More than half a year has flown by, since i started writing here. Whereas i haven't made much linear PROGRESS in losing weight, the scale hasn't been stuck anywhere ... and i feel i'm significantly wiser about the whole subject.
In January, i began the Personal Paleo Code program, which was an eye-opening experience. Whether a person wants to lose weight or not -- i firmly believe it's in EVERYBODY'S best interests to go through a strict elimination diet and slowly add back every other ordinarily-eaten food, just to see what causes problems that were never even SUSPECTED before. I understand the Whole 30 is pretty much the same thing, and there are others out there, too, which offer a description and how to go about it without spoiling the results ... but i really think people who care about their health need to check it out.
I discovered that i have issues with nightshades, which i never suspected before. Industrial seed oils seem to give me zits, especially when i'm not getting enough zinc. Milk products (even fermented) seem to contribute to tremors (like any overdose of carbs) -- could high insulin the be the cause? Cream SOMETIMES contributes to an unhappy gut, but butter, never -- could have something to do with carrageenan in the former....
Wheat doesn't give me overt gut symptoms, but it really brings on the knee pain ...AND hip, and shoulder. Oats (even soaked) do the same, to a lesser degree. An occasional (rare!) bowl of porridge will stay in my future, but it's gotta be the unsteamed kind, and it has to be soaked overnight with whey. I allowed myself so little of the true-sourdough ("salt rising") rye/rice bread, i don't know if it causes much trouble -- further tests are in order.
Home-cooked food (by me) is the highroad to health and weight control. I've eliminated dozens of products i used to use with confidence because SO many of the things we buy are adulterated -- you have to be careful even buying tuna in "water" because it ISN'T -- it's a soy-laced broth. "With olive oil" in the commercial world doesn't mean OF olive oil; i make my own mayo and dressings anymore. The caveat above, "by me" is important -- my husband is sympathetic but not thoroughly aware. And as for other people? Absolutely, completely, incomprehensibly BLIND. Obviously, most people think that if it doesn't kill you SOON, it doesn't have a negative impact on health (face-palm...). Think CIGARETTES, kids....
I've learned a bit about alcohol, too. The "cleanest" drink i can have is warm sake; a small amount satisfies and it's easy to stop there. Even cold (filtered) sake is more ... moreish! And other things also contribute to a low-grade headache while sake doesn't. My low-carb cocktails come next, then tepid wine -- which is to say, reds. White and/or chilled, and the "food reward" thing kicks in -- wonder if the "good doctor" can explain that one?
A very nice lady who went by the screenname "H" made the next big impact on my dietary adventures; she introduced me to "Strong Medicine," Dr. Blake Donaldson's retrospective on how he learned to treat allergy and weight loss, in the early part of the 20th century. This book, and my subsequent reading, have revolutionized my view of limiting carbs. H did her good deed, then kinda disappeared like The Shadow. OOOOhhhh. ;-)
This, as the title suggests, is going to have to be just the first report, because i realized after i started that the ground i've covered so far this year is going to take longer than i thought. ;-) I do hope this isn't just an exercise in self-absorption, but a useful record....
Showing posts with label nightshades. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nightshades. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
i can't bear eating all this FOOD!
The scale is down 3/4 pound again, and i even allowed myself half a cup of cooked white rice with my beef tenderloin last night.
But my discomfort level has risen: between the lack of salt and the high meat intake (about 50% higher than it was a month ago), my stomach is not at all happy, even with daily use of betaine-HCl. Today is a day for readjusting the formula. (I just took a 1/4 t. of sea salt, washed down with water, as a good beginning.)
I was VERY comfortable on the IF technique of coconut milk in my coffee for breakfast, and only two real meals per day. The only trouble with that was, i wasn't losing any weight, despite consuming fewer calories than i am now. (So THERE, CICO people!) When one of Donaldson's patients reported in without having lost any weight on one occasion, it turned out that he had begun skipping breakfast in hopes of reducing faster....
Yesterday, i DID feel improvement in my bad knee, and the other felt pretty much normal again. I did my half-hour of walking on the treadmill upstairs instead of around the neighborhood, because i suspected the cold was affecting my knee badly. Treadmills aren't perfect walking-machines, though -- posture and muscle use don't mimic REAL walking (see Dr. Wong...). Today i'm going to walk outside at a warmer hour, or use the stationary bicycle; i customarily use it for my Tabata sprints, as it's MUCH kinder to the knee.
