Betsy, I have Arenal Fatigue and have been diagnosed for 7 mths. Just went to my Dr. last week and I had lost weight on the IF diet and he was delighted. Granted I have a lot to lose but he was OK with it, even though he has started a weight loss group at his office.

I was more excited about his positve response to this diet than the actual wt. loss because I feared he may not approve. No diet is easy but I don’t understand the compaints against this diet. People have been fasting for religious reasons for years.

Would you rather people get gastric bypass surgery or continually fail on Weight Watchers? I do not understand how this is a bad diet for most people?

Precious, I wanted to say that Betsy’s response is typical in the US, It is not being accepted by many health professionals and it is frustrating. My sister and SIL both nurses thought it fine when you explain it as something people have done for years. It is not a radical diet. Also, I am not sure how many doctors in the states are aware or supportive of the diagnoses of AD, I may have gotten lucky.

My 1st test was the salive test. My next test will be a urine test and covered by my insurance. We of course know each other from another thread. And you know how committed to this diet. It just makes sense. On another web site I was on, the subject was a TV show called “My Five Wives”, which features Mormans someone metioned they fast and that might be the reason the wives were slender. I posted about this diet and the response was “No I don’t think so.” Right now it is not widely accepted.

Hi betsy and Applecrisp

Hi Betsy – I will look at your links later and thank you for them. I am concerned at what you’ve found because, as I’ve stated, I do suffer from adrenal fatigue but am not being monitored by a private doctor at the moment. It is a costly business.

I am taking supplements which were proscibed by said private doctor who is a specialist in thyroid/adrenal function; so I don’t have any worries about that.
But I wouldn’t necessarily know whether I was further compromising my adrenals, by fasting, because my hormones are all over the place anyway and I have symptoms which fit PMS/menopause/hypothyroidism/adrenal fatigue and they last all month long.

One thing I do know for sure; is that my insomnia became much worse when I started FD. It was bad to start with but went off the scale especially on fast day nights. I felt like I was ‘revved’ up by the time bedtime came around. And I didn’t sleep a wink all night long.

When I mentioned this on THE LOACA thread; someone told me that they read that when you are fasting your body fills up with adrenaline and that certainly could explain the strange experiences with my fasting in the early days.

It would be utterly pointless going to my G.P regarding this; they would look at me blankly (trying valiantly not to roll their eyes) and be thinking ‘What new condition has she come up with now?’
I have read about people in this country (Britain) being referred to Consultants specialising in the thyroid and not knowing anything at all about the adrenal glands and how integral they are to each other. Scary.

I would be really reluctant to give up FD because it is the only thing I have tried in the last decade that has allowed me to lose some weight. I have tried other diets and did a fair bit of exercise all to absolutely no avail.

I am interested in what way did your body scream ‘stop’? If that is not too personal.

Hi Applecrisp – Thank you for responding to my plea for assistance. Did your doctor, who clearly knows about the adrenals, make any comment at all about the fasting part of this WOE? Surely he would be aware of the kind of things Betsy is citing?

Betsy, if I came on to strong I apologise. I too, am fed up with doctors here. I started with supplements 7 months ago and have not been rechecked. It may be that I have healed enough. I don’t know but will be rechecked soon. Maybe we can compare notes. I hope you can continue to post. Dr. Wilson’s book was rec’d to me by my Dr. and he is respected by the community that accepts AF as a problem.

Two questions( personal I know) how much weight would you like to lose and are you peri or menopausal? I am yes to both. My main goal is to prevent diabetes. It is a real problem that there aren’t answers out there. I will try to talk to my Dr. tomorrow because I left so quickly I did not get my order for the tests.

Betsy, I know the jittery/anxious feeling and it is terrible and I would have stopped as well. I got that way with the bio-identical hormones. You provided some great resources and I thank you.

Hi! Shoes glad you found a solution. Not familiar with TCM, could you explain. Mid-afternoon is a real struggle for me too. I think my adrenal fatigue is improving. Have you had your hormone levels checked? Just keep us posted. This seems to be the solution for dropping pounds for me.

