Un aparté sur les regimes

Alors, tout d’abord, qu’on soit bien au clair : je ne suis aucunement dans le jugement.

Pourquoi ? parce que avant et pendant mon anorexie, j’ai suivi toutes les modes de regimes : j’ai connu le paléo en 2000, via de sites americains, et j’étais convaincue que ça serait la panacée, notamment dans mon cas (j’avais d’enorme problèmes de ventres, ballonnement, gaz.. atroces, invivables… qui ont duré 15 ans, et qui se sont arrétés avec la recovery). Bref j’ai suivi la tendance low carbs (sans sucre) pendant 15 ans. Cumule à l’ano.

Bref, j’ai développé une peur du sucre ( de tous les sucres, ou carbs ; sucre, fruits, feculents..). ca a été compliqué à gerer même au debut de ma recovery… heureusement, j’ai trouvé des éléments pour me rassurer. Je vous en fais part ici. Ca m’a également bien expliqué pourquoi j’avais toujours froid, fatigue etc… tout est histoire de metabolisme.

Les partisans du low-carb, comme je l’ai été moi-même, expliquent que toutes les maladies, de l’attaque cardiaque à l’obésité en passant par le diabète, sont liées à une hyper consommation de carbs. Ils accusent les carbs de favoriser la resistance à l’insuline, d’augmenter les niveaux de glucose dans le sang, ce qui provoque de la resistance à l’insuline… cercle vicieux

Mais même s’il est vrai que la résistance à l’insuline existe dans certaines maladies comme le diabète, la theorie expliquant que la consommation de sucre est responsable de cette resistance est entièrement fausse!

Donc si manger low carb dans le but d’éviter tout résistance à l’insuline, c’est foutu. Par contre, ce qui est sûr, c’est que vous allez vous niquer le metabolisme…

Oui, je sais, vous vous sentez mieux depuis que vous suivez un regime low carb. Malheureusement pas pour longtemps.

Bien qu’il soit souvent hyper commun de perdre du poids et de sentir en pleine forme avec un regime low carb, quand vous comprenez comment marche un regime low carb, vous comprenez assez vite pourquoi ces résultats ne durent pas…

Quand on réduit notre conso de sucres , le taux de sucre dans le sang s’effondre, et donc le corps est obliger d’y palier en produisant des hormones du stress (il se met en mode famine, soit en mode « merde, il faut que je trouve à manger », comme l’homme préhistorique en recherche de nourriture), donc du cortisol (qui fait que même mince vous conservez ce petit bidou) et de l’adrénaline. L’adrénaline, tant que vous pouvez en produire, vous fait vous sentir super bien…. Sauf que ça ne dure pas, parce que le corps ne pas produire sans cesse d’hormones du stress et en plus votre capacité à produire ces hormones s’endommage…Pourquoi ? parce que l’hormone thyroïde est nécessaire pour produire ces hormones du stress et que comme vous tombez de plus en plus en hypothyroïdie en manger low carb…..et vous atteignez un point où vous ne pouvez plus produire assez d’hormones du stress pour répondre à la demande de votre corps pour compenser ce faible taux de sucre dans le sang… et quand le corps ne peux plus compenser, alors une dégénération physique permanente commence à s’installer….. Comme j’ai eu…

Et le travail inverse est assez dur, mais il en vaut mille fois la peine…

En effet, l’hypothyroïdie et d’autres soucis hormonaux sont largement affectés par la sous-consommation de sucres. L’hypothyroïdie est une condition tellement commune aujourd’hui, et pourtant la plupart des gens ne semblent pas comprendre d’où ça vient…

La conso de carbs est directement corrélée aux niveaux de T3, le plus de carbs vous consommez, plus le taux de T3 est élevé et inversement moins de carbs = moins de T3.

Et qui dit hypothyroidie, dit baisse du métabolisme avec toutes ses conséquences…

Pour être clair, éviter les sucres est loin, mais alors très loin d’être le graal dans la perte de poids.

Voyons ensemble pourquoi plus précisément :

La folie des macronutriments :

Un macronutriment est un nutriment dont le corps a besoin en large quantité et est le premier composant de la nourriture. Il existe seulement 3 macronutriments : gras, proteine et sucre (carbs).

Ça n’a aucun sens physiologique ou logique d’ailleurs d’éviter un des 3 macronutriments, à partir desquels la vie humaine subsiste, ce serait même contre-nature pour la santé.

