Not the best of weeks so far.
My wife is gone this week and I went off the very deep end on Monday. Dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, didn't limit chips/salsa and had a whole carne asada (ate the whole thing) including beans and rice. Post-prandial blood sugar 186.
Later that night got the munchies and had what was left of a bag of fritos and then a late night bowl of grapenuts. Next morning fasting glucose was 181!! (which tells me that my reaction to too much carb/sugar is still abnormal/diabetic.
Tues. AM, after a walk and breakfast (back to the protein shake) it was 130, still too high.
One hour post-prandial it was 112, much better.
After another larger meal later that night, 152, too high.
Had a slice of pizza before choir rehearsal and a chicken taco afterward. This morning (Thursday), fasting BG 96, back where it should be.
Clearly, I have to control the amounts of carbs to keep tighter control of BG.
I'm moving out of the strict liquid, VLCal/Carb diet. But need to make sure that I don't go off the deep end any more!
Hopefully, next week will be much closer to "normal!"
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Update 10-15-2011
When I talked with my doctor, the lab has to store the blood in a particular way/container to test for A1c, which they did not, so I'm out of luck until my next lab.
Blood sugars have been good, fasting in the morning always under 100 (usually 96-98) and low post-prandial. Even yesterday with a lunch at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, where my wife and I shared a carne asada: probably around 15 chips w/ salsa beforehand, steak, rice & beans, 1/2 avocado, and 3 nachos (chips with melted cheese), my one hour post-prandial BG was 126. It will be interesting to see when I go back to a more "normal" diet, what happens to my BG and if this brief low calorie/low carb diet has made a difference in how I process sugars, per the study in England.
Weight and Bodyfat:
Weight loss of 1 pound. Total now 24.5 pounds.
Blood sugars have been good, fasting in the morning always under 100 (usually 96-98) and low post-prandial. Even yesterday with a lunch at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, where my wife and I shared a carne asada: probably around 15 chips w/ salsa beforehand, steak, rice & beans, 1/2 avocado, and 3 nachos (chips with melted cheese), my one hour post-prandial BG was 126. It will be interesting to see when I go back to a more "normal" diet, what happens to my BG and if this brief low calorie/low carb diet has made a difference in how I process sugars, per the study in England.
Weight and Bodyfat:
Weight loss of 1 pound. Total now 24.5 pounds.
A bit of a slow down this week. Hard to know if I've adapted in some ways to this diet and down-regulated, or if it's just the way it is.
I've certainly seen exercise continuing to get better (reps increasing), although I've found the more intense schedule difficult and my back is sore today, perhaps from planks, leg lifts, and squats being one day right after another. If my back's still sore next week, I'll modify.
I've also been seeing pants becoming less tight and belts at yet one more notch tighter, so I'm losing inches. It could be that the muscle increase (since muscle is heavier than fat by volume) is making up for some of the fat loss. Again, we'll have to see.
I have only one week left on this restricted, mostly liquid diet, then will relax back, but hopefully still to an amount that will mean continued weight loss of a pound or so a week.
Oh yes, tried a fast this week (Monday dinner to Tuesday dinner). Neither difficult nor easy. Definitely felt hunger pangs. Broke fast with a taco salad, instead of shake. Not sure if I'll do one this week or not. My wife's gone this week, so I'm on my own Monday through Friday.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Weekly Update + labs - 10-8-2011
The weekly update is minus photos of the scale because my rechargeable batteries died. However, my weight was 222 and bodyfat 29.5% (lowest it's registered thus far, but again, this method is extraordinarily susceptible to fluctuations in fluid retention--but overall, it shows a continued drop). That's 3 pounds again this week, my second week in a row of a 3 lb loss on the low calorie/low carb plan. I don't know if that can keep up for successive weeks, but we'll see.
For the 13 weeks, 25.5 lbs. lost, 1.96 pounds a week, almost 2 pounds, a very good rate.
I've been quite strict on the low calorie/low carb, mostly liquid diet with a few salads (sometimes in place of the protein drink, occasionally in addition. I've had a few taco salads at restaurants, but since I do without sour cream and many add ons, still fairly low calorie and the break from drinking a meal is helpful, if not necessary. Tomorrow (Sunday), I'll relax a bit for lunch on carbs, but breakfast and dinner will be the usual protein drink.
At this point I've modified my plan so that I'll stick with this for 4 weeks, then take one or two weeks off (not going crazy, but allowing the kind of eating with more carbs I was doing prior to this). This serves several purposes. It allows me to re-load glycogen stores, bring metabolism back up (if it's dropped) and give enough of a break that I can go back to the VLC/C diet successfully. It also coincides with a visit by my parents so I can eat with them at restaurants more easily. I expect I'll gain a little weight back (mostly water after induction levels of carbs), but should get back on track quickly.
I'm also curious to see how my blood sugar levels are--if the diet (even in 4 weeks) has taken enough fat out of my pancreas to make a difference in how insulin-resistant I am. Blood sugars, by the way, have continued to improve, now always below 100 in the morning (fasting) and none rising above 110 one hour post-prandial. What will happen when I have more carbs now? Will they soar up to 160 or more? Or will they stay in a more reasonable level? We'll see.
There have been some interesting debates lately on some of the blogs on glycation (the bonding of a lipid with a sugar molecule)--that process that leads to AGE's (advanced glycation endproducts, which are not a good thing (cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, Alzheimers, cancer, etc.)! The debate is whether high (or moderately high) blood sugar leads to AGE's or not. I don't know enough of the science to judge who's correct, but I can only believe that having much more normal blood glucose can only help at this point, especially for a diabetic. Here's a quote from that wikipedia article on glycation and its importance for diabetics:
Triglycerides were 83--under 150 is considered normal and low risk for cardiovascular disease, so I'm in terrific territory there.
Cholesterol 154, with HDL at 26, which is low. Mine's always been low and I hope I can eventually raise it with exercise, some more dietary modifications, and as I move closer and closer to a healthy metabolic range, weight, musculature, etc. Under 200 total cholesterol is considered fine, but "optimal" LDL is under 100 (mine at 111). My doctor follows the lipid hypothesis, which would say that with my risk factors (diabetes, a not-perfect calcium score) I should be on statins to lower LDL.
However, from the wikipedia article linked above on some evidence that low cholesterol can be a problem:
I'll also see if my doc can run a panel that separates out the different LDL particles, since the small dense ones are considered most dangerous and the large, puffy ones are considered beneficial.
More as I research more. If the lab gets my A1c, I'll list it in the next post.
By the way, exercise continues to go well. I began doing a 2nd set of my core exercises today since I had several days holding the plank for 60 seconds. I continue to add reps to all exercises on a regular basis and walk 30 minutes or so each day. The next thing should be adding some running/sprinting/going up steps for intervals, which would kick my butt (and I would have to very gradually adapt to that), but which would be excellent. More from Clarence Bass's website on intervals here, here, and here.
Quote from the last one:
For the 13 weeks, 25.5 lbs. lost, 1.96 pounds a week, almost 2 pounds, a very good rate.
