The Healthy Rebellion Radio
The Healthy Rebellion Radio
Robb Wolf
The Healthy Rebellion Radio is a weekly show featuring listener Q and A on all things diet and health. We dig into metabolic flexibility, body recomposition, resilient aging, circadian biology, gut health, low carb/keto/paleo diets and much more. Brought to you by New York Times bestselling author Robb Wolf and his wife Nicki Violetti (hubs and wife). Welcome to The Healthy Rebellion Radio.
Collagen and Joints, Modify Estrogen with Diet, Electrolytes and Respiratory Rate | THRR182
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: Separate gut-brain circuits for fat and sugar reinforcement combine to promote overeating Show Notes: Knee over toes guy Clip with Water and Rice experiment Questions:    Dietary changes to suppress estrogen Dana writes: Hi, Robb and Nicki! Thank you for all you are doing in the health space! I am a long time listener and appreciate your podcast! I am 51 years old, 5'4", and 145#. I am fit, and have been competing in CrossFit and Functional Fitness for a long time, including some international masters competitions. I have eaten a paleo diet since 2016, and added dairy to that in 2020 when my whoop told me my recovery was better every time I had dairy. More recently, my diet is leaning toward carnivore, but I still do eat fruits and vegetables, just not as frequently as before. Unfortunately, I was recently diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer). I underwent a bilateral mastectomy on 3/18/24 and will be seeing the medical oncologist for treatment planning on 4/12/24. I know your podcast can not give medical advice. My question is regarding dietary changes that could reduce my estrogen levels. My cancer was estrogen positive. Through conversations with my surgeon, as well as the breast cancer groups I have recently joined, it is likely the medical oncologist is going to recommend I start hormone blockers. I would prefer to find ways to reduce my estrogen with lifestyle changes vs medications if I can. I am in perimenopause, so my total estrogen is lower to begin with. It was 43 pg/ml when it was tested in January. So, my question - Is there anything I can do dietarily or with other lifestyle changes that can reduce my estrogen levels? Thank you so much for your assistance. I look forward to hearing your answer! Dana   Electrolytes and respiratory rate Colette writes: "I have a question about electrolytes affecting respiratory rate. I got a notification from Apple Health that my respiratory rate had gone up over the last 10 days from an avg of 13.7 breaths a minute to 15.9. I’ve never received that particular notification from Apple before and I’m wondering if it correlates with me starting LMNT around the same time. I did a google search and did see that salts and water along with a list of other things can affect respiratory rates so I wanted to check to see if I should cut back on the amount I’m using (1 packet a day)or be concerned?"   Supplementing collagen for joint pain Ann writes: Hi Robb, I’m wondering if you could shed some light on the efficacy of adding collagen to treat knee pain/arthritis. I’m 61 years old, normal weight, low carb diet, regular walker, and I resistance train 3-4x/week. After a lot of years of sports, running etc I’ve developed some pretty bad knee pain and have been advised that knee replacement surgery is in my future. I’m not really on board with that and have been experimenting with red light therapy and recently added collagen supplements to my diet. I followed the advice of another individual in the low carb/wellness space and ordered from a particular company. While the product seems fine so far (I think its too soon to see improvement), the over-the-top aggressive daily emails and constant pushing of other products are starting to make me think there something scam-like going on. My understanding is that it’s important to get types I and III, bovine, grass fed, hydrolyzed collagen, but I’m having trouble finding objective advice that isn’t promoting a specific company’s products. I’d appreciate any advice you can give. I’m a big fan of LMNT and I appreciate all you do. Thank you Ann    Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...  