Eviter un de ces 3 macronutriments, et surtout les carbs, peut provoquer de graves conséquences sur le métabolisme, et sur votre santé. Si le métabolisme ne fonctionne pas bien, alors ne comptez pas sur vos hormones sexuelles ou votre hormone de croissance pour aller mieux que lui… Et, vous le savez, la capacité de votre corps de bruler du gras s’effondre et il commence même à produire du gras au cas où à partir de n’importe quelle nourriture que vous lui apportez, surtout à partir des sucres d’ailleurs, entrainant une montée de triglycérides dans votre sang. Et par contre, ce phénomène provoque lui de la resistance à l’insuline, ce qui pour vous a pour conséquence une belle augmentation de votre appétit et du stockage de gras dans vos cellules. Mais vous n’auriez pas ce type de problèmes si votre métabolisme fonctionnait comme il le devrait et utilisait tous ces sucres comme carburants.

Les carbs ne sont pas le problème, le métabolisme l’est. Et c’est exactement ce sur quoi j’ai travaillé J en suivant les conseils de Matt Stone, Youreatopia et Ray Peat.

MATT STONE ou la DIET RECOVERY

Selon Matt, il y a de nombreuses manières de dérégler son métabolisme

Low-carbohydrate (manger peu de sucres)

• Low-fat (manger peu de gras)

• Regimes faibles en calories

• Tout regime restrictif

• stress

• trop d’exercice

• pas assez de sommeil

• consummation d’alcool, drogue

• deficience en nutriments ( iodine, magnesium, B-vitamines, vitamine D

• et donc l’anorexie

Bon, ok, alors que propose Matt pour se refaire un métabolisme de feu?

Alors soyons bien clair : je ne preconise pas de suivre Matt Stone, je ne vous preconise rien du tout d’ailleurs.

Je vous mets juste ça ici, parce que moi ça m’a aidé à me rassurer lors de ma recovery.

Asseyez vous : welcome to the Anti-diet.

Quelle est selon vous la pire des choses pour quelqu’un qui essaye de perdre du poids?

Si votre réponse est « être vautré toute la journée dans le canap’ et manger tout ce que je veux, quand je veux et autant que je veux. Ah oui et surtout ne rien faire, rien, aucun sport », SURPRISE SURPRISE : c’est exactement ce que Matt vous propose !!!

Et le truc de dingue ? ben c’est qu’il a raison…

Je sais, je sais, ce n’est pas ce que vous voulez entendre….

Mais pour les personnes qui ont si bien su abimer leur metabolisme à coup de regimes restrictifs pendant des années, du sport intensif pour compenser les soit-disants « écarts alimentaires » alors même que vous donniez à votre corps ce dont il vous a réclamé à corps et à cri, c’est la meilleure solution… c’est tellement jouissif le lâcher-prise total, sans culpabilité, qui n’en rêve pas.

Et non, je ne veux pas entendre « mais j’i l’impression d’etre une faineante, que je me laisse aller »… mais on a le cerveau lavé par les messages divulgués par la société et les médias !!!!

Bon, je vous explique : le programme de Matt est fait pour restaurer entièrement votre métabolisme, à travers 100% de repos et 200% d’apports nutritionnels ( il appelle ça over-feeding). Et c’est grâce à ça que vous pourrez guérir vos glandes adrénales, baisser les niveaux de cortisol et donner une chance à votre corps de se réparer.

N’ayez pas peur de la surconsommation alimentaire, car c’est grâce à ça que votre corps voudra parer à ce surplus calorique en :

- Accélérant votre métabolisme

- Amoindrir votre faim

- Augmenter votre poult

- Augmenter votre temperature corporelle

- Augmenter votre taux de lipolyse (le fait de bruler votre gras corporel comme carburant)

Plus vous mange au-delà de votre appétit, plus il est difficile de continuer à prendre du poids!

Le but est d’emmagasiner le plus de calories et de nutriments possible pour combler le deficit que vous avez créé apres toutes ces annees de restrictions.

Toutefois, Matt préconise d’eviter les huiles végétales (PUFA) qui sont la cause de tous les dérèglements hormonaux chez les petits américains en surpoids (mais c’est un autre sujet).

Matt : “this anti-diet is designed to address the refined carbohydrate and excessive omega 6 issues that lie at the core of metabolic syndrome/low mitochondrial activity.”

Il conseille meme d’utiliser la junk food comme un bon moyen de commencer cette anti-diet, car hyper digestible pour l’organisme et dense en calories.

