Introduction

[Guest Robb Wolf]

Tara-

RA is Rheumatoid Arthritis. No serology for confirmation but the symptoms are very consistent. Regarding the denervation my thought would be to lean strongly towards resistance type training. This has enormous benefit for muscular dystrophy and other muscle wasting conditions. Aerobic exercise is great but people are strongly biased towards it and resistance training has amazing benefits. If you are not familiar with weights and or calisthenics you should find a good qualified trainer. If you want help finding one I might be able to help you sift through the good from the so-so. Just take it easy and start very slowly and conservatively.

Dionnek-

Is this the stuff:

Open Original Shared Link

My main concern would be the sucralose which can be a GI irritant in the heartiest of intestines to say nothing of celiacs. Its a pretty inefficient way to supplement glutamine. You can get 1/2kg of glutamine for $20-30 from almost any supplement store and take 5-10g per day. Its essentially tasteless so just shoot it down with a little water. The powdered form is less expensive and a Tbspn is ~5g. Cheap and easy!

[jerseyangel]

Hi Robb and welcome! I must have read over this thread 3 times now--so much of this is interesting to me. I was diagnosed with Celiac a year ago after being ill for 20 years. By the time I was dx, I had become too sick to work. The gluten-free diet helped right away, but after 4 months, I began to experience additional food intolerances that brought back a lot of my GI symptoms. I have spent the last 6 months or so figuring out what my problem foods are by trial and error. My list is in my signature. I am now feeling better every day. Legumes were the last thing that I realized were a problem--could you tell me why legumes would pose such a problem for me? Since I cut them out, the difference is amazing. One more question--how long should I continue to omit the foods I'm intolerant to (excluding gluten, of course)? Thank you for all of the time and attention you devote to the board

[whitball]

Tara-

RA is Rheumatoid Arthritis. No serology for confirmation but the symptoms are very consistent. Regarding the denervation my thought would be to lean strongly towards resistance type training. This has enormous benefit for muscular dystrophy and other muscle wasting conditions. Aerobic exercise is great but people are strongly biased towards it and resistance training has amazing benefits. If you are not familiar with weights and or calisthenics you should find a good qualified trainer. If you want help finding one I might be able to help you sift through the good from the so-so. Just take it easy and start very slowly and conservatively.

Dionnek-

Is this the stuff:

Open Original Shared Link

My main concern would be the sucralose which can be a GI irritant in the heartiest of intestines to say nothing of celiacs. Its a pretty inefficient way to supplement glutamine. You can get 1/2kg of glutamine for $20-30 from almost any supplement store and take 5-10g per day. Its essentially tasteless so just shoot it down with a little water. The powdered form is less expensive and a Tbspn is ~5g. Cheap and easy!

Thanks Robb. I have not started weight training yet. I worked in a gym several years ago and have taught a few body sculpting classes and also taught people how to use free weights/nautilus. I also have a few friends who are personal trainers, so, I should be okay. A few questions though, should I use nautilus or free weights? Less weight, more reps?

[Green12]

Julie-

Here we go!

1)- Weekly rotation seems to minimize allergenic response. Ironically if one HAS an allergy only one exposure per week can keep antibodies at near maximum levels. It can certainly be a pain and get a bit monotonous but if one can stick to say chicken for a week, then shift to pork, then to beef...you will not see that main protein for quite some time. Be flexible! Don't get divorced, fired or alienated but give it a try for a month and see if the results are work the effort. That is ALWAYS the gold standard. How does it work for YOU? Theories are great but results are what matter.

2)Do beets, winter squashes (spagetti, acorn, etc), or red skinned potatoes have the same properties as yams, sweet potatoes? Those are all good foods from an allergy perspective but easy to overdo with regards to carb load. Try to get good amounts of vegetable matter to help blunt the insulin response. Legumes of all varieties are bad news IMO. Very high lectin load as with all the graminace (wheat, corn, rye oats etc). If one has an active autoimmune condition I'd be VERY wary of grains, legumes and dairy. This may not always be the way of things. As your immune system calms down and GI integrity improves you may be able to splurge with things like corn tortillas and other stuff. Just have to see about that!

3) You’re right, nuts and seeds can be very problematic. Coconut might be a good option. If you have a latex allergy bananas and avocadoes can be a problem. Again over time this should improve. Are you taking fish oil? This can be very helpful with inflammation and hyperactive allergy situations.

