
When I switched to a carnivore diet, it started as a way to heal my body—but something unexpected happened. I became more aware of other aspects of my life: what I put on my skin, how I spend time outdoors, and even the products I used daily without a second thought.

This shift in diet opened the door to a deeper lifestyle reevaluation. I started questioning long-held assumptions about health and convenience. Many of the “healthy” habits I had relied on turned out to be unnecessary—or even harmful. In contrast, I discovered simple, natural practices that align more closely with how our bodies evolved to thrive.

Here are some of the most impactful changes I’ve made since embracing this more ancestral approach to health.

## Contents

## No More Toothpaste

![Toothpaste](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/toothpastes.jpg)

Most modern toothpastes contain fluoride, artificial sweeteners, and foaming agents like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)—ingredients that can irritate gums or disrupt your oral microbiome. After going carnivore, my breath became fresher, and plaque buildup decreased—likely because I cut out sugar and carbs.

Now I brush with just **baking soda and water**. My teeth feel cleaner than ever, and my recent dental checkup showed no cavities.

## No More Sanitizers

![Sanitizer](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/sanitizers.jpg)

Sanitizers became routine during the pandemic, but most are harsh on the skin and can disrupt your natural skin microbiome, which plays an important role in immunity. Many also contain synthetic fragrances and alcohol that dry out skin and may even act as endocrine disruptors.

These days, I stick to simple soap and water. Unless I’m in a truly unhygienic situation, I trust my body’s immune system to handle everyday exposure—like it was designed to do.

## No More Sunglasses

![Sunglasses](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/sunglasses.jpg)

I used to wear sunglasses everywhere. But sunlight—especially in the morning—is critical for setting your circadian rhythm and balancing hormones like melatonin and cortisol.

Now, I get natural sun exposure first thing in the morning and reserve sunglasses for harsh midday glare. I sleep better, feel more grounded, and notice my energy levels are more stable throughout the day.

## No More Sunscreen

![Sunscreen](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/sunscreen.jpg)

Commercial sunscreens often contain chemical filters like oxybenzone, which may disrupt hormones. While sunburns are harmful, moderate sun exposure is essential for vitamin D production and overall health.

Instead of slathering on sunscreen, I build a gradual tan, avoid peak UV hours, and use protective clothing when needed. If the UV index goes above 5, I stay cautious due to lupus photosensitivity.

## No More Skincare Products

![Skincare](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/skincare.jpg)

For years, I followed a multi-step skincare routine packed with cleansers, toners, serums, and moisturizers. I thought I was doing everything right.

But most conventional products are filled with synthetic preservatives, alcohols, fragrances, and emulsifiers—ingredients that can strip the skin’s natural oils and disrupt its delicate microbiome. Over time, I began to question whether these products were helping or actually getting in the way of my skin’s natural balance.

So I stopped everything.

No soap. No products. Just water.

To my surprise, my skin didn’t get worse—it got better. It feels more balanced, less reactive, and somehow more alive.

I haven’t tried topical tallow yet (rendered beef fat), but I plan to. It’s rich in skin-loving vitamins A, D, E, and K, and its composition closely mimics our natural sebum. Historically, tallow was a trusted moisturizer—used for centuries to nourish and protect the skin. People who use it today often report softer, calmer, clearer skin.

Even without applying fat, I’ve seen visible improvements simply by eating more of it. Adding nutrient-dense animal fats—like bone marrow, organ meats, and fatty cuts of meat—seems to moisturize the skin from the inside out. These fats strengthen the lipid barrier, reduce trans-epidermal water loss, and support sebum production, our body’s built-in moisturizer.

I’ve seen this firsthand with my son. As we added more beef, butter, and eggs to his diet, the dry patches on his hands disappeared. His skin became naturally soft and smooth—no lotion needed.

Modern science is starting to catch up to ancestral wisdom: omega-3s and saturated fats have been shown to improve skin hydration, reduce inflammation, and increase elasticity. Scientist also found out acnes are linked to metabolic health, insulin resistance, and inflammation, but the skincare products only treat the symptoms.

It makes sense. Our ancestors didn’t have medicine cabinets full of serums. They had fat-rich diets, nutrient-dense foods, and daily sun exposure—and they thrived.

▶️ Learn more about Acne & Insulin Resistance from [this video by Dr. Ben Bikman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8DKr0jn2H8).

## Cautious About Antibiotics

![Antibiotics](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/antibiotics.jpg)

Antibiotics can save lives, but they’re often overprescribed—and they wipe out not just harmful bacteria but also the good microbes essential to gut health. Disrupting your gut flora can lead to issues like candida overgrowth, leaky gut, and mood imbalances.

Now, I don’t take antibiotics lightly. I focus first on immune-supporting basics: sleep, sunlight, nutrient-dense food, and stress reduction. If I do need antibiotics, I follow up with probiotic-rich foods to rebuild gut diversity.

## Stopping Supplements

![Supplements](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/supplements.jpg)

I used to take everything: multivitamins, fish oil, magnesium, probiotics—you name it. But after adopting a nose-to-tail animal-based diet, I began to question the need.

Real foods like liver, bone broth, and fatty cuts provide nutrients in the forms and ratios our bodies actually recognize. For example, beef is rich in bioavailable zinc, which made me chuckle when I realized a well-meaning vegetarian family member had recommended I take zinc supplements.

I also started avoiding supplements because of the fillers and additives—some even contain seed oils or titanium dioxide. Worse, high doses of isolated nutrients can cause imbalances, like too much zinc lowering copper levels.

Now, I’ve stopped almost all supplements. I still take electrolytes, but I plan to replace even those through food over time.

## Grounding

![Grounding](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/grounding.jpg)

Grounding, or walking barefoot on natural surfaces like grass or sand, might seem woo-woo—but there’s evidence it reduces inflammation, supports sleep, and balances cortisol levels. I try to connect with the earth daily. It’s a small act that calms my nervous system, eases my knee pain, and leaves me feeling more centered.

▶️ Learn more about grounding from [this video by Paul Saladino and Clint Ober](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdmzM_Ml75Q).

## Cold Showers

![Cold Showers](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/cold-shower.jpg)

I started experimenting with cold showers to improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and boost mental clarity. Cold exposure activates brown fat, which burns energy to generate heat and can support metabolic health.

It also triggers a release of norepinephrine, a hormone that sharpens focus and improves mood. Though uncomfortable at first, it’s now a daily ritual that leaves me feeling more alert and resilient.

▶️ Learn more about why cold showers/cold therapy are beneficial from [this video by Dr. Ben Bikman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShbSnN6JznE).

## Walking Outside Morning & Evening

![Walking Outside](/assets/blog/my-other-lifestyle-changes-beyond-the-carnivore-diet/walking.jpg)

This is one of the simplest yet most powerful habits I’ve adopted. Morning walks help set my circadian rhythm, boost mood, and regulate hormones. Evening walks signal to my body that it's time to wind down, promoting melatonin production for better sleep.

Getting natural light at both ends of the day anchors me to nature’s rhythm—something deeply calming in a world ruled by screens.

▶️ Learn more about the benefits of sunlight from [this video by Dr. Ken Berry and Dr. Roger Seheult](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLmn_P3eBuU).




My Other Lifestyle Changes Beyond the Carnivore Diet


I heard about the carnivore diet when I was searching for alternative ways to treat my autoimmune conditions. The carnivore diet community on X kept showing up in my feed, and many people were sharing their success stories. Without thinking too much, I decided to jump on this diet. Before then, I had never tried any specific diet — I just ate what I liked, based on my general understanding of health and nutrition.

My enthusiasm definitely kept me from reading more about what to know before starting the carnivore diet. Now I’m documenting what I wish I had known before jumping in.


## Contents

## The First Few Weeks Are Rough — and That’s Normal

In the first few weeks, you should expect the “keto flu.” Symptoms can include headache, low energy, irritability, and brain fog. This happens because your body is switching from using carbs to using fat for fuel — and that transition takes time. 

I listed all the symptoms I experienced and how to recover from them in my post, [Keto Flu Symptoms and Recovery](/posts/keto-flu-symptoms-and-recovery).

## Fat Is Your Friend

For a long time, we were told that fat is bad for us. Protein never carried the same stigma. However, on the carnivore diet, protein is what you use to build and repair your body — fat is your main energy source. You need fat — a lot of it.

