Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Members' Journals => Journals => Topic started by: djr_81 on September 17, 2009, 09:24:58 am
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I.E. my Journal. :P
I'm also not technically nuts but I'm far from the status quo and I enjoy being an individual. ;D
I figured this is a better place to ask questions and note progress than my introduction post so I'll do all of that here now. :)
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Anyways, a full month of raw ZC and I'm doing really good.
Maybe a week ago I crested the initial lethargy from my adaptation and my energy levels started going back to normal. My head also was fully clear for the first time in years (and years and years). Since then I've been doing really good and enjoying the extra energy.
I was incredibly hungry on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and took a lot of food down (maybe 1/2 pound of fat and 3-5 pounds of decently marbled cuts of beef) but I couldn't shake that empty "hungry" feeling in my stomach. It all sat great as well.
Monday night I tried my hand at Pemmican albeit only mild rendering of the suet fat to make it mixable but not bother removing too much moisture as I was going to eat it that night. Freshly prepared without setting it was a delightful experience much in the vein of chewing sawdust. After setting 20 minutes in the fridge though it was much better. After my limited list of things I've been able to eat the past few years it was nice to have a nougat-like texture even if it was a bit meaty. ;D
Tuesday started out with the same voracious appetite but I had a chunk of grainfed suet and 3 slabs of grassfed chuck roast for lunch at 2ish (about a pound and a half) and felt an uncomfortable heavyness in my stomach. Spent the entire evening with this fullness and only had a couple pieces of homemade jerky at dinnertime. I also had a number of very unpleasant & overproductive trips to the bathroom that night (bile mustard yellow with a slight burn in case that wasn't TMI yet).
I had another two pieces this afternoon and reawakened the beast in my gut so I think I know the culprit (I was thinking it could also be the grainfed muscle meat I used for the jerky).
In hindsight it had a slightly odd smell to the meat but it didn't taste funny and appeared healthy so didn't give it much thought. I'll know better next time and don't plan to buy from the seller again (local farmer's market vendor where I got this, some pretty tasty marrow bones, and a fairly bland chuck steak-all grassfed).
I've been finding and tasting a number of local sources for the grassfed beef but so far the only source of grassfed fat has been Slankers (my order arrives tomorrow and includes 20ish pounds of lamb fat as they were out of beef & bison).
The farm selling at the farmer's market had bland meat at overinflated prices and one cut is pretty clearly implicated in making me sick. A real shame as I'd rather support a local farm.
I've found pastured beef from Australia at a local supermarket (ShopRite). It's not the best price ($7.99/pound) but is very nicely flavored and incredibly soft textured (they are loin cuts though so...). White fat though.
I recently traveled to a larger food store (but not a supermarket, closer to a real market) about 40 minutes from home and found some nice deals on grassfed beef as well as some goat which I've never had before (too fatty looking to be grassfed but I couldn't argue $2.49/pound to try it). This meat is deliciously flavored but the drive is prohibitive to do weekly. I'll definitely be utilizing them when I need holdovers to my next Slanker's shipment. Oh yeah, as much free Suet as I want (even if it's grainfed it's good stiff suet perfect for Pemmican). ;D
I've also got a 65 pound order on it's way from Slankers which is supposed to arrive tomorrow. I ordered a good mix of product including a sampling of the lamb, bison, and goat as well as a sampling of each of the beef organ they sell other than testicles as I'm not quite ready for that (although I am warming to the idea to try them). I can't wait to dig in.
In a whole different vein I've begun exercising again after taking a few weeks off to deal with the keto-adaption (my IT band in my right knee was aggravated as well so it was killing two birds with one stone).
Took my first jog/run on Monday morning and it felt great. I was definitely out of breath and pushing myself hard but it felt so good to do it I couldn't help it. I'm working on fox-walking when I can and tried to figure out "fox running" but it wasn't coming as intuitively as I'd have liked. Any tips?
I've also started some simple weight training and will be keeping my eyes open for exercises & routines better suited for me. I want to build up more functional muscles as opposed to just bulking up. Right now it's a couple exercises for the core, push-ups, and tricep curls to get them up to snuff. I'm going to start chin-ups tomorrow as well.
Well, that's it for now. Thanks for reading. :)
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Anyways, a full month of raw ZC and I'm doing really good.
What type of diet you were on prior to zero carb?
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What type of diet you were on prior to zero carb?
The food allergy diet. ;D
I give the full rundown here (http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/welcoming-commitee/hello-t1551/) but over the last seven years or so I've found out about more and more foods which do not sit well in my body (both through blood tests and elimination dieting). Over the last couple years I was down to almost no fruits, vegetables, or grains which sat well but I still tried different things and sometimes put up with the effects for a little while because I had been informed since I was a kid that I needed these things for proper nutrition.
As time went on I moved further and further towards a meat based diet and eventually ended up here. In a surprising twist of fate I found this site by Googling to see if bone meal (I was eating the ends of the chicken thighs I was cooking) was possibly giving me adequate fiber/bulk to avoid GI issues.
I think something in my adolescence triggered a leaky gut. It could have been Candida (definitely still had this when I began ZC as I developed a good case of thrush on my tongue in the first week), could have been gluten and dairy intolerances, could have been something else. I just know I began putting on a lot of weight in puberty and had health & GI issues on and off from then until I got tested and began to eliminate things. Now I'm working to not ingest foods which while aggravate my system and I'll let me body heal itself. I don't plan to deviate from this way of eating though as I don't want to chance furthering that progression of antigen responses. I enjoy red meat and apperently my body does too. ;D
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Another benefit of how I'm eating has reared it's head.
My wife and I had our nephew over Friday night and his mother didn't tell us he was sick with a cold until we picked him up. After very close quarters with him for 24 hours my wife is lying in bed feeling horrible and I'm feeling fine. I felt a little off yesterday afternoon (slight nasal drip and sore throat) but got a good night sleep and feel great today. This is a far cry from the past few years where both my wife and myself would get sick together at the drop of a hat. :)
Now, to the real topic at hand...
My wife is very overweight (300lb+), as are many of the women in her family, and a large number of health issues run rampant in her family (Type 1 & 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, a bunch of others). She crested 300 pounds in high school and weighed 380 pounds at her heaviest (just before we met 4 1/2 years ago). Over the years she's tried a number of different diets and lost significant weight on them (50-80 pounds at a time) but it always came back.
Not long after we began dating she spurred us to sign up at the gym and between that and eating a sound dinner (the only meal I was around to help prepare in a healthy way), usually consisting of a poached or lightly seared salmon filet and some vegetables, she dropped down to 280 in 6 months time (when they did our 6 month fitness test they determined, through calipers and a handheld ultrasound thing, that she had 202 pounds of pure muscle ;D). Her perennially sick family, particularly her mother, really raised hell on our time to exercise or eat well, and over time she gained back maybe half the weight.
Over the years we've found some foods which bother her and cut them out (gluten, rice, corn, peanuts) & we've done research into possible underlying issues (she took the depo shot-an injected contraceptive-for years long before we met which is known to cause thyroid issues on such a longterm basis).
All of this doesn't really matter. What does matter is seeing me feel so much better she would like to make some changes to her diet and hopefully lose much of her weight, heal up her battered body, and live a long and healthy life. She wants to get proactive and stop worrying about dying by 50 from a heart attack or something else equally scary.
I need input from the other fine forum members on the best way to help her transition into our way of eating as well as some suggestions on foods. As she does not suffer the same problems from carbohydrates of any form that I do we both think it best if we shoot for a very low carbohydrate regimen; perhaps 20 grams per day, or is this too high?
She is still concerned with the raw meat aspect so we will be starting out with steaks cooked to medium-rare and work our way rarer as she feels comfortable.
She is also very concerned with eating raw fat so I will probably be supplementing with pemmican or at least putting the fat over the heated meat so it melts and makes it fattier.
We will be starting her on grainfed since she can't stand the flavor of grassfed. I personally think the fat on grassfed is a bit mealier/grittier as well so think this will be a smoother transition that trying to go cold turkey with grassfed. We will supplement with the Blue Ice cod liver oil while she eats grainfed.
I will be ordering some of Dr. Ron's Adrenals and Thyroids to help address possible underlying glandular problems.
We've also tried out Betaine HCL. I got the stomach heat and a bit of throat burn at 1 so I'm ok. She needed 6-8 624mg capsules to feel the same burn so her digestion is definitely compromised. I have two 100 cap bottles on hand and will encourage her to use them.
Now for the stuff I need help on.
What carbs would be helpful to have in her diet? All refined starches and sugars are of course out. Would fruits or vegetables be better? She adores lemons so they're an easy choice but what else?
She hates honey so we don't need to debate it's merit here. :P
Thoughts on Raw Dairy? I know some of you feel strongly against it and I agree that genetically most people don't do well with it. Unfortunately it's one of the food groups that she enjoys most and she'd be less inclined to cheat if she could have an occasional "treat" or some raw cheese or butter.
Any other guidance?
Thanks. :)
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I would recommend trying virgin coconut oil as well. If she does well on it, it can be a really, REALLY good way to ramp up the thyroid and lose weight.
Raw dairy--I recommend only getting it from a local producer, who does mostly or all grass-fed (or, for goat milk, forage-fed). I also recommend fermenting it. You can get raw grass-fed butter from a few places, check the yahoo raw milk group. Some people do well on raw dairy, some really don't. I would encourage her to cut dairy out totally for a couple of weeks, then add in raw dairy again, very slowly, and see what happens.
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Dairy is very fattening, and kind of additive.
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I would recommend trying virgin coconut oil as well. If she does well on it, it can be a really, REALLY good way to ramp up the thyroid and lose weight.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll see if she's up for giving it a shot. :)
I kind of figured the raw milk was a bad idea but she's resistant to give "everything" up so I'm seeing it as a temporary compromise. Given the incidence of dairy issues in America she'll probably notice problems after a little while on a cleaner diet anyways and give it up on her own. Then I'm not the bad guy. :P
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It's been claimed that raw butter is the "least worst" of all types of dairy. If you can try some raw butter from an animal other than a cow as it will be closer to human milk.
I can't recommend virgin coconut oil as many people seem to get side-effects from the stuff(the salicylates in it , that is? ).
If your other half does not have issues with carbs, then then it's best if you start low-carb as opposed to very low carb(say 10-20% of the diet). The reason for that is simple:- most people find the raw meat issue the biggest problem re getting used to a raw diet, whereas consumption of raw fruit and some(not all) raw veg isn't such a big mental hurdle to overcome for obvious reasons. I personally started off with 80% raw plant food, and then quickly worked that down to 10%, plus or minus, which I do best on. It just made things easier for me, and since adaptation to raw requires some adjustment by the body it would be a big mistake to simultaneously drive the body into ketosis at the same time, which requires further adaptation.
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As I mentioned last night in another thread I'm positive now that grainfed effects me in a very noticeable and negative way.
After a week of all grassfed I had some grainfed stewmeat we had in the fridge rather than go hungry (or force-thaw my grassfed in the microwave). Boy was that a mistake.
I had a sore throat and runny nose about 4 bites in and it only got worse as I ate. I also got the dreaded "brain fog". The runny nose persisted for maybe a half hour after eating and then very slowly got better overnight. The sore throat stayed painful until bed and must have cleared overnight as I didn't have it this morning. Same with the brain fog although my thinking feels kind of off today.
I woke up an hour early with stomach cramps and moderate nausea. Had very unpleasant diarrhea and waves of nausea this morning including doubling over at one point because the nausea was so great as I stood up. Came very close to vomiting but nothing came up. I'm now sitting here at work feeling miserable, wanting to hurl my guts up, and dealing with diminishing cramps.
I don't know if it was an additive (this was from the "safest" of the local supermarkets, the one which had not given me any noticeable symptoms from food before) or is it perhaps carryover gluten but I'm going to make sure I don't need to go through this again. I don't care if I have to carry a steak with me or eat pemmican when I go out to dinner with people but I'm not messing with that poor excuse for meat again. >: -v
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Well, I burned through my Slankers order fairly quickly so had to go out this evening to find food for the end of this week (still have 1-2 days of lean muscle meat left as well as a couple organs, plenty of marrow bones and tons of lambfat).
Drove out to Connecticut with my wife to our closest Trader Joe's as it's supposed to sell Grassfed (even though it's supposed to be lower quality). Not a bit of grassfed beef and I wasn't going to spend $14/pound for bone-in Australian lamb.
We hopped back in the car and drove 50 minutes north-west to another store which had grassfed the last time we were there. Unfortunately they had none on the shelf so I was resigned to the same bone-in lamb (at $7/pound here) but asked the butcher anyways. Turns out they get delivery of a single grassfed steer from a farmer in Connecticut every Tuesday but it came in late in the day today so hadn't been butchered yet. The butcher went in the back and cut me off the whole Chuck primal cut. I've now got a 45 pound slab of beef on my counter ready for me to butcher at a steal of $135 ($2.99/pound ;D). He also gave me a 5-6 pound bag of the fresh suet off the carcass for free. He'll also save me all the fat trimmings when he butchers the grassfed steers if I want them. I know where I'll be food shopping every other week. ;D
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I've upped my fat intake within the last 10 days and began feeling great in the last 2-3 days. Still dealing with some ketones as indicated by my sweet saliva and slight smell to my urine but I'm mostly adapted to the higher percentage now.
I've also continued my morning jogs even though it's getting chilly out. I decided I'm going to them up all winter long so I grew a beard. First time I've had one in over 4 years but it feels nice to have the change. I've been keeping the distance the same at 1 1/2 miles each morning, since I have to get ready for work after and don't want to get up earlier, but have been consistently upping the intensity. I've changed my running style from heel-strike to pad-strike which did a number on my efficiency but I'm working back to where I was at before. I ran/jogged the loop yesterday in 10 minutes which is just about where I stopped ~6 weeks ago due to my inflamed IT band. I'm also running without any pain which was the impetus for the change in dynamics. ;D
Other than that life's been pretty boring. :)
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In a semi-related post I've been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma (http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/1594200823) and it's been very informative. Such in-depth insight into "industrial agriculture", "big organic", and "small organic" (where I am now) really gives a lot to think about, a lot to discuss, and a driving force to re-prioritize your own personal food chain.
The book is inspiring me in two different ways;
I don't think I'll be ordering from Slanker's again unless I lose my current source for grass-fed beef. When you really examine how much oil is involved in transporting you food across the country it makes it seem like much less of a bargain. The food was good but the moral cost doesn't seem worth it to me. :(
I REALLY want to start up a farm like Polyface now. So many cool ideas and it just seems like a great life. If I ever come into a large lump of cash I know what I'm doing...buying up some land, starting a farm with rotational grazzing, and getting myself as far off the "grid" as possible. :)
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I've been eating a single meal each day the past two days and I can now say I'm definitely not adapted enough for this or my activity levels are too high to function right with the quantity of food I can comfortably consume in one sitting. Yesterday morning and this morning I woke up and was physically very tired (mentally I was fairly rested). I went for my jog this morning and just couldn't put the effort in like I was earlier this week.
I was eating at roughly 3PM. I'm going to try two meals now at 8AM and 6PM and see how I do that way. :)
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Still going strong. ;D
I've gone through a couple periods where I'll be more foggy headed than usual for a couple days and then it clears up.
I couldn't track down what the cause was and it was frustrating me. Seems to be better controlled now but still not 100% although this residual could be adrenal related I guess.
-At first I thought it might be some seltzer water (unflavored peligrino brand) I picked up to vary things up a bit instead of water with every meal. I had an 8oz bottle each night after dinner but the fog seemed to start the day after I began drinking them so I cut it out.
-I also noted that I began adding some celtic sea salt (as opposed to the Realsalt brand I bought a bunch of last time I bought sea salt) to my food at the same time so I cut this out. I may test this out again in the near future and see what it does to me.
-I bought another 40 pound chuck primal cut last Wednesday and made some pemmican (with rendered lamb fat) with part of it. I'd been eating ~60% of my calories for the day as pemmican all weekend long and by Sunday night I started to get a bit of bloating as well as horrible smelling gas. This was accompanied by the same brain fog, a notable drop in body temperature (more on this to follow), and less resistance to the cold going around the house (got a sore throat and stuffy nose). This jogged my memory that I had run low on suet fat when the last instance of brain fog came about and had been supplementing with tallow. I cut pemmican out at that point and most of the symptoms have all gone away (haven't checked my temp yet). I don't know if it's a sensitivity to the cooking, an issue with how my body treats the lamb, or just coincidence but I'm leaving tallow and pemmican alone except for emergencies. I can look to re-test in a couple months when my digestion has improved some.
Now, back to temperature.
My body, as long as I can remember, has always run a low temperature. I'd usually read 97.1ish but even upper 96's weren't uncommon. Even when sick as a dog and running a high grade fever I can't recall ever going over 101.
This is common in my family and no one had any concerns about it so nobody ever bothered looking into it.
My mother has had numerous thyroid tests (as part of large panels her doctor does on her) and she's always checked out fine so it's not that.
I've been paying attention to it though and I've made some interesting discoveries along the way. In the past year I've had my food allergies under as much control as I could muster and it seemed to help my temperature a bit. I'd made maybe a 1/2 degree progress on things, measuring ~97.5 when I checked, and my perennially cold hands were grateful for this added warmth. Also in the past year I found a correlation when trying new foods. When not overtaxed due to constant allergy stress my immune system raises quite the response temperature-wise to allergens and I'll spike up 2 degrees in a couple minutes when I ate something bad for me. This was followed by a drop down to low 97's or upper 96's for the better part of a day at least.
Anyways, on a hunch I checked my temperature last Thursday and the thermometer read 98.4 and 98.7. A pretty clear indicator that my body is not overtaxed by my food source for now. ;D
This is also how I knew something in the pemmican was a poor choice for me. My temperature Sunday night was 97.2. ;)
Tried my first batch of high meat Sunday night as well (trying to help keep from getting that cold). I'd been culturing it for 2 1/2 weeks at that point so ate down two good size bites (~1" square). I've got to say I'm a bit disappointed in the flavor with the tangy smell it omits. I don't know if it made any difference but still no cold. Had another piece this morning and will continue eating at least a piece a day to see what it does for me. I've also got two bigger jars culturing from the last meat purchase on Wednesday.
That's about it for the last week and a half. Just keeping on keeping on. :)
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Bloating is most unlikely to be caused by pemmican; unheard of AFAIK, gas likewise. Maybe it was the mix with something else you ate?
Since pemmican is a complete food, why not try it alone? That seems to be the successful way from experience.
You might be aware that body temperature varies according to your circadian rhythm, so each reading should be considered in that light.
I'm chilled around noon, even on a warm summer day, and often too hot to sleep at 2 in the morning when I eat the one meal of the day too late in the evening.
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Bloating is most unlikely to be caused by pemmican; unheard of AFAIK, gas likewise.
nope, i get bloating and gas every time with pemmican. it also gets pretty smelly as djr was saying. i use it just in emergencies now.
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Interesting. Do you folks also get the bloating and gas from raw animal fat, or just the rendered fat?
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Interesting. Do you folks also get the bloating and gas from raw animal fat, or just the rendered fat?
So far it's only been from rendered fat, I'm fine with raw unless I really overdue it and get the runs but my threshold has gotten pretty high in the past couple months. Again, this was rendered lamb fat so it's possible that this is my problem and I'd be fine with beef fat but I thought I'd mention it to see if others had similar experiences. I'll defrost some of the lamb fat in a couple days and see how that sits.
Bloating is most unlikely to be caused by pemmican; unheard of AFAIK, gas likewise. Maybe it was the mix with something else you ate?
Since pemmican is a complete food, why not try it alone? That seems to be the successful way from experience.
I had it for breakfast and lunch both days. I had a small meal of grassfed beef muscle (chuck) and suet for dinner. My diet is so limited that I couldn't mix any more than that if I wanted to. I mono eat and also try to limit my water intake drastically for the 1/2-1 hour before and after eating to make sure my stomach acid is the strongest it can be while I adjust.
You might be aware that body temperature varies according to your circadian rhythm, so each reading should be considered in that light.
I'm chilled around noon, even on a warm summer day, and often too hot to sleep at 2 in the morning when I eat the one meal of the day too late in the evening.
Yes, I am aware of this. All of my readings are done at roughly 7-8PM but especially the past couple I've done. The meals had been at the same time +/- 1/2 hour each day as well so it was as free of natural deviance as I could make it. :)
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Interesting. Do you folks also get the bloating and gas from raw animal fat, or just the rendered fat?
yep, just rendered fat. i can eat copious amounts of raw fat. there's a clear difference in how i feel after eating both.
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So far it's only been from rendered fat, I'm fine with raw unless I really overdue it and get the runs but my threshold has gotten pretty high in the past couple months. Again, this was rendered lamb fat so it's possible that this is my problem and I'd be fine with beef fat...
It sounds like your issue may be that you are not fully adapted to high-fat consumption yet, as fat does help the bowels to move--perhaps by lubricating the colon.
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I've had the impression that stomach acid is not used for digestion of raw fat meat.
Ref. A. Vonderplanitz and J-C Catry.
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It sounds like your issue may be that you are not fully adapted to high-fat consumption yet, as fat does help the bowels to move--perhaps by lubricating the colon.
By overdo it I'm talking 1/3-1/2 pound in a sitting. It's also more the ratio of fat to muscle meat because I can eat a ton of fat if it's with a commensurately large amount of muscle meat but 1/3 of a pound of fat with say an equal amount of meat will sit poorly.
I'd been concerned that my energy levels being as low as they were for as long as they were in the beginning was due to lower fat consumption so I consciously upped my intake.
I do occasionally have some undigested fat in my stool if I've been eating a lot of suet but intramuscular fat seems to digest fine.
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Interesting, that further suggests you're having difficulty digesting suet. I'm not haven't had that issue with suet or suet tallow myself despite my past difficulties digesting fats.
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Just an offhand thought here but anyone else think the pemmican might be causing a more rapid die-off of my Candida and that's why I got the way I did?
Truth be told I'd be happy if this was the case because it would be working towards a goal as opposed to avoiding hurting myself but I don't know how to tell. -\
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Well I didn't have any obvious Candida, though I did have some of the symptoms linked to it, so I suppose that could explain the difference between our reactions.
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Just an offhand thought here but anyone else think the pemmican might be causing a more rapid die-off of my Candida and that's why I got the way I did?
Truth be told I'd be happy if this was the case because it would be working towards a goal as opposed to avoiding hurting myself but I don't know how to tell. -\
that's intriguing as i also am dealing with some candida symptoms. i dont know though, that sounds kinda far fetched. why would cooked fat be better at detoxing? it itself has to get detoxed so i can't see how it would help... worth looking into though
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Just an offhand thought here but anyone else think the pemmican might be causing a more rapid die-off of my Candida and that's why I got the way I did?
Truth be told I'd be happy if this was the case because it would be working towards a goal as opposed to avoiding hurting myself but I don't know how to tell. -\
Bingo! I think that's it.
Candida is notoriously stubborn, and even after years of raw mostly paleo, it was only after I went strictly raw zero carb/pemmican/high fat that my tongue lost it's fur coat.
Animal fat is supposed to be a super candida killer.
This does not explain why my gut is so talkative after eating raw fat anything including pemmican.
Any internal communication theorists out there?
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Maybe some people are more sensitive to the Maillard products in rendered suet, whereas others like you, William, are not? Perhaps the rendered suet is easier for you to digest than raw? I think DelFuego may have made that claim, but don't quote me on it. These dual factors could explain why some people seem to do better on tallow than raw suet whereas for others it's the reverse. It may not be too critical either way, because people can just eat it whichever way works best for them in the short run while striving to eat it all-raw in the longer run. That's what I've been doing.
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that's intriguing as i also am dealing with some candida symptoms. i dont know though, that sounds kinda far fetched. why would cooked fat be better at detoxing? it itself has to get detoxed so i can't see how it would help... worth looking into though
Saturated fat is supposed to be very anti-fungal/parasitic as has been mentioned on the forum a number of the times in the past (the comment that comes to mind is Good Samaritan's endorsement of Coconut Oil to flush Candida).
The only reasons I can think of that the rendered fat would be better to fight Candida are as follows:
1) Rendering removes the moisture from both the fat and the lean. This has the benefit of extending the "shelf life" of pemmican exponentially from the raw meat and fat by depriving pathogens of a medium to incubate. This lowers the stress on our body during digestion so we have more resources to fight underlying issues.
2) Maybe what's anti-fungal in the fat is more available to fight Candida that is present since the cell wall was broken down. We don't need to break it down internally so it all hits the Candida at once instead of a timed dose effect.
I had the inspiration for the question when I read this (http://forum.zeroinginonhealth.com/showthread.php?tid=1377&pid=48633#pid48633) post by Delfuego on Charles' forum.
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This does not explain why my gut is so talkative after eating raw fat anything including pemmican.
Any internal communication theorists out there?
No theories yet but I frequently have the same issues. I used to get stomach noises like this when I'd eat a food I was allergic to but I don't seem to get other symptoms of food allergies. It's also not a definite that my stomach will make any noises.
Bingo! I think that's it.
Candida is notoriously stubborn, and even after years of raw mostly paleo, it was only after I went strictly raw zero carb/pemmican/high fat that my tongue lost it's fur coat.
Animal fat is supposed to be a super candida killer.
Out of curiosity William, once you switched how long did it take for you to feel like the Candida was gone (or at least as far gone as it'll get)?
My biggest fear is that the underlying Candida has been the catalyst for my food allergies over the years. I want to squash it as thoroughly and efficiently as possible to prevent further damage. I have no problems eating just meat and drinking water for the rest of my life but I don't want this solution taken from me because of a stupid yeast overgrowth. ;)
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2) Maybe what's anti-fungal in the fat is more available to fight Candida that is present since the cell wall was broken down. We don't need to break it down internally so it all hits the Candida at once instead of a timed dose effect.
I had the inspiration for the question when I read this (http://forum.zeroinginonhealth.com/showthread.php?tid=1377&pid=48633#pid48633) post by Delfuego on Charles' forum.
That at least makes intuitive sense--similar in concept to taking concentrated extracts from herbs to make the more potent modern medicines.
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Out of curiosity William, once you switched how long did it take for you to feel like the Candida was gone (or at least as far gone as it'll get)?
My biggest fear is that the underlying Candida has been the catalyst for my food allergies over the years. I want to squash it as thoroughly and efficiently as possible to prevent further damage. I have no problems eating just meat and drinking water for the rest of my life but I don't want this solution taken from me because of a stupid yeast overgrowth. ;)
It was quick, IIRC a few weeks, but that was after years of raw paleo.
And it is really gone from my mouth - that's the only indication that I had it other than mood, and shall stay gone as long as I stay off the carbs.
I ate cherries, peaches and blueberries last summer, maybe that has something to do with gut conversation.
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It was quick, IIRC a few weeks, but that was after years of raw paleo.
And it is really gone from my mouth - that's the only indication that I had it other than mood, and shall stay gone as long as I stay off the carbs.
That's great news.
I've been ZC since the beginning of August. Raw ZC since mid-August. I think I'll keep my fats as high as possible for the next few months and leave my remaining vacation time for the space between Christmas and New Years. I'll do a 100% pemmican meal plan for 10 days or so following Christmas Day and see if I can push through the "die-off"-like symptoms and find some source of clarity for the new year.
I'm excited to see how this plays out. :)
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As far as separating the oil from the fat tissues via rendering, You might like to try the process I have written about where I food process fat chunks til they are mostly creamy with some remaining pieces showing. The flatter into a think pancake onto the sides of a ceramic sloping bowl and place into pot with lid with water about 115 f. Let it sit for about ten to fifteen minutes. I monitor the temp of the fat. It never gets above 105 and usually only goes to 100 f. Have of it will separate, leaving a golden yellow oil, floating on top of the remaining fat material. Of which, I kind of chew and separate the tissues and 'spit' out. I just can't get myself to heat it to the 170 f that delfuego or the 200f that others are using to render the fat. Plus they are using heat for extended periods of time.
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As far as separating the oil from the fat tissues via rendering, You might like to try the process I have written about where I food process fat chunks til they are mostly creamy with some remaining pieces showing. The flatter into a think pancake onto the sides of a ceramic sloping bowl and place into pot with lid with water about 115 f. Let it sit for about ten to fifteen minutes. I monitor the temp of the fat. It never gets above 105 and usually only goes to 100 f. Have of it will separate, leaving a golden yellow oil, floating on top of the remaining fat material. Of which, I kind of chew and separate the tissues and 'spit' out. I just can't get myself to heat it to the 170 f that delfuego or the 200f that others are using to render the fat. Plus they are using heat for extended periods of time.
I think I will give this a shot Van. I've done similar by putting fat in a ziploc bags and simmering in water but I like your way better. :)
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I know some people on this forum feel that systemic yeast issues and particularly Candida aren't as common as some make them out to be but based on my own personal experiences as well as those of many I know I think it's a much more pervasive problem than many realize.
Between the overuse of antibiotics as a cure-all rather than a last resort and the readily accessed starch/sugar content of the SAD our bodies become breeding grounds for opportunistic parasites such as Candida.
This brings me to a thought I had last night. Could many of the adaptation problems people experience going ZC be less from keto-adaption and more from toxins released by miscellaneous parasites as they die off? A quicker "cold turkey" approach would yield a quicker die-off and worse symptoms. A slower approach would have a less severe reaction. Just a thought I've been mulling over. :)
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I don't know. When we did an unscientific poll, the results weren't conclusive in any direction.
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I've been eating the lamb fat I had in the freezer (Slanker's Grassfed) to supplement the grassfed beef chuck I've got left over. I don't know if it's the fact that it's lamb fat as opposed to beef, that it's intramuscular as opposed to suet, or that it's been frozen for over a month but I'm not a big fan. It's very grainy and dry. I can't wait for fresh beef suet on Wednesday.
I've also noticed this week that when I eat a really big meal (1 1/2+ pounds of food) I get an almost empty hungry feeling in my stomach which I don't get if I eat less. Any thoughts? I was wondering if my stomach acid is bogging down on the volume but I don't know why it'd feel empty. -\
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...And today I have gas, a less digested stool, and very slight pain in the kidney area. All fairly clear signs from my past that I have a problem with something recently ingested (and the only variable is the lamb fat). I'll be leaving the lamb fat alone for a while and try it again in the future to see if it effects me the same.
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I've had an issue arise over the past few weeks and I thought I'd ask for any incite on it.
I used to have a fairly noticeable case of Tinea Versicolor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinea_versicolor). In the past when I cut way back on sugars and/or carb dense foods my skin got much better. Invariably I would go back to a higher carb level due to energy needs and the Tinea would return to a higher density. It's actually been bad enough at times that when I'd consume a really big rush of carbs after being clean for a while (like a night of drinking alcohol) it would flare up to a reddish/lavenderish/grey and then settle down after a couple days. I've been fairly confident lumping this in with systemic Candida issues, whether they are two separate strains or the skin issue is just a mis-self-diagnosed offshoot of the Candida Albicans.
The Tinea, while visually looking horrible, didn't cause me any issues unless I either ate high-carb foods or it was really hot out (it could it then).
Not long after starting my current WOE I noticed the Tinea was lightening up which is a good sign that something I was doing was helping my body.
Then a few weeks ago, as I started upping my fat intake more and more, I noticed my arms and chest itching a lot. Most of the itching follows within the first hour of eating a meal but I'll occasionally get a really bad itch out of the blue hours after eating so it's not entirely dependent on food intake. I've been taking this in stride hoping things would start getting better but it's been getting worse.
Then this morning I was taking a shower and the hot water made my back REALLY itchy. I started scratching and this just opened the floodgates for my whole upper body to start itching like hell. I must have spent 10 minutes scratching at myself before it subsided. I've actually got a couple raised red marks/scratches on my back, chest, and forearms from how vigorously I was scratching.
Here's where I need input. Could this be a symptom of yeast die-off or should I be getting more concerned and actively looking for what's not right? It's controllable for the most part at the moment but if the shower is a good indicator this could be hellish come next summer.
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I would bet that it is yeast die-off, so wait and see.
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Nothing exceptional to report on my progress lately.
The last beef primal chuck I got had a fair amount of fat on it but I didn't get any extra trimmings as they hadn't saved any (even though I asked).
Started out with a higher fat intake at the beginning of the two weeks and made my way down to less fat/higher protein at the end of the two weeks. By the end I was needing to eat more and more frequently (2 large or 2 large & 1 small meals). I also found I got occasional headaches if I put off eating for too long.
I picked up my new primal cut Wednesday night and it came with a bunch of fat trimmings.
Of particular note with my first meal of higher fat content I had a resurgence in my Orthostatic Hypotension. I've had 2 or 3 light-headed moments upon standing since then but none today. Everything else is fine especially the sated feeling after eating which isn't as prevalent when I eat just beef chuck and no supplemental fat.
Anecdotally, I managed to get a case of Poison Ivy the end of last week.
I had some gloves I'd used when moving rocks this spring in an area loaded with Poison Ivy. I put them on last week without thinking and had some itching on my hands that night.
Since that night I've had the itching spread to other areas (from scratching while asleep in bed). So far though there's only been the occasional tiny bump and not the full-fledged fluid filled blister I always get with Poison Ivy. This is the first time I've ever had my body handle it so well and I thought I'd mention it in case others have noticed similar experiences.
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Thought I'd post up my findings on my urine output & water intake since I just read about Lex's Kidney Stone problems (best wishes on a quick recovery Lex ;)).
I used to drink at least 4 16.9oz bottles of water a day, oftentimes drinking up to 8 or 10 bottles. My urine was usually clear but also got a slight yellow color on the lighter water consumption days. I also had an odd scent which would come up occasionally that I never did track down the cause (it was very slightly sweet maple syrupy scented mixed with almost a cooked turkey scent-weird enough to concern me but I couldn't find similar experiences online so wrote it off).
My thirst and subsequent water consumption were greatly diminished when I changed to a raw meat/fat diet. At that point I dropped down to 2 or 3 bottles a day with maybe 6 as a peak and that was when riding my bike or running in 90*F+ weather. I've not been doing any heavy exercising the past month and a half due to the cold weather (I haven't developed the increased cold resistance others have noted, yet) so my consumption is usually 2-3 bottles a day.
When I changed my WOE my urine changed to slightly more yellow than before but still not overtly so to worry me and no cloudiness.
I have noticed in the past month a very interesting phenomenon. As my bi-month food supply runs low I invariably eat more protein and less supplemental fat. This results in a lighter urine color. Once I get the next order and go back to higher fat and less protein my urine gets more yellow to it. I'm not sure if it's imperfect usage of ketones or another culprit but interesting nonetheless.
Another somewhat related observation;
I had cut the additional salting out of my meat for the last week as so many say it's bad for the body and I've noticed an emptier feeling in the stomach (and being hungry again sooner) after consumption of a salted meal.
Last night I got an overwhelming desire for some of my pemmican. I debated with myself as what I've got stored is made with Lamb's fat which doesn't sit great in my stomach. I figured it must be a craving for the salt as I'm getting more than adequate fat and lean from my regular meals. Sure enough I put a little sea salt in my palm, licked it, and it tasted sweeter and more right than normal. Had a bit more this way and then tried a few small pieces of pemmican. The pemmican didn't feel right in my mouth, sat heavy once it went down my throat, and left me feeling a bit nauseous. I just salted a bit of red meat and ate that instead and all cravings went away. :)
I think this proves that at least for me right now I need some supplemental mineral salts I'm not getting in my meat or fat. Rather than approach it as I have before and salt my meat, which seems to have a negative effect on my body, I'm going to add a bit to water throughout the day and supplement that way. I also plan on doing it with E-Lyte (http://www.bodybio.com/storeproduct348.aspx) which I've had a lot of success with over the years unless others have better suggestions. I like the E-lyte better than sea salt because it's got 374mg Potassium, 178mg Sodium, and 130mg Magnesium in one serving whereas I'll be getting way too much sodium from sea salt versus the other two. Still need to figure out calcium. Maybe I'll use a rasp on some bones as mentioned here on the site before.
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I had my first taste of raw pastured chicken today. :)
My wife and I placed an order with Slankers so she could try some healthier meats outside what she normally eats (she was mostly interested in their pork). Besides the fair quantity of pork we ordered we also got some boneless chicken breasts for her. She was making them this afternoon so I sliced off a chunk and gave it a taste.
It wasn't bad but I couldn't eat it daily like my beef. It was much milder, with a faint sweetness. Had a bit of a bad taste at the back of the throat afterwards that I didn't like. I also got a bit of a sore throat ~20 minutes after eating it but I'd have to test the meat again before I could definitely implicate it as the cause.
I'll be trying one of the pork chops over the weekend I think. ;)
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I've been discussing my diet with family for a while now and everyone's been cool with it. It's more of an intriguing concept rather than a big scary taboo to them.
The one big concern has been vitamins & minerals which Ive been able to assuage with the information I've found on here among other sites. The only trace mineral I've not been able to guarantee I'm getting an adequate supply of is Iodine as I can't eat seafood.
Last night I said "screw it" and had 2 pieces of dried Kombu seaweed which I've supplemented in the past with when concerned about Iodine.This was the first "cheat" I've had in 3 months (food allergies will make it easy to develop that willpower) and it didn't go so well.
The Kombu tasted good, somewhat sweet and a good salt flavor, but dried my mouth out quickly. After a couple minutes I needed to drink a lot more water because my throat was getting very dry. I did not develop any further issues last night.
This morning my stomach started grumbling after drinking a glass of water. I had the urge to go to the bathroom many times today but not much came out. About an hour ago the diarrhea began and I expect it to last until at least tomorrow. I've also had a detached and unfocused mental state all day which should last at least the next two days if it runs the course my body has in the past.
Truth be told the seaweed, nor the peace of mind about iodine, is not worth it. :P
How much iodine do others notice is needed to avoid deficiency?
I imagine hunter/gatherers in times past who were landlocked, such as plains indians, wouldn't have a source for much iodine. Maybe I don't have anything whatsoever to worry about.
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There's enough iodine in good-quality 100% grassfed meats/eggs from pastured chickens for you not to have to worry. Interesting that you have a food-intolerance towards raw seafood, that's highly unusual(not so with cooked seafood, of course).
