Following SP but having issues. Thoughts?
 

I'm a male, 25 years old. I was in (seemingly) good health when my wife discovered the SP and we started following it because we wanted to have good eating habits and stay healthy. I have been following the program (both books) for about 2 years (more strictly the 2nd year). I thought I must be doing pretty good, but I went to the doctor for a physical and blood tests returned these results.

Insulin: 5 (should be 6 or higher)
Cortisol: 30 (should not be above 22)
Blood sugar: 101 (should not be above 99)

Triglyc: 53
Chol: 250
LDL: 180
HDL: 60

The doctor says he is concerned and that I should see an endocrinologist. The thing is, I'm not inclined to trust anyone besides Schwarzbein, but there's no way I can afford to see her. Does anyone with experience have any ideas on why my insulin and cortisol levels are so messed up?

I am strict with SP. I measure my protein and carbohydrates (never more than 35g per meal, never more than 15g per snack). I don't have the diabetic body shape or anything. I LOOK totally normal and healthy, but my blood test shows otherwise.

Please help.

--Timothy

What about lifestyle factors -- tobacco/alcohol/caffeine usage, exercise patterns, sleep schedule, high-stress job, etc?

Thanks for the reply, atlee!

Tobacco/alcohol/caffeine: low to none. I never have caffeine, I never use tobacco, and I rarely have wine or beer.

Exercise infrequently. That went way downhill when we had our baby. We're trying to figure out how to fit consistent exercise back into the schedule. We'll go for like a week, then off for a week or two.

Sleep: I try to get 7-8. It was always 8 before the baby. Now it's usually 7. Sometimes 7.5. I wake up sometimes during the night and it's hard to get back to sleep.

I'm an intense person, so I really focus at work, but it's not a "high-stress" job really. If anything, I bring stress upon myself. I usually really like what I'm doing. But I feel like I might have a lot of subconscious stress from different factors in life without really thinking about it.

Exercise is admittedly the biggest weakness in my current life. I sit at a desk for most of the day and don't get out to move enough.

Does any of this help explain the low insulin::high blood sugar or the high cortisol? Should I be looking for lifestyle issues or gland/organ problems?

--Timothy

Do you use trans-fats? I stopped using partially hydrogenated fats and my reading changed drastically. My triglycerides were 500 and went down to 145 and my hdl went from 58 to 70. All this and I didn't do any exercise except housework. It's a thought. PD

Thanks, pdfat.

I haven't had trans-fatty acids for a few years now. I avoid them like poison. My triglyc is currently at 53 and HDL is 60, as mentioned earlier. I'm not sure what's up with the 180 LDL though. Weird. It's so non-Schwarzbein, but I've been sticking to the plan so strictly. That's why I'm so lost right now.

Any other help welcome. Still searching and wondering.

--Timothy

Your hdl an triglyc are sure at a good level. Mine is high but my Dr. said with the high HDL and low triglyc not to worry about it. I think my LDL is 236 so I'd be happy to have your level of 180. I'm a lot older than you tho. I don't think the Dr's worry so much about us oldies. :lol:

Today was my 7th day on SP and I feel really good. Yesterday I had a tortilla and felt bad almost immediately. I'm allergic to wheat but I thought since the tortilla was low carb it would be alright. I was wiped out for the day. I also didn't lose anything. Today, no wheat, and I'm feeling good again. Have a great day. PD :wave:

Tim,
I would go to md to have other things checked like your thyroid.
I have read that if one is hypothyroid, the cholesterol can go up for some reason. Also, do you consider blood type diet as something to check out. If you are eating incorrectly for your type, it can cause weird lab readings also. I know not many here like that diet, but I have found Dr. D'adamo ideas to be accurate to my situation. I like his work, and Dr. Schwarzbein's.
Hope this was helpful.

I'd just like to add, that I am a type 0+, and wheat isn't good
for us, neither is too much dairy. Cutting those out can make
a big difference in health if one is eating well otherwise.

The thing that jumps out at me here is that the cortisol is high, which is usually a lifestyle thing. I skimmed back through Chapters 4-6 of SP II, and here are a few relevant quotes:







You talk about "before the baby", so I assume the baby's fairly new? A new baby's a pretty stressful event on a variety of levels :). A crying baby is an acute stressor, and months of being woken two or three times during the night add up to more sleep deprivation than you think. Plus, babies tend to eat into your relaxation time, and if you're a stress-monkey like me, you need that more than you realize!