4)Cancer? No real way to know. Type 2 diabetes is (in my opinion) completely a disease of situation. Change your nutrition, exercise, sleep and you will not have type 2 diabetes. Not a popular position with the AMA and drug companies as a clean active lifestyle doe not sell glucophage and other drugs to manage these diseases. Related to the cancer: decrease your pre-diabetic symptoms and you will decrease your cancer risk.

I'd recommend a few books:

Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival

Sex, Lies and Menopause (One need be no where near menopause to benefit from this book...highly controversial but super important)

Omega Rx Zone

Protein Power: Life Plan (make sure to get the life plan version as an older PP book exists)

All of these are available through Amazon for like $2 per book. Some of the specifics differ from book to book but the main message of managing insulin, allergenic foods and immune function gone awry are consistent throughout. Let me know how it goes or if you have other questions.

Robb,

Yes, here we go! Thanks for answering all of my questions and thanks for these book suggestions.

I'm ready, I just needed a plan! I'm very good at following something when I know what it is to follow, and not knowing what to eat/what not to eat has been challenging, and I've been stumbling around trying to figure that out for too long. And the weekly rotation you suggest is totally the opposite of what we all have heard before as far as multiple food allergies go, but the other didn't yield results so I am interested in trying this out to see what happens.

Btw, you mentioned Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in a previous post and I forgot to add I was diagnosed with that (circa 1993-1994) as well as some of the other things listed below in my signature.

Just so I am on the page about getting started, what would you add/take away from my following daily eating plan (if it's not trouble that is):

breakfast- fruit (melons, berries, mango, etc.) (I'm concerned about what to do for protein and fat here, other nuts?)

lunch- turkey and avocado slices rolled up in lettuce leaves with baby carrots

dinner- chicken or beef with vegetables and a little olive oil (is this where I add in the yam and sweet potato?)

And, do I eat the same thing for every meal for one week, i.e. the same foods breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then switch foods every meal the next week?? Or is that just for protein?

Sorry for so many questions, I just want to make sure I have all the details straight.

Thanks so much Robb.

[utdan]

Welcome Rob! I'm 30 and am starting to workout again after a few years. I'm probably not 100% healed in my gut from recent gluten contamination. My question is there any difference between cooking up salmon and other meats versus getting most of my protein from a brand supplement (I'm using "Muscle Milk" right now). Is there any advantage for muscle building? I know there are a billion other protein supplements out there but do you know of a good one? Some tout large portions of BCAA's and other stuff.

[Guest Robb Wolf]

Hi Patty!

Cereal grains and legumes contain some molecules broadly categorized as lectins. (Actually most foods contain lectins but the lectins in these foods can be very problematic). These lectins have been suspected in food allergies and autoimmune conditions for some time but no exact mechanism has been found...until recently. Our intestinal epithelium has some receptors called "EGF-receptors". Its interesting that lectins form foods like wheat, dairy and legumes can attach to these receptors and either damage the cell or bring a large intact protein into our system where our immune system mounts an attack against say wheat or soy protein. Certain aspects of that foreign protein look like proteins in our body and so antibodies that attack these foreign proteins can also end up attacking us. This is why celiac has such high association with autoimmune diseases. Not everyone responds exactly the same way but many, many people have problems. Here is an interesting article from the British Medical Journal:

Open Original Shared Link

You can also learn more about this topic form Prof. Loren Cordains site:

www.thepaleodiet.com

Thanks Robb. I have not started weight training yet. I worked in a gym several years ago and have taught a few body sculpting classes and also taught people how to use free weights/nautilus. I also have a few friends who are personal trainers, so, I should be okay. A few questions though, should I use nautilus or free weights? Less weight, more reps?

Kreiki!!! No machines! Check out www.crossfit.com for some training ideas. Learn to jump, tumble, do modified pull-ups and push-ups...have FUN! You can easily set up a phenomenal home gym in the corner of your garage or a spare bedroom. Grab some friends neighbors or significant others to train together and get some supprot and accountability. Think about training like an athlete! Lunge, squat, press...throw medicine balls. The bodybuilding stuff is ok but when you train like an athlete you not only look good but you move with grace, balance and have an aesthetic and attractive physique. You get MUCH better results as well.