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No, I have multiple food allergies to seafood which have shown up on blood testing and subsequent self-trials (albeit cooked). These include shrimp, lobster, crab, clams, mussels, scallops, etc.
I was not had blood testing done on fish (I'm not sure why the full panel the lab I used does not include them but it doesn't) but I've discovered over the past few years that cooked fish upsets my stomach to varying degrees. I've not found any that does not upset it at all.
I also have issues with cooked eggs (via blood tests and self-testing elimination). Some day I'll give fertilized raw eggs a shot but not in the near future.
If the muscle and organ meats will give me what I need then I've got no concerns. I just wasn't sure they did. :)
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I meant that allergies to cooked seafood are common but not necessarily to raw seafood(though given my experiences with dairy I'm sure there are plenty like you with issues with both raw and cooked seafood).
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I realise the hydrochloric acid is primarily for protein digestion but do you think low stomach acid may be an issue for you too?
Nope. I've tried Betain HCL three times over the last two months and experienced the burn after 1-2 capsules each time. I'm definitely making adequate HCL acid.
Incidentally my wife needed from 6-8 capsules each time to feel the burn. Still trying to gently remind her of this fact when she gets indigestion but I'm trying to not push too hard as it's her body.
That sounds like evidence enough that your HCl levels are strong djr. Glad to hear it!
It sounds as though your wife would greatly benefit though. If it helps, I'd be happy for you to tell her of my own experiences. I still wasn't getting a burn upon taking TEN high strength HCl tablets originally and have been now taking 10 with all meals for the last 6 months or more (I couldn't afford anymore than this!). I'm now down to taking 6-8 with meals and, as part of my vlc/zc regime and to save money, I'm now only eating one meal a day. My digestion has been observed as hugely improved! I no longer suffer with terrible gas/reflux (a lifelong problem!) and no longer have undigested food in stools. My strength and general improvement in all areas is very likely as much to do with my improved digestion (thanks to HCl) as it is to my diet. Of course, you're right that it's your wife's body but please relay my positive experiences to her.
I felt my journal might be a better place to respond to this so as to not clutter another thread up. :)
I'm glad to say that watching how I'm doing eating this way (as well as the marked increase in my immune system) has been slowly influencing my wife's diet for the better.
She's had a bad stomach since a teenager but never made the conscious connection with diet until she met me and saw my food allergies. As a teen and into her 20s she'd have diarrhea for weeks or months, lots of heavy acne breakouts, steady weight gain, and other problems.
After we started dating and began sharing dinners cooked so I could eat them her symptoms began to greatly subside. She still had flareups but these happened when we were spending time apart or if she'd binge on fast food.
Over time we started tracking the offenders and as we remove each from her diet she feels better. So far we've cut gluten grains, rice, corn, beans, celery, most fruits with skins (peaches, plums, apples, etc-although I question if this is something they treat with) and tomato. I still questioning some foods that I note reaction to (Oranges, Dairy) but I'm letting her make the correlations as her behavior will be moderated best if she does the changes for herself.
This brings us to the biggest step forward eating RAF. Since a kid she's had a thing for eating a bit of ground meat. It'd only be a small piece when making meatballs but she's always enjoyed that. Maybe a month ago I bought some fresh ground grassfed beef, she tried it, and she enjoyed it (not as much as grainfed but I think that's normal if you still eat predominantly grainfed meat). Last week I was eating my dinner of beef and suet cubes and she asked to try a piece of beef. She not only enjoyed it but loved it and ate 2 more pieces. A couple nights later she did the same thing. ;D
She's still extremely fat-phobic due to being very overweight and worrying about how quickly a high fat diet could be dangerous to her if we're mistaken with how the body really utilizes fats and carbs. As time goes by she's slowly quieting her fears of fat but it's still going to be a long time before I get her to eat a chunk of raw fat.
I'm already set on my current path and doing great. Now it's about sharing the benefits with her. :)
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Boy, that's great news overall. Congrats!
She might like raw bison or venison better, as they don't have as strong a taste as grassfed beef. However, if cost is a major issue, then she might be better off trying to develop a taste for the beef.
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She might like raw bison or venison better, as they don't have as strong a taste as grassfed beef. However, if cost is a major issue, then she might be better off trying to develop a taste for the beef.
Her uncle is on to deer number 5 or 6 this season (he'll probably get only one or two more since he vastly prefers bow hunting to a gun; too many idiots out when it's gun season) so we'll have no problems whatsoever getting deer meat. Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) the wild deer we got from his last is kind of mild raw so she may end up preferring the beef anyways.
I can give Bison a shot as well but it'll have to be a small amount. I have no desire to eat it (the taste does nothing for me) so only want to get what she'll try.
The big thing is getting her to embrace the raw fat. :)
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Yeah, I bought some ground red deer meat that was way too bland for me recently. Not at all like the gray-black meat venison I normally get. What species is the latter? I'm guessing white-tailed deer.
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Yeah, I bought some ground red deer meat that was way too bland for me recently. Not at all like the gray-black meat venison I normally get. What species is the latter? I'm guessing white-tailed deer.
Yup, white tail. I think it's the only indigenous deer in this area.
The odd thing is some deer in the past has been fairly "gamey" but this seems much more bland. I'm thinking it might just be that I've acclimated to the taste of grassfed beef chuck so something like deer now tastes milder.
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Another month without much ado hence no posts. It seems as if this is just the right W.O.E. for me, at least for now. :)
On a slightly down note I picked up my latest "grassfed" chuck Wednesday night and butchered it yesterday evening. Had a large meal afterwards and immediately starting feeling ill. I developed a stuffy nose and sore throat right away with a burning in the back of my throat that came on a bit later. This morning was no better and the acid-reflux was horrendous. I was also very gassy for the first time in months. Just not a good way to end my workweek. :(
The market I buy my meat from had purchased a grassfed animal from another farm this week and that was the problem. I was suspicious when I got the bill for the primal cut and it was 59lbs as opposed to the normal 35-40. Animals don't get that much bigger on the same diet within miles of each other. The only other possibility is growth hormones but I doubt they'd effect me to this level.
I called up tonight and complained; they'll be giving me a large discount on my next order. I'm also getting confirmation that the animal is from the right farm each time I order from now on.
I also placed an order with Slankers for next week so I just need to make it through another 6 days on reserves and I'm good. I've been craving organ meats anyways so this is a blessing I guess. They're out of liver though. :(
Now I just need to pick up a cheap chest freezer and I'll be set to deal with stupid stuff like this in the future.
On the healing front I've not eaten a thing today as I've been trying to get my body to right itself.
I have drank close to 3/4 of a gallon of water (with a bit of sea salt) in the last 2 hours in an attempt to purge this horrible feeling in my gut/throat. I don't care which way it goes I just want it out.
I'm debating eating some fat tonight (it's all I've got defrosted) as I am pretty hungry but I'm probably going to just hold out until tomorrow.
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Yup, white tail. I think it's the only indigenous deer in this area.
The odd thing is some deer in the past has been fairly "gamey" but this seems much more bland. I'm thinking it might just be that I've acclimated to the taste of grassfed beef chuck so something like deer now tastes milder.
I had received two packages of this deer meat. I'm not sure if both were the same deer though.
The first, which were steaks, tasted kind of bland.
The second, which were smaller muscle groups to be ground for burgers, tasted tons better. Fairly gamey and delicious. ;D
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Actually gray-black was wrong. I got some more of the white-tailed venison and it is darker red, not gray. The sausage is gray (probably due to the casing or to something added to it), so that's probably what I was thinking of. It is interesting that the white-tailed deer meat is darker red and a bit more flavorful than the red deer meat, though. I'm noticing that even the white-tail deer meat is tasting blander to me, though, and grassfed beef is tasting pretty good, so I think I'm also getting used to gamier flavors.
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Well, that's a fairly clear sign that I can't eat grainfed meat even in a time of crisis.
I drank close to a gallon of water Friday afternoon. Surprisingly I didn't vomit any or get diarrhea which was the intent. I just wanted to purge myself clean quickly but I guess my body wasn't up for it.
I ate the meat Thursday night. Immediately following the meal I got a stuff nose and sore throat.
Friday I awoke with a stuffy nose, sore throat, and bad heartburn. As the day wore on I the heartburn got worse and worse.
Saturday the stuffy nose was quite a bit better & the sore throat was almost completely gone. The heartburn was still there but in a diminished form.
Sunday I no longer had a stuffy nose or sore throat but still had remnants of the heartburn. The heartburn is basically gone today but after eating my two meals I did have a little more forceful "stop" which is reminiscent of the burn.
I don't know what other people's experiences are or if there's been any studying behind it but this very clearly confirms, IMO, the carryover of prey diet into it's meat. I have a very strong immuno-reaction to corn (and soy) and the grainfed meat triggered a very similar reaction whereas grassfed works great in my diet.
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Yes, this reaction to grainfed meat seems quite common on RVAF diets. I'll mention it on rawpaleodiet.com when I next add my articles. I wonder if all people allergic to red meat are really only allergic to grainfed meat. That is, I've yet to hear from people who've been specifically allergic to grassfed meat.
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My latest Slanker's order shows up tomorrow and I couldn't be happier. I've gone through just about all of my grassfed beef and deer stores in the freezer tiding me over.
I had a big bag defrosting overnight on the counter but when I opened it this morning I was concerned. After the last complication with grainfed I've discovered there's a distinctive smell (and flavor) to grainfed meat. This bag gave me pause as it smelled wrong so I just cut three small (3/4") cubes and tried those. Sure enough it had an off taste and resulted in a stuffy nose and a tickle in the throat. Luckily I thought ahead so didn't eat enough to give me that nasty heartburn.
I took out my last bit of meat (~1 pound bone-in deer roast) and my last bag of definite grassfed fat/meat for dinner tonight and my first meal tomorrow.
Came home after work and gorged on the food as I was ravenous. Probably took down close to two pounds of food but I needed it. I'm felling tons better now though which is what's important. I'm looking forward to gorging tomorrow night two once my order gets here. I'm down to 171ish pounds due to lowered food intake this week and look forward to putting some weight back on. :)
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Mmmmmmm...it's good to have lots of food again. ;D
My order showed up yesterday and I've been gorging since then.
I got 20 pounds of high-fat (78/22) ground beef, 7 pounds of boneless ribs, 5 1/2 pounds of bone-in ribs (what a waste -[), a beef tongue, 2 beef hearts, and about 7 pounds of beef suet.
Since last night at 7 I've taken down over 3 pounds of ground, maybe 1 1/2 pounds of boneless ribs, and a slab of bone-in ribs. I'm feeling a whole hell of a lot better than I did last week. ;D
My findings thus far:
The high-fat ground meat (about a pound) gave me some stomach distress about an hour after eating it. I had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom and it was very runny but greenish not yellow (breakdown of fat seemed adequate :)). After that my stomach settled and I noticed my energy levels increasing. They actually got to the level where I was up late until I was ready to sleep.
This morning I woke up and was ravenous again. I'm not sure if this was due to bodily repairs at night with the excess protein or the more easily absorbed fat. I ate some of the boneless ribs and they quelled my hunger until noonish.
At noon I ate some more of the high-fat ground (maybe another pound) and had only a slight stomach grumbling. Again my energy levels increased quite nicely and this time seemed to sustain me well.
Ate again at 6.This time it was more boneless ribs.
Then again over the last two hours (9-11) I took down another pound of ground and the bone-in rack.
I just wish it was nice out so I could get some biking in tomorrow. :'(
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The high-fat mix is a good emergency food for me but that'll never be a staple.
I noticed over the almost week I was eating it that it was having more and more trouble sustaining me (to the point where I was getting sleepy during the day which I never do).
I was also having to drink more than twice the water I typically would because I was so thirsty.
Lastly I was going to the bathroom more frequently and with more bulk. I also had noticeable gas which I don't normally get anymore.
I cut up some of the boneless ribs yesterday and ate them for my two meals. Everything went back to normal with that. I'm going to stick to whole meats like I was before. :)
An interesting thing I noted with the change back to whole meat again is the itchiness I noted after switching back.
I wonder if ground meat is also less effective in controlling Candida; maybe the greater surface area of the grind results in quicker digestion, higher spike in available nutrition, and subsequent growth of the organism with overages? This could possibly explain the surge in energy I experienced the first day; it was very similar to how I'd feel if I drank a soda back when trying to control the candida on a mixed SAD-esque diet.
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First, a thank you to Lex. After commenting on alternate ways of making pemmican (higher heat with quicker rendering vs. lower heat and slower rendering) last week Lex sent me a pound of his pemmican. I held onto this until today so I could perform a subjective test on myself.
In preparation for today's test I've only eaten my grassfed chuck and additional grassfed suet. Both work well with my body and give me my personal best so far as energy.
Last night's meal was eaten at about 7PM.
Today's pemmican test was performed at 10AM so my body was in a fasted state of aproximately 15 hours; devoid of stomach contents.
Open the pemmican:
My first observation is that I have been preparing my pemmican incorrectly. For some reason I was using a 1:1 ratio of fat to shredded lean by volume as opposed to weight. This did occur to me after the last batch I made but Lex's pemmican confirms this.
This explains why I didn't have the issue with my pemmican being like sawdust. I actually prefer the higher-fat pemmican; it's like eating a block of meaty chocolate. :)
Unfortunately this further complicates my past observations. If I was making pemmican with a ratio of maybe 3:1 fat:lean I'd expect to invariably get diarrhea after eating it. Invariably I was bound up with constipation after ingestion. Something amiss with how my system processed the pemmican.
My second observation; Lex, your grinder isn't doing the best of grinding the meat IMO. If you've got a Vitamix blender give it a whirl (pun fully intended ;)) on the jerky. It makes a truly fine meat dust, as opposed to the more shredded texture in this pemmican, which makes a much more enjoyable product. Of course this is a personal choice on texture but I suggest you try it and see how you like it. :)
My third observation is the pemmican smells very "nutty" to me now. I don't recall if the past batches smelled that way but there's definitely an almost roasted undertone to the smell. This actually carried over a bit in the taste as well.
Eating the pemmican:
I cut the pemmican up into bite-sized blocks and sprinkled a bit of sea salt on top.
Ate two pieces and waited to see if I had a reaction. Almost right away I got a runny nose. :(
I ate another two pieces, to elicit whatever reactions I'd get without going overboard and ruining my weekend, and then put the plate with the remainder on my kitchen counter.
Symptoms:
Runny nose within a minute of ingestion.
Slight (very slight but still there) stuffiness in my nose after ~5 minutes of a runny nose.
Slight feeling of flushing. I had checked my temperature prior to ingestion as well as after feeling of flushing. Both temperature readings stayed the same (98.1 in one ear, 97.9 in other ear) pre- and post- ingestion.
I developed a slight sensation of bodily detachment. This is what I'd normally label as "brain fog" but as I wasn't trying to think it just felt as being less "me".
Indigestion began about 15 minutes after ingestion. Began with some pressure in my abdomen. Progressed to some gas & rumbling in my stomach. After about an hour I had to quickly make my way to the bathroom. I have not had diarrhea but I did have a very loose stool and have continuing pressure and indigestion which indicates I'll have a bit more "bathroom time" before the day is out.
I have not gotten a sore throat which would be a given with one of my typical food reactions.
A very interesting side note is I'm fighting the craving to eat more of the pemmican. I know it's bad for me and if I eat more I'll feel like hell at least all day Saturday but there's still a compulsion there. I don't know if this indicative of an allergenic issue (you crave what you're allergic to) or something changing in the fat by applying heat but I thought it was very interesting.
Lex, can you confirm that the tallow in this batch was rendered at a lower temperature for a longer time frame?
My conclusion is that pemmican in a cooked form is not an adequate food for my body.
I will be making a batch of "raw pemmican" within the next two weeks and give that a shot. I really do enjoy the texture of my pemmican so I'd love to have it at some point without it bothering me stomach. Sucks that it would be so perishable but nothing I can do about that.
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Indigestion?! It's the opposite for me.
Wondering why, the only thing I notice is that I never put salt on it. Tried that when first making it, it became seriously repulsive. That may have been a change in body chemistry, and it will change during adaptation to high tallow VLC.
It could also be that we are making different things and calling it all pemmican. I'm thinking of women who trade recipes, and they all turn out differently.
If this is caused by microbes, then it is environmental medicine, than which there is nothing more complicated.
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Your experience seems almost surreal. You really notice a runny nose one minute after ingestion? This seems incredibly bizarre to me, not that I don't believe you, just that your sensitivity to foods is so much stronger than mine, though lots of people on here are incredibly sensitive to other foods. I think this is one of the main contributing factors for people switching to raw paleo is that they generally are extraordinarily sensitive to small changes in diet that they can keep tinkering with the inputs until they achieve something desirable.
I feel so fortunate that I can eat almost anything without an immediate reaction. Perhaps, its you that is fortunate with a body that recognizes poisons very fast and has a good warning system. I also wonder how it is that you crave pemmican though it illicits a negative reaction so fast. I remember Delfuego saying he went throuh 2.5 months of pain and suffering(he reported some really vicious side effects) when he switched to an all pemmican diet before his symptoms went away. So its a possibility that pemmican can work for you if you stick with it long term. Maybe you can try it again in 6 months or something.
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Wondering why, the only thing I notice is that I never put salt on it. Tried that when first making it, it became seriously repulsive.
At least the first two times I tried pemmican were with no additives; just rendered fat (tallow) and meat that I dehydrated at 104*F. The first time I made it was with grainfed beef & grassfed lamb fat (this was all Slanker's had fat-wise when I started). The second time was grassfed beef & grassfed lamb fat. Both gave me a large number of stomach problems but I don't think I noted most of the other symptoms (my system was still in beginning recovery at that point so I didn't have such clear-cut reactions).
Since then I've made it maybe another 2-3 times with both beef suet and beef fat and had similar issues. Yet the same components, including the jerky, do not elicit a reaction in my body when raw even if combined in the same meal.
That may have been a change in body chemistry, and it will change during adaptation to high tallow VLC.
No William; this was my body letting me know that it did not want this in it. I get the same reaction to other things including grainfed beef. For lack of a better way to describe it this is a physiological "stop". I can push through it but there's hell to pay at least the next day and possibly more beyond that.
I eat a lot of fat. I doubt this had anything to do with adaptation to more fat. If it did I'd have gotten the runs as I always do in the past when eating more fat that I can utilize.
It could also be that we are making different things and calling it all pemmican. I'm thinking of women who trade recipes, and they all turn out differently.
If this is caused by microbes, then it is environmental medicine, than which there is nothing more complicated.
We could be making different things. Do you follow Lex's recipe or something similar when you prepare yours?
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Your experience seems almost surreal. You really notice a runny nose one minute after ingestion? This seems incredibly bizarre to me, not that I don't believe you, just that your sensitivity to foods is so much stronger than mine, though lots of people on here are incredibly sensitive to other foods. I think this is one of the main contributing factors for people switching to raw paleo is that they generally are extraordinarily sensitive to small changes in diet that they can keep tinkering with the inputs until they achieve something desirable.
Yes, my sensitivity really is that high at this point. :(
The sole reason I came to this diet is because of the food allergies I've developed since I was a teen. I was diagnosed with them at 19 but in hindsight suffered from them since middle school. As time has worn on I've had fewer and fewer foods that I was able to eat. Eventually it got reduced to just meat that didn't elicit a noticeable reaction. That's when I found this site which allayed a lot of my fears of continuing down that path (fiber, nutritional deficiencies, etc.). Even after starting to eat raw carnivore I've found issues with things (grainfed meats including beef and chicken, apparently pemmican). This hasn't necessarily been a path of discovery and enlightenment for me but one of survival. I don't damn it for that though; it's brought me full circle to a healthier whole than I would have been had I continued on my oblivious SAD diet.
After years of looking for the telltale signs of your bodies reactions you see them very clearly. As long as I stick to raw grassfed meat (including jerky) along with grassfed fat (and a dash of salt here and there) I do good to great. If I deviate I pay for it quickly.
I feel so fortunate that I can eat almost anything without an immediate reaction. Perhaps, its you that is fortunate with a body that recognizes poisons very fast and has a good warning system. I also wonder how it is that you crave pemmican though it illicits a negative reaction so fast. I remember Delfuego saying he went throuh 2.5 months of pain and suffering(he reported some really vicious side effects) when he switched to an all pemmican diet before his symptoms went away. So its a possibility that pemmican can work for you if you stick with it long term. Maybe you can try it again in 6 months or something.
It is a blessing and a curse. It's great that I can get a true reading of how something works for me personally but it does suck when it happens since it's an almost instantaeous thing; there's no "wiggle" room.
My thoughts on the cravings are two-fold. It's either an allergy to tallow (I'm not sure if this is scientifically possible if the raw fat is ok) or it's a chemical change that occurs during rendering which is addictive. I've been getting adequate fat intake so it's not just a craving for fat.
As for Delfuego; he's a stronger man than I. He had the fortitude to push through 2 1/2 months of "detox" until his body adapted. I've tested the waters with enough foods to know when something is healing for me or is outright wrong. I would never push myself to eat the stuff that long if it gave me symptoms like this each time I ate it. Raw meat and fat don't elicit any response and I have a reliable local source; why fix it if it ain't broken? ;)
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We could be making different things. Do you follow Lex's recipe or something similar when you prepare yours?
Yes, Lex's recipe is basic, but I use lower temperature for rendering(200°F/24hours in enamel, not stainless), although according to delfuego this should not matter.
? I've never used lamb fat to make tallow because it then congeals at temperatures well above 104°F, and I don't know how to mix it properly so that it coats every speck of powdered jerky. Lamb fat is supposed to contain much stearic acid, which has a high congealing temp.
I mix at =<104°F.
Have you considered your allergic reactions from the viewpoint that it may indicate lack of germs? From alphagruis' comment on their presence in pemmican, and the definite medicinal(healing) affect is has on me, and C. Louis Kervran's findings on the amazing abilities of microbes to transmute minerals from one element to another, and the opinion of one wise physician that all disease including allergies result from fundamental mineral deficiency, it looks like something worth considering.
I have never used antiseptic/germicidal anything in my kitchen or house since I bought the place 7 years ago.
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Yes, Lex's recipe is basic, but I use lower temperature for rendering(200°F/24hours in enamel, not stainless), although according to delfuego this should not matter.
? I've never used lamb fat to make tallow because it then congeals at temperatures well above 104°F, and I don't know how to mix it properly so that it coats every speck of powdered jerky. Lamb fat is supposed to contain much stearic acid, which has a high congealing temp.
I mix at =<104°F.
I believe Lex mentioned he's doing the longer/lower rendering now but I'll await his confirmation. If his isn't I'll render another batch of beef tallow here myself in an enamel crockpot to test the final combination before a fully raw version.
The lamb fat was a bust all around. I'd gotten a large 4-lb package of it at the time and had no space in the freezer so rendered it to keep it from spoiling. Since I had the tallow I made pemmican with it, twice. I didn't have a thermometer handy so I warmed it until it melted then let it cool until it began to congeal and mixed the meat in. Not very scientific and not the easiest but it was guaranteed to do the least damage to the meat.
Have you considered your allergic reactions from the viewpoint that it may indicate lack of germs? From alphagruis' comment on their presence in pemmican, and the definite medicinal(healing) affect is has on me, and C. Louis Kervran's findings on the amazing abilities of microbes to transmute minerals from one element to another, and the opinion of one wise physician that all disease including allergies result from fundamental mineral deficiency, it looks like something worth considering.
I have never used antiseptic/germicidal anything in my kitchen or house since I bought the place 7 years ago.
I doubt the allergic reactions are a lack of germs.
I'm as "earthy" as most of the others are on here. The only time I use soap is after putting my hands in the water of our fish/turtle tanks (I'm allergic to many of the fillers in commercial food). I don't use chemical cleaners. I avoid medicine, especially antibiotics. I've been this way for a long time.
I truly believe that my allergies are a result of a Candida overgrowth. I was sick with sinus issues fairly often as a kid and took a high quantity of antibiotics. I think it just decimated the good letting the Candida grow unchecked resulting in a permeable gut and subsequent allergies.
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I think I've discovered the source of my increased burping--my last batch of tallow was a little sour because I had left the suet in the fridge and moisture got into the package, so I decided to increase the setting on my crockpot to "low" instead of "warm." It had an overcooked taste to me as a result. It got so I couldn't stand it anymore and threw it out as soon as I got some more suet. I went back to melting the suet at the "warm" setting and I'm burping less again. I then realized that the increased burping started when I started eating the overcooked tallow. This seems to confirm that cooking fat reduces its digestibility.
I've tried pemmican that was cooked at fairly high temps by someone else and to me it tasted like old burnt grease that fell onto the meat from the side of the oven. Just awful. Could cooking be behind the "nutty" taste you experienced?
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Could cooking be behind the "nutty" taste you experienced?
I'm fairly sure that is the cause. :)
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I think I've discovered the source of my increased burping--my last batch of tallow was a little sour because I had left the suet in the fridge and moisture got into the package, so I decided to increase the setting on my crockpot to "low" instead of "warm." It had an overcooked taste to me as a result. It got so I couldn't stand it anymore and threw it out as soon as I got some more suet. I went back to melting the suet at the "warm" setting and I'm burping less again. I then realized that the increased burping started when I started eating the overcooked tallow. This seems to confirm that cooking fat reduces its digestibility.
I'd had the impression that you were just warming the fat, and not really rendering, so it's not what I call tallow.
If that's true, then yes, overcooked fat is indigestible.
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Normally I just warm it, but that time I put it up to 200 degrees Farenheit, figuring I'd get rid of the extra moisture and sour better, but it backfired. I don't know if I'm less used to cooked stuff now or I heated it too long at that setting.
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If you didn't filter it, you got the nastiest cooked proteins that I ever tried. That's why I obsess about filtering.
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I filtered it as much as I filter the raw tallow.
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Raw tallow?
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Yes, it's heated very low on the "warm" setting of the crockpot. It never gets above a temperature I can dab my finger in and eat the raw tallow without any pain.
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I've never tried that, so don't know if there are any solids left in. These are the problem IMO.
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I think I've discovered the source of my increased burping--my last batch of tallow was a little sour because I had left the suet in the fridge and moisture got into the package, so I decided to increase the setting on my crockpot to "low" instead of "warm." It had an overcooked taste to me as a result. It got so I couldn't stand it anymore and threw it out as soon as I got some more suet. I went back to melting the suet at the "warm" setting and I'm burping less again. I then realized that the increased burping started when I started eating the overcooked tallow. This seems to confirm that cooking fat reduces its digestibility.
I've tried pemmican that was cooked at fairly high temps by someone else and to me it tasted like old burnt grease that fell onto the meat from the side of the oven. Just awful. Could cooking be behind the "nutty" taste you experienced?
I have burping problem with cooked tallow : undigestable.
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The pemmican I supplied was made exactly as shown in my Pemmican Manual. The fat was rendered at 240F and the meat was dehydrated at 105F. I prefer a more traditional pemmican so I grind the meat to a mulch consistency rather than turn it to dust in a blender. Grinding also allows me to make large amounts in a reasonable time. When I make pemmican I make between 75 and 100 lbs. Processing 40 to 50 lbs of dry meat in a VitaMix would take forever.
Lex
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I prefer a more traditional pemmican so I grind the meat to a mulch consistency rather than turn it to dust in a blender.
Maybe not so traditional, after the post on ZIOH where she used two rocks - she wrote that it was mostly dust, and it was quick and easy.
The reason why I powder jerky in a TASIN 108 grinder is that it makes it super absorbent, and I can then put much tallow in without losing the good jerky flavour. The texture is sort of like shortbread.
(Holes in grinder plate measure 0.175")
Grinding also allows me to make large amounts in a reasonable time. When I make pemmican I make between 75 and 100 lbs. Processing 40 to 50 lbs of dry meat in a VitaMix would take forever.
Wow! That reads like high tech organizing skills in use/time and motion study done/real engineering. Would you be willing to describe how to do it for the benefit of us bumblers?
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Time for another update:
Mostly the same old same old.
I had been very lax in exercise since November or December when I had tried to get back into running. It's just too cold out here in the winter for me to go running right now. I might be able to do it next year but not this year.
I broke down and picked up a stationary exercise bike for $100. I figured any exercise is better than none. Definitely a great investment. I've been doing a 15 minute aerobic ride every morning as soon as I get up and it's made a world of difference in energy levels. I'd had manageable, but lower than the summer/fall, energy levels this winter which made it a bit harder to focus at work. The simple act of 15 minutes of daily aerobic exercise has probably doubled my energy. I've also been feeling more rested upon waking which is always welcome. The only "negative" is I've been eating more food as a result; probably 2 1/2-3 pounds of total meat & fat per day.
Contrary to others findings though I did notice that my stamina had decreased from where it was when I left off in the fall. I don't know if I was eating too little calories but my body was definitely conservative about retention of muscles. They're coming back quickly and easily though which is all that matters. :)
I'm going to be increasing my exercise load now as I get more aerobically efficient. I plan on keeping the 15 minute warm-up in the mornings. I'll also be adding a 15 minute spin on most nights after I get home from work. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I'll be doing a longer 1-hour ride with intervals of higher resistance, so I can build muscle, and longer stretches of medium resistance, so I build endurance. When it warms up I'll definitely get back to doing some running but I really do prefer cycling to running anyways so I'll be content with this set-up. Definitely looking forward to doing everything outside though. :)
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I tried some raw smelt tonight and it didn't give me any negative reactions. ;D
Unfortunately after I'd been snacking on the fish for ~10 minutes I found my first worm (about an inch long). After reading up on them it seems they're not a problem for humans but it did ruin my appetite when I found it(and worried my wife). I'm game to give the smelt another shot when I go to the store next but I'll be fileting the fish to make sure I take out the worms.
I loved the sweet & mild taste of the flesh. Very different from the beef but almost as delicious. The crunch of the bones was fun too. :)
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Oh, and I may have found a higher quality local farmer's market with some quality foods. They're open Saturdays so I'm hoping to get out there tomorrow but might have to wait until next weekend on account of the forecast of snow overnight.
http://gossettsfarmmarket.wordpress.com/about/ (http://gossettsfarmmarket.wordpress.com/about/)
High quality grassfed beef (and apparently chicken-will have to ask about that) but it's high priced.
They've also got local wild seafood and the eggs from the pastured chickens. :)
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I'm going to grow a small Calamansi tree. ;D
We went up to my wife's father house today. While we were there I commented on the small tree that his wife (my step mother-in-law) had in her sun room. We'd been given fruit from it in the past which was delicious and I'd thought it was Kumquat. Well, apparently it's a Calamansi tree which she planted from fruit she had sent at some point in the past (she's from the Philippines). I took three ripe fruits and will cut them up, separate & dry the seeds, and plant them this spring. I've debated eating the fruit but I'm probably going to skip it for now.
I'm not sure my plans for the fruit yet. I enjoy growing things so it'll be nice to grow a small tree. I might try the fruit in a year or two. I might just enjoy the refreshing scent and give the fresh fruit to family. I'll figure that out in time. :)
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Well, that's a clincher.
I made a bunch of grassfed liver jerky this past week as they gave me a ton of fresh jerky with my primal chuck and I wasn't going to freeze all of that. I cut it all up and dried 4 solid trays in my dehydrator. I spent the weekend munching on it here and there and all told probably ate close to a third of a pound of dried liver. Yesterday I was WAY out of it and actually took a sick day as a result. Today I've had headaches here and there along with some brainfog (worsened in heat), slight muscle fatigue & pain, and just a general malaise.
I might be off base with this but I'm betting that after 6 months of no food the Candida that was still kicking around in me had a field day with the sudden influx of carbs. This is a lot like how I used to feel after eating something carby just on a lower scale.
This definitely ups my resolve even further. It also makes me think that personally carbs of any form are a long, long, long way off if ever again.
Liver in moderation though should be ok. Just nowhere near what I just ate.
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I've tried expanding my horizons a bit this past week with some more seafood. :)
I purchased a couple beautiful fresh wild swordfish steaks, a couple previously frozen wild ahi tuna filets, and a half pound of fresh large sea scallops.
The swordfish was fantastic. A beautiful mouth feel (nice and fatty) with a great texture & taste. I did notice I had a slightly harder time breathing while eating it but did not get a runny/stuffed nose or apparent stomach distress. I ate about a pound and while it didn't satiate quite as thoroughly as a fattier land animal I was content when finished. I will definitely try to get a meal of swordfish in once every couple of weeks.
I couldn't stand the Ahi Tuna. There's something in the flavor of these steaks which reminds me of a skunk. I got the same olfactory scent while eating it as I do after a skunk has sprayed. Between this and and just a general displeasure at the flavor I don't care to eat raw Ahi Tuna again. It's possible the animal wasn't from a healthy area so I will try the fish once again in the future but doubt this will be a part of my diet.
I tried the scallops last night. I'm mildly allergic to scallops (a scant rast 1) but felt since I was eating them raw I may do better than expected. Unfortunately this is not the case. I only ate half a scallop but it got noticeably harder to breathe for ~10 minutes after eating it which is a good clear sign for me to stay away. I wasn't a big fan of the flavor as well so maybe I'm ok with what they offer in vitamins/minerals and it's ok I can't eat them.
So, on the bright side there is some seafood that I can have in an emergency situation or even as a shake-up to the routine. I'll also have a much easier time finding food whenever my wife and I finally get around to traveling the world which we'd like to do some day. :)
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Colds suck. >:
I'm the sickest I've been in the last 6 months (since I started raw carnivore) and I forgot how shitty it makes you feel.
My wife and I babysat at her sister's on Saturday night for 6 1/2 hours. The have a dog who sets my allergies off. Between that, the poor sleep that night as a result, and the not eating that day until 11:30PM I just set myself up for a hard time. I felt ok but very tired on Sunday and began sneezing on Monday. Tuesday was more sneezing with a bit of a runny nose and sore throat by Tuesday night, Since Wednesday morning I've been very stuffed up, a pretty bad sore throat, tired, etc. On the bright side I'm feeling better now than yesterday but it's not quick enough for my liking.
I do get to enjoy the 2 day snowstorm that started this morning though so it's not all bad. ;D
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My wife and I watched Food, Inc. this afternoon after the urging of someone on here (I believe it was Van).
IMO it was a good watch and resonated well with my thoughts after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma (as well it should since 3/4 of the movie seemed pulled out of the book).
I definitely think it'll be a useful tool when explaining some of my beliefs to others if they're not inclined, or are too lazy, to read. It also drove home the evils of farmed livestock to my wife so I think she's one step closer to eating grassfed/wild meats herself. :)
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Snow sucks too. :P ;D
Just got the internet back on. We had a heavy snowstorm come through Thursday and Friday which wiped a lot of stuff out. Power went out at 2 in the morning Thursday and only came back on last night at about 6. Then the cable was restored maybe a half hour ago so we now have TV, phones, and internet again.
It's nice for a little bit to rough it but when you're not as prepared as you should be, and fighting a cold on top of it, it gets to be a drag. I got 14 hours of sleep Friday night into Saturday though so the cold's on it's way out now.
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Hi djr_81
I just noticed you had a journal, so I thought I'd return the honour. It's great to read - you really feel like you're in someone else's shoes.
One thing I have noticed so far is how astute you are at noticing small changes in your body and linking them with variations in your diet. I'm much more chaotic - or much more thoughtless - and would never think to notice such fine links. It's an education.
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One thing I have noticed so far is how astute you are at noticing small changes in your body and linking them with variations in your diet. I'm much more chaotic - or much more thoughtless - and would never think to notice such fine links. It's an education.
It's been purely out of necessity Stig.
I've always been pretty good about noting correlation in other areas but with my health so poor a decade ago I didn't know what "right" felt like on an internal level. Once I found out about the original food allergies I began to get a glimmer of it and each step along the way gives me a clearer sense of it. It's much easier to see when that equilibrium is off now since my health is clouded by so little.
It's funny; I love the sciences and maths but somehow so much of what I can offer to help others just comes from the gut (literally and figuratively :P). I frequently feel bad that I can't offer up studies on any of my observations because I know many want/need that backing to believe something with conviction but I'll keep adding my anecdotal observations and hope it helps others fill in those blanks they need to.
I think I should delve more deeply into Instincto. It seems the most akin to how I process things. :)
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It's been purely out of necessity Stig.
I've always been pretty good about noting correlation in other areas but with my health so poor a decade ago I didn't know what "right" felt like on an internal level. Once I found out about the original food allergies I began to get a glimmer of it and each step along the way gives me a clearer sense of it. It's much easier to see when that equilibrium is off now since my health is clouded by so little.
It's funny; I love the sciences and maths but somehow so much of what I can offer to help others just comes from the gut (literally and figuratively :P). I frequently feel bad that I can't offer up studies on any of my observations because I know many want/need that backing to believe something with conviction but I'll keep adding my anecdotal observations and hope it helps others fill in those blanks they need to.
I think I should delve more deeply into Instincto. It seems the most akin to how I process things. :)
It's certainly useful though, as it has led you to lots of discoveries - which you share. (I have been trying to do that "fox walking" for the last few weeks and I'm pretty sure that was you.)
I too want to be purely instinctive in the end - I don't know how long I'll be able to stick to this strict regime I am journaling, unless I start to really enjoy it. I'm certainly not there yet.
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Following on the heels of that cold is an abysmally strong stomach issue.
I'd been drinking a lot of water Wednesday trying to rehydrate after my cold. Wednesday night I ate some beef and some bone marrow and started feeling really nauseous. I'm still not sure if it was diluted acid in my stomach from all the water (3/4 of a gallon that day including at least 2 cups worth 1/2 an hour before my meal), bad marrow, the final push of my body wrapping up the cold, or one of those oft-blamed detoxes but since then I've shat my brains out. Close to two dozen bowel movements (basically dry heaves at this time) in a day and a half. On the bright side the cold is gone and I feel fantastic other than my stomach issues.
I'll be glad when this is over. :)
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Hopefully I'll be done with this lovely Diarrhea soon. It's been a bear dealing with it, especially as I wake up numerous times during the night to go to the bathroom and I'm usually up for the day by 5AM.
As far as I can tell, due to the length and severity of the diarrhea it's one of two causes. There is a GI virus going around which causes multiple days of diarrhea. We also have 2 turtles and I've never been overly cautious about washing up after handling them (just rinse my hands under hot water) so it's possible I caught a case of salmonella from one of them.