I've been quite strict on the low calorie/low carb, mostly liquid diet with a few salads (sometimes in place of the protein drink, occasionally in addition. I've had a few taco salads at restaurants, but since I do without sour cream and many add ons, still fairly low calorie and the break from drinking a meal is helpful, if not necessary. Tomorrow (Sunday), I'll relax a bit for lunch on carbs, but breakfast and dinner will be the usual protein drink.
At this point I've modified my plan so that I'll stick with this for 4 weeks, then take one or two weeks off (not going crazy, but allowing the kind of eating with more carbs I was doing prior to this). This serves several purposes. It allows me to re-load glycogen stores, bring metabolism back up (if it's dropped) and give enough of a break that I can go back to the VLC/C diet successfully. It also coincides with a visit by my parents so I can eat with them at restaurants more easily. I expect I'll gain a little weight back (mostly water after induction levels of carbs), but should get back on track quickly.
I'm also curious to see how my blood sugar levels are--if the diet (even in 4 weeks) has taken enough fat out of my pancreas to make a difference in how insulin-resistant I am. Blood sugars, by the way, have continued to improve, now always below 100 in the morning (fasting) and none rising above 110 one hour post-prandial. What will happen when I have more carbs now? Will they soar up to 160 or more? Or will they stay in a more reasonable level? We'll see.
There have been some interesting debates lately on some of the blogs on glycation (the bonding of a lipid with a sugar molecule)--that process that leads to AGE's (advanced glycation endproducts, which are not a good thing (cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, Alzheimers, cancer, etc.)! The debate is whether high (or moderately high) blood sugar leads to AGE's or not. I don't know enough of the science to judge who's correct, but I can only believe that having much more normal blood glucose can only help at this point, especially for a diabetic. Here's a quote from that wikipedia article on glycation and its importance for diabetics:
Red blood cells have a consistent lifespan of 120 days and are easily accessible for measurement of recent increased presence of glycating product. This fact is used in monitoring blood sugar control in diabetes by monitoring the glycated hemoglobin level, also known as HbA1c. As a consequence, long-lived cells (such as nerves, brain cells), long-lasting proteins (such as eye crystalline and collagen), and DNA may accumulate substantial damage over time. Cells such as the retina cells in the eyes, and beta cells (insulin-producing) in the pancreas are also at high risk of damage[citation needed]. Damage by glycation results in stiffening of the collagen in the blood vessel walls, leading to high blood pressure, especially in diabetes.[9] Glycations also cause weakening of the collagen in the blood vessel walls[citation needed], which may lead to micro- or macro-aneurisms; this may cause strokes if in the brain.At the 12-week point I also did my labs for my regular diabetic check-up. Unfortunately the lab didn't measure A1c (which shows blood sugar over a 3 month period)--my doctor was going to get the lab to re-test (apparently they hold your blood for 7 days), but when I called yesterday it wasn't in yet. I would guess it's good--with metformin and a mediocre diet + no exercise it's always been just fine, so I hope with a much lower carb diet that it'll be even better.
Triglycerides were 83--under 150 is considered normal and low risk for cardiovascular disease, so I'm in terrific territory there.
Cholesterol 154, with HDL at 26, which is low. Mine's always been low and I hope I can eventually raise it with exercise, some more dietary modifications, and as I move closer and closer to a healthy metabolic range, weight, musculature, etc. Under 200 total cholesterol is considered fine, but "optimal" LDL is under 100 (mine at 111). My doctor follows the lipid hypothesis, which would say that with my risk factors (diabetes, a not-perfect calcium score) I should be on statins to lower LDL.
However, from the wikipedia article linked above on some evidence that low cholesterol can be a problem:
Given the well-recognized role of cholesterol in cardiovascular disease, some studies have shown, surprisingly, an inverse correlation between cholesterol levels and mortality. A 2009 study of patients with acute coronary syndromes found an association of hypercholesterolemia with better mortality outcomes.[50] In the Framingham Heart Study, in subjects over 50 years of age, they found an 11% increase overall and 14% increase in CVD mortality per 1 mg/dL per year drop in total cholesterol levels. The researchers attributed this phenomenon to the fact that people with severe chronic diseases or cancer tend to have below-normal cholesterol levels.[51] This explanation is not supported by the Vorarlberg Health Monitoring and Promotion Programme, in which men of all ages and women over 50 with very low cholesterol were increasingly likely to die of cancer, liver diseases, and mental diseases. This result indicates the low-cholesterol effect occurs even among younger respondents, contradicting the previous assessment among cohorts of older people that this is a proxy or marker for frailty occurring with age.[52]
The vast majority of doctors and medical scientists consider that there is a link between cholesterol and atherosclerosis as discussed above;[53] a small group of scientists, united in The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics, questions the link.[54]This is the crux of the matter and one I'll have to research more and deal with in making decisions.
I'll also see if my doc can run a panel that separates out the different LDL particles, since the small dense ones are considered most dangerous and the large, puffy ones are considered beneficial.
More as I research more. If the lab gets my A1c, I'll list it in the next post.
By the way, exercise continues to go well. I began doing a 2nd set of my core exercises today since I had several days holding the plank for 60 seconds. I continue to add reps to all exercises on a regular basis and walk 30 minutes or so each day. The next thing should be adding some running/sprinting/going up steps for intervals, which would kick my butt (and I would have to very gradually adapt to that), but which would be excellent. More from Clarence Bass's website on intervals here, here, and here.
Quote from the last one:
Another study from Norway, reported in Circulation (July 7, 2008), compared moderate and high intensity exercise for increasing aerobic capacity (VO2max) and treating metabolic syndrome: a cluster of disorders representing a major risk of coronary heart disease (http://www.cbass.com/SyndromeX.htm).
According to the researchers, individuals with metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, and abdominal obesity) are three times more likely to die of heart disease than healthy people.
As in the previous study, aerobic interval training (90% of heart-rate maximum) proved more effective than the same volume of moderate continuous exercise (70% of max). Intervals increased VO2max by 35%, compared to 16% for continuous training. This is significant, because individuals with metabolic syndrome usually have reduced fitness. Intervals also did a better job of removing or reducing the risk factors—probably due at least in part to the greater increase in VO2max.
Interestingly, the researchers gave a clear rationale for interval training: “Most evidence suggests that it is the pumping capacity of the heart that limits VO2max and [intervals] enable patients to complete short work periods at higher intensities, which thereby challenge the pumping ability of the heart more than would be possible [with] lower intensities.”
The study included 32 adults (average age 52) with three or more of the metabolic syndrome traits. As in the previous study, they exercised three times a week, doing either four 4-minute high-intensity intervals (with three minutes of active rest) or 47 minutes of continuous moderate walking on an “uphill” treadmill. The difference was that the experimental period was longer, 16 weeks compared to 13 weeks. Again, exercise time was calculated to burn the same number of calories.
To cut through the technical nature of the report, the following summary of results is drawn in part from a press release from the American Heart Association (publisher of Circulation).
While both groups experienced a reduction in blood pressure and lost about the same amount of weight, the interval group showed more improvement in how their bodies handle blood sugar and respond to insulin. In addition, the interval group increased HDL “good” cholesterol by about 25%, while the continuous training group showed no improvement.
