missmary Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 I had pretty much the same thyroid results come back last week. TPO very low so no Hashimoto's (THANK GOD), but TSH probably higher than it needs to be but still under 3.0. CRP was also very, very low which shocked me and also gave me hope. T3/T4 are in the 25th and 30th %ile but that does mean I am converting T4 into T3 at a healthy rate so I don't have an extra issue there. DHEAS is normal but a tad low. I did not do well with that supplement 4 years ago so I'm not sure I will take it now. Yeah, I think our situations are a bit different in that my T3 is extremely low without armour, my T4 is also lower than yours and my TSH higher. Supplementing with Armour has made a huge difference in my health/mood/general wellbeing and I'm not going to feel bad about taking it since I truly need it. DHEA is one where the reference range is huge, and I know I personally feel best around the middle of that range (too high and I start seeing signs of excess androgen production, too low=low energy low mood even on armour). If you try it again you might want to tweak the dose or add it gradually--I think the standard is 60mg, but my best dose is around 15. I have to cut pills in half to get this, but it's worth it to have the dose just right. I'm ok with the sleep tracker for now. I like how it tunes the alarm time to your sleep cycle, and since the phone is tucked under the sheet, it is actually less of a distraction for my sleep than when it used to be on my nightstand glowing and chirping. I am pretty consistent with my sleep schedule, so that's not an issue for me. The epsom salts/essential oils have helped with sleep a lot, actually, maybe partly the aromatherapy angle.-not always possible, but I'll keep doing that when I can fit it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Day 16: Jan 16 sleep: natural calm; started to fall asleep, but woke up to a call from my dad and talked for a long time. never really got to deep sleep after that. meal#1: HB egg, espresso wo: Strength Circuit meal #2: roast beef; red and yellow bell pepper strips, broccoli, HB egg, coffee (black) meal #3: eating out with former co-workers (from my loan this summer) at a place that has a great mixed greens/fennel/preserved lemon salad. hoping they will also give me some protein (from the inside of a sandwhich, maybe?) but bringing along some grass-fed jerkey just in case. meal #4: 1/2 Kombucha (my own blackberry ginger)/1/2 sparkling water; ground lamb, cooked in coconut oil with onions, mushrooms, power greens, roasted sweet potato cubes; topped with cherry tomatoes. posted a bit about my insecurities last night then deleted it feeling too vulnerable and self-absorbed. reality: my body is fine, great even (just look what it can do!), there are many more important things in the world to worry about. Not sure what to do about my Dad. He feels good, and is willing to conceed that the 21DSD way of eating is better for his diabetes than how he was eating before but he doesn't think it is good for his obesity or for his high blood pressure or for his high cholesterol and he wants to know how he can tweak the plan to increase carbs and decrese calories, fat and red meat. um. ? Also he doesn't think he should ignore his Dr.'s advice in favor of the advice of someone who is not a Dr. When does Chris Kresser's book come out? I need science! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamH Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I bet you can work with your Dad to stay very compliant and not eat as much red meat/fat. Leaner cuts of meat and fish. Sweet potatoes and peas, winter squash and taro chips for carbs. Find him those carbs that carb lovers rarely think about. There is science there already: you can show him the carb content. He just has to wrap his mind around the idea that carbs does not have to mean grains. Not telling you things you don't already know, and I guess wondering if your question was merely rhetorical. Calorie reduction he can do himself. Getting them to increase fats is a tough one. My husband is on a statin and cringes when I talk about coconut oil lowering cholesterol or being anything but a saturated heart attack in a shell. Well Being Journal has a ton of articles in their archives (that I think you can access on line) on coconut oil health benefits with science reference links to back it up. BUT, trust me, if he takes it to his MD for approval he will not get it. You know that already, too. Good luck! Let me know if you find what works. My father in law is a model cardiac patient with what I think is the dementia to prove it. Limiting fats to almost nothing and taking statins for 3 decades has had an impact on his brain function in my opinion. It makes me sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Calorie reduction he can do himself. That's the thing. Yes, he can reduce calories himself. This is a man who has been on and off 1200 calorie diets for as long as I've been alive, maybe longer. It's just that that approach doesn't work. I need to convince him that eating more will help him lose weight, but it's been tough. They are getting better about understanding the value of starchy veggies vs. refined grains, and yes, they can do this without a lot of red meat. It's just a shame to see them reject the healthiest options. The healthier I get, the more credible I am on these topics, and the fact that he called me to ask advice is a huge step in the right direction. I will try to be patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadia B Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Personal Paleo code went out Dec 31st. I got it in the mail the same day. It is perfectly structured. I got it as a gift for my aunt (I know you remember my trials to switch their family to a better eating. She is on board, her husband is somewhat but he still peddles fat=cholesterol=heart disease, kids urgh don't get me started). She loved podcasts and I got her a book. I flipped through several chapters and I was very pleased. Easy to read and it makes great emphasis on "find what works for you" rather than on "don't eat this or you are a bad person doing it all wrong". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 yay! If only it didn't have "paleo" in the title...that is a big turnoff for dad ("all they do is eat red meat and fat!" he thinks)...but I'll send it his way anyway. Chris Kresser (and Nadia) to the rescue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadia B Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 yay! If only it didn't have "paleo" in the title...that is a big turnoff for dad ("all they do is eat red meat and fat!" he thinks)...but I'll send it his way anyway. Chris Kresser (and Nadia) to the rescue. I know, I also thought that Paleo in the title was a bit of a miss. Why don't you put a cover on it? I admit that's what I did, so aunt's husband would read it. Cover and I placed bookmarks to the important chapters, so he is most likely to go straight there rather than to the giant PALEO word at the beginning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Why don't you put a cover on it? Ha. sneaky. I just had amazon ship it to him, guessing he won't be able to resist reading it, even while grumbling about "paleo foolishness" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 What about this one Mary? http://www.amazon.com/Cholesterol-Clarity-What-Wrong-Numbers/dp/1936608383 Also Liz Wolfe's book "Eat the Yolks" is coming out at the end of February. Did he read all the information in the 21DSD book? Diane Sanfilippo is a certified nutrition consultant so should carry more weight than just any blogger out there. Keep reminding him that most doctors do very little study in nutrition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadia B Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I imagined MM Dad reading "Eat the Yolks" and wondering about all the pop culture references she makes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 I think he DID read the 21DSD book, and he read It Starts with Food last year (doesn't remember/believe any of the important information in it, but he read it). I wondered about Liz Wolfe's book. Practical Paleo and Your Personal Paleo Code are on their way to him, so we'll start with that. They have been liking the recipes in the 21DSD book, so I'm hoping Practical Paleo will at least give them some options to put into rotation. hopeful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 Day 17: Jan 17 sleep: natural calm, epsom salt/essential oils bath, good sleep. noting a trend here? am I seriously going to have to take a bath every night now? meal#1: HB egg, espresso wo: Agility cardio, tumbling, sprints. meal #2: roast beef; lots of red and yellow bell pepper strips, (ran out of broccoli) HB egg, coffee (black) meal #3: ground lamb, cooked in coconut oil with onions, mushrooms, power greens, roasted sweet potato cubes; (ran out of cherry tomatoes.) meal #4: 1/2 Kombucha (my own blackberry ginger)/1/2 sparkling water; roast chicken thigh with bell peppers, mushrooms, carrot, zuchinni; coconut milk/fish sauce/green curry paste NOPE. can I thought was coconut milk was actually pineapple chunks. roast chicken thigh and zoodles with tomato/mushrooms/artichokes/garlic/olives sauce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 If you don't want to take the bath every night you could try magnesium oil applied topically to see if it has the same effect as the bath. I miss my bathtub at the house we were renting terribly. I bought all the stuff to make magnesium oil and just have not done it yet. http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-make-magnesium-oil/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 good idea on the magnesium oil. It's funny, because I like taking baths, it's just as soon as I feel like I have to take one it seems like a pain....of course if I couldn't take one I would want to too. Bummer about no tub in the apartment, but at least you have the pool at the gym, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 good idea on the magnesium oil. It's funny, because I like taking baths, it's just as soon as I feel like I have to take one it seems like a pain....of course if I couldn't take one I would want to too. Bummer about no tub in the apartment, but at least you have the pool at the gym, right? It is funny how our brains work that way. We do have a tub. It is just tiny and to be honest was a little gross even when we moved in. I'll say nothing about the current state of it as we all know what a lovely housekeeper I am. We do have a pool at the gym (would make it hard to teach water aerobics if we didn't) and 2 hot tubs and a therapy pool. I don't think they would appreciate me dumping epson salts and essential oils in them though. I should make a point of going to use the hot tub from time to time though. It would feel nice. I'm always jealous of my students who jump in there after class. Sadly I never have time after class...have to clean up and get to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 ha, yes. Part of my issue with the bath at home is the tub is so shallow I'm always 1/2 hot and 1/2 cold. The hot tub at the gym is nice. Maybe that + a spray-down with the magnesium oil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 ha, yes. Part of my issue with the bath at home is the tub is so shallow I'm always 1/2 hot and 1/2 cold. The hot tub at the gym is nice. Maybe that + a spray-down with the magnesium oil? That is a nice thought. Maybe I'll try that next time I'm at the gym for an evening class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 18, 2014 Author Share Posted January 18, 2014 Day 18: Jan 18 sleep: no natural calm or bath, ok sleep but sleep tracker didn't track. no plans, haven't made breakfast yet, I'll come back and fill in the details. I'm doing alright despite repeated thoughts of going off plan--yeah, suddenly a