So, I’m beginning to wonder if IF is maybe actually kind of counter productive while I still have a massively broken metabolism. And I plainly do (unfortunately) still have a massively broken metabolism.

Enter Dr. Kruse (many thanks to my friends over at the MDA forum for introducing me to Jack’s blog).

The metabolic culprit, in my case, is probably Leptin Resistance. Something I was peripherally aware of but didn’t really understand until  read the following posts on Dr. Kruse’s blog. Leptin 1, Leptin 2, Leptin 3.

And reading them in order was both insanely informative and extremely frustrating, because Doc does a good job in showing why Leptin Resistance is a Bad Thing but until the end of the third post doesn’t really say what to do about it. His advice, as it turns out, is pretty simple.

Her (Oprah is the example here) goal is to focus on becoming leptin sensitive by being required by eating 50 grams of protein at breakfast everyday within 30 minutes of rising, eliminating all snacking especially past 730 PM, eating three meals a day, and limiting her carb intake below fifty grams per day for about 6-8 weeks. In my practice, over the last 5 years that is about the bell curve I have seen for most patients to require their regain their signaling back. I check leptin sensitivity by asking a few questions or by ordering a reverse T3 level.

Please don’t let reading the solution dissuade you from reading the articles. They are well, well worth it in that they show you just how important leptin is and just how troublesome not being sensitive to it can be.

So what does all this have to do with IF? Well, I do my fasts overnight and throughout the morning. I stop eating at 8 or 9 pm and don’t break my fast until after noon on any given day and Dr. Kruse’s *prescription* wants an early morning feed. So IF (as I currently practice it) can’t coexist with reducing my leptin resistance.

And I’m okay with that.

One of the biggest draws of IF for me is that it helps mimic the eating pattern we evolved with, but more and more I’m discovering that I’m so not the guy I evolved from. My metabolism is broken six ways to Sunday (diabetes, high BP, extremely obese) and attempting to live like my ancestors with healthy metabolisms lived isn’t getting the job done for me. The healthy eating choices and consistent exercise has reduced my insulin sensitivity and begun to bring my fasting blood sugar numbers under control, but both weight loss and muscle gain still elude me (and Dr. Kruse shows a very clear correlation to what I’m experiencing and leptin resistance in his posts).

So, I’m going to give it a try. Tomorrow I’m going straight to the fridge when I wake up and cracking some eggs in the frying pan. Once I really start to notice the changes the Doc says I should notice I’ll rethink bringing IF back into the picture. I’ll know more where I’m at by the end of the summer.

Perhaps I’ll try flip-flopping my IF schedule around and fasting in the evenings instead of overnight into the mornings. Not as easy to wrangle, socially, but at this point choosing health over social acceptance I think I’m going to have to focus on what I need to stick around and be social in the decades to come.

Filed under: everydayME ]]> http://brahnamin.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/the-new-experiement-reduce-eliminate-leptin-resistance/feed/ 1 brahnamin eggonyourface http://brahnamin.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/why-i-will-never-take-a-statin-drug/ http://brahnamin.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/why-i-will-never-take-a-statin-drug/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:06:48 +0000 brahnamin http://brahnamin.wordpress.com/?p=3023 ]]> [Cholesterol's] jobs, which are many, include insulating neurons, building and maintaining cellular walls, metabolizing fat soluble vitamins, producing bile, and kick-starting the body’s synthesis of many hormones, including the sex hormones. Cool stuff actually.

- Mark Sisson

::

I should probably have entitled this “Why I will never take a statin drug . . . again”

Yes, I once took one of these barbaric monstrosities that passes itself as legitimate medicine. It was part of my regimen of pills after I was first diagnosed as diabetic. Even though my cholesterol at the time was in the range that conventional wisdom tells us is *optimal* I was considered to be at risk of developing high cholesterol because I was an overweight diabetic with high blood pressure.

I guess it’s like icing and cake. They just automatically go together.

Well, that was six years ago and my cholesterol is still in what is considered the *normal* healthy range (if not optimal) despite the fact that I only took the recommended statins for about 4 months. I won’t bore you with stories about the number of doctors who have attempted to prescribe them for me since then.

