 small meal and 1 massive one a day.

 

[Diokine]

• In march 2014 I got an incredibly sore/inflamed throat and felt fairly unwell. A couple of weeks later I woke up one day and my fingers were very stiff. They now constantly tingle, ache and are swollen. This "tingly" feeling has moved to different joints in my body but also in my face and lips.

I went through something very similar, I believe it was due to an infection by either CMV or EBV. After I started peating and looking after the metabolism, I had several episodes of recurrent throat inflammation and lymph node involvement. My hypothesis is that I challenged the latent virus and caused a flair up. After these episodes cleared up, my sinuses were the clearest they ever have been in my life. I think that the infection at this point is effectively silenced. Are you able to easily breathe through your nose most of the time? Pay attention to when you can't, this is a great diagnostic tool. A few minutes of bag breathing or recovery breathing (5 second inhale, 5 second exhale followed by 10 seconds of breath holding) can clear up congestion usually if the problem is not severe. If you can't hold your breath for 10 seconds, do it for 5.

I feel like when i eat around 3+ eggs my headaches tend to get worse. I think kidney beans also make my headaches worse and make me feel more crappy generally.

These items are very high in tryptophan (and other aminos you want to avoid) and are probably causing very high serotonin. Are you sensitive to bright sunlight? I use to feel similarly crappy after eating eggs (bloated feeling, "stiff" feeling near stomach,) but I seem to tolerate them okay now. I always take them with either glycine or gelatin though. I know you're a vegetarian, but beans are probably going to be contributing to your symptoms. You said you are going to be moving towards fruits - this is good. Use lots of ripe fruits, preferably juiced with a little bit of salt to taste.

I wouldn't try to focus on any one symptom or set of symptoms. Take care of your body as a whole. Limit the amount of indigestible fiber and starch you are eating if you can, I can guarantee your endotoxin load is very high and this is not letting your cells take in thyroid hormone (along with many other bad effects.) Your last TSH reading wasn't too bad but I wouldn't put much faith in that as a marker of thyroid status.
The muscle tremors and cramps, along with the loss and graying of hair tells me your cells are not utilizing thyroid. I would also look at the heart for thyroid diagnostic. When I was having more thyroid issues, I had a lot of palpitations along with a slow pounding heartbeat. Your loss of smell indicates low nervous tone (dopamine.)

Things that can be very theraputic;
-increasing CO2 levels through bag breathing or breath restriction. This is a VERY good diagnostic tool! If you quickly get uncomfortable holding your breath, something is up!
-light therapy. Spend as much time as you can in direct sunlight. Also look into infrared led or laser therapy, or bright halogen. Standard incandescent lamps are also very good.
-liver support. Swelling in the hands and other extremities, along with your lower level of testosterone says that you probably are dealing with a lot of estrogen (which is excreted in the liver.) L-theanine is helpful with this. I've also personally had good luck with lots of sweating (sauna) for liver issues. Also look into biotin.
-standard metabolic support supplements. Look into Niacinamide, aspirin, vitamins B1 and B6 especially.
-fat soluble vitamins. Make sure you are getting enough of the vitamins D, E, A, and K.

Take it slow and don't let yourself get stressed out. You are going to get better, it will just take a little bit of time.

 

[tara]

I can't remember ranges for most things, but TSH could be somewhat higher than optimal, consistent with slightly low body temps.

I think I probably eat around 2,500 - 3,000 cals a day but I'm very skinny - 5"11 and 60kg.

This sounds like you are not eating enough. If you were typically eating even less than this before, then undereating may have been a possible cause of reduced metabolism (there could well be other factors too). Normal for males your age is around 3500, more if extra tall (which you are) or extra active.
Many of us with reduced metabolism have trouble storing enough glycogen to last us unless we eat more often - could be worth adding in more meals, if you are still having just 2.

The swelling and cramps also make me wonder if you are salting to taste (as well as getting enough magnesium)?

Were you eating lots of carbs with the three eggs? Otherwise they can sometimes result in low blood sugars, which for some of us is an effective way to get a headache.

I like Giraffe and Diokine's suggestions to try too.

 

[ro.]