Apr 5
28 min
Linoleic Acid, Saturated Fat Type 1, Migraine with Aura | THRR181
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: Lab-Grown Meat’s Carbon Footprint Potentially Worse Than Retail Beef Show Notes: How to LOWER LDL on Keto. No meds! Feverfew for Migraine Migraine Prevention through Ketogenic Diet: More than Body Mass Composition Changes Elimination Diet for Migraine Questions:    Linoleic Acid Gerry writes:  Rob and Nickie.. Fellow Montanans here.. from the Kalispell area snd have seen you both around town! Hope you are enjoying Bozo town, you will definitely get more sunshine there.. My wife and I have been avoiding seed oils for several years now. Recently, I heard Dr.Mercola speak about the dangers of linoleic acid. He urged everyone to avoid bacon and eggs from conventionally fed chickens and pigs. He stated that the soy and corn fed to these animals contains seed oils and is stored in muscle and fat.. When we eat bacon or eggs we are loading up on toxic fats! I have not heard others warn of this danger, even high profile carnivore advocates.. I have been carnivore for over a year and noticed much less joint pain and substantial weight loss ., Bacon and eggs are a major part of my diet! It’s is disheartening to think of avoiding them. What do you two think about this??     Saturated Fat for Type 1 Will writes I'm a 51 y/o type 1 diabetic. I'm 5'10" and 170 lbs. I'm also very lean and carry a healthy amount of muscle mass. Since I'm wholly reliant on exogenous insulin, I'm hyper aware of my own insulin sensitivity, or lack thereof. Every time I eat a large bolus of saturated fat, especially beef, my insulin sensitivity drops dramatically and I end up taking 2 - 3 times the amount of insulin for a known food than normal. The worst food offenders are saturated fat + starch combinations like steak and potato or coconut curry and rice. Even if I restrict the carbs completely, large doses of saturated fat leave me chasing blood sugars and often injecting large doses of insulin to counteract the high glucose levels. Aside from limiting intake of beef, lamb, and other meats containing lots of saturated fat, what proteins would you rely on for health and body composition? Migraine with Aura Renea writes: My daughter has suffered from monthly migraines since the age of 2. She vomits every-time. Around the age of 8 she began getting migraines with aura and the vomiting went from one occurrence to 6-15 hours long. She is now 12, almost out of puberty and still suffers from auras. We have tried a lot of functional medicine but can’t seem to find many answers. Her neurologist wants to put her on anti seizure meds but we have put it off due to the side effects of that class of drug. Preventative drugs are not favored either due to the side effects. I too suffer from auras but only get them when I workout at 100% (CrossFit causes many of my auras and have since stopped CF) I try to workout at 80% to prevent them. Any advice how to prevent auras with migraine?     Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...  
Mar 22
39 min
Testosterone and Fasting Insulin, Neu5Gc, Too Many Cals or Not Enough? | THRR180
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: 6 ways to LOWER LDL on Keto! Tom Bilyeu Visibly Scared by Jordan Peterson's Warning of What’s Next Tomas Pueyo on SO2 injection to stop global warming Show Notes: Coach Cinnamon Prime - Mindset Mastery Course Uniquely human evolution of sialic acid genetics and biology A Simple Method for Assessment of Human Anti-Neu5Gc Antibodies Applied to Kawasaki Disease https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/neu5gc Questions:    Testosterone levels and fasting insulin Kevin writes: Hey Robb and Nikki, I am 65 1/2 years young. The last couple of years my sex drive has not been like it had been (it comes and goes, but mostly goes). I did a self referred testosterone level test thinking my levels were low ( also was feeling sluggish and just not feeling quite like myself, but I was thinking that was from my age). To my surprise, my level came back at 1150! I have been taking a prostate supplement the last 6 months called Prostagenix. Before that I was taking flow-max for about 5 years and it just seemed to not be helping my symptoms (taking a lot longer to empty bladder and when I had the urge to go, I had to go, if you know what I mean!) so I switched to this natural supplement. It has a sterol blend on the supplement so I am thinking that maybe that is causing my elevated levels? I also googled it and seen that adrenal gland problems can also cause the high level. I had never had a testosterone level done before so I have nothing to compare this high level with. What are your thoughts on that? Also I did a self referred fasting insulin test and it came back at 5.2. My last 2 fasting glucose test were at 112 and 117. I did a fasting A1C and it was 5.1. Just want to know if 5.2 is high and will lead to insulin resistance or am I there already? The test shows I am in the “normal” range between 2.4 and 26 something! I don’t trust what they think normal is. I have been listening to you guys for a while now. I first heard of you when you were in the Tom Woods show and been following you since then! Keep up the great work!   Neu5 GC Teresa writes: Hi Robb and Niki I love your show and listen to it all of the time. I recently listened to Dr. Gundry speaking on Gabby Reese‘s podcast about Neu5 GC, which we get when we consume red meat. He says it causes inflammation and cancer, and that we should only eat it sparingly or only naturally fermented. Not exactly what I want to hear and I find it kind of hard to believe. I have cut out high fodmap vegetables, nightshades,high oxalate vegetables and I’ve adopted a higher protein diet, 1 g of protein per pound of desired body weight. Chicken is not my favorite and I find it hard to digest. Can you shed light on how much truth there is to this claim . Thank you!   