I need to GAIN weight... and I need your help!!! page 3

[abc123]

Sounds like you've tried just about everything, but when I first read your post, the first thing that came to mind was, "man, she's so stressed out".. & stress is so hard to diagnose, its that mental "busyness" thats hard for a Dr to tap into & say, "You're overthinking & "trying too hard", calm down".. If you aren't sleeping well, nothing is going to work.. I know it seems almost impossible, but visiting all the doctors, waiting for the "results", constantly scanning the web & reading & reading & googling & thinking & wondering & reading & thinking & considering & thinking & googling & reading is GOING to inflame whatever is already irritated in your body.. You already tested negative for the heavy stuff by your doctors & blood tests.. You may simply be suffering from chronic stress.. If your mind isn't relaxing & you're not sleeping well then NOTHING is going to work..

I'm wondering what the cleanest way is for you to start getting some sleep (without use of anti-biotic).. You have the kids & are naturally exposed to a stressful environment, but we gotta find some time for you to nap, & ensure you're sleeping well.. Those kids need a healthy Mom, even if it means Mom needs some "Mommy Time" in a quiet room, with Enya playing, glass of wine & 2 hours to nap.. Hey, simply being a young parent & engaging the daily grind is enough to drive anyones digestive system out of wack..

Sounds like you need a vacation, maybe a stay-cation.. Babysitter, no computer access, maybe some fasting (relax the digestive system) & simply sleep, watch some movies, make some love to your hubby sleep more, get a massage,.. just calm the entire body down.. Just gotta find a way to pump the brakes on these stress levels & relax.. I'm a thinker as well & have to save myself often from causing the problems.. Stress in some form or fashion is the root of all inflammation & disease.. If we can limit it, we've won half the battle

[Siren]

Absolutely. In fact, I've read that saturated fats, like those found in butter, lard and coconut oil actually help the body to detoxify heavy metals, infections, etc..Eating a strict-primal like diet will augment a detox protocol, but is also one in itself.

When I did some serious detoxing, I was under the guidance of a holistic doctor. He prescribed certain herbs & nutrients (supplements) based on muscle response testing. Mainly, I think it was the chlorella that helped me detox the most. I also used betaine hydrochloric acid to combat my low stomach acid, which a lot of people have. I don't believe in "cleansing diets". I just believe in eating nutrient dense whole foods and taking supplements. So, either try visiting a local holistic doctor or naturopath, or start supplementing with some vitamins and minerals.

What cookware do you use? What oils do you cook with? What kind of water you drink? Or liquids for that matter. Do you eat ANY gluten or gluten containing grains? Do you eat grains at all? What supplements do you take atm?

-Ryan

I use a combo of cast iron, stainless steel, and non-stick (I live w/ my mom, so I have to use whatever's in her kitchen). I cook with butter, coconut oil, bacon fat when I have it, and olive oil (low heat or broiling). I drink only room temperature, double-filtered water from home, though I'll admit I don't drink enough of it. I stay as far from gluten as I can, and the only grains I eat come in the form of gluten-free cookies and bread (rice flour). I'm currently taking fish oil, L-Glutamine, a probiotic, and Natural Calm before bed. I was taking a multi-vitamin, but stopped when I noticed that it contained soy. I also take Now Foods Super Enzymes, 1 capsule with every meal. I will also on occasion take Vit D, when I'm feeling low or haven't been in the sun enough.

I'm considering seeing a naturopath, especially if this next round of bloodwork comes back negative. I've avoided chlorella because it's an algae, which is a type of mold (I think...) My body is VERY sensitive to mold, which I discovered after having an attack when I ate bleu cheese in a salad. Not fun.

Mostly, I'm forcing myself to eat as often as possible, as much fat as possible, and not worry about sugar intake. I'm not chowing down pasta & donuts, but the few un-Primal things I do eat are carefully chosen and enjoyed thoroughly. Once my weight starts to creep back up, I'll go fully Primal, and clean out all the "bad" stuff. I just need to get my weight back up for now...

[Siren]

I Still think you should choose wisely for example, hagaan daz ice cream over a cheapo brand with a ton of fillers.