Boo My doctor did not have a problem with me on IF diet. He was Ok with it at my last visit. He simply asked me what I eat on fast days. He never said to stop and was happy with my results so far. We never talked about the fasting in general.

I just need to ask my dr. about a new supplement he wanted me to take. Also, need to have hormone levels checked with a 24 hour urine test which thanfully is covered by insurance but really sounds like a pain.

In Betsy’s case she had some really alarming symptoms on the diet and I too would have stopped.

Precious Boo Boo, you and I have been using supplements for awhile so that may make the difference. I wish I knew more and my dr. is knowledgeable but I don’t know if he would have the definitive answer.

Hello Applecrisp

I have poor adrenal results – but as it happens I am on 5:2 because my doctor asked me to try it.

I have been reading this forum for many months, but do hadn’t bothered taking part much because when reading it I found it obvious that this forum, like so many forums, has someone who thinks she is ‘queen of the forum’ and wants everyone to bow down to her. I have seen several passive aggressive posts from this person and I think it is sad when decent people feel excluded because of it, although I fully understand why people just cant be bothered to wade through that when all they want is friendship and support whilst making life changes.

best wishes to you

Stone

Hello Applecrisp

I am really upset and disappointed to read the post you have left on this thread. Of all the women on the LOACA thread; you would be the last one I would imagine would turn on me in this way.

I want to say that I massively resent you putting me in this position. I’m damned if I do defend myself and damned if I don’t.

When I told my husband what you and the other offensive person had posted; he told me to not bother with the forum anymore. It was literally a ‘thankless task’ (as you have proved) and certainly not to bother responding to you directly on this thread in case more nasty people come out of the woodwork to take the opportunity to further malign me.

I would have taken his advice if it wasn’t for the fact that you were blaming me for your decision to ‘leave the site‘ (which clearly was insincere ‘hot air’).
Let me make this clear, I will be delighted if you remain posting on this forum; I actually think you got a lot more out of it than you appreciate. If nothing else, ‘speaking’ to other people takes your mind off your own problems/issues for a period of time. If you want to continue posting on the LOACA thread, feel free but I would not give you any advice or support in case you do this to me again but there are lots of other women on the thread who can help.

But why should I allow you to post unfair and untrue comments about me, which has encouraged other people to take pot-shots at me, without defending myself? You have jumped to conclusions which are wrong and have a totally different attitude to some things than me; and you have sat in judgement based on that.

I did not expect you to talk to your doctor about ME! Please read back to what I actually said. You stated that you were going to contact him and I thought it was a golden opportunity to see what his thoughts were regarding the affect of fasting on the adrenals. I think I have gotten the impression he was more of an expert on the adrenals than is the case. I would have happily have done this myself except, as you know, I am not consulting a private doctor at the moment; so there is no-one I could seek this kind of professional advice from.

As for ‘falling from grace’ with me; did you jump to this wrong conclusion because I didn’t post after I asked the above? Applecrisp; I have to choose which thread/s I have time to post on and that is it. So I may only ‘speak’ to Lulu01 on another thread one night or I may only post on the LOACA thread but it takes me a long time to try to include most people in my posts.
Ask yourself; have you chosen to interpret my ’silence’ (non-posting) as being annoyed or negative? You couldn’t be more wrong; I just didn’t have anything else to add. You seem to have a lot of time at your disposal; not everyone does. It’s just that simple.

I did point out to you on the LOACA thread that I had made a joke which the majority of people would have known anyway. We discuss lots of issues on the LOACA thread and obviously illness is a part of that. When you get to our stages in life, for some unlucky folk, illness features heavily and can make everyday life very miserable. However, I do feel that the thread should have a lighter side to it too otherwise it could become top-heavy with only one, it has to be said, fairly depressing subject.
But if me making that ONE comment has brought all this on? It seems to have brought to a head many misconceptions you were harbouring towards me. It does actually make me ask myself ‘Why do I bother’ when someone like you can turn around and literally kick me in the teeth.