Definitely important for me!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
12 week Update - 10-1-11
So, here I am, 12 weeks later.
Weight/Bodyfat:
Weight/Bodyfat:
Sorry for the blurry photo. Lost 22.5 pounds, 1.875 lb/week. Bodyfat listed as 39% at beginning, but hard to compare (with this kind of measurement, due to differences in water), but the general direction is good. With new diet, down 3 pounds this week. Question is, can I sustain that loss, or close to it, with the current, much more restricted diet?
I went in for labs on Thursday and will see my doctor Monday and let you know the results.
At the end of August I started exercising (was walking before that, but started my core exercises and the "Convict Conditioning" ones--bodyweight exercises) at that time. For core, I do side planks (from the knees), bird-dog, and plank (on elbows), plus some stretches. All have gotten better, the plank held around 30 seconds at the beginning, now one minute (one month later).
The other exercises are easy push up/pull up/leg lift/squat variations--remember, there are 10 versions of each exercise, each getting progressively harder. Up to one-arm pushups and pull ups, for example--the middle ones (around 5) are getting towards "normal" exercises, like a regular pushup. The version of pushups I'm doing now (wall pushups) have gone from 1 set of 10 to 2 sets of 25. I will need to get to 3 sets of 50 before moving on to step 2 in the sequence of 10, so an very slowly graduated pace of improvement--good for me at age 61!
Pictorial evidence (beginning/now):
And from the side:
As you can see, I've improved, but am hardly a hardbody!
Much more to be done. You can't see easily in the photos, but I've lost more in my legs than in my belly (although that's reduced, too). That's one of the most important things to do now--and the reason behind the current plan--to get rid of as much visceral (belly) fat as possible, since that has a very negative metabolic effect, hormonally. If the new plan can lower abdominal fat (and take it out of my pancreas and liver, making my responses to blood sugar much better (lower insulin resistance), it will be a very positive thing!
I figure it will take a minimum of 48 weeks--3 more 12 week periods--and likely more, to get to where I need to be. And that doesn't mean where I can be ultimately, but to close to where I can/should be for excellent health.
So, not bad for the first 12 weeks. Here's to seeing what I can do for the next 12!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Evening 9-27-11
A good sign.
A colleague came over before the concert tonight and we went to our usual Mexican restaurant. So no shake for me tonight.
Taco salad, no beans, no sour cream (I don't like it anyway), so lettuce, tomato, ground beef, a bit of cheese, and salsa for dressing--I ate it all! NO chips, water to drink.
I hour later, blood glucose 118, just fine.
A colleague came over before the concert tonight and we went to our usual Mexican restaurant. So no shake for me tonight.
Taco salad, no beans, no sour cream (I don't like it anyway), so lettuce, tomato, ground beef, a bit of cheese, and salsa for dressing--I ate it all! NO chips, water to drink.
I hour later, blood glucose 118, just fine.
Checking blood sugars/ 9-27-11
This morning, my fasting blood sugar was 106. One hour after breakfast 116, a negligible rise, not surprising since my breakfast shake has only 8.5 grams of carbs. But it's a good sign.
Still feeling fine. A little tired today on the walk, but it's hard to separate from normal fluctuations. Could be that, or could be that I've now gotten rid of most of my stored carbohydrate (glycogen) in my liver and muscles and am forced to burn fat.
We'll see how it goes the rest of the week. A long day today, with a trip into Dallas this AM, rehearsals in the afternoon, and a concert tonight (followed tomorrow by an 8 AM meeting, full day of teaching, and trip to Dallas for rehearsal in the evening). Life is busy!
Still feeling fine. A little tired today on the walk, but it's hard to separate from normal fluctuations. Could be that, or could be that I've now gotten rid of most of my stored carbohydrate (glycogen) in my liver and muscles and am forced to burn fat.
We'll see how it goes the rest of the week. A long day today, with a trip into Dallas this AM, rehearsals in the afternoon, and a concert tonight (followed tomorrow by an 8 AM meeting, full day of teaching, and trip to Dallas for rehearsal in the evening). Life is busy!
Monday, September 26, 2011
New Plan follow-up 9-26-11
So, a couple things:
Weight on Sunday morning (a more reasonable starting place after a big Friday--and big Friday weight):
2.5 pounds less, so one can say that most the difference is likely retained H2O. 228 is a reasonable starting point to see what effect this new diet has.
That means 19.5 pounds since I began--over 11 weeks that's one and 3/4 pounds per week . . . but most of that happened early on, with a huge slowdown and plateau in recent weeks. This new plan should change that.
Also, I've revamped my diet protocol. Given the relatively high calorie and fat count, I've modified so that I combine one scoop of Sisson's protein powder with one of Designer Protein (which is higher in protein, lower in fat and carbs). I also cut coconut oil to one tablespoon, calculated the egg yolk for only breakfast and dinner (lunch will be taken in a thermos, so I don't want a raw egg sitting around for several hours). Eliminated the BCCAs (not necessary, I think) and yoghurt. I'm also not counting the fish oil or SafSlim separately.
I've also added a cup of beef (or chicken) broth, mostly for the salt to help with the inevitable loss of salt with such low carbs. I'm not counting those calories, which are minimal.
This gives me a count of 1100 calories/day, with 90 grams of protein (plenty, I think, 33% of total calories); 25.5 grams of carbs (low, near induction levels, 9% of calories); and 72 grams of fat (almost all from the coconut oil--medium chain triglycerides, 58% of total calories).
Of course, I need to see what the result is (and how difficult it is to stick to this).
But I think it's a reasonable place to start.
I also need to start remembering to check blood sugar, to see where my fasting level is in the morning, and where the 1 hour post-prandial is most of the time.
Finally, I have been keeping up my exercise on a regular basis--keeping a complete log of exercises and how many sets and reps (I have missed almost no days, except Sunday, when the schedule is too tight to do this--also not bad to have one day off). It will be critical to see that I keep improving on this diet. Otherwise, it shows a loss of muscle, which I decidedly do not want! In the same way, I need to see that my energy stays high on this.
I should burn most of the MCT fats directly, so they should not be stored in my body (or more importantly, in my liver or pancreas). I will likely be in ketosis due to low carbs, which has a muscle-sparing effect, manufactures ketone bodies which can take the place of some of the glucose needed by my brain, and which should also repress appetite. I would say that this is lower carb than the Optifast used in the British study (despite the higher calories of my plan), and also more (and higher quality) protein. My hope is that I maintain more muscle mass (and in fact, want to increase it), while still burning lots of fat.
We'll see!
Weight on Sunday morning (a more reasonable starting place after a big Friday--and big Friday weight):
2.5 pounds less, so one can say that most the difference is likely retained H2O. 228 is a reasonable starting point to see what effect this new diet has.
That means 19.5 pounds since I began--over 11 weeks that's one and 3/4 pounds per week . . . but most of that happened early on, with a huge slowdown and plateau in recent weeks. This new plan should change that.