Funny you should say that, because I have 3 pints of Haagen-Dazs in my freezer right now! yum... =)

[Siren]

Sounds like you've tried just about everything, but when I first read your post, the first thing that came to mind was, "man, she's so stressed out".. & stress is so hard to diagnose, its that mental "busyness" thats hard for a Dr to tap into & say, "You're overthinking & "trying too hard", calm down".. If you aren't sleeping well, nothing is going to work.. I know it seems almost impossible, but visiting all the doctors, waiting for the "results", constantly scanning the web & reading & reading & googling & thinking & wondering & reading & thinking & considering & thinking & googling & reading is GOING to inflame whatever is already irritated in your body.. You already tested negative for the heavy stuff by your doctors & blood tests.. You may simply be suffering from chronic stress.. If your mind isn't relaxing & you're not sleeping well then NOTHING is going to work..

I'm wondering what the cleanest way is for you to start getting some sleep (without use of anti-biotic).. You have the kids & are naturally exposed to a stressful environment, but we gotta find some time for you to nap, & ensure you're sleeping well.. Those kids need a healthy Mom, even if it means Mom needs some "Mommy Time" in a quiet room, with Enya playing, glass of wine & 2 hours to nap.. Hey, simply being a young parent & engaging the daily grind is enough to drive anyones digestive system out of wack..

Sounds like you need a vacation, maybe a stay-cation.. Babysitter, no computer access, maybe some fasting (relax the digestive system) & simply sleep, watch some movies, make some love to your hubby sleep more, get a massage,.. just calm the entire body down.. Just gotta find a way to pump the brakes on these stress levels & relax.. I'm a thinker as well & have to save myself often from causing the problems.. Stress in some form or fashion is the root of all inflammation & disease.. If we can limit it, we've won half the battle

You are SO right: I HAVE tried just about everything as far as diet & lifestyle, and a slew of medical tests that have told me nothing. And yes, it is INCREDIBLY stressful. But it's hard to de-stress, because 1) I can't take any time off work (can't afford it, and I've been off so much because of this illness that I'm all out of sick time; besides, I don't think my boss would let me anyway since I've missed so much work already), 2) my life is very, very scheduled, and if it weren't it would go completely to chaos (I know this because it's happened), and 3) you can't remove your mind from your body, and that's where all of my stress is coming from.

I actually don't have custody of my kids, so I'm not a full-time mom, not in the usual sense at least. I've blackened out the windows in my bedroom, I fall asleep to candles and soft music, and read to make myself sleepy. I also drink Natural Calm before bed, which is great for helping me GET to sleep. My problem is STAYING asleep for more than 4 hours at a time. I fall asleep around 11pm (my body simply will not fall asleep before then, no matter how hard I try). I have strange, vivid, sometimes disturbing dreams, I wake up around 3am, then toss and turn and half-doze until 5:30 when my alarm goes off (I have to be to work at 7am). It's like that every night, and it's really taking its toll on me. I just wish I could find a way to tackle one problem at a time, but since they're all interlinked... =/

[PaleoMom]

I've avoided chlorella because it's an algae, which is a type of mold (I think...) My body is VERY sensitive to mold, which I discovered after having an attack when I ate bleu cheese in a salad. Not fun.

FWIW I'm am VERY sensitive to all mold but chlorella has done nothing but good things for me. It was an especially important part of my healing from heavy metals. I'm too lazy to google it, but I don't think algae is a kind of mold.

[Zach]

Your nightly wakeups are typical of someone who has their stress hormones on overtime. Adrenalin is spiking around 3am and keeping you up.

Tonight try some salted ice cream right before bed and if you wake up in the night, get a snack of salt/sugar. Eaiest way is just mix a bag of sugar and salt together and put a big pinch h derneith your tounge. Sounds weird but it works great for suppressing adrenalin.

[Neckhammer]

Your nightly wakeups are typical of someone who has their stress hormones on overtime. Adrenalin is spiking around 3am and keeping you up.

Tonight try some salted ice cream right before bed and if you wake up in the night, get a snack of salt/sugar. Eaiest way is just mix a bag of sugar and salt together and put a big pinch h derneith your tounge. Sounds weird but it works great for suppressing adrenalin.

Not gonna comment on the hypothetical hormone profile, but this sure will help gain weight for ya. I wouldn't do it for the downsides of all that sugar, but for weight gain.... hey it's the anti-thesis of low carb primal so it must work!