Either way I do seem to be working towards feeling better (have cut down to one meal a day at roughly 5:30PM to minimize "ammo" in my gut) and hope it's all gone by Thursday which will make a week.
Since I was expelling most of my food anyways I've tried a bit of carbs the past couple days. We had some Really Raw brand raw honey in the fridge as well as some blackberries. I had one blackberry last night and a teaspoon of the honey. The honey gave me a bit of heartburn and the berry burned my throat with it's tartness. I gave them another shot tonight to see how things would go. Honey is definitely not a wise choice for me; the tablespoon I ate is sitting like a rock in my stomach leaving me queasy and it gave me a headache. I ate maybe a dozen of the berries earlier though and by themselves these do seem to be sitting fine with no overt problems. We're planting some berry bushes this year in our yard (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries) so I'll probably give them a shot over the summer as a supplemental (1/2C once or twice a week) food and see how my body does. :)
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A few personal food findings to report:
Bison fat/suet is not a good food for me. I had bison fat before which, while quite tasty, elicited a lot of gas as well as some bloating and constipation. I gave some bison suet a shot last night and today was a repeat. I'll give the meat another shot at some point but I'm not holding my breath.
Lamb is also unfortunately a problem food for me. Raw lamb fat in the beginning of my transition to RAF caused issues similar to the bison. Last week I gave raw grassfed/finished lamb a try for the first time. It had a nice flavor and I enjoyed it but it gave me similar problems to the fat. My eventual bowel movement was entirely yellow mucus; not a good sign.
Other than that I'm good. We've had beautiful weather over the weekend so my wife and I did a lot of landscaping in preparation for this year's garden. Lots of pretty flowers, a bunch of indigenous wildflowers, and a number of berry bushes (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries). There are a bunch of other wilder fruits/veggies I'd like to cultivate but we're goign to start it slow this year as we've at least quadrupled our gardening area in the last year.
I'm also building a pond with a bog filter this year which will be fun. 3,000 gallon 4 1/2 foot deep lower pond for koi, goldfish, turtles, and floating plants. The ~400 gallon upper bog will have an upflow feed from the pump which will feed the roots of all the bog & marginal plants we'll plant in it. This will be a great area for minnows and frogs to spawn.
I'll also be transplanting all the rocks from the brook behind our house so it's loaded with lots of good bacteria.
I'll have to post photos when it's established (maybe by May?). I've been planning it since last fall and am a bit hung-up on the idea of fostering a mini-ecosystem. :)
Oh yeah, the Spring Peeper tree frogs are outside right now trilling a storm up. I don't think there's a happier sound after a long winter. ;D
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I picked up a dozen truely pastured (no added feed whatsoever) chicken eggs yesterday and ate two of them, sans whites, last night at about 7:30. I had some slight nose stuffiness ~10 minutes after ingestion followed shortly by mild indigestion. I've got gas this morning too. While not as bad as my reactions to other foods it was still an indication that they are not to be a large part of my diet if I eat them at all.
Also of particular note was the fact that I had a terrible time getting to sleep last night. I'd wager the easily digested fat in the egg yolks spiked my energy levels at just the wrong time for my liking. While this would be quite handy at times the pros do not outweigh the cons.
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I've been trying a "liver cleans" recipe by Tsetsi which is 3 raw egg yolks, 1T ghee, squeeze 1/2 lemon and 1/4t honey.
It is supposed to be drunk just before bed, makes me wake with a stuffy nose, which Tsetsi writes is a sign of detox.
Hm, questionable. But it tastes really good.
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I forgot to mention that I also found another local seller of grassfed/finished beef (Angus steers). I'm eating my first cut from them right now (a beautiful cut of brisket with 1/2" thick slab of gorgeous yellow fat on the edge ;D) and it's fantastic. The prices are kind of high to make them a regular supplier (ground is $8 a pound, brisket is $10) but it'll be a nice treat. They also sell organs and suet at a comparable price to Slankers once you figure in shipping and I can support local. ;D
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Willy might be right and the egg yolks could possibly be a sign of detox, so you might not want to give up just yet. I've eaten loads of egg yolks these last couple week though havent added the lime in yet and haven't noticed anything different but I will try the supposed mix with lime pretty soon.
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Willy might be right and the egg yolks could possibly be a sign of detox, so you might not want to give up just yet. I've eaten loads of egg yolks these last couple week though havent added the lime in yet and haven't noticed anything different but I will try the supposed mix with lime pretty soon.
William is too hung up on his proselytization of fats which have had heat applied to them (Tallow and now Ghee) for me to take anything he says at face value now. If someone else has similar experiences with something he says I'll review it with a bit less skepticism but I'm tired of all the derailment of threads and pretty much just skip his posts at this point. I feel bad about this, and do like you on a personal level William, but this is where things stand.
Maybe I'm just being stubborn and blind to the "detox" properties of the eggs but my body is doing great without them in my diet and I'm healing up just fine so I see no need to mess things up with an unknown variable that has given overtly negative stimuli upon ingestion. Hell, it might help things but at the same time it could make my gut permeable again and chance me developing food allergies to beef; not a risk I'm willing to take.
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egg yolks have not worked for me in the past, and I really don't think it is 'detox'. The scapegoat of detox is mostly becoming absurd to me. I really like them on occasion though, and was thinking of trying some from the farmer here to see how digestion goes.. still thinking about it though.
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egg yolks have not worked for me in the past, and I really don't think it is 'detox'. The scapegoat of detox is mostly becoming absurd to me. I really like them on occasion though, and was thinking of trying some from the farmer here to see how digestion goes.. still thinking about it though.
I have to agree with you on "detox". It's a broad catch-all term which people use all too frequently.
The eggs were interesting. I really wasn't struck with the taste (I like my meat and fat much more) and then the slight problems that accompanied it really takes the luster away from adding it to my diet.
Maybe once in a blue moon I'll make a meat dish I could use them in. They might be tasty to dip jerky into or as a "sauce" for a meal. I can't see it happening more than 2-3 times a year. -\
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I have to agree with you on "detox". It's a broad catch-all term which people use all too frequently. ...
I agree, I've gotten to the point of usually tuning out when detox is mentioned. It's so vague and can be twisted in so many ways that it's basically meaningless at this point. For example, I've seen it used many times to justify dangerous 811 diets to people who were doing terribly on them.
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William is too hung up on his proselytization of fats which have had heat applied to them (Tallow and now Ghee) for me to take anything he says at face value now.
I used it in preference to the original recipe which called for vegetable oil.
I use what I have, others should do what they think best.
I notice that you are careful not to use the word "render". :)
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I agree, I've gotten to the point of usually tuning out when detox is mentioned. It's so vague and can be twisted in so many ways that it's basically meaningless at this point. For example, I've seen it used many times to justify dangerous 811 diets to people who were doing terribly on them.
I do think that detox exists as I've had personal experience with it in the past. Generally speaking, though, if someone routinely experiences negative symptoms with a particular food then that is a clear sign that it is unhealthy for you and not a detox. Genuine detoxes while eating only healthy raw foods occur at random and don't coincide with the consumption of specific foods. The only exception I've found to this is edible clay which is well-known for its ability to absorb toxins - even then, it only worked once in starting a detox.
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Maybe I'm just being stubborn and blind to the "detox" properties of the eggs but my body is doing great without them in my diet and I'm healing up just fine so I see no need to mess things up with an unknown variable that has given overtly negative stimuli upon ingestion. Hell, it might help things but at the same time it could make my gut permeable again and chance me developing food allergies to beef; not a risk I'm willing to take.
This is well said and I don't know much of anything about detoxes and haven't really found any reliable sources confirming their existence and so many people do fine without any type of magic. I've also never experienced any detox symptoms so I don't know what they would be.
But, there seems to be one exception that I have seen evidence for online and that is the supposed liver flush. There seems to be a lot of pictures with proof of multiple stones being passed after similar procedure to what william posted on. This seems to be the only one that might be legit. I'm sure you've seen the blog of GS who knows much more about it. As for detoxes, thats it so far.
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But, there seems to be one exception that I have seen evidence for online and that is the supposed liver flush. There seems to be a lot of pictures with proof of multiple stones being passed after similar procedure to what william posted on. This seems to be the only one that might be legit. I'm sure you've seen the blog of GS who knows much more about it. As for detoxes, thats it so far.
Liver flushes do seem to have some validity to them. As I've said before I wouldn't be opposed to giving one a shot but I'm allergic to a component (apples and citrus fruits come to mind) in pretty much any recipe I've seen so it doesn't look like I will try one. I could spend a couple days eating bone marrow until I vomit though. ;D
FWIW I've had a bad headache as well as a number of bad stomach pains and difficult to pass (but overly urgent) stools today. Another sign of an allergy and not "detox" IMO. -\
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The rain stopped last night and this morning was sunny and 50*F so I went for a 2 mile jog. I feel invigorated and fantastic now. It's funny; I've been using my stationary exercise bike over the winter to keep up a routine and it did help some but after seeing how I feel this morning with a higher level of exertion in fresh air it's apparent it wasn't doing nearly enough.
I'm glad we're going to have at least 7 days of great weather starting today so I can get back into exercise outside. ;D
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I had some fresh Dandelion yesterday picked right here in my yard. I had close to two dozen new flowerheads as well as ~1/4 cup of fresh greens. The flowers had a tart edge with a slightly sweet undernote that just tasted like spring. The greens were also very "green" and were nice after such a long time eating solely ZC. I can definitely see why it's a bitter tonic plant though; there's a welcome bitterness kind of like the pith on a citrus fruit.
The best news of all is I don't seem to be suffering either food allergy nor Candida reactions to the Dandelion so I'll be pursuing other "weeds" to see what sits well and probably add in a single meal each week when in season. :)
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If it tastes bad you're not deficient in that trace mineral.
My family used to have a good laugh doing the test panel of trace mineral solutions. I think it was a panel of 8 minerals, all in their own aqueous solutions, that you put a drop of each on the tongue to see what you're deficient in. If it tasted sweet/good you were deficient. If it tasted bland you were borderline. If it tasted bad you were fine with that mineral.
The funniest part was we'd have a friend who was over give it a shot and they'd invariably have different minerals tasted completely different to them. Molybdenum, the most foul tasting one of the bunch for me, would be quite plain for someone else while perhaps Chromium would be disgusting for them and quite tasty for me.
Now that I think of it I will give the panel a test tonight (haven't done it in years) and see what my deficiencies, if any, are after eating carnivore for 8 months. :)
Not the most encouraging results. -\
Most were bland to kind of nice tasting. The only mineral that was unpleasant (and not even as bad as I remember these things tasting in the past) was Zinc which is not surprising. The most pleasant tasting was copper so I definitely need more liver than I've been getting.
I do need to stipulate that I only eat maybe 5% of my diet as organ meat and of that maybe 2 1/2 to 3% is tongue. I obviously need more organ meats in my diet.
I still need to buy that farrier's file too so I can get bone meal in my diet.
I don't know, it just seems discouraging over.
I'm also second-guessing myself now so far as eating strictly carnivore.
More often than not I wake up really tired. I feel better after getting up and moving but I should wake refreshed not tired.
I also have noted more signs of adrenal fatigue particularly being very cold until eating since moving towards one large meal a day. As a result of this I've made an effort to have three smaller meals a day the past couple days which really helped with this (I'm actually really hot most of the time which is still better than cold).
I've been craving fruits lately so I figured I'd give in and have some tonight but they didn't have the figs or cherries I was craving so eh...
Maybe I'll give a bit of raw honey a shot with my fat/meat tonight and see how that goes.
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So I had some brisket, suet, and some honey drizzled on top of it. I'm glad others can enjoy it this way but it's definitely not for me.
The fat did help cut the problems with the honey when I ate it but I'm still having the typical spacey reaction to an influx of carbs.
Not worth it but it'll be another learning experience. :)
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I don't think you are missing out on that one. If I'm trying honey I usually just dab my finger into the thick stuff, and it that small ammount still tastes funky to me with meat. It might potentially be the brand and whether its truly unheated, or just the fact that it is honey, so I would still encourage you to test out the other carbs. Might have to wait on cherries and figs though.
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The honey I had was from a local supplier who has a stand at one of our farmer's markets. Unheated & unfiltered, wildflower mix with quite a bit of Clover in it I think (by taste). I used to adore honey too but it's unpleasantly sweet and cloying now.
FWIW I had some berries we had in the fridge; raspberries and blackberries. They were ok but there's an unpleasant aftertaste which must be what someone else (KD?) mentioned in a post before. Blech. -v
We're growing fruit plants this year (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherries) so I'll get the best produce I can when they're fruiting.
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My wife's step-mother passed away Sunday night.
She had been dealing with diabetes for a long time and eventually they had to take one of her legs ~6 weeks ago. It never healed right, got an infection, and she eventually grew tired of fighting it and had them stop her daily dialysis. It didn't take long after that for her to go.
As a result of this my wife is pretty shaken up emotionally. I've been doing really good to not get caught up in most emotions around me since going RAF but I still do it with my wife. What this all leads to was last night we did some "emotional eating". We stopped at a more upscale supermarket to find goodies. I'm too conscious of what I'm putting in my body now so it ended up being a bunch of fruit (mostly tropical) and some cheese (unfortunately not raw).
Let's see, I had...
-A small papaya. It was ok but I definitely wouldn't bother again.
-A passion fruit. I really enjoyed this one. Tiny amount of flesh inside but it had a pleasant sweet/sour flavor and the crunch of the seeds was nice.
-A guava. Very starchy and not that tasty. Another I have no desire to eat again.
-A cherimoya. Wow. Very, very tasty fruit. I wish I had known about these before when I used to eat fruit regularly. Also, I don't know if you're supposed to eat the fruit's skin but I did and that was nice too.
-A prickly pear cactus fruit. This was weird. A lot like a mild watermelon but with lots of seeds. It was ok but again another I'm not craving another.
-6oz of blackberries. Had a funky flavor again. I think I'm done with commercial blackberries since they are so hit and miss.
-6oz of blueberries. Some of tasty blueberry flavor but I could definitely tell they were out of season. Again, not worth buying the commercial product.
-A black plum. They looked tasty and I found a ripe one so I gave it a shot. Pretty good plum but I can't help thinking of everything involved in getting me a mediocre piece of fruit. I'm going to buy some once they're in season locally but wouldn't buy at a store again.
-Some applewood smoked gruyere. Very tasty cheese. I don't regret eating it at all.
-Some muenster cheese. Nice with the fruit as it's softer but it wasn't the best on it's own. A shame as it used to be one of my favorite cheeses.
I ate like a glutton and ended up feeling the most full I have since starting RAF. I definitely overdid it but I don't regret it.
Surprisingly I did not exhibit any of the typical allergic reactions I used to in the past. Maybe my system is clean enough and my gut is healed up enough that I could handle something like this very infrequently.
So I'm dealing with some brain fog this morning, a bit of stomach rumbling, and some malaise but not as bad a reaction as I expected.
I'm still going back to raw-carnivore after we get through all of this death/funeral stuff. :)
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I ate like a glutton and ended up feeling the most full I have since starting RAF. I definitely overdid it but I don't regret it.
Surprisingly I did not exhibit any of the typical allergic reactions I used to in the past. Maybe my system is clean enough and my gut is healed up enough that I could handle something like this very infrequently.
So I'm dealing with some brain fog this morning, a bit of stomach rumbling, and some malaise but not as bad a reaction as I expected.
I definitely regret it by this point. -v
That post was made Monday night when I didn't have much of a reaction occurring.
Tuesday the brain fog was really bad and I had some strong itchiness on my skin. I also had a progressively more disturbed stomach throughout the day. Lastly I had nasal stuffiness and a light sore throat by Tuesday night.
Yesterday was the worst though. Real bad stomach pain with lots of trips to the bathroom. I also had overwhelming nausea throughout the day to the point I couldn't eat or drink anything because I knew it wouldn't stay down. I went to be early and slept it off.
This morning I have a bit of nose stuffiness and a bit of stomach pain but the nausea was gone and I've got a meal in me.
I'm done with the gorging. I'm also done with any testing of fruits, etc. for a while. No mas. :(
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Am I right in guessing that the fruit was not organic?
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Am I right in guessing that the fruit was not organic?
Some was and some wasn't.
The temperate fruit (berries and plums) were organic but the tropical fruits were all regular fruit.
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I've got an interesting anecdotal comment to ponder.
I had a deviated septum at birth (still got it) and as a result I've got a very high and narrow palate. During my teenage years the orthodontist had 7 of my teeth removed (4 "baby" teeth and 3 "adult") in order to install a palate widening device. It was essentially a pair of metal clips around two upper molars which was connected to a permanent retainer with a cog=like wheel in the center. Every night I'd have to take the key and fit it into a hole in the cog and turn it 1/2 turn to progressively widen my palette; talk about medieval torture devices. After they widened my palette enough they took out the device and installed braces. Things were ok for a year or two but eventually things most returned to where they were.
Anyways, my mother has multiple times now asked if I had toothaches as my cheeks are puffier than they used to be. Curiously my teeth/jaws have been pain-free with no aches since going RAF. It seems that my palette may be widening itself, even if just a bit.
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... It seems that my palette may be widening itself, even if just a bit.
Fascinating. RawZi reported the same thing...
RawZi
Re: Vegetarians are really Starchitarians!
« Reply #17 on: October 27, 2009, 06:03:25 AM »
... About four years ago I started eating (raw) meat. As a result my jaw got broader, my back got broader, I got taller, may waist and tummy got slimmer and my colon started working for the first time in nine years.
http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/general-discussion/vegetarians-are-really-starchitarians!/msg19286/#msg19286
Anyone else experience widening of the jaw on raw meats?
I blogged about deviated septum a while ago here: http://ancestrallifestyle.blogspot.com/2008/05/while-viewing-image-of-deviated-septum.html
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Still recovering from the fruit. I estimate I set my recovery back by at least a month, perhaps more, by continuing to eat the carbs like I did. Hindsight's a bitch. :)
Another interesting observation from last week. Last Sunday (not yesterday) I was grilling burgers for my wife and they smelled so good that I took the grassfed ribs I had in the fridge and tossed them on the grill. What a lackluster experience. The fat tastes so horrible when it's been cooked I'll never bother doing that again. Next time we go out to eat I'll give the grilled wild rainbow trout filet another shot and see if it's as good as last time but I'm not going to get my hopes up.
On another topic I'd like some input from everyone.
I'm a project manager for an architectural firm. We do healthcare work exclusively so I'm in hospitals all the time. I also attend numerous construction meetings; sometimes in suits sometimes more casual. I've been wearing a pair of slip on Teva shoes (Like these but brown (http://www.zappos.com/teva-mountain-scuff-olive)) but the bottom tread has come off and they're starting to look ratty.
I have a pair of black Vibram KSOs (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO_m.cfm (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO_m.cfm)) which I run in as well as wear all weekend long. I love how they fit and don't look forward to changing shoes when the work week begins. I'm considering a pair of black Vibram KSO Treks (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_kso_trek_m.cfm (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_kso_trek_m.cfm)) for work. I don't care if people stare, etc. but I want to see if you guys think this would cause problems in a professional setting. FWIW I'm almost definitely going to take the plunge and do it but I wanted some feedback. Thanks. ;D
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If you don't really care, and exude that, I think people will only be interested. It does seem to be unprofessional, but if you can get away with sneaks and such...I don't see why the response would be negative per se but I do think people will think its weird and you will be the weird feet guy. What does the wife say? Maybe you could design some kind of fake shell of a hard shoe to sit on top. hehe. People wear those horrible crocs so if anyone gives you any limp just say your doc recommended them.
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What does the wife say?
She's the one who's been pushing me to get new shoes. I'd just wear my old ones until they break but she thinks they look too battered and wants me to get new ones.
When I broached the topic of the Vibram shoes she kind of rolled her eyes and said "Do what you want" so she's obviously not a big fan of the idea. I considered both a pair of Feelmax (http://www.extremeoutfitters.us/search.aspx?manufacturer=154) shoes (Panka (http://www.extremeoutfitters.us/feelmaxpankamensblacksilver.aspx) or Niesa (http://www.extremeoutfitters.us/feelmaxniesa.aspx)) or a pair of Terra (http://www.terraplana.com/mens-c-153.html) Barefoot shoes (Aqua? (http://www.terraplana.com/aqua-p-1583.html?colour=57)). I'd consider some of Terra's other shoes outside the barefoot line as well like the Claudius (http://www.terraplana.com/claudius-p-1473.html?colour=57) or the Button (http://www.terraplana.com/button-p-1453.html?colour=57).
The regular Terra shoes look the most professional but I'm wary unless I know how the sole feels and how it fits my foot (I'm a size 13-14 depending on the vendor; a wider toe box allows a 13). The Feelmax seem to be completely out as they run narrow. I know I fit a size M45 Vibram shoe like a glove which is why I'm leaning that way even though they are very unconventional.
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Last Sunday (not yesterday) I was grilling burgers for my wife and they smelled so good that I took the grassfed ribs I had in the fridge and tossed them on the grill. What a lackluster experience. The fat tastes so horrible when it's been cooked I'll never bother doing that again.
Just a guess, but either your sense of taste has become keener (heat-created toxins!) or the ribs were not really grass-finished.
Re: shoon. I once wore flip-flops to a business meeting with a senior federal civil servant. It did not go well.
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I guess it would depend on how one dresses as well. The latter ones are more business-like but are still hybrids of such as far as style so might even seem moire awkward with certain types of casual clothing or rigid formal clothing. If you dress more casual, I would probably go for the other models. They all seem to be a bit pricey, but if your other vibrams are wearing down too, maybe consider getting both and testing the waters with the vibrams from time to time. Maybe mixing it up it wouldn't be as 'strange'.
correction: I meant to say 'give you any lip' but I guess it came out somewhat freudian.
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Anyone else experience widening of the jaw on raw meats?
I can confirm this. I feel more power in my jaw now. It is also more defined like the jawlines male models have.
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I can confirm this. I feel more power in my jaw now. It is also more defined like the jawlines male models have.
Interesting...how long did that take?
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Interesting...how long did that take?
Eating raw meat for 6 months now. I'm quite certain it has to do with increased testosterone levels.
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Cool. May also have to do with relaxation of the masseter and pterygoid muscles in the jaw. I'll be interested to see whether me jaw gets all manly and that.
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One wonders if the body prioritises certain hard tissues for mineralising - my bite feels stronger and my teeth feel more firmly rooted, although the cavities and sensitivites in my teeth still rage, prob'ly on account of a poor blood sugar control dynamic (I can't do RZC with major problems).
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Just a guess, but either your sense of taste has become keener (heat-created toxins!) or the ribs were not really grass-finished.
Slanker's ribs. I ate 3 ribs the day before with no discernible reaction so they were definitely 100% grass-fed/finished.
My sense of taste has definitely become more pronounced over time eating RAF. The fattier areas of the ribs were much more off-putting than the leaner pieces but all were unappetizing.
I guess it would depend on how one dresses as well. The latter ones are more business-like but are still hybrids of such as far as style so might even seem moire awkward with certain types of casual clothing or rigid formal clothing. If you dress more casual, I would probably go for the other models. They all seem to be a bit pricey, but if your other vibrams are wearing down too, maybe consider getting both and testing the waters with the vibrams from time to time. Maybe mixing it up it wouldn't be as 'strange'.
I'm a jeans and a T-shirt guy outside of work but that's not the issue.
I need to wear business casual at a bare minimum for my job (i.e. sweater, button-up long sleeve shirt, or polo style T-shirt as well as slacks) but will occasionally wear a full suit.
My other Vibrams don't have much wear to them yet (~100 miles) but they're always dirty (and oftentimes soaked from running in water) so I don't want to use them as my regular shoes.
I think I'm going to give the Pankas a shot as they're cheaper. If they don't fit right maybe I'll give one of the more expensive shoes a shot.
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I posted pics of how my jaw and chin looked when I was a fruitarian and how it looks now on raw paleo. It's in the Before & After section.
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I need to wear business casual at a bare minimum for my job (i.e. sweater, button-up long sleeve shirt, or polo style T-shirt as well as slacks) but will occasionally wear a full suit.
yeah that is what I meant, that while they wouldn't work well with a suit of course, that the first few would be more versatile for casual and more dressy work attire. I have these strange cleat-ed black formal shoes that I got at a fancy consignment store in Soho years ago. I got compliments on them the 1-2 times I ever found a place/outfit where they didn't look out of place :)
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I posted pics of how my jaw and chin looked when I was a fruitarian and how it looks now on raw paleo. It's in the Before & After section.
Wow that's some difference mate. In my opinion you must be right about hormonal change, as your jaw clearly becomes dramatically more square.
I'd like to think I could change that dramatically, but suspect since I'm coming from a fairly meat oriented diet anyway that I don't have that much physical change available.
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I've seen a number of people here on the forum mention using clay, particularly french green clay, and I'm beginning to think I'd like to try some. Frankly, even if there is no healing that happens, the thought of having some clay is beginning to sound kind of tasty. For those of you in the US where do you get your clay from?
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I got the one pound bag here - http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/clay/clay.html I have no idea whether its a good product.
I've only tried it a few times and haven't noticed anything. I think my poo was slightly green after one of the drinks but nothing else. I also have this urge to eat dirt, not necessarily clay. Dirt like potting soil sounds good now for some reason. Maybe with some bugs too, like rollie pollies.
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I've seen a number of people here on the forum mention using clay, particularly french green clay, and I'm beginning to think I'd like to try some. Frankly, even if there is no healing that happens, the thought of having some clay is beginning to sound kind of tasty. For those of you in the US where do you get your clay from?
Err, clay is certainly not tasty, it doesn't taste of anything really. I get sun-dried edible french green clay(though obviously from a UK company). When I did it I would have 2-3 tablespoonfuls of clay once a day at most(they usually recommend just 1).
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I also have this urge to eat dirt, not necessarily clay. Dirt like potting soil sounds good now for some reason. Maybe with some bugs too, like rollie pollies.
It's funny, we were doing a bunch of gardening a couple weeks ago and bought this bag of organic top soil. Beautiful moist & healthy soil; it did actually get me thinking about eating dirt. It's just such a far step from where I'm comfortable with that I'd like ot take a step with clay first and maybe give dirt a try eventually. :)
Err, clay is certainly not tasty, it doesn't taste of anything really.
That sucks. I was hoping it'd be really earthy tasting (pun intended I guess). Maybe I need to locate it fresh rather than outsource it from a company.
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Since I cleaned up my diet I've upped my fat intake, cut my lean meat intake, and increased my meal frequency to 3 meals most days. I hadn't realized the benefit this had to my sleep (between the lower protein load and less food in my stomach at bedtime) until last night.
I bought some "Old Bull" from my supplier yesterday which is ground muscle meat from old bulls; real cheap but real lean. I ate a pack of this last night at 8ish and didn't bother adding fat. I was passing out on the couch by 9PM and had to go to bed early. I slept soundly all night long (over 10 hours) and felt exhausted when I got up. I felt hung-over this morning until I ate breakfast with a higher fat content than normal which made me feel better).
FWIW eating how I am now I usually go to sleep at 10PM and I'm up between 5:30 and 6:30 felling rested, full of energy, and ready to take on the world.
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I found cherries on Saturday. :)
They were not the be-all and end-all I was craving. It really seems the longer I eat carnivorously the more I build up these occasional cravings in my mind and the more lackluster they are when I finally get them. I'm not going to even bother with figs at this point as I feel fantastic eating meat/fat/organs and always regret straying when I do.
Now, onto the nitty-gritty.
I ate the cherries with quite a bit of suet and a bit of brisket (1/4 pound). They went down surprisingly well with the suet and seemed to do better than some other carbs have. I did not get any indigestion nor overt issues (runny nose, sore throat, tickle in the ear). I did get my typical brain fog, which I attribute to the Candida, which is still with me, albeit lessened, right now.
I also, surprisingly, got tremendous soreness in exercised muscle as a result of the cherries. Even my forearms are sore still (I was wrenching on my Jeep on Saturday) whereas I dug a hole at least 12'x8'x4' for the 3,000 gallon pond I built this spring in one day with just about no soreness the next day (I was eating straight raw-carnivore). I know this appears to be a benefit to raw-carnivore but I'm second-guessing this "boon" and wondering if perhaps there's a deficiency eating this way wherein we can't feel the muscle soreness signifying the need to rest and will instead overexert muscles?
On a slightly related note I had a bit of my aqueous electrolytes last night as I figured my body would dehydrate a bit dealing with the Candida (typical for me). BAD move. I felt a bit nauseous the rest of the night and had to get up after lying down for sleep so I could shit my brains out. I felt hungover this morning and had more violent shits. Obviously I do not need this supplement anymore.
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I think I might grow my beard back. It was itchy but it just feels right now in my life. Maybe it's the increased testosterone but the beard feels like a more manly outward appearance.
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I started cycling again this weekend. Saturday, before the cherries, I went for my typical loop around around town. It's 13 miles with lots of aggressive inclines. I did better than I expected and I'm really looking forward to the next ride.
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It's funny the change in confidence that comes with a healthy diet. I used to be so shy I avoided eye contact with people for more than a split-second. I now find myself having to consciously break eye contact with "superiors" so that they do not feel threatened causing my issues with my job. Talk about a change. ;D
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I once read a book called "lights out", I forget the authors name but it was all about sleep and melatonin. She stated that it is our innate desire to crave sugar in the summer while the fruit is in season as we simultaneously increase our insulin resistance to store fat. The problem is with the invention of the lightbulb, humans are not going to sleep when it gets dark out so we always think its summer. Apparently we should be sleeping all through the night, even during those long 14-16 hour winter nights. Our bodies are conditioned to sleeping 7-8 hours or less like the length of darkness on summer night: so we always have insulin sensitivity and crave sugars because we think its summer. It seems like a far fetched theory to me but could be plausible. Sweetness however, is associated nutrition in nature. A prime example is sweet fruits provide many nutrients and vitamin c that prevent scurvy. Inuit and indigenous tribes that solely eat meat and no fruit get their vitamin c from adrenal glands (which happen to be the richest known source of vitamin c) and disperse individual portions to their tribe members. C can also be found in stomach lining I think. I'm getting off topic, but does anyone think the sleep-crave theory has any validity?
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Not too much to post about with my progress hence the lack of posts. ;)
Continuing to eat 2-3 small/medium meals a day with fairly high amounts of fat in each meal. My body seems to be doing best on this, at least for now, so I will continue to eat this way.
I have had an odd occurrence the past week where I've been having heavy post-nasal drip as the day wears on and I wasn't sure why; I figured maybe I was getting sick. Yesterday I was fine until I left my job in the evening when it started up again. Looks like I still have a bit of my allergies to something this time of year.
That's about it. ;D
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I pushed myself much harder this morning during my run since I didn't get to run Monday or Tuesday. Really got my heart racing and my lungs bursting. Felt fantastic for the rest of the day with a noticeable boost in both confidence & focus. Just another confirmation that I need seriously vigorous exercise daily to feel my best. :)
I wish I had a sparring partner. I have no training in any fighting styles or martial arts but my brother and I would grapple when younger and frankly throw down harder than most fights I've seen with everyday people. I'm kind of missing that and wish I had something around here like Fight Club. ;D
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Vigorous endurance exercising seems to really boost my energy and confidence as well. Probably the flight-or-fight mechanism coming alive making sure we do not die. Ask TD about fighting, hes apparently done lots of it.
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I hear he sleeps only one hour a night. and had huge legs.
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Also, of high importance is that if you are an identical twin. Do not tell him this. He will think you are a figment of someones wild, science-fiction imagination and destroy you.
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An interesting thing seems to be occurring. I pushed myself much harder on a couple of my runs during the last week. I also did two days of bodyweight exercising (push-ups, a couple dips, and some pull-ups) which I've honestly been neglecting doing in earnest since last fall (an odd day here or there but no regular routine). I weighed myself yesterday and I went from 171 to 175 over the last week. It's possible some of the weight is waste (although both were taken in the morning after BMs) but I'd say without a doubt I put on at least 2 pounds of muscle in one week. I'll make sure to keep this updated while I keep pushing myself with the runs and bodyweight stuff. :)
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I was playing some Badminton tonight with my brothers and wrenched my ankle. It's not even like I was playing hard; just turned around for a shot over my head and rolled it in a divot in the ground. Hurts a lot right now but I can walk on it so I'm hoping it feeling better tomorrow. Sucks as tomorrow morning I was going to do some sprinting but it looks like I'm going to pass on the jogging/running for the next few days as I recuperate. :(
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What kind of shoes were you wearing?
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An old pair of Teva slip-on shoes kind of like these (http://www.teva.com/ProductDetails.aspx?g=&categoryID=421&productID=4102&model=Sling+King). They're what I'm still wearing to work so were still on my feet when I saw they were playing and joined in.
I don't think I can blame shoes on this as I'd still have rolled my ankle in something else. It was solely a lack of attention to my surroundings. :(
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Those look pretty bad for anything athletic (I have no idea as Im not a shoe expert just going on looks) - like your foot would be sliding all over the place and not secure at all to the shoe. Did your brothers blame the injury on the shoes? Might as well get a pair of vibrams if you're going to wear those things.
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Those look pretty bad for anything athletic (I have no idea as Im not a shoe expert just going on looks) - like your foot would be sliding all over the place and not secure at all to the shoe. Did your brothers blame the injury on the shoes? Might as well get a pair of vibrams if you're going to wear those things.
They're surprisingly secure with how they hold my foot. Not as good as my Vibrams (yes, I already have a pair) but still adequate for moderate footwork and wearing for work like I've been doing the last year.
No blame on the shoes; mostly just blame on me being a jackass and not watching where my feet were. :)
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I cut sea salt out of my diet again.
Last year when I began a carnivorous diet I cut salt with everything else. I did notice I received a couple of benefits that others have noted (diminished sweat most prominent in my mind but there were others I don't recall at this time).
After a couple months I began lightly seasoning my meat/fat with seal salt as I had a recurrence of my pre-RPD hypostatic orthotentsion and it seemed to keep it at bay.
Lately I've had inklings that it might be having a more negative effect on me than positive so decided to cut it out again for a trial.
Basically I'd been experiencing increasingly common muscle cramps particularly of the foot and lower leg. These would occur both in the middle of the night and while relaxing on the couch. I also seemed to be having issues with tensing muscles starting to lock up if in awkward positions. I thought this might be salt related from an unhealthy sodium ratio.
I cut salt out Monday morning.
Since Monday I've noticed I feel more energetic after my meals and also require less fat to feel satiated (i.e. brisket alone was fine, no suet needed).
I've also noticed the remission of my cold-intolerance (I'd had to move up to 3 meals a day to try and warm up when workign in the AC at the office) the past 3 days.
I did have a cramp in my leg last night but will track these.
I have not had any recurrence of my hypostatic orthotension yet.
I have experienced two negatives so far. I have had disturbed sleep each night since Monday. I have also had a couple bouts of diarrhea (I'm inclined to believe these were actually detox even though I don't believe in most "detox").
I'll keep everyone posted. :)
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I know this appears to be a benefit to raw-carnivore but I'm second-guessing this "boon" and wondering if perhaps there's a deficiency eating this way wherein we can't feel the muscle soreness signifying the need to rest and will instead overexert muscles?
I think it's more that without carbs, your exertion will be balanced with your ability to recover, whereas carbs you can over-exert, and under-repair at the same time.
Being barefoot is also about the sense of touch, not just the shape, and the lack of cushioning... You may be surprised at how much of a difference it makes to be able to feel... It is a lot faster than seeing, or waiting for the shock... the moment a tiniest part of your foot touches the ground, you instantly feel it and can react... Without shoes it's unlikely you would roll your ankle. You said it was because you weren't paying attention at where you feet were.. if you can feel the ground, you don't need to see or think about it. When I've tried running in my fivefingers, mechanically it looks the same, but it feels horrible. It's much less efficient, it's tiring on both my calves and my mind(from having to think consciously about my feet), and makes running un-enjoyable. I'd still sooner run in them than normal running shoes of course. But they're still like shoe-running how you have to think about it, barefoot I don't think about individual aspects, I just think like go faster, go slower...
Only time I ever hurt myself with anything is when I allow myself to get self-conscious. =/
By the way, how old are you? I wondered when you were talking about joining a fight-club.
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By the way, how old are you? I wondered when you were talking about joining a fight-club.
28
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whaat... I thought you were about that age.. I don't know what it was but recently I got you mixed with someone, or you said something that made me think you were 40 =)
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I think Miles is right, when you eat really healthy like raw zero carb you body knows when to rest. Carbs were so rare in paleo times IMO and I almost instantly get cramps in my feet or hands.
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Interesting, I get cramps in the toes and arch of my left foot if I eat plant carbs. I was told that carbs can bind with minerals and I did find information substantiating that. There is likely something more than that going on too that would explain why some people don't get cramps from eating plentiful plant carbs and actually thrive on them.
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I've been feeling better these past couple weeks since cutting out salt again. I didn't notice the gradual decrease in overall health over since I had added salt back in, mostly since it was the winter and hence I was more sedentary, but it's obvious with foresight.
I've not really pushed myself with jogging/running since I rolled my ankle ~5-6 weeks ago. I tried to push hard a couple of separate runs in the first two weeks but each time I really pushed hard the ankle hurt a bit and I didn't want to push things. I set August 1st as the date to begin running in earnest again which I'm anxiously looking forward to. Last week my wife and I began taking morning walks before work which will eventually turn into morning jogs. Since she leaves an hour before me I'm going to push myself after the jog when she goes home to shower. I've got a great hill to condition myself on (30-45* incline for ~3/4 of a mile; built for killer windsprints) and look forward to this with relish.
I also have to cop to something.
I've mentioned before that I do bodyweight exercises before but in all honesty I've never held to any form of a schedule or even did regular enough work to build up significant muscle.
Granted, I did start and stop free weights a number of times during my youth and adolescence which built up some physique which I've retained but it was never much functional power (benching maybe 170 pounds?).
Push-ups were always my bane though. I was a skinny kid without much strength in elementary school and then a fat kid without much strength in middle and high school. I doubt if I could have done 10 push-ups at any point during school.
