Decisions... To Eat for Heat or No?

I know I need to do something about my low metabolic rate/hypothyroidism, it could be a great help to my health over all. It could be why I wake up at 3am every morning and never get back to sleep. And why I am always tired, have no energy, or stamina. It could be why when I exercise I get sick, or need extra rest, like four to five days, the first two mostly in bed from exhaustion, and needing lots more food constantly until the energy comes back. It could be why I have thick skin, and extra weight around my middle. Why my digestion is slow. Why I have constipation. Perhaps raising my metabolic rate could give my adrenal glands a break and allow my thyroid to work normally, that would effect a multitude of things not to mention my gallstone. gallstones are said to be caused by an imbalance in the hormones, low thyroid does that. It could be taxing my immune system which could explain why I have become sensitive to meat, dairy, eggs and animal fats. 

I need to do something so I have been reading Matt's books and I get the idea now. I spent the morning hunting around the web reading stories of people who have implemented his ideas. On the most part it has made a good improvement long term for those who did eat for heat, but one thing stands out that I just don't like.....to start out with it will make me fat and healthy, not thin and healthy.

I am already 40 lbs. overweight and I already feel uncomfortable with that extra weight, why would I want to add more weight to that? Would I have any clothes to wear if I did this?

"When your temperature is below normal, consider yourself primed for some fat gain.   From the time temperature is low until the time it reaches the ideal, you are much more likely to gain fat.   But it’s not all so simple and cut and dry as to think that you will just blimp up doing this.   There’s a lot more going on underneath the surface."

But it's not all bad....

"So, at the start you’ll gain weight quickly, then it will slow, and then it will stop altogether.   You might only gain weight for two weeks.   You might gain weight for several months – maybe 15 pounds the first month, 10 pounds the second, 5 pounds in the third, and then finally none by the fourth month.   I recommend just getting the weight gaining part over with.   Gaining fat is horrifying.   When you stop gaining weight, it’s quite a relief and you can focus more on completing your recovery.   I call the point of reaching zero fat gain eating enormous quantities of even the most palatable and “fattening” food as becoming “fat-proof.”   Fat-proofing yourself is a very important first step. It’s also really important to take this process to completion.   At first you gain weight around the abdomen, but then you fill out in the rest of your body – adding more subcutaneous fat, which is generally believed to be highly protective and actually healthy.   Meanwhile, more and more of your weight gain consists of restored organ mass, bone mass, muscle mass, and glycogen storage.   In other words, the LAST 10 pounds you may gain during recovery are the most important pounds.   Those pounds restore you to full capacity and also improve how your body looks aesthetically."

But there is another option, I could always try Armour (desiccated thyroid gland) it would be good for the thyroid giving it a blue print with which to rebuild, and best of all it wouldn't add extra pounds I don't want.  I wouldn't have to tweak my diet and think about food all the time it could be easy. It would however cost more money in the end, unless that is I have to buy new clothes to drape over my newly enlarged body.

Seems like an easy decision for the Armour, but I am unable to buy it for about 4-5 months so perhaps I should just go for the Matt Stone get fat to get healthy approach. I have four or so months to play around with it.  I can always take the weight off later once my metabolism is normal again. I can do both, one first and then the other. I think I'll do that, I think I'll give Matt's eat for heat ideas a try then see about the Armour.

"Remember, the objective isn’t to find the safe foods that keep you from having digestive problems.   Take that route and you’ll eventually whittle your diet down to practically nothing.   Rather, the objective is to improve your digestive abilities, and allow your digestive tract to adjust to eating pretty much anything and everything."

HOW I PLAN TO EAT FOR HEAT

LIQUIDS

• Drink only when thirsty.
• Never drink just water, add salt and or sugar. Season to taste.

