Health & Wellness

[Leigh-Anne]

Hi all, I need to lose about 15 lbs and revisited two past Alfacast episodes that I really appreciated (Fasting 2.0 and Paleo vs Vegan). I have some questions if anyone has thoughts to share 🙏

– I have heard much talk around women’s biology being different from men’s (obviously!) and that fasting, or too much restriction in general, isn’t as great for women’s hormones. Is this a real concern? (If it matters, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos 5 years ago and was told that I caused it by eating too low carb.)

– I may want to do a shorter fast with some green juicing thrown in (I guess this is not a fast, technically, if juice is consumed). I wrestle with juicing, it’s not using the whole plant and just extracting, the fiber is lost, etc. But I have used juicing and it feels good. What do you think?

– I do want to move towards mostly vegetarian, but need to do it right this time, as I felt totally ungrounded last time I tried. Are there any good resources that spell out how to transition appropriately and slowly?

– I know that ketosis is a beneficial state for many reasons, including fat loss, but the typical dietary approach of high fat, low protein and low carb feels gross to me. I paid for Dr Courtney Hunt’s ketosis group and had to stop eating that way after two weeks of trying, it was all cream, bacon, cheese… I know Barre talked about ketosis in the fasting episode. Would something like intermittent fasting, or a shorter fast, get me into ketosis long enough so that I become ‘metabolically flexible’ as they say, so that my system switches to using fat for fuel?

Thank you all so much for any insight. I’ve been very into nutrition for 20+ years and am a huge fan of listening to my body, but with the information overload I sometimes feel like my head is going to explode.

Discussion

[Penny]

The nutrition field is so ridiculous I can understand your frustration.

As everything else in our realm, it is really about frequency and intensity. In the case of nutrition we want to eat food low in intensity and we want to lower frequency.

Intensity of foods depends on how it affects us blood sugar wise. So, simple carbs and sugar are out. Vegetarian fats and proteins are in. Veg is very good, and fruits like berries and lemon- limes are good. Other fruits are excellent for us but we don’t want to get too crazy with them and we don’t want to juice them, as juicing them makes them high intensity. If you want to juice, just make it all veg with maybe some lemon or lime. Nuts and seeds are great if you can digest them, if not their butters are great too. Chemical additives like maltodextrin and canola oil are very high intensity. The only sweeteners I approve of are monk fruit and stevia.(honey I view as a medicine) coconut, olive and avocado oil are very good. Cinnamon is a great herb that helps lower intensity of food when consumed with it. Butter and Ghee depends on how you tolerate them, but I find ghee very tolerable.

Frequency is how often you eat, so lowering your frequency is literally just eat less often, or intermittent fasting. Just start slow maybe 10, 12 or 14 hours then go longer as you feel ready. Your body will let you know.

Just a couple other recommendations

1.- focus on strength and health not weight loss. I don’t like scales, especially for women….but I do like fat calipers and tape for measuring. Women who focus on scales break hips in old age.

2.- express gratitude for your food before eating, and decide that it will nourish you greatly. Something like “By the mighty power of the great I AM presence I am grateful for this food and grateful to the plants and animals who contributed to this meal, so that my body is healthy, nourished and sustained”.

3. Don’t eat or drink cold things, this negatively affects our digestive fires.

4. The hormones have more to due with your cycle and your exercise, to keep it simple, right after your period you can exercise like a champion, a few days before start slowing it down to yoga and walks and yes you can certainly eat more at this time, progesterone likes that. Take your periods as a rest and recovery time. Light stretching, qi gong…

I will add a nice video by Barbara.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dgzop0BWf50&pp=ygUbYmFyYmFyYSBvJ25laWxsIHdlaWdodCBsb3Nz

[Leigh-Anne]

Penny, thank you SO much!! I love how you keep it simple here to the foundations.

I just finished watching Barbara’s video and will watch it a second time later. I have never gone into her work before so I appreciate that!

Fiber + Protein + Fat 🙏

Her suggestion to do HIIT everyday is new to me. I had learned that 3x a week is the most one should do it. Will look more into the books she mentions.

[Penny]

She said Hitt everyday? I should rewatch it, it’s been a few months… I would agree that’s too much. I am guessing she is saying that to maximize weight loss. I personally only do it once a week, everything else is heavy lifting, bike riding, walking and yoga. Even low impact Hitt would be too much for me everyday. Btw Mike knows Barbara I think 🙂

[Leigh-Anne]

Yes, it’s interesting. She says daily at 53 min and 56 min. Like you, I do yoga, walking, martial arts and strength training so would only do it 2 days/week or so.

[Andrea]

I don’t know tons on this topic but I’ve heard Mindy Pelz speak on a number of podcasts, she has a book Fast Like A Girl. Might be worth checking out the book or some of the podcasts she’s been on, looks like she also has her own podcast.

[Leigh-Anne]

Thank you Andrea. I think I’ve heard of Fast Like a Girl – will look for it.

(I wish collectively we’d replace the word ‘girl’ with ‘woman’ more often 😃)

[Leigh-Anne]

@tulipterriers Got the book yesterday – it’s so good, so clear and has absolutely eased my fears of fasting for women. Loving it, thanks again.

