'Cause i FEEEEEEL good. Amazing how that works. A certain kind of low-carb intake for me, and pain-free ease of movement happens that, if i were a natural-born dancer, i wouldn't be able to stop myself.
[Why did dance movements have to get more complicated than the Twist and the Jerk? I could manage THOSE. ;-) ]
I had an extra glass of wine last night, and started eating stuff -- oh, it was low-carb stuff, but included things like ice-cream made from the recipe in Nourishing Traditions (except the sweetener was liquid sucralose and i deleted the arrowroot. why arrowroot? home-made ice-cream doesn't need thickeners). Some of that excellent prosciutto-mozzarella roll (WITH basil) made by the Volpi company right here in St. Louis. Sugar-free chocolate. Since i didn't measure anything, i don't have any idea how the calorie-count would differ from the usual.
The additional alcohol mandated a bi-phasic night's sleep, but there was no distress associated. I feel good! ;-)
Friday, August 31, 2012
just plain cruel....
So bloggers from "both sides" are looking at the NIH study which "proves" that caloric restriction does not prolong life in the rhesus monkey. ...I don't think the proof is quite final.
I'm inclined to side with Dr. Rosedale upon learning that the poor things were eating a low-cal diet all their lives, which was 60% carbohydrate. Imagine how hungry they must have been! I think that the depression that you see in human beings eating like this should be factored into the mortality rates. Anybody but me ever read "When the Body Says No"?
Imagine eating 30% below normal intake of calories through your growth spurts and reproductive years. Then think about 60% of the calories you ARE allowed to eat, being things that will spike blood-sugar ... and the low-sugar "hungries" that follow. I think that's just plain cruel.
I'm inclined to side with Dr. Rosedale upon learning that the poor things were eating a low-cal diet all their lives, which was 60% carbohydrate. Imagine how hungry they must have been! I think that the depression that you see in human beings eating like this should be factored into the mortality rates. Anybody but me ever read "When the Body Says No"?
Imagine eating 30% below normal intake of calories through your growth spurts and reproductive years. Then think about 60% of the calories you ARE allowed to eat, being things that will spike blood-sugar ... and the low-sugar "hungries" that follow. I think that's just plain cruel.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
effective dose(s)
Today, the boost i got from the increased dosage of tyrosine continues....
Yesterday, the wired feeling wasn't there in the excessive way it was on Tuesday; today is similar to yesterday. Both days, i woke up a bit slowly, but after the AAs and ONE cup of regular coffee, i was ready to be busy. When i let the dog out at about 7, the evening was so pleasant -- balmy and good-smelling -- i went back inside, put on shoes, got a leash, and we went for walkies.
I didn't get this huge boost when i first started tyrosine supplementation. I THOUGHT my energy was a little better, but it was far from obvious. Just goes to show, taking piddly little amounts of SOME nutrients is not going to impact one's quality of life.
Of course, there are nutrients which are only needed in small quantities, and with any supplement it's prudent to "start low and go slow." However, tyrosine is one of many which obviously require a significant amount before they benefit ME much.
Self-experimentation is important in these matters -- the one gram that's energizing me so well is probably too much for some people but not enough for others. We have to keep an eye, also, on interactions between nutrients; in the case of vitamins A and D, appropriate ratios are essential, just like the situation with iodine and selenium.
I'll keep taking this quantity, and see how habituated i become to it. So far, SO GOOD.
Yesterday, the wired feeling wasn't there in the excessive way it was on Tuesday; today is similar to yesterday. Both days, i woke up a bit slowly, but after the AAs and ONE cup of regular coffee, i was ready to be busy. When i let the dog out at about 7, the evening was so pleasant -- balmy and good-smelling -- i went back inside, put on shoes, got a leash, and we went for walkies.
I didn't get this huge boost when i first started tyrosine supplementation. I THOUGHT my energy was a little better, but it was far from obvious. Just goes to show, taking piddly little amounts of SOME nutrients is not going to impact one's quality of life.