But I will explain why I refuse to take them.

Before I explain statins, however, lets take a brief peek at *cholesterol* itself.

First, the stuff that they look at when they test your cholesterol isn’t cholesterol. Perhaps you have heard of HDL and LDL. Perhaps you have heard HDL described as *good* cholesterol and LDL described as *bad* cholesterol.

In point of fact, neither of them is cholesterol. They’re proteins, actually. And their job is to transport cholesterol. Cholesterol is made in your liver and it has a couple of jobs in your body. It is used to repair cells when they get old and/or damaged. It is also used to help control inflammation. Your body just kinda slaps the cholesterol on top of the inflamed area like a temporary bandage.

It is the job of LDL to take the cholesterol from your liver to the places in your body where it is needed. It is the job of HDL to bring old cholesterol back to the liver to be broken down and either recycled or discarded as waste.

What statins do is keep your liver from producing so much cholesterol in the first place.

So if you take statins, your overall cholesterol will go down.

The stuff that rebuilds your cells when they get damaged.

The stuff that helps soothe inflamed areas within your body.

Yeah. Lets make less of that. That’ll make us healthier – right?

Erm – no.

To me that logic flows about as well as grabbing a wrench while firemen are trying to drench your house to put out a fire and rushing up and closing the valve in the hydrant that is feeding their hose – because you’re afraid of water damage and the unsightly things it will do to your house.

Which is burning.

And now is burning even harder because you’ve nipped all that crazy firefighting in the bud.

That’s statins for you. They don’t fight the fire. They fight the firemen.

So, instead of statins I take omega 3 fish oil tablets, eat lots of fish and grass fed beef, use neutral fats like coconut oil, butter, and (occasionally) really good olive oils. I stay away from margarine and vegetable oils and I don’t eat sugars, grains, or legumes. And I get plenty of sleep. Because doing all those things tends to reduce the inflammation that gets your liver to produce so much extra cholesterol in the first place.

Cholesterol isn’t evil. It is something that all animals naturally produce so that their bodies can survive and thrive. Because in the absence of system-wide inflammation, the body pretty much just pushes out enough cholesterol to rebuild the cells in that body that get naturally damaged over time.

And that . . . is why I won’t take statin drugs.

::

I am very fortunate in that I am employed in a natural foods store run by (mostly) open minded people. People who are into the community in a very real way, providing a retail venue for local farmers to sell their products right here in town year round. I have access to fresh, local produce; grass fed/finished beef; and a host of other goodies (organic Coconut Oil anyone?) that would otherwise be hard to obtain in these parts.

(The phone conversation between Harvey Keitel and Susan Sarandon’s characters in Thelma and Louise describes where I live perfectly).

…..“You sound like you’re in the middle of nowhere.”

…..“Nope. But you can see it from here.”

But perhaps the thing I like best about my new job (right after the fact that I’m allowed to wear my Vibram 5-fingers to work) is that the people I work with have not only heard of the paleo/primal way of eating, but accept it as a viable choice.

So today we’re setting some of the shelves and one of the vendors who is down helping us to get the store ready to open brought  in subs for everybody. I knew they were there, but I kept working. (Yeah, I could have taken off the bread and feasted on the meat and salad within, but I couldn’t un-mayonnaise them, so I didn’t bother. Even though it was after 1pm, I wasn’t really hungry yet).

After a few minutes, however, our visiting vendor noticed that I hadn’t joined everyone else and came back to tell me about the subs, in case I didn’t know.

I felt like I was on autopilot as I opened my mouth to rattle off an explanation that at this point is starting to feel rehearsed. But instead, I bit off what I was going to say and started over.

One word.

“Caveman,” was all I said, smiling and lifting the next shelf to put in place.

He nodded, lifted one hand in that universal *say no more* gesture and left me to my work.

I was actually pleasantly surprised and even a little elated to – for once – not have to engage in the verbal acrobatics that are usually required to explain my WoE.

In fact, it is fair certain I would be completely lost without her. She encourages me when I’m down. Or yells at me if I insist on staying down for too long.