I went through something very similar, I believe it was due to an infection by either CMV or EBV. After I started peating and looking after the metabolism, I had several episodes of recurrent throat inflammation and lymph node involvement. My hypothesis is that I challenged the latent virus and caused a flair up. After these episodes cleared up, my sinuses were the clearest they ever have been in my life. I think that the infection at this point is effectively silenced. Are you able to easily breathe through your nose most of the time? Pay attention to when you can't, this is a great diagnostic tool. A few minutes of bag breathing or recovery breathing (5 second inhale, 5 second exhale followed by 10 seconds of breath holding) can clear up congestion usually if the problem is not severe. If you can't hold your breath for 10 seconds, do it for 5.



These items are very high in tryptophan (and other aminos you want to avoid) and are probably causing very high serotonin. Are you sensitive to bright sunlight? I use to feel similarly crappy after eating eggs (bloated feeling, "stiff" feeling near stomach,) but I seem to tolerate them okay now. I always take them with either glycine or gelatin though. I know you're a vegetarian, but beans are probably going to be contributing to your symptoms. You said you are going to be moving towards fruits - this is good. Use lots of ripe fruits, preferably juiced with a little bit of salt to taste.

I wouldn't try to focus on any one symptom or set of symptoms. Take care of your body as a whole. Limit the amount of indigestible fiber and starch you are eating if you can, I can guarantee your endotoxin load is very high and this is not letting your cells take in thyroid hormone (along with many other bad effects.) Your last TSH reading wasn't too bad but I wouldn't put much faith in that as a marker of thyroid status.
The muscle tremors and cramps, along with the loss and graying of hair tells me your cells are not utilizing thyroid. I would also look at the heart for thyroid diagnostic. When I was having more thyroid issues, I had a lot of palpitations along with a slow pounding heartbeat. Your loss of smell indicates low nervous tone (dopamine.)

Things that can be very theraputic;
-increasing CO2 levels through bag breathing or breath restriction. This is a VERY good diagnostic tool! If you quickly get uncomfortable holding your breath, something is up!
-light therapy. Spend as much time as you can in direct sunlight. Also look into infrared led or laser therapy, or bright halogen. Standard incandescent lamps are also very good.
-liver support. Swelling in the hands and other extremities, along with your lower level of testosterone says that you probably are dealing with a lot of estrogen (which is excreted in the liver.) L-theanine is helpful with this. I've also personally had good luck with lots of sweating (sauna) for liver issues. Also look into biotin.
-standard metabolic support supplements. Look into Niacinamide, aspirin, vitamins B1 and B6 especially.
-fat soluble vitamins. Make sure you are getting enough of the vitamins D, E, A, and K.

Take it slow and don't let yourself get stressed out. You are going to get better, it will just take a little bit of time.

I got IGG and IGA antibodies for EBV and CMV checked and they came back negative. I found out a few month ago I have tonsil stones and around that time i was feeling ill in 2014 i had a bitter, metallic type taste in my mouth which is a symptom of tonsil stones. I think maybe it was a build up of bacteria in the tonsils that lead me to feeling ill perhaps.

I breathe through my nose all the time but it is usually somewhat congested, i have post-nasal drip too.

I am somewhat sensitive to bright sunlight - I have a condition called visual snow which may have been triggered by use of marijuana/magic mushrooms and when i now look into a bright sky i see "blue entoptic phenomenon" to a high degree.

Thanks for your reply man. Im definitely going to get a red light device from redlightman.com and will implement the suggestions you made :)

 

[ro.]

I can't remember ranges for most things, but TSH could be somewhat higher than optimal, consistent with slightly low body temps.


This sounds like you are not eating enough. If you were typically eating even less than this before, then undereating may have been a possible cause of reduced metabolism (there could well be other factors too). Normal for males your age is around 3500, more if extra tall (which you are) or extra active.
Many of us with reduced metabolism have trouble storing enough glycogen to last us unless we eat more often - could be worth adding in more meals, if you are still having just 2.

The swelling and cramps also make me wonder if you are salting to taste (as well as getting enough magnesium)?

Were you eating lots of carbs with the three eggs? Otherwise they can sometimes result in low blood sugars, which for some of us is an effective way to get a headache.

I like Giraffe and Diokine's suggestions to try too.

Woah, 3500 sounds like a lot. I think part of the reason I struggle to put on weight is my gut issue too, I think the overgrowth of bacteria/fungus are stealing some of the nutrients and calories. I eat 3-4 meals a day now rather just 1 small and 1 large one like i used to.