Also, I've revamped my diet protocol. Given the relatively high calorie and fat count, I've modified so that I combine one scoop of Sisson's protein powder with one of Designer Protein (which is higher in protein, lower in fat and carbs). I also cut coconut oil to one tablespoon, calculated the egg yolk for only breakfast and dinner (lunch will be taken in a thermos, so I don't want a raw egg sitting around for several hours). Eliminated the BCCAs (not necessary, I think) and yoghurt. I'm also not counting the fish oil or SafSlim separately.
I've also added a cup of beef (or chicken) broth, mostly for the salt to help with the inevitable loss of salt with such low carbs. I'm not counting those calories, which are minimal.
This gives me a count of 1100 calories/day, with 90 grams of protein (plenty, I think, 33% of total calories); 25.5 grams of carbs (low, near induction levels, 9% of calories); and 72 grams of fat (almost all from the coconut oil--medium chain triglycerides, 58% of total calories).
Of course, I need to see what the result is (and how difficult it is to stick to this).
But I think it's a reasonable place to start.
I also need to start remembering to check blood sugar, to see where my fasting level is in the morning, and where the 1 hour post-prandial is most of the time.
Finally, I have been keeping up my exercise on a regular basis--keeping a complete log of exercises and how many sets and reps (I have missed almost no days, except Sunday, when the schedule is too tight to do this--also not bad to have one day off). It will be critical to see that I keep improving on this diet. Otherwise, it shows a loss of muscle, which I decidedly do not want! In the same way, I need to see that my energy stays high on this.
I should burn most of the MCT fats directly, so they should not be stored in my body (or more importantly, in my liver or pancreas). I will likely be in ketosis due to low carbs, which has a muscle-sparing effect, manufactures ketone bodies which can take the place of some of the glucose needed by my brain, and which should also repress appetite. I would say that this is lower carb than the Optifast used in the British study (despite the higher calories of my plan), and also more (and higher quality) protein. My hope is that I maintain more muscle mass (and in fact, want to increase it), while still burning lots of fat.
We'll see!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
New plan - Week 11 report
Still not too disciplined this week, although not bad. I'll check again tomorrow on weight for a more accurate read, since I had a sandwich at lunch (bread!), a large Mexican meal (see a pattern here?) for dinner (didn't split the carne asada with my wife, but we each ordered one), then after a concert, had a friend over and had some "good" dessert snacks and a glass of white wine. Weight this morning after a high (and late)-eating day is:
We'll see what tomorrow's shows.
I'd been considering a very low calorie diet for 8 weeks (and still might). A very interesting study out of England used a VLC diet (600 calories/day, plus non-starchy veg). Report here . . . excerpts:
Interesting, huh?
The full study may be found here: http://www.diabetologia-journal.org/Lim.pdf
I started by thinking I'd do the diet as is, but with perhaps a little extra "good fat." Today I calculated a bit of what I'm eating and what it might look like, in terms of calories, protein, carbs, fat, etc.
My protein drinks are now Mark Sisson's protein powder, made with with 5 grams of BCCA's, one egg yolk, about 1/8 c. yoghurt (help keep healthy bacterial population in my bowel), and 2 tbl. virgin coconut oil (Tropical Traditions). I'm also talking fish oil 2 x day, plus a product called SafSlim, which is a specially processed high linoleic safflower oil, which is supposed to reduce belly fat (the bad kind!).
When I add this all together (3 shakes, plus the fish oil and SafSlim, I get the following:
87 gm. protein (ca. 20% of calories)
47 gm. carbs (ca. 10% of calories)
142 gm. fat (ca. 70% of calories)
and around 1800 calories/day.
Much more than 600 (you can probably do the math, too!).
The question is whether the coconut oil, which is a medium-chain triglyceride, fish oil, and SafSlim (there's also coconut oil in Sisson's protein powder, and a little fat in the egg yolk and yoghurt) will cause problems. MCT's are supposed to be burned directly in a different way. But will this much fat, even of a "good" kind, cause me to keep fat in the pancreas?
Presumably the positive effects of the 8 week/600 cal/day diet comes from lowering the fat in the pancreas, allowing the beta cells to return to normal function.
I'll see how I feel after a week and what the results are.
My choice, if I wish to lower fat and calories is, first, to eliminate the extra coconut oil--two tbls are 28 grams of fat, times three shakes is 84 grams, or 756 calories of fat. Hmmm . . .
I could also eliminate the yoghurt (I'm already taking some probiotics to help re-populate my gut after taking a fairly powerful antibiotic post-nasal surgery). Next would be the SafSlim, since there's perhaps not enough evidence that it works as promised.
That would lead to ca. 1000 calories/day, 84 gms. protein (33% of calories), 44 grams of carbs (17% of calories), and 54 grams of fat (ca. 50% of calories).
So, I'll see what happens this week, how my body reacts, and then decide if I should cut down fat. I could do that gradually, eliminating one element at at time.
An experiment of one. We'll see.
I'd been considering a very low calorie diet for 8 weeks (and still might). A very interesting study out of England used a VLC diet (600 calories/day, plus non-starchy veg). Report here . . . excerpts:
People who have had obesity-related type 2 diabetes for years have been cured, at least temporarily, by keeping to an extreme, low-calorie, diet for two months, scientists report today.
The discovery, reported by scientists at Newcastle University, overturns previous assumptions about type 2 diabetes, which was thought to be a lifelong illness.
Eleven people with diabetes took part in the study, which was funded by Diabetes UK. They had to slash their food intake to just 600 calories a day for two months. But three months later seven of the 11 were free of diabetes.
"To have people free of diabetes after years with the condition is remarkable – and all because of an eight-week diet," said Roy Taylor, professor at Newcastle University, who led the study. "This is a radical change in understanding type 2 diabetes. It will change how we can explain it to people newly diagnosed with the condition. While it has long been believed that someone with type 2 diabetes will always have the disease, and that it will steadily get worse, we have shown that we can reverse the condition."
The research, presented today at the American Diabetes Association conference, shows that an extremely low-calorie diet, consisting of diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables, prompts the body to remove the fat clogging the pancreas and preventing it from making insulin.
The volunteers were closely supervised by a medical team and matched with the same number of volunteers with diabetes who did not get the special diet. After just one week into the study, the pre-breakfast blood sugar levels of the study group had returned to normal. And MRI scans showed that the fat levels in the pancreas had returned to normal. The pancreas regained its ability to make insulin.
After the eight-week diet the volunteers returned to normal eating but had advice on healthy foods and portion size. Ten of the group were retested and seven had stayed free of diabetes.
Taylor thought the massive drop in calorie intake after surgery could be responsible and to test this hypothesis set up the study, which included MRI scans of the pancreas to look at any changes in the fatty deposits.
"We believe this shows that type 2 diabetes is all about energy balance in the body," said Taylor. "If you are eating more than you burn, then the excess is stored in the liver and pancreas as fat, which can lead to type 2 diabetes in some people. What we need to examine further is why some people are more susceptible to developing diabetes than others."
Interesting, huh?
The full study may be found here: http://www.diabetologia-journal.org/Lim.pdf
I started by thinking I'd do the diet as is, but with perhaps a little extra "good fat." Today I calculated a bit of what I'm eating and what it might look like, in terms of calories, protein, carbs, fat, etc.
