Thank you for all of the reassurance that the issues I was having were related to the computer system and not my brain!
My name is Jill, and I am a 46 year old female. I've been interested in nutrition and exercise since I was in high school. I was a vegetarian when the high carb craze was popular, and my blood sugar was on a constant roller coaster ride. I'd give in to my sugar cravings on the weekend and had migraines like clockwork every Monday, and sometimes Tuesday as well. I had regular headaches frequently on other days. I gradually started eating meat again, and then I was inroduced to paleo a number of years ago when I started doing Crossfit. It fixed a lot of things, but I still felt like I didn't have great energy unless I had a burst from caffeine. I felt like my muscles would feel exhausted pretty quickly. I feel like I've been slowly gaining weight and losing a lot of hair over the last year as well (there is a small, furry animal on top of the shower drain practically on a weekly basis) So, I decided to see a new naturopath in search of the ideal diet and supplements for me. After listening to me, she was suspicious I had the ApoE 4 gene (she is ApoE 3/4) She had me do extensive lab testing, and it was confirmed I am ApoE 3/4. I also have the single copy variant for MTHFR 677 C/T, and my homocysteine is elevated to 13.6.
SOme of my other labs are:
cholesterol-209
Direct LDL-C-143
HDL-C-66
Triglycerides -53
sdLDL-C-26
Omega 3/Omega 6 ratio index -0.10
Vitamin D-23-yikes!
My thyroid TSH is 4.13, free T4 1.1, free T3 2.3. Boston Heart said it was normal, but my naturopath said my thyroid is working too hard, then putting the brakes on and creating too much reverse T3, and she doesn't know why.
She recommended reading Dr. Bredesen's book and following a flexitarian diet and taking multiple supplements, and it has been quite the ride since. I have read the book, and I have been trying to follow the ketoflex 12/3 diet. I have been eating mostly a whole foods diet of fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken and eggs, nuts, seeds, and some grass-fed dairy, and sprouted grain bread, occasional soaked grains (according to recipes in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon) so I haven't had to make huge shifts with food. Although, I still have major chocolate cravings (magnesium level was normal at 2.2) I can eat Theo brand 45% milk chocolate bars like they are one of the major food groups. It give me energy and makes me feel like all is well with the world which makes it easy to rationalize why I should keep eating it even though it has WAY too much sugar to be good. Can anyone else relate? ANy ideas for better substitutes that have the same benefit? (I've made my own chocolate or treats with cocoa powder, or cocoa nibs- it's never quite as good)
The fasting is a huge shift for me, but I've been doing it. I feel tired, spacey, and scatterbrained in the morning (although I often felt that way before anyway) I bought a ketometer, and I have checked several times. I was mostly at 0.5-0.6 mg/dL initially. However, the last 2 days I was below 0.5 even though I don't feel like I changed anything. I have to admit it was disappointing. It feels like a reward to see I'm in ketosis. I felt spacy, had a mild headache, and was a little nauseous when I was in it. I know people have talked about learning how they feel when in it so they don't have to check anymore. Does the feeling change to a more pleasant one as your body gets more acclimated to it?
I'm just trying to find the right mix to feel like I am mentally sharp with good energy consistently. Is that wishful thinking or a strong possibility with this plan?
My HbA1c is 5.2, glucose 95, and insulin 4.
Does anyone have any tricks for how they insure they get into ketosis?
I think I am almost done with my novel. You can see why I kept getting timed out previously.
All of the information is kind of overwhelming, and I am grateful to have this site as a resource.
It is a bit overwhelming to find out about the gene, but I feel like it helps explain a lot of things I've experienced over the years- feeling like I need to be active and exercise in order to feel good, fighting to think and stay awake after eating baked goods, feeling tired after eating fat bombs.
I'm grateful to find this information out now in order to make conscious changes that are going to help my mind and body instead of mindlessly continuing to damage them without knowing any better.
Thanks for welcoming me in!
Here I go again-newbie introduction
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Re: Here I go again-newbie introduction
Hi again Jill!
I'm so glad you took the time to tell your story, since it's one that resonates with lots of people. Your experience with fatigue after eating baked good and "fat bombs" is similar to mine. I am now going to use the phrase "fat bombs" to remind myself why I don't want to overdose on high saturated fat--although I made an exception when my daughter took me out to a Turkish restaurant for Mother's Day last night and we had KÜNEFE for dessert: "layers of shredded phyllo baked with fresh mozzarella cheese drizzled with lemony sugar syrup" A total fat/sugar bomb, and eating about a quarter of it with my daughter-priceless!
Sounds like you've found a great naturopath and are on the way to feeling better. Lots of your biomarkers for glucose already look good to my untrained eye. I'll let people who are much more informed in dietary choices than I am suggest options for your morning doldrums. I wonder if your naturopath has any thoughts on whether the hair loss and gradual weight gain is an indication that you're in perimenopause, with all the crazy sleep pattern disruptions that can sometimes bring.
