Weight Gain, Inflammation, Cholesterol | THRR150

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Incident type 2 diabetes attributable to suboptimal diet in 184 countries

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Precision Health Reports

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Weight gain, inflammation, cholesterol, cardio

Becky writes:

I am SO sorry about this length, I truly tried to whittle it down. I think I’m giving you too much information. :) I hope I don’t disqualify myself over the length and also THANK YOU in advance for your help!

Hi Robb + Nikki, I have been bingeing your podcast lately and as it turns out, I have a question (actually more than 1) for you. I am going to be 46 in June. I have worked over 25 years in restaurant kitchens, so a lot of physical work + standing on my feet all day. My husband and I reside on Cape Cod which is hot and swampy in the summer, therefore the kitchen environment is hot and swampy and depleting in every way. At age 34/35 I began going into perimenopause, and I have officially been in menopause since June 2022, at age 45. I tried for years to get my period back. I had been vegetarian/sometimes vegan for about 6 years and then I switched to Paleo intermittently for a few years. Plus Acupuncture, TCM, Plant Paradox, Medical Medium, dozens of Whole 30’s, etc. I’ve tried it all, though none for more than a month or two. The past few years have found me 60 + pounds overweight (I am 5 3 1/4 and currently weigh 188-190.), sore, stiff, weak, with thinning hair, lack of mobility, and feeling depressed. I have sleep apnea and am going on one year with my magical C Pap machine though lately that has seemed to level off and I am waking up tired again. I had bloodwork done on January 31 that revealed high cholesterol and stagnant liver function, with glucose on the high level of normal which my doctor seemed to think was fine, 93/99. (TC 206; HDL 41; Trig 83; LDL 146; liver: AST 40; ALT 80). Also higher blood pressure than I’ve ever had, 138/80. Usually doctors exclaim over how great my blood pressure is! Determined to get my health and vitality back on track I re read your two books, Robb, (Wired to Eat and The Paleo Solution.) I decided to dive back into Paleo but cut out all carbs, and I had already been booze free since December. I started IF most days, started lifting weights a bit, but still avoiding cardio which I DESPISE When I increase the animal protein though, I tend to stop pooing regularly. I was vegetarian for a few years and had no problem moving things out but I feel that is what precipitated my descent into metabolic haywire. I have been supplementing lately with magnesium, minerals, Vitamin DAKE from Dave Asprey, some TCM herbs for liver support, and I’ve been on the lookout for a good digestive enzyme. I had given up coffee for nearly a year because it was making me hot and anxious, and I thought it was a factor in my hair shed, but lately I started mixing a little coffee back in to my Rasa along with collagen, which I just started using again. I started eating a lot of full fat cottage cheese for more protein, the only dairy that doesn’t seem to make me phlegmy. Then the past few weeks, some wine here and there. I got my second round of bloodwork done on April 4 and my cholesterol went UP, though my liver improved.

(TC 246; HDL 49; Trig 85; LDL 178; liver: AST 30; ALT 39). She didn’t test my glucose again. I do have heart disease and high cholesterol in my family. Did my cholesterol go up from wine, even though my liver improved? Cottage cheese? Not really exercising? All of the above? After I read your books again I asked my doctor to authorize tests for my A1C, LDL-P, and CRP but she refused. Something about coding for insurance and blah blah blah. I see her again at the end of this month and I am hoping she will agree to the other tests after seeing my cholesterol jump.

I have always been a giant ball of stress and nerves (don’t ask me why I chose the worst possible career for that). I know I need to meditate and breathe better, and sometimes I do. I used to be stronger and fitter. My other issue is I tend to reject routine after a while. I have a terrible, terrible sweet tooth as well. I am my own worst enemy! My weight has yo-yoed constantly over my life, but this is the heaviest I’ve ever been. I gained 10+ pounds last spring, then jumped another 10 pounds between September and December. (In 2008 I was 130, right before going veggie.) A lot of my dilemmas ramp up next week as I return to work full time:

I work from 1-2 pm to 10-11 pm 5-6 days a week. Eating on the job is a no-no, although we all graze on the down low. I could take a break, in theory, but simply don’t have time. Most shifts I don’t have time to drink out of my water container right in front of me (I bring a gallon of water with 2-3 LMNT packs in it to work.) An average shift leaves me hot, sore, sticky, thirsty, and anxious. So in terms of IF and exercise:

If I wake at, say, 9 am (and feel like absolute road kill, btw, and both feet are on fire from pinky toe bunions) and need to be clocked in at work by 1:30 or 2, that leaves me 4.5 hours to get all my meals in, exercise, AND spend time on soul fulfilling hobbies. I try very hard to not eat or have a drink when I get home from work, but sometimes I’m ravenous. (Or am I just dehydrated and anxious? They kind of feel the same.) And then as we slide into the busy summer season I’m having a drink every night…

What, when, how much do I eat during the day? If I am going to eat after work, what type of macro situation should I have? I’ve thought about bringing meat sticks or homemade collagen gummies in to work, but then I’m snarfing them in the corner between tickets and I am most definitely NOT in a parasympathetic state, so in that case is it better to just be hungry?? Also the siren song of the bowl of salty french fries beckons all night, which we all pick out of.

I feel like HIIT 3-4 days a week, heavier weights and less reps, with maybe a yoga class or two or three mixed in is what I need (although I need to actually DO it) but my husband thinks I need to jog for an hour 5 days a week and lift lighter weights with more reps. He says I need to do so much cardio that I puke. I’m not liking the sound of that. Is there a happy medium somewhere or am I just a whiny baby? I keep hearing you mention “zones” for cardio and I’m not sure what that means.

You had a question regarding cholesterol a few weeks back, a man named James I think who cut out carbs and his cholesterol jumped as well. You recommended him adding a few more carbs. But I thought cholesterol came from dietary carbs? I miss fruit and potatoes and winter squash. I really miss the vibrant and energetic person I used to be, also.

**Some reference points that may or may not be useful for you that you don’t need to add to my question, or read out loud, but just in case you need more info along with the novel I’ve already written:

• We work in a seasonal restaurant so we have winters off, which is when I try to wrangle my health back in line before the slow slide into the madness of summer. I’m TIRED of this merry go round. I want to be healthy and sustain my vitality all year long.
• I have really good work shoes and orthotics only available at my podiatrist’s office. Interestingly I had bunion surgery in 2001 for both my big toes. My newest bunions started paining me in late 2019.
• 2017 I had 4 menstrual cycles all year, then 2 each in 2018 and 2019, then my last one in May 2021. My cycles have been irregular throughout my whole life. I have never been pregnant. When this all began an older male doctor bullied me onto the pill. I stopped after a month because I felt WEIRD.
• I’ve not had Covid that I know of, but I did fall for the 3 jabs: April and May of 2021, and January 2022. Never again though. When I was very little I reacted badly to the DTP shot (lower body paralysis for a day after) so I was hesitant to get the C shot but didn’t seem to get anything but a sore arm, knock on wood. I guess only time will tell with that situation.
• Did I mention tong-itis (the kitchen version of tennis elbow) in both arms? In 2017 it was so bad I couldn’t shift the gears in my car. Basically I am just inflamed, stiff, tight, contracted. I know I need to stretch more or roll on my foam roller or fascia balls but then I think so much about what I need to do I don’t do anything and I end up sitting in my chair all day, dreading work

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