The Levers of Power (What to Measure, What to Control) to avoid stalling/stalls

(Kirk Wolak) #21

Let me add something here… Back in March I believe… I bought a smoker.
I started smoking ribs and other things. Mostly ribs.

Without noticing it, I was smoking a lot of food, but LOVING it. See, I am carnivore, and I cannot use much in the way of seasonings.

I took a small vacation, gained 18lbs in 8 days. Not unusual for me. I was KETO the whole time! But it was inflammation. But I struggled more than ever in losing the weight, unless I fasted. Strange. Also, even though I am “maintaining”, I found I could not eat 5 days in a row without gaining weight. And I was still in ketosis…

Meanwhile, my BP was getting really high. I fasted it off. Went on a trip to Russia, ate some meat that was laced with NUTS and FRUITS without knowing, and had a reaction. Migraines, etc. And my BP was still creeping higher.

I just did 2 weeks of PKD for the answer

It turns out… I am one of many people who has to moderate their PORK intake. At the worse, my BP hit 190/110, and I had Urticaria along my Lats. Really swollen. I could barely put my shoes on. (I had bought a meat grinder and made my own Pork sausages, and had them 5 days in row).

I found an article by a guy (Low Inflammation, High Fat) that said he had issues when he upped his pork… And that the Omega6/Omega3 ratios are reversed in pork fat.

I also found out, that Pork Belly at a local place is Fried in Vegetable Oil. This was the first nasty reaction… 8lbs gained overnight. I bought my own lard, and made my own.

After 7 days without pork, and eating really clean. My BP has been drifting lower, and my inflammation is going way down… Today, my BP was actually normal!

EVEN Better #NSV is that I have eaten 21 days in a row now! Something I have not done in over a year! And my weight is STABLE.

I am going to FAST tomorrow and over the weekend to CELEBRATE!

You have NO IDEA what a relief it is to realize it was WHAT I was eating again. It also explained why I could not do the Feldman Protocol using Pepperoni as my Fat Pushing substance. I had to bail on the test because I did not feel well. I think I know why!

I did Celebrate finding this out, and validating it with 1/2 Filet Mignon, and a Ribeye for lunch. I love Filets! (Lunch. I am basically OMAD)

Lesson: YMMV, it’s often What you are eating and the dose!

I did not realize how much pork I was consuming. Never mind the 1lb of bacon. But pretty soon it was 1-2lbs of sausage, some bacon, and it became a nearly every day event with me. Even the ribs were all pork ribs. Wow.

The good news is that I am back in the saddle again… I will take off the remaining excess 13 lbs I have before I head up to see my family… And I know to avoid over consuming pork. Bacon is now a side dish. A few pieces on occasion!

(Karen) #22

Kirk
Again this makes me wonder a bit. You do really well on Carnivore. But…Can you eat chicken? Can you eat fish? Can you eat lamb? Can you eat eggs? Or are you now restricted to beef?

(Kirk Wolak) #23

I dont have a problem with most other proteins. I do eat lamb, salmon sardines chicken legs, shrimp, etc just fine.
Pork reared its ugly head when my daily consumption was measurable in pounds, and I was using pork fat as my fat booster.

(mole person) #24

Funny. Pork is the one meat that I try not to have too much of. It’s definitely the most inflammatory for me.

(Kirk Wolak) #25

Thanks for sharing that.
The more people can read about this, the better. Hearing other people get inflamed from pork might have saved me months… lol

(Melanie Pietkivitch) #26

Thanks so much for this @CaptainKirk! Great information and valuable tools.

This is my first time posting. I have been off and on keto since December 2017. I lost 30 lbs in a couple of months, then gained it all back when I went off the wagon. Been off and on since, but have been pretty strict keto for the past 3 weeks. I joined an exercise challenge then and the accountability helped. They’re not keto, but emphasize whole, non-processed foods.

Really interesting to read about the production of cortisol with exercise. Does anyone know how weight lifting/strength training affects cortisol levels? I love weight lifting, but hate aerobics.

I’ve been reading about carnivore WOE on this forum. I tend to lose more weight when I eat more meats.

(Kirk Wolak) #27

Melanie,
First, welcome aboard. Second, work on NEVER falling off the wagon, and next on getting right back on (Oops Protocol). Very very powerful. I will NEVER be perfect. I had too much dark chocolate yesterday, new recipe, got carried away, my foot is “gouty” today, and teaching me a lesson. (but no migraine, like i get with Milk Chocolate, or Dark chocolates that have oils in them).

So, if you want my opinion. 95% is diet, and you know this from your own experience.
But ONCE you are in great shape, then it’s more like 80/20 and you WANT that 20%

Do what you enjoy. You like lifting. Do that. But also find out what is the LEAST Bothersome Aerobics you can do. Try to do 5 minutes or less 2x a week. Yep. Just run in place for 15-60 seconds, walk around to cool down. Do it again. Start with 2-3 times, and that’s ENOUGH. You will naturally spend a little more time over time, but ONLY when you are ready. Do as LITTLE as possible up front to get the heart rate moving, etc. Make it SO EASY that ANYONE could do it!

Next up, Cortisol. YMMV (Every Body Is Different). I know stress spikes my glucose because I wore a CGM. In this case, work on smiling at stressors. b/c it is NOT what happened, it is how you reacted.