Don’t trim it off or avoid it. Eating butter might sound crazy to people used to the Standard American Diet, but it’s actually very healthy on carnivore. Slowly adding butter to your meals can help you transition to the carnivore diet. Over time, you’ll likely notice that including animal fats leaves you feeling more energized and helps improve your sleep.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of fat, I wrote about carbs vs. fat in my post, [Carbs vs Fat](/posts/carbs-vs-fat).

## Give Your Body Time

Every time you make a change to your diet or lifestyle, you need to give your body time to adjust — and the carnivore diet is no exception. It’s not like you make a change and your body instantly follows.

Let me share a story. When I was going through the keto flu, I had a headache. Based on my research, I learned it might be caused by low sodium. Like many people suggested, I put some salt on my tongue and drank some water. But when I didn’t feel better right away, I assumed I must be lacking a lot of sodium, so I added salt to my water and drank two bottles. By the second day, the headache was gone — but I ended up with water retention from too much sodium! That’s when I learned that after taking sodium, I should have waited about 30 minutes to feel better. But at the time, I was too impatient.

When making adjustments — like adding more fat, salt, protein, introducing a new supplement, or making any other changes — start slow and give your body time to adjust.

## Not Everyone Is the Same

The carnivore diet can work for many people, but everyone is different. Some people may need to adjust their diet or lifestyle to make it work for them.

For example, some people find it hard to lose weight or feel irritated when consuming dairy, while others have no issues at all. Some discover that eggs trigger inflammation, while for others, eggs are perfectly fine. Some have trouble with pork, while others thrive on it.

I believe this comes down to our unique microbiomes — that’s why people can react so differently to the same foods. In general, the carnivore diet is one of the safest diets out there, as meat provides all the nutrients and energy your body needs.

You can learn a lot by reading about other people’s experiences on the carnivore diet, but remember: their experience may not apply to you. The best approach is to experiment and see what works for your own body. Understanding this also helps us avoid judging others for their choices.


## Cravings Will Pass

At first, sugar and carb cravings can feel intense. But once your body adjusts, those cravings usually fade — and you stop obsessing over food all the time.

I believe our gut bacteria play a big role in this. They thrive on what we feed them and communicate with the brain through the vagus nerve. When sugar-loving bacteria are hungry, they send signals that drive carb cravings. But after some time on a meat-only diet, those bacteria die off and are replaced by ones that thrive on meat and fat. As this balance shifts, the cravings naturally diminish. 

## You Don't Need All the Supplements

Beef contains all the essential nutrients your body needs — you don’t need supplements. The longer I’ve followed the carnivore diet, the more I’ve come to believe that God has already provided everything we need to thrive. If that weren’t true, our hunting ancestors would have gone extinct long ago.

![Dr. Shawn Baker Tweeting about Supplements](/assets/blog/carnivore-diet-beginners-what-i-wish-i-knew/baker-tweet.jpg)
*[Dr. Shawn Baker tweeted: "Most supplements are unnecessary."](https://x.com/SBakerMD/status/1879191022808485933)*

When Dr. Shawn Baker talked about how unnecessary most supplements are, I was skeptical at first. But then I started noticing things in my own body. For example, when I took vitamin D, my muscles became tense, and I had to supplement with magnesium because the vitamin D depleted it. On top of that, the vitamin D made it harder for me to sleep. It felt like supplementation just created a nonstop chain of new problems.

Here are a few reasons to avoid supplements:

1. Special nutrients in supplements often require cofactors to be absorbed properly.
2. It’s easy to overdose without realizing it.
3. Many supplements are synthetic and poorly absorbed by the body.
4. In the U.S., supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA, so companies can make almost any claims they want about their products.

Beef, on the other hand, has all the nutrients your body needs — perfectly packaged, in the right amounts, working together in harmony. It’s nature’s perfect food.

![Beef](/assets/blog/carnivore-diet-beginners-what-i-wish-i-knew/steak-health-benefits.jpg)
*Source: [Is Steak Healthy?](https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/is-steak-healthy)*

![Eggs](/assets/blog/carnivore-diet-beginners-what-i-wish-i-knew/egg-nutrition.jpg)
*Source: [The Nutrition Facts of the Whole Egg](https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/microblog-the-nutrition-facts-of-the-whole-egg)*

![Salmon](/assets/blog/carnivore-diet-beginners-what-i-wish-i-knew/wild-salmon.jpg)
*Source: [The Nutrition Facts of Wild Atlantic Salmon](https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/microblog-the-nutrition-facts-of-wild-atlantic-salmon)*

![Butter](/assets/blog/carnivore-diet-beginners-what-i-wish-i-knew/butter.jpg)
*Source: [The Nutrition Facts of Butter](https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/microblog-the-nutrition-facts-of-butter)*

![Pork Belly](/assets/blog/carnivore-diet-beginners-what-i-wish-i-knew/pork-belly.jpg)
*Source: [The Nutrition Facts of Pork Belly](https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/microblog-the-nutrition-facts-of-pork-belly)*

Carnivore Diet Beginners: What I Wish I Knew


(This is a summary of my understanding of carbs vs fat after looking into the human physiology and consulting with many carnivore dieters. It may not be perfect, but I hope it can help you understand the science behind why the carnivore diet works.)

In this article, I will primarily address why the carnivore diet can be a viable alternative energy source, or even a better one than the Standard American Diet (SAD), which is high in carbohydrates. I will explain why this approach works best for weight loss and metabolic health. The science behind it differs significantly from the outdated (and incorrect) metabolic understanding of Calories In, Calories Out (CICO).

## Contents

## Energy Sources

The human body has 2 primary sources of energy: carbohydrates (carbs), fat (including both dietary fat and stored body fat). Carbohydrates include foods such as noodles, bread, and sugar. Fats are found in foods such as butter and animal fat. The body primarily burns either carbs or fat and consistently prioritizes burning carbs first, followed by fat.

How does the body decide to burn carbs? Through insulin. Every time we eat, insulin is released. Eating carbs stimulates the most insulin release, protein stimulates a moderate amount, and fat stimulates the least. When insulin is high, the body prioritizes burning carbohydrates.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that acts like a key, allowing glucose (sugar) from the blood to enter cells, particularly in muscle, fat, and liver tissues.

## Glycolysis

When insulin is high, your body is in glycolysis mode, meaning it uses glucose for energy. Glucose (derived from carbohydrates) is moved into cells to lower blood sugar levels. Glucose is directly used by the cells as fuel. However, any excess glucose that the body does not immediately burn is converted into body fat in two main ways:

1. In the liver and muscles, it is stored as glycogen, a short-term energy reserve.
2. Once glycogen stores are full, the liver converts the remaining glucose into fatty acids through a process called de novo lipogenesis. These fatty acids are then stored as triglycerides in fat cells (adipose tissue).

Additionally, high insulin levels suppress the burning of stored body fat by inhibiting the activity of hormone-sensitive lipase — an enzyme responsible for breaking down stored fat (triglycerides) into free fatty acids for energy.

## Ketosis

When insulin is low, you enter a state called ketosis. In ketosis, the body relies more on fat for fuel, as glucose availability is low. The body increases the metabolic rate, breaks down fat into fatty acids and produces ketones, which serve as an alternative energy source. Some ketones are excreted through urine, breath, and sweat. Once the energy from consumed dietary fat is used, the body turns to its stored fat reserves for fuel. This is one reason why people can lose weight on a carnivore diet, which is typically low in carbohydrates and keeps insulin levels low.

Eating fat can promote satiety, which helps reduce cravings and hunger. When you consume fat, your body releases hormones like leptin and cholecystokinin (CCK) that signal to your brain that you’re full. Eating fatty meat until you’re comfortably full can help you avoid overeating.

In short, carbohydrates cause insulin to spike, which leads to excess glucose being stored as body fat. On the other hand, consuming fat does not significantly spike insulin, allowing the body to burn the consumed fat first and then tap into stored body fat for energy.

All of these concepts will help guide you in understanding why you eat, what you eat, and how you eat.

## Carbs vs. Fat: Which is the Better Energy Source?

Let’s break it down in simple terms.

### Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are like quick-burning fuel. When you eat carbs, your body gets fast energy — perfect for short bursts of activity, like sprinting or high-intensity workouts.

