Ready to Quit

[ncjlhp]

Your post really resonated with me- enough to actually say something, which I do rarely! I felt exactly like you describe when I found out my APOE status ( with strong family history as well!) Hopeless and helpless and to read all these posts from all these very intelligent and proactive folks made me decide to attempt these protocols. And what happened is I stopped living my life in order to do that. That is no good. Now I am moderate. I reduce carbs, but not to keto levels. I watch saturated fats but do not deny myself to the point of unhappiness. I do only use olive oil. I maintain a decent weight/BMI. I drink wine! I have always exercised but at aged 65, I started yoga--BEST THING EVER!!! And I do not know if any of this will help, but to be more restrictive in my life would just make me unhappy NOW and living for now is what I need to do. I hope you can find some peace- that also takes work. Hugs!!!!

[Fiver]

Hi Jan18. I understand. It's gets to be overwhelming. We keep pushing and pushing, in part because we don't know if we are doing enough. Remember, there is good evidence that we don't have to get it all 100% right, all the time. The lifestyle studies that show reduced risk used broad categories which equate to "generally good eating" or "generally active". Even Dr. Bredesen has said that patients who do most - but not all - of the interventions can see benefits. I tend to focus on the ones that are likely to improve health overall - for many reasons. Like exercise, lowering sugars, a few supplements that seem important for me and seem to work for me based on blood test results. I get plenty of sleep. And I try to reduce stress. I still have days where I worry, worry, worry. But worrying isn't going to help - so I try to remember to go for a walk at those times. Forgive yourself if you get off your diet plan for a day. And if you need to relax your plan and just focus on the key things for awhile, that's ok in my opinion.

[CarrieS]

Beans and whole grains (emphasis on whole) are extremely healthy. I would not leave them out.

I completely agree with you Plumster. I'd taken them out years ago when I eliminated foods to combat inflammation and felt great. Little did I know that by taking out whole food groups, we are eliminating an important source of food for our microbes (microbiome). My bifidobacteria was non existent no matter how much I supplemented. Ah - I wasn't feeding them. Once I started to incorporate small amounts (a couple of spoonfuls) of whole grains such as farro and beans, my bifido count increased dramatically. I now eat a very diverse diet that incorporates the rainbow of colors each day, as many varieties and food groups as I can and feel so much better. I challenge myself to pick up a new vegetable each week that I haven't been eating to increase my microbe diversity. Yes, I had to heal my gut first but after taking the steps to heal, it is important to incorporate a diverse diet again.

[broiler_x]

The strongest causality data says to avoid insulin resistance and try and use ketones as your brain's primary fuel source as much as possible. A direct link has been made between insulin and the clearance of plaques and tangles, as the same enzyme is involved (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12634421 and many excellent follow-on papers). If that enzyme is busy working on greatly increased insulin due to insulin resistance, then it is not working on cleaning up your brain. This is the one concept that I try to keep in mind when making decisions about diet, etc. So how do you avoid insulin resistance? Stop eating carbs and/or intermittent fasting. For now, all the other advice about diet is conjecture and/or legacy advice that is being proved more and more wrong (e.g. heart healthy grains - that was a slogan started by the grain farmers association). So the advice to avoid fats, meat, dairy, blah, blah blah, there is a good chance that the "expert" who spouts that advice has an agenda and/or is being funded by a particular food industry group or company.

Keep it simple. I stay on the keto diet as it is very well shown to stop and reverse insulin resistance, and it also provides ketones. I eat meat, dairy, vegetables and I avoid sugars and grains. That leaves a lot of options open. I think if you try and listen to everyone and do everything they say, then there is probably nothing left for you to eat, because you can find an at least one "expert" who will be against just about anything. You can't possibly do everything, so instead go with what has the most science, and the least emotion, and strongly question advice based on "well, everyone knows [fill in the blank] is true, because they've been saying that forever...".

[Jan18]

(((Jan18))), I don't know all of the reasons behind your very strict dietary limitations, but I'm a 4/4 and much more relaxed about my options which make this diet feel "do-able" for the long haul. While I try to limit saturated fat, I'm certainly not zealous about it. I feel comfortable eating small amounts of A2 cheese, yogurt or kefir (primarily goat or sheep). I also enjoy any low mercury wild-caught seafood and occasional 100% pastured poultry, lamb, beef, or bison. I have no qualms about using small amounts of legumes (properly prepared) on my salads and in my soups. (They're an excellent source of resistant starch.) I don't really miss grains, but I have some sorghum, millet, and buckwheat in my pantry to play with for when I feel ambitious. The recipes I've used for occasional grain free muffins or pancakes have been very satisfying. There's a wonderful Plant Paradox Facebook group run by a woman (Darlene Lindholm) who has excellent grain-free versions of everything, FWIW, Dr. Bredesen supports all of these dietary options along with tons of vegetables from every color of the rainbow, primarily non-starchy, organic, local and seasonal when possible and lots of healthy fats prioritizing high polyphenol EVOO... which I happen to love. Maybe, just maybe, you don't need to be so strict as long as you include a long daily fast with exercise? Cyberhugs headed your way as you search for a diet that feels workable. -xo

Oh, thank you, JulieG!!! Cyber hugs back!

I think I became super-strict, because of all the things Gundry said not to eat and many of those were for people with lectin issues, more serious ones, like autoimmune conditions, etc.