My protein drinks are now Mark Sisson's protein powder, made with with 5 grams of BCCA's, one egg yolk, about 1/8 c. yoghurt (help keep healthy bacterial population in my bowel), and 2 tbl. virgin coconut oil (Tropical Traditions). I'm also talking fish oil 2 x day, plus a product called SafSlim, which is a specially processed high linoleic safflower oil, which is supposed to reduce belly fat (the bad kind!).
When I add this all together (3 shakes, plus the fish oil and SafSlim, I get the following:
87 gm. protein (ca. 20% of calories)
47 gm. carbs (ca. 10% of calories)
142 gm. fat (ca. 70% of calories)
and around 1800 calories/day.
Much more than 600 (you can probably do the math, too!).
The question is whether the coconut oil, which is a medium-chain triglyceride, fish oil, and SafSlim (there's also coconut oil in Sisson's protein powder, and a little fat in the egg yolk and yoghurt) will cause problems. MCT's are supposed to be burned directly in a different way. But will this much fat, even of a "good" kind, cause me to keep fat in the pancreas?
Presumably the positive effects of the 8 week/600 cal/day diet comes from lowering the fat in the pancreas, allowing the beta cells to return to normal function.
I'll see how I feel after a week and what the results are.
My choice, if I wish to lower fat and calories is, first, to eliminate the extra coconut oil--two tbls are 28 grams of fat, times three shakes is 84 grams, or 756 calories of fat. Hmmm . . .
I could also eliminate the yoghurt (I'm already taking some probiotics to help re-populate my gut after taking a fairly powerful antibiotic post-nasal surgery). Next would be the SafSlim, since there's perhaps not enough evidence that it works as promised.
That would lead to ca. 1000 calories/day, 84 gms. protein (33% of calories), 44 grams of carbs (17% of calories), and 54 grams of fat (ca. 50% of calories).
So, I'll see what happens this week, how my body reacts, and then decide if I should cut down fat. I could do that gradually, eliminating one element at at time.
An experiment of one. We'll see.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Weeks 8 & 9 report
Still incredibly busy, so haven't posted much. Moved too far from lower carbs, so reigned that in this past week starting on Monday. Exercise has continued very well: walking almost every day (finally out my front door instead of the mall with the heat broken), core exercises, and adding my bodyweight exercises (variations on push ups, pull ups, squats, and leg lifts) plus some grip work and a bit more stretching.
I've also started weekly massages (leave for one in about 10 minutes!) to help cope with a 6 days x week schedule that's really intense.
Week 8:
Week 9:
So, overall, back on better track. Total weight lost 18.5 pounds. A hair over 2 pounds/week lost.
I've also started weekly massages (leave for one in about 10 minutes!) to help cope with a 6 days x week schedule that's really intense.
Week 8:
Week 9:
So, overall, back on better track. Total weight lost 18.5 pounds. A hair over 2 pounds/week lost.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Catching up - weekly reports for Weeks 5, 6 & 7
Sorry that I haven't been active lately -- lots happening. Reports first, then some analysis:
Week 5 weight:
Week 6 Weight:
Week 7 Weight:
So, weight loss has slowed down--not a surprise given some things I'll explain. But 3 pounds in 3 weeks is fine. Bodyfat, by the way, shows just how much this measurement is affected by hydration and other elements, particularly with this kind of scale. In the three weeks: 35%, 36.5%, and 30.5%. I don't think my actual bodyfat changed that much! That's why it's only a good indicator over a long period of time (and I may wish to get bodyfat measured later by another method).
So, what's going on? The good, bad and the ugly (except I'll go in opposite order):
Ugly! This has been an extraordinarily stressful time. School starting back up, usual hyper busy schedule. Stress, as we know, causes the body to release cortisol, which does all sorts of negative things, and stress also causes the body to react by protecting fat stores. My nasal surgery has not been effective, with the right nostril entirely plugged 80% of the time (and almost always at night). This means I've rarely been able to use the CPAP for a whole night, leaving me most of the time with about 4-5 hours of not-very-restful sleep.
Of course, that's what the surgery was supposed to solve! Saw the doctor again Thursday and he thinks the cutting of the turbinate on the right side has caused another problem. For now, I'm on a short course of steroids (prednisone) and a fairly potent antibiotic. We'll see if the prednisone takes down the swelling/inflammation in the right passage and if the antibiotic gets rid of the infection/inflammation behind the turbinate (where the doc couldn't see even with his scope). I'll check back in two weeks with him to see if, once off drugs, I'm getting a better result. If not, it means another X-ray/CAT scan to see what's going on. I don't want that to be another surgery! The prednisone also drives up your blood sugar--not good for me at all.
Bad! One phrase: creeping carbs. A few more carbs each day can add up. A few meals out (including several at a favorite Mexican restaurant where I have some chips and did eat the beans and rice), more of the sugar free (but not carb free!) puddings and nuts at night. Only once had wheat (sub sandwich while out for lunch with colleagues). And protein shakes for breakfast every morning (too easy).
Good! Despite all of this, I've managed to keep calorie counts pretty low with no real breakdowns, binging, etc. That's why, even given all the negatives, I've been able to have a modest weight loss and not lose control. Additionally, I've walked (at the mall--after all, even in the morning it's close to 90 degrees here!) almost every day (23-25 minutes, depending on how fast I get around the mall interior twice). This has made me feel much better. And I've also done my core exercises at least 3 times per week.
So, overall, still going in the right direction. If I can get past the most stressful part of the year and solve my nasal problems, then I should "resume normal operations".
Week 5 weight:
So, what's going on? The good, bad and the ugly (except I'll go in opposite order):
Ugly! This has been an extraordinarily stressful time. School starting back up, usual hyper busy schedule. Stress, as we know, causes the body to release cortisol, which does all sorts of negative things, and stress also causes the body to react by protecting fat stores. My nasal surgery has not been effective, with the right nostril entirely plugged 80% of the time (and almost always at night). This means I've rarely been able to use the CPAP for a whole night, leaving me most of the time with about 4-5 hours of not-very-restful sleep.
Of course, that's what the surgery was supposed to solve! Saw the doctor again Thursday and he thinks the cutting of the turbinate on the right side has caused another problem. For now, I'm on a short course of steroids (prednisone) and a fairly potent antibiotic. We'll see if the prednisone takes down the swelling/inflammation in the right passage and if the antibiotic gets rid of the infection/inflammation behind the turbinate (where the doc couldn't see even with his scope). I'll check back in two weeks with him to see if, once off drugs, I'm getting a better result. If not, it means another X-ray/CAT scan to see what's going on. I don't want that to be another surgery! The prednisone also drives up your blood sugar--not good for me at all.
Bad! One phrase: creeping carbs. A few more carbs each day can add up. A few meals out (including several at a favorite Mexican restaurant where I have some chips and did eat the beans and rice), more of the sugar free (but not carb free!) puddings and nuts at night. Only once had wheat (sub sandwich while out for lunch with colleagues). And protein shakes for breakfast every morning (too easy).
Good! Despite all of this, I've managed to keep calorie counts pretty low with no real breakdowns, binging, etc. That's why, even given all the negatives, I've been able to have a modest weight loss and not lose control. Additionally, I've walked (at the mall--after all, even in the morning it's close to 90 degrees here!) almost every day (23-25 minutes, depending on how fast I get around the mall interior twice). This has made me feel much better. And I've also done my core exercises at least 3 times per week.