[Andrea]

Oh good I’m glad to hear the book is looking helpful. The other thing I thought of is also check out the Alec Zeck podcast with Sarah Kleiner
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-119-circadian-biology-leptin-light-with-sarah-kleiner/id1544492743?i=1000669914557
or you can track it down on the way forward website or other podcast app. The discussion they had on leptin could be useful for you.

podcasts.apple.com

Ep 119: Circadian Biology, Leptin & Light with Sarah Kleiner

Podcast Episode · The Way Forward with Alec Zeck · 09/18/2024 · 2h 31m

[Leigh-Anne]

Thanks Andrea. I purchased Sarah’s Leptin Reset last year and can always go back to it. I’ve already dropped 5 lbs through fasting, though, based on Fast Like a Girl! The book really did help me to feel ‘safe’ to do this. I didn’t realize until just now how afraid I have been to mess with my thyroid/hormones because of what that dr told me. I was even afraid to be hungry. My conscious mind knew better, but I see now it was lodged in the subconscious. Beyond the weight loss, I’m really happy to be able to use different fasting methodologies to achieve better health all around through the benefits of autophagy and apoptosis.

[Mike]

I would start small with easy goals and work from there but I think water fasting is most ideal. Even just try a 2 day water fast to start! I will be doing a urine fast in a couple weeks to get ready for Anarchapulco but I know that is a little next level haha

[Leigh-Anne]

Thanks Mike. Even a one day water fast would be good right now! 2 days – I’d have to work up to that. I think I’m going to start by getting back to intermittent fasting and go from there. @PennyJuniper it’s super interesting what Barbara says about shifting the IF window to earlier, having breakfast as the largest meal and tapering down as the day goes on. When I was doing intermittent fasting back in the day I did the opposite (as she spoke to) with waiting to eat til 11am and finishing at 7. I’ll play with 8am-4pm.

[Penny]

Yeah I have been trying to switch it up to earlier in the day because of her. I was doing one meal around 4pm. Now about an hour after getting up I have an Iq bar or keto seed toast with almond butter then 3 hours later an actual meal. It’s been a rough change because about 7 pm I am pretty hungry. However, my sleep is so much better this way, and sleep is my challenge area so I am going to stick it out for a while. I just wont get up and like, cook up some eggs and veg though. That’s too much food and too much kitchen work that early in the morning. Morning is a hustle.

[Leigh-Anne]

Thanks for sharing, that sounds like a good way for me to switch too. Mornings are usually busy with trying to get my son up and ready 🙏 Even this morning I’ve been up for an hour and a half and have just had my butter coffee. I think breathwork and exercise first before eating is also a good idea for me.

I’m glad it has improved your sleep though. The biggest thing that has helped my sleep and is the circadian rhythm stuff, I get the sunrise and sunset light in my eyes and now am asleep by 8:30-9.

[Janelle]

Hi Leigh-Anne!

I’m relatively new to the community, but I’ve been in the nutrition field for quite a while. I just wanted to say how awesome it is that you’re ready to make a change—mapping out a plan is an fab first step!

I’m not sure who suggested that Hashimoto’s is your fault due to a lack of carbs, but I want to reassure you that there’s no science-based evidence to support that. Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune conditions can be influenced by a variety of factors, so let go of any doubts there!

From my personal and professional experience, I find that integrating a bit of green-juicing is a great way to give you a boost, keep the excess waste down, and still enjoy the benefits.

If your looking for a food program to springboard off of, I love the original CLEAN by Dr. Junger (the one before Dr. Oz helped expand & added supplements to it). I use it every year for a simple seasonal tune-up. It’s based on a three-week reset designed to help you eliminate sneaky foods and habits. After that, you can decide how to move forward. It’s an easy transition to a plant based keto/flex kind of direction.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the daily routine:

• Morning: Start your day with a blended greens smoothie/shake.
• Lunch: Enjoy a salad packed with leafy greens, veggies & light protein (like poultry, fish, or seafood).
• Dinner: Wind down with a nutrient rich soup-based meal for easy digestion.

There are no pills, potions, or powders in the original plan. Just a simple guideline of a 12-hour fast between meals, along with some mindful movement each day to keep your energy up and your body balanced.

I also like to do a 3 day “Fresh & Fueled” cleanse based on the same principles, but I add in some green juices with an anti-inflam focus. I prep it all in one day and relax for a long weekend of mindful rebooting!

I’d be more than happy to share resources. Just let me know!

[Leigh-Anne]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Janelle! I appreciate what you’ve shared and it’s new info to me so will look into it all. It wasn’t great that my (former) dr blamed me for causing Hashimoto’s, I had just lost 20 lbs on keto at the time and left the office completely frightened so started eating carbs again. No surprise the weight slowly crept back on. When I did my own research I found conflicting info and along with all the other nutrition advice I’ve just been in confusion since then. Thankfully this month I finally feel some clarity and feel a lot more connected to my intuition!

[Janelle]

I think you are on the right path. Knowing and understanding yourself is an important step.

[Leigh-Anne]

Thank you!

[Author]

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