But carbs come with a catch:

1. Carbs spike insulin levels, causing your body to prioritize burning carbs and store excess as body fat.
2. Energy crashes often follow once the carbs are used up, leaving you hungry again.
3. Eating too many carbs, especially refined ones, can lead to:
   - Insulin resistance
   - Type 2 diabetes
   - Weight gain
   - Chronic inflammation
   - Fatty liver disease
   - Higher risk of heart disease
   - Over time, a high-carb diet can push your metabolism out of balance.

### Fat

Fat is like slow-burning fuel. It provides steady, reliable energy without the ups and downs of carbs.

Benefits of using fat for energy:
1. Minimal impact on insulin, so your body keeps burning fat.
2. Increased satiety, helping you feel full longer and reduce cravings.
3. Taps into stored body fat, supporting weight loss and metabolic health.

Overall, for athletes who need quick bursts of energy, some carb intake can be beneficial. However, for most people, especially in everyday life, carbs can easily become addictive — and the risks often outweigh the benefits. Excessive carb consumption is linked to weight gain, insulin resistance, and energy crashes.

On the other hand, fats provide a much better overall fuel source. With fat as your primary energy source, you can enjoy steady energy, better appetite control, and improved metabolic health.


## References

* [Video: The Truth About Fat Storage & Ketones: Dr. Ben Bikman Answers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNqAdGvSvSQ)
* [Book: Body Science by Dave Champion, Ph.D.](https://drreality.news/product/body-science/)
* [Video: Body Science with Dave Champion, Ph.D. on Boundless Body Radio!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acAI9jalZPY)

Carbs vs. Fat

<p>Over time, I've tested various habits and concluded that following these simple protocols helps me sleep incredibly well. Sleep is foundational for our health—when my sleep is dialed in, my energy levels, mood, and recovery are all significantly better.</p>
<p>Here is a breakdown of the sleep hygiene practices that work best for me.</p>
<h2 id="user-content-contents">Contents</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="#user-content-before-bed">Before Bed</a></li>
<li><a href="#user-content-at-bedtime">At Bedtime</a></li>
<li><a href="#user-content-during-sleep">During Sleep</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="user-content-before-bed">Before Bed</h2>
<p>What we do in the hours leading up to bedtime has a massive impact on sleep quality. Here is my routine:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>No coffee or chocolate after 3 PM:</strong> Both contain caffeine and can linger in the system, disrupting deep sleep. I stick to my morning coffee and switch to water or herbal tea later in the day.</li>
<li><strong>Have meals 2-3 hours before bedtime:</strong> Going to bed on a full stomach forces the body to focus on digestion rather than rest and repair. Giving myself a few hours to digest ensures a much more restful night.</li>
<li><strong>Reduce anything that raises the heart rate in the evening:</strong> I intentionally avoid long, intense phone conversations, stressful news, or heavy workouts late in the day. The goal is to signal to my body that it's time to wind down.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="user-content-at-bedtime">At Bedtime</h2>
<p>When it's actually time to go to sleep, creating the right environment is crucial.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Put the phone away from the bed:</strong> Keeping the phone out of reach prevents doom-scrolling and removes the temptation to check it if I wake up in the middle of the night.</li>
<li><strong>Pee before getting in bed:</strong> A simple but necessary step to prevent waking up an hour later!</li>
<li><strong>Keep a low room temperature:</strong> A cooler room helps lower the body's core temperature, which is essential for falling and staying asleep.</li>
<li><strong>Water on the nightstand:</strong> Just in case I wake up thirsty, I don't have to leave the bed to get a drink.</li>
<li><strong>Turn off the lights:</strong> Complete darkness is key for melatonin production.</li>
<li><strong>Read books or watch low-stress TV:</strong> I prefer winding down with a good book or some light, relaxing television. Nothing too stimulating or suspenseful.</li>
<li><strong>In bed between 9 and 10 PM:</strong> Consistency is everything. Going to bed at the same time aligns with my natural circadian rhythm.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="user-content-during-sleep">During Sleep</h2>
<p>Even with perfect preparation, sometimes we wake up in the middle of the night. When that happens, here is how I handle it:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Relax if waking up in the middle of the night:</strong> I remind myself that waking up is normal and don't let it cause anxiety.</li>
<li><strong>Don't look at the clock or check the phone:</strong> Seeing the time can trigger stress about how many hours I have left before my alarm goes off. It's better not to know.</li>
<li><strong>Let thoughts drift away:</strong> I focus on my breathing and allow my mind to wander peacefully without latching onto any specific worries or plans for the next day.</li>
</ul>
<p>These small changes have made a profound difference in my life. Good sleep is truly the ultimate foundation for health and healing.</p>


Sleep Hygiene


Over time, I've tested various habits and concluded that following these simple protocols helps me sleep incredibly well. Sleep is foundational for our health—when my sleep is dialed in, my energy levels, mood, and recovery are all significantly better.

Here is a breakdown of the sleep hygiene practices that work best for me.

## Contents

## Before Bed

What we do in the hours leading up to bedtime has a massive impact on sleep quality. Here is my routine:

- **No coffee or chocolate after 3 PM:** Both contain caffeine and can linger in the system, disrupting deep sleep. I stick to my morning coffee and switch to water or herbal tea later in the day.
- **Have meals 2-3 hours before bedtime:** Going to bed on a full stomach forces the body to focus on digestion rather than rest and repair. Giving myself a few hours to digest ensures a much more restful night.
- **Reduce anything that raises the heart rate in the evening:** I intentionally avoid long, intense phone conversations, stressful news, or heavy workouts late in the day. The goal is to signal to my body that it's time to wind down.

## At Bedtime

When it's actually time to go to sleep, creating the right environment is crucial.

- **Put the phone away from the bed:** Keeping the phone out of reach prevents doom-scrolling and removes the temptation to check it if I wake up in the middle of the night.
- **Pee before getting in bed:** A simple but necessary step to prevent waking up an hour later!
- **Keep a low room temperature:** A cooler room helps lower the body's core temperature, which is essential for falling and staying asleep.
- **Water on the nightstand:** Just in case I wake up thirsty, I don't have to leave the bed to get a drink.
- **Turn off the lights:** Complete darkness is key for melatonin production. 
- **Read books or watch low-stress TV:** I prefer winding down with a good book or some light, relaxing television. Nothing too stimulating or suspenseful.
- **In bed between 9 and 10 PM:** Consistency is everything. Going to bed at the same time aligns with my natural circadian rhythm.

## During Sleep

Even with perfect preparation, sometimes we wake up in the middle of the night. When that happens, here is how I handle it:

- **Relax if waking up in the middle of the night:** I remind myself that waking up is normal and don't let it cause anxiety.
- **Don't look at the clock or check the phone:** Seeing the time can trigger stress about how many hours I have left before my alarm goes off. It's better not to know.
- **Let thoughts drift away:** I focus on my breathing and allow my mind to wander peacefully without latching onto any specific worries or plans for the next day.

These small changes have made a profound difference in my life. Good sleep is truly the ultimate foundation for health and healing.



This month has been a positive one. After the scary bleeding episode last month, I focused on recovery, stress management, and slowing down. The results have been encouraging: normal bleeding, continued weight loss, and better sleep. 

I did not do any blood work this month. I have learned so much about how to listen to my body and manage my health. I want to rely on my experiences rather than frequent blood tests or seeing doctors. At least for now, it works.

## Contents

## How I Feel

I added this new section to gauge my overall well-being. In this section, I will review how I feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. I believe that when I'm physically healthy, my body tells me through my mood and emotions. I pay attention to feelings like agitation, worry, depression, and self-doubt, which I believe are related to my physical health.

Throughout this month, my body felt great. I did not have any joint pain, which was such a blessing. Life without pain is wonderful! I had no bruises. I had one pimple, which faded away within a week.

I felt happy, energetic, and peaceful. There was one time I felt agitated, which was likely caused by fasting. Eating regular meals fixed it quickly.

## Body Weight

This month my weight has been going down, continuing the trend from last month, despite lowering my gym workouts from four times per week to two times per week.

My weight right now is probably the lowest since high school! Last April I was close to this level, right after I switched to the carnivore diet. At that time, I think the weight loss was due to water loss caused by the diet.