So, overall, still going in the right direction. If I can get past the most stressful part of the year and solve my nasal problems, then I should "resume normal operations".
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday 8-8-11 - extra carbs
Monday was another fairly low-energy day. Doc's appt. follow-up on the septum surgery at 11 and we went to a local Mexican restaurant afterwards.
No chips (good for me) and a taco salad (quite good). The only problem was they layered refried beans on the bottom and put the ground beef directly atop, so I couldn't avoid eating the beans. Very tasty, but more carbs than planned for! Post-prandial blood sugar at 122.
For "dinner" I had 2 oz. of cheese, tomatoes, guacamole (this is always "house-made" and the equivalent of 1/2 avocado). My sweetie also made some interesting baked cheese things (essentially cheese and spices) which are delicious, but will call for some restraint. She also made (the day before) some "crackers" out of some combination of almond flour, sunflower and I'm not sure what. Again, tasty, but even though they aren't made out of grains, still doesn't mean they're low carb (although much lower than most). Also had one of the no-sugar puddings (again, no sugar, but that doesn't mean no carb: around 14 grams). Blood sugar at 110.
Bigger challenges ahead as my schedule becomes busier (crazy at times, I should say), more temptation eating out, etc.
Finding something that's sustainable, checking blood sugar to see how different foods affect me will all be important.
No chips (good for me) and a taco salad (quite good). The only problem was they layered refried beans on the bottom and put the ground beef directly atop, so I couldn't avoid eating the beans. Very tasty, but more carbs than planned for! Post-prandial blood sugar at 122.
For "dinner" I had 2 oz. of cheese, tomatoes, guacamole (this is always "house-made" and the equivalent of 1/2 avocado). My sweetie also made some interesting baked cheese things (essentially cheese and spices) which are delicious, but will call for some restraint. She also made (the day before) some "crackers" out of some combination of almond flour, sunflower and I'm not sure what. Again, tasty, but even though they aren't made out of grains, still doesn't mean they're low carb (although much lower than most). Also had one of the no-sugar puddings (again, no sugar, but that doesn't mean no carb: around 14 grams). Blood sugar at 110.
Bigger challenges ahead as my schedule becomes busier (crazy at times, I should say), more temptation eating out, etc.
Finding something that's sustainable, checking blood sugar to see how different foods affect me will all be important.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Sunday, 7 August 2011--looking ahead to exercise
Diet back to more normal low carb today, although two protein shakes and one meal (cheese, veggies, guacamole), one low-carb pudding and two 1 oz. servings of macademia nuts. I'm not including sugar-free jello, which I probably eat once or twice each day as a bit of a (no carb) treat.
Sleep not as good, still woke up after 2 hours, but up longer before getting back to sleep. Sunday night's sleep about the same, or even less. Soon I'll be back to a normal work schedule and have to see how I can settle into a pattern and be more regular. In a future post I'll outline a plan to improve sleep.
Continue getting better from the surgery, less congestion, although still enough to interfere with CPAP breathing and sleep.
Saturday was incredibly energized. Went to a mall where we walked ca. 2 miles. Then in the evening walked again at our "home" mall, very energetic. Sunday, however, felt tired, logy--walked at the mall but at a slower pace. Decided not to go to an opera at school--a bit too tired and the congestion gets much worse at night. Thought I would go Sunday, but was very tired and more congested (from doing more the previous day?).
Local mall is open for mall-walking from 7-9 every morning but Sunday, so I need to do before work as I work into a regular schedule.
Every day, I should walk, twice if I don't have an evening commitment. Not long, perhaps 20 minutes of continuous walking. Enough to get some aerobic effect. Eventually, I should do either stairs or running in an interval fashion, perhaps once or twice per week.
Then, 3-4 times/week my core exercises: bird-dog, plank, side planks.
3-4 times/week, simple body-weight strength exercises: pushups, pull-ups, leg raises and squats. For this, I'll use a progression from very simple (e.g. wall pushups to knee pushups, etc.) to more difficult (full pushups to one-arm pushups).
Essentially, I'll alternate core exercises with the body-weight ones. All this should build muscle and the core should help my back, long-term.
The progression in the body-weight exercises will come from a book with a somewhat terrible title, Convict Conditioning
, but quite a good idea of how to progress from very easy exercises to very difficult. These move through 10 progressively more difficult versions of each exercise, plus recommendations for reps and sets . . . and when you're ready to move to the next, more difficult version. Ultimately there are two other foundation exercises (bridge and handstand pushups), but you can't begin those until you've gotten to at least level 6 out of 10 in the four listed above.
There are probably other things I must do too--some stretching, exercises for my rotator cuff, grip exercises--but those can be fit in to other times and places--at the office, while watching TV, etc.
I'll work my way into these slowly, not all at once. I need to adapt, both muscles and overall ability to do exercise and my normal schedule as I recover from the combination of surgeries and lack of activity this summer.
Sleep not as good, still woke up after 2 hours, but up longer before getting back to sleep. Sunday night's sleep about the same, or even less. Soon I'll be back to a normal work schedule and have to see how I can settle into a pattern and be more regular. In a future post I'll outline a plan to improve sleep.
Continue getting better from the surgery, less congestion, although still enough to interfere with CPAP breathing and sleep.
Saturday was incredibly energized. Went to a mall where we walked ca. 2 miles. Then in the evening walked again at our "home" mall, very energetic. Sunday, however, felt tired, logy--walked at the mall but at a slower pace. Decided not to go to an opera at school--a bit too tired and the congestion gets much worse at night. Thought I would go Sunday, but was very tired and more congested (from doing more the previous day?).
Local mall is open for mall-walking from 7-9 every morning but Sunday, so I need to do before work as I work into a regular schedule.
Every day, I should walk, twice if I don't have an evening commitment. Not long, perhaps 20 minutes of continuous walking. Enough to get some aerobic effect. Eventually, I should do either stairs or running in an interval fashion, perhaps once or twice per week.
Then, 3-4 times/week my core exercises: bird-dog, plank, side planks.
3-4 times/week, simple body-weight strength exercises: pushups, pull-ups, leg raises and squats. For this, I'll use a progression from very simple (e.g. wall pushups to knee pushups, etc.) to more difficult (full pushups to one-arm pushups).
Essentially, I'll alternate core exercises with the body-weight ones. All this should build muscle and the core should help my back, long-term.
The progression in the body-weight exercises will come from a book with a somewhat terrible title, Convict Conditioning
, but quite a good idea of how to progress from very easy exercises to very difficult. These move through 10 progressively more difficult versions of each exercise, plus recommendations for reps and sets . . . and when you're ready to move to the next, more difficult version. Ultimately there are two other foundation exercises (bridge and handstand pushups), but you can't begin those until you've gotten to at least level 6 out of 10 in the four listed above.There are probably other things I must do too--some stretching, exercises for my rotator cuff, grip exercises--but those can be fit in to other times and places--at the office, while watching TV, etc.