Am I Eating Too Much or Not Enough? Jessica writes, Hi Robb and Nicki, Been listening to the podcast for a few years, and appreciate the content! Also love the way you interact with each other--the love and respect in your relationship comes through--it's encouraging! My question is: Am I eating too much, or not enough? For context, I'm 43 years old, 5'7, 211lbs, and while I am feeling better than I have in probably the last 5 years, I cannot get the scale to budge. My goal would be about 155 (I felt my best at this weight about 8 years ago) I've spent the last 2 years working with a functional medicine practitioner who has helped me clear up some gut infections, mold, and sort out some other digestive concerns (constipation) I've had all the tests: Dutch, GI Map, HTMA, OAT, full thyroid panel (not just TSH), and bloodwork. I'll mention that I'm MTHFR heterozygous, and FNP says based on HTMA, also a "slow oxidizer". Not sure how relevant those two things are to the question. We redid the Dutch recently, and I do seem to be on the low side of progesterone, so she's having me supplement on days 14-28 of my cycle (I'll note my cycle has always been very regular). I sleep 8+ hours a night (actual sleep according to tracker) average 9300 steps/day according to my garmin watch, and lift heavy 30 to 45 minutes 3x/week. I do have a desk job, but I have a walking pad I use daily at the office. I've been working with a nutrition coach at my gym since about August of last year, and while we are seeing some slight body comp changes based on pics and measurements...I'm still carrying more body fat than I would like, and it absolutely seems like it's NOT going anywhere. We started at 1880 calories. (160 grams protein, 175 grams carbs, 60 grams fats), and have adjusted all of those levers to a degree over these 6 months (sometimes up, sometimes down). I'm still basically exactly where I started with my weight. My gym has an InBody Machine, and according to that, my skeletal muscle mass is 76.5 lbs, with a 35.6% body fat. I hear you guys recommend the keto gains calculator, and when I've input my data there, I get the following recommendation: 1489 cals (143 P, 20 C, 93 F) for rest days, and 1679 cals (168 P, 20 C, 103 F). The overall calories seem low, and I do tend to have issues with fat digestion. I hear and read so many things that say women shouldn't be eating less than 2000 calories because of stress on the body, etc....but then some other macro calculators I use put me anywhere between 1800 and 2500 calories. I lost 25 pounds in 3 months about 4 years ago, but didn't keep it off. At that time I was eating 1400 cals, lifting heavy (oly) 3x a week, and training for a 10k 3x a week. It was unsustainable, and I also think may have contributed to some of my other issues. Would really appreciate your all's input as to whether my current macros really are "too much", or if it's not enough. Thanks so much. Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...    
Mar 7
52 min
Carb Tolerance, Stevia For Birth Control, 600 Drinks Per Year | THRR179
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: Ketone bodies: from enemy to friend and guardian angel Show Notes: Robb substack article Lily Nichols book links Questions:    600 drinks a year Mike writes: Hey Robb, For a number of years my friends and I, all mid to upper 30’s at this point, have been back-of-the-napkin tracking our alcohol consumption. Why? To be honest, no real reason other than a little accountability to oneself, something to talk shit about in group texts, and potentially to nudge some improved habits. I led with the part that seems shocking. ~600 drinks last year. Every year I’ve counted has ranged from about 450-675, the low end being the years we had infants, the higher numbers being when I was 30ish and didn’t have a care. Here’s the question. 500+ adds up pretty easily for someone who likes to drink. 10/week can be 0-1-2-1-0-4-2 and often is, and I don’t need to tell you this but that becomes 520 drinks across the year. We all know alcohol is bad. Can you weigh in on your feelings about this kind of volume, given very very little of what anyone would call binge drinking?? 6 foot Male, ~165, 38 yrs old. Hike and/or lift weights approx 6 days a week and drinking doesn’t affect me negatively in any accute way. Is this bad? Any time I’ve had labs done they’ve been normal accross the board. What does Robb think?? I know less is probably better but is the juice worth the squeeze?? I like drinking, and again, very rarely drinking to imparement, and the count is very honest. Thanks, your fifth listener.   Carb tolerance Holly writes: I just tested sweet potato, utilizing your carb tolerance protocol using a CGM. While my blood sugar returned under 100 after two hours, the spike was significant at 60 over baseline. So would you say this food is okay for me because of the test at two hours or potentially still a problem if trying to minimize the glucose variability?   Stevia for Birth Control Jonathan writes: Hi Robb and Nicki, I'll first say that I really appreciate everything the two of you have put out into the world. My question is regarding the legitimacy of a Tik-Tok conspiracy about Stevia (I felt very strange typing that sentence). My wife and I have two young girls (coming up on 4 and 2 years old), and in June of 2023, we started trying for the third and final addition to our family. My wife got pregnant on the first try, as she did with the first two pregnancies. Miracles, yes, but a part of me was cursing this cruel, cruel world - my wife's pregnancy hormones cause a 180 on her libido. At the first ultrasound for fetus #3, however, we couldn't find a heartbeat - it turns out there was a "missed" miscarriage around week 9 or 10. It came as a shock to both of us, since the first two pregnancies were quite healthy, and conceiving was not an issue. We took a break from trying, but still have plans to try again in a few months. In the meantime, my wife is working on stacking the deck where she can to make sure her body is 100% ready this time around, so that we don't repeat the difficult experience we had last year. She recently came across a Tik-Tok video that warned of the dangers of Stevia - allegedly, native cultures used to use the Stevia leaf as a form of contraception. Despite heavy skepticism, I've looked into it a little bit, and it's not entirely baseless. A textbook written by Obama's former science czar, for example, contains an anecdote of native Paraguayans adding a powdered form of Stevia to tea to serve as a contraceptive. A cursory glance as more recent research has some mixed results in rats, but the "consensus" seems to be that Stevia is no issue. I typically tend to trust "ancient wisdom" passed down through generations, but the anecdotal evidence seems a little weak in this case. What is your take on the legitimacy of Stevia as a contraceptive? My wife, who probably did increase her intake of Stevia during the first couple months of that pregnancy, is avoiding Stevia altogether just in case, since it's a very one-sided risk. Regardless, I would be curious of your thoughts.     Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...  
