Craziest Health Site- Raising temps, reversing insulin resistance w/FOOD!!

[Casadolce]

Peggy, I'm so sorry to hear of your brother-in-law's death; bless you as you comfort your mother-in-law and process your own grief.

Becky, has the swelling stayed at bay? Congratulations on the loose jeans.

Bev, congrats to you, too!

Callie, my son (18) is very thin like your brother (6', 140 lbs) but he eats...Or at least, he eats when he's at home. I don't know how he manages away at uni, but he seems to be going through the funds on his meal card, so I trust he's eating!

I finally broke down and bought the 180 Collection, and I started reading the last several pages of the Kitchen book. I'm not happy...First of all, if I'm not gorging myself full of starch, my temps rarely get above 98.3. Like many of you here, I find the overeating very uncomfortable. My basal temps the past couple of mornings have been in the mid 96's, and this afternoon my highest temp is 97.9, after 20 minutes under my arm. Pitiful. (And remember, I'm on replacement thyroid--T3.) All this time I've been RRARFing according to the High Everything maxim, only to read in 180Kitchen that the "high everything" is a misnomer. It really only means high calories and carbs; we're supposed to cut way back on the fat if we don't want to gain 40 pounds of fat over 4 months that we then need to turn into muscle; apparently it's the high starch diet with very low fat/protein that can build muscle weight; adding the fat (butter, coconut oil, etc) causes fat weight. I wanted to get started on 180Kitchen to see what links I'm missing about the food issue. I've started reading Metabolism; hopefully I will find that more encouraging, but so far, I feel overwhelmed and confused, and starting to doubt this process. I don't know how much weight I've gained because I refuse to step on the scale, but since January, the size 18W jeans that were roomy are very, very snug; I'm lucky I can zip them. I really, really, REALLY do not need to be gaining all this flab; I'm fat enough, thank you very much!

I'm sorry to be a downer...I'll continue reading Metabolism and see what new connections I can make. But right now, the temps don't justify the fat I've gained. I've been wondering if I'm a candidate for the PSMF diet Matt talks about (p 212 in Kitchen.) It's just that eating only 400 calories a day is very scary! On the other hand, the prospect of being buried in a piano case is not very appealing, either!

[calgirl]

Original high everything was truly high everything, Matt has added an addendum because a lot of people were afraid of gaining but he has said that those who have been on low fat diets need the fat. I dont do low fat but most of my fat is from coconut oil which processes more like a carb and is metabolically active enough to burn itself off. Maybe you could focus on CO for fats. Also please dont do pmsf. I know Matt talks about it but I have experimented with many things and it didnt not pan out for me like its supposed to and I have read many reports that had crash diet type results with it. If you choose to do a diet to get fat off I would recommend dr. Simeons protocol over anything. You can find the book as an ebook online, it spares normal fat and only goes for abnormal fat. So even while doing the low cal diet you arent starving or dropping metabolism because the fat fuels you. It also resets the hypothalamus and from the extensive journals i have read most people stabilize at their new weight and are able to eat normally. PLus it only lasts 6 weeks max which is much better in my opinion than living on a diet for months and months.

But I do you hope you contemplate things carefully. I am sure you will. I am sorry you have gained but in the long run don't you want to let your body heal? the overfeeding element is essential at first to get the temps up, i know it's not comfortable but it will be worth it. even if your temps havent come up, eating starchy carbs like rice and potatoes is addressing any insulin resistance issues you have and I am sure your adrenals have been able to relax and begin healing. Maybe you can make a few tweaks to your day in order to keep your weight stable while you heal yourself. if you aim for less fat, i would recommend just lowering it, not actually going for 'low fat' because thats just another version of the restricting macros diet world. I am sorry you are frustrated and I hope things improve. are you noticing any difference in mood energy, skin, mental clarity etc?