This is changing now. I've buckled down on regular bodyweight training and I'm having good functional results.
I've made push-ups the core of my new bodyweight regime as they work so much (bis, tris, chest, shoulders) effectively. When I began semi-regularly a few weeks ago I think I could do 8 push-ups before failure. 17 was my best on Thursday. Today I did 1 set of 20 reps before failure. I also did a cumulative 100 push-ups. I know it's not much on paper but it feels good. ;D
As for the rest of the program I'm including pull ups & chin ups as regulars. I'll do dips and other exercises of it's ilk when I have stuff to improvise with around me. I'll work in squats somewhere as well. Lastly I'll be working to build my core up just as much as the rest of me. I'd like to work towards some of the more crazy ab routines (a la the dragon flag) eventually. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjCMq2zkbOo
Life is good. ;D
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I gave myself 2 rest days and had another exercise day today. I only hit a high of 21 push-ups for my best effort but had multiple sets of 15+ which was better than the last time. I did 100 push-ups this morning and another 100 tonight but by the end I was doing 6 at a time and I'm wasted but I got the milestone I wanted to hit. Doubling the quantity was no small feat. ;D
Now, onto the "control" photos which are prior to much muscle growth on my new routine. I have noticed I've bulked up a bit in the past week but I expect things to be much more noticeable over the next couple months. All photos are thumbnails and linked to the fullsize at photobucket.
Front:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0435.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0435.jpg)
Right:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0437.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0437.jpg)
Left:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0436.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0436.jpg)
Bicep Flex:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0438.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0438.jpg)
Back Flex:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0439.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0439.jpg)
And now for something completely different; the promised photo showing me performing a squat:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0440.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0440.jpg)
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cool. I can say from exprience that you can get pretty good results on these kind of routines. What I found most important in doing bodyweight - more than reps per set or total reps - is properly extending and stretching the muscle groups to complete stress like one gets with weighted exercise. Often you can do this by altering the movement through space - like doing some of the more complex push-up type positions. A differnt approach but of equal value would be through altering the speed (usually slower) and really foucusing on tensing the muscle groups. Some kind of isometric stretching or bands is also useful in really stressing out the muscle further after a set of push ups or similar exercise.
Another easy no-quipment (and probably necessary) exercise to throw in with push-ups are dips that you can do with sturdy chair and another sturdy handhold (two chairs works but you have to be careful you don't push outwards).
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cool. I can say from exprience that you can get pretty good results on these kind of routines. What I found most important in doing bodyweight - more than reps per set or total reps - is properly extending and stretching the muscle groups to complete stress like one gets with weighted exercise. Often you can do this by altering the movement through space - like doing some of the more complex push-up type positions. A differnt approach but of equal value would be through altering the speed (usually slower) and really foucusing on tensing the muscle groups. Some kind of isometric stretching or bands is also useful in really stressing out the muscle further after a set of push ups or similar exercise.
I definitely agree with you KD and will continue focusing on form and controlled movement as opposed to just upping totals. I'm not looking to do more than 500 a day at the most and probably much less than this most days. Once I can get say 25 with a 2-count on rise, 2-count at full extension, 2-count on lowering, and a 2-count on full contraction I plan on adding weight to continue building strength steadily. A day for endurance a couple times a month would be good but I'm definitely working towards functional strength.
By the same token I'm doing the same with my chin-ups & pull-ups. Slow controlled repetitions which will eventually work into weighted exercises. I need to add some negatives into my routine tomorrow to build strength as I'm still doing less than a half dozen before failure.
Ultimate goals I guess are one-arm chin-ups (maybe weighted) and handstand push-ups.
Another easy no-quipment (and probably necessary) exercise to throw in with push-ups are dips that you can do with sturdy chair and another sturdy handhold (two chairs works but you have to be careful you don't push outwards).
I definitely agree. I've got a kitchen counter which comes into a corner perfect for dips so I plan on incorporating them into a routine as well.
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Had another round of push-ups yesterday. I did a total of 150.
~60 done over three sets without pauses between reps to gauge my maximum. I did 25 reps in my first set.
After that I did the remaining push-ups, split between the morning and afternoon/evening, doing reps with 2 counts on all motions (8 count totals). The highest I was able to attain this way was 13.
Yesterday was also August 1st so I started jogging/running again. The good news is my ankle/foot feels fine even when I push it hard. The bad news is the 6-8 weeks of relative aerobic inactivity resulted in quite a decrease in stamina. Oh well, it'll come back.
My wife an I also celebrated our 5 year dating anniversary on Saturday by buying her a bike. She was a bit worried as she hasn't ridden since she was a little kid and she was a klutz then but she took to it just fine. We rode 3 miles together on Saturday and 4 miles on Sunday. I can't tell you how happy I am about this as I love riding my bike all over but had always wanted to share it with her. Now we can ride together. ;D
On the food front I got a pound of sweetbreads on Saturday. I had a sliver so far but didn't seem to get any thyroid (I'm looking for organ material, right?) in it just a white suet-ish material. It was starchier than fat though. Not bad but nothing special.
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Today was another exercise day.
I did 100 push-ups this morning making sure to perform full counts on all motions. I only got 20 as my max with full counts but that's still tons better than where I was a couple weeks ago.
I had intended to do more push-ups along with chin-ups/pull-ups this evening but ended up spending most of the night putting supplemental brakes on my wife's bike (all it had was coaster/foot brakes which resulted in her taking a spill the other day-she's ok). By the time I got done it was 8PM so I've been doing some chin-ups/pull-ups, negatives of these (as I'm not strong enough with them to do more than a half dozen), and eventually static hangs. My forearms are sore as hell but I'll definitely see some improvements there. :)
I'm going to give 2 meals a day a shot again and see if it's better on my body than 3. I'm going to pass over breakfast and have lunch at 2ish (if I can hold out) then have dinner around 7. I think I've been having some problems from lower water intake (a little spacey minded and some tiredness which shouldn't be there) and I see this as the best way to get water into my system while still gettign adequate food in to.
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I ended up doing a couple chin-ups and pull-ups followed by tons of negative and then static holds on the bar when I couldn't do negatives anymore. I followed these up with modified dips from the corner of my kitchen counter untils my triceps were screaming (din't take as much as you'd expect).
My arms, chest, and back were sore on Thursday but were incredibly painful today. I'm hoping I feel better tomorrow but I'm going to wait until Sunday to push it again.
Oh, and the two meal a day thing seems to be working well. I was definitely dehydrated and I get to comfortably drink 1.5-3 liters of water in the mornings without digestion interruption. :)
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Got my first deer head on Saturday. ;D
Pre butchering:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Raw/th_IMG_0079.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Raw/?action=view¤t=IMG_0079.jpg)
After butchering (with a bit of black humor):
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Raw/th_IMG_0087.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Raw/?action=view¤t=IMG_0087.jpg)
You can't sell game in New York but I worked out a barter with a farmer to get the head and two large back straps of venison for some whiskey. Both of us were quite pleased. :)
I got the brain, eyeballs, tongue, and some miscellaneous meat (mostly cheek area) from the head.
The brains were good. They are a lot like stick scrambled eggs but much heavier feeling in the stomach due to nutrient density. I ate the whole brain but in hindsight it's too much in one meal for me if I've eaten that day.
The eyeballs were kind of weird. Very tough on the back but very soft on the front. Took a bit to bite them open. The texture was disturbing as it was so alien to other textures you eat when eating carnivorously. There was a gelatinous fluid inside, a thinner fluid which had a bit of saltiness which I'd like to tears, and then 2 or 3 smaller bits which were similar in texture to hard boiled egg yolk or a cooked lentil. I'll be honest I didn't like the eyeballs and won't make this a regular addition to my diet but will have them occasionally.
I was too full on brain to eat the tongue so that's a treat for tonight. :)
My wife and I brought our niece and nephew berry picking on Saturday afternoon. The blueberries were at the tail end of their season in this patch and through the course of our picking I had maybe a dozen berries. They tasted nice but I did notice I had a bit of stiffness in some finger joints on the drive home which I attribute to the berries. Saturday night's bike ride was also a lot tougher than all of the others that week had been which I attribute to my issues with carbs. Thankfully pushing myself through all of the exercise then and yesterday seems to have minimized problems.
I did 100 push-ups yesterday morning and then took the rest of the day off (we went to the NY Renaissance Faire ;D). My back and chest are still recovering some from last week so I'm not going to push and hurt myself. I'll have another big day on Wednesday. :)
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I appreciate both the photos and the size of the photos. :D You're so brave!
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You're so brave!
I don't know if it's bravery or just willing to do what it takes to keep myself as healthy as I can be.
For the record I'd like to add that after last night's meal I had lots of trouble falling asleep as my brain wouldn't stop. I also had a number of vivid dreams but can't remember them lucidly. I did develop a feeling of anxiety at one point last night and experienced this as well on the ride into work today which I never have eating other RAF. Lastly I've felt "off" all day, almost slightly detached from myself, which is disconcerting. Brains are potent and I obviously need to be careful with quantities.
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I find brains 'heavy' also.
I'm back on RZC wagon and feel fantastic.
You know how you were saying when your pure RZC and you find youself holding eye contact with superiors too long? this happens to me too.
ps I did laugh at you photo.
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You can't sell game in New York but I worked out a barter with a farmer to get the head and two large back straps of venison for some whiskey. Both of us were quite pleased. :)
I got the brain, eyeballs, tongue, and some miscellaneous meat (mostly cheek area) from the head.
The brains were good. They are a lot like stick scrambled eggs but much heavier feeling in the stomach due to nutrient density. I ate the whole brain but in hindsight it's too much in one meal for me if I've eaten that day.
The eyeballs were kind of weird. Very tough on the back but very soft on the front. Took a bit to bite them open. The texture was disturbing as it was so alien to other textures you eat when eating carnivorously. There was a gelatinous fluid inside, a thinner fluid which had a bit of saltiness which I'd like to tears, and then 2 or 3 smaller bits which were similar in texture to hard boiled egg yolk or a cooked lentil. I'll be honest I didn't like the eyeballs and won't make this a regular addition to my diet but will have them occasionally.
I was too full on brain to eat the tongue so that's a treat for tonight. :)
My wife and I brought our niece and nephew berry picking on Saturday afternoon. The blueberries were at the tail end of their season in this patch and through the course of our picking I had maybe a dozen berries. They tasted nice but I did notice I had a bit of stiffness in some finger joints on the drive home which I attribute to the berries. Saturday night's bike ride was also a lot tougher than all of the others that week had been which I attribute to my issues with carbs. Thankfully pushing myself through all of the exercise then and yesterday seems to have minimized problems.
I did 100 push-ups yesterday morning and then took the rest of the day off (we went to the NY Renaissance Faire ;D). My back and chest are still recovering some from last week so I'm not going to push and hurt myself. I'll have another big day on Wednesday. :)
I find the raw brain to have no real effect.
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You know how you were saying when your pure RZC and you find youself holding eye contact with superiors too long? this happens to me too.
It seems it's just an (un)fortunate side effect of eating this way. So far all it's done is helped me at this point (you do it enough, even unconciously, and those superiors back down) but I guess it might be a problem some day.
ps I did laugh at you photo.
Thank you, I aim to please. ;D
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Thanks to you I tried swordfish for dinner last night. I haven't had this since high school maybe! It was so delicious. It digested perfectly! I can eat :) What next? ;)
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Thanks to you I tried swordfish for dinner last night. I haven't had this since high school maybe! It was so delicious. It digested perfectly! I can eat :) What next? ;)
Awesome Ioanna. I so glad you found another food that sits well. ;D
If I had to give a "must try" it would be tongue but I don't think you're quite there yet.
Maybe finally give a tiny bit of liver a shot? I get mine in frozen slabs and cut a piece off while frozen then chop this into many smaller slowly thawing pieces (~1/2"x1/2"x1/4"). Eating them like this is a really different, but nice, change in texture from thawed meat and it compliments the liver flavor well IMO.
Oh, you could look for Mako Shark. It's not quite as tasty, IMO, as swordfish but is a similar texture and almost as good. :)
Congrats again Ioanna. :)
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I thought I'd update my journal. :)
I've been pretty busy between work and family so haven't been as diligent about my exercising as I had been. On the bright side I've been getting more sleep and that's actually helped build a bit more mass. Doing more push-ups this morning and looking to go for a long bike ride tomorrow night or over the weekend.
I'm also making a new jar of high meat from fresh, never-frozen, deer meat. I'm speeding it up by leaving it on the counter as well. It's noticeably more fizzy/frothy than jars I've done in the past which makes me wonder if the "fresh" meat I used to get had been frozen at some point. I'm looking forward to seeing how this high meat effects me after a couple weeks of aging. :)
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post a photo! :)
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It seems it's just an (un)fortunate side effect of eating this way. So far all it's done is helped me at this point (you do it enough, even unconciously, and those superiors back down) but I guess it might be a problem some day.
Thank you, I aim to please. ;D
I did it unconciously in my interview and only noticed I had done it when the interviewer (owner) glanced away. I though shit, not good.
Got the job.
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post a photo! :)
Of me or the high meat?
Surprisingly there doesn't seem to be a noticeable increase to my mass but I'm up to 177.x as of this morning so it's building somewhere.
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Oh, I also went for a run this morning. My wife's been getting up early for a walk each morning so I've been doing that with her instead of my runs. I've been missing it but I'd rather help her keep on the path to health than run ahead.
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Happy Birthday, Dan! ;D
Of me or the high meat?
I am not one to speak when it comes to photos, lol.. but since you ask... how about both? :)
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Happy Birthday, Dan! ;D
Thank you Ioanna. :)
I am not one to speak when it comes to photos, lol.. but since you ask... how about both? :)
I'll try to get something up tomorrow. Yesterday was one month since the last photos were taken but I didn't have chance to take updated photos. I'll probably take the photos in a few minutes. :)
The high meat's getting very stinky. Definitely progressing in a classic sense though.
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Progress photos after another month. You really can't see much change in size although it does look like my torso is getting bigger. I'm at 178.4 as of this morning.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0070.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0070.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0066.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0066.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0065.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0065.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0064.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0064.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/th_IMG_0063.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/djr_81/Fitness%20Progress/?action=view¤t=IMG_0063.jpg)
I upped the intensity a bit yesterday. I did two sets of 25-pound weighted push-ups (9 reps and 7 reps). I also attempted 50-pound push-ups but could only do 3 reps. Did some unweighted push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips to round things out. Gave 50-pound weighted pull-ups a shot but couldn't get a single one. I definitely notice a much more solid mass of muscle in my arm after the weighted exercises and it was nice to have lower reps so I'm going to keep that up. I do need to find a better method of holding the weights as a backpack can be a bit unwieldy with metal plates in it.
I'm also taking a mental health day off from work today. My wife was up sick all night (the ice cream she bought at Cold Stone Creamery had corn syrup in it and she didn't know) which made for a choppy night's sleep. Between that and a busy day yesterday (drove 1 1/2 hours to a water park, saw how massively busy it was, and turned right around and drove home-we don't intentionally deal with people in those quantities) I'm burned out and need a rest.
I also want to share a photo we took of my wife and I yesterday. Nothing special about it, in fact it's kind of out-of-focus, but I really like it. ;D
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs188.ash2/45144_147211048643594_100000640981334_284039_725121_n.jpg)
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I began eating my high meat yesterday. The whole time I've been making it (3ish weeks) it's been left out of the fridge and aired at least once every other day. The last week, at my wife's behest because of the smell, it's been left outside (in the 80-90* heat) and aired once a day.
It smelled positively rank yesterday and trepidation about how it would taste made it that much more unbearable. I spit the first piece out and then had two smaller pieces that I just gulped right down. I couldn't stand the taste.
Tonight I decided that I would confront things head-on and slowly and deliberately eat my high meat purposely tasting every bite to figure out why it was so repulsive. I sat down in a chair beside our koi pond and ate small pieces, one at a time, drawing the process out greatly. Interestingly this resulted in a much easier time eating it with a still unpleasant but significantly less repugnant flavor. It really is mind over matter.
Oh, and I now know why they call it "High Meat". I'm fucked up. I'd say it's the equivalent of an alcohol buzz but it's noticeable to me. Thinking about it it'd probably have been a lot of fun to site in a drum circle and just feel the music feeling like this. It'll be interesting to note the other benefits if/when they occur for me. I was very energetic today even with a small intake of food so maybe I began experiencing benefits today.
FWIW this clearly shows that both the meat I got before which was sold as fresh was previously frozen and that pre-frozen meat isn't worth jack to make true high meat. 4-ish months in the fridge with the other meat is nowhere near what this stuff is.
Oh, and for the record I am exhibiting none of my Candida symptoms from the high meat (my Candida brain fog is drastically different from how I feel right now). As far as I'm concerned possible amines in high meat are clearly not an issue.
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I'm not quite sure why prefrozen meat isn't suitable for making high-meat. Perhaps the fact that the freezing destroys the cell membranes makes the nutrient loss more drastic and therefore indirectly affects the bacteria feeding upon those nutrients?
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I'd also like to add that I began having some stomach pains later last night and had a couple rounds of the runs. I'm not sure at this point if this was due to the high meat, 2 pounds of brisket I ate in one sitting (I was hungry and felt no stop whatsoever so just kept eating), or the seltzer I drank last night. I am goign to hold off on the high meat for a couple days and give it another shot later in a more controlled experiment.
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Great to see you, Dan!
So it would I be pushing it to say you 'enjoyed' the high meat?? :) ... Maybe more of an 'acceptance'?
I'm trying to make my first high meat now (as of yesterday), but it's from pre-frozen. I've never had fresh meat yet. I know places like North Star Bison, and US Wellness ship fresh meat.. do you think that is truly fresh though?? I don't think my farmer would do it, or maybe if I was willing to pick up on their processing day... hmmm, idk.
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So it would I be pushing it to say you 'enjoyed' the high meat?? :) ... Maybe more of an 'acceptance'?
I think accept is a good term. Or acknowledged why it was as it was without judging good or bad.
I'm trying to make my first high meat now (as of yesterday), but it's from pre-frozen. I've never had fresh meat yet. I know places like North Star Bison, and US Wellness ship fresh meat.. do you think that is truly fresh though?? I don't think my farmer would do it, or maybe if I was willing to pick up on their processing day... hmmm, idk.
I haven't purchased from either so I couldn't tell you how fresh it truly is. I have doubts due ot the scale they sell at any given time but anything is possible. I think through your farmer might be the best bet.
FWIW I'm goign to make some with fresh swordfish as well. Maybe you can find seafood by you that hasn't been frozen which could be a test batch as well. :)
Most of my stomach discomfort has passed BTW. I'm not sure what to make of it really but perhaps it was some form of mild detox? I'll see next time I have the meat.
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I watched Aajonus eat high meat, he didn't enjoy it.
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Most of my stomach discomfort has passed BTW. I'm not sure what to make of it really but perhaps it was some form of mild detox? I'll see next time I have the meat.
oh, i meant to comment about that... carbonated water would do that to me... i don't drink it anymore, and if i did try it again, it would be on an empty stomach. not saying it's not detox, though... not sure...
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I watched Aajonus eat high meat, he didn't enjoy it.
lol, i can appreciate that
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oh, i meant to comment about that... carbonated water would do that to me... i don't drink it anymore, and if i did try it again, it would be on an empty stomach. not saying it's not detox, though... not sure...
I have one brand, Saratoga, which I do indulge in occasionally. So long as I don't go overboard (a whole 1 liter bottle in one sitting or more than 1 bottle a week) it doesn't give me problems. I haven't had any in well over a month but we stopped at the stoe that stocks it yesterday so I had to buy some. :)
I don't give much credence to detox as it's used as an excuse for everything. I'm still doubtful even in this circumstance that I'm detoxing anything. At this point I'm thinking it just sat out so long and got so inundated with bacteria that it sat badly. The smaller dose the day before sat fine so it's probably too strong in the amount I ate last night.
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I watched Aajonus eat high meat, he didn't enjoy it.
Where did you see that? He seemed to enjoy it in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIrFhfyrmS4.
I'm finding that I'm getting more and more used to it myself.
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PP: I assume he meant in person. I could probably be a good enough actor with anything under 4 mo :) he's probably more adjusted to it, but its gotta sting sometimes no matter how acclimated.
in regards to detox:
While I can understand the suspicions around the word detox (particularity for those who have been in an around the vegan or hygiene 'excuse' models for such things) I don't understand how people can reject the likelihood of almost all symptoms being some attempt of the body to expell waste or repairing damage resulting in discomfort, pain, or inflammation. The idea that health (for contemporary people) is being free of symptoms can be a dangerous mindset equaled to obsessions or excuse making of detox. Plenty of people in their 60's claim of never 'getting sick' and clearly don't have completely healthy tissue at the cellular level. Plenty of fruitarian minded folks (refraining from all modern foods and as much toxins as possible) claim to have many years (post what THEY define as detox) in an extreme sense of euphoria, only to develop all kinds of weird 'disease' like rubella or some other oddity. These are more than just deficiency in diet or over-sufficiency of some macro-nutrient and this is the same for people on a healthy raw diet.
The truth of it - in my experience - is that these toxins and mutations are very present, very stubborn, entrenched, and best handled slowly over time through periodic release. I don't believe fasting is a great tool to reverse this process or eliminate wastes, but its certainly a good litmus test to tell if one can develop symptoms purely based on the ingestion of nothing. Rarely would anyone last a week without some sense of flu like symptoms, headaches etc...
I find non-acute symptoms to be totally welcome, in unison with obvious productive physical improvements (particularly those like skin, hair, nails etc..) which are largely cosmetic and low on a hierarchy of importance. I try not to locate these symptoms in any cause as its very unlikely today's cause could be any worse than what I did daily for 20-25+ years of my life. (Unless we are talking about short symptoms from cooked foods or something)
Even if one wants to entertain the so called 'cause' by a person place or thing ingested's bacterium or virus, the experience of symptoms is still that of detox, the expelation of matter still being largely old and not newly regenerated by viruses etc..
particularly for those who see the logic of raw eating, even if their main goal would be to use the raw materials from unheated foods to rebuild tissues, this would inheritly point to older tissue being built on largely toxic materials.
it seems to me that the only possible explanation for symptoms at all other than this which are common would be psychological-hypochondriac behavior, or stress which in itself are merely ignition for the bodies normal detoxification by becoming overwhelmed or overtaxed by environment, poor foods or combinations etc... Even the ingestion of toxic or allergenic foodstuffs, would result in symptoms of detoxification. The only problem really is confusing symptoms in all cases as being evidence of something productive, but its always some kind of evidence of at least attempted removal of wastes.
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I'm off from work this week. ;D
I had a good long work-out Monday morning and Monday night. Definitely noticing more tightness to my muscles and they're more visible. I was down to 179.6 Monday morning from 181.2 on Saturday morning but it was probably just normal weight fluctuation.
I went on a 7 miles bike ride yesterday and then did a 2 mile hike in the woods with my wife. On the hike we came across lots of acorns so I decided to collect some to try when we got home. The acorns were mixed between two varieties but the tannins were way too much fresh out of the shell. I shelled about a dozen, crushed them, and put them in an old sock (improvisation ;D) to flush under cold water. I let the water run over them for 45 minutes but they were still bitter and unedible. I gave up on them at this point. Unfortunately I've been dealing with stomach pain and disturbing sounds from my stomach since eating the bits of acorn (~1 acorn worth) so I'm definitely allergic to them.
Tomorrow my wife and I are driving up to the farm we buy our meat from. We're going to watch as they process the chickens for the week and then get a guided tour around the farm. :)
Friday is the Bronx Zoo with my wife, my sister, and her boyfriend.
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Sounds fun Dan and Zoo's are actually pretty cool have a good one with the family.
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Went to the farm today. Huge (450+ acres) place but very intelligently used and definitely not overcrowded by the ~300 head of cattle. A real eye-opener as to what real farming entails but the wife and I would still like to do it someday, albeit on a smaller scale.
Our first stop was the processing room where they were killing the chickens for the week. It was done in much the same way as I've seen described elsewhere; the bird is placed into a metal cone upside down where it has it's throat slit and bleeds out into a sloped trough below. The birds are then beheaded, tossed into hot water to loosen feathers, tossed into a drum with brushes to strip the feathers, and then tossed into a cold water bath to chill down to 40*F. Most of the birds went quickly as they bled out but a couple had a lot of fight in them and took much longer to die. It was kind of hard to watch it but I made sure my wife and I did so we knop just where our food comes from and what happens to it before it gets to our plates.
After the chickens we drove around the complex and saw a number of different pastures in use.
The Egg-Mobiles are a cool contraption in person and really ingenious. Pretty amazing when they drop the door/plank from the side and dozens of chickens come rushing out. :)
The cattle were very healthy and looked content. They've been in a drought up there for a while so the grass was growing very slowly so the cattle are going to be eating hay before the middle of next month but the cattle didn't seem to be wanting.
The last herd we saw was the mommas and calves. Those were some serious heifers. The biggest breeders were ~1800 pounds and just massive. Even the calves were doing fantastic; probably over 1,000 pounds and just 6-8 months old. The calves are also fully grass-fed so obviously they can grow just fine on grass.
We're going to go back in the late spring to see the farm at a different time of year. It'll be nice to see all the babies. ;D
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In an interesting turn of events I've been noticing that I've got less hunger for meat or fat than I used to have. I'm still doing regular (every third day) bodyweight exercises and strengthening/bulking/toning as a result so obviously I'm not suffering as a result of lower intake. I think my body is just markedly more efficient burning fat, after the ~13 months I've been raw carnivore, which means I need less intake.
I'm 180.4 pounds as of this morning and 6'-3". My daily intake is frequently just a pound of ground lean beef (old bull) with some days up to 2 pounds. I'm also taking in ~1/2 to ~3/4 cup of suet by volume. Days that I eat a fatty cut of brisket with lots of tasty soft fat I don't even add suet.
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Where did you see that? He seemed to enjoy it in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIrFhfyrmS4.
I'm finding that I'm getting more and more used to it myself.
4min and 9 seconds
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4min and 9 seconds
I looked at that part of the video again and it still looks to me like he's enjoying the fermented meat, and when I first saw the video it actually surprised me a bit how much he seemed to chew and enjoy the meat rather than bolting it or holding his nose or the like, but I quickly realized that he's been eating it a long time and at this point may even prefer its taste to that of fresh raw meat. Do you have any actual evidence that he doesn't like high meat?
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Time for another update.
As mentioned elsewhere I've gone back to an intermittent fasting feeding schedule; I eat a big meal at some point between 12PM and 3PM and have a smaller, but still filling, meal at dinner time 6PM-8PM. On average I'm getting about 18 hours of fasting in each day with a minimum of 16.
I've found this changed has helped me immensely. I'm much more focused all day and have very little drop to my energy when I eat my big meal. I'm constantly warm as well which is nice (I was getting cold hands as I would get closer to lunchtime before). Lastly my Tinea is getting better again. For a while it was getting worse but it's receding again. My gut feeling is the more frequent meals were impairing digestion which was resulting in the Candida having food (even if it was lean meat).
I had slackened a bit the past week on my exercise routine but hiked for about 5 miles on Saturday and I'm back with a vengeance today.
I jogged a mile and half this morning.
Did some ab exercises.
Began a push-up routine (below).
And had a good round of chin-ups, pull-ups, and dips tonight.
I feel worked over but good. Gonna get lots of sleep and keep the routine up. :)
Pavel Tsatsouline "Evil Russian" Push-up routine:
WEEK 1
Mon: 100% test, relative intensity (RI) 30% Set frequency (SF) 60 min
Tues: RI 50% SF 60 min
Wed: RI 60% SF 45 min
Thurs: RI 25% SF 60 min
Fri: RI 45% SF 30 min
Sat: RI 40% SF 60 min
Sun: RI 20% SF 90 min
WEEK 2
Mon: 100% test RI 35% SF 45min
Tues: RI 55% SF 20 min
Wed: RI 30% SF 15 min
Thurs: RI 65% SF 60min
Fri: RI 35% SF 45 min
Sat: RI 45% SF 60 min
Sun: RI 25% SF120 min
WEEK 3
Mon: 100% test
I have my health back. Life is good. ;D
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I had slackened a bit the past week on my exercise routine but hiked for about 5 miles on Saturday and I'm back with a vengeance today.
I jogged a mile and half this morning.
Did some ab exercises.
Began a push-up routine (below).
And had a good round of chin-ups, pull-ups, and dips tonight.
I feel worked over but good. Gonna get lots of sleep and keep the routine up. :)
If you can find a big hill or flight of stairs. Get a rock or something heavy and run up and down. It had been working wonders for me. Especially a natural incline steep hill in the woods.
;)
Edit: I will try to get a video up tomorrow.
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I have my health back. Life is good. ;D
I so get that! Very happy for you!! :)
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I hurt.
This push-up routine gets to be brutal and next week will be that much more so (although I'm away at a seminar for part of it so will do the routine partially next week and fully perform that week's routine the week after). I definitely notice my chest is much more taught and my arms & forearms seem a bit bigger.
Monday: 25 push-ups max test and 14 sets of 8 reps (137 total).
Tuesday: 15 sets of 13 reps (195 total).
Today: 19 sets of 15 reps (285 total).
I also jogged and did chin-ups & pull-ups today.
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Today: 19 sets of 15 reps (285 total).
Pushed myself to do one more set to make it an even 300. ;D
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Thursday: 13 sets of 7 (91 total)
Today: 29 sets of 12 (348 total) + 1 set of 2. I was so close, I wanted 350. ;D
Chin-ups and pull-ups tonight as well but in moderation as I'm beat.
I definitely see gains in muscle, particularly my triceps & shoulders and to a lesser degree my pecs. It'll be interesting to see the final results in muscle composition and exercise endurance by the end of the cycle.
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Yesterday's push-ups: 14 sets of 10 (140 total)
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Somebody mentioned beets, one of my favorite vegetables, on here the other day and luck would have it I saw some beautiful beets at the farmer's market yesterday. I picked up a couple so I could give them a shot and see how I did.
I coarsely grated a small beet (~1/4 cup) and sprinkled a dash of sea salt on the top to counterpoint the (relative) sweetness. The beet was sweet (but not cloyingly so like fruit is nowadays), very earthy, and very delicious. I did not have any immediate problems with the beet but after a couple minutes I got the faintest headache and a slight soreness to my throat. I also woke with much more soreness this morning than I should have given the lighter exercise yesterday (I was as sore as the morning after my 350 rep day).
All in all I think that I will be able to add occasional beets to my diet in the future but do not plan to do so in the near future. Beets are my favorite vegetable though so this is encouraging.
An interesting side note; The beet turned my urine pink. Beets never did this to me when eating any other way. I'm not sure if this means I need less of whatever the beet supplies or something else but I thought it was curious.
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Today: 9 sets of 5 (45 total)
Since I have to go away to a seminar Tuesday through Friday, and will likely not get to do as many push-ups as I'd like, I'm going to re-do week 1 this week and then do week 2 next week. My wife has also decided she's going to join me in this venture. :)
Deer season (bow) opened here on Saturday. My wife's uncle already took a doe on Saturday morning. I'm going to go out with him next Saturday and learn the ropes. I doubt I will take a shot at anything yet but with luck he'll take another deer and I'll learn to dress the kill as well.
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I've got pain in the triceps of both arms which hasn't seemed to get better the past couple days. I first noticed it when I'd lay a certain way in bed but I get it when doing regular push-ups as well. I'm going to take the week off from the push-ups and give my muscles lots of time to recover rather than push through and damage something. I'll figure out something else to work on this week. :)
Edit: The pain is more in my shoulders.
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yeah, i would take it easy. There are certain models which suggest doing bodyweight stuff everyday regardless of soreness but I think its better to rest and do other things. It might not take as long as a week but in the meantime I would try body-weight squats (Hindu or regular air-squat) samson stretches, sit-ups, back extensions (supermans), jumping repeatedly on a high box or flat rock, some sprinting etc...
dress to kill man!
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yeah, i would take it easy. There are certain models which suggest doing bodyweight stuff everyday regardless of soreness but I think its better to rest and do other things. It might not take as long as a week but in the meantime I would try body-weight squats (Hindu or regular air-squat) samson stretches, sit-ups, back extensions (supermans), jumping repeatedly on a high box or flat rock, some sprinting etc...
I haven't done jack yesterday or today, mostly because I didn't make it to Boston for my seminar until 7:30 last night and was at the seminar most of the day. I did jog the 1.5 miles from the seminar back to the hotel this evening. I think I might do some ab exercises and perhaps some squats tonight too.
dress to kill man!
It would be nice to get a deer. Of course by the time I get back from here Friday night it'll be 8-9PM and I'm not sure I'll be able to get up at 3AM to get ready and drive the hour out to his house. I might put it off for a week. :(
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You go to school in Boston? I live just north of the city.
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You go to school in Boston? I live just north of the city.
No, I'm taking a three day seminar here (actually in Braintree) for my job.
You can keep Boston BTW. I know plenty of people love the city but it's overpriced and congested IMO. I couldn't live here. :)
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yeah, probably a good idea to rest up. When dong body-weight it is important (I think) to keep a variety of full bodied exercises and to alternate or go in the daily regime route. I know you do the running variety, but some of those exercises might be worth considering for 'off days'. other than avoiding long term bigarmsdisproportionism :) helps speed things along sometimes too.
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No, I'm taking a three day seminar here (actually in Braintree) for my job.
You can keep Boston BTW. I know plenty of people love the city but it's overpriced and congested IMO. I couldn't live here. :)
It's funny you say that. I'm NOT a city girl. It's been a year or so since I've been IN Boston. I live in a nice, quiet suburb north of Boston, and work in Waltham. I prefer quiet, the gym, the woods, etc. to cities!
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Well, I got home last night around 7:30 and I definitely feel better here.
The hotel I was staying at was pet tolerant so my allergies were flared in the room (I need to look into this before I book the room next time). I had to take medicine so I could function and it dehydrated me. Between that and trying to sleep in a hotel with people making lots of noise in the other rooms I had a rough couple days. Slept fantastic last night, I'm drinking lots of water, and I'm feeling much better overall. :)
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Yep staying in hotels gets old really quick.
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I also gave Hindu squats a shot today based on a couple people mentioning them in other threads and KD's encouragement to train other areas while I'm not working upper body with the push-ups.
I had no idea my quads had gotten as weak as they had before I began the squats. I biked a lot last year but this year I didn't go out as much. I think this let my quads atrophy some but I never really picked up on this until I started focusing on them. I did some regular squats at the hotel a few nights ago and I felt those but the deeper squats I did today really worked my legs over. I only did 2 sets of 25 followed by a set of 50 but I got quite a burn going and definitely see these in a regular routine.
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Been a while since I've posted here in my journal.
Let's see...
I had a persimmon on Saturday and did fairly well with it. I had fasted from 9PM Friday night until 4PM Saturday afternoon. Between the fasted state, regular exercise, and a small amount of fruit it didn't hit me too bad. I didn't get my normal brain fog and didn't notice a malaise either. I had a bit of indigestion later on that night after eating a big meal of fatty brisket (knocked back almost 2 pounds of it in one meal) but it might have just been from too much food. I had a dry mouth and small headache on Sunday morning letting me know I used a lot of water to process the fruit. I also had a bit of stomach pain that day from the fiber. All in all a positive experience and gives hope that some day I might have a fruit weekly or so.
I've been somewhat lax in the exercise routine. I've been doing stuff when I feel like it but not sticking to a daily/semi-daily schedule. I did go for a run Sunday morning and will do it again tomorrow. Now that the clocks are back an hour, and we have sunlight in the morning, I can get back out there and enjoy the light before work.
Work is going really good. I'm at the tail end of an MRI install now (I was on site today while they rigged it into the space) which I had doubts we'd make. A lot of legwork on my part to make sure things were in place when they needed to be but it's nice to get the project done. My boss appreciates the hard work too (gave me a 5K a year raise ;D) so no complaints on my part. It's not easy work but it's fulfilling and challenging. I'm glad I serendipitously fell into my career. :)
I've noticed the forum has been a bit negative charged lately. Lots more heated exchanges than I remember. I wonder if the seasonal change is to blame for people being a bit depressed/pissy. I know I personally have been more agitated lately than I have been in a long time and I find myself a bit shorter with people than I'd like to be.
I'm planning to spend more time over the winter working on myself introspectively. I think I'm also going to severely curtail my visits here as well, perhaps to once or twice a week rather than every day. Maybe the wife and I will get back to daily meditation tomorrow night. :)
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congrat's on the raise!
.. and the persimmon :)
i'm the worst meditator ever (at least my yoga teacher tells me so :( ), but i try. and sounds like a bonding thing to enjoy with your wife. is she eating raw with you yet? :D
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congrat's on the raise!
Thank you.
I had smile plastered on my face the whole rest of the day after we sat down for the review. :)
i'm the worst meditator ever (at least my yoga teacher tells me so :( ), but i try. and sounds like a bonding thing to enjoy with your wife. is she eating raw with you yet? :D
She'll occasionally eat some raw meat but she's still cooking most of her food. She's been gravitating to less cooking (the more it's cooked the less appetizing she finds it) so eventually I feel she'll get there. Even if she doesn't she's doing really good with her choices (~90% clean whole foods ala WAP) so she's still doing tons better than she once did.
I sometimes have a hard time meditating myself. When I have nights like that I'll mess around with some energy work and it's just as fullfilling but in a different way. :)
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I forgot to add; my father had surgery today. He has had problems with diverticulosis/itis since he was in his 20s. A co-worker of his has stage 4 colon cancer and it rocked his perceptions on how invincible he is. He got testing done and they determined he had about 6" of intestine so scarred up that it wasn't working. He went in for surgery today and it ended up being much more entailed than they expected. The 6" ended up being about a foot. The 1 1/2 hour laproscopic surgery ended up being full-blown surgery for over 4 hours. He's recovering now.
I don't agree with most modern surgery and think this could have probably been handled differently but hopefully he makes a full recovery. Maybe some day he'll try even a partial RPD although it's doubtful.
Unlike my relationship with my mother my father has always been distant with his affection. His parents were not overly affectionate and it set his ways. I'm going to give him a big hug when I see him and tell him I love him. I'm glad my dad is ok.