FOOD

• Eat when I am hungry no matter when that is.
• Eat what my body is craving and try not to think about eating to raise metabolism.
• Listen to my body.
• Eat foods that warm up the metabolism when My body craves them.
• Stick with my Nourishing Traditions and food allergy fence, so only whole foods prepared in the NT way. 
• Warming foods I can eat:  rice milk, hemp milk, coconut milk yoghurt, coconut milk ice cream, coconut milk in sauces and dosas, coconut milk sour cream salted with herbs, hot coconut milk, coconut milk rice pudding, coconut palm sugar, all natural sugars like honey, rapadura and dates syrup, dates, chocolate, white chocolate, sea food in coconut oil like fried shrimp, or fish in peanut sauce, brown and white rice, grains all kinds soaked and or sprouted, corn, popcorn, polenta, grits, oats, quinoa, amaranth, dry cereal, sea salt, dried fruits, potatoes, gelatin, dried fruit of any kind, vegan desserts, sorbets, salted macadamia nuts, hummus, legumes, very sweet fruits like bananas, papaya, mango, pineapple, any fruit that has been cooked in coconut oil and sugar added, yams, and sweet potatoes.
• Cooling foods: raw and cooked vegetables, juices, liquids.
• Foods to avoid because the suppress the thyroid: all nuts except macadamia nuts, kale, cabbage, cauliflower all the crucifers when uncooked, seeds, vegetable oils, soy milk.
• Eat balanced meals of salty/sweet, warm/cool, carbs/protein/fats.

"When you go from being in a highly-stressed, underfed state to a de-stressed, overfed state, the adrenal glands pretty much go on vacation.   You know how you feel after a big Thanksgiving feast?   Your eyelids feel like they weigh a thousand pounds.   You feel warm and cozy and tingly all over.   All you want to do is pass out into a coma-like slumber.   There’s a good chance that you will spend a lot of time in this semi-comatose state for many weeks.   Maybe even a whole month.   If you are recovering from something really severe – like a major eating disorder, this phase can last much longer.   Like a whole frickin’ year.   Don’t beat yourself up for feeling utterly unproductive or freak out and think there’s something wrong because you’re not your former upbeat, energetic self.   Spend some time in this state and welcome it openly.   It’s a healing place to be."

LIFE

• Work out gently and only when fully recovered form the last work out, and keep to my habit of not sitting for long periods of time and walking when I can.
• Sleep when I need it.
• Get to bed early so I can sleep longer.
• Sleep through the night, use the salt and coconut sugar mix during the 2-3 am times to get back to sleep.
• Let extra stresses go, meaning letting go of some projects I want to continue so I can manage easily the have to's in my life like cooking and teaching school.
• Sit in the winter sun when possible.
• Let go of reaching a high metabolism.
• Relax with where I am now and enjoy the days as I heal.
• Listen to my body.
• Consider God's faithfulness and kindness to me.

RECORD KEEPING

• Take my temperature 2 or 3 times during the day at 9AM, noon or 3 PM, plot on the graph.
• Take my blood pressure and pulse once a day
• Record any interesting symptoms or changes
• Make mental notes about bio feedback: cold hands and feet, feeling warm all over, urine color and frequency of having to go, hows the eczema on my face, hows my hair, sleep patterns, am I waking at 2-4AM and getting back to sleep, Am i not waking at all between 2-4AM, am I sleeping soundly and dreaming, is my mood good? How is my energy.

So I'm off to eat to heat but to really get the most out of this plan I need to let the goal go as well. I have made adjustments to see if that raises my temperatures and helps my thyroid but listening to my body is my main objective.

Matt lists some things in Diet Recovery 2 that I can happen to my person as I begin to eat more of the foods that increase metabolism and to sleep more and get more rest:

“As you start out, remember that you are challenging your metabolism, your glucose metabolism, your digestion, and more. This does not feel good!!! Headaches, skin breakouts, brain fog, severe drowsiness after meals, out-of-control hunger – particularly if you are coming off of a low-carb diet, heartburn and other digestive glitches – these are all normal in the first week or two. But just when you think you are poisoning yourself with all this food something pretty cool happens. You start to notice improvements in how your body handles everything. Instead of running from all these problem foods and big, heavy meals you experience your body rising to the challenge, making use of the tools you’ve given it, and functioning much, much better. "

"So be prepared to be challenged and have to muster up some resilience and persistence. This is not all fun and games. It’s like trying to get back in shape after years of couch surfing. You get tired. You get sore. You ache. But it makes you stronger. You’ll see.”

Yes, we'll see. :)

NOTE: all quote from Diet Recovery 2 by Matt Stone