Oui, dont’ panic !!! Je sais que votre cerveau est en train de peter les plombs…

Les regimes restrictifs ruinent votre metabolisme, c’est un fait. Donc, quand vous tentez de reconstruire un metabolisme de feu, la dernière chose que Matt souhaite c’est que vous vous créiez des restrictions sur des aliments que vous jugez « mauvais », « pas sains »…. On ne veut aucune restriction, AUCUNE.

La methode de Matt pour évaluer l’etat de votre metabolisme, en dehors des symptômes tels que des cheveux super fins et secs, des ongles craqués et cassants, l’impossibilité pour vous de faire une nuit complète sans vous lever entre 2 et 4h du mat’, constipation, ballonnements, aucune libido, anxiété, envie de faire pipi fréquemment, bouche sèche, intolérances alimentaires etc, est la même que pour la thyroïde : vous prenez votre température corporelle avant de vous levez le matin, sur une semaine pour plus de pertinence, et si elle est en dessous de 36.6…. ben c’est que ce n’est pas super bon signe pour votre metabolisme, puis apres manger (elle doit etre au moins à 37.2).

La première recommandation de Matt, c’est le repos et le sommeil : c’est un grand basique, mais il est NECESSAIRE voire OBLIGATOIRE de ne rien faire, de se reposer et de dormir, beaucoup dormir… ca permet de reparer en ^partir les glandes adrénales, de limiter le stress pour le corps… d’être plus zen, d’avoir moins d’envies de sucre ect…

Donc 1ere reco : REPOS obligatoire, et je ne veux pas entendre que c’est impossible dans notre société actuelle… si on veut on peut. Coucher vous tot, faites cet effort pour vous, testez et laissez vous du temps.

Au niveau alimentation, Matt recommande avant tout les nourritures qui boostent le metabolisme, qui « réchauffent » selon ses termes, et sa base est d’associer toujours sucre (feculents aussi)+sel+ graisse saturées, avec en superstars : fromages (fort teneur en calorie, peu d’eau et sel), noix de coco (surtout huile et lait de coco), chocolat, farines, viande rouge mais les morceaux gras, les pommes de terre et les glaces. Par contre, eviter de boire trop, le café ou thé qui ne sont pas sucrés+ ajout de lait, les soft drink light, les fruits mangés seuls (trop d’eau, pas assez de calories) donc mangés avec du fromage ou du sel (je fais ça c’est delicieux), trop de legumes (trop de fibres, trop d’eau, pas assez de calories). Par contre, il est super favorable pour des liquides comme le lait (combinaison parfaite de carbs+gras+ proteines), de jus d’orange avec une pincée de sel, de coca normal (source d’energie+caffeine = super pour le métabolisme).

Ca rejoint beaucoup Ray Peat, que j’adore. Mais c’est un autre sujet.

Pour ma part, quand j’ai commence à suivre la méthode de Youreatopia, qui ressemble à celle de Matt mais en plus structurée et expliquee, j’ai acheté et mange pas mal de glaces types haagen dazs, ben et jerry : super digestes, pas ecoeurée, dense en calories et macronutriments…. Parce qu’au debut il ne faut pas se leurrer, ce n’est pas l’euphorie digestive !!!

On ballonne, le corps emmagasine énormément d’eau pour proteger les organes et construire les muscles perdus…. Patience, ça ne dure que quelques jours ou semaines…. Il faut savoir être patient.

Parce que comme tout, ça passe, et hop, un beau matin, vous avez une digestion de feu, vous avez retrouvé une silhouette normale et vous pouvez manger ce que vous voulez, quand vous voulez sans aucune conséquence sur votre physique, étant donné que votre métabolisme remarche et s’adapte automatiquement.

http://ournourishingroots.com/qa-with-matt-stone/

Interview – Matt Stone

📷This is an interview I did with Matt Stone (pictured left) from 180degreehealth.com. Matt is an independent health researcher, and he’s been writing about health topics for years now. His latest books, Eat for Heat and Diet Recovery 2 were super helpful for me, and they made everything else that I had learned and been practicing in terms of diet and nutrition “click”. Matt Stone is one-of-a-kind and the simplicity of his message is inspirational: eat the food. He continues to help countless people recover from low metabolism. It is wonderful to see so many people rediscovering health by doing something so simple as eating intuitively and without restriction. So with no further ado, here’s the interview (my questions are in bold and Matt’s answers are in purple.)

To start out, can you explain briefly what has fueled your passion for researching and writing about health? Obviously 180degreehealth.com has evolved quite a lot over the years, but the common thread throughout it all has been your passion. So what is it that got you started, and what has kept you going for all these years in the work that you do?