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http://i.imgur.com/Sk7a2.jpg?ref=nf
Hilarious and awesome at the same time. Now that's a real man. :)
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lol. I can't even tell what this is, is it a plaque or something small?
what is the word caught in the shadows? "right in"?
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Sorry to hear about your dad. I'm going through some of the same stuff, but maybe a little less drastic...unfortunately the typical occurrence of pre-senior heart/cholesterol type stuff. It turned out being less bad than I had originally feared, but he's definitely on all the meds and now that he was avoiding for years. I think his diet is actually getting worse. It seems to be pulling from the worst combinations of med advice, but eating even more foods that society deems bad. For awhile I tried even cooking and prepping stuff to make for him but I gave up. He still remains skeptical of what I do of course, for the reason that he believes his farmer ancestors died of heart disease - as they surely abstained from all cooked foods and starches.
i'm the worst meditator ever (at least my yoga teacher tells me so :(
your yoga teacher said you are the worst meditator? BALLS!
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lol. I can't even tell what this is, is it a plaque or something small?
I'm not really sure. A friend posted the link on Facebook and I got a good laugh out of it so decided to share. It looks like a sign/plaque you would see in a park.
what is the word caught in the shadows? "right in"?
"upon"
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your yoga teacher said you are the worst meditator? BALLS!
maybe not quite like that, more like 'ioanna, i want you to really try this time" hahahha.. i AM trying all the time! i know what my mindset is supposed to be, but instead i become very aware of how everything around me effects the interface of my being (my skin).. how the air moves, every fiber of clothing touching my body, and the list just keeps changing from day to day.. so i get all fidgety. and what makes it harder to stop thinking like that... one time i had an tickle/itch so bad that i tried so hard (for about 2 seconds!, lol) to ignore.. it felt like a spider, but i kept telling myself it was sweat (was a hot yoga class).. but when i opened my eyes, it was really a spider! haha, one of these days...
a fight with a bear.. is this real?.. i don't believe it.. and the bear could not use his arms and legs to shred the guy as soon as he started cutting off the oxygen???
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one time i had an tickle/itch so bad that i tried so hard (for about 2 seconds!, lol) to ignore.. it felt like a spider, but i kept telling myself it was sweat (was a hot yoga class).. but when i opened my eyes, it was really a spider! haha, one of these days...
omg that happened to me but it was an earwig!!!!!! I wasn't meditating..just sunbathing. thought it was sweat.
hmm..meditation is hard. I used to do it really intensely for long periods. za zen and later kundalini meditations. The former is of course really boring if you can't actually get it..and any attention to your body (like back strain from posture) will be quite a road-block. kundalini is more like guided meditations or ones that have various exercises or tasks. I havn't done anything in well over a year specifically meditating. I do alot of things that involve extreme focus and time just flies by and I consider that to be a watered down meditation that accumulates to being possibly more beneficial. A few people I know have asked me why I don't meditate and this one reason I give and the other is "I can't" but I honestly have not even tried once..for even 20 seconds to sit. Its sort of built up in my head that way I guess.
a fight with a bear.. is this real?.. i don't believe it.. and the bear could not use his arms and legs to shred the guy as soon as he started cutting off the oxygen???
shh you are ruining our macho fantasy
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omg that happened to me but it was an earwig!!!!!! I wasn't meditating..just sunbathing. thought it was sweat.
hmm..meditation is hard. I used to do it really intensely for long periods. za zen and later kundalini meditations. The former is of course really boring if you can't actually get it..and any attention to your body (like back strain from posture) will be quite a road-block. kundalini is more like guided meditations or ones that have various exercises or tasks. I havn't done anything in well over a year specifically meditating. I do alot of things that involve extreme focus and time just flies by and I consider that to be a watered down meditation that accumulates to being possibly more beneficial. A few people I know have asked me why I don't meditate and this one reason I give and the other is "I can't" but I honestly have not even tried once..for even 20 seconds to sit. Its sort of built up in my head that way I guess.
shh you are ruining our macho fantasy
ewwwwe!... do they pinch people?
i feel that walking with my dog is somewhat meditative... i love walking, anywhere..
ok, lol, duh! .. it's passed my bedtime ;)
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone. ;D
I'm indulging my sweet tooth with some fruits & veggies today while sharing that bounty with my family at the table. I've got a raw beet salad I made (shredded beets, lime juice, little bit of honey, sea salt, and an egg yolk) and some persimmons.
I had salmon roe the other day. Fantastic stuff. I'm going to try and find some fresh roe that hasn't been salted next.
I went to an Asian market today. Tons of interesting foods. I contemplated buying balut and century eggs but ended up passing on both for now. I did find some quail eggs and duck eggs which I'm going to enjoy. I also got some frozen whole green anchovies which I plan to enjoy when they thaw. I bought some sun-dried fruits as well (fig & plum) but I'm leaving most of that for my wife.
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And a happy (belated) TG to you! How was your feast?? :)
I used to go an Asian grocery story (mainly for young coconut), but have become so skeptical of anything imported so I haven't been (nor eaten coconut) in a couple years. Also, I wasn't eating animal foods at this time, so I guess now it is a whole new experience.
Figs, I love figs!!!! Though I haven't eaten them in years because I can only get dried ones here and the fresh ones have been disappointingly way under ripe every time I tried them. So I vowed a few years not to eat figs until I move to CA so I can eat the real, fresh deal.
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And a happy (belated) TG to you! How was your feast?? :)
It was good but I definitely remember why I don't eat fruit. I'm feeling bloated, drugged with brain fog, and overall out of it today. I've also gone to the bathroom 4 times and feel like I'm giving birth each time. ;D
I also had further vindication last night that cooking is best for me to avoid all together. My mother made apple crisp (without any crust but it did have a sugar & spice topping) and I tried a couple bites. It was so weird having hot food again (unpleasant weird at this point). The apples made me feel shitty right away and sat really heavy so while I lamented not being able to eat it since it smelled so nice I know I made the right choice passing.
I used to go an Asian grocery story (mainly for young coconut), but have become so skeptical of anything imported so I haven't been (nor eaten coconut) in a couple years. Also, I wasn't eating animal foods at this time, so I guess now it is a whole new experience.
It really is a whole different experience. I went a couple years ago and it was a fun but novel experience. This time I saw so many more foods that just made more sense nutritionally for someone's diet but are viewed as curiosities in our culture. It was a nice experience with a new pair of eyes. :)
Figs, I love figs!!!! Though I haven't eaten them in years because I can only get dried ones here and the fresh ones have been disappointingly way under ripe every time I tried them. So I vowed a few years not to eat figs until I move to CA so I can eat the real, fresh deal.
We have the same problem here in New York. Most of the figs you find aren't ripe but occasionally you'll find a pack of perfectly ripened figs. They're one of my turtles' favorite foods. :)
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Figs, I love figs!!!! Though I haven't eaten them in years because I can only get dried ones here and the fresh ones have been disappointingly way under ripe every time I tried them. So I vowed a few years not to eat figs until I move to CA so I can eat the real, fresh deal.
You'll have to come here to eat figs, they're so abundant here around that I can't eat them all! I filled 7 containers of 5 liters each with the figs I dried. People don't care about them, they fall on the ground and you walk on an inch thick layer of figs under the trees, it sticks to the soles of your shoes... There's already a small tree on my land and I planted several more, they'll start to give figs next year I hope, thus I won't even have to walk or bike to the neighborings trees!
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Figs are good. My parents have them at their place, I had some last year but had to stop.
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Time for another update. :)
Against better judgment I had two separate cooked meals during the holidays.
One meal was a small piece of very rare seared tuna at the office's Christmas lunch. My boss seemed disappointed that I couldn't eat anything so I ordered the tuna. It was tasty but gave me a headache and made me very tired.
The second meal was broiled filet of dover sole. A client took a couple of us out for a holiday lunch so I chose it to so as to not offend his offer. Again I had a headache along with malaise and just a general bleh. Can't say I miss cooked food.
I've also indulged extensively in carbs. I took my wife for her first time to the Middle Eastern & Asian markets and stocked up on tasty foods (dried figs, dried red plums, dried sour plums, and the most delicious dark honeycomb). Following this we did some shopping at the store and I bought lots of fruit (persimmons, mango, papaya, kiwis, starfruit/carambola, cherries).
Far and away my favorites this time were the kiwis and starfruit/carambola. The cherries was also tasty, as always, but not as much as they usually are. I attribute this to the fact that these weren't local.
The persimmon was still tasty but got cloyingly sweet after just a few bites.
The mango and papaya were too starchy for my liking. They tasted OK but nothing I'd pursue again.
The dried fruits were all good but too sweet.
The honey was delicious in small amounts (really dark comb with a very heavy mineral-rich flavor) but anything more than a teaspoon worth was too much.
Surprisingly I did exponentially better with these foods than I did even a month ago. My indulgences were spread out from 12/17 until 12/26. I began with small amounts and ate progressively larger percentages of carbs over the next few days. At most I had two carb-based meals and one meat/fat based meal in a day.
I did note even on the first day that I got very sleepy an hour or two after eating the carbs. I even found myself passing out watching TV on the couch with the wife at night which I don't do eating raw-carnivorous.
I also noted a much greater volume in fecal bulk immediately. I went to the bathroom ~2-3 times a day and the volume was at least double, but frequently much more, what I pass eating raw-carnivorous. It all passed without issue though and I did not note an itching anus which I used to get when my Candida flared. I did develop increasing gas over the time I was omnivorous which had a very strong and unpleasant smell.
I noted a small hit to my mental focus but not as great as I have noted in the past. Since cutting out the carbs again I have noted it was a bigger hit than perceived. Still diminished from the past.
I did also note when shoveling snow on Monday (we had our first real snowstorm and got 18" of snow Sunday into Monday) that I had major inflammation in my finger joints which was a common problem in the past but had diminished greatly on raw-carnivorous.
Lastly I've got the itchiness on my skin back but my Tinea did not flare.
Ultimately my experience indicates that my Candida has been improving but still has a ways to go. Some day it does seem that I'll be able to indulge in fruit on a once-a-week or bi-weekly basis. Also the fruit is much better for me than the vegetables were the last few times. Probably due to the hydrating nature of the fruit.
Other than that stuff I'm just keeping on keeping on. Christmas was great with my wife, my family, and her family. We got each other lots of cool things (I'm not overly materialistic most of the year but I love the act of giving things to my loved ones and getting stuff ain't too shabby either :)) and had a great holiday. I think next year is going to be a "small Christmas" though where we get each other a couple smaller things. We're also talking about finding a family in need and giving them a Christmas. :)
I've got today and tomorrow to finish up here at work and then have off Friday through Sunday for New Years. ;D
Hope everyone is doing well. I pop in and browse every couple of days but haven't felt the urge to post much as of late. I'm still here though and doing well myself. Happy New Years everyone. :)
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Still dabbling in the carbs even though I've moved to doing it usually on a Friday or Saturday night. I'm intrigued as the longer I do this the less negatives I seem to be having from them and I don't have huge cravings for them.
The raw honeycomb seems to work fine in small amounts (1/2 teaspoon with my meat/fat at a meal, beyond that I get sleepy/spacey).
Fruits can result in more noticeable negatives including gas, constipation, diarrhea, spaceyness, sleepiness, and itching. Different fruits have different thresholds.
I'm not sure if I will be going back to full ZC or if I will stick to VLC. The test will be athletic performance this spring.
Of note I'm up to 187/188. The added weight appears to be either fat or water as a result of the added carbs. I will see if this results in easier mass gains in the spring as well.
I tried a frozen Durian over the weekend. I'm one of the minority that is not truly repulsed or enamored with the fruit. It smelled bad and tasted sweet yet oniony (as Sully mentioned in the past). I do not feel compelled to buy one again. FWIW my wife was truly repulsed by the bit she tried.
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Oh yeah, and I don't feel compelled to eat a kiwi again anytime soon. I had what seemed to be a perfectly ripe one a couple weeks ago and it burned my mouth horribly. Felt like I was eating black pepper all night long. I don't know if it had pesticides or something else but it will be a long time before I have one again.
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I am feeling awesome lately. ;D
Started back up the push-up routine last week. Knocked out ~600 in 4 days but put it on hold Friday/Saturday/Sunday as I could feel I was pushing myself too hard after a couple months of less than optimal exercise. I was strangely feeling it most in my abs but also some in my shoulders. I'm going to do some bench presses and chin-ups this week (I'm think 3 sets of 5 on the bench presses Monday and Thursday) and get back to the push-ups next week. I'm also working on my abs some this week so they're up to the task.
It was nice out yesterday so I went for a walk. Went up a road up a mountainside down the street. ~2.5 miles at maybe a 45* incline. After I got back on flat ground I jogged a bit then broke into a full out run. I missed that exhilaration but I'm glad I get to start back up in earnest again soon. I've been reading "Born To Run" and it has me wanting to get back out there and enjoy every second of it. :D
Since last week my food intake has gone up tremendously. I went from a little over 1 pound of meat a day to 2-3 pounds a day. It's pretty much all getting used to. Saturday was 1 1/3 pounds of ground bull, 1/3 pound suet, a bit of honey, and another 1 1/2 pound beef tongue.
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so then which fruit(s) work best for you? and how low are you carbs?.. like one piece fruit or honey with meat meal?
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so then which fruit(s) work best for you? and how low are you carbs?.. like one piece fruit or honey with meat meal?
To be honest, in hindsight, no fruit really works well with me. Each time I'd eat a type by itself it went right through me. Only when combining types did I seem to tolerate them better and this appears to be because they would bind me up as opposed to getting quick diarrhea. I haven't tried fruit again in a couple weeks and I feel better.
I also apparently understated my honey consumption. It's actually a half tablespoon of comb. Still not a lot but significantly more than the 1/2 teaspoon I mentioned earlier. I have this with my dinner meal and it seems to do me good.
I have noticed that the Tinea on my skin is flared and is itchy. I'm contemplating whether starving whatever yeast/fungus is inside of me is any better of a choice than trying to find a way to coexist. For now I'm doing well with a bit of honey but we'll see how I do over the long haul. I'll change it up again if I have problems. :)
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I spent last week doing another run of the push-up routine. Set of 30 to start the week. Ended yesterday with 1550 for the week, 504 was my highest one day total on Friday. I was pretty sore on Saturday and Sunday so I'm going to do less this week (pull/chin-ups and a couple sets of push-ups to failure) and pick up the routine again next week. :)
On another front my wife and I planted some fruit plants yesterday. We've got an fence for our turtles around the pond I built so I planted two cherry trees, two blueberry bushes, and 30 strawberry plant rhizomes so they can naturally graze outside and we will have lots of fresh fruit.
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Pro-Tip: Avoid black mold like the plague if you suspect you have any fungal issues.
We had the pump for the house leak (loose pet-cock) unnoticed for a couple days which resulted in water damage in our bathroom. When removing the paneling on a couple walls at the shower to find the extent I found a bunch of black mold. Stupidly removed the paneling without a mask and must have inhaled some of the spores (I've been using a mask since then) which resulted in severe brain fog and disorientation similar to what I get when eating sugars but greatly heightened. That happened Thursday night and I still feel off even though I'm slowly mending. Black mold is no joke. :o
I was doing really good before Thursday. Lots of energy, regular exercise, great focus. Hopefully by next weekend I'll be feeling myself again.
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Part of my job is mould testing, I would definitely be fully suited up with coveralls, gloves, respirator and then attack with white vinegar once panelling is removed.
Black mould is no joke. It makes me really ill. You also have to worry about VOC's produced by the mould. So if it's really bad have a respirator with an organics cartridge.
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voc=??
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Volatile Organic Compounds, you should know that one, aren't you in that industry?
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Part of my job is mould testing, I would definitely be fully suited up with coveralls, gloves, respirator and then attack with white vinegar once panelling is removed.
Black mould is no joke. It makes me really ill. You also have to worry about VOC's produced by the mould. So if it's really bad have a respirator with an organics cartridge.
That's what I wore for the rest of the removal. I sprayed it down with a bleach based spray a removed it when thoroughly wet so I didn't release more spores. Not sure if the respirator had an organics cartridge but it worked great.
The walls are fixed, floor tiles are all ripped up and changed, all we've got left is to prime and paint. :)
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Oh, I feel much better today than yesterday. RPD is definitely helping me bounce back quicker than I would have.
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lol, not exactly, but i still should have known :D
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Had my first testicle yesterday. The farm sent one of it's stud bulls off to slaughter after a long life and they asked me if I wanted one (they ate the other). We picked up our food on Saturday and I had a 1 1/2 pound testicle waiting for me.
Let me preface this by saying if the look/feel of tongue puts you off from eating it testicles aren't going to be a treat. I'll eat most anything at this point and I was still a bit taken aback.
I cut the ends off so there was just the meaty center left. Next I peeled the out skin off the inner meat. When finished I had close to a pound of meat left. It's weird looking stuff; looks a lot like chicken (a bit darker) but feels like a scallop. Smells kind of gamey and has some of that in the taste. It's kind of like liver in texture when eaten. I wasn't a huge fan but it was a fun experience. My wife had a bite too.
FWIW I saw them eat cow udder on a TV show (Bizarre Foods) so asked the farm to see about securing an udder with their next slaughter. We'll see if they can. :)
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I wanted to share that my wife has been slowly moving towards a mixed paleo diet as she determines what foods cause her problems and which she does well with. At the moment she is eating ~90% carnivore; mostly truly pastured chicken and ground beef from the farm we frequent as well as wild fish (tuna and swordfish are her favorites). She does have some fruits and vegetables but has pulled back on these as she's trying to figure out which work well for her.
We also began exercising together. We started with bike rides on a local trail which has gentle inclines/declines and have ridden ~18 miles on our longest ride. We also ride on the road which is much more strenuous (6 mile cap so far) and have begun to run in the mornings (~3/4 of a mile of running at most so far).
She has in total lost roughly 50 pounds since changing up her diet and adding in the exercise. She's also so much happier and confident which is wonderful to see. The best part is, as many of you know, that feeling really good is great incentive to keep it all up. I'm proud of her. :)
PS-She tried on her wedding dress again last night (we got married roughly 3 years ago). Not only did it fit without a corset like she had at the wedding but she was swimming in the extra material. ;D
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I'm proud of her. :)
me too :D
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Good for your wife. I'm glad to hear that you're being such a good influence.
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Time for another update:
Continuing to exercise regularly. We joined the gym a couple weeks ago and have been doing cardio after work. We're going to start some light strength training exercise this week or next as well (the room we work out in has a Nautilus circuit which should be sufficient for most of what I care about but I can go to another room for free weights if/when I want to go bigger). The only real downside is by the time we get home from the gym it's 7 something at night.
I'm still continuing to eat 100% RPD. I indulged in some honey and some dairy on my vacation the beginning of this month and it flared the Candida up really bad. I'm not even going to bother deviating from eating how I do anymore as it's always such a setback if I do. Hopefully I'll be feeling 100% by October.
My wife is still making great progress. She's down another 10 pounds and feeling great. We're hoping having the gym membership keeps her motivated to keep the progress up over the winter. She's got a long list of things she wants to do next year if she loses enough weight (including horseback riding & skydiving) so we want to keep it up.
That's all folks. :)
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I forgot to mention something that cracks me up. My wife and I had stopped with my In-Laws at Arthur Avenue in the Bronx on Saturday (after spending the day with them at the Bronx Zoo) and were looking around at the meat markets. We found some "Wild Boar" which we took home (the butcher didn't know what it's diet was so we took a chance-a few small bites and I knew it had been reared on grain so gave it away). After we got home my wife remarked how she was disappointed that they didn't have testicles as she would have liked to have them again. :D
The market did have a nice selection. They had calf brain, 2 types of beef tripe, lamb tongue, as well as sundry other organs from sheep & cows. Unfortunately it was all grain-fed.
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The wife and I have been doing Nautilus circuit training for the last 3 (I think) weeks and I'm seeing very steady gains in everything. I personally think I'm seeing such good progress because I'm being very conscious of maintaining good form and performing the reps with slow & steady motions (art least a 4 count concentric contraction, hold for 2, 4 count eccentric contraction). I figure the weights only go to a certain point on these machines so I should get the most I can out of a set weight (and avoid injury at the same time).
I'm feeling really good with the regular weight training. Interestingly I've found that I'm not putting on weight (holding steady at 175) but I am steadily adding muscle mass and losing further pockets of fat I have on my body. Of course I'm only getting around 8 1/2 hours of sleep each night. If I got the full 10 that feels best I think I'd add some weight.
I spent some time this week on the rowing machine and damn is that a good workout. I'm really looking forward to more time on it.
I'm going to keep the circuit training up for 3 days a week for another couple weeks then probably add some true weights in at least one day a week. At least Friday nights so I've got 2 days of recovery before my next weight session.
On my wife's front she's doing fantastic with her weight loss. She's down to 259 (began the latest round from around 330 but was 380 at her heaviest a couple years ago) which is less than she weighed in 9th grade. She's also been so much more positive as it's come off and it's really just brought out a whole new person in her. She's more confident, happier, and has a drive for the future. She's already planning on skydiving next summer (:D).
Coincidentally my wife is also now eating 2 out of 3 meals a day raw. She eats a small breakfast of raw grassfed beef and a larger lunch of the same. She will usually have a cooked dinner (medium rare beef or fully cooked chicken/fish) but 2 out of 3 ain't bad. :)
Hope everyone else is enjoying life like we are. ;D
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All sounds good Dan
I dig on the rower myself. I have also found that although I don't often try to force-ably gain weight..that even my little efforts at 'carb-cycling' etc..will result in some temporary gain and i'll go back to my normal weight. I'm probably two lbs lighter than a year ago and 5lbs from two years - yet arguably more 'bulked up' visually. Definitely the heavy lifts will be a good thing to cycle in if that is a goal.
I also do better with higher amounts of sleep. For the last few months I moved (can't walk to work and have to get a ride in earlier than I like to on my own time) and have to get up way earlier (to an alarm) and it takes its toll for sure.
good to hear about your wife. skydiving....dam
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My best regards to your wife! I have similar statistics, and RPD delights me - for the first time in my life, I know I am on a sustainable path to a reasonable weight. I used to get a ride to the different buildings at work (doctor's orders), now I can walk with my co-workers, and they don't have to slow down for me. Please tell your wife I'm so happy for her.
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I dig on the rower myself. I have also found that although I don't often try to force-ably gain weight..that even my little efforts at 'carb-cycling' etc..will result in some temporary gain and i'll go back to my normal weight. I'm probably two lbs lighter than a year ago and 5lbs from two years - yet arguably more 'bulked up' visually. Definitely the heavy lifts will be a good thing to cycle in if that is a goal.
Earlier this year I did experiments with honey and found that adding a little bit into my diet did result in an ease of mass increase but I had two things which discouraged me. First, the honey fed the fungus in my system to the extent that I was backsliding in progress on it's remission. Second, I only retained the weight when eating something with sugars (honey, fruit, etc.) so it was never sustainable when I wanted to eat VLC/ZC which makes me feel best mentally.
Sleep seems to be almost as useful for building the same mass. When I get enough I add bulk quicker but it's leaner and more solid mass than when I have carbs. It unfortunately slowly ebbs if I don't continue to get ~10 hours of sleep.
Honestly, I'm really happy with how I'm putting on muscle and strength so far. It's not nearly as showy as lots of the other guys at the gym but seeing the weights these guys are tossing around (most are less than me with many about 2/3 of what I'm doing) and their bad form (really slow controlled motions takes so much more strength) makes me feel really good about how it's all coming together. Granted, this is circuit training versus heavy weights.
I also do better with higher amounts of sleep. For the last few months I moved (can't walk to work and have to get a ride in earlier than I like to on my own time) and have to get up way earlier (to an alarm) and it takes its toll for sure.
I'm OK with the alarm most days but it's going to bed much later than the sun going down that messes me up. My body is naturally happy to go to sleep when it gets dark and up when it gets light. Now that it's getting dark at 7ish and we don't get to bed until 9 at the earliest I just don't feel as good. It'll get worse I'm sure as the winter rolls on.
good to hear about your wife. skydiving....dam
I know. I'm scared to death of heights myself but I'm beginning to think I might jump with her. You only live one. :)
My best regards to your wife! I have similar statistics, and RPD delights me - for the first time in my life, I know I am on a sustainable path to a reasonable weight. I used to get a ride to the different buildings at work (doctor's orders), now I can walk with my co-workers, and they don't have to slow down for me. Please tell your wife I'm so happy for her.
I've noted your progress on here and have noticed many similarities as well. I'm glad that you're finding as much success and improvement in your life as she is. :)
I'll pass along your congratulations. ;)
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We went and had simple body assessments done at the gym yesterday. They used calipers to determine body fat, took our weights for BMIs, and did our measurements.
I am happy to say that I am now squarely in the healthy body fat area now as opposed to where I was a couple years ago. Using the calipers, which are obviously not the best tool for it, I was calculated at 16.9% bodyfat. A big difference from the very unhealthy ~5% bodyfat I was back in 2006 (the last time this was calculated). I was around that same percentage for most of 2006-2009 with some fluctuations up when gorging on allergenic foods. One of my big fears eating as I do was would I put enough bodyfat on to maintain healthy reservoirs. I guess the answer is yes. :)
My BMI was ~22%. All numbers & measurements were upper "fit" or the highest, "excellent", categories. The only number the trainer felt I could work on was my abdominal measurement (I think it was ~34" or 35" whereas my waist was 32"). She said I should focus on core and try to take an inch off off it over the next 12 weeks.
I mentioned to my wife on Saturday that I'm going to set some longer goals for the weights. I think I'm going to shoot to press 2x my bodyweight which would put me at a 350 pound press. I guess I should think of some others bu to be honest I'm still so "green" with most freeweight exercises I don't know where to start or what to aim for. I'm going to have to read through a bunch of the exercise sub-forum to get more familiar with things.
Oh yeah, diet. :)
I've decided that rather than eat a bunch of organ here or there as the mood (and stocks) allow I will be buying those organs my farm has and making my own organ mix. I'm going to coarsely grind them in a food processor and freeze as "organ cubes". I'll thaw one out each day and toss it in with my lunch or dinner. If I find myself not craving them I'll skip them for a day or two.
This is all as a result of what has been my most noticeable complaint about how I eat now. My night vision has gone to shit while driving, particularly on rainy nights, and I think getting more organs into my daily diet might remediate this.
Be excellent to each other. 8) ;D
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X2 Bodyweight benchpress is quite a goal!
How about
x2.5 BW Deadlift
x2 BW Squat
x1.5 BW Benchpress
These are 'advanced' lifting numbers. The deadlift will work the hell out of your core.
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Those three things: bench, squats, deadlift, along with a few other things like overhead press, pullups etc.. seem to make up most of what one would need. Perhaps jumping directly in is not necessary. If you want I might be able to come up with some other routines that wouldn't involve those heavier lifts..which do require alot of attention to form.
Presently I can do 1.5 x BW Bench, 2 x BW deadlift, and probably only 1.5 x BW squat (with good form). I've got up in the high 200's with a smith machine (racked weight bench) and big guys look at a guy like me (at my size) like its fairly alien. Just to get an idea.
My 'strengths' seem to be with some of the other stuff, like heavy dips, pullups, climbing, speed, short-medium term level endurance, and flexibility.
Pretty happy with that. Doubt i'll ever get too much bigger/stronger without some shift in diet. Of course I have no idea though..and do seem to always make steady gains.
kudos for getting to bed so early. I still like the night life I guess.
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That sounds good for a solid basis. A minimum of exercises but they do work a fair amount of the body.
3 sets of 8-12?
I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do.
I know the bench press is going to start out weak as the last time I did them it was pretty low (low one hundred something).
Deadlift should be decent. I know I'll have to start low as my core isn't very well developed yet but it should increase quickly.
I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do on the squats. My legs are far and away the most developed part of my body. I don't think 2X bodyweight is going to be that unreasonable to shoot for.
Oh yeah, the other long term goals are more bodyweight oriented:
Handstand push-ups
One-Arm chin-ups
Dragon Flags
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yeah I don't think its unreasonable. Its just a matter of time, and effort.
deadlift requires alot of core, but is also the best for core. I'd do lower weights (concentrating on form..but higher reps) and pullups to build up. my favorite thing for core is box jumping (up and down on a box, wall etc...) search 'hollow rocks' for another good core thing as well as 'round the world planks' which is also great for core and comliments push-ups , burpees, and bench well for chest.
All my figures were 1RM. if I was working deadlifts..its might be 10 x 225 or something.
For squats I would recomend front squats or 'zercher' squats (holding bar in pits of elbows)
You get a killer workout on these using far less weight than heavy back squats..of course those will always deliver the most full on strength gains. Front squats around 100 lb or zerchers ~ 160lb kill my legs plenty though. maybe ~ 15 reps X 3. Bodyweight squats mixed in with other stuff can work great too.
You need to be able to rack a barbell properly for the front squat, but its less weight so you won't run as much risk of injury.
the handstand pushups requires core as well, so hollow rocks etc..as well as something called 'wall running' can be used to get better at handstand push ups
shoulder press with barbell (or free weights) should help too.
other exercises like cleans, overhead squats are great too..but harder to get down maybe.
on your own with 'flag' dude. O0
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The "Hollow Rocks" looks like it'll be intense on my core. Definitely going to work that into a routine.
The "Around the World Planks" don't look particularly formidable but I'll give them a shot and see if I underestimated them.
I assume by the wall running you mean literally running up/along a wall? A la free running or parkour? I'm definitely game I just need to find a suitable space to do it in.
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Exercise is going great and I'm definitely seeing steady gains in muscle and strength. Unfortunately I'm not putting on any mass but I'm not losing it either so I guess I'll just end up ripped at 175 pounds. ;D
I tried to add a morning run, as well as morning/evening squats (4x25) and push-ups(4x10) to my routine but I've found it takes more out of my body than I have to give if I'm looking to have steady gains at the gym. I think it may be a glycogen deficiency but if I push to do all of that each day I find that I'm plateaued or I lose progress. I'm going to slowly work it in instead so I can get used to it and it doesn't deplete my reserves as much. Ultimately I'd like to go run a couple miles, do 4x50 or 4x100 of squats (2 in morning, 2 at night), and 4x25 or 4x50 push-ups each day on top of things. I should probably throw some pull/chin-ups in there as well. It's just a matter of slowly increasing my strength in areas so it's less taxing on me.
KD or others: Once I start with weighted squats do you recommend deep squats? There's lots of mixed thinking out there but I value the input you guys have as you're doing this and not getting hurt.
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Oh yeah, on the topic of exercise I've been reminded of how much vigorous exercise helps with my digestion. I've found that the days that I run in the mornings I'm more focused, want to consume more calories, and break down suet much more efficiently. I can consume, and use, roughly twice as much fat (by volume) on a day with strenuous morning exercise than on days without. In fact if I try to eat more fat on a day without I usually end up with a stomachache.
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Another item I've noticed which I have to comment on:
I was performing my reps on something like a 4/2/4/2 count but I've slowed it down even further to more of an 8/4/8/4 count. It's a really slow controlled motion but it's really working well to build strength. The funny thing is I'm seeing these guys come in and fly through the circuit really jerky, quick, and definitely uncontrolled but when I get to their machines their weights are always less than mine and oftentimes by 25% or more. It's great fun to have a guy twice your size get worked up that your so slow on a machine, pass you, and then stare him down as you put the weight up on the machine he just struggled through (it's happened more times than I care to admit the past few weeks). :)
Eating carnivorously my muscles are markedly smaller at the same strength levels as others at the gym but I'm thinking this will be a really good thing in the long run. Less muscle to maintain means I'll need less caloric intake to keep things in maintenance. I also hope it means slower atrophy when I miss time at the gym.
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KD or others: Once I start with weighted squats do you recommend deep squats? There's lots of mixed thinking out there but I value the input you guys have as you're doing this and not getting hurt.
I basically do not do heavy back squatting often or deep back squatting. I do it when its part of a CF class but generally only go down as far as it feels comfortable. The teachers there are big on it regardless and yell at me, however I would recomend doing the same. If you want to do deep heavy squats get in touch with some people either at a gym or online that can coach you as sometimes it means mixing it up with other variables thats certainly over my head l) . Part of it also is getting a decent squatting rack which is rare in a conventional gym. If I had a home setup I would do deeper squatting at low weights. You can try an deep overhead squat with just a empty barbell and it will probably be hard as fuck. Is for me.
I concur about the weight thing. I'm certainly way more compact than the typical gym folk and in many cases burning up larger guys. Of course with the body-weight stuff, speed etc...its a huge advantage as well..so is not having to eat insane amounts of food as you say. I think the raw/health thing would factor into atrophy more than size though... Inactivity always killed me on a conventional (healthy) diet or raw veg...not to mention frequent colds and such which would always set back progress and I was certainly smaller than now. I really am not working out that much these days and only my strength gains seem to suffer at all with my strength and size remaining mostly the same.
My experience is the same for the hunger thing as well, which is why I deffinetly recommend heavy lifting and stuff for people transitioning. I agree to a certain extent with AV on how exercise could be potentially bad for healing..or outright unnecessary for some, but for me I found I couldn't even bring myself to eat much at all, overthink HCL or other issues if I wasn't exercising intensely..even when I felt like crap.
the wall running is in the HSPU position:
Handstand Wall Runs - an exercise demo from ZodBod.com (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTTEm0v3qrg#)
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the wall running is in the HSPU position:
Handstand Wall Runs - an exercise demo from ZodBod.com (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTTEm0v3qrg#)
That's going to kill me. ;D
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We went and picked up our food order yesterday.
I bought 1 pound of beef heart, 1 pound of beef liver, and 3/4 pound beef kidney. Quickly pulsed it in a food processor, mixed thoroughly, and froze individual Tablespoon servings. I had my first dose with dinner and I definitely noticed I was more full when finished and feel overall even more sated as the night wears on. We'll see how well I do with multiple days. :)
I went to the weight room at the gym Friday night. Did some upright machine simulating bench pressing (had no spotter to bench), did a squat machine, leg presses (machine-regular and deep knee), dips, and pull/chin-ups. My legs and ass are still sore. ;D
I've got one session with a personal trainer per what we get when we sign up at the gym so I'm trying to set it up for a Friday to get good one-on-one instruction with the different machines & free weights allowing me to start things off correctly.
I also had a good conversation with an employee at one of the hospitals I work with. We got talking about moccasins after he commented on my Soft Stars. Turns out he's been hunting for decades and working all the hides of what he kills to make his own clothing & shoes. He has a lot of great stories (his crowning achievement was he tracked a 408 pound bear barefoot then took it down with a bow he had made himself). He told me about Tom Brown Jr's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Brown_%28naturalist%29) training courses which he has attended multiple times and credits for much of what he knows in his tracking & outdoor abilities. After reading up about the classes (http://www.trackerschool.com/) I'm planning on eventually attending at least the standard class with my wife so we have a good base knowledge beyond what we've accumulated on our own. :)
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Couldn't you just chest-press with dumbbells rather than relying on a spotter to bench? Dumbbells use more stabilisiing muscles and offer greater ROM anyway.
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Couldn't you just chest-press with dumbbells rather than relying on a spotter to bench? Dumbbells use more stabilisiing muscles and offer greater ROM anyway.
I guess I could. I didn't really think about it but you're right. I'll give it a shot Friday. Thanks Miles.
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I bought some Calcium Bentonite clay tonight. I'm going to give it a go as a tooth abrasive and take some internally to see how I do with it. :)
The organ experiment didn't go well.
Too much liver in the mix made me have a noticeable flare-up of the Candida with general malaise and brain fog the next day. I also got bound up and had foul, mucus-filled stools for a couple days.
It's possible that it was a "detox" but I'm not convinced. I'm going to have just heart in a couple days and make sure that goes well. Then I'm going to do kidney on it's own and test that. It's just a bitch as liver is so nutrient dense. :(
We got our first snow tonight. Not much in the way of accumulation but it's definitely a harbinger of winter. I'm not looking forward to less exercise outdoors. I'm still going to try and get a run in each day I'm not doing weights at the gym but I expect to freeze my ass off. :D
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Brushed my teeth with the clay last night and this morning. They definitely feel cleaner. :)
I also drank some clay water last night. I added ~1/2 teaspoon clay into a half cup of water. Surprisingly my eyes were a little sore and I got a headache within a half hour of ingesting it. Woke up more tired than usual this morning with a little pain in the area of my liver. I've gone to the bathroom a couple times today but it's not really loose stools. I'm curious to see how long it takes for my stomach to equalize (not going to drink the clay tonight). The stools don't smell worse than normal, better actually, so I think it's doing me good. Interestingly I put on over a pound overnight which might be water weight or maybe somehow it's helping me put on lean mass?
I'm thinking that I will be performing a "cleanse" with the clay the week of Thanksgiving as I have it off and can keep in proximity to the toilet if necessary.
They're predicting anywhere from 6-15 inches of snow tomorrow into Sunday. Winter is here early. :)
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We got 7 inches of really heavy snow. Power went out Saturday around 10PM and is still out at the house. Never thought I'd be so happy to be at work. ;D
My wife brought her Ball Python to work today as part of her Halloween costume. Beats worrying about it freezing to death. :)
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We've got power. O0
Finally got power back on around noon today.
Going for a couple days without any power or heat really makes you appreciate these luxuries. Looking forward to a solid night sleep followed by a run in the morning and a really hot shower. :)
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Nothing too earth-shattering to report over the last month.
My farmer was running very low on my normal "old bull" ground so he cut me a deal on some other roasts he had which weren't moving well. I got 29 pounds of the old bull and the rest as roasts for this month and it's working out nicely for my meals. I've been having a meal of 1-1 1/4 pounds ground beef and ~1/3 pound suet chunks for lunch which digests quickly, is quick to eat so I don't get slowed down at work, and is calorie dense (I have 2-3 times the suet with this meal than I have with dinner). Dinner is a half a roast, on average 1 1/2 pound serving, along with a bit of suet. This isn't as dense in calories but works well for rebuilding/healing while I sleep. It's also very nice to have chunks of meat after having almost only ground for so long.
