How to Heal Your Metabolism: Learn How the Right Foods, Sleep, the Right Amount of Exercise, and Happiness Can Increase Your Metabolic Rate and Help Heal Your Broken Metabolism Paperback – April 9, 2015

Context:I bought this book, in July, and I have been implementing / following it's principles to the best of my ability ever since.I come from a Low-Carb/Paleo background, and I used to do strength training, but all of that changed when I found out I had cancer. After I realized that LowCarb/Paleo doesn't make you immune to cancer (as it is sometimes implied by some authorities) and also that I didn't knew enough about cancer, I started researching about different theories/nutritional approaches that I could implement, either therapeutically or after I got better.Eventually I came across Dr. Raymond Peat's articles, and although they can sometimes be a little cryptic, his ideas seemed very interesting and resonated with me, although I wasn't quite sure how to implement some of them in a more practical way, because he doesn't lay out a simple plan/approach.This book came exactly at the right time and provided me with a more practical set of principles, based on Dr. Ray's work (and others).What I did:- I increased my calorie intake from a maximum of 2500 Kcal (Low-Carb/Paleo), to more than 3000 Kcal a day (50%-60% Carbs), using whole foods, following the principles laid out in the book.- I stopped strength training (Wendler 5/3/1) because I needed a break and also to start enjoying exercise again, so I started doing isolation/bodybuilding stuff 2 times a week (1 movement for the biceps/triceps/pecs/abs/lats), and 2 days a week I started doing squats/deadlifts (light stuff), pushups/dips and some type of pull up.- Every training session lasts only 30 minutes, and I NEVER get to the point were I am breathing heavy, the point is to do more total reps/weight/total volume than last time on each exercise.- I started reintroducing dairy slowly, as I had really strong reactions to it (and some other foods as well, although not as intense), such as abdominal pain/"loose bowels", that would sometimes last for weeks. I started with cheese and then moved on to milk.- I started going to bed early EVERY day.Results:- My body fat went down, to the point I can now see my Abs and a lot of veins throughout my body, which lost it's "fluffy" type look.- My body weight went from 176 lbs to 163 lbs, although some was lost muscle because I stopped strength training.- My sleep it's not perfect (it hasn't been for a long time and it's still a work in progress), but it improved significantly in quality, since it's much deeper than before and it's usually full of dreams.- Temperature (under the tongue) has upped from some cadaveric lows to close to normal levels (36.4 to 37.2 degrees throughout the day) and it's still a work in progress I think.- I can drink milk again (at least up until 800 mL in a row), without any noticeable adverse reactions, and there is no more sensitivity to any of the foods that previously gave problems as well.- I think that there was also a redistribution of fat throughout my body (less fat In my face, arms and legs), but I'm not 100% sure, as I don't have a lot of fat anymore.- My head feels clearer, my ability to think has definitely improved.- I just feel better overall.P.s.: This journey hasn't been all rosy, in spite of all of the positive changes that I have described. There were some setbacks along the way, but you will have to push forward (within reason) in order to be successful with this approach, particularly if you have high stress hormones throughout the day, in which case you will feel like crap for a while, because those hormones will go down, so that your thyroid can slowly start taking over, and that might take a while, depending on you particular situation.Dairy tolerance will start going up also, in time. Keep increasing the amounts progressively, and don't be afraid to cut dairy off, for a day or two, if you start having adverse reactions. Let the body "reset" then start again from where you left off or a lower amount.

I picked this book up while the Kindle version was on sale for 99 cents. My dollar was well-spent. Ms. Deering begins her book by telling her story of how under eating and over exercising, along with partying a little to hardily, damaged her health. Next she defines good health. In short, good health is having a high metabolism, which ensures that every process in our bodies is functioning optimally. Hint: thyroid function plays a huge role metabolism. So how do you go about raising your metabolism? As you might expect, what you eat is important. The bulk of the book explains which foods to eat for good metabolic health. There might be some surprises on the recommended and not recommended foods lists, depending on your nutritional education up to this point. Saturated fat, sugar, including fruit, and protein, especially milk and gelatin (via broth and collagen powder), get a thumbs up. Polyunsaturated fats, grains, legumes, and nuts get a thumbs down. Ms. Deering also warns of the dangers of too many leafy greens, especially uncooked, and over-reliance on muscle meats. Of course there's more to health than food. The remainder of the book addresses supplements (thankfully real food is recommended over expensive supplements), balancing blood sugar, exercise, sleep, water consumption (you might find more surprises in this section) and happiness. A nice FAQ section clarifies some points raised in the text, and we get a sample weekly menu plan, recipes, and best foods lists.Prior to reading this book I was familiar with the concept of better health through a higher metabolism. I was also aware of the dangers of polyunsaturated fats, the benefits of saturated fats, and the ins and outs of meat, broth, gelatin, milk, grains, legumes, nuts, vegetables, and fruits. However I hadn't before read a presentation put together as well as this one is. The material is organized in a such a way that one topic flows nicely to the next. You're not left wondering what the heck you should eat. I also had never before considered the suggestions for meal building given in the book. Being a reader of health books, many of them of the paleo persuasion, I'd picked up the idea that fruit should not be a main carbohydrate source and milk is an inadequate protein source. I'd also picked up the idea that a meal wasn't complete without a chunk of meat or eggs on my plate and that I should eat as many vegetables as I can choke down, especially leafy greens (I'm not a big vegetable lover). Happily, after reading Ms. Deering's book, I now have some new ideas for how to build meals that I enjoy and that will be good for me. I also have some ideas for including "snacks" in my meal plan to keep my book sugar stable. I rarely take notes when I read a book, but I took notes throughout this one.Overall, this is an excellent book that I highly recommend everyone read. There are some mistakes - typos, grammatical errors, and spelling mistakes - that a good editor could easily fix. I'd love to see a second edition with the mistakes corrected - I'd buy a second, paper back copy for myself in a heartbeat. Despite the errors, I give the book five stars. I may have only paid 99 cents for this book, but it's well worth the full price.

Got this book a while back and it's excellent. Very easy to implement the suggestions and data appears well founded. Have been using these techniques and it does seem to be making a difference.