I put lots of salt in my food, although I do think magnesium could be an issue due to the cramps.

I think when i eat eggs with carbs the headache isn't as bad. When i have a really high fat/protein egg meal,i.e. eggs, butter, cheese and garlic the headache tends to be worse - so maybe it is a low blood sugar issue. I'll look into it :)

 

[tara]

I think part of the reason I struggle to put on weight is my gut issue too,

Yeah, gut issues can make it harder to eat enough too. Suppressed metabolism can undermine the digestive system for some people, too, so it can get a bit circular. Sometime eating enough sorts some of this out after a few weeks - just by supplying enough fuel to run the system - and sometimes additional tactics are needed.

I think when i eat eggs with carbs the headache isn't as bad. When i have a really high fat/protein egg meal,i.e. eggs, butter, cheese and garlic the headache tends to be worse - so maybe it is a low blood sugar issue. I'll look into it :)

I think Peat said he needed a decent glass of orange juice to balance the protein in one egg.

 

[Velve921]

Woah, 3500 sounds like a lot. I think part of the reason I struggle to put on weight is my gut issue too, I think the overgrowth of bacteria/fungus are stealing some of the nutrients and calories. I eat 3-4 meals a day now rather just 1 small and 1 large one like i used to.

I put lots of salt in my food, although I do think magnesium could be an issue due to the cramps.

I think when i eat eggs with carbs the headache isn't as bad. When i have a really high fat/protein egg meal,i.e. eggs, butter, cheese and garlic the headache tends to be worse - so maybe it is a low blood sugar issue. I'll look into it :)

Hey Ro,

There are obviously many ways you can improve....I do use supplements but not at the expense of food being number 1 and replacing poor quality food with more optimal foods. As people have stated in this thread, bacteria trouble could be an issue in the GI tract. I use the following paradigm with my athletes as it makes it simple for them;

Bone, dairy, Eggs, low fat fish, small amounts of meat, coconut oil, butter, fruit, root veggies, salt, coffee, Epsom salts baths, and red light.

As in pro sports there is propaganda to use certain supplements and the idea of using supplements is more important than food, I've learned to teach nutrition and strictly that. Results with my players thus far are beyond impressive. I am by no means saying this is the right way to go, but a simple perspective that may help you as you are searching for good foods.

Hope everything goes well my friend!

 

[ro.]

Hey Ro,

There are obviously many ways you can improve....I do use supplements but not at the expense of food being number 1 and replacing poor quality food with more optimal foods. As people have stated in this thread, bacteria trouble could be an issue in the GI tract. I use the following paradigm with my athletes as it makes it simple for them;

Bone, dairy, Eggs, low fat fish, small amounts of meat, coconut oil, butter, fruit, root veggies, salt, coffee, Epsom salts baths, and red light.

As in pro sports there is propaganda to use certain supplements and the idea of using supplements is more important than food, I've learned to teach nutrition and strictly that. Results with my players thus far are beyond impressive. I am by no means saying this is the right way to go, but a simple perspective that may help you as you are searching for good foods.

Hope everything goes well my friend!

Thank you my friend

 

[Diokine]

I got IGG and IGA antibodies for EBV and CMV checked and they came back negative. I found out a few month ago I have tonsil stones and around that time i was feeling ill in 2014 i had a bitter, metallic type taste in my mouth which is a symptom of tonsil stones. I think maybe it was a build up of bacteria in the tonsils that lead me to feeling ill perhaps.

I breathe through my nose all the time but it is usually somewhat congested, i have post-nasal drip too.

I am somewhat sensitive to bright sunlight - I have a condition called visual snow which may have been triggered by use of marijuana/magic mushrooms and when i now look into a bright sky i see "blue entoptic phenomenon" to a high degree.

Definitely serotonin. I have an idea that a lot of nasal issues, in addition to throat/tonsil issues, can be caused by chronic excess serotonin (specifically the 5-HT3 system.) There is a ton of evidence that things like ear pain, tinnitus, TMJD, Eustachian tube disorder, migraine, among others are caused by serotonin dysregulation. I have dealt with many of these problems for most of my life, and I'm happy to say that many have cleared up and others are well on their way out.