Not to start out with too much cynicism, but I always try to be as real and honest as possible. I think naivety was the primary driver of my passion. If you believe that there is some happily-ever-after awaiting you if you study and ponder something enough, and eat the perfect diet for example – or believe that there is a key out there waiting to save everyone from horrible diseases, then you are extremely eager to rush out and find the answer. Now that I’m a realist, and focus on mastering a few basic fundamentals of self care instead of aiming for some fictitious Utopian state of health perfection, I’m not nearly as irrationally passionate. My information is much better, and I have my life back from health fanaticism.

Is there a common pattern amongst those who you work with directly or who frequent 180degreehealth.com in terms of the symptoms they exhibit? Are the majority of people who are attracted to your work hypometabolic?

Well I think most people are hypometabolic to some degree, especially so amongst my followers who can relate to the blunders that exacerbate such a state (frequently a result of being overzealous about being healthy), and who can also relate to the common symptoms that I frequently discuss. The constipation, cold hands and feet, dry skin, sleep problems, low libido, low energy levels, anxiety/depression, etc.

Do you have any sense of how prevalent chronic hypometabolic states are in the United States or in other regions? From your perspective does it seem that hypometabolic states go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in a large percentage of people? If so, do you have any ideas about how to best get information about hypometabolism to those who are sick?

It varies by age. I would say maybe a third of people under 20 have a low metabolic rate, and then it continues to devolve from there. By 40 I’d say half, by 65 I’d say 80%. The best way I’ve found is to encourage people to take their body temperature on a regular basis, as it’s easy, accessible, cheap, and revelatory. Most see temperatures well below the “normal” 98.6F, and this is not enough to fully establish an issue with metabolic rate – but it’s a strong clue that there might be one present. The annoying part is that blood tests for hypothyroidism are given way too much importance. Thyroid is but one factor in our overall metabolic rate, and blood tests are but one minor metric for determining one’s metabolic rate. If it walks like a low metabolism, talks like a low metabolism, smells like a low metabolism… it’s a low metabolism – regardless of what a handful of blood tests reveal.

Your recommendations have evolved over the years, so it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of the latest findings of your research and experimentation. Several years ago you began recommending an approach you called Rehabilitative Rest and Aggressive Re-Feeding, or RRARF. The idea (as I understand it) is to increase metabolic rate through lots of rest and lots of eating – with an emphasis on starches. Subsequently, it seems that your recommendations have evolved to include an emphasis on sugars over starches. And now in Diet Recovery 2 you suggest that some types of exercise can be useful in boosting metabolism. Would it be fair to say that your current dietary recommendations involve eating to or just past satiety with an emphasis on easily-digested, palatable foods such as sugars, low-residue starches, easily-digested proteins, and fats – all well salted and without too much fluid? And is it fair to say that you still recommend lots of rest, but now with some moderate exercise of the correct type? Would you say that your recommendations in your latest books such as Eat for Heat and Diet Recovery 2 are an evolution of RRARF, or are they something different in your mind? Basically, can you set the record straight on your current recommendations (without giving away everything in your books) as well as how your current recommendations relate to RRARF?

First of all, I usually refer to it nowadays as “rest and refeeding” and not “RRARF.” RRARF was a funny acronym that was meant to sound like someone heaving from having eaten too much food. I’m dorky enough as it is, so I’ve tried to ditch the RRARF acronym. Originally the idea of rest and refeeding was to create a calorie surplus for stimulating metabolism. It worked pretty well, but I was overly married to the idea that the food one ingests must be “unprocessed,” “nutritious,” yada yada. It worked okay, but there are several problems with it. One is that a diet of unrefined foods deters food intake, and overall calorie intake is one of the most important factors– the most important actually, in increasing metabolism. Therefore people had to literally eat MORE than they wanted to. It was difficult and disgusting and not fun – nor was it very sustainable. Another problem is that with a low metabolic rate, the threshold for fluids is much lower. Unrefined foods have a higher water content and don’t stimulate the metabolism as efficiently as more calorie-dense foods with a lower water content no matter how much you eat. Another problem is of course that those with a low metabolic rate have weakened digestive secretions, slow transit time, bacterial overgrowth in their bowels, and many other things that make refined, cooked-to-oblivion, common foods preferable. For health reasons!