hard cider sounded really good last night, and I ran across a recipe for plantain tortillas I wanted to try and yes there is still an opened bar of Theo's chocolate (soy free and so good) in the fridge but I didn't have any of it. Might as well complete 30 days first. That stuff isn't going anywhere. meal #1: Shakshuka (three eggs poached in a mix of tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, onion, ghee), a few cut up applegate hot dogs for more protein. espresso. more espresso and then some decaf espresso. wo: Recovery: corrective exercise, then flexibility and balance practice. I've made some really good progress in the balance department lately. super fun! meal #2: applegate hot dogs (again), sweet potato cubes, power greens cooked in coconut oil. cherry tomatoes, an egg. meal #3: chicken thigh with artichokes, black olives, garlic over mashed cauliflower, finished with olive oil prep (while doing laundry, cleaning kitchen and surfing web): bottled new batch of kombucha (blueberry), made some sweet tea for new batch, planned the next couple days worth of food. made a sort of beef bourguignon except no wine or potatoes or flour and used pho broth (from nom nom paleo out of the freezer), so asian spices, grass-fed stew beef, carrot, onion, mushrooms, pearl onions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I wanted to like your post but apparently I have "reached my quota for positive votes today" what? I just got up an hour ago. I love Theo's chocolate. And bonus it is local for me. Hang in there...more than half way through. Send those positive productivity vibes my way. Would love to make some real progress on the apartment today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadia B Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 That's it, I am moving to Seattle. Local nail polish company and my favourite chocolate? Oh yeah. If this won't work I will go to SoCal to look for Babywizard's chicken eggs. Or look after her hives (and eat her yum taro fries). Can't take winter here anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Hey it let me like that post! Seattle is a wonderful place! I highly recommend it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 18, 2014 Author Share Posted January 18, 2014 Went out into the fresh snow to go to the gym and get some groceries and I'm convinced I should stay inside for the rest of the weekend. How did everyone forget how to drive overnight? madness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 Day 19: Jan 19 sleep: no natural calm. dry brushing, then hot bath in essential oils/minerals but not epsom salts I usually dump in. Sprayed on the the magnesium oil (stingy!) rubbed on fancy organic lavender calming lotion, slept pretty well but sleep tracker didn't track. Feeling a little restless and cooped up. One can only play Beethoven on the piano (extra dramatic ) for so many hours. I need a hobby. or a boyfriend. eh hem. In parental news, I got an email from my mom yesterday that made me tear up. She doesn't have as many health issues as my Dad, but she is pretty overweight and has suffered through many of his low cal diets including the 1200calorie "whole 30" he had them do last year* where she was hungry all the time and felt so awful she resisted mightily when he said they were doing the 21DSD in January (she also does all the cooking, and predicted this would be a tremendous amount of work...I suppose it is). They are using the prescribed meal plan in the book, and I have her convinced (him too) that she is allowed to eat as much of that food as she needs to not be hungry, and guess what? Dear Mary, Thank you for the books that you sent. They will certainly keep us going for some time to come. I think we have adjusted pretty well. I am happy to be losing weight again after about a year of plateau. I sneaked a look at the scale and I am down 8 pounds. I am not eating very many snacks because I am not hungry between meals very often. Thank you so much. Mom * I did not know they were counting and restricting calories or I would have put a stop to that. frustrating! meal #1. spoon of grassfed beef braised in asian spices; sweet potato cubes, power greens cooked in ghee. cherry tomatoes, 2 eggs. wo: hot vinyasa yoga meal #2. some of the new blueberry kombucha with sparkling water. grass-fed beef hot dogs, bubbies pickles, cherry tomatoes, mustard. some decaf espresso after lunch. meal #3. lamb/lamb liver meatballs with mashed cauliflower and wilted power greens, cherry tomatoes. prep: set up a new batch of Kombucha for second ferment: pineapple/coconut water, steamed broccoli, hard boiled 8 eggs, cut up some bell peppers, made lamb/lamb liver meatballs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Day 20: Jan 20 sleep: natural calm, about 10 sprays magnesium oil, lavender lotion, pretty good sleep, although I think I may have noticed paleo kitty curled up on top of the phone. Suspiciously consistent deep sleep on sleep tracker. Oh and hives and/or rash on my legs this morning, from the magnesium oil? or the new lotion? not sure. meal#1: HB egg, espresso wo: Strength Circuit + Recovery (walking, sauna, hot tub) meal #2: roast turkey; red and yellow bell pepper strips, steamed broccoli, HB egg, coffee (black) + a piece of gourmet grassfed jerky. hard strength circuit=hungry monster. meal #3: grassfed beef braised in asian spices with pearl onions, mushrooms, carrot, mashed cauliflower. meal #4: 1/2 Kombucha (my own blackberry ginger)/1/2 sparkling water; lamb/lamb liver meatballs, leeks and red cabbage, cooked in ghee with a little fish sauce and ume plum vinegar. cherry tomatoes. avocado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physibeth Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Weird about the rash. What kind of base oil does the lotion use? Funny about the cat maybe affecting your sleep tracker. Silly kitty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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