The less carbs the better for some. Think of them as all different levers and work the ones you can easily. You don’t have to get EVERY lever perfect. Just the big ones.

(mole person) #28

I just happened upon this:

(Kirk Wolak) #29

Yes, that’s the article I found helping me to figure it out.
I had heard this guy on a podcast speaking to inflammation, and checked out his site.

I think there is a good percentage of people that are wholly inflamed, and that is keeping them overweight, despite their best efforts!

Thank you!

(Karen) #30

Great article!!!

(Erin ) #31

Wow thank you for this post. I’ve been going 6 weeks almost and haven’t budged . Now I know what to do to figure it out.

Funny Bc this time around on keto I’ve been jogging a mile 5 days a week plus doing an arm boot camp so I’ve been lifting plus TRX suspension workouts HIIT style. My body hasn’t changed AN OUNCE

When I did keto last time I didn’t exercise once and lost 15lbs lol

So stupid !!!

(Diana) #32

Question about this. Were you eating conventional pork? Do you think heritage pork would be any different (as they are not fed gmo soy and forage instead)? Just asking so I know…I do tend to eat bacon and have been cooking with the bacon drippings. Wondering if that is not good now based on the feedback and article. Although the bacon I use is heritage bacon…

(Kirk Wolak) #33

I don’t think I have had heritage pork, or even know how to source it…
It would be worth testing to me.

And pork is simply “Not good for everyone”! Everyones tolerance to things will differ.
If you are stalling out, apply EVERY lever for a while. If not, enjoy it!

I am so addicted to bacon I would rather not eat alternating days, than give it up on my eating days! LOL. But I know my main meal has to be beef/lamb…

Good luck!

(Kirk Wolak) #34

So, to help those out who come later, what lever(s) do you think you let up on?

Mine is what I add to my coffee (powdered MCT Oil is a stall for me, I know get a headache from it).
Or too lax on my eating window.
Not fasting enough, because I think I am in maintenance.

LOL. Every time you eat is a meal! (With an insulin hit)
Every Snack is an emotional event.

(Diana) #35

So I get it from ButcherBox and Us Wellness meats.

(Erin ) #36

I think I’m stuck Bc of inflammation.
Have you heard of anyone getting an inflammatory response from coffee?

My husband went and got a bag of whole bean dunkin. The past 3 days after drinking it my stomach blows up huge, pressure bloating. Killing me!!
It’s the same reaction I get when I eat too much gluten.
I don’t know what it’s from. I drink coffee constantly but mostly Starbucks and I don’t have this response.

I just ordered some all organic mountain grown coffee, super clean. I’m going to try that and hope it doesn’t affect me.

I also noticed with the MCT oil creamers, man they hurt me too!!!

I was down 3lbs and then over night up 3!!

My stomach has been killing me for days ugh

(Central Florida Bob ) #37

Dave Asprey (from the Bulletproof “empire”) talks about having this. He said it was due to the coffee beans having mold on them. He says that’s really common in the US, but some countries screen for mold and there’s much less around. Naturally, he sells coffee that he says has no molds or other fungi.

If it’s the only coffee that has done that to you, it would be worth trying another brand that hasn’t done it to you.

(Kirk Wolak) #38

Coffee…

Yes, the beans can be moldy or bad.
But there are things in them that can easily cause a reaction.

Anything that raises MY BP is inflammatory. Making you feel bad is a second sign.
Avoid flavorings, and added maltose, etc.

But you MIGHT want to try giving it up for a few days. Honestly, I no longer drink more than one cup, and I do NOT have it every day (only 1 cup last week).

It’s not helpful.

super clean for you. And Tight Time windows when you eat.

Try drinking Snake Juice. I have switched to that. 1 cramp in over 1 week, and it was mild, and on a night where I did not drink ALL of my snake juice while fasting.

(Powdered MCT is bad for me as well)

(Erin ) #39

What if I switch to black tea for a little while?

What is snake juice?

I usually do around 14 hr fast. Should I do 16:8?

(Kirk Wolak) #40

Black tea/coffee is FINE… Doesn’t break a fast unless creamed, collagened, or sweetened! (Sweet tastes trigger an insulin release)

Google snake juice. It’s: Salt, NoSalt, Baking Soda, and Magnesium Salt, mixed in your water. It actually is not too salty… But you drink it for electrolytes. No sweetener. I add about 5 drops of lime juice to mine and I drink it all day. It’s really helped with the cramps I normally get when fasting!

==
You should STRIVE to fast as long as possible. The longer you fast, the more your liver learn to make FUEL from stored Glycogen (and fat).

The longer you fast, the more benefits you get. I have REVERSED my Low-T by using fasting to lose the weight, and lost 15 inches off my waist without sagging skin! That’s from Autophagy!

If you google the snake diet, and check it out on instagram, you will be shocked by the before/after photos. It’s pretty much keto + fasting. But the guy plays a pretty obscene drill sergeant. Not for the faint of heart. Just use his recipe. But he calls it like it is, it can be pretty motivating. It motivated me to get back at fasting a bit harder, and drop the coffee and the little cheats I let sneak in over the last 6 months! And it’s REALLY helping…