I've been trying to do the leptin reset, but I'm perimenopausal, and I'm waking up 2 to 3 times a night due to hot flashes. I can't see how getting up and eating 3.5 hours after I fell asleep is going to help at all. If I do get up and eat, then I can't go back to bed for 3.5 to 4 hours based on the amount of time required between eating and sleeping, and by then, well, it's too late, cause I've got to get ready for work.

I've been letting myself go back to sleep after one hot flash, but when I wake up again, I get up and eat. As such, I've gone from sleeping (in general) 6.5 to 7 hours a night to less than 5.

How do most people manage this?

8 hours sleep 1 hour wake/eat/prep for work (this is pushing it) 1 hour commute time 9 hours at work time 1 hour commute time 1 hour cook/eat time And now I have only 3 hours left before I have to be back asleep again. Just shy of what's necessary.

And this assumes no bad traffic, no after work errands, etc.

Is it better just to skip dinner, instead?

Firstly, cheers to you for being a patient mom and nursing that little one on the fly, in bed, just being awoken and all. Awesome. I’m a guy so definitely take my crazytalk with many grains of salt.

You wake around 6:30am and have that zippy feeling. Why is this bad again? Waking up with an energetic feeling, which I have to assume is somewhat positive for you, is in what way something that is bad? Cortisol is supposed to elevated in the morning, upon rising. This is the natural energy-booster that is supposed to get us up and ready to do the day’s doings.

I understand you have the high CRP reading. Is this perhaps due to the stress you are going through naturally, from raising a child and all the night-waking, feeding, etc that goes along with it. Might that be a temporary, natural thing; and something that perhaps you are naturally suited to do?

I have to think that forcing 50 grams of protein down, when you clearly say you don’t want to get up to do, is less-than-necessary. While I am a big fan of protein and definitely wouldn’t tell you to not eat that much at a meal, I have to say that that’s a big amount of protein to get down upon waking. To give some sort of relative measure, elite lifters (girls and guys who are paid to work on physique) do not usually take that much protein immediately upon rising.

You shoulud remember that Dr K is:

a) a man.

b) not breastfeeding a baby.

c) thinks he knows everything :)

I would suggest eating when you get up in the morning and not when woken to breastfeed, get your sleep. Babies grow quickly, you wont be breastfeeding through the night for that much longer in relative terms (even if it feel like a long time).

I think 50 grams of protein is just a arbitary number. Dr K is I think quite a big guy so it is probably easier for him to eat that much food. I would not want to eat that much soon after waking.

I think it is probably more the eating of food with some protein in that reduces the cortisol levels rather than a magic number of grams. The book Mastering Leptin that I read recently just recommends "Eat a breakfast containing protein" soon after getting up, such as eggs rather than one based mainly on carbohydrate. However even just eating a breakfast of cereal has been associated with lower cortisol levels :)

I just had a quick look if anyone has done a study on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in breastfeeding mothers and could not find anything. However there are three studies on CRP in lactating dairy cows, just for the curiosity value :)

Elevation of bovine serum C-reactive protein and serum amyloid P component levels by lactation

From these observations, it was assumed that lactation might stimulate CRP synthesis rather than SAP synthesis in bovine liver as an acute phase reaction, and that CRP might be called a lactation-associated protein.

Study with long title

CRP blood serum levels show a distinct tendency to increase from the 2nd to the 20th week of lactation.

Serum C-reactive protein in dairy herds

C-reactive protein levels increased with milk production, peaking during high lactation (2 to 4 mo of pregnancy), and decreased when lactation ceased.

I've no solution, but a similar issue. I wake at 4:30ish in order to catch a bus by 5:30 and I really am not in the mood to eat. I tried my 50 g of protein a couple of days this week and felt horrible. On the other hand, this morning I tried eating my first meal at 7:30 when I arrived at work and was full and craving free until lunch. I've no idea how it will work with leptin reset, but I'm going to continue it for a while and see how it goes.

What about using an albumin shake in the morning to try to get to that 50 grams.

The product contains powdered egg yolk and biotin.

Also a question for Dr. K. Seems logical that a big man and a small woman don't both need 50 gm. So what amount is appropriate for a short woman - say 5' 1" - but will still be effective? 45? 40? 35?

Eating as soon as you rise is designed to destroy your AM cortisol level. It is not done to piss you off. It's based purely upon our hormone status. Once you get in that groove you will see some amazing benefits for a paleo lifestyle.......try it. If it does not work blow it off.....but try it. Dont let convention dictate terms. When you wake.....eat the protein and fat.