You may be able to find some good advice on both the PRIMER, written by Stavia, a practicing physician who is also ApoE 4/4.
I also personally think this advice she offers on her own decision to go slow and not worry about ketosis until Year 2 is well worth reading:
https://www.apoe4.info/forums/viewtopic ... SIS#p45361
Enjoy the discoveries you make about what works for your personally. ApoE 4 is only a small part of who you are, and your persistence and sense of humor speak volumes about your resilience to any adversity!
I'm so glad you took the time to tell your story, since it's one that resonates with lots of people. Your experience with fatigue after eating baked good and "fat bombs" is similar to mine. I am now going to use the phrase "fat bombs" to remind myself why I don't want to overdose on high saturated fat--although I made an exception when my daughter took me out to a Turkish restaurant for Mother's Day last night and we had KÜNEFE for dessert: "layers of shredded phyllo baked with fresh mozzarella cheese drizzled with lemony sugar syrup" A total fat/sugar bomb, and eating about a quarter of it with my daughter-priceless!
Sounds like you've found a great naturopath and are on the way to feeling better. Lots of your biomarkers for glucose already look good to my untrained eye. I'll let people who are much more informed in dietary choices than I am suggest options for your morning doldrums. I wonder if your naturopath has any thoughts on whether the hair loss and gradual weight gain is an indication that you're in perimenopause, with all the crazy sleep pattern disruptions that can sometimes bring.
You may be able to find some good advice on both the PRIMER, written by Stavia, a practicing physician who is also ApoE 4/4.
I also personally think this advice she offers on her own decision to go slow and not worry about ketosis until Year 2 is well worth reading:
https://www.apoe4.info/forums/viewtopic ... SIS#p45361
Enjoy the discoveries you make about what works for your personally. ApoE 4 is only a small part of who you are, and your persistence and sense of humor speak volumes about your resilience to any adversity!
4/4 and still an optimist!
Re: Here I go again-newbie introduction
P.S. Instead of 45% milk chocolate bars; try switching to 70% or higher dark chocolate. Here's a study that suggests it:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 6316300459 Chocolate intake is associated with better cognitive function: The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 6316300459 Chocolate intake is associated with better cognitive function: The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study
4/4 and still an optimist!
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Re: Here I go again-newbie introduction
Hi NF52,
Thanks for your reply. It's always nice when you find others who can relate to what you are going through! I know the 70% or better cocoa content chocolate is better, and I have tried switching in the past. I never seem to feel as good with it, though. I also feel like it makes me more dizzy and short of breath. I wonder if I am reacting to the increased caffeine in it. I am probably eating too much of it at a time, too. A friend of mine always asks me how I can eat a whole chocolate bar. My response is always, "How can you not?!"
Chocolate feels like it "clears away the cobwebs" in my brain and makes me happier, so it seems worth it to keep taking. I think I'll try switching to the 70% and limit how much I take at a time and see if I can find that happy balance.
Thanks for the input about ketosis as well. I'll look at that link. It is probably smarter to start gradually with changes instead of trying to be an overachiever from the start. Our bodies usually like to be coaxed into change instead of shocked.
Thanks for your reply. It's always nice when you find others who can relate to what you are going through! I know the 70% or better cocoa content chocolate is better, and I have tried switching in the past. I never seem to feel as good with it, though. I also feel like it makes me more dizzy and short of breath. I wonder if I am reacting to the increased caffeine in it. I am probably eating too much of it at a time, too. A friend of mine always asks me how I can eat a whole chocolate bar. My response is always, "How can you not?!"
Chocolate feels like it "clears away the cobwebs" in my brain and makes me happier, so it seems worth it to keep taking. I think I'll try switching to the 70% and limit how much I take at a time and see if I can find that happy balance.
Thanks for the input about ketosis as well. I'll look at that link. It is probably smarter to start gradually with changes instead of trying to be an overachiever from the start. Our bodies usually like to be coaxed into change instead of shocked.
Re: Here I go again-newbie introduction
Hi Jillybeans. Just a quick note to say that dizzy and short of breath might suggest you're having a high histamine reaction when eating chocolate. Chocolate is not actually high histamine as a food, but it is supposedly a histamine liberator. If you're eating a lower percentage chocolate and not reacting, it might be that the higher percent chocolate is tipping your histamine bucket. Try eating less and see what happens.
Re: Here I go again-newbie introduction
Jill, welcome to this forum! As a hypothyroid patient (diagnosed with Hashimoto's about 30 years ago), what jumps out at me in your story and labs is your thyroid function, so I'm going to jump right into that:
I recommend Dr. Wentz's book, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause. She describes her own journey (which included a delayed diagnosis due to a "normal" TSH), and her book serves as a terrific guide to the functional medicine approach in general. OK, now I'm the one writing a novel!