[Guest Robb Wolf]

Robb,

Yes, here we go! Thanks for answering all of my questions and thanks for these book suggestions.

I'm ready, I just needed a plan! I'm very good at following something when I know what it is to follow, and not knowing what to eat/what not to eat has been challenging, and I've been stumbling around trying to figure that out for too long. And the weekly rotation you suggest is totally the opposite of what we all have heard before as far as multiple food allergies go, but the other didn't yield results so I am interested in trying this out to see what happens.

Btw, you mentioned Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in a previous post and I forgot to add I was diagnosed with that (circa 1993-1994) as well as some of the other things listed below in my signature.

Just so I am on the page about getting started, what would you add/take away from my following daily eating plan (if it's not trouble that is):

breakfast- fruit (melons, berries, mango, etc.) (I'm concerned about what to do for protein and fat here, other nuts?)

lunch- turkey and avocado slices rolled up in lettuce leaves with baby carrots

dinner- chicken or beef with vegetables and a little olive oil (is this where I add in the yam and sweet potato?)

And, do I eat the same thing for every meal for one week, i.e. the same foods breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then switch foods every meal the next week?? Or is that just for protein?

Sorry for so many questions, I just want to make sure I have all the details straight.

Thanks so much Robb.

Julie-

When folks have skin tags the PCOS is almost a guarantee. Elevated insulin affects virtually all tissues.

The food generally looks good. If you are still having blood sugar issues I'd go very conservative with the fruit. Unfortunately breakfast starts looking a bunch like dinner! Every meal needs at least a palm sized (2-4 oz) serving of protein, some greens and some good fat (olive oil, avocadoes etc).

If you tolerate other nuts go for it...just rotate protein sources and nuts every week.

I tend to eat a similar meal throughout a day. If I'm using chicken I may cook a whole chicken and then just make a few salads throughout the day, adding some chicken on top. Try to shop your local farmers market for produce. Eat the produce that’s local and in-season and you will automatically rotate your veggies. The veggies are not as big a deal with regards to rotation. Mainly just rotate your protein source once per week, eat seasonal, local veggies and you should be set!

[Guest Robb Wolf]

Welcome Rob! I'm 30 and am starting to workout again after a few years. I'm probably not 100% healed in my gut from recent gluten contamination. My question is there any difference between cooking up salmon and other meats versus getting most of my protein from a brand supplement (I'm using "Muscle Milk" right now). Is there any advantage for muscle building? I know there are a billion other protein supplements out there but do you know of a good one? Some tout large portions of BCAA's and other stuff.

This is my own personal bias but I Don't like milk/dairy. Many celiacs experience cross-reactivity with dairy so its not one of my favorite foods. As much as possible I encourage people to get their protein form real food sources. Fix a good meal and enjoy yourself. If you are in a hurry go a little more bare bones...try to save the meal replacements for emergency situations. BCAA's are great! Loads to be had from fish and meat. If you want to supplement these you can buy them separately and take 20g post workout. Don't use BCAA's too close to bedtime as they can compete with phenylalanine crossing the blood/brain barrier and disturb sleep.

[jerseyangel]

Robb--Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question. It was very interesting, and I now understand a lot more about lectins and why I would be sensitive to them.

[utdan]

This is my own personal bias but I Don't like milk/dairy. Many celiacs experience cross-reactivity with dairy so its not one of my favorite foods. As much as possible I encourage people to get their protein form real food sources. Fix a good meal and enjoy yourself. If you are in a hurry go a little more bare bones...try to save the meal replacements for emergency situations. BCAA's are great! Loads to be had from fish and meat. If you want to supplement these you can buy them separately and take 20g post workout. Don't use BCAA's too close to bedtime as they can compete with phenylalanine crossing the blood/brain barrier and disturb sleep.

Thanks Robb for your advice.

I had another question for my friend who has fibromylagia. A recent celiac.com "scott-free" news article explained a treatment for the condition. It is to supplement Olestra into the diet which then absorbs the toxins. The author gave two options: eat 2-3 ounces of fat free potatoe chips containing olestra or just supplement olestra itself. What is your take my friend using this stuff?

[taz sharratt]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Robb Wolf. I’m a strength & conditioning coach in Northern California. I, my mother and most of her side of our Scott/Irish family have celiac. I am a former research biochemist with special interest in lipid metabolism. You folks have a great community here; I’d love to participate! If you have any questions I’d love to help fuel your celiac athletes.