The sensitivity to sunlight and visual snow also point to excessive serotonin activity. Definitely look into reducing gut irritation, this is the main source of serotonin. Use things like ginger and peppermint. Be very careful with things like psilocybin or MDMA. Marijuana is not terrible but it can be estrogenic and will slow down your liver. There is definitely a way to use these therapeutically but it is easy to push too hard. Make sure you are taking care of your circadian rhythm. Staying up too late, lots of blue light at night, not enough sun during the day, all of these things are going to contribute to problems. I know it's not peaty, but total fasting is a very effective way to push things in the right direction. A 3 day fast with minimal water could probably do more to help than a month of dietary intervention. This is of course not good for thyroid or other anabolic considerations, but in my case I found my sense of well being and desire for life made it easier to tackle the other problems.

I personally went through a sort of depression as I took steps to reduce serotonin dysregulation. I'm sure other factors were involved, but my mood was up and down a lot more, and I got sad very easily sometimes. My thoughts were that as levels of serotonin dropped, "receptor" density also changed. This is most likely the effect of SSRI's, altering serotonin "receptor" density which in itself has a very physiological effect on cells. Just something to keep in mind, you may experience something like this.

References;

The effect of fasting on 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism in brain regions of the albino rat.

Immediate effects of the serotonin antagonist granisetron on temporomandibular joint pain in patients with systemic inflammatory disorders

Subjective tinnitus, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, and serotonin modulation of neural plasticity: causal or casual triad?

So in many of the papers you find, they sometimes conclude that increasing serotonin activity is good. I might disagree, but it goes to show that the serotonin system is incredibly complex, and when it is out of whack many systems are effected. Let's get that baby back in whack

 

[ro.]

Definitely serotonin. I have an idea that a lot of nasal issues, in addition to throat/tonsil issues, can be caused by chronic excess serotonin (specifically the 5-HT3 system.) There is a ton of evidence that things like ear pain, tinnitus, TMJD, Eustachian tube disorder, migraine, among others are caused by serotonin dysregulation. I have dealt with many of these problems for most of my life, and I'm happy to say that many have cleared up and others are well on their way out.

The sensitivity to sunlight and visual snow also point to excessive serotonin activity. Definitely look into reducing gut irritation, this is the main source of serotonin. Use things like ginger and peppermint. Be very careful with things like psilocybin or MDMA. Marijuana is not terrible but it can be estrogenic and will slow down your liver. There is definitely a way to use these therapeutically but it is easy to push too hard. Make sure you are taking care of your circadian rhythm. Staying up too late, lots of blue light at night, not enough sun during the day, all of these things are going to contribute to problems. I know it's not peaty, but total fasting is a very effective way to push things in the right direction. A 3 day fast with minimal water could probably do more to help than a month of dietary intervention. This is of course not good for thyroid or other anabolic considerations, but in my case I found my sense of well being and desire for life made it easier to tackle the other problems.

I personally went through a sort of depression as I took steps to reduce serotonin dysregulation. I'm sure other factors were involved, but my mood was up and down a lot more, and I got sad very easily sometimes. My thoughts were that as levels of serotonin dropped, "receptor" density also changed. This is most likely the effect of SSRI's, altering serotonin "receptor" density which in itself has a very physiological effect on cells. Just something to keep in mind, you may experience something like this.

References;

The effect of fasting on 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism in brain regions of the albino rat.

Immediate effects of the serotonin antagonist granisetron on temporomandibular joint pain in patients with systemic inflammatory disorders

Subjective tinnitus, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, and serotonin modulation of neural plasticity: causal or casual triad?

So in many of the papers you find, they sometimes conclude that increasing serotonin activity is good. I might disagree, but it goes to show that the serotonin system is incredibly complex, and when it is out of whack many systems are effected. Let's get that baby back in whack

I have tinnitus also! I have read tinnitus and visual snow go hand-in-hand. Also noticed when im sleep deprived/have a hangover/the day after taking MDMA or when i smoke weed my visual snow is worse however it usually goes back to baseline after a while. With psilocybin, however, i really feel like the visual snow doesn't go back to baseline and since my last time taking psilocybin (couple of months ago) i feel like it still hasn't gone down. Funny because i've taken ayahuasca where the active ingredient is DMT and DMT is only 1 molecule different to psilocybin and i was okay with that. OR i could just be imaging the whole thing and psilocybin isn't any different to any of the other things, it's really hard to tell haha. I've stopped my use of party drugs though and I'm going to look more into serotonin .

