Indeed. I’m only 5’1 and 100 and lose too much weight at 1800 calories.
What you lose too much at 1800 calories? Unreal, I wish that was me. I actually thought I needed to talk to a professional; but I then ran into a doctor on YouTube explaining that he has some clients not losing weight even at 1500 calories. Forgot his name but he basically said that for some people if they eat certain foods, they will not lose any weight even on very law calories.
Anyway, I lose weight on protein only. The problem however is I can’t stay more than couple days on protein only and the minute i add either fat or carbs I can’t lose no matter how hard I try or how little i eat. It is as if my metabolism switches off completely on fats and carbs. No clue what the hell is wrong with me lol
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What’s causing me to lose weight now is empagliflozin (12.5 mg daily). You supposedly pee out enough calories to lose 1 lb a month. However, most people compensate for that by eating more calories, so the effect is usually 1/2 lb. I’ve lost about 5 lbs since July, and I credit that to empagliflozin because my diet hasn’t changed.
It also makes me want to drink about an extra litre of water daily.
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Yes. I could honestly mostly take or leave food so it feels like a job sometimes and unfortunately CR is out of the question. I’m not sure which situation is better tbh. I think I’d be happy to eat what cronometer and Fitbit estimate I need which is 15-1600 though. I guess everyone is a bit unique.
You are really lucky. How amazing it would be to eat almost anything and as much as you want and still not gain weight. I actually have a coworker who is like that. He could eat all day long and will never be over 155lbs at same height as me (around 6 feet). I’m amazed and I think people like that MUST be very healthy, meaning their bodies are capable of burning/digesting any amount of food.
I hear you and I thought i was having some success also, but EMPA is not sitting well with me otherwise. I tend to get a headache from it and even a bit of chest arthritis (not chest pain as in heart problem). Do you take it with food, in the morning or at night?
I take it first thing in the morning with my breakfast and other morning supplements. I haven’t noticed any negatives except extreme thirstiness. I never used to be this thirsty until I started empagliflozin. I literally had to leave a movie to go get a drink at the theatre because I was that thirsty. That’s never happened to me before.
However, drinking more water is a good thing IMHO.
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Think the belief is that you need to drink before you feel (very) thirsty as that point is actually a bit bad for you (if repeatedly happening)
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I’ve been off Glylo since I posted the above in late October. Enough time has passed such that the tingling/numbness seems significantly reduced. Definitely not fully recovered, but enough improved to have confidence things are heading in the right direction.
My first Glylo order was placed mid-July 2023, and first reorder on 9/29/23. Ironically, I met with my PCP on 9/28, to talk about my tingling feet.
It was rapa.news that turned me on to Glylo. Only by sheer luck did I read this thread, which prompted me to consider that Glylo might be the cause of the problem. Could have gone on indefinitely, getting worse and worse…
I was never quite sure if Glylo was actually producing the hoped-for reduction in a1c. But since stopping, it’s jumped from 5.5 to 5.8. Never had a value above 5.6 before. Re-examining historical data, it appears a similar .2 or so reduction occurred when I started. That’s with just one/day.
Is this a CAUTIONARY TALE? I think so.
Will confirm in a couple of months that I’m not just hallucinating the improvement.
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Nothing new here but I thought some might appreciate this handy table summarizing the typical impact of common nutraceuticals on lipids.
nutraceuticals_lipid_effects.xlsx (9.6 KB)
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 Rank |
Nutraceutical | LDL-C Drop | Extra Lipid Perks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berberine | -20 % to -25 % | ↓ ApoB, modest ↑ HDL-C, modest ↓ TG |
| 2 | Red Yeast Rice (monacolin K) | -15 % to -25 % | ↓ ApoB, small ↑ HDL-C, ↓ TG 10–15 % |
| 2 | Bergamot Extract | -15 % to -25 % | ↑ HDL-C 20–40 %, ↓ TG 20–30 %, ↓ ApoB |
| 4 | Pantethine | -11 % to -20 % | ↓ ApoB, modest ↑ HDL-C, modest ↓ TG |
| 5 | Spirulina | -10 % to -15 % | ↓ ApoB (limited RCTs), modest ↑ HDL-C, modest ↓ TG |
Key Take-away: If you want the biggest LDL-C bang for your buck, Berberine edges out the pack, followed closely by Red Yeast Rice and Bergamot Extract.
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I have taken both Berberine and Bergamot and it did nothing for my lipids. (After adding Berberine, my ApoB went up!). So, I am not sure if I can trust these results. I still take Berberine though. Most red yeast rice sold in the USA has the active ingredient removed and is useless.
What did affect my lipids - Bempedoic Acid, Ezetemibe, and Atorvastatin. My ApoB is 58, down from 122 after adding these 3.
Spend your money on these cheap medications instead of relying on supplements for lipid control.
Berberine did seem to have a very small yet positive effect on my HBA1C and glucose markers, which is why I take it.
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My glucose usually spikes to 170 after a carb loaded breakfast, then quickly falls to 80-90 and stays around 90 till next meal. To deal with such spikes I started taking water/vinegar 10-15 min before eating, and walk for 15 min after meal. It reduced the spike to 127. Will see if it works in a long run to reduce my elevated HA1c (5.9).
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Your experience with berberine may be at the margin but it s not an outlier. The ranges listed are typical, likely +/1 SD or so. In the source material, the bottom end of the range on most of these was zero. Also, the additivity of these may be limited for many people. At the other extreme, I have a relative who get all of the Apo(b) reduction he wants with 1,500 mg berberine daily.