Robb

hay robb and a very warm wecome to the site, ide really apreciate someadvise im training for a marthon but my energy levels seem to be low at mo, i agree with what you said about sugar levels as that does happen to me quite often. ( im also lactose intolerant ) ive taken glucosamine,chrondroitin, vit c, calcium, magnesium with vit d but ive sill got on time a pain in my left ankle and or my right knee should i be doing more weights to help this and if so should it be lots of low reps? im eating a lot of nuts and and salmon and tuna and haveing fry ups! where am i going wrong ? my weight is low but i cant seem to build muscle and i find lifting weights extremely difficult. any ideas would be really appreciated, thanx.

[jenvan]

Hi Robb - great to have you on board.

Can anyone tell me where I can get coconut oil? Maybe a stupid question, but does it come in a bottle or are they capsules?

Mart-

Also, Tropical Traditions sells coconut oil and products made from coconut--that is all they sell. Several of us here on the forum use their body products. Might be a place to start. Not sure what shipping would be like: Open Original Shared Link

[Guest Robb Wolf]

Thanks Robb for your advice.

I had another question for my friend who has fibromylagia. A recent celiac.com "scott-free" news article explained a treatment for the condition. It is to supplement Olestra into the diet which then absorbs the toxins. The author gave two options: eat 2-3 ounces of fat free potatoe chips containing olestra or just supplement olestra itself. What is your take my friend using this stuff?

I looked everywhere for information on this and came up with nothing. Olestrta DOES absorb fat-soluble items from our food but that seems like an odd way to go about treating fibromyalgia. Our bodies have a very sophisticated detox system and if you eat plenty of protein (so our live manufactures glutathion) and eat plenty of fiber (veggies primarily) and DON’T spike insulin your detox system works great. CFS/Fibromyalgia are primarily caused by Hyperinsulinism. Control insulin and those conditions typically improve or resolve completely. That’s my thoughts! If there is something to the Olestra thing I can’t find any information that makes me feel good endorsing it.

hay robb and a very warm wecome to the site, ide really apreciate someadvise im training for a marthon but my energy levels seem to be low at mo, i agree with what you said about sugar levels as that does happen to me quite often. ( im also lactose intolerant ) ive taken glucosamine,chrondroitin, vit c, calcium, magnesium with vit d but ive sill got on time a pain in my left ankle and or my right knee should i be doing more weights to help this and if so should it be lots of low reps? im eating a lot of nuts and and salmon and tuna and haveing fry ups! where am i going wrong ? my weight is low but i cant seem to build muscle and i find lifting weights extremely difficult. any ideas would be really appreciated, thanx.

Taz-

Give me 3 very typical days of your food intake. Weigh and measure if you can. Please include how you feel before and after meals...sleep lengths and quality. How ar eyou feelign upon waking. Also any exercise you are doing...amount, type and intensity.

[utdan]

I looked everywhere for information on this and came up with nothing. Olestrta DOES absorb fat-soluble items from our food but that seems like an odd way to go about treating fibromyalgia. Our bodies have a very sophisticated detox system and if you eat plenty of protein (so our live manufactures glutathion) and eat plenty of fiber (veggies primarily) and DON’T spike insulin your detox system works great. CFS/Fibromyalgia are primarily caused by Hyperinsulinism. Control insulin and those conditions typically improve or resolve completely. That’s my thoughts! If there is something to the Olestra thing I can’t find any information that makes me feel good endorsing it.

I don't know if you read the article I mentioned but the author ventured a guess that the cause of the Fibromylagia was a dysfunctional liver, and that the liver doesn't get diagnosed because of inadequate testing protocols. He says that the toxins build up in the fat, get inflamed, irritate the nerves, and the inflammation can push itself into the joint areas which causes the popping sounds.

I appreciate you researching that. I'll be sure to send your thoughts to her. Thanks again.

[Guest BERNESES]

Robb- Welcome!!! Great to have you here (Patti- thanks for telling me about the thread). After over a year gluten-free, I figured out that legumes are a HUGE problem for me. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about a month ago but last week, I ate no legumes whatsover and felt great! The minute I sliiped up- wham! the horrible fibro pain was back. It's amazing. It took me so long to figure out. I had a soy slip up today and I'm already bloated with foul gas and achey. Crazy!