This time, my diet is more balanced, and even with less intense workouts, it is still dropping!! It is amazing. I attribute this to:

- No snacks between meals.
- Making myself very relaxed, no stress, walking comfortably (lower cortisol).
- At meals, eating slowly. Eating until 80% full, then waiting for the satiety signal to kick in. If still hungry, I eat more. Most likely I will not be hungry.

This successful weight loss experience confirms what I heard before:
- The gym is for building muscle, while diet is the key to weight loss.
- Stress management and sleep are also very important for weight loss.
- The body can tell you when to stop eating; you just need to listen to it. You don't need to count calories.

This is a brand new, wholesome way to think about weight management. God has everything planned out; He designed us beautifully and wants us to be at ease and happy.

![Body Weight - Previous Cycle](/assets/blog/month-14-health-update/IMG_3361.jpg)
*Body Weight - Previous Cycle*

![Body Weight - Current Cycle](/assets/blog/month-14-health-update/IMG_3362.jpg)
*Body Weight - Current Cycle*

## Gym Performance

Since the last bad bleeding experience, I have reduced my strength training to twice a week. I am focusing on pliability and flexibility rather than just chasing numbers.

## Sleep

Sleep has been good and consistent this month: 8 hours of sleep, falling into deep sleep around 9:30 pm while watching some light shows, and waking up around 5:30 am feeling refreshed.

I don't need to track my sleep using extra devices. If I sleep well, my body knows it: my limbs feel a little numb upon waking up, and I feel happy and energetic. No digital gimmicks can replace this feeling.

Despite requiring myself to slow down and avoid activities that would cause my heart rate to go up, I just learned that I should not have phone conversations for too long, as they can cause my heart rate to rise as well.

I have written down the protocols for sleeping well from all the experiments, which you can read in my [Sleep Hygiene](/posts/sleep-hygiene) post.

## Heart Rate (Resting Heart Rate & HRV)

My heart rate has been stable in the past month. It is around 56 bpm and the HRV is around 36 ms. No huge swings. 

![Resting Heart Rate](/assets/blog/month-14-health-update/IMG_3358.jpg)
*Resting Heart Rate*

![HRV](/assets/blog/month-14-health-update/IMG_3360.jpg)
*Heart Rate Variability*

## Menstrual Cycle

Bleeding was normal this month, under the same dosage of Doptelet (40mg every 9 days), which means my changes to my workout routine and stress management are working.

## Autoimmune Update

### ITP

Given no bleeding episodes this month, I decided to slightly reduce the dosage of Doptelet to 60mg every 14 days (from 40mg every 9 days). We will see how it goes in my next bleeding cycle. I will continue to manage stress and avoid heavy workouts when it is close to my period.

### Lupus

The Texas sun is getting stronger and stronger, but I still go out and play with my kids. I have no sensitivity. I don't feel like I have lupus anymore.

## Learnings

### The Hunger Code

I picked up Dr. Jason Fung's new book *[The Hunger Code](https://amzn.to/4ukIRmi)*. Even though I felt like I had learned a lot about food, weight loss, and health in the past year, I still learned new things from this book.

The book argues that obesity is not about "calories in, calories out"; it's about how your body feels—whether it's hungry or not—which is the root cause of obesity. When your body is out of balance, you feel hunger more often, even if you have enough food in your stomach.

Key takeaways added to my learnings this month:

- **Satiety over Calories:** Eat fiber and protein first, then carbs to feel the satiety signal sooner.
- **The Deadly Combo:** Natural foods are either high in carbs or high in fats, but rarely both. Combining the two creates maximum pleasure and super addictive effects. No wonder processed foods are so hard to stop eating!
- **Equilibrium over Stats:** Chasing a low Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is meaningless. If you are active during the day, the body automatically lowers the heart rate at rest to conserve energy. It's equilibrium—a fantastic design.
- **Fun Fact:** GLP-1 (the basis for many weight-loss drugs) was originally developed from the venom of the Gila monster, a small poisonous lizard.
- **History:** Major cigarette companies saw a decline in people smoking, then acquired processed food companies like General Foods and Kraft to profit from the addictive nature of humans.

### Birds

I read something about birds: 

> Your brain has a circuit that doesn't know you live in a city. Its only job is to monitor whether birds are still singing. Right now, in this room, it is on.
>
> The circuit predates primates. Mammals have been using ambient soundscape continuity as a predator-detection system for roughly 200 million years. Birds stop singing when something larger moves through their territory. For most of mammalian history, a forest full of song meant no large predator was nearby, and the cessation of sound was the warning. Your nervous system never updated this software.
>
> The Max Planck Institute tested the inverse in 2022 with 295 participants. Six minutes of birdsong dropped anxiety with a medium effect size. Six minutes of traffic noise raised depression with the same. The effect worked on subjects who lived in dense urban environments and had no regular contact with nature. The brain still ran the check.
>
> Birdsong sits in the 1,000 to 8,000 Hz range. Your brainstem reads continuous patterns in that band as a signal that nothing dangerous is currently moving through the environment. EEG data shows birdsong at 45 to 50 decibels boosts alpha wave activity by 14.1% relative to silence. Alpha is the brainwave signature of relaxed alertness. Push the same birdsong above 60 decibels and the response flips. Stress markers rise 29%. The circuit only trusts the signal at the volume of quiet conversation, which is exactly the volume birds sing at from a typical distance.
>
> Three things happen simultaneously when the brain registers ambient safety. The amygdala downregulates. The parasympathetic nervous system takes over from the sympathetic. Heart rate variability rises, cortisol drops. The posterior cingulate cortex, which sits at the center of the rumination circuit, quiets down. King's College London tracked this through a smartphone study with over 1,200 participants and found the mood lift lasted hours after the sound stopped. People diagnosed with depression got the same response as healthy controls.
>
> Most of what gets labeled mental fatigue is hypervigilance running in the background. Birdsong tells the circuit it can stand down, and the brain reallocates the freed compute everywhere else.
>
> A quiet park feels different from a quiet office because the parks have sentinels.
> 
> — *[Aakash Gupta on X](https://x.com/aakashgupta/status/2048642872875114734)*

I started paying attention to the birds in our backyard. I noticed there are so many species singing different songs. As I pay more attention to their songs, I realize that the world is polluted with noise, and I had never noticed it before.

Right now, I'm building a bird app to identify bird songs and species. As I test it in the woods, I am getting to know so many amazing birds close to me. It is a totally different world living in a different frequency range. The process also makes me happy and relaxed. I guess it is the magic of birdsong.

I'm amazed by how intricately God has designed the world. He orchestrates the entire dynamic system in perfect balance. 

### No Plastic Water Bottle

As I explore ways to get rid of toxins, changing my water bottle is another step. I recently did a lot of research, and it came down to these categories:

- Glass bottles
- Food-grade stainless steel bottles (316 is better than 304)
- Titanium bottles (even better than 316 stainless steel)

Since I have other requirements for a water bottle, such as the following, finding an ideal one is very difficult:

- Fits in my car's cup holder (less than 3 inches in diameter)
- Has some level of insulation 
- Easy to clean
- Leak-proof
- Durable
- Not too noisy when placed on a hard surface
- Not too heavy

With all of these requirements, it is really hard to find the perfect one! I just bought the [Keith Titanium Ti3032 Plastic-Free Sport Bottle - 23.6 fl oz](https://amzn.to/4ubGAu9). It is the most expensive water bottle I have ever bought - $70! I hope it lasts a lifetime.

## Next Steps

- [New] Monitor the effect of the reduced Doptelet dosage (60mg every 14 days).
- Have meals fit into the fasting schedule
- Keep strength training at 2x/week
- Focus on body comfort over stats
- Avoid stressful workouts before and during my period
- Rinse the mouth after coffee and brush lightly, to prevent staining
- Get blood test done around ovulation to get the most accurate lipid panel
- Strength training focus on pliability and flexibility
- Increase fiber to feel full
- Keep Doptelet at 40 mg every 9 days (20 mg for 4 days, then 20 mg for 5 days)
- Keep pork intake low; focus on beef, fish, lamb, and eggs
- Eat clean, sleep well, and get regular sun exposure
- Monitor low heart rate and HRV
- Continue eating complex carbs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts
- Continue avoiding gluten for now (!!!) until platelet count is back to normal range
- Continue using organic cloth menstrual pads
- Continue avoiding screens while eating




Health Update - Month 14


This past month has been eventful.