So yes, Eat for Heat and Diet Recovery 2 are absolutely evolved versions of the original. They are great because the methods are simple, approachable, enjoyable, and much more effective. Few fail to restore metabolic rate and body temperature to normal in the first few weeks to months of applying them. Your assessment of the changes is pretty good, there’s just no need to eat beyond satiety now – for most. With yummy, calorie-dense foods that you are in the mood to eat (I encourage people to eat what they want, not what they think they should, in most cases), you don’t have to eat more than you desire to get the calories you need to stimulate metabolism.

Real Genius or Say Anything? Tough call, I know.

It’s not really a valid comparison. Kilmer and Cusack were no doubt the most classic male 80’s actors. Real Genius and Better Off Dead is a better matchup, and as much as I love Real Genius – gotta go with Better Off Dead there. Having said that, I did try to watch Say Anything on Amazon last week (I’m not making this up). Not available for live streaming. Pretty depressing. I’m still Jonesin’ for Dobler.

Thyroid health is a major topic of interest amongst the chronically sick researching on the internet. There are so many protocols for improving thyroid health ranging from the sensible to the far out. Many of the strategies that seem reasonably sensible share a common avoidance of goitrogens found in high concentrations in foods. Most of the largest concentrations of goitrogens are found in vegetables and soy, neither of which you seem to promote. But neither do you caution against them, nor do you make mention of goitrogens in grains or other foods. Do you find that by following all your advice the goitrogen issue largely moot and it is possible increase metabolism and improve thyroid health without concern for goitrogens?.

I’m not concerned about goitrogens unless they are really being consumed in excess. It seems only vegetarians are making that mistake, something I wrote about in my latest book The Vegan Solution. Kale juice anyone? Soy milk? But other health-conscious people are overdoing things like beans, broccoli, and cabbage too. I encourage people to eat what they want primarily, and few eat excessive amounts of such foods under that kind of guidance. When was the last time you had a kale craving?

On the issue of thyroid health, I am curious to know your thoughts on iodine supplementation. Particularly, I am talking about the massive iodine supplementation as advocated by Dr. Abraham and the very prominent Dr. Brownstein. (I found it interesting to note that Dr. Brownstein was a speaker at the Broda Barnes Foundation conference back in 2007.) The theory is that iodine deficiency is endemic, but largely undiagnosed and that the US RDA of 150 mcg of iodine is massively insufficient. I understand your philosophy regarding eating to increase metabolism as the first line of action. I’m interested to know if your work with hypometabolic people has given you any insight into this issue of supposed iodine deficiencies. Do you find that thyroid health tends to improve right along with overall metabolic health when people “eat for heat”? Or do you find that iodine deficiency continues to be a problem for people even after “eating for heat?”

I haven’t had many people need to supplement iodine to get their body temperature to normal or above – with all the expected changes one should see accompanying a rise in metabolism. I’m not opposed to the idea outright, and of course have read Brownstein’s work, so I would encourage most to stay open to experimentation.

I have read your favorable comments regarding the work of Dr. Broda Barnes. My understanding is that Dr. Barnes used simple diagnostics including basal body temperature along with presence of hypothyroid symptoms in order to diagnose hypothyroidism. And, it is my understanding that Dr. Barnes’ primary treatment recommendation for hypothyroidism was desiccated thyroid supplementation. Many report that Dr. Barnes saved their lives with his simple approach and recommendations. Given all that, what are your thoughts regarding supplementing with desiccated thyroid?

I think it’s great if it works. I don’t hear of people responding to it as well as you would think after gobbling up books by Barnes, Langer, Starr, and Bowthorpe. You finish reading those books and feel like desiccated thyroid could cure AIDS and bring peace to the Middle East. Some do better taking straight T3, such as Cytomel. Most don’t need thyroid medication, and I consider it a last resort. In my experience, most people are doing something that is causing their metabolic rate to be suppressed. When they fix that, things improve. No desiccated thyroid needed.

What are your thoughts regarding the best ways to improve liver health? I have read Ray Peat’s views of the importance of the liver for metabolizing excess estrogen among other important functions, and you’ve echoed some of those views in a post you made on 180degreehealth.com. You also made reference to Dr. Barnes’ views on liver health. So I’m curious to know if you believe that there are other sensible steps that people might want to consider to improve liver health apart from improving metabolism by “eating for heat.” It seems that the thyroid and the liver greatly influence one another, and so improving the health of the thyroid improves the health of the liver, but improving the health of the liver can also improve the health of the thyroid (thus improving metabolism.) So what recommendations, if any, do you have for improving liver health in a way that supports overall metabolic health.

Nothing special. I just recommend doing a 41-day juice fast on kale juice mixed with yak urine and thrice daily coffee enemas.