...I just resolved to name my knees -- "my once-injured knee" is so unwieldy -- so it'll be Ralph (the "bad" one) and Louie. ;-) I'm so original!
Volume of meat is going down! Instead of 8 ounces, it's going to be 6, and i'm going to put salt on it. Truly, it hasn't been my taste buds that missed the salt, it's been my stomach-acid missing the chlorine! In all the agonizing over sodium in the last few decades, "experts" predictably overlooked the other important ingredient of table salt. Without a good source of chlorine, less stomach-acid is produced -- and contrary to what "everybody knows," an awful lot of indigestion is due to LOW acid, not high. As a hypothyroid, i'm already inclined to have low stomach acid (which is why i keep the betaine supplement on hand), and i've been exacerbating it. That stops now.
On the positive front, allergic symptoms are reduced on my lower-toxin diet. I was surprised to see, under the strict PPC regimen, that i still showed a little cheek-flushing in the evenings -- something that i hitherto blamed on wine. The most likely suspects were nightshades (which i took it very easy with), eggs (eaten in moderation), and nuts (mostly consumed in the form of coconut milk). Last night i took stock, and found the flushing significantly reduced.
Well, today is going to be a low-intake day, just to reset my system. I WILL stick to the approved food list in "Strong Medicine" though! Considering that i lost approximately 3 pounds in three days, there's no doubt that Dr. Donaldson was onto something, even though the medicine seems to be a little TOO strong for ME.
p.s. Despite the dire warnings of reduced thyroid function on a VLC diet, i've noticed no such reaction -- and believe me, i know what it feels like. I hypothesize that: 1) sufficient protein ingestion raises insulin levels enough to allow the receptors to work just fine, and; 2) being well-adapted in ketosis with plenty of glucose made by the liver from protein AND fat (as confirmed with my glucometer) provides all the glucose necessary for T4 conversion. Dare i suggest that the trials where thyroid function was impaired took place in particularly-established glucose burners...?
But my discomfort level has risen: between the lack of salt and the high meat intake (about 50% higher than it was a month ago), my stomach is not at all happy, even with daily use of betaine-HCl. Today is a day for readjusting the formula. (I just took a 1/4 t. of sea salt, washed down with water, as a good beginning.)
I was VERY comfortable on the IF technique of coconut milk in my coffee for breakfast, and only two real meals per day. The only trouble with that was, i wasn't losing any weight, despite consuming fewer calories than i am now. (So THERE, CICO people!) When one of Donaldson's patients reported in without having lost any weight on one occasion, it turned out that he had begun skipping breakfast in hopes of reducing faster....
Yesterday, i DID feel improvement in my bad knee, and the other felt pretty much normal again. I did my half-hour of walking on the treadmill upstairs instead of around the neighborhood, because i suspected the cold was affecting my knee badly. Treadmills aren't perfect walking-machines, though -- posture and muscle use don't mimic REAL walking (see Dr. Wong...). Today i'm going to walk outside at a warmer hour, or use the stationary bicycle; i customarily use it for my Tabata sprints, as it's MUCH kinder to the knee.
...I just resolved to name my knees -- "my once-injured knee" is so unwieldy -- so it'll be Ralph (the "bad" one) and Louie. ;-) I'm so original!
Volume of meat is going down! Instead of 8 ounces, it's going to be 6, and i'm going to put salt on it. Truly, it hasn't been my taste buds that missed the salt, it's been my stomach-acid missing the chlorine! In all the agonizing over sodium in the last few decades, "experts" predictably overlooked the other important ingredient of table salt. Without a good source of chlorine, less stomach-acid is produced -- and contrary to what "everybody knows," an awful lot of indigestion is due to LOW acid, not high. As a hypothyroid, i'm already inclined to have low stomach acid (which is why i keep the betaine supplement on hand), and i've been exacerbating it. That stops now.
On the positive front, allergic symptoms are reduced on my lower-toxin diet. I was surprised to see, under the strict PPC regimen, that i still showed a little cheek-flushing in the evenings -- something that i hitherto blamed on wine. The most likely suspects were nightshades (which i took it very easy with), eggs (eaten in moderation), and nuts (mostly consumed in the form of coconut milk). Last night i took stock, and found the flushing significantly reduced.
