The Leptin Reset: Week 5 Results, or Hmmm, This Is Different

My latest find! White Oak Pastures, offers beef, chicken, and lamb in their online store.   The package says everything I’m looking for in high-quality food–grassfed, no antibiotics, not hormones.  Turns out they’re from “back home.”  For the past month or so, I’ve been driving all the way to the Destin Fresh Market, which in touristy summertime can leach an hour out of my time one-way, for grass-fed beef but today Fresh Market told me they don’t carry it any more.  Facebook friends to the rescue!  Within a couple of hours, I had two sources lined up.

Week 5 of the Leptin Reset was

fairly uneventful except for some tummy troubles.  I’m not sure if it was a particular vegetable I tried or what, but I’m watching it carefully. I’ve tried some different herbs lately so I’ll lay off those for the next week.  And I’m certain I didn’t drink enough water last week with all the meetings I was in.  I’m still having some pain, mainly in my right side but occasionally in my left.  I’ve had a gallbladder attack (suspected) 15 months ago, and my scans were all clear afterward.  No issues since.  This is not the sharp pain I felt then, though sometimes in that area and sometimes much lower on my abdomen.  Something’s unhappy in that area, so I’m looking to soothe it. [Post Week 5 note, for those of you who worry–this has since diminished and is almost gone as of today.  I believe it was related to a particular vegetable dish I’ve since avoided.}

I also continue to struggle with timing my meals at work.  One day, I didn’t get hungry until about 3:30, after a big ass breakfast of grilled salmon, which I like quite a bit.  So I decided to take lunch at 4:00 but holy crap, just announce that I’m finally heading to lunch and watch people pop up with all sorts of things for me to sign for the next hour!  I am, however, settling into a better routine when I eat three meals a day.  My lunches may have only a small portion of protein and tons of lettuce or greens, and I’ll finish off a big plate  while my lunch partners leave a lot still on the plate. Then I’m ready for a light supper by the time I leave work.  Okay, it’s working, kinda.

My cycle is also horribly off.  I’m not sure if the reset has anything to do with that, but sheesh, enough already!  At least I’m certain I’m not preggers.

But amid the tummy troubles, I forgot to notice a few things that had quietly happened on the Leptin Reset a la Jack Kruse’s prescription.

  1. My weight was stable, to the ounce.
  2. My sleep continued to be good quality, waking at 5 hours for Nature’s Call (I drink lots of water and it always gets me up), then back to sleep easily and waking before the alarm.  Oh, this is such a sweet change from the last several years of 4-5 hours of sleep a night and waking several times during those scant few hours.  I’m falling asleep more readily, with the house much darker now in the evenings (following the lighting recommendations) and  my bedroom dark til dawn.  I still have that tendency to force myself to stay up and work on projects because I just don’t want to give up the night, but when I do get to bed, I am OUT!
  3. My dry skin from the week before is not longer dry nor itchy/flaky.  (This was a one-week fluke.)
  4. My waistline and mid-section have remained at the same measurement.
  5. My mood has remained very, very even all week, even with some things going on that would normally upset me.  I did vent about them, but only for a few minutes and then moved on.  Other potential upsets passed with an acknowledgment but no irrational insecurity or deep worry.  In short, I felt very steady during Week 5.
  6. And the biggie:  absolutely no hunger this week except right before meal time and no cravings at all, not even late in the evening.   I don’t remember ever in my life having a week without cravings.  No sugar cravings, no carb cravings, no chocolate cravings, no salt cravings, nothing.    This is by far the biggest change of the 5 weeks to date, with sleep being a nice second.

According to Jack’s prescription, this puts me just about where I need to be to begin my HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training.  I’d thought I might start at 5 weeks, but until my tummy troubles have subsided, I’ll delay a little longer and continue the walks instead of weights.  I’m very aware of my body right now and don’t want to confuse soreness from HIIT with the pain in my side until I’m more certain of the cause.  I’ll wait until at least the 6 Week mark to boost the exercise, and then I’ll consider adding in the cold treatments  a little later.

Though I haven’t lost weight yet on the reset –not really my primary goal–I can already count the lack of cravings/hunger, lack of insomnia, and lack of moodybitchitis as major successes.   No other diet, way of eating, or eating plan has ever achieved that for me.


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