Of course, there are nutrients which are only needed in small quantities, and with any supplement it's prudent to "start low and go slow." However, tyrosine is one of many which obviously require a significant amount before they benefit ME much.
Self-experimentation is important in these matters -- the one gram that's energizing me so well is probably too much for some people but not enough for others. We have to keep an eye, also, on interactions between nutrients; in the case of vitamins A and D, appropriate ratios are essential, just like the situation with iodine and selenium.
I'll keep taking this quantity, and see how habituated i become to it. So far, SO GOOD.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
WIRED
...At least i was, yesterday afternoon. I need to watch what happens the rest of this week, while i continue the increased level of tyrosine supplementation.
I had something on my mind yesterday, though, and i suspected that the "overstimulated" feeling might have been psychological in origin. It didn't really occur to me that it might be just a very high-revved response to the only change in diet/supplementation i had made. I self-medicated (with a couple of glasses of wine), but it took me a little more time to get to sleep last night (and this was well after the thing-on-my-mind was resolved). I then overslept this morning.
So i'm a little off-schedule today, but loaded with some abnormal energy. Whether it's physical or mental will reveal itself eventually....
Meanwhile, i'm going to reduce my caffeine intake.
I had something on my mind yesterday, though, and i suspected that the "overstimulated" feeling might have been psychological in origin. It didn't really occur to me that it might be just a very high-revved response to the only change in diet/supplementation i had made. I self-medicated (with a couple of glasses of wine), but it took me a little more time to get to sleep last night (and this was well after the thing-on-my-mind was resolved). I then overslept this morning.
So i'm a little off-schedule today, but loaded with some abnormal energy. Whether it's physical or mental will reveal itself eventually....
Meanwhile, i'm going to reduce my caffeine intake.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
HERE'S a thyroid-adrenal connection for you....
It's my favorite non-essential amino acid. It's one of the two building-blocks of thyroid hormones. It's an important precursor to catecholamines too, i find. It's tyrosine.
Tyrosine is created in the body from phenylalanine, with iron as a part of the catalysis, and oxygen. If something is missing -- voila, hypothyroidism and STRESS in capital letters. It makes me want to take the "iron-overload" alarmists by the throat and shake. HARD.
I've been supplementing with tyrosine for months now, and i'm very pleased with how it has improved my native thyroid production. I had no idea it was important in stress-management, too, through its role in norepinephrine and dopamine production; it alleviates depletion of brain catecholamines when administered to animals (including humans) who are subsequently exposed to stresses of various kinds.
Of course, i like best those trials which are decently designed and controlled, and use PEOPLE, who (for the most part) differ from mice. ;-) In one, the subjects were kept up all day and night, and given some mood and performance tests, in which tyrosine beat placebo for both kinds of "decline." In another, tyrosine beat placebo again when tried on cadets undergoing combat training, and lowered blood-pressure as well. Yet another showed that tyrosine buffered subjects from the mood and memory decreases in people stressed with cold exposure.
Hmmmm, cold exposure.... Maybe if i up my tyrosine supplementation, i can actually try (and perhaps benefit from) CT?
Well, CT or no CT, i DO plan to increase my daily dose. Who knows what all will improve -- i'll keep you posted.
Tyrosine is created in the body from phenylalanine, with iron as a part of the catalysis, and oxygen. If something is missing -- voila, hypothyroidism and STRESS in capital letters. It makes me want to take the "iron-overload" alarmists by the throat and shake. HARD.
I've been supplementing with tyrosine for months now, and i'm very pleased with how it has improved my native thyroid production. I had no idea it was important in stress-management, too, through its role in norepinephrine and dopamine production; it alleviates depletion of brain catecholamines when administered to animals (including humans) who are subsequently exposed to stresses of various kinds.