Exposure to blue light and daylight exposure is also a factor to consider. As is my Vitamin D - it's very low (21.2 ng/dL).

Thanks man.

 

[Velve921]

Calcium to Phosphorus ratio dramatically cam change vitamin D absorption;

Excess Dietary Phosphorus Lowers Vitamin D Levels – Functional Performance Systems (FPS)

When I had high phosphorus to calcium ratio my vitamin D never increased; since having a higher Ca:P ratio my vitamin D jumped from 30-179 in 2 months by supplementing 2000 IUS per day. Not saying it will be the same for everybody, but I definitely believe in the anecdotal power of having higher calcium to phosphorus ratio. I now only consume meat 1x a week, fish 1x a week, and potatoes 1x a week; no beans at all.,

 

[thegiantess]

Hey Ro,

There are obviously many ways you can improve....I do use supplements but not at the expense of food being number 1 and replacing poor quality food with more optimal foods. As people have stated in this thread, bacteria trouble could be an issue in the GI tract. I use the following paradigm with my athletes as it makes it simple for them;

Bone, dairy, Eggs, low fat fish, small amounts of meat, coconut oil, butter, fruit, root veggies, salt, coffee, Epsom salts baths, and red light.

As in pro sports there is propaganda to use certain supplements and the idea of using supplements is more important than food, I've learned to teach nutrition and strictly that. Results with my players thus far are beyond impressive. I am by no means saying this is the right way to go, but a simple perspective that may help you as you are searching for good foods.

Hope everything goes well my friend!

I don't want to hijack this thread, but what do you coach?

 

[Velve921]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but what do you coach?

Strength and Conditioning Coach with NHL and AHL teams.

 

[thegiantess]

Strength and Conditioning Coach with NHL and AHL teams.

Awesome. A strength and conditioning coach that doesn't either eat total crap or preach the virtue of Paleo, you must be a breath of fresh air.

 

[Velve921]

Awesome. A strength and conditioning coach that doesn't either eat total crap or preach the virtue of Paleo, you must be a breath of fresh air.

Haha early on in my career I used to be that guy...Paleo was my mindset. I will say initially every athlete notices a considerable difference from removing processed carbohydrates....so Paleo initially showed tremendous emotional changes with everyone; however, as Haidut says, it was almost a devil wearing a mask. Last year I had 2 athletes who were exhausted all the time at age 22...they had been doing meat and veggies as they've been told by the western world to avoid carbs...as soon as they added fruit they never reported being tired ever again.

Interesting observation, all of my European and French-Canadien players admire the hollistic mindset of food, lifestyle, environment, emotions, and pay attention to my every word on how to find optimal health. My American players do not like to learn about emotions and would prefer to rely on band aids for their issues and spend less time prepping lifestyle and food to meet stressor demands (I am American by the way). My French-Canadiens and Europeans players are independent, great at critical thinking, more robust metabolisms, and have more energy. For example, the Fins and Sweds can building muscle 2-3x as fast as my domestic players with the simplest lifting program. After I read Dr. Peat's observations about Finland for example, I started talking more with my foreign players about food, lifestyle, environment...I even went on vacation to Sweden, Finland, and Estonia last summer to see for myself...it was truly amazing the difference in food and lifestyle. One of my Swedish players found when he came to America to play he would lose 6-8 more pounds of muscle in season versus playing in Sweden.

 

[thegiantess]

Haha early on in my career I used to be that guy...Paleo was my mindset. I will say initially every athlete notices a considerable difference from removing processed carbohydrates....so Paleo initially showed tremendous emotional changes with everyone; however, as Haidut says, it was almost a devil wearing a mask. Last year I had 2 athletes who were exhausted all the time at age 22...they had been doing meat and veggies as they've been told by the western world to avoid carbs...as soon as they added fruit they never reported being tired ever again.

Interesting observation, all of my European and French-Canadien players admire the hollistic mindset of food, lifestyle, environment, emotions, and pay attention to my every word on how to find optimal health. My American players do not like to learn about emotions and would prefer to rely on band aids for their issues and spend less time prepping lifestyle and food to meet stressor demands (I am American by the way). My French-Canadiens and Europeans players are independent, great at critical thinking, more robust metabolisms, and have more energy. For example, the Fins and Sweds can building muscle 2-3x as fast as my domestic players with the simplest lifting program. After I read Dr. Peat's observations about Finland for example, I started talking more with my foreign players about food, lifestyle, environment...I even went on vacation to Sweden, Finland, and Estonia last summer to see for myself...it was truly amazing the difference in food and lifestyle. One of my Swedish players found when he came to America to play he would lose 6-8 more pounds of muscle in season versus playing in Sweden.