Well, today is going to be a low-intake day, just to reset my system. I WILL stick to the approved food list in "Strong Medicine" though! Considering that i lost approximately 3 pounds in three days, there's no doubt that Dr. Donaldson was onto something, even though the medicine seems to be a little TOO strong for ME.
p.s. Despite the dire warnings of reduced thyroid function on a VLC diet, i've noticed no such reaction -- and believe me, i know what it feels like. I hypothesize that: 1) sufficient protein ingestion raises insulin levels enough to allow the receptors to work just fine, and; 2) being well-adapted in ketosis with plenty of glucose made by the liver from protein AND fat (as confirmed with my glucometer) provides all the glucose necessary for T4 conversion. Dare i suggest that the trials where thyroid function was impaired took place in particularly-established glucose burners...?
Monday, February 13, 2012
what's working, revisited
I went to bed early last night, and today i feel great! :-) Part of the credit for that, i feel, is the half-dozen raw oysters i had last evening as a first course (the rest of the meal was a lobster tail with butter, roasted okra from the "Paleo Comfort Foods" cookbook, sweetener-free raspberry-orange sorbet and coffee -- yum). We ate comparatively early, which always agrees with me.
I had a few ounces of a good sake with the oysters -- it seemed to call for it! That, or champagne, or vodka.... Now, i haven't added champagne back into my diet yet, as i had "trouble" with chardonnay. On Saturday afternoon i had a short bloody-mary made with a bacon-flavored potato vodka, tomato juice and hot sauce, and i felt draggy the rest of the day. Perhaps even potato-based vodka isn't going to agree with me -- i'll try it again sometime later, in a mixture that doesn't include the nightshades. Sake, though, continues to be comparatively non-toxic.
My discovered "tricks of the trade" may not work with everybody. I strongly suspect that if one's middle-aged body resists weight-loss when all of the "neolithic agents of disease" (NADs) are removed, then low-carb is definitely the way to go. Some people say they've tried it and they felt terrible, but i suspect they weren't eliminating a "sensitive" food that they should have. HOWEVER: i'm not in a position to say they're wrong, either! Not everybody's body functions the same way -- a young, healthy, athletic male body's physiology is entirely different from mine: female, middle-aged, thyroid-challenged, food-sensitivity-ridden, and moderately overweight.
Having discovered, with the help of the Personal Paleo Code, what the worst offenders are against my health and well-being, i can offer this partial list of what helps me most:
I had a few ounces of a good sake with the oysters -- it seemed to call for it! That, or champagne, or vodka.... Now, i haven't added champagne back into my diet yet, as i had "trouble" with chardonnay. On Saturday afternoon i had a short bloody-mary made with a bacon-flavored potato vodka, tomato juice and hot sauce, and i felt draggy the rest of the day. Perhaps even potato-based vodka isn't going to agree with me -- i'll try it again sometime later, in a mixture that doesn't include the nightshades. Sake, though, continues to be comparatively non-toxic.
My discovered "tricks of the trade" may not work with everybody. I strongly suspect that if one's middle-aged body resists weight-loss when all of the "neolithic agents of disease" (NADs) are removed, then low-carb is definitely the way to go. Some people say they've tried it and they felt terrible, but i suspect they weren't eliminating a "sensitive" food that they should have. HOWEVER: i'm not in a position to say they're wrong, either! Not everybody's body functions the same way -- a young, healthy, athletic male body's physiology is entirely different from mine: female, middle-aged, thyroid-challenged, food-sensitivity-ridden, and moderately overweight.
Having discovered, with the help of the Personal Paleo Code, what the worst offenders are against my health and well-being, i can offer this partial list of what helps me most:
- very low carbohydrate diet;
- intermittent fasting;
- sleep! 7-9 hours of it!
- stress control (i use tincture of licorice when feeling overburdened);
- supplements, which are entirely individual, though the Perfect Health Diet website makes some good recommendations;
- high-fat and protein meal early in the day, and any significant amount of carb i allow myself, saved for dinner;
- avoiding EVERYTHING that actively disagrees with me (all the NADs, and more), no matter how much i like it!
- tabata sprints, not too often, and walking, as Mark Sisson says;
- limiting goitrogens;
- not snacking;
- progesterone creme (again, it's individual -- but it helps the thyroid, balances estrogen-dominance, and is NOT CARCINOGENIC, California!)
- ... uh ... i'm sure there's more ... oh yeah, coffee! i think i need another cup.... ;-)
Sunday, February 12, 2012
...AND allergy complications likely....
Taking stock some MORE....
I needed to use my neti-pot again this morning.