Of course, i like best those trials which are decently designed and controlled, and use PEOPLE, who (for the most part) differ from mice. ;-) In one, the subjects were kept up all day and night, and given some mood and performance tests, in which tyrosine beat placebo for both kinds of "decline." In another, tyrosine beat placebo again when tried on cadets undergoing combat training, and lowered blood-pressure as well. Yet another showed that tyrosine buffered subjects from the mood and memory decreases in people stressed with cold exposure.
Hmmmm, cold exposure.... Maybe if i up my tyrosine supplementation, i can actually try (and perhaps benefit from) CT?
Well, CT or no CT, i DO plan to increase my daily dose. Who knows what all will improve -- i'll keep you posted.
Monday, August 27, 2012
benefit from exercise to the struggling thyroid
Don't expect me to tout a vigorous exercise program to help you lose weight if you're hypothyroid -- it ain't gonna help, and it might hurt. Now, is that what you wanted to hear or not? ;-)
Start looking into the subject, and you'll find a lot of the old conventionalwisdom. Since hypothyroids find it easy to gain weight, CW dictates anything you do to combat this is a good thing, including those lovely strictures about aerobic exercise and a balanced diet. The more progressive sites might actually recommend strength training and a lower-carb diet. If you're persistent in pushing that "next" button on Google, you'll eventually find a couple of actual evidence-based sources of information.
Like here: i learned that hard exercise "eats through" thyroid hormone like it's going out of style (kinda like eating a high-carb diet). If, like me, you make enough hormone to get you through a good day but are challenged when things don't go just right, this is a recipe for massive discomfort. In another study, the upshot i got was that you can manipulate the lab numbers all you want, but it's not going to improve the body's actual performance.
This is not to say that i don't believe in ANY exercise, but i now find the argument weak that we believed in so long -- that exercise revs your metabolism, and that a revved metabolism results in weight loss. Wooo's post about that convinced me ... along with my personal experience.
What exercise is best for seems to be the chance to get outdoors, breathe some fresh air, and move at a constant pace for a half-hour or so, giving all my muscles a chance to extend and contract, not just the ones between my ears. ;-) More importantly to those of us who find weight-loss challenging, i believe, is encouraging mitochondrial health and development, which is what the tabatas do.
My experience says that a good brisk walk in nice weather is both pleasant and helpful; it improves the wind (no, not THAT kind of wind) and i find it also dampens appetite. The little bit of tabata-sprinting i've done on the stationary bike seems constructive, too, but what feels best is about three sets of 15-20 seconds of hard pedaling with a couple minutes slow movement in between -- certainly not the full minute of all-out effort in one go, that some sources recommend.
I don't know about you, but i consider my findings rather encouraging! Even if i were convinced that hard aerobic exercise was going to be beneficial ... well, it just would NOT happen. KNOWING that working that much is actually problematic makes me face a "workout session" a lot more cheerfully. I don't have to feel guilty -- as if i ever would -- under the misapprehension that self-torture is somehow good for one.
Start looking into the subject, and you'll find a lot of the old conventionalwisdom. Since hypothyroids find it easy to gain weight, CW dictates anything you do to combat this is a good thing, including those lovely strictures about aerobic exercise and a balanced diet. The more progressive sites might actually recommend strength training and a lower-carb diet. If you're persistent in pushing that "next" button on Google, you'll eventually find a couple of actual evidence-based sources of information.
Like here: i learned that hard exercise "eats through" thyroid hormone like it's going out of style (kinda like eating a high-carb diet). If, like me, you make enough hormone to get you through a good day but are challenged when things don't go just right, this is a recipe for massive discomfort. In another study, the upshot i got was that you can manipulate the lab numbers all you want, but it's not going to improve the body's actual performance.
This is not to say that i don't believe in ANY exercise, but i now find the argument weak that we believed in so long -- that exercise revs your metabolism, and that a revved metabolism results in weight loss. Wooo's post about that convinced me ... along with my personal experience.
