Leptin Reset Experiment starts today - Jack Kruse style page 101

[FairyRae]

Does regular CW dieting and/or IF have the potential to initiate nighttime eating syndrome in people with LR?

Yes-- I would say that IFing when done in a certain manner can totally initiate nighttime eating in some people. (It has for me at least.) If I've used IF to fast all day long, planning to only eat one meal in the evening, it has typically lead to a nighttime binge. (I don't use it in this manner any more because that obviously doesn't work *for me*. I also have a history of binge eating disorder/bulimia, so there you go!) IF, when used in a more lean gains approach (similar to the leptin reset style of eating) has been more successful *for me*. But again, YMMV.

According to books like Julia Ross's _The Diet Cure_, a lot of binge eating issues (which can encompass nighttime eating etc) stem from not eating enough high quality foods during the day (so, eating a bunch of nutritionless junk all day, or not eating at all, etc...) She recommends getting in a specific amount of protein and fat, veggies, carbs, etc in order to prevent binge eating issues. I've found that her recs have really helped me personally (eating 4+ cups of non-starchy veggies a day along w/ around 30+ g protein per meal etc.)

Just my thoughts on this!

[geostump]

I'd like to know more about this as well. There are multiple folks who have depression related symptoms when going lower carb--DigitalSurgeon, are you saying this will clear up during the leptin reset (within the 6-8 weeks)? Can you explain anything about this a little more (the serotonin being locked in the gut?) Folks, if you've read about this on Dr.K's blog (or somewhere else) feel free to share a link--don't want to bug the Doc w/ all these questions if he's already answered them elsewhere.

I recall cillakat having a terrible transition when moving toward a VLC diet. She mentioned 8 weeks of hell and sleeplessness, and then suddenly it all clicked and she felt amazing. (Cillakat also dealt with depression and other issues....) I wonder if that was really a leptin reset for her?...

The first week or two on the protocol, I wouldn't say I was depressed. I would snap a lot at people and have highs and lows. I had maybe one day that I felt depressed with extremely energy levels and Dr. K mentioned to eat a spoonful of coconut oil and instantly I was better. I haven't had those feelings in about 2 weeks. I have more energy now than I've ever had, sleep better and don't get nearly as hungry as I used to. I also had really bad acne in the beginning of this as well. Now everything is cleared up and people have told me I look younger now. I will be continuing this past the 6-8 week plan.

[Shijin13]

The first week or two on the protocol, I wouldn't say I was depressed. I would snap a lot at people and have highs and lows. I had maybe one day that I felt depressed with extremely energy levels and Dr. K mentioned to eat a spoonful of coconut oil and instantly I was better. I haven't had those feelings in about 2 weeks. I have more energy now than I've ever had, sleep better and don't get nearly as hungry as I used to. I also had really bad acne in the beginning of this as well. Now everything is cleared up and people have told me I look younger now. I will be continuing this past the 6-8 week plan.

Thinking back to when my neurologist took me off all my bi-polar & migraine meds and sent me to a chiropracter...the first thing he had me do besides adjusting me...was start eating 1-2tbs of coconut oil/day... l no longer do that daily but we cook ALOT in coconut oil... hummmm makes me wonder....

[MamaGrok]

Georgette, I recall that you were feeling you needed more carbs b/c you were slipping into fatigue without, and Dr. K suggested coconut oil instead ... so that's working well for you?

Has anyone else tried it?

Does it have to be raw? I use a tablespoon to cook my eggs (and yes, it all gets absorbed), but I don't see any effect on energy levels. I'd be willing to try to gulp it down once just to see, but I really do hate plain coconut oil.

Is it just CO, or will any fat do? B/c I'll have 1-2T butter a few times a week just b/c I feel the need for it, but it makes no difference in my energy levels ...

