Point Out The Holes in my Primal - randomcow edition page

[randomcow]

Guys please help me find out what I am doing wrong with my Primal.


Eat
Breakfast - butter, bacon, spinach and egg x2 omelette
Lunch - 200g of spiced, grilled meat (fat on). Broccoli, tomato, baby leaf salad with homemade soy sauce/vinegar/olive oil dressing
Dinner - varies more than breakfast or lunch, so let's just say steamed salmon, Japanese mushrooms, onion
Snacks - mixed salted nuts, biltong (South African-style beef jerky, seasoned with coriander, salt, pepper. fat on)
Drink - trying to quit caffeine but enjoy the occasional cup of coffee or Indian chai. A few beers or glasses of wine a couple of times a week.
Supplements - multivitamin, piracetam/choline stack


Exercise
Gym - 2x 25 minute sessions per week of strength training (low reps, high weight)
Walking - 30 minutes walk to and from work each day
Martial Arts - 4 hours per week.
Kettle Bells - irregularly

Otherwise I have a desk job and am on my ass all day staring at monitors.


Other
Work is moderately stressful. In the office for 9-12 hours a day.
Not getting quite as much sleep as I'd like. Average 6-7 hours a night during the week, more on weekends.
Skipping a breakfast and lunch once every week or two.
Don't get much direct sunlight


Results
Went from 77kg to 72kg in the first month, then hovering around 71-73kg (I was not fat to begin with, just intrigued by the Primal movement)
14% body fat
Good v-shape happening, some muscle definition. Clothes look good on me.
125/65 blood pressure

However...
Cholesterol is 320(!), with LDL significantly higher than HDL
Gains have somewhat leveled off, as I have mentioned above. Would Ideally like to get my fat percentage and weight down a little more
Irregular heart beat or heart palpitations (scared to google the correct term)

I guess the last item is what prompted me to write this coz to be quite honest it scares the shit outta me some times. It's the one where your heart seems to literally skip a beat, then it makes up for it in the next beat which feels like a big slow single beat that shakes your whole body. The thing is, I don't want to go and see a doctor until I find one who is down with the program and into the primal thing or something similar, for fear that he would prescribe me something for this and the cholesterol.

I'm 34, and I would like to fix this by adjusting my Primal. Thanks in advance.

RC

[JennGlob]

I would cut out the beer and maybe nuts. Eat more at breakfast so you don't need to snack. You know the issues with work, sleep etc.

As for the heart issue, I would make an appt with a cardiologist and ask for an echocardiogram. They generally don't do bloodwork, so cholesterol isn't an issue. You want to make sure you don't have a real issue with heart valve etc. Even if they do prescribe something, do your research and decide if you feel it is necessary.

[Ghâshûl]

I can't really fault any of your eating habbits, they seem fine to me. Workout as well. The bad things are your office hours, sunlight exposure and sleep pattern, but you knew that.

Anyway, I went to the doctor some years ago, because I had taken my bloodpressure, and the machine had registered arrhythmia (the name for what you described). I went to the doctor and got sent to a lab that took some blood samples, and did an EKG. They told me there was nothing to worry about.
For me, it was a relief going to the doctor, so I think you should consider going.
If it's benign, then it gives you relief. If it's something that needs to be treated, then it's better to have it diagnosed.

[randomcow]

Thanks guys.

Went into the doctor this morning and had an ECG and whatnot. He has hooked me up with a 24 hour Holter ECG but has also told me that everything appears to be ok, and that this is just for a final check.

RC

[Cryptocode]

See Griff's primer on Cholesterol in the Research section, then calculate your ratios. If the ratios are good you have nothing to worry about. Also, your numbers will continue to improve, whatever they are.

As for the heart palaitations, even with a normal irregular heartbeat, you must be eating or taking or drinking (!) something that is really bad for you. What is your bp? Are you drinking a lot of alchohol? The only other, rather improbable thing I see is that maybe your body does not like nightshades, although palaitations are not a reaction I've ever heard of.

[Paleobird]

My advice would be to lose the booze and the caffeine and really try to get better on the sleep and sunshine items. Give it about a month. (Maybe do a Whole 30)

Then see if you are still having the heart problems. If so, see a cardiologist. Soon.

[otzi]

Guys please help me find out what I am doing wrong with my Primal.


Irregular heart beat or heart palpitations (scared to google the correct term)

I guess the last item is what prompted me to write this coz to be quite honest it scares the shit outta me some times. It's the one where your heart seems to literally skip a beat, then it makes up for it in the next beat which feels like a big slow single beat that shakes your whole body. The thing is, I don't want to go and see a doctor until I find one who is down with the program and into the primal thing or something similar, for fear that he would prescribe me something for this and the cholesterol.

I'm 34, and I would like to fix this by adjusting my Primal. Thanks in advance.

RC

I also have the heartbeat problem you are describing. If you have what I have, it's called Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC) Premature ventricular contraction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have had it for about 15 years and it comes and goes. It causes no problems and I only know it's there by taking my pulse. I have been to 3 heart doctors over the years and none of them are concerned in the least. They say this is the most common heart problem they see and it is usually of no consequence, in fact many athletes have it.

The heart docs have told me as long as it is just skipping one beat, it is fine. If it starts skipping 2 or more beats in a row, it's time to worry, but that a single-beat PVC rarely escalates to a more serious condition.

From Wikipedia:

Isolated PVCs with benign characteristics require no treatment. In healthy individuals, PVCs can often be resolved by restoring the balance of magnesium, calcium and potassium within the body. The most effective treatment is the elimination of triggers (particularly the cessation of the use of substances such as caffeine, and certain drugs.)

I have tried all this--didn't work. But you may try. I would first recommend seeing a heart doctor for an accurate diagnosis. They will put a Holter Monitor on you that you wear for 24 hours. This will show the severity and most likely give you peace-of-mind.

Good luck!

[magicmerl]

Guys please help me find out what I am doing wrong with my Primal.

Other
Work is moderately stressful. In the office for 9-12 hours a day.
Not getting quite as much sleep as I'd like. Average 6-7 hours a night during the week, more on weekends.
Don't get much direct sunlight

There's part of the problem...

However...
Cholesterol is 320(!), with LDL significantly higher than HDL

What's the ratio? LDL/HDL should be < 4.5. If so, you're good.

Gains have somewhat leveled off, as I have mentioned above. Would Ideally like to get my fat percentage and weight down a little more
Irregular heart beat or heart palpitations (scared to google the correct term)

Sounds like a salt deficiency. Do you take Magnesium or Calcium?

[ronaldmiesn]

I don't remember ever being able to sit on my heels.

[tzulogic]

I get heart palpitations most evenings. There could be a variety of causes, and there's no way I or anyone could do anything more then guess. And I'm not a doctor. It could be stress. It could be the lack of sleep. It could be the magnesium deficiency.

Don't sweat it. A google search might actually calm you down. (this may be the one exception, most tend to convince you that you've got 10 different diseases.)

It's quite common, you might even see it go away in time.

https://www.google.com/search?q=are+...ient=firefox-a