I've been making a conscious effort to keep well hydrated. I'm averaging between a half and a full gallon of water a day. There's a clear stop on water consumption so it's easy to get enough.
I've also been working on getting enough sleep every night. I'm locked into getting up no later than 6:30am for work so I need to make up the difference on the front end. As a result I've been trying, fairly successfully, to get to bed by 9pm each night. It's hard some nights due to my daily schedule (by the time my wife and I finish up the gym after work and get home it's 7:30 or later) but overall it's working well. The weekends really don't work out as well though (last night I went in at 11pm).
I've been going out running each morning. As it gets colder I'm less thrilled about it but the benefits I've found on my fat processing are too large to let some cold stop me. It'll be interesting in blizzards. ;D
The gym is going really nicely. I haven't been making it there for many of the "cardio" nights as they feel less important to me and I'm burned out after work. I don't feel bad about it though with running in the morning. I have been very consistent with weight nights. I'm still really just focusing on circuit training right now but do plan to eventually get to regular heavy lifting as well.
The wife and I are going to look at a used car today and hopefully start the process to buy it. We've been sharing the commute in a 1995 Toyota Tercel but it's got 283k miles on it and I have to keep putting money into it. We're going to look at 2007 Suzuki SX4 as it'll be really good in the snow, which we get tons of, but still fairly economical (we've got a Jeep for the really bad weather but it's far from what I'd call economical). Hopefully it's in as good shape as it looks and we can pick it up. :)
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Glad to hear about your progress. I always look forward to your updates.
My farmer was running very low on my normal "old bull" ground so he cut me a deal on some other roasts he had which weren't moving well.
My affordable-beef strategy is to buy the roasts that don't move well. My butcher sells them to me as sub-primal cuts at "grain-fed" prices, which is about $2/pound less than grass-fed ground, and a zillion dollars less than grass-fed steaks and roasts. I hang the whole section in the fridge so I don't have to freeze the meat. Uncut beef hangs and ages well, if you like it that way. I then buy throw-away trim fat from the "London broil" cut of round for 99-cents/pound.
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Glad to hear about your progress. I always look forward to your updates.
Thank you Eve. The feeling is mutual. :)
My affordable-beef strategy is to buy the roasts that don't move well. My butcher sells them to me as sub-primal cuts at "grain-fed" prices, which is about $2/pound less than grass-fed ground, and a zillion dollars less than grass-fed steaks and roasts. I hang the whole section in the fridge so I don't have to freeze the meat. Uncut beef hangs and ages well, if you like it that way. I then buy throw-away trim fat from the "London broil" cut of round for 99-cents/pound.
I could source cheaper meats locally but the quality from this farm is second to none and we're friends with the owners so want to support them as much as we can.
The "old bull" is $5 a pound and the suet is $4 a pound so my food averages ~$4.75 a pound. It's not as cheap as supermarket meat but it's worth what I have to spend. Still cheaper than a meal from a fast food joint or deli.
I'd love to hang a slab of meat in the fridge but my wife's not at that point yet. She's OK with my meat in a container or a small cut on a plate but nothing hanging yet. :)
The wife and I are going to look at a used car today and hopefully start the process to buy it. We've been sharing the commute in a 1995 Toyota Tercel but it's got 283k miles on it and I have to keep putting money into it. We're going to look at 2007 Suzuki SX4 as it'll be really good in the snow, which we get tons of, but still fairly economical (we've got a Jeep for the really bad weather but it's far from what I'd call economical). Hopefully it's in as good shape as it looks and we can pick it up. :)
We left a deposit on the car today. It's in really good shape and has been well maintained. The owner has a 140 mile round-trip commute each day so it's got ~100k miles on it but it's almost all highway. Runs, drives, and stops perfect. We're excited to finish up the paperwork (he needs to contact the financing company on the car and get a release of lien letter) and get it home. Should be here by Christmas. :)
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I'm indulging some food for Christmas that I wouldn't normally eat. Most of it's of the cooked paleo variety but I picked up a bottle of GT's Cherry Chia Kumbucha (http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/synergy_kombucha/Cherry_Chia) and I had to share how good this stuff is.
I went through a phase 3-4 years ago where I was drinking a bottle of GT's every day (both plain and the green) but I cut it out because I found it bothers my Candida. I saw this though and gave in (I love Cherry and was intrigued by the Chia).
This stuff is weird going down. It's kind of like tapioca tea where the chia has softened some and has a slimy coating around it. Actually it kind of seems like drinking frogs eggs; tasty, tasty frogs eggs. :D
The bite of the kombucha is slightly milder than the plain variety. The cherry juice further tempers this just a bit. It tastes like a lime-cherry spritzer.
I recommend you guys try it if you see it. It's raw if not 100% paleo. They've got grape and raspberry too. :)
I doubt I'll be on between now and Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. Hope you all get to spend some quality time with those you love. ;D
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I've been pretty lax the past month. I did spend a couple days eating more of a cooked paleo diet around Christmas and then got back to raw. It's amazing how much better you feel when you start eating raw again. I did notice I was tolerating cooked food a little better than before but I'm sticking with raw. :)
I missed a month of the gym. My wife and I were sick just before Christmas and then I was off for a week and a half of vacation so didn't make the half hour drive to my gym. After a couple weeks of getting back into work we made our way back to the gym a couple weeks ago. My numbers went down a little bit but not too much. Last week I started pushing things back over past limits. I've also fond that rather than the really slow reps each time I feel better doing real slow reps one night and quicker but heavier reps the next visit. Maxed out one of the machines on the circuit (thigh machine) and closing in on maxing out the leg press (went from 350 to 370 in one week, max is somewhere between 450 and 500 on this machine). No significant gains in mass but I'm happy with the strength increases.
I've also added one thing to my diet and I'm getting a big benefit from it. I ordered some of the fermented cod liver oil from Dr. Ron's. Everything(focus, energy, digestion, bounce back from eating things I shouldn't) just seems to work better with a little bit of the oil each morning (I'm taking one 2ml dose each day). I haven't noticed any gastrointestinal issues with it so it's definitely staying in my diet. I have noticed my blood is a bit thinner but not dangerously so.
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Wow, been a little while since I posted here. Not much to say really though. Still eating raw carnivorously. Been getting to the gym semi-regularly (probably 2-3 days a week). I've also been biking a lot more recently which, as usual, makes everything work better.
I feel bad that I don't stop in here much anymore but much like raising children you know you're doing it right when they fly the nest. :D
I hope everyone else is doing well. :)
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I forgot to mention my wife is doing really good as well.
She's had some issues staying on course with her diet on weekends, either by choice (the girl scouts were selling cookies a couple months ago) or through experimentation (strawberries are apparently not her friend). Consequently she's about the same weight she was back in January (~253 today). We're still experimenting with foods for her to add variety but she's doing a lot better not eating things she knows she has issues with.
We also went to the doctor's and had her blood work done. Everything was in acceptable range except for her folate level (1.5 ng/mL) and her cholesterol (44 HDL, 157 LDL, 223 Total). Triglycerides were fine though (110).
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I got my ass seriously kicked by some sort of bug last month. Like many others I'd found that I rarely came down sick with anything and when I did it was usually gone in a day or two.
Whatever I got sick with this time must have incubated for a enough time to get rooted because when I started to feel sick it took a lot to get rid of the infection.
I started to feel under the weather on a Sunday night. I woke up Monday and I could barely swallow. Throughout the day the worst sinus infection I've had in decades reared it's head. I spent the first 4 days home sick trying to fight it with bed rest, lots of water, and sticking to my normal diet.
By Thursday with no improvement on how I was doing I resorted to antibiotics (Cipro) and widened my diet (chicken stock and fresh fruit) in hopes that it might help me get better.
By the end of the weekend the mucus had gone from yellow to off-white. I was also feeling ~40% (up from the ~20% I had been down to).
I spent the next week working and eating my normal diet again but the mucus started getting yellow again. I went on another run of antibiotics (Zithromax) to try and beat it again which seems to have worked. I'm still dealing with a lingering cough and now I've got post nasal drip but I'm thinking this might be from the decimated gut flora.
I need to work on getting more organ meats into my diet. I'd also like to see if I can find something other than just meat/fat which sits well. I'm concerned at this point about hedging my bets. Straight raw carnivore worked well for ~3 years but I'm concerned about the fact that I needed something more than just diet to get over being as sick as I was.
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On the good side I just got a new bike. 29" single speed mountain bike. I should get to go on a long ride this weekend to see how it rides but it's been great on short rides around the neighborhood.
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too bad you didnt wait the cold out. i definitely had a super gnarly flu from working as a temp in an office where people where had mandatory vaccinations. i stuck it out for 2 weeks and a few years later when i worked in another office where people were mucus bags for months through rounds of antibiotics i was only sick one day and pretty much chugged a gallon of orange juice and was alright. no flus since.
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glad you are feeling better my friend :) i guess if your digestion is off you know what you need to do to overcome the effects of antibiotics.
did your wife get sick too? send her a hello!
if you make some progress from meat and fat i'd be curious to know. i seem to do great with meat and fat except on days i workout i need more. i can tolerate raw honey ok digesting, but it makes me crazy!... to much energy, anxiety and it's too hard for me to only eat a tiny bit.
i'm doing very well with organs these days too thanks to inger, lol. i've advanced from dog food to whole organ in the kitchen and a pair of scissors. :D
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glad you are feeling better my friend :) i guess if your digestion is off you know what you need to do to overcome the effects of antibiotics.
Thanks. :)
My digestion is doing pretty good now that I'm eating my regular. We'll see how it goes.
did your wife get sick too? send her a hello!
Surprisingly she didn't get sick. I was thankful for that with how miserable I felt.
I'll say hello for you. :)
if you make some progress from meat and fat i'd be curious to know. i seem to do great with meat and fat except on days i workout i need more. i can tolerate raw honey ok digesting, but it makes me crazy!... to much energy, anxiety and it's too hard for me to only eat a tiny bit.
I'll definitely post how I do. It's a scary step back in the other direction. I'm probably going to stick to my "safe" foods for a couple weeks and then give a little berries a shot.
i'm doing very well with organs these days too thanks to inger, lol. i've advanced from dog food to whole organ in the kitchen and a pair of scissors. :D
Way to go. ;D
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My wife and I just got back Saturday from a trip to Florida. We flew out for a week and got to see a bunch of family we had not visited with in years. Just a great trip and a solid reminder than there are other things to nourish the body & mind in life just as important as food, water, and exercise. :)
I did come up with a fantastic trick which sat fine and make travels exponentially easier. I took a bunch of my ground meat and dried it out in a dehydrator for around 3 days. Pulverized it into a powder with a food processor and then added raw suet (and I put a little sea salt) and pulsed it a couple times to combine. You're looking for roughly the consistency you would use to make a graham cracker pie shell. I took this, scooped out portioned sizes into the smallest Ziplocks (sandwich size) I had and formed it into logs. Froze them solid overnight and packed them in my suitcase. I didn't even bother to keep them cold after the first night we were there and the couple I had left over when we got back are still good. You could make these and hike for days with no problem. ;D
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I guess it can be a good sign when people post less and less in their journals? In my case it means all is going good. Still eating RAF, going to the gym, and living positively. Hope everyone else is doing well. :)
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i like the suet and jerky log idea. i'm gonna have to try that for sure. i usually just take a bunch of jerky and some dried raw suet or some raw butter or coconut oil for fat.
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Wow, has it really been over sixth months since I posted here?
Same old, same old to report.
I've been more lax with going to the gym the past couple months opting to ride my bike. I've noticed the impact this has had on muscle so plan to get back to the gym a couple days a week to use some weights.
I've also had a couple short goes with less paleo foods but each indulgence further builds conviction to stick with raw paleo. Life is just miserable eating anything SAD.
I do want to broaden my diet from just raw meat so I have options if meat isn't available but it's going to be a slow road getting there.
The Candida flares back up with any small amount of carbs so while zero/very low carb contains the Candida it doesn't address the issue. I'm going to work on finding some pro-biotic foods which I can tolerate then work on attacking the Candida slowly. Ultimately I'd like to end up still eating low carb but having some home grown or wild berries and some veggies (like onions and garlic) in my diet.
That's about it. :)
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dan!! :D you are missed :)
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Thanks Ioanna. It's good to see some of the familiar faces each time I stop back in. :)
I'm glad to read you're making progress on your side. You go girl. ;D
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dan!! :D you are missed :)
Yes, you are !
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Yes, you are !
Thank you Iguana. :)
How has life been treating you?
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It's been ok, I recently moved to SW Portugal in a nice location, a few km away from the Atlantic shores. There's a colossal choice of seafood here and plenty of good fruits. Feeling somewhat lonely, though.
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Well, I'm still alive but life has been very interesting this past year.
My sister-in-law was in a nearly fatal car accident at the end of August last year. We've had her two kids (5 &7 when they moved in) as well as her dog since then. Her hip isn't healing like it's supposed to so she's going to get that done this fall and we'll have them another school year. It's been a big adjustment going from a couple complacent in a marriage without kids to parents of school age children. It's a lot of work but has been nice. :)
I've been horrible eating right while they've been here. It's a lot harder when you have food readily at hand. I've also developed quite a fondness for coffee to help on the days I'm running a sleep deficit which compounds my personal craving for foods I'm allergic to. I cycle through a while of eating right then slip up for a while then right the ship. It's been getting better the longer I stay at it but it's a lot harder with the food in the house. My hats off to those who maintain this way of eating while preparing SAD meals for others.
Hope everyone else is doing well. I miss you guys and gals but I haven't had time to visit on here as I did before kids. Work has dropped back some in hours so maybe I'll be around a bit more frequently. :)
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Having young kids in the house is great! The vibration and sounds and squeals of young children.
Try to get your sister in law some BF&C
http://oldfashionedspices.com/index.php?l=search_list&s (http://oldfashionedspices.com/index.php?l=search_list&s)[title]=Y&s[short_desc]=Y&s[full_desc]=Y&s[sku]=Y&s[match]=all&s[search]=bf%26c
Ask Barefoot Herbalist MH how it is used:
http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=626 (http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=626)
Of course if you are lucky and convince her to go on raw meat like what Aajonus did to his son, that will help.
If she hasn't seen a chiropractor, she should get that opinion as well aside from medical... they are too different not to get the opinion of the chiropractor.
Get a bio medici magnetic pulser.
It will electro magnetically kick start healing.
At maybe only 1 hour a day.
http://www.healingrainbows.com/biomedici.html (http://www.healingrainbows.com/biomedici.html)
http://www.biotransmed.net/ (http://www.biotransmed.net/)
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I'm not a negative person GS but there's no point offering anything for my sister-in-law. She's not one to be at all proactive in her recovery. She'd much rather put others out of their way and garner pity for her condition. :)
The kids are wonderful. They do bring very positive energy to the house. We're also doing all we can to give them positive reinforcement and help them learn the life skills they will never receive at home. They're thriving here with structure and love. :D
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Still kicking. :)
Lots of ups and downs in my diet. Having more options in the house has made it harder to stick to what my body needs. I find I do good for a week or two then slip up a meal (or three) and start it over again.
I've been dealing with a bout of (self-diagnosed) bursitis in my knee the past couple days. I think it's a combination of twisting it awkwardly doing work outside complicated by frequent inflammation and the extra weight I'm carrying. Hoping it's the impetus I need to stay on track.
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You might want to try doing some acupressure on the opposite knee. It works well, and is not as painful as working on the affected side. Keeping the knee elevated when you lie down can help.
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How are you handling carbs these days? Have you tried P5P or resistant starch?
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Just took a week off of the gym and it settled down.
I haven't had a long enough run of sticking to the diet to accurately gauge how I'm handling carbs.
I have noticed that while eating pseudo-RPD That I feel OK with some carbs. I can't speak to it being diminished recognition on a "dirty" diet or doing better with certain foods.
I'm going to eat simple and clean for a couple weeks then give some things a shot. I really want some carbs back in my diet if I can find a way to do it. One of my biggest gripes going really low carb was the time it took to recover from heavy anaerobic exercises. I'm hoping to find some glucose sources less taxing than gluconeogenisis to recoup glycogen.
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After two years of very stressful insta-parenting (my wife and I had to take in my niece and nephew after their mother had a bad car wreck and a long road to semi-recovery) I've been working to get back on track the last 4 months or so since the kids went back to their mother.
It hasn't been easy to get myself back on track but the last month has been 100% raw paleo barring the odd cup of coffee. Two-ish weeks have been very low carb to get my yeast issues back under control which is going well. Had a little liver tonight to see how it goes.
Taking down at least a gallon of water each day but I still find myself feeling "dry". Hoping to see this clear up as I continue to flush out years of accumulated gunk.
Again the gym and regular exercise have been instrumental in getting myself back into shape. Two weight circuits a week with normal speed one day and very slow deliberate 4-count movements the other day. The other days are stationary bike right now but I plan to get back into the rowing machine as well. I've been very deliberate with my movements to make sure I don't tweak anything and so far no significant pain in my knee.
The last thing I've done, which has had the most profound impact, is maintaining a daily gratitude journal. Each day I document 3 unique items I am grateful for. Once you consciously appreciate all of the small things to be grateful for the setbacks that can happen in life aren't that bad.
Back down below 200 (198), have about 70% of the energy I had before, and starting to get that focused clarity back which was so welcome. Happy to be back with you all. :)
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Dan!!!!! ;D
I was just thinking of you today, wondering how you're doing, and here you are! You must have heard me! :D
I haven't been here in a while, also something in my family, but glad to be back and glad to hear from you!
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Dan!!!!! ;D
Five exclamation marks. I guess you did miss me. Good to see you around here Ioanna. Hope you're doing well. :)
I was just thinking of you today, wondering how you're doing, and here you are! You must have heard me! :D
It's The Shining. Be careful with it though. With power comes responsibility. ;)
I haven't been here in a while, also something in my family, but glad to be back and glad to hear from you!
Glad to hear from you too. Hope the whole family issue has resolved itself. If you need another ear you know where to find me.
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Thought I would stop in and post an update.
The last 8 months since my last post have been pretty stressful and my constitution has not been great. Work had been ridiculously busy up through a couple weeks ago which kept me in the throes of an ongoing coffee addiction. This kept me flirting with other dietary choices which were poor for my body. Most of them being fruits, veggies, cooked meats, or dairy. To someone on a SAD diet I'm sure it would have been the epitome of self control but it's definitely not for me. Regular exercise also tended to fall to the wayside when I had to make the choice between pushing work out or taking care of myself. Hindsight's a bitch. :)
Work has settled back into a 40ish hour week (from 60+ most weeks) which is affording me the luxury of reevaluating all the damage I've done to myself. I've been getting out in the mornings for walks & jogs. I plan to go for a 14 mile bike ride this Sunday to kick start my ass into gear. Also slowly getting back into bodyweight exercises as we're giving up the gym memberships shortly. Food is on point though with two regular meals (12ish and 5ish) of raw suet and raw ground beef.
Short term goals are to do a water fast this weekend to kick-start my keto-adaption back to where it needs to be. Shooting to be running a mile or two each morning by next weekend. Tired of half-assing my way through a couple weeks and then getting sidetracked.
Oh yeah, we've been sitting in limbo on buying our first home the last three months. We're hoping to get word next week on closing date. The stress of that whole situation has not been helping things. The home is cool and my wife & I are really excited to move in. 2 level mid-century, with space for us to have people come visit, on 1.3 acres on top of a mountain ridge. And abutted on 2 sides by a 60 acre Zen Buddhist retreat. Definitely looking forward to a positive environment I can be a part of.
So what's everyone been up to?
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Oh yeah, I forgot the most important part (to me). I've been maintaining a gratitude journal for almost two years now. I've been chronicling three unique items I am grateful for each day as a means to foster gratitude in everyday life. It took a little bit of work at first but it's a very natural process now and I've found my general outlook changed from one of a somewhat pessimistic nature to a heavy optimism bias. A great side effect is that even with the reduced exercise and poor diet choices I really don't get sick. I'm excited to see how this all works out in conjunction with proper care for my body itself. :)
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We closed on our house August 4th and have been slowly settling ourselves in. The living level is mostly squared away but we still have a ton of boxes packed in our basement which we need to unpack and put away.
I have noticed an Aikido dojo in our town which I pass on my drive to/from work. I plan on starting classes in a couple more weeks once we have finished settling into our home. I have always wanted to start practicing a martial art but never spent much time reading up on Aikido. After doing some research on it the universe may have lined something else up for me in the right place at the right time (just like our zen buddhist neighbors). It certainly aligns with my personal spiritual and philosophical beliefs. We will see. :)
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I guess 18+ months between posts is a bit excessive. :)
Living life. Eating at least one meal a day raw and truthfully more often than not the second meal is. Just having a hard time sticking to 100% raw. When overloaded with stress from work or life I find myself reaching to more readily available calories like dairy or carbs. Since I have so many allergens this starts a cycle of cravings it takes time to work out of.
I've been doing a lot of reading on the far flung corners of the internet the past few years and have found an interesting kinship with many of the folks out there who have moderate to severe corn allergies. The prevalence of it in (and on) so much we consume is frightening. For example most meat processed in the US is cleaned/wiped down with a corn based vinegar and the soaker pads in the wrapped packages are soaked with corn derived citric acid. Ghosting groups who deal with these issues on a daily basis has given me a lot of insight which helps refine my daily approaches.
For those looking for a input on diet I'm eating two meals, one at 12ish, one at 6ish. 1/3 pound (150 grams) of a moderately fatty grass fed/finished ground beef and up to 1/6 pound (75 grams) beef suet fat. A couple dashes of Redmond's Real Salt as well. Most waters have corn additives in the form of salts or are in corn based plastics. I drink a gallon of water a day from the Poland Spring opaque gallon jugs (like milk jugs). Trying to figure out a way to use a more morally responsible water source but so far none are working for me including my tap. Also drinking a couple cups of coffee a day which I can tell my body does not like but it addresses the constant sleep deficit I run.
Light to moderate exercise at this time. If this goes up I'll probably need to bump the meals to 1/2 pound servings.
Currently overweight at 215ish pounds due to the coffee and the infrequent cooked meals both of which are leading to water retention. Cut both out for a couple months and dropped down below 200 but went back to the coffee when work picked up. For reference fighting weight is 185ish.
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And 20 months is even more excessive. :)
Been nursing a flare up of Gout in my foot the last week and thinking about getting all of my shit together as this is really painful. Currently 245 pounds with limited activity to work any of that off. I've eating 1-2 of my 2 meals per day raw zero carb but the meals which haven't been are not great choices. Most are at the far limits of cooked paleo but just barely.
I felt like I needed motivation to refocus my willpower. Spent a couple hours re-reading this journal remembering just how great I can feel living deliberately. I miss a lot of the old faces although it looks like many are no longer around.
I've been eating purely raw paleo the last 6 days. Also knocking back a ton of water to clear out uric acid. As soon as this foot can bear weight again it's back to the gym. Let's see just how powerful this way of eating can be with laser focus and a foot in my ass. 8)
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Time for another update. Not nearly as encouraging this time.
I had been struggling with the pain in my feet all of January right up to 2/10. I did try to clean up my diet to strictly zero carb raw paleo (grassfed ground beef and suet fat). I was in constant pain and nursing myself along with NSAIDS (Aleve), icing, and cream for gout. Not having insurance all of this was self diagnosed and addressed the best I could (really regret not going to a doctor sooner). The week before 2/10 was particularly busy and I got very little sleep, lots of coffee, lots of stress, just a perfect storm to crash my system. I spent the weekend fasting and then trying a couple other foods to see if something would help (squash, dandelion greens, beets).
I had what I believe was an acute reaction to histamines on February 10th. I hadn't had any of my meat since Thursday. I had a small meal the morning of the 10th and had all the hallmarks of food poisoning. Cold sweats, racing heart, nausea, disorientation. A number of the signs of an anaphylactic reaction. I felt miserable and had no idea why. After a lot of testing I've had a really good allergist diagnose it as a Mast Cell Activation issue. I haven't been able to eat my grassfed beef (or suet) without a flare and subsequent joint pain in my feet and ankles.
I've been trying to find other safe foods but I've basically been living on a dozen hard boiled eggs every day for the last two months. I think I pushed myself way to hard for way too long and the stress of that as well as dietary indiscretions and 6 weeks of NSAIDS may have wiped out my gut bacteria. A lot of the good bacteria help break down histamine as does DAO in the gut. If my intestinal lining is leaky right now it would explain the extra sensitivity. I'm working my way to try and heal up my guy and repopulate with good bacteria. Hoping the sensitivity lowers as things are healed. I'd love nothing more than to get back to eating raw paleo but it is definitely not working for me right now.
The other really difficult thing that has shown up with all of this is a severely heightened sensitivity to smells. This was slowly building before the acute episode (since at least November) but didn't present as a problem until this whole crash. Now different chemical or strong natural scents can give me trouble breathing, coughing, headaches, sore throat, brain fog, etc. It's not as bad as what I've read some others with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities deal with but it's still really difficult. I'm actually living with my parents right now as I can't deal with the smells at home. We have a dog who is mostly housebroken but did enough damage over the years that I can't tolerate home right now. We pulled all the carpet and OSB subfloor out already. We have an enzyme spray coming this weekend to try and get a handle on it. It's a real pain as I need to carefully research everything to avoid possible scent triggers.
Now looking for insight from the group.
Plan to use "Restore" which is a humic acid solution to help heal the gut lining as well as "Gut Pro" probiotics. Also thinking about using slippery elm to help feed things as a pre-biotic (dried me out some each time I took it but may be worth the discomfort). I have marshmallow root as well as may trial that. I also have N-Acetyl Cysteine to help build Glutathione. Any other recommendations?
As far as the chemical sensitivity I've picked up a copy of a Dynamic Neural Retraining Program. This may help based upon the concept that the sensitivity is from limbic damage in a "fight or slight" state which is reinforcing itself each time it's triggered. The program has exercises to encourage alternate pathways for the processing of the trigger scents and reduce or eliminate the physiologic responses.
Lastly, thoughts on the possibility of mold being a co-factor in this whole thing? We had a spot on our house where the gutter was leaking which caused a hole in the siding. Water got in and caused mold issues in our closets. We had visible fuzzy tan/green mold in our closets, bedroom, and a couple spots elsewhere with poor ventilation. We had a general contractor come out and repair the damage but in hindsight no proper containment was done and we didn't throw out anything that wasn''t mold damaged. This was maybe October.
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Hello djr,
did you ever look into vitamin b6 deficiency? There are some conditions in which the need for b6 is higher than for other people. I am asking because histamine reactions, mast cell activation syndrome, sensitivities, smell sensitivy is all very much related to b6 issues. Ground beef gives reactions to many people with these issues because beef itself is already aged and ground it gives even more surface for histamine buildup.
There is science about it, a not so uncommon issue. Depending on the root cause you will find other common nutrient deficiencies that might be involved in these issues.
Just in case you or anyone else ever considers the above as
ones own issue after researching or maybe even doing some testing on it:
If supplemented, the experts and experienced advice to use the p5p form of b6.
In general I think it is better to solve health issues with whole foods, but I came across more and more people and conditions which question if diet can solve it alone. Still, in my opinion, just with all supplements, caution and listening to the body is necessary.
Here on the forum I think it was PaleoPhil who reported in his journal of his experiences with p5p.
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Hello djr,
did you ever look into vitamin b6 deficiency? There are some conditions in which the need for b6 is higher than for other people. I am asking because histamine reactions, mast cell activation syndrome, sensitivities, smell sensitivy is all very much related to b6 issues. Ground beef gives reactions to many people with these issues because beef itself is already aged and ground it gives even more surface for histamine buildup.
There is science about it, a not so uncommon issue. Depending on the root cause you will find other common nutrient deficiencies that might be involved in these issues.
Just in case you or anyone else ever considers the above as
ones own issue after researching or maybe even doing some testing on it:
If supplemented, the experts and experienced advice to use the p5p form of b6.
In general I think it is better to solve health issues with whole foods, but I came across more and more people and conditions which question if diet can solve it alone. Still, in my opinion, just with all supplements, caution and listening to the body is necessary.
Here on the forum I think it was PaleoPhil who reported in his journal of his experiences with p5p.
Thank you Susadele. My folate (B9) was low when tested (2.4, low is around 4) so I've tried a multi-B which flared anxiety. I'll source just a P5P supplement and see if that's better tolerated. It's interesting in that I've wondered if part of the ongoing issue is anemia. B6 is a cofactor needed for proper red blood cell function. Thanks for the insight. :)
The full scope of the situation is we have confirmed a lot of mold in our home and are working on selecting a company to perform remediation. My wife, dog, and I are no longer living in the home as it is causing marked health issues.
I think I had been treading water dealing with it for a couple years (my guess is the "gout" I thought I had developed is related to inflammation from the mold) but as the mold spread to where we can see colonies it's releasing more MVOCs/Mycotoxins. This triggered development of chemical sensitivities which are turning out to be the most difficult aspect to address. I'm also convinced my gut is damaged/leaky and that's contributing to a Candida overgrowth also perpetuating the cycle. I've read some research indicating Candida may have a synergistic relationship with mold perhaps even feeding on the mycotoxins produced. Possible connections between it and aldehydes from chemicals in the environment too. My fungal skin issue (Tinea Versicolor) which flares when Candida gets bad has also been flaring after mold or chemical exposures.
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Ah ok, so mold probably is the main cause for your issues. Maybe working on that solves the problems and all my writing about b6 doesn't apply to you.
What form of b9 / folate was in that b-supplement? Oftentimes folic acid is used, but some time ago it was identified as harmful (a lot to read about it in the internet) which is why one should use a supplement with the natural form of b9 like folate or methylfolate, if one chooses to take a supplement at all.
The usual form of b6 in your b-complex supplement can also be harmful (again a lot of research about it in the internet). It takes the body a lot of other nutrients like zinc etc. to convert the b6 to its active enzyme form p5p. If you don't have enough of these other nutrients, it builds up in blood etc. Which is why usually p5p is recommended as a supplement. Anyway, just like everything, too much p5p in the cells can cause issues. Which is why I recommended caution with that as well, though it is largely well tolerated.
Did you research on why your b9 levels were low? I don't know about the accuracy of such tests though. Could it me mold related? Was your diet low in b9? Did you take other supplements, medications etc that decreased your b9?
And I'd probably research if the p5p could interfere with b9 status. Or if you are deficient in sth which is neccessary to increase b9.
Maybe you even crave some food high in a certain nutrient that could give you a hint and balance it all out again longterm.
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I tried Methylfolate from Jarrow brand. It didn't seem to help.
My diet had been fairly limited the last 10 years. It was a good quality grass-fed/finished ground beef with lots of supplemental suet from the same animals. The occasional organ meat as well. The last 5 years I've had varying degrees of success eating this way but also indulging in various SAD foods. I think the stress of work as well as the mold working on me in the background messed up my gut and made me crave more carbs. This would just perpetuate the issues I had prior to raw paleo (I believe there was issues with Candida as well as leaky gut and food allergies/intolerances).
With my diet basically limited to farm eggs at the moment I'm sure I'm getting deficiencies in a number of things.
I haven't found a good link yet on the low folate and how it is involved with mold. It is used to detox so that's probably the link.
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Hello djr,
did you ever look into vitamin b6 deficiency? There are some conditions in which the need for b6 is higher than for other people. I am asking because histamine reactions, mast cell activation syndrome, sensitivities, smell sensitivy is all very much related to b6 issues. Ground beef gives reactions to many people with these issues because beef itself is already aged and ground it gives even more surface for histamine buildup.
There is science about it, a not so uncommon issue. Depending on the root cause you will find other common nutrient deficiencies that might be involved in these issues.
Just in case you or anyone else ever considers the above as
ones own issue after researching or maybe even doing some testing on it:
If supplemented, the experts and experienced advice to use the p5p form of b6.
In general I think it is better to solve health issues with whole foods, but I came across more and more people and conditions which question if diet can solve it alone. Still, in my opinion, just with all supplements, caution and listening to the body is necessary.
Here on the forum I think it was PaleoPhil who reported in his journal of his experiences with p5p.
I'm going to source out the B6 now. Also a good zinc supplement. I've been reading through a ton of stuff and came across Pyyrole Disorder. I'm going to ask my primary if we can do a urine screen to check it out. It basically reads as a textbook for disparate health and mood issues I've dealt with since childhood. It's also directly proportionate with stress wherein elevated stress will lower your other stores until you crash. It also simply explains why I did so well on a muscle meat heavy raw paleo diet. Muscle meat is loaded with B6 and zinc. There seems to be dissension as to the validity of Pyyrole Disorder but it's worth a shot to see if it helps me feel better.
"The common clinical symptoms in patients with pyrrole disorder are anxiety (fear); poor stress tolerance; sensory hypersensitivity to light, sound, smell and/or touch; mood and emotional lability; social anxiety and/or withdrawal; poor dream recall; and commonly, explosive temper and aggression. Clinical signs are pale skin (china doll appearance), stretch marks, and white spots on the nails due to the commonly concomitant zinc deficiency. An adverse reaction to omega-3 fish oil can be an important piece of the past medical history raising clinical suspicion for the presence of pyrrole disorder."
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Still trucking but this shit's a bitch. Some days I don't want to wake up but that passes. I've lived through worse than this and I'll do so again. :D
Some thoughts on sulfur deficiency then my thoughts after. Both quotes are by Susan Owens who runs the "Trying Low Oxalates" group on Facebook.
The signs of sulfur depletion – An essay written in 2001 – Susan Costen Owens
I've been tucked away reading a whole new batch of papers on sulfur deficiency...these are from studies where they ON PURPOSE removed cysteine and methionine from the diet (some leaving 25% in and others taking it down to zero). Adverse results were very rapid and very curiously affected the immune system in exactly the same way as mercury toxicity is reputed to do: impairing natural killer cell activity and T cell function. One study talked about AIDS, a disease involving elevations of non-specific IgE like you see in mercury toxicity. AIDS involves a high urinary loss of sulfate just like autism. They found by supplementing n-acetyl cysteine, that much of the worsening of the disease that did not respond to the drugs we all have heard about could be averted. Success was measured by monitoring the functions I just mentioned in the immune system. In fact, the reason they started this therapy was that they had calculated from the amount of
sulfate being dumped in urine that their patients with AIDS were losing systemically as much as almost five pounds of cysteine from their systems annually. Yikes!
(Some people cannot tolerate N-acetyl cysteine, perhaps because their enzymes that make this conversion are arrested by elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor...a cytokine of inflammation. Several studies looked at alternatives to cysteine, including methionine and something with a long complicated name that goes by the trade name procysteine.)
One of the most measurable effects of sulfur deficiency (from many, many studies) was a loss of glutathione levels in organ systems, and for that reason a lot of the studies looked at ways to restore glutathione levels in various tissues after sulfur starvation. Glutathione is made up of three amino acids, and the critical one for its function is cysteine. The liver has been shown to be the last organ to get deficient in GSH during sulfur starvation, so it starts to horde sulfur in the form of cysteine within GSH. After a certain degree of systemic sulfur starvation, the liver itself will begin to release glutathione into the blood, actually raising the levels in the blood for the benefit of the other organs. This elevation of GSH in the blood is a marker of seriously advanced sulfur deficiency.
One of the most interesting studies found that if they added up the equivalent amount of sulfur that was missing from sulfur-deficient chow by adding in an equivalent amount of inorganic sulfate, then when the animals ate this sulfate-enhanced but sulfur-amino-acid-lacking chow, blood levels of sulfate remained just as low as before, and to their shock, every bit of that added sulfate was immediately dumped into the urine. This was from ORAL inorganic sulfate.
Other studies (many of them) found that inorganic sulfate added to the blood was quite effective at restoring systemic levels of sulfate and was very effective at protecting organs like the liver from sulfate starvation or the toxicity of drugs that require sulfate for detoxication.
Just to emphasize a point, inorganic sulfate added outside the gut apparently effectively restores sulfate levels, but it may not restore glutathione levels, for the body needs sulfur in the form of cysteine to make glutathione. Sulfate is one of several products of cysteine, and so are glutathione and taurine.
Putting this information together suggests that some sort of signal in the intestines is likely to regulate the action of the sulfate transporters in the kidneys. They must be turned ON and highly expressed in order to reabsorb sulfate properly, but having lots of free sulfate in the intestines experimentally turned these transporters OFF, by inference.
In autism, sulfate is being dumped in the urine instead of being reabsorbed DESPITE low plasma levels of sulfate...This means the transporters are mostly OFF, and that the usual rules for sulfate regulation have been broken. The dysregulation of the systemic sulfate regulation may be coming from an inappropriate signal from the intestines, and I think it is quite likely, considering other findings in autism, that the usual trigger for this inappropriate signal may happen when the intestines are inflamed. The cells of the intestine, and the ileum in particular shed sulfated GAGs during inflammation. These GAGS may be broken down by macrophages into
inorganic sulfate...possibly giving the body the impression that there is TOO much sulfate around in the intestines which could lead to an excess, so it needs to dump some.
A study found that if BAL or other sulfhydryl-containing drugs that have been found to diminish the toxicity of acetaminophen (supposedly by supplying the ingredients needed to make sulfate) were used in rats made sulfur deficient by diet, these drugs did not restore organ GSH levels rapidly, as they wished they would. But this same study only looked at very short term change (2 hours) even though other studies made it clear that the whole conversion process takes longer than that to go from cysteine or methionine all the way to a useful end product. Inorganic sulfate, in contrast, once it enters the blood in inorganic form is instantly
bioavailable for cells all over the body to use for detoxication or other sulfation purposes.
This same study also did not look at plasma levels of sulfate or organ levels of sulfate...organic or inorganic. There is some chance sulfate supply may be deemed more urgent than glutathione levels, and the sulfate pathway might have been getting preferential use of the sulfur in these drugs. Obviously, we need another study to iron out that issue, especially to understand all that may be happening when we use sulfur containing alpha lipoic acid to treat symptoms we are assuming are being caused by low-level mercury toxicity. The report I saw from the DAN consensus also casts some doubt that chelation is the only thing going on.
I found another most curious parallel. Last fall I read a study about some factory workers exposed to mercury on the job. They experienced a loss of color vision that was restored in the affected workers a year after they cleaned up the factory of mercury...This improvement came without chelation being in the picture at all.