Mar 3
29 min
Keto and Xanthelasma, High Blood Sugar, Mindset Change | THRR178
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: Oreo Cookie Treatment Lowers LDL Cholesterol More Than High-Intensity Statin therapy in a Lean Mass Hyper-Responder on a Ketogenic Diet: A Curious Crossover Experiment Show Notes: Precision Health Reports Dr. William Cromwell discusses the LMHR Coach Cinnamon Prime Questions:    High Blood Sugars Eric writes: Hi Robb & Nicki - long time listener and fan! I’m hoping you have some thoughts or suggestions on this one. Background: I’m a lean, 56 yo male who follows a lower carb (50-75g daily) / higher protein diet (1+g/body weight). I’m very in tune with my diet given my wife is a T1D following Bernstein. I lift weights 3x/week and run about 20 miles/week (because I enjoy it). Admittedly, my work stress is high and I work about 50-60 hours/week. I get about 7.5 hours of sleep nightly and do all the sleep hacks to ensure I’m getting restful sleep. I’ve been wearing a CGM in hopes to better understand a recent A1c test of 6.0. I also had my fasting insulin level checked and it was 3 - so I don’t think I’m insulin resistant. The CGM consistently shows fasting glucose around 115 and staying there through mid afternoon, when I’ll typically drop into the 90s. I see spikes for exercise as high as 160, but come back down within 1-2 hours. I’m trying berberine (even though I don’t have a carb load) and l-theanine for the stress spikes, but so far, I’m not seeing much change Could this all be stress related? Any suggestions on how to fix this? Could this be gluconeogenesis from too low calorie? I don’t think I eat too few calories and am about to embark on some tracking to see where I am.   Keto and xanthelasma Fredrik writes: Hi Robb and Nikki, I have a question about a condition I heard you mention once on the podcast, xanthelasma. Basically yellow spots around the eyes. I have been on paleo since 2009 and keto since 2012 and you were some of the first people I found on my journey. It really has changed my life for the better. Back in 2009 I was training 5-6 days a week as a 28-year old with good performance but still had a less than optimal body composition and generally did not feel great. Now many years later on keto, as you guys often say, I look, feel and perform much better. There is just one nagging issue, yellow spots around my eyes. They started to occur after about three years on keto and I had a couple of them removed surgically but they are now coming back slowly. Obviously I cant keep on having surgery, so what to do? I have theorized that dairy might be a contributing factor but the problem of just trying to remove something is that I will not know if it is effective until years later. I have tried but it is very hard to find any useful advice for this online. Some people mention that supplementing with bile salt could help, what do you think? Physically and mentally I feel my absolute best on keto bordering to carnivore so I really want to maintain that. Dairy has also been really helpful for me to get enough calories for my workouts (three days a week of heavy weights and two days of either running or cross country skiing). So how do I know what to do and is dairy a likely contributor? Also, what else, other than dairy, could I eat to get in the calories for not just maintaining but building muscle? Protein is at 150-200 grams per day btw and aiming for around 2600-3000 calories a day. Thanks for all your great work with the books and podcast! Fredrik   Weight loss/mind change Mark writes Robb, Long time follower, my wife and I went to Nutrition seminar in 2009 at crossfit Monrovia. I like listening to yall. I am the former football/rugby player that eats too much food and sits at a desk. It has come to a point now that Life Insurance is requiring me to lose 60 pounds. I need to get to 231 pounds at 6'0". Currently i range between 285-295. I have tried diets the last couple of years for challenges, clean it up for a month and lose 30 pounds, super focused, lift, train without burning the joints. Skip meals, Skip Carbs. I lose the weight. Then i go back to normal life and eat my normal food which is too much. The question is how do i reset my need to eat and take in extra calories. Should I consider counseling? I eat as a feeling. I eat the same as I used to when I was playing rugby. I do also follow Dan John and I try to use Easy Strength for lifting. But I have not found a balance where i steadily lose. I have been maintaining my weight at about 285 with what i normally eat. My sleep is ok, Normal is 10:30 pm to 6 am. I sit at a desk 30 hours a week. I lift 15 minutes once a week. I play/run/yard work one time a week also. I have heard you talk about this before where we have been trained to gain and grow. Now that I am not trying to keep muscle mass on I have trouble shutting off eating. I still have not written my food down, like in the ketogenic reset. Is it habitual and I need to change how I eat for 25 days? Or is there another mental change needed? Mark   Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...