Your issue with ’pet’ names really does illustrate how you can never really know what another person is thinking unless they tell you….. I don’t know if you have been called nasty nicknames in the past but I only view ’nicknames’ in a positive, affectionate way. If I had called you something like ’pigface’ (though I love pigs) or ‘fatso’ or something I could understand.
What I cannot understand is that I asked you if I could call you that nickname. I love Winnie the Pooh and I love the Eeyore character the most and you brought Eeyore into the ‘conversation‘, so I thought it was fair to assume that you liked this character.
Why on earth, if you, for whatever reason, didn’t like it; why didn’t you just say NO? That would have been nice and clear and the end of the matter.
As for trawling back to read my other posts to find something else to criticise me for…..yes I did call someone ‘Dumpy’ along with Nika (who I also gave a nickname to; she knew it was a term of affection and took it in the way it was intended). Dumpling never said she didn’t like this; she seemed to find it funny aswell which was the spirit in which it was intended. If she didn’t, she’s a grown woman like you and could have simply told us and we would have respected her wishes without any resentment or ill feeling.

So, I’m disagreeing with you strongly that giving someone a nickname is rude; it’s only ‘rude’ if the person thinks like you. You can bet I won’t be giving anyone else a nickname though.

Lastly, you stated that ‘you really do not feel a lot of support….‘ on the LOACA thread. How much support do you want Applecrisp? You have had more support than anyone else on the thread and I have supported you more than anyone else, which is why I feel utterly let down by your attitude.
No-one has the ‘right’ to expect support on this forum or the LOACA thread; you will probably get support from some people, definitely not all, but no-one has a right to expect it.

Let’s just remind ourselves that this is a forum for the FAST DIET way of eating. The LOACA thread does deal with illness and other factors which affect us menopausal women. Illness will affect how the diet can work or not work for someone; so we discuss those issues, exchange information and try to help each other.
I don’t really know how you could have gotten anymore support than you have; it’s not a medical site with trained professionals. It’s not a counselling organisation with trained professionals paid for their time. It’s just a bunch of usually nice women, in the same boat, trying to follow the FD and help each other out and have some laughs along the way.

If you want more than that then I think that your expectations are not realistic.

I have to say; I am very relieved that you do not have my private email address. I hate to think what other hurtful things you might lay at my door.

And as for you Stone; I am not willing to dignify your drivel with a response. I am disappointed to learn that this forum is just like many others; where people like you come out of the woodwork to join in with someone being denigrated.
Have you read the Commenting Guidelines? You should.

Hello Woods, thank you for sharing your story. I would like to ask you what the adrenal supportive supplement is if you can remember/find out please. I seem to be suffering very similar symptoms/life story to yourself (although no toddler and I’ve not had brain surgery but several head injuries). I am convinced I have AF but my doctors do not believe it exists. I have been having some problems on 5:2 (referred to in other posts) and I have also not lost any weight. I have decided to take a vitamin b complex anyway but if you could possibly point me in the direction of the aforementioned supplement I would be eternally grateful to you. Thank you and best wishes.

Pip-squeak and Applecrisp,

I’ll let you know the name of the adrenal support supplement when I hear back from the doctor.

The folic acid and B12 Complex are metholated. spell check on this site wants me to type mentholated! They’re fast absorbing supplements, and not very much each month out of pocket. The doctor told me to take B12 (absorbs under your tongue) for a week until you start the Folic Acid then start that one pill a day for a week, the add second in the second week. Research it and ask a medical professional. My doc told me the B12 detox’s your body, so initially you may not feel well. I had a mild headache, but nothing major. that’s why it’s important to do your research first.

Peace. W

Hi all.

I was diagnosed with partial secondary adrenal insufficiency in late-2008. It took 8 long years, a lot of reading on my behalf, and a change in GP. To this day she still comments I would have gone undiagnosed without the homework I did, and the unwillngness to accept I should live with the symptoms – exhaustion, inability to sleep, aching joints, fluid retention, weight loss followed by 40kg of weight gain. I spent a small fortune on weight loss programmes, followed them to the letter/gram, and none of them made any difference whatsoever.