[Mike Gager]

ive been having trouble with my sleep. i sleep fine for the first 5 or so hours then i wake up about every hour after that till i get up. this seemed to have started when i began the leptin reset.

on top of that i seem to have caught a summer cold. chest congestion, sore throat, coughing, stuffy nose, etc. very weird

i asked this before and didnt get an answer, since i am waking up in the middle of the night, is that when i should be eating? it seems my cortisol levels would be highest at that point versus 3 or 4 hours later when i get out of bed

[JenCat]

@Mike: I'm the same way but have been for years, long before starting the reset. I wake several times during the night and often have trouble getting back to sleep. I seem to wake up naturally before 7:00, but since I have no real reason to be up that early and I'm tired from not sleeping well, I stay in bed until 8:00 or so. I, too, wonder if this screws things up. I should probably be eating by 7:15.

[DigitalSurgeon]

The gut issue and depression is tied to serotonin stores. When you go paleo and do the leptin reset you are immediately changing the serotonin level in your small bowel. Carbs metabolize to serotonin in the small bowel and are sotred there for use later in the brain. The rest of the serotonin is sent to the brain by way of the pineal gland. The rest is stored there. When darkness is preceived by the retina a signal is sent to the pineal to convert the 40% stored serotonin to melatonin. It takes four hours of darkness for this to occur. Hence the reason you need to keep in dark lit conditions as soon as possible when you cant sleep. Its a way to jump start the conversion. Once the conversion occurs the serotonin in th epineal is used and replenished by the gut stores.......so if you are rapidly eliminating carbs.......from the paleo diet and leptin reset you feel the pinch. This is what you all call the paleo flu........you can offset it two ways.......4-6 weeks of 200mgs of 5htp A serotonin precursor.......or replacing the brain signal to the gut to give up more serotonin it does not have......this is done by the incretin neurons. They immediately get turned off by MCT in the proximal small gut. That is how coconut oil works. It has no effect on serotonin stores but makes you feel better.

I answered this in one of Dr Deans blog comments somewhere out there......also somewhere in PH and I dont remember where.

[Vkiernan]

ive been having trouble with my sleep. i sleep fine for the first 5 or so hours then i wake up about every hour after that till i get up. this seemed to have started when i began the leptin reset.

on top of that i seem to have caught a summer cold. chest congestion, sore throat, coughing, stuffy nose, etc. very weird

i asked this before and didnt get an answer, since i am waking up in the middle of the night, is that when i should be eating? it seems my cortisol levels would be highest at that point versus 3 or 4 hours later when i get out of bed

I have the same question, I wake up with the sun and don't sleep well after that, wake up, go in semi-dreamland, wake up, etc.. If I finally crawl out of bed at 6:30 should I have really gotten up at 5 when I actually woke up?

[DigitalSurgeon]

This is because your still LR........I bet it is tied to you lack of prolactin surge.......that occurs after leptin enters your hypothalamus......you might need to eat dinner earlier.......and/or turn the lights out much earlier......I bet it helps you huge. You could cheat a bit by taking 6-10mgs of melatonin 2 hrs prior to sleep but I hate trying to trick our physiology.

[Vkiernan]

This is because your still LR........I bet it is tied to you lack of prolactin surge.......that occurs after leptin enters your hypothalamus......you might need to eat dinner earlier.......and/or turn the lights out much earlier......I bet it helps you huge. You could cheat a bit by taking 6-10mgs of melatonin 2 hrs prior to sleep but I hate trying to trick our physiology.

Some nights due to my husband coming home late I don't eat until 8 pm and lunch was at noon. It is frustrating cuz now I'm not snacking either. So, If I eat dinner earlier and go to be earlier, I might actually sleep better and longer? That would be great and it might help me get better. I think I have to get window darkening drapes or something too. I close the blinds as tight as possible but when the sun is up, I am up too and can't sleep effectively more no matter what.

The question we are really trying to answer is: If we are half awake laying in bed, does this count as the 30 minute window for breakfast and should we just get up when we first wake up and eat or can we sleep half-assed and start the 30 minute window when climbing out of bed?