I'll work my way into these slowly, not all at once. I need to adapt, both muscles and overall ability to do exercise and my normal schedule as I recover from the combination of surgeries and lack of activity this summer.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Week 4 Report
Here are the results for 4 weeks:
So, a pound and a half this week, 14 pounds in the first 4 weeks--truly good, especially considering the surgery this week and terrible sleep, plus lack of exercise.
Friday, protein shake in the AM (still makes me feel bloated--air in the blender shake or problem with the dairy in the whey protein?); hot dog w/o bun at 5 Guys; cheese, tomatoes, 1/2 avocado. Then a small amount of home-made ice cream (mostly cream/half & half, egg yolks, very little sugar), blood sugar afterwards 107.
Getting good sleep has been a long-term problem for me and sleep is one of the elements mentioned prominently by writers and researchers in the area of weight loss. Adequate sleep takes down stress levels, where inadequate sleep raises cortisol and insulin levels, both negative for healthy weight loss.
Robb Wolf makes it a very important part of his program. One of the things I eventually want to do is some intermittent fasting (Swede Martin Berkhan has one of the more interesting sites on this and has a particular protocol of working out and intermittent fasting to get very lean and muscular) and Wolf as much as says that until both your diet (paleo, of course) and sleep are in order, you shouldn't even attempt intermittent fasting.
My own sleep is made worse by being inconsistent--my natural tendency is to stay up late and I can very quickly be back to a late (read, 1-3 AM) bedtime. Any book on sleep disorders or increasing good sleep will mention consistency of bed-time/wake-time.
I also have interruptions to my sleep almost every night (i.e. I rarely sleep more than 4-5 hours at any one time) and once awake am often up for 1 1/2 to two hours. Part of the interruptions are normal for middle-aged guys: waking up to pee. But it is often because, since I use a CPAP for my sleep apnea, if my nose gets plugged up enough, you wake up (because the mask means you only breathe through your nose). That's the reason for: 1) doing the sleep studies and getting a new, better CPAP device and 2) doing this surgery and improving the air flow through my nose.
Temporarily, of course, sleep is much worse, since my nasal passages have been extremely swollen/inflamed due to the surgery, and I was having to sleep in a recliner to keep head higher to make drainage better. This meant three nights of even worse than even my usual crappy sleep: the night before the surgery with about 3 hours (on a late-night pattern, had to get up very early, stressed about the surgery), then not more than 2 hours at any one time for the next couple nights, waking up totally dried out (from breathing through my mouth) and uncomfortable. As my surgeon said, you'll have several days of cat-naps only.
Last night was my first night back in bed (yay!). My nasal passages weren't clear enough to use the CPAP when I went to bed (around 11:15). Slept until 1:30 or so, up for about an hour and a half, used saline to clear nose and got back to sleep around 3, but able to use my CPAP, awoke 7:30--so about 6.5 hours total (and I might yet go back to bed for another round).
Long-term, I need to work on several things:
Friday, protein shake in the AM (still makes me feel bloated--air in the blender shake or problem with the dairy in the whey protein?); hot dog w/o bun at 5 Guys; cheese, tomatoes, 1/2 avocado. Then a small amount of home-made ice cream (mostly cream/half & half, egg yolks, very little sugar), blood sugar afterwards 107.
Getting good sleep has been a long-term problem for me and sleep is one of the elements mentioned prominently by writers and researchers in the area of weight loss. Adequate sleep takes down stress levels, where inadequate sleep raises cortisol and insulin levels, both negative for healthy weight loss.
Robb Wolf makes it a very important part of his program. One of the things I eventually want to do is some intermittent fasting (Swede Martin Berkhan has one of the more interesting sites on this and has a particular protocol of working out and intermittent fasting to get very lean and muscular) and Wolf as much as says that until both your diet (paleo, of course) and sleep are in order, you shouldn't even attempt intermittent fasting.
My own sleep is made worse by being inconsistent--my natural tendency is to stay up late and I can very quickly be back to a late (read, 1-3 AM) bedtime. Any book on sleep disorders or increasing good sleep will mention consistency of bed-time/wake-time.
I also have interruptions to my sleep almost every night (i.e. I rarely sleep more than 4-5 hours at any one time) and once awake am often up for 1 1/2 to two hours. Part of the interruptions are normal for middle-aged guys: waking up to pee. But it is often because, since I use a CPAP for my sleep apnea, if my nose gets plugged up enough, you wake up (because the mask means you only breathe through your nose). That's the reason for: 1) doing the sleep studies and getting a new, better CPAP device and 2) doing this surgery and improving the air flow through my nose.
Temporarily, of course, sleep is much worse, since my nasal passages have been extremely swollen/inflamed due to the surgery, and I was having to sleep in a recliner to keep head higher to make drainage better. This meant three nights of even worse than even my usual crappy sleep: the night before the surgery with about 3 hours (on a late-night pattern, had to get up very early, stressed about the surgery), then not more than 2 hours at any one time for the next couple nights, waking up totally dried out (from breathing through my mouth) and uncomfortable. As my surgeon said, you'll have several days of cat-naps only.
Last night was my first night back in bed (yay!). My nasal passages weren't clear enough to use the CPAP when I went to bed (around 11:15). Slept until 1:30 or so, up for about an hour and a half, used saline to clear nose and got back to sleep around 3, but able to use my CPAP, awoke 7:30--so about 6.5 hours total (and I might yet go back to bed for another round).
Long-term, I need to work on several things:
- consistency of bed-time/wake-time (weekends as well as weekdays)
- figuring out a cut-off time for liquids to make sure the need to pee doesn't wake me up
- consistency of bed-time routine
- shutting off TV and not using computer after a certain hour
- dark as possible room (I usually do this)
- cool sleeping room (impossible now with the high heat here--I've had to keep our thermostat up near 78, even at night)
Hopefully this can lead to more consistent and deeper sleep (I would like to see around 7.5 hours per night), which should have huge physical and mental benefits.
I'll start tracking sleep better as part of this whole transformation.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Another great post by Dr. William Davis on blood sugar
Yet another great post on blood sugar by Dr. Davis. Speaking of carbs with fewer bad effects than wheat, oatmeal, etc. (brown rice, black beans, etc.), he says:
Of course, others such as Robb Wolf (whose book, The Paleo Solution, is great) wouldn't want you eating them because of anti-nutrients (I'll write more about that some other day). And even Paul Jaminet of the Perfect Health Diet (another great book, by the way), who does advocate more carbs, around 100 grams/day (although not for those whose metabolic systems are compromised), only wants "safe carbs" (i.e. those without the problems) such as white rice (no anti-nutrients/safe source of glucose) and tubers such as sweet potatoes and taro.
Davis further says:
Clear for me that I need to stay where I should!
A good example is today. Still recovering from surgery, had a visit to the Doc's to check up on results (very good!), clean out my nose at the sites with stitches, etc. Afterward, my wife and I went to a great breakfast restaurant. I had two fried eggs, two slices of bacon, about a half portion of hash browns, and a serving of strawberries. One hour later, blood sugar was 144. Not something I should do! But I'm willing to bend a bit around this kind of illness and stress. But tonight I'll be back on low carbs--and hopefully blood sugar in the 95-105 range.