I had multiple skin tags removed in my early 20's but they seem to have disapperaed? I was also diagnosed with extremely high estrogen which will make it harder to me to get pregnant, but I'm wondering if soy could be the problem. It's a phytoestrogen right?

Anyway, it's great to have you here! Beverly

[jerseyangel]

You know, I seem to have disappearing skin tags, too. I had one removed from my neck a few years back because it was getting bigger. I had others near it, and a couple beginning on the side of my face--they are all but gone. I also had a bunch of small skin tumors removed from my eyelids and at the time, the doctor said I'd be back in 10 years to have it all done again. Any sign of those are gone, also.

[Green12]

Berneses, you reminded me of a question I wanted to ask Robb. He had mentioned the relationship between insulin and skin tags and I was wondering if insulin levels affected our menstrual cycles, like its affect on estrogen? Or what about prostaglandins?

[taz sharratt]

I looked everywhere for information on this and came up with nothing. Olestrta DOES absorb fat-soluble items from our food but that seems like an odd way to go about treating fibromyalgia. Our bodies have a very sophisticated detox system and if you eat plenty of protein (so our live manufactures glutathion) and eat plenty of fiber (veggies primarily) and DON’T spike insulin your detox system works great. CFS/Fibromyalgia are primarily caused by Hyperinsulinism. Control insulin and those conditions typically improve or resolve completely. That’s my thoughts! If there is something to the Olestra thing I can’t find any information that makes me feel good endorsing it.

Taz-

Give me 3 very typical days of your food intake. Weigh and measure if you can. Please include how you feel before and after meals...sleep lengths and quality. How ar eyou feelign upon waking. Also any exercise you are doing...amount, type and intensity.

ok here goes, b-fast cupa coffee, lunch fruit smoothie in a pint glass with banannas, pears, apples,mango, pappya ans sometimes strawbarrys with ice cubes and then 1-2 cups of green tea and iether an assortment of nuts and seeds or crackers with sanwhich spread ( gluten-free) dinner is new pots, carrots , butternut squash peasand some grilled chicken, supper i havea packet of pain crisps, and i also drink pint of squash in between meals, i probably drink about 3-4 pints every day in between meals. every day is the same except for my dinner, which sometimes i have ommlette with tuna or salmon with peas and sweetcorn in it and then tin toms on top, or homemadr ratoutuoi, with mushrooms garlic, green, red,yellow peppers, courgette, toms,sliced pots. or a rice dish with a mushroom balti. w ends are differnt and i tend o give in to the choc ( dark as im lactose intolerant) and ill have a stir fry and biscuits. most fridays i will get a bot of wine for me and hubby. typical week day i get up sooo tired and im usually in bed by 10.30 my hubby usually carries me to bed as ivefallen asleep on the sofa. i probably get more than 8 hrs sleep each night but it doesnt sem enough. im usually still hungry after eating and fing that i iether ave a nibble of nuts or a sweet after eating. exercise, mon, tues, thur friday bike 20 mins. x trainfor 20 mins and run 30 mins walk 10min warm up,weights mon and friday, boxing thursday nights, swimming wed morning. once or twice a week i go out to run and concentrate on distance and then once or twice wekkly i do speed runnng. soory its so long, wanted to get it all in , thanx for takeing the time.

[jenvan]

Robb-

I went on the site--some good recipes there. Will have to try and few out and test the husband too

Could you give some great afternoon-slump/preworkout snack ideas that fit the paleodiet? Thanks!

(PS: Was doing some reading online and saw an article talking about paleo carb type and protein type. Is there such a thing? Carb or protein type?)

[Guest Robb Wolf]

Robb- Welcome!!! Great to have you here (Patti- thanks for telling me about the thread). After over a year gluten-free, I figured out that legumes are a HUGE problem for me. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about a month ago but last week, I ate no legumes whatsover and felt great! The minute I sliiped up- wham! the horrible fibro pain was back. It's amazing. It took me so long to figure out. I had a soy slip up today and I'm already bloated with foul gas and achey. Crazy!

I had multiple skin tags removed in my early 20's but they seem to have disapperaed? I was also diagnosed with extremely high estrogen which will make it harder to me to get pregnant, but I'm wondering if soy could be the problem. It's a phytoestrogen right?