[calgirl]

you might consider increasing your protein, whenever my protein is high it seems my weight stays more stable as well

[nuritnn]

Hi all. I'd like to summarize my experience with RARRFing in the past several months.

I second Susan feeling that overeating is very uncomfortable. I cannot imagine how healing occurs when you are stuffed with food, not to mention the fact that is not at all so healthy as an ice cream... which was recommended here even for a short term. It goes without saying that the sugar harms you, and according to MHO the rise of temp is not sacred above all other considerations.

I agree that there is much sense and reason in what Matt writes and suggests. However I feel I have to be
cautious not to go to extreme. I adopted from his plan the added carbs (moderately) in my meals, which I do think is very important, I eat only to my appetite, and I have not stopped doing T-Tapp!!! I feel T-Tapping contributes so much to my health and appearance (and to my metabolism as well), that it is insane for me to give it up even for a short while.
With my plan of eating and exercising I keep my glucose rates under control and have overcome my insulin resistance problem. I used to have 100 - 110 fasting insulin rates and it went higher when I was rarrfing. Only when I used my modifications for this plan, I reached 90 fasting rates, which is quite stable now.

my morning temps most of the days are around 97.6. Sometimes less and and on other days even more. I feel great and have energy along the day.
I am very grateful for having been familiar with RARRF and all the wonderful, wise advice and tips especially from Callie, so I could integrate them to my way of nutrition. It really helped me a lot.

On the other hand, I have received today a newsletter from Dr. Fuhrman which speaks about the risks of eating too much white rice. Sorry if it confusing. I'm confused myself. Here is what he says in his newletter:

More white rice, more diabetes risk

Over 20 million people in the United States (about 8% of the population) have type 2 diabetes.1 Carrying excess fat and eating high glycemic load (GL) foods contribute to the development of insulin resistance, leading to type 2 diabetes. In spite of considerable more overweight and obesity in the USA, and our dangerous diet, there is considerable more diabetes in China, Korea and Japan. This is mostly because of white rice - refined carbohydrates like white rice, devoid of fiber to slow down absorption of sugars, raise blood glucose more and faster (have a higher glycemic load, or GL) than their intact, unprocessed counterparts.

A new meta-analysis of four studies has explored the link between white rice and diabetes - overall, the researchers found that each daily serving of white rice increased the risk of diabetes by 11%.2 This new research serves to remind us: High-glycemic, nutrient-depleted, refined carbohydrates (like white rice) are more than just empty calories – they are disease-causing foods. Read more....

Not just diabetes – cancer too
High GL foods have dangers that reach beyond diabetes. Diets including large quantities of high GL foods increase the risk of several chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and cancers.3 Low-nutrient, high glycemic foods could also contribute significantly to cancer by causing excessive insulin secretion. High insulin levels in the blood can promote the growth of cancer cells, in part by interacting with the receptor for insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).4 Diabetics are far more likely to develop several cancers than non-diabetics. This increased risk of cancer observed in diabetics is thought to be due in part to cancer-promo ting effects of insulin therapy.5,6

In the past, white rice was looked upon as a healthful, low fat staple in a vegetarian diet. We have progressed in nutritional knowledge such that white rice can no longer be considered healthful, or even neutral – it is a disease-causing food. The damaging effects of high-GL foods have been brought to light, and we now know that the most healthful carbohydrate sources are those with lower GL – beans, peas, intact whole grains, and starchy vegetables.

[Casadolce]

Nurit I appreciate your perspective; interesting article from Dr. Fuhrman...I'm trying to make sense of the insulin/refined foods/starch connection. It's fascinating how the world of nutritional science/wisdom has very little consensus. In Matt's defense, I think his use of white rice and ice cream--foods usually taboo in the world of holistic nutrition--is to show how those foods can boost temperature and, therefore, metabolism. I don't think he's advocating a steady diet of white rice and ice cream; those are just tools to occasionally use to push up temps. (Is that right, Callie?) At any rate, Nurit, it sounds as though the tweaks you've made by adding the bit of starch you've added has, indeed, raised your temps, and that's wonderful. Although it can be argued that body temperature is not the end-all-and-be-all, the one thing that is consistent in medical literature is that a body of temperature of 98.6 and up (not caused by infection/fever) indicates a robust and healthy metabolism; where there is a healthy metabolism, disease is absent. As for myself, when I'm feeling energized, emotionally stable, etc,...That is when my temps are between 98.7 and 99.0.