Feb 15
49 min
Burning Junk Calories, Last 15 Pounds, Diabetes and Cardio  | THRR177
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: Recent advances in the exploration and discovery of SARS-CoV-2 inhibitory peptides from edible animal proteins   Questions:    Too much cardio for diabetes?  Thomas writes: Hi Robb and Nicki, second time questioner with an answer on the first question. First was about long term Imodium use. I am one of the six who truly appreciate what you do and listen all the time. I’m also an LMNT believer. This one is for my mother in law. She has controlled diabetes with diet and exercise for years. I would say they are Paleo on the lower end of protein. Now her A1C and fasting glucose are going up. Lots of walking and biking (weather permitting on the biking). Walking upwards of 7-10 miles a day. Could this be causing her body to produce more glucose for energy if protein is low or is her time up and leading towards insulin after all these years. Would weights be a benefit? Failed to mention she is in her low 70’s and pretty small framed.   Junk food calories - can the junk be burned?  Caleb writes: Howdy Robére and Nikki, I'm an OG supporter that came across you all while I was working for one of the first Whole30 approved products, Tessemae's All Natural. I've been to a handful of PaleoFX events and my last one was a few years back where we connected at the LMNT booth and I just want to extend my appreciation for you two staying true to real food and nuanced information without turning into sh*thead snake oil salesman selling Beauty Counter or other garbage products like the majority of the old "real food influencers". I recently started ultra training and found that if I use whole foods for all my fuel I end up with a giant rock in my stomach and occasionally have to sprint off trail to test my below 90 degree wall sits on a tree to relieve myself. I've since gone towards gu's and swedish fish for my training and race fuel and the rest of my calories come from lean red meat, fruits, japanese sweet potatoes, avo oil, ghee, and trace amount of calories from a little slice of heaven called LMNT (plug). My digestion is great, my stool is strong, my skin is clear(ish. I always have trouble with acne), and my energy is solid. I just want to make sure I'm not causing any long term issues by crushing swedish fish, gu's, and chilled peanut m&ms during training and wondering if the fact that I'm currently a furnace for calories, if that furnace burns the "bad" stuff in processed foods along with the calories themselves. Stay salty, C   Weight Loss and Maintenance Jenn writes:  Hi Robb & Nikki, I want to start by first saying thank you for the entertaining and informative podcast as well as the delicious electrolytes! My question today is related to weight loss and how to potentially move that needle. Sorry for the long winded story and question! I'm a 34 year old female 5'7" and 175 pounds. I have a desk job, but I am active every day. I box/kickbox twice a week, crossfit once a week, swim laps once a week, practice yoga/mobilty several times a week, strength train at least once a week (aim for 2-3x) and I walk between 7 & 10,000 steps every day. I have in the past lost weight doing chronic cardio and extreme calorie restriction, and I have reached 155 pounds, which is where I feel the best (confidence and energy wise), but of course, once I stop the extreme dieting and exercise, the weight comes back on. At my heaviest I was 215 pounds but I am able to maintain 175 very easily now, but getting that last 15-20 pounds off and keeping them off is a major struggle. Peter Attia has said that your waist should be half of your height or less, so at 5'7", my waist should 33.5" and I'm at 37" and it will not budge. I eat a very clean diet, following Paul Saladino' animal based framework - beef, eggs, chicken, apples, blueberries, hard cheeses (parmesan and old cheddar), potato, carrots, squash, sauerkraut, mangos, bananas etc. and I follow Dr. Mindy Pelz's intermittent fasting framework. Chronometer shows that I'm eating between 140-160g of protein, 50-150g of carbs and the remaining calories are fat, and on average I'm eating between 1800-2000 calories a day and feel satiated. Taking my activities into account, I have between a 250 and 500 daily calorie deficit which means that I should be losing weight at a slow, steady pace, but I'm not. I'm wondering if my hormones are possibly causing a problem? I have regular bloodwork done and my thyroid levels are in normal range and my fasting glucose is 4.6 mmol/L and all other markers are normal. A problem is that I live in the socialist country of Canada