[Siren]

Your nightly wakeups are typical of someone who has their stress hormones on overtime. Adrenalin is spiking around 3am and keeping you up.

Tonight try some salted ice cream right before bed and if you wake up in the night, get a snack of salt/sugar. Eaiest way is just mix a bag of sugar and salt together and put a big pinch h derneith your tounge. Sounds weird but it works great for suppressing adrenalin.

This is another reason why I wanted to have my hormone levels checked. A friend of mine, who's in vet medicine school right now (granted, it's animals, not people, but she's up to her ears in medical stuff all day), suggested I may have an adrenal gland problem. I'll be looking into that as well, since I'm having night sweats and heart palpitations.

And salted ice cream! You said the magic words!!! Wish I could have salted caramel... YUMMMM... =)

[Zach]

This is another reason why I wanted to have my hormone levels checked. A friend of mine, who's in vet medicine school right now (granted, it's animals, not people, but she's up to her ears in medical stuff all day), suggested I may have an adrenal gland problem. I'll be looking into that as well, since I'm having night sweats and heart palpitations.

And salted ice cream! You said the magic words!!! Wish I could have salted caramel... YUMMMM... =)

Try it. Cold sweats and palps are also signs.

Neckhammer, i didnt make it up. Also you know that one of the major side effects of a low carb diet is trouble sleeping, frequent urination, waking up at 3-4am, etc. Hell i have only been around here for a couple months and have seen many people say the same. Not to mention the hundreds over at other sites. My advice is just something that works. She could use dried fruit and salt or milk or anything "natural", but for the quickest effect, pure sugar and salt under the tongue works wonders. And i firmly believe that a good nights sleep vastly outweighs and potential danger from a couple grams of sugar.

[Zelli88]

I use a combo of cast iron, stainless steel, and non-stick (I live w/ my mom, so I have to use whatever's in her kitchen). I cook with butter, coconut oil, bacon fat when I have it, and olive oil (low heat or broiling). I drink only room temperature, double-filtered water from home, though I'll admit I don't drink enough of it. I stay as far from gluten as I can, and the only grains I eat come in the form of gluten-free cookies and bread (rice flour). I'm currently taking fish oil, L-Glutamine, a probiotic, and Natural Calm before bed. I was taking a multi-vitamin, but stopped when I noticed that it contained soy. I also take Now Foods Super Enzymes, 1 capsule with every meal. I will also on occasion take Vit D, when I'm feeling low or haven't been in the sun enough.

I'm considering seeing a naturopath, especially if this next round of bloodwork comes back negative. I've avoided chlorella because it's an algae, which is a type of mold (I think...) My body is VERY sensitive to mold, which I discovered after having an attack when I ate bleu cheese in a salad. Not fun.

Mostly, I'm forcing myself to eat as often as possible, as much fat as possible, and not worry about sugar intake. I'm not chowing down pasta & donuts, but the few un-Primal things I do eat are carefully chosen and enjoyed thoroughly. Once my weight starts to creep back up, I'll go fully Primal, and clean out all the "bad" stuff. I just need to get my weight back up for now...

Those all sound pretty safe. Just make sure you're not getting too much iron, and that the SS cookware is of VERY high quality, since nickel is extremely carcinogenic and can leech into food. Non-stick as in teflon? I would avoid that like the plague..Try to get a healthier, non-stick ceramic version. I'm extremely sensitive to cookware, and have found glass to be the best for me. That's great the only thing you drink is water. Just make sure it isn't RO. Reverse Osmosis attachs to minerals in the body and can contribute to mineral excretion.

Try getting a BHCL that has pepsin and BHCL only. Super Enzymes is good, but you can't take a whole lot of em due to all the other enzymes contained in it. I would also look into a good multi that's soy free, and maybe a Calcium supplement (citrate). Most professionals recommend between 1:1 to 2:1 ratio of Ca:Mg. Ever try Fermented Cod Liver oil & High Vitamin Butter Oil capsules? I became sensitive to Chlorella..I get breathing issues and what not. Could be the iron for me.

I don't trust anything grain-like myself, so I can't say anything about the bread. I also don't eat sugar, but I'm not sure how I would respond to it anymore, so I can't advise on that either. I just avoid both of em, strictly.