What amazed me was a parallel study I've found (referenced below) which shows the very same color blindness occurring in simple sulfate deficiency when there was no exposure to mercury at all. In parallel, this color-blindness was completely reversed when sulfur levels were restored.
One thing this slew of studies convinced me of is that restricting sulfur amino acids in the sulfate deficient could really backfire UNLESS the equivalent amount of sulfur is restored in some other way that is tolerated. This chemistry is SO important that the body will break down muscle in order to supply the sulfur it needs when deficient, and this deficiency sets in only DAYS after the diet has been restricted of these critical amino acids.
In studies of imposed sulfate deficiency, the usual marker that indicates that some line has been crossed is when there begins to be either a dramatic weight loss or a failure to be able to gain weight, and a failure of young animals to grow. This type of sudden onset of rapid weight loss was something that happened to the Dartmouth professor who had dimethylmercury poisoning. She did not begin to have ANY SYMPTOMS WHATSOEVER until four months after her exposure to mercury, and her FIRST adverse sign was a rapid weight loss which was followed a full month later by neurological symptoms and then coma and death after they started chelation.
When the body borrows sulfur from its own proteins, it leads to having wimpy muscles, and the rest of the protein (the non-sulfur part) tends to be converted into glucose. If other things are still churning along nicely, but that glucose is not burned off, it can lead to weight gain in FAT at the same time as muscle loss. That may explain why my father who later was cachexic (rapid weight loss) was obese in middle age, and why my sulfate-deficient daughter in her infancy got fat AND hypotonic, and could not grow, all at the very same time. This also may explain why she skinnied down after we started her on regular epsom salts baths, started getting taller, and in the very same time frame began to develop muscle tone and muscle strength.
I do not know the cause of my daughter's sulfur deficiency, but I feel my homework after doing this study in the literature is to be sure that I cover the other angles of sulfur deficiency...ie., making sure that if she cannot use cysteine properly, that I somehow help her get GSH in her system, and that I also make sure she is not taurine deficient. These other important downstream products of cysteine may not be helped by the epsom salts baths.
References:
Eltjo J. Glatzenburg et al: Effects of variation in the dietary supply of cysteine and methionine on liver concentration of Glutathione and "active sulfate" PAPS and serum levels of sulfate, cysteine, methionine and taurine: Relation to the metabolism of acetaminophen. J. NUTR. 113:1363-1383, 1983.
Hartmut Jaeschke and Albrecht Wendel. Diurnal fluctuation and pharmacological alteration of mouse organ glutathione content. Biochemical Pharmacology. Vol. 34, no. 7, pp. 1029-1033, 1985.
Raoul Breitkreutz et al. Improvement of immune functions in HIV infection by sulfur supplementation: Two randomized trials. J Mol. Med (2000) 78:55-62.
Cavalleri A. Gobba F. Reversible color vision loss in occupational exposure to metallic mercury. Environmental Research. 77(2):173-7, 1998 May...." A dose-related subclinical color vision impairment was observed in Hg-exposed workers compared to the referents. Just after the survey, working conditions were improved. Twelve months later the workers were reexamined. Mean HgU was 10.0 microg/g creatinine and in no subjects was the BEI exceeded. Color perception was significantly improved compared to the first examination and, furthermore, no differences were observed between exposed workers and referents. The results add evidence that the color vision loss observed during the first part of the study was related to Hg exposure and, moreover, show that this effect is reversible.
Essay on the relationship between mercury toxicity and sulfur depletion - 2003
I think the reason for this is that the sulfur chemistry is very gradually depleted by the presence of mercury because of effects on transport. Mercury, which functions as an imposter thiol (but one that cannot produce the benefits of the real McCoy) ends up affecting reabsorption of thiols, disulfides, and sulfate, and keeps them from gaining access to the appropriate compartments in the body. This depletion comprises the very machinery cells use to manage sulfur, because it takes sulfur to manage sulfur. That's worth repeating. IT TAKES SULFUR TO MANAGE SULFUR. So, the more severe the deficiency, the more incapable the body may be to do the appropriate thing with sulfur when it finally gets some.
That is an awfully good reason to never let this problem get bad or worse...but I'm afraid the strategy of cutting out sulfur almost completely to avoid negative responses seen on higher dosages could be a formula for acquiring much more severe problems, and I want to emphasize that you can tell this is probably what is happening if you see ANY losses occurring in lean muscle mass or weight or growth.
So, I reemphasize that starting VERY LOW with sulfur supplements and gradually increasing the dose may be the way to go if you have been severely depleted. The measure of severe depletion, again, is the loss of lean muscle mass, failure to grow if you are a child, and an inability to gain weight in a fashion that is appropriate to your age.
There appear to be some conditions of sulfur deficiency which encourage the loss of lean muscle mass but which do not involve the loss of fat. That may may occur because of excess gluconeogenesis (using protein to make sugar) and may cause a sulfur-depleted person to gain visceral fat (around the middle) but have very little muscle underneath their fat.
As we get more basic scientists to help us know the method and order that things fall apart in deficiency, then we will be much better equipped to know which sulfur support is needed at which step to make gaining back health an orderly and relatively painless process. Unlike a vitamin deficiency, which affects ONE chemical and all of its functions, sulfur depletion affects a myriad of molecules and thus a myriad of regulation.
Those who have been watching the reports on the war in Iraq have probably heard the term "command and control" a lot, and know that the goal of the military in the Coalition is to disable Hussein's command and control while hurting as little of the rest of Iraq as possible. There is a sense in which sulfur's main function is command and control, because it manages so much of the energy metabolism in the mitochondrion, and through sulfated GAGs regulates how chemicals move towards and across membranes, and how mobile cells move across surfaces, and regulates hormones and neurotransmitters and cytokines and all sorts of things. With insufficient "command and control" being provided with sulfur, the organization of the body's chemistry begins to fall apart. In diseases where this accelerates
(where cachexia begins and cannot stop) the complete shutdown of the whole body chemistry is certain if the process does not stop.
Again, the study I think EVERYONE should read to understand how mercury toxicity changes things is the paper written by the doctors of the professor at Dartmouth who spilled dimethylmercury on her hand and got a whopping one-time dose of mercury. She was perfectly fine for two months...so the extremely high levels of mercury which her body was clearing at a reasonable rate, did NOT disable all her enzyme systems, or make her lose brain function. She felt so fine it didn't even occur to her to go to the doctor or to get chelated. But, by the third month, she started losing weight, and she still didn't go to the doctor. (This was likely the sign that her sulfur chemistry was now so depleted that it needed to go borrowing from muscle.) That weight loss continued for another month until finally, she began to have neurological symptoms. Those symptoms scared her into going to the doctor, but amazingly, the MRI's in her brain at that point were still normal! But, in just a couple of weeks after she had been chelated successfully (mercury was coming out in huge quantities), she went into a coma, and soon died,
and at that time her autopsy showed huge changes in brain structure. Her doctors concluded that chelation at the stage where she had come to them (after neurological symptoms appeared) was totally useless. But, they never tried to replete her sulfur chemistry because the idea did not occur to them that sulfur depletion was part of mercury toxicity.
But we in the autism community didn't do like those doctors did, generally. Protocols were set up that included some sulfur repletion, but not particularly with the view that the sulfur depletion was a primary problem. But as things have proceeded, you are seeing doctors more and more including normal physiological forms of sulfur in their methods of treatment.
It is very clear that there are other ways to become sulfur depleted where mercury is not a factor at all, like in chronic infection. It is also clear that the methods that have been used for chelation are likely to do some significant rearranging of the sulfur chemistry, but how that works precisely is still unknown. This issue will be very straightforward to address scientifically if the appropriately trained basic scientists can get the proper funding to see how it works.
Susan
I seem to be exhibiting sulfur deficiency. This presents as an "allergy" but it's the body's response to a nutrient it's low in (I get swelling of hands/feet, anxiety, and breathing distress). At this point there's marked muscle catabolizing going on with probably 60% of my upper muscle mass used up by my body. This is representative of advanced sulfur deficiency. It's picked up in speed the past 3-4 weeks. My best guess is that a combination of factors resulted in a perfect storm that set me up for my current predicament. I've been managing a very stressful construction project for the last three years which gave me sharp stomach pains at times. Additionally my diet strayed from my best choices (added more cooked food especially higher oxalate foods (like French fries) and quite a bit of alcohol. Additionally we had the mold overgrowth in our home which was the nail in my health. This likely drained all/most of my glutathione stores and also kept me from rebuilding them.
I've begun transdermal Glutathione patches. I'm also starting up a multi-vitamin patch and a B-vitamin patch. All with the intent to work around gut issues currently being experienced. All patches are from PatchMD and those I've used had a notable effect. My studying on these topics indicates the B-vitamins are necessary co-factors to both increase uptake and use of sulfur as well as clearing of oxalates from the body which directly compete with said sulfur compounds. Of note is the utilization of B6/P5P in this process as recommended by Susadele previously.
My thinking on this whole topic has been getting fleshed out. I experienced a tremendous boost in my health when I began eating raw paleo 10+ years ago. I believe I had spent a couple years eating low carb then no carb addressing personal issues with oxalates without realizing it. I just felt better without fruits, vegetables, and grains in my diet. I believe I was lower in sulfur than optimal and the eating of raw quality grass-fed beef helped top up my levels over the year. I think this also topped up glutathione stores resulting in my resilience to getting sick and easily bouncing back when I did get sick. I also think the period detox so many of us experience may have been dumping of oxalates from my system.
While thoroughly frustrated with how this whole thing has been I am invigorated to come out the other side not only stronger but with a more robust understanding of my personal underlying issues and maybe add back in some low oxalate plant foods to find nutrition from elsewhere. On the bright side our house has been remediated and we're making slow but steady progress rebuilding from all the work that was done on it.
And the beat goes on. O0
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I'm doing electrolyte foot soaks with Epsom salts (in moderation, still very sensitive to sulfur as I rebuild), magnesium chloride, potassium bicarbonate, and sodium bicarbonate. 1-3 teaspoons, 20 minute soak in warm water. Seeing some real progress with these. I believe much of my underlying issues are mineral dysregulaion. To support the soaks I'm also using vitamin patches including a multi, a b with increase doses, and a glutathione. I have a CoQ10 coming as well as it was the cheapest way to supplement zinc in patch form. My digestion is slowly getting better doing this although the heavy sulfur content in everything (eggs, chicken, beef) is a bit much at times. I also started drinking potassium bicarbonate with P5P B6 in my water today and have noticed a real benefit from it. We will see how the week goes.
Oh, I also found a great functional medicine doctor in the area to start a professional's involvement. I had testing sent out for a GI MAP as well as a Dunwoody Labs allergy & intolerance panel. We're going to figure out gut issues and build a more robust diet plan. Really pushing hard to get back to raw beef for all meals but that's till too inflammatory in my system right now (pseudo gout?). I need to figure out if I have coconut issues as coconut water would be a great way to work on getting the potassium numbers up higher.
Some great detox info really helping me:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/135981539816730?view=permalink&id=1181801885234685&_rdr
"http://commonsensehome.com/improve-liver-health/
http://balancedconcepts.net/liver_phases_detox_paths.pdf
LIVER INFO
Phase One of detoxification, called Oxidation, the liver uses oxygen and enzymes to burn toxins. This process makes the toxins more soluble in water so they can be more easily excreted from the body by the liver (blood) - kidneys(urine). Most environmental toxins are fat-soluble to start with, and therefore difficult or impossible to eliminate without the liver's help. The chemicals produced in Phase One can be more toxic than those which originally entered the body.
Other pathways: Reduction, Hydrolysis, Hydration, Dehalogenation.
There are six pathways in Phase Two (Conjugation) Detoxification. Each pathway is responsible for converting a different set of substances (e.g. estrogen, thyroid hormones, heavy metals, histamine, phenol, salicylates, biliruben, nicotine, bacterial toxins, caffeine). (The liver cells add another substance (eg. cysteine, glycine or a sulphur molecule) to a toxic chemical or drug, to render it less harmful. This makes the toxin or drug watersoluble, so it can then be excreted from the body via watery fluids such as bile (liver-gallbladder-stool(poop)) or urine (liver(blood)-kidney).
The six conjugation pathways are called:
1. Amino Acid Conjugation pathway (same as Glycination!)
2. The Glutathione pathway
3. The Sulphation (sulfation) pathway
4. The Methylation pathway
5. The Glucuronidation pathway
6. The Acetylation pathway
Examples of Liver Detox Pathways:
1. AMINO ACID conjugation pathway (GLYCINATION) - SALICYLATES and benzoates are detoxified primarily through glycination. Benzoate is present in many food substances and is widely used as a food preservative (some jarred garlic). Patients suffering from xenobiotic overloads and environmental toxicity may not have sufficient amounts of glycine to cope with the amount of toxins they are carrying. It is involved in the detoxification of some antihistamines and decongestants. Amino acid conjugation is inhibited by a low protein diet.
2. GLUTATHIONE pathway - It plays a key process in participating directly in the neutralization of free radicals and reactive oxygen compounds, as well as DNA synthesis and repair, protein synthesis, prostaglandin synthesis, amino acid transport, enzyme activation, etoxification of methylglyoxal, a toxin produced as a byproduct of metabolism, and maintaining exogenous antioxidants such as vitamins C and E in their reduced (active) forms.
Glutathione exists in both reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) states .... "It supports T-cells and protects against viruses, maintains the structural integrity of the gut and is the primary means of detoxifying and eliminating heavy metals and other toxins." .. "Some of the main substances conjugated by glutathione include paracetamol, penicillin, tetracycline, mercury, lead and substances such as AFLATOXIN and ethyl alcohol." Glutathione is attached to the toxin to make it less harmful.
http://moldinspectionpro.com/glutathione/
http://www.tvernonlac.com/copper-toxicity.html (pyroluria and glutathione)http://www.50symptomsgone.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/The_Path_Newsletter_Aug_12-9.pdf (aflatoxin and glutathionation)
Note: Looks like severe low levels in vitamin B6 and zinc as seen in pyroluria and some with oxalate issue or/and high levels of mold mycotoxins as seen in toxic mold illness can cause significant drops in glutathione production because the body is trying to detox too much which can lead to leaky gut and possibly vit C turning bad (pro-oxidant and maybe into oxalates?), etc. Heavy metals inhibit the replenishment of glutathione. Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc.) are very helpful in enhancing glutathione. This pathway can be inhibited by deficiencies of selenium, vitamin B2 and zinc.
3. The SULPHATION pathway detoxifies excess neurotransmitters, steroids, thyroid hormones, phenol, SALICYLATES, and excess bile acids. This pathway is often burdened by frequent use of non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS - Ibuprofen). We can support this pathway through an increase in high sulphur foods (e.g. egg yolk, broccoli, onion, garlic, or MSM). Note: If you are low in sulfate, this pathway won't be able to process SALICYLATES and phenols and they will backup in the liver causing problems. Some phenols can be produced from yeast in your gut. Therefore, taking probiotics and epsom salt baths can help with this pathway!http://www.livingnetwork.eo.za/chelationnetwork/food/sulfates_sulfation_feingold/ . .. " Sulphate conjugation binds
substances such as artificial food colourings (salicylates), heterocyclic amines and steroid hormones and transforms them into a more soluble form that can be excreted in the urine or bile. " Sulfur is attached to the toxin to make is less harmful. "Sulfation can be enhanced by amino acids like methionine and cysteine, taurine, glutathione (Free Amino Acids), MSM, garlic, onions and cruciferous vegetables. Red Yeast Rice aids sulfation. Vitamin B1 and B2, magnesium and molybdenum also aid sulfation, although excess molybdenum and excess B6 inhibit the sulfation process. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit sulfation. N-acetyl-cysteine
(mentioned earlier) can also enhance sulfation." The sulphation process is inhibited by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tartrazine (yellow food dye), steroids, and a molybdenum deficiency.
4. The METHYLATION pathway detoxifies estrogen, dopamine, histamine and heavy metals (methyl groups) and allows them to pass through the liver and out of the body safely. To support this pathway we can increase our intake of choline (avocados/eggs/non-GM soy lecithin) and B vitamins. Methylation attaches toxins to methionine. This process occurs in every cell of the body and helps the body get rid of excess hormones and neurotransmitters, including steroidal hormones like estrogen, adrenaline, dopamine, melatonin, histamine and serotonin. It also helps eliminate homecysteine, a compound associated with increased risk of heart disease. A variety of chemicals (amines, phenols, etc.) are also eliminated through methylation. Besides the amino acid methionine, methylation can be enhanced with B-vitamins (B6, B12, folic acid and choline), betaine (a compound from beets), which is also found in Protein Digestive Aid as betaine hydrochloric acid), magnesium and SAM-e. Magnesium is essential for the methylation enzyme. A folic acid or B12 deficiency will inhibit methylation. "SAM-e is a valuable supplement for liver detoxification as it also helps the body produce many methyl-based substances, including: carnitine. creatine phosphate (used in ATP energy production), epinephrine (adrenaline), posphatidyl choline (a nutrient that protects the nerves). Because of this SAM-e may help a variety of liver diseases, inflammatory disorders, depression and elevated levels of homocysteine. It may also reduce intestinal inflammation and protect the brain against free radical damage." Methylation process is inhibited by a folic acid or vitamin B12 deficiency caused by a lack of green vegetables (folate) or some animal product (B12).
5. GLUCURONIDATION pathway " removes hormones such as testosterone, oestrogen, and steroids; fatty acid derivatives, bilirubin, and bile acids. Many commonly used substances, such as SALICYLATES(aspirin), menthol, synthetic vanilla (SALICYLATES), acetaminophen, morphine, diazepam, digitalis, benzoates, benzodiazepines, phenols, and pesticides are detoxified through the glucuronidation pathway." ... " Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, steroid hormones, some nitrosamines, heterocyclic amines, some FUNGAL TOXINS, and aromatic amines. " "It also removes "used " hormones, such as oestrogen and T4 (thyroid hormone) that are produced naturally by the body."
Gilbert's Syndrome is an inherited impairment of this pathway ( jaundice and elevated levels of bilirubin). The blockage or slowdown of this system is associated with gallstones.
Note: glucuronic acid is derived from the carbohydrate - glucose.
Glucuronic acid is a metabolite of glucose that can be attached to toxins. Attaching toxins to sugars is called glucuronidation. This pathway is used as a back-up for sulfation or glycination. It is used to eliminate chemical and bacterial toxins, excess steroidal hormones (like estrogen), toxins from FUNGAL infections and a variety of chemical toxins such as nitrosamines, aromatic amines, alcohols and phenols.
http://www.50symptomsgone.com/wp-contenVuploads/2015/08/The_Path_Newsletter _Aug_ 12-9.pdf
http://www.modernherbalmedicine.com/articles/the-low-down-on-liver-detoxification-2.htm1?page=3
6. The ACETYLATION pathway -
acetylation attaches toxins to the compound acetyl Co-A for elimination. "People who are chemically sensitive are usually slow acetylators. Slow acetylation enhances the toxicity of drugs because it prolongs their life span in the body. Acetylation is used to eliminate excess histamine, serotonin, sulfa drugs, PABA and chemicals like sulphur amides and hydranzines. Nutrients that enhance acetylation include: pantothenic acid, Vitamin C and the amino acid thiamine. Deficiencies of B2, B5 or C inhibit acetylation."
http://www.modernherbalmedicine.com/articles/the-low-down-on-liver-detoxification-2.htm1?page=3"
And some Potassium Deficiency information:
https://m.facebook.com/story/graphql_permalink/?graphql_id=UzpfSTYyODg3NDQ1MDpWSzoxMzI5MzE1NjMzODE2NjQy
Here's what I've been thinking and writing about lately. I'll try to summarize it succinctly.
Without realizing it, I was severely deficient in potassium. Our diets tend to be 2:1 in favor of sodium. They should be 5:1 in favor of potassium. That's an order of magnitude of 10. Potassium deficiency has deep and far-reaching consequences.
1) Weakness of the sodium-potassium pump.
This means the cell "voltage" is low, and the mechanism by which minerals, vitamins, hormones, and neurotransmitters enter the cell -- and metabolic waste exits -- is impaired. I've suffered from edema in the past, and since becoming chronically ill with oxalates and mold sensitivity issues a few years ago, I have episodes where my face and eyes will swell dramatically.
2) Balancing Na (sodium) and K (potassium) in the body is the governance of 86.
Na-K balance is of vital importance -- sodium and potassium need to track together for all kinds of things, including heartbeat and alkalinity -- and if they're off, it will deplete 86. Low 86, in turn, will incline a person to endogenous production of oxalate. AGT is an enzyme involved in oxalate metabolism, and it runs on 86. I have a double mutation at AGT (++), so I already needed extra B6 (and had problems with oxalates), never mind with an added potassium deficiency.
3) Low cell voltage (a weak Na-K pump) and low B6 (oxalates issues) were contributing to mineral dysregulation. Not just copper, which is becoming increasingly known for being dysregulated, but all my minerals. When the pump is low, cellular transport is diminished. When there are oxalates around, they can bind to minerals and trap them in tissues. These effects have been amplified in recent years as a sadly poetic consequence of our use of Glyphosate, whose mechanism is one of mineral chelation. We've altered the world's microbiome, and in turn, we've damaged our own.
What exactly is dysregulation? Dysregulation means you're both deficient and toxic at the same time. For instance, a person with calcium dysregulation might present with classic symptoms of deficiency -- irritability, depression, brain fog, irregular heartbeat, muscle cramps, numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or face, even seizures -- along with idiopathic "calcifications" that would appear to be excess calcium, but would in fact be the calcium that should have been available to the body. My mother, I realized, has almost ALL the symptoms of calcium dysregulation. They've been giving her beta blockers for an irregular heartbeat for 20 years without ever stopping to ask WHY her heartbeat was irregular.
Dysregulation is possible for all the minerals, and is responsible for all the diseases. Bechamp was right; Pasteur was wrong. It's not the pathogens. It's the terrain.
In fact, the pathogens' role, in a sense -- a very real sense -- is to let us know what's wrong with the terrain. It could be that each pathogen corresponds to a mineral that's dysregulated. Blastocystis ( commonly misdiagnosed as "yeast") = copper. Lyme = manganese. Human papillomavirus = calcium. H Pyori = iron. HIV = zinc. We've been thinking of illness in terms of the "you catch something" paradigm. But what if we all have everything already, and when a microbe morphs into its pathogenic form -- e.g. when Blastocystis becomes amoeboid -- it's to let us know what's wrong with the terrain? Remember: If you lock 10,000 people in a building with Lyme-infested ticks, not all of them will come down with Lyme. But if you test 10,000 people with full-blown AIDS for Lyme, all of them will test positive.
What if ALS is calcium and lithium dysregulation? There are already clinically proven links to disrupted calcium homeostasis in ALS, and without lithium, there'd be nothing to protect against calcium-dependent neuronal death. What if MS is cobalt dysregulation (i.e. the body can1 use cobalamin to myelinate the nerves)? What if HIV is zinc dysregulation (with zinc disabled there'd be no defense against viruses)?
But I digress, and these are topics for another, longer paper. Let's get back to potassium and oxalates.
I knew I needed potassium, but any time I mentioned supplementing with K, anyone within earshot would fly into a panic. Then I read "Potassium, Your Invisible Friend" by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, and decided to give K a try. Not the laughably insufficient 99 mg potassium pills. Real potassium.
Potassium is not appropriate for people who are taking potassium-sparing diuretics or people with kidney disease.
This is not intended as health advice. I am sharing my personal experiences.
I did my research first. I'm cautious by nature, and I was additionally cautious about potassium because I've had low blood pressure and low blood sodium my whole life.
In the U.S. there's a lot of potassium-phobia. In the U.K., the National Health Service advises the following: "You should be able to get all the potassium you need by eating a varied and balanced diet. If you take potassium supplements, do not take too much because this could be harmful. Taking 3,700 mg or less of potassium supplements a day is unlikely to cause any harm.”
The amount required by the body is roughly 4,700 mg. I knew I was far below that -- especially in light of my very low-oxalate diet.
I bought a bag of potassium bicarbonate off Amazon and started taking a couple of teaspoons a day. I ramped up to that amount, as I did not want to shock my body, which has grown accustomed to operating in a state of potassium deficiency.
The effects have been astonishing. I can feel my body's cellular voltage coming back. I can feel that I'm able to use my minerals again. It's an unmistakable feeling of energy -- like a battery.
I sometimes use a teaspoon of potassium chloride salt instead of bicarbonate, if I feel a little lightheaded. But for the most part, I have not felt lightheaded, which was surprising.
Here's what I think has been happening: In the presence of low potassium, my body has been excreting sodium, in order to keep the ratio closer to where it should be. This would explain the persistent "idiopathic calcium" I seem to excrete in my urine (the body will excrete calcium whenever it excretes sodium). Hmmm ... sending sodium and calcium to the kidneys all the time, might that set me up for anything? ... And if you're wondering: yes, I have kidney stones on both sides of my family.
Best of all, with more potassium on board, it's freed up some of my B6 for other things, instead of constantly compensating for wildly imbalanced Na:K. My mood has improved (B6 is necessary for the synthesis of serotonin, dopamine, and GABA); I've lost weight (B6 is required for blood sugar regulation); my eyes and ankles are less swollen (because B6 regulates Na:K low B6 can lead to edema); I sleep better (B6 is necessary for melatonin synthesis); and I remember my dreams (the litmus test for B6 sufficiency). In fact, I've even begun to wonder if low B6 might be responsible for my Pyroluria (in addition to being a symptom of Pyroluria). B6 is necessary for heme synthesis. So what about this: the body gets ready to make heme (assembles a pyrrole ring), but then there isn1 enough B6 available, so the pyrrole ring is disbanded, and the pyrroles bind to zinc (and more B6) on their way out.
B6 is required for more bodily processes than any other nutrient and its role in human health and disease is well worth studying. This goes double for anyone with oxalates issues.
Want more? Even though this post is already so long?! (Thank you for still reading.)
Many of the symptoms of autism -- another illness that's been linked with oxalates -- look a LOT like hypokalemic sensory overstimulation to me. (And I'm not the only one - I'll paste a link.)
Same goes for ME/CFS. Some aspects of it look very similar to hypokalemic sensory overstimulation. Which would explain the intolerance to mold (some molds produce oxalates, which upregulate AGT and further deplete B6 and potassium), as well as the orthostatic intolerance (aldosterone could become dysregulated because the body needs to maintain blood pressure, but it does not want to retain sodium and excrete potassium -- in fact it very badly needs to do just the opposite), and also the exercise intolerance (anything that produces more acid -- exercise produces lactic acid -- will further skew Na:K, which the body is desperately trying to keep in balance in order to maintain heartbeat, etc.), and the profound fatigue (when the body, in an attempt limit acid production, begins to resist even its own cellular respiration). Also, copper would appear to be dysregulated (low ATP), plus the Na-K pump has serious implications for brain function (in particular the Purkinje Neuron in the cerebellum).
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So the potassium and B6 while helpful are very stimulating. I'm assuming this is pushing the adrenals. Woke up at 1:30 and couldn't fall back asleep notably with some breathing difficulties. I think I'm going to have to pulse this stuff and maybe take the B6 mornings only to limit it effecting my sleep. I've used the extra 4 1/2 hours to do more research. I'm not sure how accurate or appropriate the 5:1 K:Na ratio really is. I'm going to use a 1:1 ratio today with electrolytes and see how I do. 1 part Potassium bicarbonate, 1/2 part sodium bicarbonate, 1/2 part sea salt "sole". I also started my morning with 1/4 magnesium threonate dose as well as 1/8 teaspoon molasses in case blood sugar is having trouble regulating. Progress just a little more diagonal than purely forward.
I did have some homemade chicken stock with chicken then a half pound raw beef last night. And applied epsom salt, potassium chloride, and magnesium chloride spray on the soles of my feet. All things I've done to better success previously so still thinking the potassium or B6 were the issue.
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Time for another update.
Tried to balance things myself for a couple more weeks after the last post. I had the results of a new allergy test come back and I had developed an IgE allergy to chicken egg yolk and albumin which was not surprising with that being all I ate for months and regular pain in my stomach. I switched it up the next day and trialed some roast lamb but went way too aggressive (at least a pound and a half) and my body freaked out. I think I had been pushing a histamine overload or maybe my adrenals were worked up but ended up going to the hospital. Spent 6 hours in the emergency department including one episode of nearly passing out, another of full body dumping of sweat, and lots of ups & downs in vitals. They kept me a couple days in observation as my chest hurt during the whole ordeal. The only thing they found wrong other than elevated cholesterol was low sodium and set me up on a a total of 4 IV bags of saline to get me to normal levels.
After getting out of the hospital I went through hell dealing with at least mild re-feeding syndrome. The months of eating eggs, and my body's slowly increasing inflammation to them, meant I'd been on starvation rations for a very long time. The most eggs I ate in one day was 24 so 1,680 calories at most and many days were lower. I spent close to a week feeling like smashed ass struggling to keep my b vitamins, especially thiamine, up while getting food into me. I'm on a rotation diet right now as I have no safe foods (beef is a low level allergen at the moment). Cycling different fishes along with some fruits and some veggies. Trying to eat low histamine and low-mid oxalate as both are bothering me right now. Based on my reaction to coconut right now there's probably a salicylate intolerance as well.
I've been hitting my caloric needs, or exceeding them, for over a week. I was down to 162 pounds at the lowest. Today the scale read 180.4. My functional medicine doctor has me on an elemental liquid diet for breakfast. This is a powder based drink with reduced aminos for proteins. You mix with water and an oil and sip it slow. It absorbs into the stomach and upper intestines giving the lower intestines time to reduce inflammation (like intermittent fasting without the fasting). I'm having wild frozen supermarket fish for lunch with any number of fruits or veggies (apples, Bartlett pears, squash, arugula, watercress, etc.). Dinner has been salmon from Vital Choice which is frozen within 30 minutes of catch so as low histamine as possible. The is eaten with more fruits or veggies, usually the same as what was eaten for lunch. I'm supplementing with lots of fats from oils (flax seed mostly, some pumpkin seed, also have MCT to trial). I also have been eating a ton of sunflower seed butter which I think I'm craving for the biotin (B7) which is probably low. I'm pushing to start getting more raw foods into things beyond fruits and veggies but I need to do that with red meats. Freshwater fish have thiaminase in them which deactivates thiamine. Some saltwater fish does as well but I'm less worried about that. I have been cooking the swordfish I'm eating at lunch time less and less.
So, time for some conjecture on what happened particularly since my symptoms recently in the hospital were fairly similar.
I believe I have underlying issues with oxalates. I can tenuously stretch this all the way back to when I was a baby and had a horrific reaction to Amoxicillin. There are limited oxalate degrading bacteria in the human body and most prominent is Oxalabacter Formigenes. This bacteria is easily wiped out with antibiotics and so far they have not been able to provide a pill to rebuild it. I've read it's soil based so I suppose you could rebuild a colony eating the right soil but that's kind of iffy.
When the body is unable to degrade oxalates in the intestines and doesn't immediately bind them with calcium to excrete in the stool a portion of them will be absorbed into the body. With a healthy intestine this will be a modest amount. With a leaky gut the amount increases significantly. These oxalates wreak havoc in the body. They bind with the body's minerals like calcium and magnesium, the crystals can lodge all over the body (frequently they present as kidney stones and pseudo gout). They're a poison and the body tries to deal with them.
I spent a lot of my teenage years and early twenties dealing with extensive inflammation, brain fog, bad stomach, and other issues. At the time I attributed all of these issues to candida which may have been part of the puzzle but definitely wasn't all of it. I think I was loaded up with oxalates. I also think, based on how I'm navigating good versus bad carbs now, that there's some degree of fructose malabsorption at play as well.
Going zero carb raw paleo made me feel fantastic. I had already spent the past couple years moving further and further into a carnivore diet so the "dumping" I would experience from not having oxalates would be minimal. I did deal with some adaptation issues but these were mostly from the increase in fat of the diet and getting my gallbladder used to making enough bile. I'm sure I went through cycles dumping out oxalates that were left over but nothing super brutal.
For at least the last 5 years I've been pushing myself very hard for work. At first this was easy but the longer I did it the more tired I would be and the more coffee I drank to make up for it. I also found myself craving the fast calories of carbs and would indulge that more and more frequently. Often times they were "healthy" choices like almonds but all of these things were bad choices for my body.
Coffee runs down the body's store of thiamine as does stress and a bunch of other things. A thiamine deficiency can present as "wet" or "dry" beriberi and is surprisingly more common that you would expect. Wet beriberi's signature initial symptom is edema in the shins. Over time edema will present through the feet and lower extremities and eventually it leads to congestive heart failure. Most people would never get this far as another process it's involved in is the conversion of glucose from dietary carbs into ATP for cellular energy. A process which I had little dependency on seeing as so much of my energy was coming from ketones.
To my best guess I was flirting with thiamine deficiency for a couple years. The mold we had in our house was a constant stressor on my system so I wasn't going to easily rebuild thiamine stores. The coffee, the carb binges, the push to work as hard as I was, and the lack of sleep all contributed to a perfect storm. The weekend before I got sick I had fasted for 24 hours then gone to the supermarket and picked up a ton of vegetables. I figured that the "gout" in my feet was never going to get better if I was still eating my beef and I needed to find another solution. I believe that last binge ran down the limited thiamine stores I had and the initial issues I had in the office that Monday were a crazy blood sugar episode. I also believe with the limited thiamine and how hard I pushed myself I was dealing with re-feeding syndrome and didn't know it. I struggled for a week to right myself with wild swings in how I felt. Without supplementing thiamine I was going through periods where I couldn't breathe at all. I was probably dealing with minor congestive heart failure and none of the doctors really considered it. I did eventually find eggs were a better choice (low carb load) and found my footing for a while. Without digging deeper though this was set to fail as well which it eventually did.
So, I'm alive. I've putting weight back on. I'm following an intensive protocol from my functional medicine doctor (who is absolutely awesome). I'm taking a ton of supplements every day which doesn't thrill me but is helping me regain my health. I'm also on a couple psych meds to help with the anxiety (Klonopin and titrating up Zoloft) which thrill me even less and I plan to titrate back down as soon as I'm able to prove to myself and everyone else I'm good. My autonomic system, vagus nerve, and limbic system are all jacked up but I'm making progress getting them all back under control. Still sensitive to chemicals but that's getting better. And hoping to move back into my remediated and somewhat rebuilt home over the next month or two. Fucking 2020.
This whole ordeal is reforging who I am as a person. Coming out of it I'm going to invest the time and energy to get some form of certification in health coach, food & nutrition, or something else I can help others. If I can help other people avoid the bullshit I've been going through I'd like to do so. I'm also working to get to the root causes of my issues with food so I don't have to worry about my health in the future. I will find some carbs which work well for me and eat a balanced raw paleo diet. The raw paleo aspect is still absolutely the right way to go we just need to make the right choices.
TD: I will bet you money the issues which have come up for you in the past with going raw zero carb are the result of cutting out oxalates in your diet leading to dumping. There's a couple week "honeymoon" phase and then all sorts of unpleasant issues can start up. Everyone handles it differently. Part of the hell I went through the last 7 months was a result of having been increasing my oxalates for the couple years prior then going cold turkey on the eggs.
GS: Pork is one of the highest sources of thiamine there is. Your instinctive craving for pork to heal certain issues may be driven by this. It's powerful medicine.
It's good to be back. I'm physically at 80%. My diet is maybe 40% raw and rising. I hope by Christmas to be a new man. :)
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Ran some numbers today on macro & micro nutrients. I'm confused as the values completely turn conventional medicine's imposed values on their head. I ate a pound of meat and a decent (maybe 3oz) portion of fat for years and thrived on it. I did have some aerobic difficulties but could sustain maybe 60-70% speed forever without lactic acid buildup and anaerobic gains at the gym were steady. Yet here I was surviving (thriving) on 65% of my caloric needs per day and some nutrients were completely absent while most were very low. I'd do it again in a heartbeat but make some very deliberate additions to things to keep my nutrient levels where they should be.
In hindsight I would very specifically add in a lot of organ meats. I shied away from these in the misguided belief that they were feeding systemic Candida because I'd get brain fog, joint pain, and other issues after consumption. From a more informed position now I believe one of two things was happening.
1. I was experiencing the "paradox effect" wherein the more deficient in a nutrient you are the more intensely you experience issues while taking it. Your body has been running so efficiently in processes that use that nutrient to try and cover the spread that once it gets an adequate supply it does not know what to do with it. All sorts of processes try to happen at the same time. You really have to titrate up slowly when you've been missing things from your diet for so long.
2. Lots of my history points towards poor handling of oxalates. The nutrient density, particularly of B vitamins, in organ meats may have triggered dumping of oxalates from my body which would make me feel worse in the short term but if continued to follow through would ultimately clear me of sequestered "poisons" and I'd feel much better on the other side. Just one more thing for the body to detox.
Learn from my mistake. Lots of diverse organ meats. Also plant matter is not the enemy once you find some you can tolerate. In my case I think I have issues with fructose so should have looked harder at some of the low fructose nutrient dense veggies. A little arugula or some butternut squash with my meat and fat would have gone a very long way.
And now we rebuild.
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If anyone wants the spreadsheet let me know. I'll gladly share it in Excel. I'm a numbers guy and this is important to do a gut check on once in a while.
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Making progress but it's slow. I'm still eating a cooked paleo diet. Heavy in fish and squashes with lots of pumpkin & flax seed oil as well as sunflower seed butter. Hoping to start moving onto some red meats soon. 6+ months of just cooked eggs did a number on my system. I think it exacerbated fatty liver and definitely pushed my cholesterol up very quickly. It seems to have impacted bile flow but I'm making progress on that with bile salts, taurine, and pushing my fat intake up each day. Still using mostly omega 3 unsaturated fats but looking forward to the pivot over to some saturated fats.
Based on the experiences I am having with the current diet I'm thinking a lot of the issues I've been dealing with this year are compounded versions of the issues which lead me to raw paleo over a decade ago. The brain fog in particular can be very difficult although I seem to be getting a better handle on this with some of my supplements. I still think there's oxalate involvement but this may be more than just that or it's possible that's what set me up for other issues. I'll continue to unravel it as I heal back up.