My diagnosis started when I asked for an ACTH blood test. My results came back so low that the test was re-ordered; it had to be a false result as I shouldn’t have been able to get out of bed. Subsequent tests, including an MRI scan, provided the complete diagnosis. My Endocrinologist prescribed hydrocortisone replacement which improved my energy levels and sleeping dramatically.

Since then I have tried many alternative remedies as well as altering the hydrocortisone dosage. On good days I only take 5mg morning and lunchtime; enough to boost my energy levels without shutting down my natural adrenal function. I no longer taken any alternative remedies as they did not appear to help.

I have been on the 5:2 diet since late 2013 and have lost 10kgs 🙂 Finally, something that has my sluggish metabolism working. Given no one other weight loss programme had any impact, I am delighted with this. Looking forward to being back to the old slim me.

Hi Woods:

If you are doing everything right, you will lose weight. But not necessarily consistently. This might explain: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/really-no-weight-loss/

Good Luck!

Woods:

Lots of new exercise? http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/exercise-is-dangerous-for-your-diet/

Sorry, just trying to help. You won’t hear from me again.

Good Luck!

21andout, In one of the books I read on the thyroid and Adrenal fatigue, small doses of hydrocortisone were a recommended treatment. It explained in the past people were given doses too high and developed serious symptoms. Have you had any side effects from hydrocortisone? I was just curious. As stated before, my main problem is anxiety and more cosmetic ones like thinning hair.

Of course losing weight has not been easy either. I do think after doing the 5:2 diet and getting used to feeling hunger I could probably do a lower calorie diet such as 1200 cal.

Good luck Pip, Woods and 21andout , I am sorry for the ugliness on the board that I was a part of.
Jean

I’m no medical expert but I was diagnosed by a natural therapist with adrenal fatigue a couple of years ago and it totally made sense. So I was nervous about starting the 5:2 diet as I felt sure I needed small high protein meals frequently. I went back to see the natural therapist (who is great) and asked her about it and she said that intermittent fasting would be great for me, which gave me confidence to continue. Having been doing 5:2 for several months now, I can say that I have never felt better – it is increasing, rather than decreasing, my energy levels and the weight loss (5 kilos so far – there were a couple of small back slides 🙂 ) has had nothing but positive impact on all areas of my health. I sleep really well and deeply the nights after the fast days too.

I kept waking at 3am and with my history of total insomnia and hairloss figured I may have adrenal fatigue (our GPs in England never diagnose). I have been using an internet remedy to help the adrenals and get a good nights sleep. I cannot stress the improvement! 1/2 a glass of orange juice with 1/2 tspoon of salt and 1/2 a tsp of cream of tartar just before bed. The first day after my first ‘adrenal cocktail’ sleep I was walking around having to keep my eyes open though I wanted to walk with them shut. Ever since I have been sleeping like a baby and waking better rested. I now yawn when I am tired (havne’t done that for years).

Hi Omer, I’m pretty sure Bigbooty was successful in being able to utilize ketones for energy during fasting. He’s written about this in a few different threads, though as far as I’m aware, he doesn’t have adrenal fatigue of any kind.

I have the experience of having adrenal insufficiency due to chronic hypothyroid and HPA Axis Dysregulation to the point of being required to rely on cortisol replacement therapy. I took bio-identical oral hydrocortisone for nearly 3 years to replace what my adrenal glads were not able to produce themselves.

I first found out about 5:2, 3 years ago, however, at the time I knew I wasn’t able to experiment with it due to my low cortisol issues. Thankfully I was able to completely dig myself out of that hole, was able to wean the cortisol steroids in April and began IF late June. I had to start with 6:1 just to see if my body would handle IF. I was very concerned I might crash. I did so well with 6:1 that I’ve gone onto 5:2 and have been doing very well. However, I know 5:2 is my limit! One week, because of various appointments and commitments my fasting days fell into an alternate day pattern of 4:3 and I definitely crashed during that third fasting day out of 5. I developed severe low cortisol symptoms and was required to stress dose medication to pull myself out of this. As great as I’ve been feeling practicing 5:2, I still have to be mindful of my limits.