No, doing something to support the liver somehow sounds great, but in real practice I think looking at isolated organs or glands and trying to do something specific for them is a little out touch with reality. I would just eat and have faith that the body knows best how to allocate that energy for best results.

I find it interesting that the disdain for all things polyunsaturated seems to be the one common thread among fanatics of many different colors ranging from Weston A Price to Paleo to Peatarians, and that you too express a preference for saturated fats over polyunsaturated fats. Do you have any anecdotal evidence that polyunsaturated fats have any significant influence on metabolism? Do you find that any of Dr. Ray Peat’s (or any other) recommendations for reducing polyunsaturated free fatty acids (i.e. coconut oil and vitamin E) are useful in practice for increasing metabolism and overall health?

Well there’s a lot of confusion about polyunsaturated fats, aka PUFA. The Weston A. Price Foundation pays a lot of lip service to avoiding them, yet they advocate eating large quantities of some of the richest sources of them – chicken skin, duck and goose fat, lard, pork, eggs, nuts, and seeds as part of a high-fat diet. Yeah, see ya there. Paleophiles love PUFA as well, often eating a high fat diet (increasing PUFA intake no matter what foods contain that fat), and pork – bacon especially, is often talked about like a religious deity. Nuts and seeds are A-okay. If you look at the breadth of all the research and taken it into account the way Ray Peat has, you realize that it is indeed a good idea to go easy on the PUFA. Still, to really do it successfully involves extremism in diet that really isn’t very feasible for many to follow. But the science behind it is sound. I would at least use butter and coconut oil in your home cooking and eat a lot of things like rice, potatoes, yams, fruit, and other very low-PUFA foods as staples.

I’ve seen at least one post on 180degreehealth.com in which you make mention of Dr. Konstantin Buteyko and his research into increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) with reduced breathing. That was back in 2011. Since then have you given any thought to the work of Buteyko? If so, what are your thoughts? And do you have any more general thoughts as to the value or means of increasing CO2 concentrations in tissues?

CO2 is a powerful substance that is synonymous with a high metabolic rate and low stress hormone levels (both good things associated with youth). The anecdotal evidence on Buteyko’s methods are certainly there. As a researcher, I have a lot of cognitive dissonance about it though, as the higher the metabolic rate, the higher the respiratory rate. Is it really unhealthy for a spastic, overly-energized hypermetabolic toy poodle to pant? I think other methods like consuming more salt, carbohydrates, and calories to raise CO2 is likely a better way to go about it. But who knows? My mind remains a little scrambled by all that.

You have written about your experiences using RBTI (Reams’ Biological Theory of Ionization) measurements in order to improve your health. I understand that you don’t believe that RBTI is the best way to improve health, but that there are some valuable components of the approach. Can you briefly describe what you believe are the valuable takeaways from your experiences with RBTI?

The most valuable takeaway was seeing how overhydration could cause numerous problems, especially for those in a low metabolic state… also, was interesting to see how pale, clear, and frequent and excessive urination is a hallmark of a low metabolism. It was also very valuable to see how much one can play with the timing of their diet to better match up with daily hormonal rhythms – in short, eating heavier at some times of day and lighter at others. Was cool to see it’s not just what you eat, but when – and that sometimes when is more important than what.

You recommend salt and sugar in very liberal amounts. I am curious if you find that in practical terms there is such a thing as too much of either of these things for someone with low metabolism. From an RBTI perspective there certainly is such a thing as too much salt or sugar, but it seems to me that increasing metabolism is the key to health when in a hypometabolic state, and salt and sugar can help in that regard. Still, I’d like to know if your experience shows that it is practically possible for hypometabolic people to eat too much salt or sugar. Put another way, for people who use a refractometer and a conductivity meter to make measurements, are there any readings that should be cause for concern for someone who is hypometabolic?

Yes, you can definitely have too much salt. I have to be very careful with it now personally or it will give me problems like restless legs at night, and just feeling uncomfortably hot in general. The sugar I don’t know about. Sugar, and carbohydrate in general, is the preferred source of metabolic fuel. By sugar, that means anything that tastes sweet – fruit, fruit juice, dried fruit, honey, molasses, maple syrup, the white stuff, etc. Just a few weeks ago I helped a diabetic woman passing sugar in her urine in large quantities to quickly eliminate that by displacing more of her normal diet with sweet foods. Fruit in particular. RBTI is cool because it’s a discipline all about hugging the midline – the balance point. But the belief that sugar raises “sugar levels” is absurd. I can think of no better way to improve glucose metabolism than to jack up carbohydrate intake.

