Fat, how to lose it and keep it off. Hottest topic of the century. Last post I touched on how Thyroid function is key player in the fat loss game and I also mentioned that basal body temp is an excellent indicator of how your metabolism is running. If your body temp is low your furnace just isn't stoked and you're storing more energy as fat than you should be.
So if you're resting temp is too low like mine, how do we raise it? Matt Stone outlined a plan of attack in his e-book 180degreehealth called the High Everything Diet or HED. The main goal of his plan is to increase Leptin, the hormone that's stored in your fat that which regulates fat metabolism. Once your resting body temp is increased your metabolism should be on the rise. I've been dabbling in some of the key points of the HED (High Everything Diet) this past week. Haven't hammered it 100% since I've been on vacation. But now that I’m back to reality, I’m heading into this thing full force for a 30 day experiment.
Here's the skinny on the High Everything Diet or RRARF (Rehabilitative Rest & Aggressive Re-Feeding) and a little background behind it.
Matt created HED or RRARF to emphasize that it's a comprehensive mind, body and lifestyle process and not just a diet even though he calls it the High Everything Diet (HED).
Eat anything you want and always be sure you eat 99% wholesome, unrefined and unadulterated foods containing lots of starches, good fats, plenty of protein and lots of calories. High in Everything. That frightened me at first. I have to admit that I've been on the starch and carbs are the "enemy" band wagon for many years. So this is a huge shift for me.
In addition to eating lots of good whole natural foods for the next 30 days be sure to include the following.
1.) Lots of Rich Saturated short to medium chain fats. Like those found in Real Milk and Coconuts.
2.) Plenty of Unrefined starches like: Potatoes (yes potatoes) all kinds regular or sweet, corn, brown rice, quinoa and oats. Wheat not so much. The gluten can cause a lot of folks problems. Can be very inflammatory.
3.) Abundanza of Calories. You don't have to eat until you feel gross or gagging, but be sure to eat plenty of food because increased amounts of nutrients is very important in the process of increasing metabolic activity. Try not to get freaked out like you're your appetite usually drops off as metabolism increases because fat stores are burned and released as surplus energy. Some lose weight instantly when eating to appetite or even beyond appetite of real whole, nutritious foods.
4.) Low or NO Fructose. Fructose is a big factor in the cause of leptin resistance and decreased metabolic activity. As you over-feed, you're appetite might be higher, so eating foods containing fructose (fruits etc.), will only keep your metabolism the same or lower it. End result…more fat. Not what we're after… So on this 30 day experiment, try to eat very little or maybe no fruit at all, no fruit juice, no sweeteners like honey, maple syrup etc. and definitely NOT HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup).
5.) Polyunsaturated fats Not so much… Omega 3's are great, especially those found in cold water fish however, you can have too much of a good thing. Some people create a condition called excessive lipid peroxidation because they supplement their diets with fish oil pills etc. in attempt to balance out their omega 3's and omega 6's. According to Matt you can accomplish the same thing by reducing the amounts of omega 6 foods in your diet. This is going to be a biggie for me. I'm a peanut butter freak! Cut back on things like nuts (except for macadamia's), nut butters and oils, pork and poultry fat. Don't be paranoid about these foods, but use them sparingly and it will help increase your metabolism.
6.) Ixnay refined carbs, fast food, junk food and all other packaged processed crap. Hopefully you're doing this anyway, but especially during this 30 day test keep your foods as wholesome as you can. Once you've fixed your metabolism then you can relax a little and have an occasional burger, pizza (my fav.) or ice cream.
7.) Kick caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and other drugs to the curb. Any form of stimulant or depressant that puts stress on the system limits your amount of healing and will inhibit your progress.
8.) Eat plenty of protein. But not TOO much. Dr. Broda Barnes (Thyroid Doc) was a firm believer that too much protein was really draining on the metabolism. Especially if calories are restricted. Even though that's not the case with the HED, protein isn't used as metabolic fuel in the same way as carbs and fats are in this plan. They’re the preferred choice to protein. Another thing that happens is that as calorie consumption is increased, less protein is needed to maintain muscle mass. So if you're eating tons of protein at every meal like I was, cut it back to a decent size side (2-5oz.) instead of the main gig.