and my doctor won't test my hormones because of my age and the fact that I don't have any health issues and I'm not obese (preventative healthcare does not exist). I've tried to look at CGM's and private hormone testing, and each of those will put be out of pocket between $500 and $1000, which is more than I can afford at the moment. I try not to overdo the fasting and exercise so as not to increase cortisol levels too much, I do have a stressful job and I purposefully take a break in the middle of the day to go for a walk or exercise to help keep those stress levels under control. I try to get outside for at least 30 minutes a day (not always possible due to the weather) and I get between 7.5 and 8 hours of sleep a night - usually good quality sleep but I do have the occasional restless night. The supplements I take besides LMNT are magnesium, Vitamin D and CBD. My only vices are coffee and tea, which I drink black or with a small amount of honey or coconut milk. I feel like I'm doing everything right, I feel healthy and have a great partner and life but I just can't seem to get the weight under control. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions that may help me to move the needle and keep the weight off for good? Or am I worrying over something that is not a big deal? I want to be as healthy and strong as I can be going into my mid-life years. Appreciate any thoughts you may have. Jenn Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...
Feb 9
33 min
Border Brinkmanship, Climate Change, and Homeschooling | THRR176
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: Steven Koonin on The Limitations of Climate Change Models Show Notes: Classical Conversations Institute for Excellence in Writing Life of Fred Math U See Questions:    Homeschooling Jessica writes:  Hi Robb and Nicki! I have been a fan for over 10 years. You, along with a couple others, helped me to find the paleo diet when I was in the midst of several health issues. Long story short, I changed not just my diet, but my lifestyle years ago and have never looked back. I am actually writing to you on something unrelated to diet, something I never thought I would do! My husband and I live near a big city and over the last few years we have become increasingly unhappy with our environment. We have always loved cities for their walkability, culture, and convenience, but our city leaders keep developing to the point where my 5-year old daughter doesn’t even know what “the woods” are. Also, while my daughter seems to love school, we have concerns for her staying in the public education system with all its current issues. We are seriously contemplating a move into the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, my husband would have a long commute to work, but this would enable us to possibly do some things we have dreamed about such as homeschooling or finding a microschool for our daughter, have chickens and/or goats and bees, and create our own environment instead of worrying about the city building something in our backyard. I am writing to you all for advice. Do you have any tips for starting this journey? Any thoughts on starting homeschooling for a 5 year old, especially for a kid that is extremely social and extroverted? I currently work fulltime, but will have to quit to either support her schooling or look for a remote position that will offer me some flexibility. Either way, I have some obvious anxiety over all these changes, but it would be good to hear your thoughts and any lessons learned. Thanks for all you do and for continuing fighting the good fight.   Homeschooling Jack writes:  Hi Robb and Nicki We’re struggling a bit with our daughter  just now. She’s not loving school, not wanting to go, not engaged by it particularly, all this against a backdrop of some sensory processing disorder that makes the whole environment a little much for her. The occupational therapist thinks autism - if it’s there it’s fairly mild.  So we were discussing all options - pushing the school a bit harder, moving her elsewhere etc and the possibility of home schooling. I was wondering what that actually looks like for you guys. How much of their academic learning do you provide personally?  Are any of the online teaching resources really good? What is a realistic time commitment? Would you do this if you just had the one child, or do you feel that they’d be too isolated? Do you take steps to ensure that they spend time away from home or from you, for example. Are there other aspects of this that we may easily miss as we try to anticipate what it might look like?    Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...    