Taking my temperature throughout the day on your suggestion has turned out to be incredibly helpful. By taking my temperature several times a day I get a good idea of what choices lead to improved metabolism. I am curious to know if other people you work with report similar benefits from taking their temperature throughout the day? If this simple process is anywhere near as useful for most people as it is for me, I’m wondering why you don’t post something on the front page of 180degreehealth.com that says “get a thermometer and eat salt sugar, and protein along with some saturated fats until your temperature is consistently above 98 degrees.” Because it really seems that this simple directive could help so many people.

I do basically say exactly that in my “Starter Kit,” a collection of free information available to anyone upon arrival at my site. Just becoming metabolism-conscious is a powerful health intervention. Even without telling people how and what to do to change their body temperature, most would immediately notice a connection between body temperature and numerous symptoms they experience day to day and figure it out for themselves.

I don’t tend to find that you make any recommendations in terms of supplementation (apart from sugar and salt.) Are there cases in which you find that any supplemental minerals, vitamins, or hormones are helpful for people recovering from hypometabolic states?

Sure, thyroid hormone supplementation when all else fails is mandatory. Sometimes progesterone cream, DHEA, and other youth-associated hormones can be helpful when diet and lifestyle interventions don’t deliver. I do still see and hear good things with the supplementation of the mineral supplement Min-Col. Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and other old standbys have usefulness in certain situations as well. But I generally try to steer people away from the supplement mentality because there is so much hype surrounding supplements, and most of it is empty.

In Eat for Heat and other writings you talk quite a lot about the dangers of drinking too many fluids, particularly with too little salt and sugar. As you likely know, the standard medical treatment for dehydration involves oral rehydration solutions consisting of water with salt and sugar because water alone can only exacerbate dehydration conditions. The salt and sugar is necessary for a human to be able to absorb the water properly. So I’m wondering if perhaps what is happening in many hypometabolic people – in addition to a lack of calories and proper macro-nutrients – may be dehydration due not to a lack of water, but rather to a lack of salt and sugar together with water. I know that personally when I have experimented with reducing liquid intake I have experienced overwhelming thirst that made my life miserable. However, I have noticed improvements by drinking as much as I am thirsty for so long as I make sure that whatever I drink includes liberal amounts of salt and sugar. For example, orange juice or milk together with lots of salt and a few tablespoons of maple syrup, molasses, or honey (or all three) seems to improve things for me. I feel better and my temperature improves. Do you believe that what you term “overhydration” may, in fact, be dehydration or electrolyte imbalance? What are your experiences in working with others in this regard? Do you find that it is often necessary to greatly reduce fluid intake, or can similar results be achieved by increasing salt and sugar with fluids?

Overhydration isn’t nearly as good of a term as “dilution.” When you take in lots of plain water with no electrolytes, you are basically watering down all the fluids in your body and the effect is typically quite negative in those with a low metabolic rate. Those with a higher metabolic rate actually need lots of fluids, which makes getting this right a little bit tricky. One day lowering fluid consumption brings about miracles, and the next it causes problems because metabolic rate has increased. The best is to take into account urine concentration (should be yellow), frequency (every four hours and none at night is good), thirst, and appetite and adjust accordingly. Someone with a low metabolic rate is desperately trying to build back proper blood volume, among other things, which is probably why thirst is often so high. You are right that large enough amounts of salt and carbohydrate with the fluids does help tremendously.

Given your views on excessive liquids, what are your thoughts on the conventional Ray Peat diet consisting of milk, orange juice, and coffee?

Those are great drinks, but without solid food only someone with a pretty high metabolic rate to begin with can tolerate so many low-solute fluids.

I have read recommendations from you against drinking coffee (as well as your statements about your lack of clarity around whether coffee is good or bad.) Personally I am not a coffee drinker, but there are others, namely Ray Peat, who recommend coffee for improving metabolism. Ray suggests that coffee improves glucose metabolism, improves liver function, and can support thyroid health. Anecdotally there seems to be decent evidence for this. I’m curious to know if your biases against coffee are solely based on the fact that many people drink coffee without food in an attempt to increase warmth, thus contributing to “overhydration” as well as adrenaline release due to lack of glucose? Do you believe that coffee may have a valuable role in increasing metabolism to healthy levels when used in the “right” way? In other words, might coffee ice cream (with chocolate chips and extra maple syrup on top) be a good way to increase metabolism in a healthy way? Or are there compelling reasons to believe that coffee could have detrimental effects for metabolism health? What are your thoughts on this?