I had my first bleeding episode after taking Doptelet for 13 months. Based on my analysis, several factors could have contributed to it. I will talk more about it in the [ITP section](#user-content-itp-scary-bleeding-episode). It was scary, but I learned a lot. To me, it was like a stress test (like in software engineering, where we do stress tests to see how a system behaves under heavy load). I came away with many learnings about my body and physiology in general.

I also did a couple of blood tests this month, including a CBC and a lipid panel. I will talk about the results in the following sections.

I also had a routine 6-month dental checkup and cleaning this month. It was better than before and better than I expected. It proves my teeth-cleaning routine is working.

## Contents

## Lab Results

### CBC

See the full platelet count history in [Healing ITP: My Path to Understanding and Recovery](/posts/healing-itp-my-path-to-understanding-and-recovery#user-content-platelet-counts-109l), specifically for the dates 03/13/2026 and 03/23/2026.


### Lipid Panel

| Metric | 10/01/2025 | 12/22/2025 | 03/13/2026 |
| :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: |
| **Cycle Phase** | Follicular | Follicular | Luteal |
| **Total Cholesterol** | 343 | 316 | 259 🔽 |
| **LDL Cholesterol** | 254 | 240 | 179 🔽 |
| **HDL Cholesterol** | 50 | 50 | 45 🔽 |
| **Triglycerides** | 193 | 132 | 185 🔼 |
| **Trig/HDL Ratio** | 3.96 | 2.64 | 4.11 🔼 |

Since I started adding more fiber (vegetables and fruits) back into my diet, my **Total Cholesterol** and **LDL Cholesterol** have been trending down, which is what I expected.

**HDL Cholesterol** is slightly down, but not by much. This is interesting because I expected HDL to increase with the strength training and cardio I’ve been doing. Still, it was a small drop, so I don’t want to read too much into it.

The biggest surprise has been my **Triglycerides**—they went up quite a bit. Since then, I’ve lost weight, and my understanding is that my body should be using energy more efficiently, yet **Triglycerides** rose again.

As I looked deeper, I realized that I took this test at the end of my cycle. Progesterone can increase **Triglycerides**, as it promotes fat storage and may temporarily reduce insulin sensitivity. Appetite and cravings for carbs may also increase, which can indirectly elevate **Triglycerides** if carb intake is higher.

With **HDL** down and **Triglycerides** up, my **Trig/HDL Ratio** increased.

---


This is my first time using Own Your Labs for blood tests. It is much cheaper than going through a doctor, where you need a reason for the visit and have to pay both for the consultation and the lab order. Own Your Labs is a platform that allows you to order your own lab tests without a doctor’s order. I ordered the tests online, printed the requisition form, and went to a Labcorp lab to get my blood drawn. Later, I learned that you don’t even need to print the form—simply emailing the requisition to the lab allows them to print it on the spot.

## Body Weight

I lost quite a bit of weight in this month, due to following cycle-based fasting.

![Body Weight](/assets/blog/month-13-health-update/weight.jpg)

More and more, I realize the gym is not primarily for managing weight, but for building muscle and supporting heart health. The easiest way to manage weight is through diet and fasting. 

Skipping a meal makes a big difference in my overall calorie intake and helps regulate my weight.

## Gym Performance

My knees feel better after reduced workout intensity. This proves again my theory that my knee pain came from overtraining rather than autoimmune issues.

## Diet

Previously, I tried eating breakfast before the gym on gym days and fasting on non-gym and lower-demand cycle days. This approach became too complex to manage. Since adopting a cycle-based fasting schedule, this is what is currently working for me:

### Fasting structure

- 13-hour fast: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 15-hour fast: Light breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 17-hour fast: Lunch and dinner only
- No-fast days: Breakfast, lunch, dinner (eat until full)

### Eating rules

- No snacking (this prevents extra calorie intake)
- Eat until full at dinner (this improves my sleep quality)
- Leave 2–3 hours between dinner and bedtime (this improves my sleep quality)

Now it’s clear: to make fasting effective, you still need to follow a routine meal schedule. When a scheduled meal time passes, skip it—don’t try to make up for it by overeating or consuming all the calories you missed. This is the true meaning of fasting.

## Sleep

Before the bleeding episode, I had trouble sleeping and didn’t know why—likely part of strong PMS reactions. Now I think it was a signal that my body was crying for help.

Sleep continued to be poor after the heavy bleeding episode. I could fall asleep, but I woke up frequently during the night and didn’t get deep sleep. I took a week off from the gym after the bleeding episode. Sleep was shallow and filled with many dreams for a few days, but it gradually recovered. I set a goal for myself: I will not return to the gym until my sleep is fully restored. My body is trying to find equilibrium again.

It’s very interesting: poor health affects sleep, and poor sleep affects health. To break this cycle, you need to slow down and let your body recover.

Now I know what good sleep feels like: after a truly restful night, your limbs feel slightly numb when you wake up, as if they have just been repaired and restarted.

## Heart Rate (Resting Heart Rate & HRV)

Resting heart rate continues to trend down. This may be due to improved cardiovascular health.

![Resting Heart Rate](/assets/blog/month-13-health-update/rhr.jpg)

During the heavy bleeding episode, I was wondering how to measure stress levels. I found that HRV is a good indicator of stress. When stress is high, your heart beats faster even at rest, which lowers HRV. In other words, the lower the HRV, the higher the stress level.

Overall, my HRV this month has been about the same, and even trending up.

![HRV](/assets/blog/month-13-health-update/hrv.jpg)

However, during the bleeding episode, my HRV dropped significantly.

![HRV during bleeding](/assets/blog/month-13-health-update/hrv-bleeding.jpeg)




## Menstrual Cycle

I had a heavy bleeding episode this month. It was scary, but it taught me many things. (See the [ITP](#user-content-itp-scary-bleeding-episode) section for details.)

## Dental Hygiene

I did a routine 6-month checkup and cleaning this month. All my teeth were rated 2s and 3s, which made me very relieved. It was huge progress compared to the last two visits, when I had to get deep cleanings.

The dentist did find heavy staining on my teeth and recommended rinsing my mouth and brushing lightly after drinking coffee.

My routine works:

- Morning and evening brushing thoroughly with an electric toothbrush
- Evening water flossing followed by thread flossing
- When thread flossing, aiming to go under both sides of each tooth, including the far back teeth
- Not using mouthwash (I believe mouthwash kills the good bacteria in my mouth)
- Not using fluoride toothpaste (I believe fluoride prevents iodine absorption)

I believe dental hygiene is very important for overall health. It is about balancing the bacteria in your mouth, which affects your gut health and overall well-being.

## Other Interesting Observation: Palms Not Swelling Anymore

My palms used to swell after touching grass or plants, sometimes for a day or two. They would often become very red and itchy. I thought it was caused by substances released by the plants.

Recently, I sometimes forgot to wear gloves while gardening or pulling weeds, but to my surprise, my palms did not swell. After repeated tests, they consistently did not swell.

After more than a year of dietary changes, I think this improvement is a sign of better overall health. My palms not swelling anymore is likely a positive sign of reduced systemic inflammation and better immune tolerance.

### Order of Body Fat Loss

Fat loss is a systemic process, not a targeted one. You cannot control which areas lean out first; instead, your body draws energy from fat stores across your entire system simultaneously.

**Typical Female Fat Loss Trends:**
For many women, fat distribution follows a "gynoid" pattern (the classic pear shape). While every individual is different, the sequence typically follows this progression:

*   **Earlier Progress:** Face, neck, arms, and upper torso.
*   **Longer-term Progress:** Lower abdomen, hips, thighs, and buttocks.

This "top-down" lean-out is driven by hormonal and genetic patterns rather than a fixed checklist. If you see changes in your face and arms first, it’s a sign that the process is working exactly as biology intended.

## Autoimmune Update

### ITP: Scary bleeding episode

This section will get longer this month. I will describe the event, my analysis and learnings.

**Event**

*Before Menstrual Period*

I have been reducing Doptelet dosage in the last few months. There has been no bleeding episode during this time. 

Leading up to my menstrual period, I felt extremely irritable and easily annoyed. My sleep was poor too. I tried to verbalize my feelings as much as possible to my family so I would not unintentionally take my frustration out on them.

I did a CBC, and my platelet count was 68k. The blood draw left a bruise on my right arm. I had not had a bruise for a long time.