By the time i finished that week-and-a-half visit to TX, i was suffering from the familiar old allergies. Predictable: when i lived on the gulf coast, i developed a sensitivity to oak pollen (and always DID have a sensitivity to mold), and Houston in the winter is mild and damp. I also suspected off-gassing by the new mattress in the guest room. Driving home, i had the familiar itchy nose which loratadine completely fails to counteract (diphenhydramine is better, but makes me sleepier). I expected that proper wintertime weather in the midwest would make it better, and it is -- some -- but not good enough.
The tricky bit with allergies is that they're cumulative. A touch of Bradford-pear-tree pollen in the air won't set me off, but the pollen plus a handful of cashews, plus a lot of time spent in the basement, and i'm running for the Benedryl. There are endless combinations of irritants.
Allergic symptoms can be extremely diverse, as i learned when i read Dr. Atkins' book so many years ago, AND they interfere with weight-loss. The fatigue i'm feeling today could definitely be connected with atmospheric and food allergies. I had macadamias and quite a bit of tomato yesterday, and eggs, a little almond flour, grapefruit and lime today -- all strong suspects in the world of food intolerance (and i'm going to be having shellfish for dinner...).
Yeah -- histamine load. I should have spotted it before. I'll start concentrating on eating more fresh meats and vegetables, and fewer histadine-containing things. :-D Just writing things down, here, clarifies so much for me!
I needed to use my neti-pot again this morning.
By the time i finished that week-and-a-half visit to TX, i was suffering from the familiar old allergies. Predictable: when i lived on the gulf coast, i developed a sensitivity to oak pollen (and always DID have a sensitivity to mold), and Houston in the winter is mild and damp. I also suspected off-gassing by the new mattress in the guest room. Driving home, i had the familiar itchy nose which loratadine completely fails to counteract (diphenhydramine is better, but makes me sleepier). I expected that proper wintertime weather in the midwest would make it better, and it is -- some -- but not good enough.
The tricky bit with allergies is that they're cumulative. A touch of Bradford-pear-tree pollen in the air won't set me off, but the pollen plus a handful of cashews, plus a lot of time spent in the basement, and i'm running for the Benedryl. There are endless combinations of irritants.
Allergic symptoms can be extremely diverse, as i learned when i read Dr. Atkins' book so many years ago, AND they interfere with weight-loss. The fatigue i'm feeling today could definitely be connected with atmospheric and food allergies. I had macadamias and quite a bit of tomato yesterday, and eggs, a little almond flour, grapefruit and lime today -- all strong suspects in the world of food intolerance (and i'm going to be having shellfish for dinner...).
Yeah -- histamine load. I should have spotted it before. I'll start concentrating on eating more fresh meats and vegetables, and fewer histadine-containing things. :-D Just writing things down, here, clarifies so much for me!
Friday, January 6, 2012
half a step back
At least, now i know that i should be avoiding nightshades.
Yesterday i made a delicious stew that included poblano pepper, tomatillos, and various chili powders, but my gut didn't like it as well as my tastebuds did. Bloating, insomnia, sinus issues and headache were the eventual reward. I won't be doing that again any time soon. Today's main meal will be a nice simple beefsteak and parsnips; maybe i'll breakfast on a plantain i have in the fridge, fried up in coconut oil.
I should have suspected a nightshade sensitivity, even though the symptoms were never this obvious before. My mother CRAVES potatoes, and frequently gets a headache after eating chips and salsa; you and i learned way back in the Atkins days that cravings frequently indicate an unhealthy relationship to a particular foodstuff -- allergy or addiction (or both).
So there will be NO more tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, chili powder, paprika or tobacco this month. At least the last one is easy to forgo.
Tomorrow i should be willing to step on the scales again.
Yesterday i made a delicious stew that included poblano pepper, tomatillos, and various chili powders, but my gut didn't like it as well as my tastebuds did. Bloating, insomnia, sinus issues and headache were the eventual reward. I won't be doing that again any time soon. Today's main meal will be a nice simple beefsteak and parsnips; maybe i'll breakfast on a plantain i have in the fridge, fried up in coconut oil.
I should have suspected a nightshade sensitivity, even though the symptoms were never this obvious before. My mother CRAVES potatoes, and frequently gets a headache after eating chips and salsa; you and i learned way back in the Atkins days that cravings frequently indicate an unhealthy relationship to a particular foodstuff -- allergy or addiction (or both).
So there will be NO more tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, chili powder, paprika or tobacco this month. At least the last one is easy to forgo.
Tomorrow i should be willing to step on the scales again.
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