My functional medicine doctor emphasizes every single time I see her, NO DAIRY! But the most I usually have is Organic Valley Half and Half only 2 T. a day in coffee and once in a while 1-2 T. of crumbled feta in my eggs. My last bloodwork showed my triglycerides to HDL-C ratio 1.9 (which the lab put in the "optimal" column, but that might be their "normal" designation, I'm not sure.)

My oxidized cholesterol markers are high and there was a new section called Cholesterol Homeostasis on this set of results. My Sitosterol was optimal, as was my Campesterol. But my Cholestanol was high and my Demosterol was high, both suggestive of cholesterol hypersynthesis and hyperabsorption. I've read the explanation of these several times and am still forming questions for my doctor on this. Says genetic factors could be in play.

But to answer your bigger question of why I got so strict with the food: I think every time I read something (like Apoe4's aggressively oxidize saturated fat so keep that very low, re: Gundry) or the lectin warnings or too much of this food can cause this or that, I just cut most those foods completely out.

I think I'm going to ease up a tad. This morning I had a small bowl of steel cut oatmeal with walnuts, 1 T. of ground flaxseed, and strawberries with my coffee and half and half. My glucose was 89 before eating and 35 minutes afterward, it was 103. An hour afterward it was back to 89, so I'm guessing an occasional bowl of steel cut oatmeal is okay for me?

[Jan18]

We have all been in your shoes at one time or another when making the move from our old diets to something more healthy for our brains and hearts. I'd guess pretty much everyone here has had a moment when they opened the fridge and thought, just what the heck can I eat.

Hang in there!

Thank you, Susan! Your words helped me a lot! Sometimes all it takes is a few others to weigh in and say they've experienced the same feelings to bolster me up.

I'll check out your suggestions!

[Jan18]

My post may or may not apply to everyone in this thread, but below is my take for my own situation. Since we all come from different walks of life and are of different ages, health statuses, etc., perhaps this will help someone else:

Personally, I am going to focus on my measurements and determine what's going to keep me balanced - physically, emotionally, and mentally.

You speak some truth here by focusing on physical, emotional and mental balance. We can't get so stressed over adapting that we affect our emotional well-being! All of it is important.

[Jan18]

Greetings Jan18 ~

First, you should be super proud of yourself for putting your feelings out there. You are not alone. . .THIS IS HARD. Making changes to our diets and lifestyle is simply stepping into a whole new world. And many around us just do not understand (and sadly, some do not care to). But you've kept on, so for that, give yourself a big ol' pat on the back for persisting in the face of adversity.

Second, I agree with the others to relax a bit and work on giving up feeling like you should be doing it ALL perfectly ~ especially all at once or all the time. This is a lifelong commitment, so you've got plenty of time to find what's "right" for you. I'd also suggest adding some serious self-care...(bath/dancing/stroll in nature/car ride with fav tunes singing at the top of your lungs, etc.) and please be sure to include times that you do not think about all of this heavy stuff whatsoever.

Lastly, (full disclosure) I am a Certified FM Health Coach and it sounds to me like you might benefit from having a coach on your side. Many of us offer discounts and would be happy to coach you through some of these more difficult times. Take a look at the Wiki link: https://www.apoe4.info/wiki/ApoE4-Aware ... th_Coaches to see if any might be of interest to you.

Please know that most struggle with these thoughts throughout this journey ~ so if you mess up...just remember, tomorrow is a brand new day!

Hi CoachDD!
Thanks so kindly for the wonderful verbal support. Words (sincere words) are probably my #1 love language.

I do tend to take things to the extreme in certain situations, like this new way of eating, and therefore, get too crazed, too strict, and can take stuff out of context. (And believe it or not, I have an MA in Counseling. But sometimes you need the counsel of others, especially others who are walking the same path. When my therapy sessions with myself aren't enough I reach out here.)

Your self-care suggestions are spot-on. I meditate, take long drives in nature in the car (because my #1 favorite nature spot, West Bank Park on Lake Lanier, an easy 12 minute drive from my house, where I would normally spend 1-3 HOURS a day strolling under the forest trees or sitting on the swinging benches overlooking the lake and boaters) has been closed all summer due to high water levels this spring causing damage. There are other spots, but none that feel to me like that one.) I've had to scramble to find other self-care joys to replace that one and it's been difficult. That is such a big part of my life.

Thanks for the coaching offer and I'll remember it.

[Jan18]

Beans and whole grains (emphasis on whole) are extremely healthy. I would not leave them out.

I have decided not to, Plumster! I am going to be adding them back in, small amounts occasionally at a time, and seeing how they affect my glucose/ketone levels. I think I took that advice to the extreme!!!

Thank you.

[Jan18]

Jan,

A lot of good advise here, and as I have said before this is not a race. You need to be comfortable with your life...

We all have to find a happy place that meets our needs. As other's have said, it's probably a good time to step back, re-assess your goals, and have a chat with your practitioner about how to approach this so it's more manageable for you. The stress alone is working against you, and your practitioner should be aware of this.

Hugs
RU

I agree, RU442!

Thanks to your words and others' here about stepping back, relaxing, and making small changes over time, and not forgetting my meditation practice, doing things for FUN, and just indulging in GRATITUDE every day, I am back on track.

Hugs back!