Like most things there are valid cases for or against caffeine. As a small drink to accompany meals it’s great, or in the form of chocolate or coffee ice cream I think it’s fine. The modern habit of guzzling huge amounts on an empty stomach in lieu of food is much more problematic. Having said that, I too am not a coffee drinker. Someone in excellent metabolic condition shouldn’t have much of a compulsion to drink it. The only time I ever developed strong cravings for it was when I was starving myself of eating a very restricted diet (like that horrible Body Ecology Diet).

I have read that you like chocolate. In fact, you have mentioned that chocolate cake is a mainstay in your house. Plus, in Eat for Heat you mention chocolate as one of the warming superstars. Obviously chocolate and coffee are not the same thing, but they do share a fair amount of similar qualities. What causes you to like chocolate so much whilst not giving similar preference to coffee from the standpoint of increasing metabolism? Also, do you find any significant downsides to chocolate in terms of health recovery? Some people claim that chocolate (and coffee) reduce appetite and stimulate the adrenals in unhealthy ways. Do you have any comment on that?

I think very rich coffees with lots of sugar and such are fine. Tiramisu all day. Chocolate is considered to be one of the most palatable and stimulating of all foods, plus it has a very high ratio of saturates to unsaturates. That’s why I have no problem with it. In fact, in a BBC documentary about overfeeding, the subjects were unable to get down the required amounts of calories unless there was chocolate present.

Recently I came across a low oxalate group on the internet. This group is obsessed with reducing dietary oxalates based on the theory that dietary oxalates are the root of all disease and the primary cause of, among other things, autism. Have you heard of this theory? What are your thoughts on this? Do you think that oxalate metabolism (or lack thereof) could be directly connected with overall metabolic health? In other words, do you think it would be likely that oxalates could cause problems for those with hypometabolic conditions? In your experience are there any connections between autism and hypometabolic states? Have you discovered that children can be born in hypometabolic states?

One of my site authors, Dr. Garrett Smith, used to write at great length about oxalates and even presented at a Weston A. Price Foundation conference about oxalates. Now that his metabolic rate is in working order, he has no more personal problems with such things – and that’s what I see again and again. One thing that really got my attention was a girl who wrote extensively about oxalates and other “plant poisons” on her blog. She was found to be hypothyroid, took thyroid meds, had all her problems and food sensitivities go away, and then promptly ditched her blog. That’s fairly predictable.

Do tell me that you’re a fan of 80s films starring Bill Murray. If so, what are your favorites?

Everything with Bill Murray is pretty solid, 80’s and beyond. Few performances could top Ghostbusters though. It doesn’t get better than a womanizing ghost-fighter that accuses the guy from Real Genius of having no dick. That’s what I call a hero.

You have been consulting with people to help them regain their health for a while now. What are some of the most interesting things you’ve discovered through doing that? Has working with people in that fashion given you further insights?

Yes, it’s helped me be a lot more realistic, down-to-earth, and also to understand the importance of prioritization. For example, the people with the most diet-related questions are people that I give food-enjoyment eating exercises to do – to help them stop overthinking the act of eating. You don’t talk about the negatives of PUFA with someone with an eating disorder. You tell them how great buffets are and how reasonably priced and convenient they can be. Most people come to me with 48 dietary and lifestyle concerns and leave refocused on three or four, like getting enough sleep, eating a bigger breakfast, and spending more time outdoors. The fundamentals are so much more important than the exotic, words can’t describe the degree of separation between the two. I help people make their health practices a lot more realistic, simple, and focused instead of scattered and neurotic.

Do you have any thoughts on the potential value of supplemental light (particularly red-spectrum light) for improving metabolism and thyroid health?

No idea. If my name was Roxanne I would not put on the red light.

I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from your writing. Specifically, Eat for Heat and Diet Recovery 2 have been very helpful for me. What other writing projects have you got in the works?

Too many as always. Just finished The Vegan Solution. Working on a book on anxiety set to release late summer. Got a major release coming out in September called Solving the Paleo Equation – published by Victory Belt. And revising a lot of my older books to get them up to speed with the current stuff. It’s going to be a busy summer.

And that concludes the interview. I want to give a big thank you to Matt Stone for his graciousness in doing this interview. And I’d also like to thank Rob at 180degreehealth.com for his help in making this happen. Again, I’d like to mention Matt’s books Eat for Heat and Diet Recovery 2, both of which I found to be very helpful personally.

If you have any comments or questions please feel free to add them below.