Even without seeing your labs, this just smells like hypothyroidism to me.Jillybeans wrote:I still felt like I didn't have great energy unless I had a burst from caffeine. I felt like my muscles would feel exhausted pretty quickly. I feel like I've been slowly gaining weight and losing a lot of hair over the last year as well (there is a small, furry animal on top of the shower drain practically on a weekly basis)
Many conventional doctors will call that TSH "normal," but there are also many experts who agree that the upper end of the reference range should be much lower. Here is a discussion by Dr. Izabella Wentz (also known as the Thyroid Pharmacist): https://thyroidpharmacist.com/articles/ ... thing-but/ Maybe some people feel fine when their TSH is in the 4's, but I'm miserable in that range. Even a conventional endocrinologist I saw for many years likes to see it no higher than 2 in his treated patients, unless they are experiencing no symptoms. Also, you're free T3 is at the bottom end of "normal," and low enough to make me feel symptomatic. Some people have a normal T4 but do not convert efficiently to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone. Have you had thyroid antibodies (TPO and thyrogolbulin) tested? Do you have other hypothyroid symptoms, such as sluggish digestion, dry skin, low body temperature (and/or feeling cold when others do not), or low pulse? The brain fog you describe is common with Hashimoto's. I can't help but wonder if your need to fix your brain function with chocolate (something I can relate to) will improve if you are able to optimize your thyroid function. (Btw, I also love the Theo brand! Usually one square of the 85% dark chocolate does the trick.)Jillybeans wrote:My thyroid TSH is 4.13, free T4 1.1, free T3 2.3. Boston Heart said it was normal, but my naturopath said my thyroid is working too hard, then putting the brakes on and creating too much reverse T3, and she doesn't know why.
I recommend Dr. Wentz's book, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause. She describes her own journey (which included a delayed diagnosis due to a "normal" TSH), and her book serves as a terrific guide to the functional medicine approach in general. OK, now I'm the one writing a novel!
~Anna
4/4 but so much more
4/4 but so much more
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Re: Here I go again-newbie introduction
Hi Anna,
Thanks for the thyroid info. My TPO was checked, also, which was 16. I did not see thyroglobulin on my test. I am not sure about sluggish digestion, but I do have dry skin and tend to feel cold, especially in the winter. However, I have always been that way. It was worse when I was a vegetarian, because I think my iron was always low. My pulse has been lower recently. I've been checking first thing in the morning, and I am usually in high 50's or low 60's. I used to be more in the 60's and 70's, at least during the day.
My energy seems to fluctuate. I'll be pretty good for several days or a week or so, then I'll feel like I hit the wall. It's been like that for years as well. I've always been pretty active. This past weekend, I had a handstand class for 90 min, then I walked/jogged 4.5 miles later on Saturday. On Sunday, I had trapeze class and went for a 22 mile bike ride later. I teach pilates 2 nights per week, and I had pole dancing class tonight. I've been feeling pretty good, and I hope it lasts awhile. I think sometimes I get overzealous and use up all of my reserves until there is nothing left, and I crash. I had started to get a little lax about grains and was eating soaked oats and rice to try to get more fiber, and I do think that makes me more bloated and sluggish. I haven't done that over the last few weeks, and I feel like my abs are looking more back to normal.
Thanks for the thyroid info. My TPO was checked, also, which was 16. I did not see thyroglobulin on my test. I am not sure about sluggish digestion, but I do have dry skin and tend to feel cold, especially in the winter. However, I have always been that way. It was worse when I was a vegetarian, because I think my iron was always low. My pulse has been lower recently. I've been checking first thing in the morning, and I am usually in high 50's or low 60's. I used to be more in the 60's and 70's, at least during the day.
My energy seems to fluctuate. I'll be pretty good for several days or a week or so, then I'll feel like I hit the wall. It's been like that for years as well. I've always been pretty active. This past weekend, I had a handstand class for 90 min, then I walked/jogged 4.5 miles later on Saturday. On Sunday, I had trapeze class and went for a 22 mile bike ride later. I teach pilates 2 nights per week, and I had pole dancing class tonight. I've been feeling pretty good, and I hope it lasts awhile. I think sometimes I get overzealous and use up all of my reserves until there is nothing left, and I crash. I had started to get a little lax about grains and was eating soaked oats and rice to try to get more fiber, and I do think that makes me more bloated and sluggish. I haven't done that over the last few weeks, and I feel like my abs are looking more back to normal.
Re: Here I go again-newbie introduction
Hello fellow chocoholic!I can eat Theo brand 45% milk chocolate bars like they are one of the major food groups. It give me energy and makes me feel like all is well with the world which makes it easy to rationalize why I should keep eating it even though it has WAY too much sugar to be good.