What exercise is best for seems to be the chance to get outdoors, breathe some fresh air, and move at a constant pace for a half-hour or so, giving all my muscles a chance to extend and contract, not just the ones between my ears. ;-) More importantly to those of us who find weight-loss challenging, i believe, is encouraging mitochondrial health and development, which is what the tabatas do.
My experience says that a good brisk walk in nice weather is both pleasant and helpful; it improves the wind (no, not THAT kind of wind) and i find it also dampens appetite. The little bit of tabata-sprinting i've done on the stationary bike seems constructive, too, but what feels best is about three sets of 15-20 seconds of hard pedaling with a couple minutes slow movement in between -- certainly not the full minute of all-out effort in one go, that some sources recommend.
I don't know about you, but i consider my findings rather encouraging! Even if i were convinced that hard aerobic exercise was going to be beneficial ... well, it just would NOT happen. KNOWING that working that much is actually problematic makes me face a "workout session" a lot more cheerfully. I don't have to feel guilty -- as if i ever would -- under the misapprehension that self-torture is somehow good for one.
funny, now "adrenal exhaustion/burnout" IS real....
A couple of years ago when i was first reading up on how to improve my hypothyroidism, i came upon a website that spoke of how "adrenal fatigue" complicates it. I'd never heard of such a thing before, but perusing the chart it sure hit home.
You see, i don't HAVE some of the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism (mine are those most closely associated with nutrient deficiencies). I should have a slow heartbeat and low blood pressure and poor appetite, but in fact, it's historically been the opposite. I used to be strung WAY too tight. Yep, i seemed to be exhibiting the "combination" problem.
So i tried a cheap-and-dirty remedy -- i started using tincture of licorice a couple of times a day, and concentrated on relaxation and stress-avoidance. It helped a LOT. I haven't felt the same kind of exhaustion i used to, in a long time. And when i was doing all that reading, "authorities" were pouring scorn on the whole idea that mere stress could result in depleted adrenal function....
As usual, when i was reading about what nutrients might bolster adrenal function, there was a lot of common factors with thyroid function -- vitamins A, C, E, quality proteins, magnesium and zinc.... No wonder that my adrenal function seems repaired, as my recent supplementation covers the bases pretty darned well. Note to self: start adding nutritional yeast to soups and things -- i already have a big bag of it in the freezer, because i used to use it regularly.
Oh, i also need to add, i had never "done" VLC when the "adrenal complication" made its presence known. When i began developing it, i hadn't even done LCHF. To blame burnout on LC is just plain nonsense, though i can see how it might exacerbate the problem.
Well, i obviously need to read up more on the situation ... now that it actually EXISTS! ;-)
You see, i don't HAVE some of the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism (mine are those most closely associated with nutrient deficiencies). I should have a slow heartbeat and low blood pressure and poor appetite, but in fact, it's historically been the opposite. I used to be strung WAY too tight. Yep, i seemed to be exhibiting the "combination" problem.
So i tried a cheap-and-dirty remedy -- i started using tincture of licorice a couple of times a day, and concentrated on relaxation and stress-avoidance. It helped a LOT. I haven't felt the same kind of exhaustion i used to, in a long time. And when i was doing all that reading, "authorities" were pouring scorn on the whole idea that mere stress could result in depleted adrenal function....
As usual, when i was reading about what nutrients might bolster adrenal function, there was a lot of common factors with thyroid function -- vitamins A, C, E, quality proteins, magnesium and zinc.... No wonder that my adrenal function seems repaired, as my recent supplementation covers the bases pretty darned well. Note to self: start adding nutritional yeast to soups and things -- i already have a big bag of it in the freezer, because i used to use it regularly.
Oh, i also need to add, i had never "done" VLC when the "adrenal complication" made its presence known. When i began developing it, i hadn't even done LCHF. To blame burnout on LC is just plain nonsense, though i can see how it might exacerbate the problem.
Well, i obviously need to read up more on the situation ... now that it actually EXISTS! ;-)
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