*During Menstrual Period*

The first two days of bleeding were manageable. Then I did a pretty aggressive workout on the 3rd day, including cardio and weight training. I also ate Chinese steamed buns (with a flour wrapper) for the first time in a while for dinner on the 3rd day.

Early in the morning of the 4th day, I woke up and found my pad was soaked and that I was passing clots (bigger than a quarter) repeatedly.

I was initially a little scared, but with all the experience I’ve gained over the last year, I was able to calm myself down: 

*"All this past year, you’ve learned so much about physiology and how to navigate mental fears. This is the moment. You must not slide back into the extreme depression like a year ago. Keep your head up and praise the Lord!"*

This helped lower the impact of stress on my platelets.

I took TXA immediately. While I was waiting for the TXA to work, I strolled in the backyard and listened to worship music.

The bleeding stopped within 2 hours after the first dose (650 mg × 2). The quick response reassured me that my platelet level was probably borderline but not crashing. (When I was in Brazil in 2024, I had to take TXA for many days before the bleeding stopped.) The heavy bleeding lasted about 6 hours in total. I took TXA three times during this episode.

*Notes from 3/21/2026* 

- 4:00am – Blood all over, changed pad
- 7:00am – Blood all over, took TXA, changed pad
- 8:00am – Passed 2 large clots, changed pad
- 8:45am – Passed one 3 cm clot, changed pad
- 9:45am – Passed multiple clots, changed pad
- 12:00pm – Pad had only a small amount of dried blood
- 12:45pm – Took TXA
- 6:40pm – Took TXA

That day for lunch, we went for Texas BBQ and I ate half a pound of brisket to replenish my iron stores. 

![Brisket](/assets/blog/month-13-health-update/cover.jpeg)

The menstrual bleeding became lighter and eventually finished within a few days. I also skipped the gym for a week.

Two days after the heavy bleeding episode, I did another CBC and my platelet count was 55k.

My sleep was still poor for a few days but gradually recovered.

*After Menstrual Period*

My sleep was restored. My mood started to get better too. I adjusted my workouts from four days to two days per week. I don’t intentionally count steps or active calories. I try to stay active throughout the day but aim for a sense of calm and balance while doing it.

**Analysis**

The possible triggers for this heavy bleeding episode could be:

- Borderline platelet level (68k)
- Workout stress (platelets needed for muscle repair)
- Menstrual bleeding (platelets needed for uterine lining repair)
- Eating gluten for the first time in a while the day before

The most likely triggers were workout stress and menstrual bleeding—a double whammy on my body. My limited platelet count may not have been sufficient to support both muscle recovery from an intense workout and menstrual bleeding at the same time.

Gluten is still an unproven factor. Although my platelet count seemed to drop after I ate gluten, those episodes were also accompanied by other stressors, so it is difficult to isolate gluten as the direct cause.

**Learnings**

This bleeding episode was scary, but it taught me many things:

- Limit workouts when my platelet levels are borderline and when I am close to my menstrual period. 
- HRV reflects physical stress.
- Don’t chase numbers on trackers. Listen to your body and maintain equilibrium, which really means finding a sense of zen.
- You won’t lose muscle in a week.
- Letting your body rest is as important as working out.
- As your body recovers, your mood recovers too.
- Strong PMS reactions may be signaling that something is wrong in the body. 

This episode also gave me an opportunity to apply what I’ve learned over the past year:

- Counting the frequency of changing pads as a metric to estimate the severity of bleeding.
- Using red meat to quickly replenish iron stores after blood loss.
- Staying calm during the heavy bleeding episode. 

**Next Step**

My body is testing the platelet boundary right now. I will continue to hold the Doptelet dosage at the current level (40 mg every 9 days). 

For the next menstrual period, I will avoid any heavy workouts and see whether I can get through it without heavy bleeding or needing TXA. This coming month is a test with a lot of information to gather.

### Lupus: No Update

As Texas gets sunnier, I still walk outside—no photosensitivity so far, which is a win!

I believe Lupus and ITP share similar immune pathways. This is why many ITP patients are also diagnosed with Lupus. This does not necessarily mean they truly have both conditions. I do believe that as the body heals over time, the mechanisms behind both conditions can resolve.

## Learnings

### Why Recovery from ITP is Slow

As I was researching ITP, I came across some information about the physiological mechanisms behind ITP recovery. The following is how I put my understanding together in my own words:

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune condition in which the body mistakenly attacks its own platelets. Even when the initial trigger, such as an infection or H. pylori bacteria, is removed, recovery is often gradual and can take months to years. This slow recovery reflects the complex ways the immune system and platelet production systems recalibrate.

One major reason is the persistence of antibody-producing B cells. Long-lived plasma cells can survive for months or even years, continuing to produce antibodies that target platelets. Similarly, memory B cells, which are designed to “remember” past threats, may mistakenly recognize platelets and gradually deactivate or die off over time.

This explains why medical treatments such as Rituximab can help some patients achieve remission for several years (though I did not use this treatment). Rituximab selectively depletes B cells, reducing autoantibody production and helping the immune system reset.

There is no safe way to directly speed B-cell die-off naturally, but supporting immune normalization can help the process progress more smoothly. This includes balanced sleep, stress management, gut health, and a nutrient-rich diet.

Recovery is further delayed because the immune system’s regulatory mechanisms need time to rebalance. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) act as brakes on autoimmune responses, but in ITP these brakes are often weakened. After the trigger is removed, Tregs gradually regain control, much like a thermostat slowly recalibrating to the correct temperature.

Additionally, platelet production in the bone marrow can be suppressed by inflammation. Even after the trigger is gone, bone marrow function improves slowly, taking months to restore efficient platelet production.

Finally, the immune system itself has inertia. Inflammatory signals and cytokines can remain elevated even after a trigger is gone, which is seen in other autoimmune diseases such as lupus, thyroiditis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmunity does not stop immediately; it de-escalates gradually, like a swing that continues moving after you stop pushing it.

Taken together, these factors explain why ITP recovery is slow. Even after removing the trigger, the persistence of antibody-producing cells, the gradual rebalancing of regulatory immune cells, and the slow restoration of platelet production mean that normalization of platelet counts often takes 6–24 months.

### Hormonal Effects on Lipids Across the Menstrual Cycle

As I tried to understand why my triglycerides went up in the latest blood test, I found that, during the menstrual cycle, hormones can influence triglyceride levels:

**Follicular Phase (Days 1–14, menstruation to ovulation):**
Estrogen rises, which generally lowers triglycerides and slightly improves cholesterol—LDL may go down a little, and HDL may go up.

**Luteal Phase (Days 15–28, after ovulation until next period):**
Progesterone rises, which can increase triglycerides by promoting fat storage and reducing insulin sensitivity. Appetite, especially for carbs, often goes up, which can further raise triglycerides.

**Patterns:**
- Triglycerides are usually lowest around ovulation.
- They tend to rise in the late luteal phase, just before menstruation.
- Fluctuations can range roughly 10–30%, and sometimes more if diet or metabolism plays a role.

This means, in order for women to get the most accurate lipid panel, we should aim to get the blood test done around **ovulation**.

## Next Steps


- [New] Have meals fit into the fasting schedule
- [New] Reduce strength training to 2x/week from 4x/week
- [New] Focus on body comfort over stats
- [New] Avoid stressful workouts before and during my period
- [New] Rinse the mouth after coffee and brush lightly, to prevent staining
- [New] Get blood test done around ovulation to get the most accurate lipid panel
- Strength training focus on pliability and flexibility
- Increase fiber to feel full
- Keep Doptelet at 40 mg every 9 days (20 mg for 4 days, then 20 mg for 5 days)
- Keep pork intake low; focus on beef, fish, lamb, and eggs
- Eat clean, sleep well, and get regular sun exposure
- Monitor low heart rate and HRV
- Continue eating complex carbs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts
- Continue avoiding gluten for now (!!!) until platelet count is back to normal range
- Continue using organic cloth menstrual pads
- Continue avoiding screens while eating

Health Update - Month 13


This past month, I successfully lowered my medication dose. I feel good overall, though I’ve noticed a small weight gain that I’d like to explore further.

## Contents

## Body Weight

**My body weight increased by an average of 1 lb over the past month.** I used HerWeigh to track my body weight, and clearly I am gaining weight.

