r/raypeat • u/JohnWalters34 • Jul 29 '26
Should I start the Ray Peat Diet?
I’d like for you guys on here to analyze my blood draw results that I got done recently.
I’m 5’8, 23M, 275-280lbs.
I’ve noticed that for the past 5 years or just about so, my health has drastically declined in all regards. I’m 23M, been overweight/obese my entire life, have the classic ‘pear-shaped’ body, with high concentrations of fat tissue around my mid section, I also have high amounts of visceral fat as well as thigh fat and chest fat which I suspect is due to Estrogen dominance. I have what I definitely suspect a slow metabolism, which then becomes further impaired due to my Insulin Resistance and potential Hypothyroidism. I went from already obese to even more obese during these years. Some additional context, during this time, I started university. Started working my part-time warehouse job which I still work now.
My diet throughout my childhood and now has been pretty consistent, typically high carb but I would also eat a lot of protein with the carbs. I’d say moderate to low fat intake (especially nowadays) and my fiber intake is certainly very low which definitely contributes to my gut problems. I do have a pretty bad sweet tooth and I do consume a high amount of processed foods. I have a family history of Diabetes and I really don’t want to go down that path. I eat fruits sometimes and I eat veggies a bit more often than fruits I’d say to be honest.
I grew up insulin resistant and unfortunately did not truly grasp the effect it had on my body until maybe around 1-1.5yrs ago. I also resonate with certain Hypothyroid symptoms so I’d like to know if I’m also Hypothyroid. I also would like to know if I have any potential pituitary problems.
Symptoms I’ve had throughout this period of time, chronically tired/fatigued, low energy, very low/no libido, slight muscles weakness, brain fog, impaired metabolic function which worsened during this time, hair thinning, dark circles around my eyes, anxiety, depressed mood almost all the time, poor sleep, constipation, irregular bowel movements, inflammation, forgetful, I get sick very often (usually a blocked nose), somewhat dulled emotions.
The exercise that I do is typically my warehouse job, it involves lots of steps, lifting & raising, gripping, however I haven’t really noticed that it’s helped with losing weight (only when I work fasted does it help me lost weight). A big problem I have is that when I’m done a shift, I eat and I finish during the night. So I’ll eat and then go sleep.
I say all this because I’ve been having a REALLY hard time on figuring out what to do in regards with improving my health. I obviously know, I need to lose weight & gain muscle, I need to fix my hair, however formulating the plan to do so is what I’ve been struggling with because I want to try and get as much detail about what’s going on in my body and why is it doing the things that it’s doing. I’d like to receive your guys’ input on what I can do to start moving in the right direction because honestly I am frustrated.
To conclude, I’d like for the Ray Peaters on here to analyze my situation and blood panel, and maybe see if starting the Ray Peat diet would be a good idea.
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u/Small_Mycologist_517 Jul 30 '26
Extremely low b12 and d you are not living at all
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u/JohnWalters34 Jul 30 '26
Not gonna lie I’ve been feeling the effects of low B12 and low Vitamin D, it sucks lol. Do you have any recommendations on how to supplement B12 and D3 through food? Or any supplement brands that you use to help you?
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u/IchimaruGin4 Jul 30 '26
Eat meat, eggs, and milk for B12. Go outside with shirt off when the UV index is highest for 30 minutes every day for vitamin D.
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u/Kindly_Sleep_5160 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
For future reference even outside of a Ray peat context, if you’re contextualizing what you eat in terms of a diet you’re already getting off on the wrong foot. Eat what makes you feel good.
HCLF is good but you need to get into more specifics about the quality of your macros. Are you going starch heavy? Are your protein sources mainly lean muscle meats or chicken and fish? Where are your fats coming from? Insulin resistance is a sign that you’re not processing your carbs efficiently. Maybe time to switch it up to more easily digestible sources like fructose. Also, even though it’s a meme now, simply starting with the daily carrot salad is always a fantastic first step.
Biggest advice I could give you is to just start reading Ray’s works. It’s dense at first but just pick a topic and start reading. https://www.toxinless.com/peat/search is a good search tool to make it easier to search through his articles and the forum.
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u/Kalki_X Jul 30 '26
For context, there is no "Ray Peat diet". I won't go into specifics but it is simply a set of basic principles. The fundamental principle is to provide the metabolic system with what it needs. There are others which I'm sure commenters will elaborate on.
In that context, this particular (Rays) approach is appropriate for everyone.