Jan 26
1 hr 5 min
Semaglutide, Psoriasis, Magnesium Supplementation | THRR175
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic: Too Late and Not Enough: School Year Sleep Duration, Timing, and Circadian Misalignment Are Associated with Reduced Insulin Sensitivity in Adolescents with Overweight/Obesity Show Notes: Effect of Very-Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet on Psoriasis Patients: A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Based Metabolomic Study Gluten free AIP Semaglutide, a glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonist with cardiovascular benefits for management of type 2 diabetes Stone Ridge Investor letter  Questions:    Magnesium Supplementation Charles writes Hi Robb and Nikki, I have a question about Magnesium intake. For years I've supplemented 400 mg of Mg nightly based on Rhonda Patrick's recommendation. I always use a highly bioavailable form (e.g. Glycinate or Malate). Recently I've had some discussions with people online who brought to my attention that supplemental Mg *at best* provides like 15% elemental Mg (i.e. a 400 mg supplement gives you 50-60 mg Magnesium). I thought this was fine since I eat a paleo diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which presumably provide a few hundred milligrams of Mg, and I supplement LMNT; but some argue that with our modern soil situation plus anti-nutrients in other foods (not sure if that applies to Paleo people) means that our dietary Mg intake is effectively zero. My questions: 1) Can you get most of your Mg from food in a reasonably simple Paleo diet? 2) If supplementing, is 400 mg (The Rhonda Patrick recommendation; 50 mg elemental) Mg enough if you do (1)? 3) Can you supplement hundreds of milligrams of elemental Mg without shitting your pants? Keep up the good work. Charles   Psoriasis Steve writes:  Any evidence on any particular dietary solutions to help with psoriasis? I turned 50 and it hit me, mainly my right hand and right foot. Makes lifting difficult. Chalk, Wash, leather up with doc spartan and repeat. I am on a medication, lowest dose. Prefer not to use meds at all, it helps, keeps the tearing pain to an acceptable level to keep moving forward.   Semaglutide Trevor writes:  What’s the deal with semaglutide? I’ve read that it slows down stomach emptying, but wonder what the health risks might be? I have a family member who legitimately needs to lose about 100 pounds. They have some orthopedic and neurological issues that make exercise pretty difficult right now. Some version of semaglutide seems pretty appealing right now, if just to get the weight loss ball rolling. Thanks to you both for your podcast. Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...  
Jan 13
42 min
Collagen Type, Blood Pressure as Paraplegic, Diatomaceous Earth | THRR174
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic:   The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans Show Notes: The most important protein study of the year! | Dr. Gabrielle Lyon and Dr. Don Layman Acute Effects of Caffeine on Heart Rate Variability, Blood Pressure and Tidal Volume in Paraplegic and Tetraplegic Compared to Able-Bodied Individuals: A Randomized, Blinded Trial Basis NY instagram Grayson Strange instagram Questions:    Collagen Type From Eric:  Hi, I've seen some recent research indicating collagen supplementation doesn't help with joint repair. https://examine.com/research-feed/study/1wY2A9/ https://examine.com/research-feed/study/dbXgr0/ However, they were testing types I and III. Perhaps type II is required?: https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-48 Types I and III can be purchased in bulk powder form, but type II appears to be only easily available in small doses via capsules or mixed in with types I and III in unknown, probably small amounts. I suffered a massive ankle injury from a bike accident, so am looking for as much extra help healing as I can get. I'm already getting 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and eating paleo plus lots of homemade bone broth. Maybe the extra collagen isn't necessary? Thanks, Eric   Diatomaceous Earth for Silica and Heavy Metal Detox Nate writes: Hey Robb and Nicki, Appreciate all you do. Long time reader and listener. Have you dug into (or tinkered around with) diatomaceous earth as a supplement? I’ve been hearing about how consuming a food grade version of this at low doses (~a teaspoon a day) can detox heavy metals from your body, and that it is high in silica, which has been claimed to have health benefits of its own. As more and more metals are discovered in our food, our foods packaging (such as aluminum cans), our water supply, and really in our environment all around us, do you see the consumption of diatomaceous earth as an effective and also safe way to help rid your body of some, or any of these metals? Thanks guys.   Exercise and Blood Pressure as T-10 paraplegic Eric writes: Robb and Nicki, thanks so much for your balanced approach to all the questions you answer. And thanks for all the wisdom you dispense. It’s truly appreciated. A rundown on myself: I’m a 35yo male, 5”10 and 155lbs. I’ve been a T-10 paraplegic for 20 years. I had a MVA when I was 15, which resulted in my spinal cord injury (SCI). I’ve been eating paleo for about 3 years now with great success. I’ve never felt better and I’ve never been more regular. Being regular can be a very difficult thing when you have a neurogenic bowel. I recently had bloodwork done. Cholesterol 215. Triglycerides 34. HDL 69. LDL 136. Non HDL 146. Coronary risk ratio 3.12. Hemoglobin A1C 5.2. Mean glucose 103. Insulin 5.3. Every man in my family seems destined to have a heart attack or need a stint at age 50, so I’ve really tried to be as healthy as possible. I feel like I’m doing pretty good. If not, please tell me. I work 40 hours a week and try to be as active as possible. I also have an 18 month old so she keeps me moving. But I have a couple concerns. Exercise: it feels like, damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I know it’s important, but every single time I try to exercise regularly, I always end up pulling something. EVERY DAY IS ARM DAY. And when that’s the case, it takes forever for things to heal up. I’ll inevitably have to take 2 or 3 entire weekends where I do nothing but sit on the couch and watch movies all day, trying to rest the injury as much as possible. This is on top of regular “wheelchair life” repetitive stress injuries. I can’t help but feeling like the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze. I’m probably better off staying as generally active as possible. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Maybe one just inevitably has a shorter lifespan as a paraplegic. If so, I’m okay with that. It’d just be nice to know. The second question is about blood pressure. Coffee and tea seem to raise my top number between 130-150, and it typically stays elevated within that range throughout the day. The bottom number will get up to about 80. When off caffeine my BP is typically 120/70. Should I be worried about this? Also, what the heck? This is from one 12oz cup of black coffee a day. It doesn’t mess with my sleep or anything else. Just BP. Could there be a way to counteract it? Please don’t tell me I need to give up the nectar of the gods. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Eric   Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...  