That's interesting, but doesn't surprise me. I was just looking at a world map of percent of income spent on food. The states is 7% and most of Europe was in the teens or 20s. That says a lot. I do find the emotional aspect interesting. I wonder why that is? Perhaps they just see life as a whole as more interconnected system?

As for them building less muscle, what do you contribute that to? Certainly he could find the same foods here.. Right?

I was in Poland 2 years ago and it was interesting to see how Poles and other Europeans dine. There's no rushing. You order a beverage, be it coffee or booze, but you don't just drink water. You order courses and enjoy them and you absolutely have dessert... Again could be coffee or a drink, but the idea is to linger and savor. The first couple of times I dined out I thought the waiters were just slow, but in fact they would not just bring a bill and assume you are finished. They wait and wait and wait until you ask to be done. It seems that many Europeans really appreciate the act of eating. Less utility, more enjoyment.

 

[Velve921]

That's interesting, but doesn't surprise me. I was just looking at a world map of percent of income spent on food. The states is 7% and most of Europe was in the teens or 20s. That says a lot. I do find the emotional aspect interesting. I wonder why that is? Perhaps they just see life as a whole as more interconnected system?

As for them building less muscle, what do you contribute that to? Certainly he could find the same foods here.. Right?

I was in Poland 2 years ago and it was interesting to see how Poles and other Europeans dine. There's no rushing. You order a beverage, be it coffee or booze, but you don't just drink water. You order courses and enjoy them and you absolutely have dessert... Again could be coffee or a drink, but the idea is to linger and savor. The first couple of times I dined out I thought the waiters were just slow, but in fact they would not just bring a bill and assume you are finished. They wait and wait and wait until you ask to be done. It seems that many Europeans really appreciate the act of eating. Less utility, more enjoyment.

From my personal experience and other Europeans on the forum are welcome to chime in, the European players I encounter are taught to be independent and fend for themselves with healthier fuel for energy. When they have to overcome adversity in my environment as a hockey player such as cooking, or finding a grocery store, or looking up something on their phone, its not a problem because they were taught more aspects to use their environment to their advantage. If I have a player that cannot sleep well, I'll make recommendations to the European on food and lifestyle ideas and they learn from it. The American player goes to the trainer or doc for the magic pill; it may knock them out in the short run but long term they still have no idea why they are not sleeping well because they are told you can't change what is.

As far as food and muscle, when they come to America they generally want to try our ways. The food is available but they do what all the other American players do; eat poor quality cheap food at restaurants and cook less at home. As raypeatforum members are aware, chemicals, processed carbs and PUFA are high over here; when I was in Sweden and Finland, people ate less food and consumed well cooked potatoes, meat balls, coffee, milk, cheese, fish, olive oil; they could go longer periods of time without eating and still have good blood sugar and no obesity. When I was in Finland the first Burger King had been installed days before I arrived. So generally speaking they have less food additives (carageenan for example), well cooked starch, lower PUFA (fish is only exception, they love their salmon), lingon berries, dairy, lots of coffee. So I think naturally they have less destruction of the metabolism from many angles so when provided a good weight lifting program they thrive quite well. I had one player put on 22lbs (mostly muscle) in 4 months from doing a weight lifitng program that was 4 easy exercises per day; it needed to be simple because of initial language barrier and movement patterns.

I dated a girl from Poland a couple years ago...once she came to America she felt compelled to work as many hours as possible, sleep very little, eat very little and workout excessively because everyone said that figure and money was so important. As a result, she started losing herself' always sick, missing periods, suffered a femur fracture from running long distance; whenever she wanted to rest her mother always told her "I worked 3 jobs just to make it in America, why are you complaining?"

I had the same experiences you did in Poland :) In Europe everyone seemed so laid back, peaceful, kind, savoring.

 

[ro.]

Strength and Conditioning Coach with NHL and AHL teams.

so you're not against strength training? from myy understanding the peat point of view would dictate it's bad due to the generation of lactic acid and the stress it puts on the body?