![This Cycle Body Weight](/assets/blog/month-12-health-update/this-cycle-body-weight.jpg)
*This cycle body weight: you can see the starting weight is higher than before.* 

![Last Cycle Body Weight](/assets/blog/month-12-health-update/last-cycle-body-weight.jpg)
*Last cycle body weight: across the entire span of the cycle, the weight is higher than the previous cycle.*

I'm not sure what percentage of the weight gain is due to muscle and what percentage is due to fat. To answer this question, I may need to start tracking my waist size to understand more, since waist size tells you more about fat gain.

I did have two changes in the past month compared to the month before:

First, **I stopped doing longer fasts**. The average fasting time in the recent cycle is 13.4 hours, with a maximum of 14.5 hours, whereas the previous cycle (without sufficient data) averaged 14.4 hours with a maximum of 17.4 hours. The reason for this change was to improve gym performance.

![Last Cycle Fast](/assets/blog/month-12-health-update/last-cycle-fast.jpg)
*Last cycle fast: the average fasting time is 13.4 hours, with a maximum of 14.5 hours.*

![Last Last Cycle Fast](/assets/blog/month-12-health-update/last-last-cycle-fast.jpg)
*Last Last cycle fast: the average fasting time is 14.4 hours, with a maximum of 17.4 hours. (I lost data for the first few days of this cycle)*

Second, **I ate more meals than before because of the shorter fasting window**. For example, in the morning I used to fast, but now I eat breakfast before the gym. The caloric surplus could be playing a role in the weight gain. Sometimes I even have a snack before dinner. Slowly, I'm getting used to eating more often, which may not be a good trend. These calories are adding up.

One upside of eating more often is that I feel happier and experience almost no hanger. I think this is a very important and healthy signal of well-being. 

## Diet

As mentioned above, I ate more in the past month than before, which could cause weight gain, but it also improved my gym performance and mood.

This makes me wonder if I should continue fine-tuning my diet to find the sweet spot between weight control and well-being.

I could try:

- On gym days, eat breakfast before the gym to optimize performance
- On non-gym days, and not before my next cycle (which requires more energy), fast longer
- Increase fiber to feel full
- Avoid afternoon snacks

I will monitor my weight, waist size, gym performance, mood, and energy levels to see whether this works.


## Gym Performance

Gym performance was great in the past month. Thanks to the pre-gym meal (usually a banana with peanut butter), I felt energetic and was able to lift heavier and longer.

My knees are slowly healing. I have been avoiding leg workouts that put stress on my knees, such as squats, lunges, running, and jumping. Instead, I have been focusing on upper-body workouts and core strengthening exercises on mats.

I also discovered that I can do **more stretching and mobility work for my knees, which has helped improve flexibility.** This can be done anywhere, anytime. It is beneficial for helping muscles lengthen afterward.

The more I learn about workouts, the more tools I have in my toolbox to find exercises that cater to my body’s needs. Every workout has its purpose. I can listen to my body and fine-tune my workout plan accordingly. Not like before, I just followed a plan blindly without understanding the purpose of each exercise.

## Walking

**I increased my walking target to 15,000 steps a day.** I used to walk 10,000 steps daily, but I raised it to 15,000 to compensate for the lack of leg workouts caused by my knee pain. It has been working well. At the beginning, my body felt extremely tired, but after a week or two, it adapted to the new routine. Now, 15,000 steps feels much easier.

![Trend Change](/assets/blog/month-12-health-update/trend-change.jpeg)
*Step count trend change: I increased my daily step count from 10,000 to 15,000.* 

One day, I even did 27k steps without realizing it. I was talking on the phone with my parents for a few hours, and I just kept walking. It was great!

One thing that helps me feel more at ease is not constantly checking my watch for step count. I walk about 1 mile in 20 minutes, which is about 2,000 steps. So if I move for about 2.5 hours a day, I can reach 15,000 steps. It does not sound a lot of movement.

## Sleep

**Sleep quality was excellent in the past month, even better than before.** I slept about 8 hours a night and woke up feeling refreshed. I attribute this to eating enough, feeling full at dinner, and extra walking.

In the past, if I didn’t eat enough, I would wake up in the middle of the night feeling hungry and unable to fall back asleep.

Extra walking makes me feel tired, but in a good way. It’s a satisfying kind of tired that helps me sleep better at night.

## Resting Heart Rate

My resting heart rate has been hovering around 59 bpm — very stable.

## Menstrual Cycle

The last cycle was normal. Bleeding was manageable. This indicates that my platelet levels are likely within a safe range. I did not see any blood clots. This cycle was short as well — 2 medium days and 3 light days.

As I tried to get advice from AI about the next steps for weaning off medication, it strongly suggested getting a CBC before doing so. However, given my history of blood tests and my current body state, **I personally feel comfortable continuing to taper off the medication slowly: from 20 mg every 4 days (the current dosage) down to 20 mg for 4 days, then 20 mg for 5 days.** This is a small dose reduction.

I will continue to monitor my body state and adjust the dosage accordingly. If I notice any signs of bleeding or bruising, I will revert to the previous dosage.

### Cloth Menstrual Pads

I used cloth menstrual pads for the first time this month. I was skeptical at first, but I’m glad I tried them. They are much more comfortable than disposable pads, have less odor, and cause less irritation. I felt clean and natural. I wish I had known about them earlier.

The cloth pads I bought are not very big and shrank a lot after washing, but they are still enough, and there has been no leaking. I just ordered overnight-size ones in case of heavy nights.

**Conclusion: I love cloth menstrual pads!**

## Other Learnings

### Healthy Level of Fat for Women

I recently listened to a few podcasts about women’s health and read comments from former female bodybuilders. They all mentioned that women need to maintain a certain level of body fat for hormonal health. Below that level, women may experience irregular periods or no period at all, along with other symptoms.

When you see female influencers who look very shredded, you may not realize that they could be feeling terrible and struggling with hormonal or menstrual health issues.

Chasing a muscular look has never been my goal. Well-being, health span, and feeling good are what I am after.

This is another reminder not to chase vanity metrics.

Podcasts:

- [Interview with Dr. Tyna Moore on Big Deal](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ACsKRn1sH4NaLwxwaxetj)

### Dieting to control weight, gym to build muscle

I recently heard a saying that goes like this: “It’s easier to use diet to control weight and the gym to build muscle.”

This has been true for my body. Working out excessively to lose weight is hard and unsustainable for me. Also, you can’t just eat a lot of protein and expect muscle to grow. It needs the stimulus of resistance training.

Diet and exercise have to go hand in hand.

Podcast I heard from: 

- [The Most Effective Weight Training, Cardio & Nutrition for Women | Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3oVJ3bldSyyIB6avLp4s2Y)


### Long Term Effect of Medication

When I was doing research on my taper-off plan, I came across the theory that my body may be “testing the floor” of its platelet levels:

> “Your marrow, liver, and immune system are renegotiating responsibility after long-term pharmacologic support — and that renegotiation temporarily undershoots before it locks in. That’s not relapse. That’s physiology relearning balance.”

This means that whenever I lower the dosage of the medication, my platelet levels could temporarily drop before rising again, as my body figures out a new balance.

This idea was shocking at first, but it also makes sense to me. I always thought the medication was simply giving additional support to help my body produce platelets. But in reality, it may also be influencing or altering the body’s natural regulation, and the body is constantly trying to adapt. This gives me more reason to taper off the medication slowly and steadily, allowing my body to gradually find its own balance.

I wonder whether other medications for chronic illnesses have similar effects on the body. It makes more sense to me now that the body is always adapting.

I also learned that many medications for chronic conditions are primarily studied in shorter-term trials, and truly long-term data can be limited. We already know that smoking, drinking, and poor lifestyle habits have negative long-term effects on the body. It seems reasonable that medications could also have long-term effects — even if we do not fully understand them yet. In many ways, patients living long term on these medications are contributing to the real-world understanding of their effects: we are the guinea pigs.

## Autoimmune Update

### ITP: Manageable Menstrual Cycle

The last menstrual cycle was normal. Bleeding was manageable. This indicates that my platelet levels are likely within a safe range. I did not see any blood clots. This cycle was short as well — 2 medium days and 3 light days.