Anyway, it's great to have you here! Beverly

Thanks for the kind words Beverly! It's ironic and unfortunate that the base of the food pyramid is made of foods (grains, legumes) that are fundamentally at odds with human metabolism. Some people tolerate them better than others but that’s not much consolation when YOU are the one that is sick!

Elevated insulin can elevate estrogen in 2 ways. First sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is decreased and this makes more free estrogen available to act on our tissues. Elevated insulin USUALLY means increased body fat. Body fat has an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. The interesting thing is that soy foods contain isoflavones that are weak estrogen binders that actually protect one from too high estrogen...up to a point. The soy is obviously not addressing the problem and things still go bad over time. Put "infertility" into google and the first hits you will see is for the use of glucophage to lower insulin levels in the attempt to lower estrogen because of the relationships described above. Not much money to be made from folks eating better!

ok here goes, b-fast cupa coffee, lunch fruit smoothie in a pint glass with banannas, pears, apples,mango, pappya ans sometimes strawbarrys with ice cubes and then 1-2 cups of green tea and iether an assortment of nuts and seeds or crackers with sanwhich spread ( gluten-free) dinner is new pots, carrots , butternut squash peasand some grilled chicken, supper i havea packet of pain crisps, and i also drink pint of squash in between meals, i probably drink about 3-4 pints every day in between meals. every day is the same except for my dinner, which sometimes i have ommlette with tuna or salmon with peas and sweetcorn in it and then tin toms on top, or homemadr ratoutuoi, with mushrooms garlic, green, red,yellow peppers, courgette, toms,sliced pots. or a rice dish with a mushroom balti. w ends are differnt and i tend o give in to the choc ( dark as im lactose intolerant) and ill have a stir fry and biscuits. most fridays i will get a bot of wine for me and hubby. typical week day i get up sooo tired and im usually in bed by 10.30 my hubby usually carries me to bed as ivefallen asleep on the sofa. i probably get more than 8 hrs sleep each night but it doesnt sem enough. im usually still hungry after eating and fing that i iether ave a nibble of nuts or a sweet after eating. exercise, mon, tues, thur friday bike 20 mins. x trainfor 20 mins and run 30 mins walk 10min warm up,weights mon and friday, boxing thursday nights, swimming wed morning. once or twice a week i go out to run and concentrate on distance and then once or twice wekkly i do speed runnng. soory its so long, wanted to get it all in , thanx for takeing the time.

Taz-

It looks like a lot of refined carbs, not much protien and or good fats. It's darn near impossible to achieve any type of apetite control or decent recovery if we are carb overloaded. Try keeping meals to mainly protien (2-4 oz) loads of veggies, nuts, olive oil etc. If energy levels normalize after aobut a week (the almost alway do) then you know you need to be tighter on this. The AM smoothie has looks like its pretty tasty but thats a load of fruit in there! Try doing a breakfast along these lines and see if this helps with sweet cravings and energy. You may feel pretty wretched for a few days if you give htis a go! Hang in there and give it a shot for a week and see what happens. Post a daily food log if you like and we can keep track of that.

Robb-

I went on the site--some good recipes there. Will have to try and few out and test the husband too

Could you give some great afternoon-slump/preworkout snack ideas that fit the paleodiet? Thanks!

(PS: Was doing some reading online and saw an article talking about paleo carb type and protein type. Is there such a thing? Carb or protein type?)

Jen-

"Paleo" carb and protien types in general mean anything that is not part of the neolithic foods: grains, legumes and dairy. People vary in how stringently they adhere to this. Some dont do olive oil for example.

Regarding the slump. I'm interestign in what was consumed prior to the slump! In general that slump is not much of an issue if adequate protien and fat is consumed early in that day. if you want to doe a food log for a few days that may shed some light on things.

To actually answer your question I'd just say a small piece of meat and either handful of nuts or piece of fruit. Not very fancy or savory but quick and easy. I'm traveling over the next week so if you do the food log shoot me an email as my internet access will be limited.

Berneses, you reminded me of a question I wanted to ask Robb. He had mentioned the relationship between insulin and skin tags and I was wondering if insulin levels affected our menstrual cycles, like its affect on estrogen? Or what about prostaglandins?

Julie-

I think i hit on this a bit in my response to Taz. Did I recomend the books "Lights Out: Sleep Sugar and Survival" and "Sex, Lies and Menopause"? Good stuf there.