Some of the most positive gains have been through frequency therapies on Youtube. Two channels I'm using frequently and noting good effects. In particular there appears to be quite a bit of brain involvement in everything and both channels have good videos to tonify the vagus nerve or address the amygdala.
Bioresonance:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgMgef-nxELn8jaHV01w_Gw
Sapien Medicine:
https://www.youtube.com/user/projectvampireTV
I'm also looking long and hard at rife machines but don't have the money right now for one. Given the marked improvements I'm noting through different frequency therapies though it seems like it would be money well spend if/when I get there. In the meantime I'm just going to leverage free tools while I continue to improve with diet changes and focused supplements.
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Currently living with my cousin and her family. Home was a bust (still too reactive to any residual mold or mycotoxins) and we are working to sell it now. Living an aesthetic life at this point with enough possessions to fill maybe 9 cubic feet. I am missing my wife (she's with her sister and our dog) but surprisingly ok with the way life has been going right now. I'm seeing continued slow improvement even though some days are much rougher than others.
I sent out my Organic Acid Test on Tuesday. Looking forward to getting a final answer regarding oxalates in a couple weeks although I'm pretty sure I know the answers. I'm also expecting my B1/Thiamine to be low and probably producing some oxalates endogenously as a result. I'm thinking B6 is probably doing ok.
I've started muscle testing myself this week. A simple tilt test. So far the results are better than I've been getting struggling along on my own. I'll keep it up for a while and see how it goes.
I'm also working back into more raw foods. I've started having my fish rare or raw. I also trialed some lamb the other day and just seared the outside since it was supermarket meat. I've also used a couple liver capsules from Ancestral Supplements. I have had some flaring of edema in my feet and ankles. I'm not sure if this is purine influenced or something else. There are a lot of issues that arise due to oxalates so if those are in play that could be contributing. My initial hypothesis is it's peripheral edema as a sign of thiamine insufficiency when I'm dumping oxalates.
Looking forward to getting past this whole ordeal and back to real health. I'm grateful for the wealth of knowledge this has required I learn and the possibilities it opens for me as a career if I pursue it but I'm ready for the ride to be over.
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Another update.
I had a colonoscopy Wednesday. Apparently I have what is known as a redundant colon where I have extra length which results in more twists and turns than normal. All resulting in drier stools and constipation. I also have a lot of diverticula which I assume are from the years of poor stools as a teen and into my twenties. This also explains for me part of why going raw low carb was so beneficial. Less fiber, less volume, more fat, and large fasting window all contributed to better treatment of my colon.
Continuing to make progress getting back to raw low carb. I'm making progress by way of cooked lower carb. Since my body seems intent on developing issues with foods right now I'm still having to rotate everything. As a result it's hard to keep enough on hand raw to meet my needs. I've been sourcing out a lot of different animal fats which have been rendered into tallow or lard. I've transitioned off of the seed oils to animal fats. I'm still eating a lot of fish but gradually reducing cook time (swordfish I'm eating raw, salmon is still lightly cooked). I've also begun incorporating animal proteins into things, This week I had lamb (super rare), duck (cooked), pork (cooked), and have bison thawing for dinner (raw). I'm still eating different cooked winter squashes almost every day. I'm also getting in things like arugula & cabbage. I trialed a mango the other day and did ok with it but too much sugar gives me issues so I'm limiting how much fruit I eat.
I'm continuing to supplement as I am very depleted in nutrients from the 6 months of just cooked eggs (as well as however long I was having issues from the mold beforehand). The basis of everything is a good multi (I use a patch right now), a solid B complex (Thorne), a mineral pill, and lots of magnesium. I also take other things like Ancestral Supplements liver, kidney, and brain as well as taurine & choline (Citicholine, AGD Choline, and phosphatidyl choline). Eventually I plan to be getting as much from Whole Foods as possible but I can feel the difference with proper supplementing and I'm not going to get that from food yet.
"Mold" still seems to be an ongoing issue. I'm kind of coming to the conclusion I appear to be colonized with something. There's something called Hell Toxin which occurs in some individuals who have been exposed to toxic mold. I fit a lot of symptoms and treatments/cleaning processes work so I'm running with it. At the root it seems like an opportunistic pathogen which either gets a foothold as the result, or creates, a heavy metal imbalance. There's also oxalate involvement (one of the more effective cleaning tools is Barkeeper's Friend-Oxalic Acid). I've had great success with epsom soaks and EM-1 (a soil inoculant with roughly 80 bacteria strains). I'm leaning towards my chemical sensitivities having involvement in this. Also the POTS I get from mold hits could be flaring of the internal colonization when threatened by exterior mold. I've read some conjecture on Hell Toxin coming from either Wallemia (the mold we had the highest levels of) or Candida auris (As I work in hospitals in NY my exposure risk would have been fairly high). I'm going to keep going down this rabbit hole and see where it leads.
I have been having more success with my chemical sensitivities. I went to the supermarket on Friday and had no issues whatsoever. I actually didn't even realize this until 6 hours afterwards. My mood and anxiety in general seems to be doing better than it had been as well.
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I ate dinner (raw bison steak & arugula with 3 tablespoons bison tallow) and an hour later I’m starving. I then had a pound of fatty ground bison meat and feel so sated. There’s something magical about raw animal fat that you don’t get with cooked fats. So nourishing for the body. I’m super grateful to continue having success reintroducing animal foods back into my diet. This is how we heal folks. <3
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Biotoxin illness. In my current situation mold was the precipitating factor in a body overloaded with a toxin load. The last couple years of on again off again edema was an indication of an overwhelmed system which I ignored and even burdened further by using NSAID pain relievers and topical pain reliever creams which both added additional burden to a liver already overloaded. Other incidental issues like histamine & salicylate intolerances, oxalate issues, and copper dysrehulation all stem from an overloaded system. I’m beginning to think I’ve been dealing with this close to thirty years and the time spent focused on eating raw paleo, getting in LOTS of sweat inducing exercise, and getting out into clear environments all let me get another ten plus years of excellent health in before it came crashing down. And now we rebuild.
B1/thiamine is a linchpin. Body stressors including mold run it down and it’s used to support so many processes. B2 & B3 to support (B3 to take some burden off B2).All of the minerals and metals are super important. Zinc, copper, iron, molybdenum, iodine, selenium, manganese, boron, lithium. The other Bs are important but if you overdo them without the little Bs in place you can induce deficiencies. I pushed B6 too hard and ended up tanking thiamine inducing “B6 toxicity” with peripheral neuropathy.
I’m still pushing to get back to raw meat. I’m convinced there is fungal colonization. Cold raw meat has exacerbated issues at times. I need to work more warming foods back into the mix and I’ll get back to tolerating more raw meat. I am eating some raw fruits and veggies. I’m going to give raw cabbage juice a go and see how that works healing the gut.
I kind of wonder about the mechanics of high meat. I wonder if the bacterial mix is diverse enough it helps displace a monoculture fungal or bacterial overgrowth. Basically super probiotics.
My words of advice are to continue to pursue better health even when you feel great. And don’t let up on a healing diet.
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Brother, I too suffered from fungus / mold infection.
Mine was mold in the walls of leaking water pipes, living under mango tree and santol tree, and in a previously flood submerged house.
I solved my problem via consulting with https://www.bervinj.com/ in 2016. And moving to a new home.
(not an advertisement).
I'm sure in 5 years he knows much more.
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One great thing to come out of this is much deeper body awareness, energy awareness, and the ability to muscle test. More and more synchronicities are occurring in my life. Just kind of floating along with it enjoying what I can of the ride.
My muscle testing indicates is Aspergillus Versicolor colonization. I had noticed over the summer that my clothes when washed made the water green and had a moldy smell to it. I’ve also realized more recently that dead skin I scrape off in the shower has a green tint and occasionally green fibers. I’ve also had those fibers in mucus from my sinuses and chest. Mainstream medicine is useless with this kind of stuff. I think colonization is a more common occurrence than acknowledged. My best guess in my case is either something genetic or epiginetic which predisposed me to reduced clearance of General toxins (I suspect I’m on the spectrum with reduced utilization of B6). Additionally a rough childhood probably predisposed me to dysautonomia with poor thiamine retention. At least that’s my theory for now. No sense dwelling in the past.
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Brother, I too suffered from fungus / mold infection.
Mine was mold in the walls of leaking water pipes, living under mango tree and santol tree, and in a previously flood submerged house.
I solved my problem via consulting with https://www.bervinj.com/ in 2016. And moving to a new home.
(not an advertisement).
I'm sure in 5 years he knows much more.
Hey GS. I figured if anyone gets it you would.
I’ve been doing some healing with cooked pork (loaded with B1/thiamine) and a number of Epsom flushes to clear out bilestones. Each time I do either I think about you recommending them.
We are moving. We remediated but I’m still very reactive even outside the home. Until I clear myself out I can’t see us living there and that could take years. Market is up now so even gutted we should at least break even. We will find another home to adore in a few years. Health is number one.
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My fungus mold infection was cured by the knowledge of:
anti-fungus / mold diet, food: italian seasoning, garlic, onions, there are cooked recipes, I cured a friend of "cancer" with these raw.
raw spinach, blanched broccoli
pure turpentine! (from pine trees) not more than 1 tea spoon a night. not one drop more than 1 teaspoon.
absolutely no wifi while infected. wifi agitates the fungus mold to produce 600x more toxins. either you have pain or itches. hook every computer to ethernet lan cables. phones connect via 4G / LTE.
absolutely no alcoholic beverage.
consumption of lots and lots of various probiotics, various brands, various forms, therapeutic doses.
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Going to be dumping some info here. This is cross-posted from the "Mold Avoiders" group on Facebook. It's not as coherent like this but hopefully will help someone. Hopefully some day I will be able to look back on it for posterity sake.
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So I’ve been mulling this whole thing over much more closely.
What if many chronic illnesses are the result of a dysbiosis of fungi to bacteria as the results of the increased use of antibiotics. There are plenty of studies out there that track the increased of chronic illness since they began prescribing antibiotics (mold toxins usually) but little to nothing on the connection with the mycobiome. We’re starting to see identification of SIFO but that’s as far as it goes.
Certain species of mold can produce mycotoxins within the host. Some can also produce oxalates within the body (I’m still not sure on the function-mold food?). These increase oxidative stress on the body, reduce redox atopsis & autophagy, and down regulate “less” critical processes in the body so we can escape. Vitamins B1/thiamine takes some of the hardest hits as a result of this oxidative stress.
Additionally any of this occurring intracellularly like oxalates reduces the number of viable cells in the body to support processes so each viable cell has to take on a greater percentage over the overall nutrient & process burden. We can store less of what we need, and do less of what we need, because of aberrant cells.
CFS->Low redox/high oxidative stress->poor thiamine/B1 utilization->Reduced ATP/cellular energy.
PEM->Low redox/high oxidative stress->poor thiamine/B1 utilization->Decreased lactic acid clearance.
MCS->Low redox/high oxidative stress->poor thiamine/B1 utilization->Insufficient B6 activation->Slowed/stopped clearance of toxins from liver.
Burning Skin/Hypersensitivity to stimuli->Low redox/high oxidative stress->poor thiamine/B1 utilization->Insufficient B6 to move potassium into cell (hypokalemia).
Even something like Alzheimer’s, which they are finding may be linked to oxalate buildup, could be tied back to fungi not controlled by bacteria.
Sundowning could be agitation from fungal overgrowth getting more active at night. I think a lot of us experience worsening at night?
I’m also looking at Scandinavia. Reduced sunlight and increased CFS. Could the vitamin D from the sun help control fungi internally? Dr. Seneff feels certain it supports BACTERIA in the gut. This also highlights the “November Effect” and it’s correlation to day length/light exposure. Ventilation is obviously a big part as well.
Lastly what if the ‘Rona is so dangerous to some seemingly healthy folks and not others because of underlying fungal dysbiosis. Traditional Chinese medicine indicates it’s a damp condition which would exacerbate the virus. Especially since it specifically seems to respond well to thiamine as an adjunct support. Hell, folks probably go into massive oxalate “dumps” and those mobilized minerals tear stuff up.
Obviously I’ve been busy thinking...
I’m seeing a LOT of parallels in my symptomology now to where I was as a teen. At that time I ultimately got on top of it with an animal based diet, lots of anti-fun gals, and lots of exercise. The animal based foods were supportive to warm my damp constitution which was making it habitable to fungi (although eating it raw probably hampered that some). Eating keyogenic limited sugars for the fungi (and oxalate intake). The exercise was key. I assumed it made it easier to process fat , which it probably did, but it also warmed and dried the body making it inhospitable to fungi. Each time I’d stray from diet I had flared though which show I was limited in my view on how to properly reestablish balance. Then living in a water-damaged building for four years undid the limited success I had had keeping things in check.
I’m eating a wider Whole Foods diet and adjusting to warm and dry my constitution now. Also taking some herbal antifungals, using appropriate supplements, and taking binders. And my list of safe foods has increased exponentially from just beef a year ago to probably two dozen in regular rotation now.
It’s about balance. Antibiotics upset that balance. The increasing toxins in our world upset that balance. Our all-or-nothing approach with diets upsets that balance. Gotta increase Yang to balance the Yin excess but just to balance otherwise you can kick up bacterial issues.
Oxalates and salicylates feel like they have an antagonistic feel to them. I’m finding anti-fungal foods frequently have elevated salicylates. I think “salicylate intolerance” is our dysbiosis reacting negatively to something ingested which irritates the fungus. Sulfur intolerance may be the same.
I’m beginning to wonder is oxalates and salicylates are different thermal extremes of stored energy. I’ve read many posts by Althea Black (I thought she was a member here but can’t tag her) over the last year where she spoke very forward thinking and abstract thesis on time and our interrelationship with it. In one post she spoke to oxalates being stored energy. I’m beginning to intuit this as well. I’m intuiting a lot as time goes on which was freaking me out in the beginning but I’m coming around to it being positive changes and not psychosis. Mold really is an interesting experience and all things considered I’m now grateful for it as it’s pushed me to grow a lot in a short amount of time. It’s been hell but worth it.
I believe it’s sub-clinical dysautonomia. The body is in some degree of fight or flight and it has difficulty resetting. The more compounded issues the more this is aggravated until the individual is perpetually in fight or flight (or freeze). The body uses thiamine amongst other nutrients to regulate stress. There has been great success by many in overcoming issues driven by underlying dysautonomia through high dose thiamine. The big issue is it doesn’t “stick” and the thiamine becomes a maintenance dose instead of a treatment course. I agree there is more to it especially understanding why it doesn’t stick. For what it’s worth the reason programs like DNRS work is by calming the fight or flight response so the body can start back up other processes secondary to immediate survival but critical to long term health like sulfation or methylation. My issue with those programs is sometimes there is immediate danger and you should be listening to your body.
Maybe CIRS is the body’s response to adjust a flaring damp constitution (internal infection quorum flare) by retaining sodium. It just confuses me as mold seems inhibited by an alkaline PH and not acidic. Now that I think about it though sodium isn’t inherently acidic or basic it’s just heating. The issue arises from a lack of negative ions to bond with sodium to produce basic compounds.
I just realized borax is sodium borate. An alkaline salt. One many have found success with. Some have used it internally as medicine.
Sodium bicarbonate. Also a compound of sodium and a base (carbonates). This is part of a much touted Candida cure.
Is our low stomach acid compounded by the body’s repurposing of sodium elsewhere to address immediate issues? Ultimately resulting in a cascade of nutrient deficiencies due to reduced digestion and subsequent malabsorption? Eventually it’s self perpetuating.
Malabsorption could induce a poor generation of Metallothionein due to lacking substrate. This leads to copper dysregulation as zinc unbalances. Iron precipitates out in the body adding to electromagnetic sensitivities. Additionally the body’s ability to clear heavy metals is reduced and they begin accumulating. Parasites flare up to sequester these metals and preserve the host as part of a wholistic bid for homeostasis.
I am starting to think I’m also guilty of reductionism. Everything above rings true but there’s more at play than just an imbalance of constitution. I’m starting to read more into TCM and much of this is retreading of millennial old thinking. It’s important for humans as a species to not lose that connection with source and the balance of all but it’s short-sighted to think it can be so simplified.
https://www.easterncurrents.ca/.../02/25/diet-and-dampness
Being completely candid here there's a lot of intuition and muscle testing involved in my framework. My experiences over the last year have significantly heightened underlying energy awareness. I'm not going to get into that here as much of this group is science minded but there's a strong involvement with the less measurable. Perhaps from the duration of time one lingers closer to death. I will say as I get stronger I feel a deep connection to the "source".
Everything is just vibrating energy. It's how that energy is able to flow or not flow which enacts changes.
I've been conjecturing that sodium is fire/positive current and potassium is water/ground. Calcium could be air/positive attenuation and magnesium earth/ground attenuation (I'm less comfortable with these two but feel confident in the synergies based on support of sodium/potassium in the body). How they come together creates the form. In my instance I'm an air dominant constitution but my damp state is keeping me muted. I always felt like I was an earth/water constitution since I was younger but I think that was underlying imbalances coming through.
The long and short of it is COVID feels like a global shift. It's time for each of us to sink or swim. Not only am I planning on swimming but I'm going to toss life preservers to anyone I can while I'm at it.
Maybe calcium & magnesium are the "time" aspects. Modulation of anabolic and catabolic states. Regeneration & decay. Air feeds fire to burn quicker. Earth added to water slows it. A work in progress.
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I realized today the reason why COVID is so virulent in some is traditional Chinese medicine’s views on damp/wet conditions. We have been seeing an increase in dysbiosis of the microbiome commensurate with the increased use of antibiotics. Antibiotics induce a fungal dominance when they take out bacteria which would normally balance them out. This can imbalance the individual towards damp/cold (yin/estrogen dominance). The danger is this new environment hospitable for fungus which produce oxalates in the host adding to oxidative stress on the cells. Even when not producing oxalates impairing redox the load on the system clearing aldehydes impairs detoxification. And runs down a very limited supply of molybdenum in the body.
This is why I’ve struggled this year. I’m very much a wet/cold constitution. I have been for a long time but eating no carb, caloric restriction, and getting exercise kept the cell load reduced, autophagy high, and the exercise was somewhat warming. I got really sick fall/winter 2019 and it set this cascade in motion. Might have involved COVID, might have been something else. Either way that lead to the current predicament.
Hopefully understanding the change in battle tactics now I can start making better headway. Keeping positive and as stress free as possible is key as nutrients, like B1, get run down when stressed. When that gets too low detoxification in the body slows, toxins build up, and it becomes a negative feedback loop. That’s why I had such issues with chemical sensitivities. Ongoing toxin load from things like mold, histamines, phenols, and salicylates we’re hitting a roadblock in my liver. You need B1 to activate B6 to perform sulfation amongst other detox pathways. Unfortunately with the winter I’m inside more, less sunlight, and now starting in on anti-fungals. My chemical sensitivities are flaring again. I need to slow things down a bit, clear out my liver, then pick up speed again.
Just keep swimming...
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I also want to share a treatment for COVID I have seen recommended by a mold doctor (Dr. Dan) as well as my recommendations to adjust it for safer outcome. The presupposition that a fungal dysbiosis induces a more acute response to COVID is necessary for this approach.
Hypochlorous acid is a mild acid including chlorine in it's composition (HOCl). It's produced by applying electrical current to a solution of water (H2O) and salt (NaCl). Hydrogen peroxide and chlorine combine into hypochlorous acid (HOCl) with sodium hydroxide (NaH) precipitating out of solution. Hypochlorous acid is very safe for utilization within the body (within reason, don't use it every day or super large doses). Your white blood cells actually produce the same compound to fight off infection.
The protocol I have seen touted is nebulizing hypochlorous acid bringing the immune system stimulating substance to one of your most porous membranes in the lungs. This is especially critical as many harbor COVID in their lungs (and stomach) once the clinical symptoms go into remission.
The adjunct, which is even more critical, is a couple drops of nascent iodine solution in the nebulizer liquid. Iodine is a potent antimicrobial particularly against fungus. The thought is the folks who get sickest are dealing with a dysbiosis of fungi and by gettign that iodine directly into the lungs it starts killing the fungi direct.
This can be incredibly taxing on the body. Individuals fighting COVID, long-haulers, or alone with systemic fungal issues is in a compromised state. The body's organs of elimination are likely overwhelmed or down-regulated to deal with the issue at hand. It is imperative that the organs of elimination are as open and ready to purge as possible. If there is fungus present it's going to go down swinging. It will likely create mycotoxins in the body as it dies. You will feel miserable. If you go to hard too fast you might not make it.
My additional recommendations are to support your detox system with necessary nutrients so things can clear out as smoothly as possible. Get lots of B1 & B6 in. All the electrolytes but especially Magnesium. Sulfate. Molybdenum. There are other nutrients which will help but these are the critical nutrients.
I'm fairly confident based on this past year I got COVID last winter and it's what crashed me. I think I've had systemic fungal issues since my teens due to antibiotics. I'm slowly easing into this protocol. I've been spraying some hypochlorous acid into my mouth and inhaling. I've been putting iodine on q-tips up my nose or inhaling vapors off a saturated paper towel. I have a nebulizer which showed up yesterday. I'll be starting that in the middle of the week.
I'm planning on recovering my health shortly. This year has taught me more than I could have ever learned in classes or watching others. It's time for me to make the shift to a position healing others but I can only do that once I'm healed.
https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=09-P13-00009&segmentID=7 (https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=09-P13-00009&segmentID=7).
Stay safe all. This virus feels unnatural. Our world will not be the same after this but we can be changed for the better.
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What if histamines (and maybe other amines) are the means by which bacteria exert control over fungi? The opposition to mycotoxins I guess. Histamine intolerance is indicative of the body's fungal dysbiosis flaring in response to ingested fungal toxins? It's super uncomfortable because we're waging war in our bodies.
I’ve been thinking more about this. Damp feels accurate. I’m now second guessing the cold/hot relationship. The body may be running colder to control the fungal issue imbalance. Fungus thrives in warm wet environments. If the body is struggling to control an imbalance and we keep shoveling things in that encourage a damp environment then the best protection it has is to slow down the thyroid and metabolism in the hopes to outlast the dysbiosis. Again coming back to balance.
I think it's so much more complicated. The body regulates it's state through the function of molds, yeasts, bacteria, viruses, and more I can't place. We're all just bags of bugs which ebb and flow to find balance. As imbalance occurs the body shifts terrain to mitigate extremes.
The tinea versicolor I've dealt with on my skin since a young age is a yeast. When younger I viewed it as a sign of yeast overgrowth and went on protocols to specifically control yeast. Lately I've been viewing it as a sign that mold is out of balance and they have risen synergistically. What if that's not the case though and the increase in yeast is the body working to control fungal growth. They are finding correlation in the oxalate field that candida levels increase when oxalates increase. They're now beginning to consider it's a protective measure.
This appears to be the power of effective microorganism mixes like EM-1. They're a wide mix of microorganisms which help re-establish balance in an individual. I've had horrific responses to EM-1 at times. It's due to colonization. As I've continued to make progress the past couple weeks I'm much more tolerant of it.
Ah. Oxalates ARE stored energy. Plants and molds produce them. Yeasts rise in the body in response to increased oxalate levels. The yeasts consume the oxalates. The oxalates induce oxidative damage on the cells. The yeast increase in number to control the oxidative damage to the host.
B1, B3, B6, B9 are intertwined in this dance.
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Very interesting thoughts. Have you ever thought or experimented with introducing medicinal mushrooms (non Psilocybin) extracts against fungal toxins?
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The tinea versicolor I've dealt with on my skin since a young age is a yeast. When younger I viewed it as a sign of yeast overgrowth and went on protocols to specifically control yeast. Lately I've been viewing it as a sign that mold is out of balance and they have risen synergistically. What if that's not the case though and the increase in yeast is the body working to control fungal growth. They are finding correlation in the oxalate field that candida levels increase when oxalates increase. They're now beginning to consider it's a protective measure.
I’ve read through the last few pages of your journal and first of all, what a journey to be working through! Persistant health issues can be so discouraging and enigmatic. It’s inspiring to see your critical thinking process.
I noticed some similarities to my own health journey, especially with the reference to tinea. My childhood home (where I lived age 0-17) was found to be riddled with mold shortly after I moved out. I stayed home with candida and general fatigue throughout most of my teen years. My sister seemed to have a mold-related ailment that was even worse as she is allergic (and actually prompted her to pursue a career in the alternative health field.)
I had tinea on my skin for a couple of years in my early twenties. Wonder if it was related to the mold exposure. Also, kidney stones a few times (due to high oxalates? I was into juicing spinach and such.) I’m at a bit of a loss for what got rid of my manifestation of tenia. For the last few years that it’s been gone, it has puzzled me that the disappearance didn’t seem to be connected with a diet to control yeast, as I had given up on that during the outbreak. I will note that I had my kidney stone occurrences while I had the tinea on my skin.
So it’s interesting to hear you talk about ideas for how all of this could be connected.
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Very interesting thoughts. Have you ever thought or experimented with introducing medicinal mushrooms (non Psilocybin) extracts against fungal toxins?
I have begun to consider it. I've tried pot twice in my life and had very acute anxiety episodes as a result. I am beginning to wonder how much of that was driven by underlying trauma which needed to be worked through (in process) versus a physiological response (many herbs are potent anti-fungals, perhaps if my lungs have mold the marijuana induced a reaction). I actually have some good quality chaga my boss harvested himself last winter in the mountains. It feels like it may be time soon to use some. Everything comes to us for a reason even if it takes a year to get there.
I’ve read through the last few pages of your journal and first of all, what a journey to be working through! Persistant health issues can be so discouraging and enigmatic. It’s inspiring to see your critical thinking process.
I noticed some similarities to my own health journey, especially with the reference to tinea. My childhood home (where I lived age 0-17) was found to be riddled with mold shortly after I moved out. I stayed home with candida and general fatigue throughout most of my teen years. My sister seemed to have a mold-related ailment that was even worse as she is allergic (and actually prompted her to pursue a career in the alternative health field.)
I had tinea on my skin for a couple of years in my early twenties. Wonder if it was related to the mold exposure. Also, kidney stones a few times (due to high oxalates? I was into juicing spinach and such.) I’m at a bit of a loss for what got rid of my manifestation of tenia. For the last few years that it’s been gone, it has puzzled me that the disappearance didn’t seem to be connected with a diet to control yeast, as I had given up on that during the outbreak. I will note that I had my kidney stone occurrences while I had the tinea on my skin.
So it’s interesting to hear you talk about ideas for how all of this could be connected.
Welcome to the forum Christine. :)
It has been quite the journey. It's been good to have a chronicle to sit down and revisit the experience as well. I really appreciate the forum having that stability.
I am becoming more and more convinced of the synergistic/antagonistic nature of the microbiota in our bodies. Traditional Chinese Medicine and other Eastern practices nailed it long ago. We're just well behind the curve in Western medicine. It's our nature to reduce things down into parts we can understand but then you lose perspective the whole.
I'm actually fleshing the theory out further. I'm pushing it more into the metaphysical but I believe a portion of the population is more energy aware than the rest and that's a big driver in this since not everyone develops these issues.
The vagus nerve connects the gut, heart, and brain (pineal gland?). They correlate to the dan-tiens (lower, middle, upper) or important chakras (root, heart, third eye). These individuals are more prone to digestive issues (lower dan-tien, root chakra) which disrupts to connection with the others via vagus nerve.
When the gut is out of balance the body has trouble getting the nutrients it needs to properly handle metals (metallothionein). This can lead to a number of issues. Heavy metals trapped in the body. Copper dysregulation. Zinc unavailability. Settling of iron in the body. All of these add oxidative stress draining other nutrients further spiraling things down the drain. Chronic illnesses are an outward representation of imbalance in the internal terrain. As one addresses the sub-clinical dysautonomous state the body can begin to rebalance.
The theory I have seen proposed by a mold doctor that molds increase in the body to address metals rings true. The mechanics involving oxalates was my own intuitive leap. I have been frequenting a number of groups the last year and there's been a confluence of all the information into one fairly cohesive theory. I firmly believe things happen for a reason and this is just one more example.
My tinea is reducing. My oxalate dumping is significantly reduced. Mostly just dumping free copper now which is controlled through increasing liver versus muscle meat. Leafy greens and chlorella to bind things up and keep it coming out. I'm consistently pushing what appear to be bilirubin stones about the size of peas in my stools. Greenish stools from the chlorella with rust color balls.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk. :)
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Might as well keep up the posts here. I chose a fitting title for the journal.
Last year was a spiritual and psychic awakening. Fucking brutal but it is what it is. I'm still working through everything but it changes you for the better. A lot of people will be experiencing them due to COVID. This cycle is drawing to a close and COVID is convenient to break the psyche. Not that I have to warn against it here but I'd seriously reconsider the vaccination. There will be big changes over the next five to ten years.
Hopefully someone who needs to see this does. The universe (source) has a way of putting messages in front of us when we need them. The best advice is learn to surrender. The ego will fight every step of the way. You need to learn to discern truth from the heart (it functions as it's own "brain") and things become much clearer. I still question what it's all about every day. Is it a dream? Am I dead and this is hell? Is this a game for other beings? At the end of the day it doesn't matter as this is all I've got. I'm using my energy to enact good. I'm working on certifications now to get into the healing fields. I've had a number of people reach out to me on the various Facebook groups I'm a part of looking for guidance. I'm just about healed from all of my issues and it's been through research, intuition, and intention.
Ever onward. I'll be stopping in and checking up semi-regularly. I just don't feel like it's appropriate for me to spend a lot of time discussing my diet as it's a mix of things right now. It's taken some really weird choices at times to continue healing but it's working.
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The morona lierus ONLY exists in the mustard seed brains of the sheeple, uploaded there by the telievision/idiotbox channels, owned and run by a handful of billionaires/trillionaires whit the sole mission of ''informing'' the pests, I mean the sheeple.
The germ theory is a lie, inversion of reality. Contagion is a retarded lie/myth.
The only real viruses that exists and people suffer with are the following: Virtue Signaling Syndrome, Stockholm Syndrome, Cognitive Dissonance, Milgram Experiment Syndrome, Normalcy Bias, Learned Helplessness and Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
Must read FREE e-book: Virus Mania: How the Medical Industry Continually Invents Epidemics: https://archive.org/details/virus-mania-how-the-medical-industry-continually-invents-epidemics/mode/2up
Must read FREE e-book: BÉCHAMP or PASTEUR? A Lost Chapter in the History of Biology by Ethel Douglas Hume: https://digital.library.yorku.ca/yul-570312/bechamp-or-pasteur-lost-chapter-history-biology#page/44/mode/2up
https://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/history/biographies/Bechamp-or-Pasteur.pdf
Must read e-book: The Contagion Myth by Thomas S. Cowan, Sally Fallon Morell: https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510764620/the-contagion-myth/
Moronalierus was the obvious end result of a mass population of screen starers who are easily swayed and manipulated with the wind. No real internal moral compass to speak of. Most await buzzwords and trigger phrases from their "leaders" to enact their fake moral superiority in order to gain a sense of meaning. Minds are quickly being degenerated, social media screen starers disconnected from reality with nothing real going on internally cling to political causes and slogans. the virus is their wet dream and meaning making apparatus, reality in its own twisted projection of their mind finally makes sense and they have their "cause of a generation..that they "lived through" and "overcame".
Children needing a nipple to suck on to make them safe from the "boogeyman". dissenters and halfway free thinkers must be destroyed as they are reminders of the empty shell or husk of a
"human" that now operates in the world simply by mechanics- mechanical action after mechanical action all the while running on stress chemicals swearing to God or whoever that they are in the "right", and will save the world. Never once looking inward to wonder if maybe they are being had or might have it totally backwards. Total Indoctrination.
The root of all evil is reproduction. If no more fresh food(children) is brought into this 'heaven' and given over to the beast, the beast would starve to death. Don't bring into this reality more future: communists, satanists, terrorists prancing around in the idiotbox/telievision in suits/ties and white coats and other childish/ridiculous uniforms, torturers, mercenaries, hitmen/hitwomen, bolsheviks, leninists, stalinists, maoists, nazis, marxists, BLMs, antifas etc.etc.(i.e. the ‘nice’ people of society). No, you will not be able to influence your children, the beast is indoctrinating/brainwashing them 24/7/365. Your 5 minutes per day non-sensical useless interaction with them will not counteract the beast's 24/7/365 influence. ;)
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We agree and disagree friend. There is salvation in most. I will agree some are past it. Too deeply rooted in the ego of their personal hell. We must each listen through our heart and mine tells me to light up the fucking sky as a guidepost on others journeys. I refuse to compound the version of reality we are experiencing by adding fear into it.
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Political Atheist. It's important to consider another framework. Reading through your choices of words I believe you are on a path to awaken as well. It feels like you may be fighting with your ego for control of your perspective. I do this all the time. It takes work to shift your processing to the heart-mind.
Our bodies are a microcosm of a larger entity. I believe this carries on through perpetuity. The way we are ravaging the planet is representative of the way in which an imbalance of bacteria to fungi imbalances the body to dry/heat. The animals are the bacteria of the planet and fungus are the plants. Fungus in the body functions to sequester toxins in the same capacity that the plants on the planet do. As we deforest & kill off other species we are incurring a figurative staph infection of the planet. The planet needs us as part of a holistic system but if we can't find balance it will do so. COVID is manmade. It's being used against us by forces larger than man to control an imbalance. It's an opportunity to learn or be destroyed.
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Political Atheist. It's important to consider another framework. Reading through your choices of words I believe you are on a path to awaken as well. It feels like you may be fighting with your ego for control of your perspective. I do this all the time. It takes work to shift your processing to the heart-mind.
Our bodies are a microcosm of a larger entity. I believe this carries on through perpetuity. The way we are ravaging the planet is representative of the way in which an imbalance of bacteria to fungi imbalances the body to dry/heat. The animals are the bacteria of the planet and fungus are the plants. Fungus in the body functions to sequester toxins in the same capacity that the plants on the planet do. As we deforest & kill off other species we are incurring a figurative staph infection of the planet. The planet needs us as part of a holistic system but if we can't find balance it will do so. COVID is manmade. It's being used against us by forces larger than man to control an imbalance. It's an opportunity to learn or be destroyed.
hey, where do I need to sign up/apply to become a paid collaborator/accomplice like yourself? With the sole mission of keeping the hoaxvid1984/scamvid1984/convid1984 alive for as long as possible and encourage the sheeple to get into it, basically to control the sheeple through trauma/fear based mind control while inducing severe: 1. Virtue Signaling Syndrome; 2. Stockholm Syndrome; 3. Cognitive Dissonance; 4. Milgram Experiment Syndrome; 5. Normalcy Bias; 6. Learned Helplessness; 7. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy… I mean if the money is good, I might join you guys, since the sheeple are incredibly/overwhelmingly stupid and easy to scam/fool/control/hoax…
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hey, where do I need to sign up/apply to become a paid collaborator/accomplice like yourself? With the sole mission of keeping the hoaxvid1984/scamvid1984/convid1984 alive for as long as possible and encourage the sheeple to get into it, basically to control the sheeple through trauma/fear based mind control while inducing severe: 1. Virtue Signaling Syndrome; 2. Stockholm Syndrome; 3. Cognitive Dissonance; 4. Milgram Experiment Syndrome; 5. Normalcy Bias; 6. Learned Helplessness; 7. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy… I mean if the money is good, I might join you guys, since the sheeple are incredibly/overwhelmingly stupid and easy to scam/fool/control/hoax…
I'm not really sure how to respond to you. Yes, fear drives our reality as do other emotions. Compassion is how you overcome it. We ARE out of balance with the rest of this reality though. We grow as a collective if people can stand on their own in harmony. If we continue down the path we are on the cycle repeats again. You can project however you want. I'm living my truth.
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I'm not really sure how to respond to you. Yes, fear drives our reality as do other emotions. Compassion is how you overcome it. We ARE out of balance with the rest of this reality though. We grow as a collective if people can stand on their own in harmony. If we continue down the path we are on the cycle repeats again. You can project however you want. I'm living my truth.
Are you a female?
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Are you a female?
Nope. Male. I would say I'm fairly balanced though so a "touchy feely" male. Some view that as a weakness but I understand it's strengths as it lets me approach issues from both perspectives.
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Nope. Male. I would say I'm fairly balanced though so a "touchy feely" male. Some view that as a weakness but I understand it's strengths as it lets me approach issues from both perspectives.
Raised by a single mom or a simp/mangina father?
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Neither. Do you have anything useful to add to the discussion or is it purely ad hominem attacks? I'll debate anything legitimate you care to debate but this is pointless.
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Neither. Do you have anything useful to add to the discussion or is it purely ad hominem attacks? I'll debate anything legitimate you care to debate but this is pointless.
So then you are just a victim. the fruit of the social engineers.
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Still kicking in whatever reality this happens to be. Sure is an interesting time to be alive.
Just started back up on high fat. Noting a marked improvement in focus and energy. Fasting until lunch is helping that a lot too. I'd been eating a fair percentage of calories by carbs and noticed weight building up (got to 258). Also a flare of the Tinea on my skin. I started taking biotin with my other supplements and that started helping (I think an issue of excess carbs for my body draining thiamine which needs biotin as a co-factor). The biotin is making slow progress getting the tinea and weight back under control. The keto is still in the honeymoon phase so we will see how that goes.
Hitting the gym again too. Considering I was dead on my feet last year and dow not 162ish pounds I bounced back pretty good. Doing roughly 120 pounds per machine on a circuit and maxed the leg press out at 620 pounds. Hoping to get back into regular yoga as well as free weights soon and build up the lean muscle. Between that and the diet change up I figure I'll be in good shape by my birthday the end of next month.
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Are you eating mainly raw now?
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Are you eating mainly raw now?
At least 50%. Usually 70-80%. Not sure yet if I'll go back 100% or not. I'm appreciating the fact I seem to be handling cooked food a little better than before but I still feel best raw.
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your posts are very long and I can see you've tried many different methods. I have similar problems with intestines, fungi and allergies, and it all started with switching to keto diet and covid. Could you please write down which activities have brought you the best results? did you find any food for these allergic reactions? Even raw meat is bad for me now :(