**Given the current platelet levels, I will continue to taper off the medication slowly and steadily to 40mg every 9 days (20mg for 4 days, then 20mg for 5 days), allowing my body to gradually find its own balance.**

### Lupus

No update this month. Most of time I did not think about it. Except the joint pain that I mentioned earlier, but **I am more and more convinced that it is NOT due to lupus, and excessive leg workouts may play a role.** The excessive leg workouts may have caused inflammation in my knee joint, which led to the pain. I have let my knee rest for a month, and I feel much better. I will continue to monitor it.



## Next Steps

- [New] Reduce Doptelet to 40 mg every 9 days (20 mg for 4 days, then 20 mg for 5 days)
- [New] Track waist size to better understand fat gain
- [New] Eat breakfast before the gym on gym days, and fast on non-gym and less menstrual-demanding days
- [New] Increase fiber to feel full
- Continue strength training, focusing on pliability and flexibility
- Avoid stressful leg workouts for now
- Keep pork intake low; focus on beef, fish, lamb, and eggs
- Eat clean, sleep well, and get regular sun exposure
- Monitor low heart rate
- Continue eating complex carbs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts
- Continue avoiding gluten for now
- Continue using organic cloth menstrual pads
- Continue avoiding screens while eating

Health Update - Month 12


I did not get a blood test this month, as I decided to reduce the frequency of testing in 2026. I now monitor my health by listening to my body. I plan not to test until the end of March 2026, which makes testing quarterly.

## Contents

## Body Weight

My body weight has been stable around 128 lbs, with fluctuations along the cycle.

![Body Weight](/assets/blog/month-11-health-update/body-weight.jpeg)

At this point, I want to maintain my weight at this level to observe changes in body composition.

I always thought I needed to lose more weight before I could do a pull-up. One morning, I saw a guy with a beer belly doing pull-ups easily. That changed my perspective. I will now focus on what my body can do rather than the number on the scale.

**My face shape has changed lately, getting less puffy and more defined around the cheeks and jawline.** I’m not sure if it’s temporary, but it’s happening even though my weight still fluctuates within the same range. Maybe this is the famous "whoosh" effect.

## Gym Performance

As I planned in the previous month, I tested eating before workouts this month—and it made a huge difference. Sometimes I ate a big breakfast (my beloved banana/peanut butter sammy, Skyr yogurt with nuts and fruit) before going to the gym. The performance was explosive! I burned almost 400 calories before I even noticed. My normal is around 200. OMG. I also didn’t feel tired in the afternoon.

There was no weight gain from this. This is such a huge win for me: **I enjoy eating breakfast, it improves my gym performance and post-workout energy levels, and I’m not gaining weight**.

Nowadays, I can sense my hunger cues more distinctly. I listen to my body, eat when I’m hungry, and stop when I’m full. This body–mind connection is much clearer now.

**My joint pain returned this month after being absent last month.** The pain is not constant, but it shows up during specific movements around the joint. I now think the lack of joint pain last month wasn’t due to lower inflammation, but rather because I didn’t work out during my vacation. 

**One thing I can test is reducing leg workouts to once a week and seeing if the joint pain improves.** Upper-body workouts are fine.

## Sleep

Sleep has been good and very predictable. I fall asleep between 9:30 pm and 10:30 pm while watching TV and wake up naturally between 5:30 am and 6:30 am. (I wish I could be woken up by the 6:30 am alarm, but it never happens.)

I also noticed that when I take a nap during the day, I feel refreshed and energetic for the rest of the day, but I have a harder time falling asleep at night. It’s noticeable, but not too bad.


## Resting Heart Rate

My resting heart rate has been stable around 58 bpm and is trending down. There were no big spikes this month, which suggests good overall cardiovascular health and no infection.

There were two days when I had a sore throat, but it went away quickly.

![Resting Heart Rate](/assets/blog/month-11-health-update/rhr.jpeg)

## Menstrual Cycle

My menstrual cycle was manageable this month, which indicates that my platelet count likely remained within a safe range. I did not see any blood clots in my underwear, which is very reassuring.

Given this, **I decided to further reduce my Doptelet dosage to 20 mg every 4 days (from 40 mg every 7 days). This is a very small dose reduction.** I will monitor my next cycle to see how it goes.

I used to hate that a low platelet count caused heavy menstrual bleeding, but now it has become a tool for monitoring my platelet count. My perspective has shifted.

### Why Do I Want to Reduce My Platelet Count Continuously?

Doptelet is lifesaving, but all prescription drugs come with short- and long-term side effects. These drugs were approved based on short-term clinical trials, not long-term studies. No one knows the long-term side effects until many years later. I'm also not sure whether long-term use would prevent my body from producing platelets on its own.

I want my body to heal naturally and produce platelets independently, not rely on drugs forever. I know the root cause of my ITP—poor gut health—so I'm healing it at the source. 

## Diet

This month, **I decided to quit looking at screens while eating—cold turkey.** It feels good to savor each bite, especially my favorite peanut butter banana sammies. By paying attention to eating and my satiety cues, I’ve become less attached to food. Even with peanut butter banana sammies, I can clearly feel when my body signals that I’ve had enough.

This feeling is powerful. I can eat enough—without overeating or undereating. It’s a balance.

Thanks to the habit of appreciating coffee beans, I’ve started to appreciate the taste spectrum of many foods. Every bite and every chew becomes intentional. I taste every bit of flavor with every part of my mouth.

This is how eating is supposed to be.

## Other Learnings

### Muscle to Sink Blood Sugar

I stumbled upon [a tweet](https://x.com/drwilliamwallac/status/2013290461360697833), fact-checked it, and also confirmed it in an interview with former bodybuilding champion Dorian Yates on Andrew Huberman’s podcast.

Muscles clear glucose in two different ways after a meal.

Most people only use one. When you sit after eating, glucose disposal depends almost entirely on insulin signaling from the pancreas. That pathway works, but it has limited capacity, which is why post-meal glucose spikes are higher and last longer.

When you move after eating—even lightly—a second pathway activates in parallel.

Muscle contraction independently activates glucose transporters (GLUT4), allowing glucose to enter muscle cells without waiting for insulin. The result is faster glucose clearance, lower peaks, and less strain on the pancreas.

As we age, we lose muscle mass and therefore lose some of our ability to clear glucose from the blood. This is one reason strength training becomes more important as we age.

This makes me more confident in the direction of my resistance training.

### Toxins on Menstrual Pads

I came across [a tweet](https://x.com/HoundDeli/status/2016369126386868334) complaining about the cloth menstrual pads introduced by Muji. I dug into the replies and related research and was surprised to learn that conventional pads and tampons may contain toxins.

As I’ve been doing my absolute best to remove industrial products from my life, I was shocked that I missed this one. I did some research, talked to my mom about how women managed their periods in the past, and found cloth pads being sold on Etsy. I’m going to try them out and see how it goes.

Another interesting fact: in the past, women didn’t menstruate as often because they were pregnant or breastfeeding much of the time.

### Whoosh Effect

I came across this article on X about the whoosh effect and it was eye-opening.

When you are losing body fat, and those fatty acids are finally being metabolized out of fat cells, this will lead to a short term increase in water retention. It's conjectured that the fat cells will temporarily refill with water. Your weight will go up, but then there's a big drop as the body adjusts, body water reduces. Fat loss is never perfectly linear.  

This effect is never been proven scientifically, but it is a common phenomenon reported by many people who are losing weight. It is cool to know this and watch out for it.

## Autoimmune Update

### ITP: Manageable Menstrual Cycle

My menstrual cycle was manageable this month, which indicates that my platelet count likely remained within a safe range. I did not see any blood clots in my underwear, which is very reassuring.

Given this, **I decided to further reduce my Doptelet dosage to 20 mg every 4 days (from 40 mg every 7 days). This is a very small dose reduction.** I will monitor my next cycle to see how it goes.

### Lupus

No update this month. Most of time I did not think about it. Except the joint pain that I mentioned earlier, I don't feel any other symptoms.

## Next Steps

- [New] Reduce Doptelet to 20 mg every 4 days
- Continue strength training, focusing on pliability and flexibility
- [New] Reduce leg workouts
- Keep pork intake low; focus on beef, fish, lamb, and eggs
- Eat clean, sleep well, and get regular sun exposure
- Manage low heart rate
- Continue eating complex carbs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts
- Avoid gluten for now
- [New] Switch to organic cloth menstrual pads
- [New] No screens while eating

Sleep Hygiene

Contents

Before Bed

At Bedtime

During Sleep

Mira

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