She is patient with my less than rational moments. And tells me just what a tailpipe I’m being if I let that irrationality get the better of me.

She’s a great mom – patiently teaching me to be a great dad.

She is fiercely loyal, and loves me though she’s seen me at my worst. I begin where she ends and she picks up where I leave off. And it amazes me, considering all our relationship has weathered over the past two decades, that our love is deeper and our relationship is stronger than anything I ever could have imagined.

I still don’t know why she chose me. I don’t know why she loves me. But I’m glad she did. And does.

Happy Valentine’s Day, T . . . and to all you dudes out there who maybe *don’t celebrate Valentine’s day because it’s a made-up Hallmark holiday* – you are IMO really passing up an amazing opportunity (and, frankly, missing the point – after all, you’re not celebrating Saint Valentine – you’re celebrating her) . . .

::

So, yeah, we open on Tuesday, March 1st, Spotsylvania County’s first (and currently only) natural grocery store, and I am well excited to be a part of it and to be getting in on the ground floor with people who are really into their community.

I just finished the above piece for a local quarterly advertising guide.

Now we just have to successfully get through the next three weeks.

::

The f@ bastard is dead! Long live the f@ bastard!

Today was the last day of the diabetes experiment post in which for two weeks I tried to eat Paleo/Primal and got in what exercise I could around my work schedule. My fasting blood work at the beginning of the experiment was 264. On day 14 it was 133.

Today I went to my see my endocrinologist and she agreed that I could go off my diabetes meds – and if in 6 weeks my numbers are still normal and my A1C has dropped below 8 (it was 9.3 today down from 10.4) that I can stay off my diabetes meds.

So the experiment is over.

But my paleo/primal life has just begun.

Now I just need to up my game a bit and start getting in some regular exercise.

::

Height: 5′ 11″

Weight: 299 lbs (down 31 lbs)

Belly: 52″ (down 6″)

Chest: 52″ (unchanged)

Neck: 20″ (unchanged)

Biceps: 17″ (up 1″)

Thigh: 25″ (down 1″)

::

::

……..

::

::

(From a comment left by Janine on THIS post back in June of 2007)

::

-Voltaire

Today I am re-taking up the Primal Challenge. While I am on the challenge (which I suspect will be indefinitely) I will still be tracking my weight and measurements at the bottom of the f@ camp page, but I will also be tracking how my blood sugar reacts.

During this time I will be eating nothing that contains added sugar or is made with flour and limiting my consumption of rice and legumes to no more than one or two servings a week.

I will also be exercising. Five days a week I will be walking 30-60 minutes. One day a week I will engage in 10 minutes of sprints. And two days a week (with at least 3 days in between) I will be doing a 20 minute whole body workout that focuses on intensity and full body movement over slow isolation exercises.

The framework for my experiment is set up for the first 2 weeks of the Challenge where I will be updating my fasting blood sugar, my food journal, and exercise journal daily.

From there I will probably update on a weekly basis. During the experiment this post will remain at the top of the main page of my blog. After that I’ll un-sticky it and post a link at the bottom of my Author page and the f@ camp page.

::

Day 1

Fasting blood sugar

• 264

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 10:30 am – 5 eggs; 2 sausage links; 1/2 a banana
• 4:30 pm – 3 mild Italian sausage links, 1/4 cup cashews

• Beverages – Unsweetened iced tea throughout the day

Daily Exercise

• Today was an exceptionally long work day for me, so I neither walked nor worked out.