Now, I just have to decide if the (hopefully temporary) consequences of looking like the Michelin Tire Man are worth the increased heat!

Callie: Thank you for your guidance...I was in a real funk yesterday when I wrote that...I'm really struggling with this process, but I realize part of it is my indoctrination that I'm supposed to be loosing weight to be healthy, rather than gaining more! I do recognize that this process is healing my system, and I have a very long way to go.

One good thing I can report is that I'm down another 1.25 mg of hydrocortisone over the past week. I'm noticing some symptoms, however, such as aches in my legs; feeling like I'm walking through mud; mood swings; decreased energy; needing to nap...I see my functional medicine doc today, so hopefully she can tell me if it is the drop in HC that is causing the symptoms. My goal is to wean off the HC entirely so that I can get new saliva testing to see how my adrenals are functioning on their own. I'm hopeful that all the potatoes, sweet potatoes and rice I'm eating are helping heal my adrenals. (BTW, I only eat brown rice, soaked for at least 7 hours; just can't bring myself to eat conventional white rice!) At my last visit, I refused to stand on the scale, and I will decline the invitation to be weighed today, as well...But I have to buck myself up for the inevitable talk about the weight-reduction plan she recommends (juice fasting) and the doctor supervised diet she sells (FirstLine Therapy from Metagenics.)

Re: Coconut oil...I've actually dropped my consumption of coconut oil since I've been eating all these potatoes. I like the CO on the sweet potatoes, but I've been using copious amounts of grass-fed ghee and butter on white potatoes and rice. Instead of eliminating the fats (Horrors! I mean, really...When I read that I thought "Might as well quit now, Susan. Without butter and CO you're done for.") I can cut down on them, and replace more butter with CO.

Also, I'm really feeling the need to start exercising again. Not to the extent I have in the past, but maybe just 20 minutes of MORE 1 to 2 X a week. I will see what my temps do with adding more activity.

Editing to add: I only eat 3 meals a day. I will try eating more steadily, i.e., smaller, frequent feedings rather than 3 "stuff myself to the gills" feedings, and see if that makes a difference. It's just that it's so blasted inconvenient to have to stop life and eat so frequently. But I haven't tried that yet, so I should give it a go. I did try eating most of my calories before 2:00 and then having a light supper; temps plummeted to the lowest they've been since I started 180, so clearly, I'm not ready for a modified fast-type plan.

[nuritnn]

Suzan, I also don't think Matt is advocating a steady diet of white rice and ice cream; However I question the tools even for occasionally use to push up temps.

I did want to emphasize that the tweaks I had made by adding more carbs helped me a lot to raise my temps and I'm grateful for that, but without junk food. I eat vegetables, grains (millet, kinoa, amaranth, buckwheat), carbs (mostly sweet potatoes), and seeds, nuts, almonds, flax-seed oil, hemp oil, coconut oil and ghee, protein (eggs, chicken, kefir), different kinds of berries and an apple a day. My nutrition is gluten free and sugar free. Once in a while I give myself a treat but not for raising temp, just because I want it or when I am out. Usually I eat 3 meals a day and I try to eat dinner no later than 7 PM.

I T-Tapp almost every day (5 days a week, one day a long workout and the other day a short one). My temps have raised in spite of all these deviations from the strict plan.