9.) Veggies ,veggies, veggies. Be sure to eat tons of veggies. They're very nutritious and although they may be relatively low in calories, there nutrient density is primo. Vegetables especially greens like spinach and broccoli are a great contributor to mitochondrial activity or energy production at the cellular level.
So get on these 9 simple guidelines and let me know how your 30 day experiment goes in the comment section. I'll be keeping you posted on my progress too.
Interesting. I have had the belief in this theory (didn't know all of it) for a long time.
I think the hardest of it all is to say away from "processed". You can't walk in anywhere, grocery store, restaurant… happy hour without processed.
I know it and yet making that choice sometimes is hard, even though it feels way better in body when I make the right choice!
My blog post today about dogs was going to be about "processed". 🙂 Funny how things that are right pop up at the right time!
Great post- I think I just knew alot of this intuitively. I used to eat a ton of protein(mainly in the form of shakes as I am vegetarian). I couldn't seem to lose any bodyfat until I cut the protein shakes out. But I also think stress levels have alot to do with it, when I meditate regularly, my weight drops by 4-5 lbs. Food (pun intended) for thought.
Thanks Eileen. So interesting that you had the instinct and got great results by reducing your protein intake. Did you also minimize your fruit and emphasize starches?
Great point K9 Coach. Processed crap is everywhere and that makes it super hard to make the right choices. I also agree with you that crappy food is a problem for our 4 legged friends too. How can we expect to feed them by-products and other junk and expect them to be healthy?
Interesting perspective Deb, eating clean and healthy sounds great. I'm not sure I could do this for 30 days though, I love my fruits and my vegs … it would be hard to give up apples for a whole month. But maybe as a kickstart or to shake things up a bit.
Thanks for posting this.
Lisa
Thanks Lisa. The whole Leptin strategy made sense to me. I’m all about clean eating too. I have to admit, I love my fruits and veggies too and it’s been pretty hard to go without a nice crisp Granny Smith, but I think I can do it for 30 days…
I'm all about eating potatoes!!! 🙂
Deb,
Some really useful stuff there. Just a quick question- is this something that could/should be adjusted seasonally, or would it be great to do year round?
Hey Dennis. Happy you found the info useful. I don’t think it would hurt to apply the HED principles year round. I’ve completed about 90 days so far (not food natzi strict either) and feel great. Reminds me… need to publish my progress. Haven’t lost a ton of weight on the scale 4 lbs, but I’ve gotten a lot leaner, cloths are looser, lost an inch in my waist and the most impressive part (to me) is that my morning temperature has gone up from 97.0 to an average of 97.9. I’ve also lost all my cravings for sweets (loved dark chocolate and peanut butter).
Greeeeeeeeat Blog Love the Infomation you have provided me .
Great article, thanks Deb 🙂
Just wondering if you’re still following this style of eating, either full-time or occasionally, and how it’s going for you. Most of this stuff makes a lot of sense to me and I’m interested in trying it out to get my adrenals/thyroid back in balance.
Also, just wondering what your take is on white rice? It’s minimally processed as far as grans go. Some people on Matt’s blog consider it superior to brown rice although I can see the benefits to both brown and white. Just curious.
Confusing isn’t it? Well, my take on white rice is sort of the same as most other grains at this time. Some consider white rice as a clean starch that doesn’t have some of the inflammatory properties as wheat etc. I get that, however white rice is also higher on the glycemic index scale and if you have a problem with insulin resistance, eating white rice isn’t going to help with those blood sugar spikes. So… if you have an occasional sushi dinner etc and all other things are well on the hormone front, I don’t think it’s a big deal.
Thanks Kat! I hate to put labels on things but since writing this post, my eating style has sort of evolved into more of a Paleo-esque style. Focusing still on REAL food and including a little organic greek yogurt and cheese. I’ve also cut down on my crazy potato and legume consumption and include sweet and or regular potatoes usually after workouts, rides or hikes. In other words if the energy expenditure and exercise warrants it, I’ll include a little extra starch, berries, banana or apple. Other wise I mostly get my carbs from green and other root veggies. Following this type of food plan I’ve been able to minimize my sweet cravings and lean out more than I’ve ever been able to my whole life without even trying. I feel the best ever too and feel like my adrenals are healing and my insulin resistance has diminished.