Day 2

Fasting blood sugar

• 209
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 11:30 am – 5 eggs; 1 Italian sausage link with sauteed onions and peppers; 1/4 cup marinara; sprinkle of mozzarella
• 6:00 pm – 2 cups white chili with chicken; 1/4 cup shredded cheddar

• Beverages – Unsweetened iced tea and water

Daily Exercise

• 20 minutes full body weight training
  

Day 3

Fasting blood sugar

• 224
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 10:30 am – 6 oz chicken
  
• 2: 30 pm – 5 eggs; 4 oz diced chicken; 12 pistachios
  
• 5:30 pm – 1/2 lb snow crab meat
• 8:30 pm – 24 cashews
  

• Beverages – Unsweetened iced tea and water

Daily Exercise

• Walked 35 minutes
  

Day 4

Fasting blood sugar

• 185
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 7:30 am – 1/4 cup cashews
• 11:30 am – 1/4 cup cashews (it’s been a weird morning)
• 12:30 pm – 4 oz steak
• 6:30 pm – more cashews (okay, it’s been a weird day)
  

• Beverages – 1 diet ginger ale; water

Daily Exercise

• Walked 45 minutes
  

Day 5

Fasting blood sugar

• 157
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 6:00 am – 3 eggs; 4oz chicken; 2 oz cheese
• 4:00 pm – pistachios
• 6:30 pm – Taco Salad (Consisting of seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheddar on a plain ceramic plate – no freaky giant Mexican corn bowl).
  

• Beverages – Diet Ginger Ale; water

Daily Exercise

• Due to inclement weather I’m doing a light kettlebell routine instead of walking. Heavy weight training tomorrow.
  

Day 6

Fasting blood sugar

• 174
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 12:00 pm – 4 oz steak, 4 eggs, hash browns
• 8:15 pm – Almonds
• 9:00 pm – seasoned ground beef with marinara and mozzarella

• Beverages – Diet Root Beer & water

Daily Exercise

• No exercise today
• – pssst! Just call it a rest day. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
  

Day 7

Fasting blood sugar

• 187
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 8:30 am – cashews
• 1:30 pm – pork stir fry
• 6:00 pm – almonds

• Beverages – Diet soda; water

Daily Exercise

• Missed again
  

Day 8

Fasting blood sugar

• 156
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• Noon pm – Almonds & Macadamias
• 5:30 pm – Chicken
• 7:00 pm – Hamburger patty; provolone
  

• Beverages – Unsweetened tea; water

Daily Exercise

• Walked 30 minutes
• 20 minutes bodyweight exercises with kettlebell warm up
  

Day 9

Fasting blood sugar

• 182
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 11:30 am – Steak, eggs, & hash browns
• 5:00 pm – macadamia nuts

• Beverages – Unsweetened tea; water

Daily Exercise

• none
  

Day 10

Fasting blood sugar

• 166
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 11:00 am – Almonds
• 6:30 pm – Shredded lettuce with seasoned pork, chicken cheddar cheese, and homemade salsa.

• Beverages – Unsweetened tea & water

Daily Exercise

• None
  

Day 11

Fasting blood sugar

• 133
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 8:30 am – Macadamia nuts
• 12:30 pm – Eggs, bacon, & sausage
• 6:30 pm – Macadamia nuts
• 8:30 pm – Crustless quiche (shrimp, bacon, onion, and zucchini filling)

• Beverages – Unsweetened tea & water

Daily Exercise

• Bodyweight/Kettlebell routine
  

Day 12

Fasting blood sugar

• 135
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 9:00 am – Macadamia nuts
• 3:00 pm – Chicken/Pork BBQ (NC style – seasoned with vinegar and red pepper flakes) with cheese
• 8:30 pm – Sausage & eggs

• Beverages – Unsweetened tea & water

Daily Exercise

• None
  

Day 13

Fasting blood sugar

• 126
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 6:30 am – Macadamia nuts & sausage patties
• 5:00 pm – 1/4 lb hamburger patty with ketchup
• 6:30 pm – flank steak with sauteed mushrooms, peppers, onions, and zucchini
• 9:30 pm – cashews

• Beverages – Unsweetened tea & water.

Daily Exercise

• None
  

Day 14

Fasting blood sugar

• 133
  

Foods eaten throughout the day

• 2:00 pm Macadamia nuts
• 4:00 pm Flank steak and cheddar cheese
• 7:00 pm Meatballs with sauteed vegetables and marinara

• Beverages – unsweetened tea and water

Daily Exercise

• None
  

::

- R. D. Laing

::

::

Last chance to back out . . . or . . .

::

- Tip O’ Th’ Pen to Hate-&-Anger for today’s foolishness