I totally agree with the statement that you have to be healthy to lose wait and not vice versa. And a healthy metabolism is a must for achieving this goal. But it is so very confusing to choose the right individual way to do it, with all the opposing science and info out there in the nutritional field. Usually I ask my body by self muscle testing what is best for me

Susan, I hope your appointment today with your doc goes well.

[calgirl]

I have to say that I disagree with Dr Fuhrman's take on white rice. Just because too variables exist together does not mean one caused the other. But again the recommendation is never to be eating these carbs on their own but with protein and fat which considerably lowers the blood sugar impact. I have only seen improvements in blood sugar, weight stability and adrenals while eating white rice and sweet potatoes primarily. Having said that, that is my choice and even Matt in his book reserves white rice for sometimes. I use the Jasmin version and not nasty store bought white rice. Asians have for the longest time been a very slim and healthy people while eating a lot of rice and I wonder if this mention of increased diabetes has a lot to do with modern day changes in diet and access to new foods. As well as eating rice without protein and fat.

I am not advocating junk food eating as a part of a long term diet. But I am also very defiant to the restrictive fearful mindset that seems to be everywhere these days when it comes to food. The healthiest people are often those with the most relaxed and guilt free perspective on food, regardless of whether their diet is flawless in terms of eating clean all the time etc. I am very happy to add also that my brother's appetite has already increased and he has put on 10lbs from his low weight in the past few weeks, only one of which being more food. I was getting on his case constantly to eat and now he is going and getting food because his body has started to wake up and get hungry. And he had a 97.8 the other day which is stellar for him as we used to see 96.2-96.7

I am hopeful he will start to feel better, he is already putting on muscle very obviously, he looks better and I am so happy. Still trying to get him to do some exercise.

Nuritnn no one is saying to give up ttapp. The recommendation is for the first 30 days to rest and heal. I lightened my workouts but did not stop them all together, they help me to remain functional. But in specific cases where someone's temp drop to 94 after working out, (who was that again?) the adrenals obviously need more time. TTapp is wonderful but it is the most intense workout I do. I do it very intensely

[calgirl]

Nuritnn I am really glad to hear you are having improvements and I am glad to be of help whenever I can.

[adrianne]

Callie, that was me whose temps dropped to the 94s after working out. I had modified my workouts considerably for the past 3 months and I am only now starting to get back to doing whole workouts 3 x a week. I am happy to report that while my temps still drop after a workout, they no longer go as low they did before. For the most part they drop to the high 96s and recover to a higher temp more rapidly. I am still very careful to workout only when I am feeling up to it, never forcing myself. If I've learned anything from 180 Degree health, it's to listen to my body. I'm always thinking healthy metabolism now, not weight or inch loss, although I am confident that it will come.

[farra712]

Just wanted to drop in with an update! I've been following RRARF for about a week and a half now, I think, and I saw a HUGE temperature spike today. I'm actually wondering if the fact that I ate McDonald's breakfast of a bacon and cheese biscuit and two hashbrowns yesterday morning had anything to do with this spike. It was 98.04 this morning after days of 97.02-97.4 readings. I haven't deviated from unprocessed foods but once until yesterday, and the only reason I did then is because I had to take my friend to the airport several hours earlier than I would usually get up, and I planned to eat when I got home (because I take medicine with my meals and want to stick to a regular schedule), but I got stuck in traffic for a while, and I was feeling my blood sugar start to drop and didn't think I'd be feeling well by the time I got home, so I decided that if I was going to eat fast food, I was going to allow myself to get something "bad" and enjoy it. I haven't gained any weight yet (thank goodness), but I also am not stuffing myself. I'm eating until I am not at all hungry any more 3x per day. I also have only used brown and jasmine rice, potatoes, carrots, and corn as my starchy carbs, because I have had better digestion since avoiding most grains. By noon today, my temp was 98.66! Pretty exciting! I guess we'll see if it stays that way.. I'm wishing you all success with whatever route you've decided to take on this journey to healing our metabolisms.