If it were me, and I weren't experiencing any other physical symptoms to give concern, I'd probably just keep on like I've been doing for a couple more months and see if things straighten themselves out as the baby gets older. Those numbers aren't really all that far out of normal, and since you're young and healthy, I'd think it's worth the risk of waiting a few more months to see if this is just a temporary upswing or a trend. I probably wouldn't go tinkering with your diet too much, either, beyond making sure you're not eating too little or too much and that your food is all healthy. However, that's just my opinion, so YMMV :).

I think you may be on to something with the stress levels. two things popped into my mind, not sure if Dr. Schwarzbein discusses them. (I've ordered her book and have yet to read it, hopefully I'll get to it soon)

One is PTSD, I know of someone who is a vietnam vet and there is a stress that is always with him. Sometimes stress that someone is experiencing today can be from something that happened a long time ago. For example an abusive childhood or past assault.
I'm not sure about this but I wonder if food allergies can cause a rise in cortisol. I know they cause a rise of adrenalin, I'm pretty sure this would mean a rise in Cortisol as well.

There are probably lots of reasons someone's cortisol could be high, I hope you figure it out.

I've never had it tested but I wouldn't be surprised if my cortisol is probably high too. A lot of my stress I've carried over from a difficult childhood.

I don't know why your insulin would be low, I wish I knew more. I would think about seeing someone in the know. Seems like something a naturopath may know about, or you could try the endocrynologist.

Something I've just read about cortisol levels. Exercise first thing in the morning and 1000mg of Vitamin C before you eat right after you get up will naturally lower levels and keep them lower throughout the day. It'll do wonders for the stress too.

Good responses!
 

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. Atlee, thank you for taking the time to post such useful info. I have also been through those parts of Schwarzbein over and over trying to analyze my situation. Your time spent helping is not wasted. :) I really appreciate it. Here's where I am after a little more thinking and talking with my wife:

I've incorporated consistent exercise back into my schedule. This was the big area I was slacking in. I'm doing 30-45 minutes of aerobic at least 5 times a week now. I am still assuming for now that the stress is what is killing me. I think my intensity and fast pace keep me wired too much of the time. I know exercise is essential for someone like me. I will see how I feel after a few more weeks and then decide whether it is worth visiting the endocrinologist.

My wife thinks that perhaps I have been eating too few carbohydrates. (She also follows Schwarzbein). She says that with my fast metabolism, I might be eating too few (30-35 per meal). So I thought I might add a few more in and test out how I feel. Does this seem like a good idea? Schwarzbein says if you eat too few carbohydrates and you don't need to, it can raise your cortisol, right?

Atlee, yes - my son is 9 months old right now, and demands constant attention. He is very active. (But certainly worth it :) )

pmezak, I don't know much about eating for a blood type. Does anyone else have anything to verify the validity of this? I am type O+, I believe. Does wheat or dairy really affect this? I eat tons of Schwarzbein approved dairy and whole wheat. Also, I did have my thyroid checked when I had my cortisol tested. The doctor didn't mention the results. I can pick them up anytime though. I guess I'll find out soon.

I've also heard that blood testing is not necessarily the best for testing hormones. I heard that it is better to do salivary testing, where you test it multiple times over the course of a month. Supposedly this gives better results. Anyone know about Blood vs. Saliva testing?

Thanks!

--Timothy

I've also heard the saliva testing is better. Ask WCollier, she's had those tests done.

The reason I asked about exercise was that I wondered if you were OVERexercising, because too much cardio is an excellent way to *raise* your cortisol levels. (I managed to precipitate an adrenal-fatigue crisis this way, so trust me on this one). 5 or more cardio sessions is a bit much -- try keeping it to 2-3 cardio sessions and adding in some resistance training 2-3x a week.

Thanks, atlee. I guess I should be careful not to overdo it. I've heard so many different ideas of how much cardio exercise to do. How can one know when they are overexercising? I really don't want to mess myself up by doing too much. Any tips welcome. :)

--Timothy