I can relate to the need for chocolate! It has ruled me at times! All I can say about it is detox... I cut out all sugar for 30 days and poof! Cravings are gone. It's like a monkey is off my back. I detoxed almost 1 year ago.I now keep dark chocolate in my cupboard and 1 bar lasts several weeks. I use a square when I want something to close my meal.
Good luck! You can do it!!
Mary Ann
Re: Here I go again-newbie introduction
So the chocolate thing is timely, as I've been doing a bit of research on it (I rarely have any, but I do enjoy some occasionally!). The big issue with any chocolate is metals (lead and cadmium) and many of even the good brands can have some. The other issue is sugar... and I try to limit this as well as stevia (there is some evidence even artificial sweeteners can induce glucose response).
I found a small company called Pure Love Chocolate (https://www.purelovechocolate.com/), they use stevia for all their sweetening and are sugar/alcohol/dairy/soy/glutem free. The issue was they do not mention if they test for heavy metals. I contacted them and their response was they receive test sheets from their cocoa suppliers and there are no detectable traces of lead or cadmium.
That being said I plan to order some to try, at least the ones without sunflower oil (this is a Grudrey no-no).
I found a small company called Pure Love Chocolate (https://www.purelovechocolate.com/), they use stevia for all their sweetening and are sugar/alcohol/dairy/soy/glutem free. The issue was they do not mention if they test for heavy metals. I contacted them and their response was they receive test sheets from their cocoa suppliers and there are no detectable traces of lead or cadmium.
That being said I plan to order some to try, at least the ones without sunflower oil (this is a Grudrey no-no).
Male 4/4 56 yrs., "Live, Laugh, Love"
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Re: Here I go again-newbie introduction
ru442,
Thanks for the info about Pure Love Chocolate. I looked at the website. I kind of feel like after looking at the ingredients and cost, I might as well just make it myself . I am on a quest to find cacao powder, though, that does not have lead and cadmium. I have liquid stevia and cacao butter- does that have lead and cadmium as well? I guess I am not sure how it gets in there. When I was in Costa Rica, they cut down some cacao, and we sucked off the "goo" around the seeds which was mildly sweet. We also cleaned that off and set the seeds in the sun to dry out and plant so the animal sanctuary I was staying at could grow more cacao trees for the sloths since they like to eat the new leaves. The cacao (I guess it is referred to as a fruit) grows on the tree like a coconut. It's not like it is a root in the ground absorbing from the soil.
I have cut out chocolate for periods of time in the past as well as sugar except for fruits, but it seems like I always ultimately go back to it. However, I was always eating at least some grains and higher glycemic fruits and vegetables. I currently usually only eat sprouted grain bread, but I am wondering if I need to stop that. What have been others' experiences with diet? Do people feel better with cutting out dairy and grains completely? The challenge for me is the more I cut out, the more I feel like all I do is eat the same stuff all of the time, and it seems like that gets me into trouble as well. Does anyone have a process for insuring a well-balanced variety without feeling stuck in a rut? ALthough, the more I read about fasting, the more it seems like I just don't need as much food overall. I think it was Dr. Bredesen's book that referred to the "pre -1990's free-range children that would be out all day and forget to eat." I fit into that category. I didn't know what it felt like to be full, because I couldn't wait to get back out to play again after eating.
Thanks for the info about Pure Love Chocolate. I looked at the website. I kind of feel like after looking at the ingredients and cost, I might as well just make it myself . I am on a quest to find cacao powder, though, that does not have lead and cadmium. I have liquid stevia and cacao butter- does that have lead and cadmium as well? I guess I am not sure how it gets in there. When I was in Costa Rica, they cut down some cacao, and we sucked off the "goo" around the seeds which was mildly sweet. We also cleaned that off and set the seeds in the sun to dry out and plant so the animal sanctuary I was staying at could grow more cacao trees for the sloths since they like to eat the new leaves. The cacao (I guess it is referred to as a fruit) grows on the tree like a coconut. It's not like it is a root in the ground absorbing from the soil.
I have cut out chocolate for periods of time in the past as well as sugar except for fruits, but it seems like I always ultimately go back to it. However, I was always eating at least some grains and higher glycemic fruits and vegetables. I currently usually only eat sprouted grain bread, but I am wondering if I need to stop that. What have been others' experiences with diet? Do people feel better with cutting out dairy and grains completely? The challenge for me is the more I cut out, the more I feel like all I do is eat the same stuff all of the time, and it seems like that gets me into trouble as well. Does anyone have a process for insuring a well-balanced variety without feeling stuck in a rut? ALthough, the more I read about fasting, the more it seems like I just don't need as much food overall. I think it was Dr. Bredesen's book that referred to the "pre -1990's free-range children that would be out all day and forget to eat." I fit into that category. I didn't know what it felt like to be full, because I couldn't wait to get back out to play again after eating.