[BRUMI1968]

Rob, it's great to have you - I've learned a lot lurking around this posting.

I just got some lab work back and although I'm healthy as a horse according to allopathic medicine (well, except for the celiac that is), I can't help but wonder why all my hormone levels are on the extreme low end of "normal". My doc (actually, this lab work came from my naturopath/ayurvedic doc) thinks more excerise and lack of gluten will raise my testosterone. Is there anything to wonder about with these low levels, and if so, is there anything o-natural that can be done about it?

-Sherri.

[Guest Robb Wolf]

Rob, it's great to have you - I've learned a lot lurking around this posting.

I just got some lab work back and although I'm healthy as a horse according to allopathic medicine (well, except for the celiac that is), I can't help but wonder why all my hormone levels are on the extreme low end of "normal". My doc (actually, this lab work came from my naturopath/ayurvedic doc) thinks more excerise and lack of gluten will raise my testosterone. Is there anything to wonder about with these low levels, and if so, is there anything o-natural that can be done about it?

-Sherri.

Sherri-

Things will get back on track with time. Eat frequent small meals with 2-4oz of protien, loads of veggies and good fats. Fish oil in the range of 2-10g/day and 5-15mg of GLA from borage or black currant oil every few days should help as well. If you are comfortable with the movements make sure to squat or deadlift 2-3x/week with moderately heavy weights in the 5-12 rep range and 2-4 sets. This can double free testosterone levels and has an amazing tonic effect on the nervous system. We are built to work hard and move a lot! Keep us posted on how you are doing.

[mylady4]

Hope you can help me and this is long.

I should give a bit of history here. about 4 years ago I went back to college due to a shift change. At that time I was 28 and around 255-260 pounds and boy did I feel like a whale out of water being around all of those 20 year old, not having any children sticks. I decided I needed to do something about it, went on atkins and lost 75 pounds in two years. I was walking on the treadmill, biking and lifting weights. About 2 years ago my wieght lost was stalling so I switched to Body for life. I loved the increased variety of foods but that is when the problems started. I was getting very gassy, constipated and bloated and it just got worse. After about a year and a half we finally figured out it was celiac disease and I have been gluten free for months (except for the rare slip up).

About the same time as figuring this out, I was also diagnosed with arthritis in my hips (I just turned 33 and was born with my hips out of socket which is what the therapist thinks caused it) but at the same time I got severe brusitis in them as well from running on the treadmill to try and break though the year long plateau. I had to take some time off of cardio to let them heal but they still bother me. I try to make sure I stretch really good but I am not always the best at it but I am trying. I should go back to my doctor and see if there is anything stronger to combat the pain. I have been biking and walking (no treadmill running ever) for about 2 months now.

As a result of taking the time off I have gained 13 pounds and it bothering me to no end. When I stopped doing so much cardio i also did reduce my calorie intake. I do not eat wheat replacement products. I do have about 8 nut thin crackers a day and use gluten free flour occasionally to make breaded chicken. Now that I do 45-60 minutes of cardio a day I should be losing weight but I am not and I cannot figure out why and I need some help. I do eat protein with every meal, eat lots of vegis and have fruit everyday.

I have been keeping a fitday journal for the past 2 years. Some months I skipped because I tried to just eat in portions and not worry about calories but now I am tracking them again since I think I should be eating more. I am 33, a female 5'8" and 196 pounds and am getting so frustrated and need help. I do lift weights and was doing really good for a while but since the injury that has wained a bit.

Any suggestions you could give would be greatly appreciate it.

Nicole

fitday journal Open Original Shared Link

[mylady4]

One more thing,

For those of you concerned about eating tuna, I have been eating the 6 oz packages of albacore (higher quality tuna) 5 days a week for about 3-4 years. I had heard about the mercury warnings so I had my doctor test by mercury levels and they were just fine. If you eat alot of tuna and are worried about elevated levels, have your doctor test your levels.

Nicole

[BRUMI1968]

One more thing,

For those of you concerned about eating tuna, I have been eating the 6 oz packages of albacore (higher quality tuna) 5 days a week for about 3-4 years. I had heard about the mercury warnings so I had my doctor test by mercury levels and they were just fine. If you eat alot of tuna and are worried about elevated levels, have your doctor test your levels.

Nicole

I'm curious how s/he tested for it?