Jan 5
38 min
High A1C, Supplement Absorption, Dog Food | THRR173
Please Subscribe and Review: Apple Podcasts | RSS Submit your questions for the podcast here News Topic:   On Hens, Eggs, Temperatures and CO2: Causal Links in Earth’s Atmosphere Show Notes:   Farmina The Forever Dog Questions:    High A1C Brenna writes:  Hello from Minnesota. I'm an active 38yr young full time mom to two boys, 5 and 3. And I have an A1c problem. This isn't a new problem, so I cant blame it on my still occasionally disrupted sleep. Years before my kids my A1C was 5.7 and as a dietitian I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. At that time I lifted weights, occasionally swam, and ran 1-2x wk. I didn't eat 100% paleo, but I also didn't eat junk and I was relatively lean around 14-16% body fat. I worked with a naturopath on some hormone issues (low estrogen and progesterone from not eating enough to fuel exercise), and she never had a good answer as to why my a1c was on the high side of normal. The only factor we found was my fasting insulin was kinda low at 3. I did get my A1c down into the 4s following a keto diet, but was again not eating enough food to maintain my weight or support hormone production and lost my period. I used a CGM for a while and nothing surprising came from it other than sweet potatoes = giant spikes but pasta and white potatoes do not. Fast forward to now, I'm 5'3" 124# and guessing around 18% body fat. I started competing in Kettlebell Sport 2yr ago and I want to continue getting stronger so I can lift 16kg bells this coming year. My coach wants me to put on 3-5# of muscle. But my recent A1C once again at 5.7 has me scared to eat the 180-200g of carbs recommended by him and most fitness calculators. I'm in a hypertrophy phase for the next couple months and lifting heavy 4x wk with no real cardio. Daily food is often a high protein/fiber smoothie with about 30-40g of carb and 10+g fiber. Post workout I usually have a cup of cereal or kids cliff bar + whey protein powder. Lunch is usually a big ass salad + a piece of bread or leftovers meat and veg with rice, pasta, potato. When I track these days I do get 130-150g protein. I have a dietitian friend who has gone through Joel Greens program and she believes the issue lies in my gut and that underlying inflammation is disrupting my insulin signaling. Because we cant come up with any other ideas as to the cause. So what's a girl todo? Keto gains? Lean Gains? Jason Seib's old AltShift diet? Joel Greens 2 day core? How do I eat enough calories to support my goals of strength and maintaining my hormone levels, while simultaneously not overeating carbs. Or is 5.7 good enough? Thanks for any thoughts you might have.   Proper Supplement Absorption Angie writes:  I’m looking for solid information on vitamin and supplement absorption and best time of day to be taken. Can you shed light on this? It is one thing to know or Rx for supplement but another when and with what to take or not take with it. Great show! Thank you   What do you feed your dogs?  Jason writes: I have been a fan of y’all since I read sacred cow, currently I’m reading wired to eat.  I try to practice carnivore, but with life and kids I’m moderately successful, but overall happy with my diet choices. I’m also a veterinarian and after reading your books and thinking about our 4 legged friends, I’m trying to figure out what diets to recommend.  I have recommended canned food for cats for years because they are obligate carnivores.  Dogs are a little tougher, I feel like they would benefit from the carnivore lifestyle, but who has time to cook for their pets that much?  I barely have time to feed myself and family.  So what do the wolf’s feed their dogs?   Sponsor: The Healthy Rebellion Radio is sponsored by our electrolyte company, LMNT. Proper hydration is more than just drinking water. You need electrolytes too! Check out The Healthy Rebellion Radio sponsor LMNT for grab-and-go electrolyte packets to keep you at your peak! They give you all the electrolytes want, none of the stuff you don’t. Click here to get your LMNT electrolytes Transcript: Coming soon...  
Dec 22, 2023
34 min
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