So these non-wheat carbohydrates, or what I call “intermediate carbohydrates” (for lack of a better term; low-glycemic index is falsely reassuring) still trigger all the carbohydrate phenomena of table sugar. Is it possible to obtain the fiber, B-vitamin, flavonoid benefits of these intermediate carbohydrates without triggering the undesirable carbohydrate consequences?
Yes, by using small portions. Small portions are tolerated by most people without triggering all these phenomena. Problem: Individual sensitivity varies widely. One person’s perfectly safe portion size is another person’s deadly dose. For instance, I’ve witnessed many extreme differences, such as 1-hour blood sugar after 6 oz unsweetened yogurt of 250 mg/dl in one person, 105 mg/dl in another. So checking 1-hour blood sugars is a confident means of assessing individual sensitivity to carbs.
Of course, others such as Robb Wolf (whose book, The Paleo Solution, is great) wouldn't want you eating them because of anti-nutrients (I'll write more about that some other day). And even Paul Jaminet of the Perfect Health Diet (another great book, by the way), who does advocate more carbs, around 100 grams/day (although not for those whose metabolic systems are compromised), only wants "safe carbs" (i.e. those without the problems) such as white rice (no anti-nutrients/safe source of glucose) and tubers such as sweet potatoes and taro.
Davis further says:
Some people don’t like the idea of checking blood sugars, however. Or, there might be times when it’s inconvenient or unavailable. A useful alternative: Count carbohydrate grams. (Count “net” carbohydrate grams, of course, i.e., carbohydrates minus indigestible fiber grams to yield “net” carbs.) Most people can tolerate around 40-50 grams carbohydrates per day and deal with them effectively, provided they are spaced out throughout the day and not all at once. Only the most sensitive, e.g., diabetics, apo E2 people, those with familial hypertriglyceridemia, are intolerant to even this amount and do better with less than 30 grams per day. Then there are the genetically gifted from a carbohydrate perspective, people who can tolerate 50-60 grams, occasionally somewhat more.
People will sometimes say things like “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about because I eat 200 grams carbohydrate per day and I’m normal weight and have perfect blood sugar and lipids.” As in many things, the crude measures made are falsely reassuring. Glycation, for instance, from postprandial blood sugars of “only” 140 mg/dl–typical after, say, unsweetened oatmeal–still works its unhealthy magic and will lead long-term to cataracts, arthritis, and other conditions.
Humans were not meant to consume an endless supply of readily-digestible carbohydrates. Counting carbohydrates is another way to “tighten up” a carbohydrate restriction.
Clear for me that I need to stay where I should!
A good example is today. Still recovering from surgery, had a visit to the Doc's to check up on results (very good!), clean out my nose at the sites with stitches, etc. Afterward, my wife and I went to a great breakfast restaurant. I had two fried eggs, two slices of bacon, about a half portion of hash browns, and a serving of strawberries. One hour later, blood sugar was 144. Not something I should do! But I'm willing to bend a bit around this kind of illness and stress. But tonight I'll be back on low carbs--and hopefully blood sugar in the 95-105 range.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Surgery! (Wed. August 3, 2011)
Tuesday was a normal day with pretty normal results.
However, Wednesday I had surgery to correct a deviated septum, remove part of the turbinate, etc. Should make it much easier to breathe through my nose (eventually, not today!).
This meant a couple things. Diet not normal at all today and, because I'm a singer, the anesthesiologist used a little steroid to keep swelling of the vocal cords down (I had full anesthesia). One of the problems for diabetics using steroids is that they cause your blood sugar to rise.
All went well and I felt better than they advertised today, not much pain, only one of the prescribed pain pills, then naproxen after that. Also, not much draining. I'll see the Doc again tomorrow and see how things have progressed. Very little sleep last night (bed late and very early rise, since we had to be at the hospital at 6 AM) or today (just not sleepy) and the whole day in my recliner (and sleeping there tonight, too) since I have to keep my head higher than the rest of my body so any drainage goes the right direction!
I was supposed to eat rather bland, soft food (post-anesthia and with a slightly sore throat from the tube), so I did two protein drinks today, some cheese, about 3 sugar-free jellos and 3 sugar-free puddings (but not carb-free--about 13 grams of carbs). Also later, when it became clear I could handle some nuts, about 3 oz. of almonds over the evening. This means my carbs are NOT at my normal level, probably 100 grams or more instead of 30-35. I suspect my weight on Saturday will reflect that, although I should be able to get back on track by Friday and perhaps tomorrow. I'm also doing NO exercise or movement (lots of TV, though), where lately I have been walking most days for at least 30 minutes.
Blood sugar reflected stress from the surgery, more carbs and the steroid: 146 when I got back from the hospital around 2 (oh yeah, I had 6 oz. of Sprite in the recovery room, but of course hadn't eaten or drank anything since about 10:30 the previous evening), 134, 141, and then finally, at 1 AM, back to 107.
All-in-all, not a bad day, compared to what the Doc warned it could be (headaches, feeling stuffed up like a very bad cold, lots of drainage, etc.). But more symptoms could show up tomorrow!
However, Wednesday I had surgery to correct a deviated septum, remove part of the turbinate, etc. Should make it much easier to breathe through my nose (eventually, not today!).
This meant a couple things. Diet not normal at all today and, because I'm a singer, the anesthesiologist used a little steroid to keep swelling of the vocal cords down (I had full anesthesia). One of the problems for diabetics using steroids is that they cause your blood sugar to rise.
All went well and I felt better than they advertised today, not much pain, only one of the prescribed pain pills, then naproxen after that. Also, not much draining. I'll see the Doc again tomorrow and see how things have progressed. Very little sleep last night (bed late and very early rise, since we had to be at the hospital at 6 AM) or today (just not sleepy) and the whole day in my recliner (and sleeping there tonight, too) since I have to keep my head higher than the rest of my body so any drainage goes the right direction!
I was supposed to eat rather bland, soft food (post-anesthia and with a slightly sore throat from the tube), so I did two protein drinks today, some cheese, about 3 sugar-free jellos and 3 sugar-free puddings (but not carb-free--about 13 grams of carbs). Also later, when it became clear I could handle some nuts, about 3 oz. of almonds over the evening. This means my carbs are NOT at my normal level, probably 100 grams or more instead of 30-35. I suspect my weight on Saturday will reflect that, although I should be able to get back on track by Friday and perhaps tomorrow. I'm also doing NO exercise or movement (lots of TV, though), where lately I have been walking most days for at least 30 minutes.
Blood sugar reflected stress from the surgery, more carbs and the steroid: 146 when I got back from the hospital around 2 (oh yeah, I had 6 oz. of Sprite in the recovery room, but of course hadn't eaten or drank anything since about 10:30 the previous evening), 134, 141, and then finally, at 1 AM, back to 107.
All-in-all, not a bad day, compared to what the Doc warned it could be (headaches, feeling stuffed up like a very bad cold, lots of drainage, etc.). But more symptoms could show up tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
When to measure blood sugar
Dr. William Davis' Heart Scan Blog is one of the better ones (I need to get a blogroll here soon).
I was wondering if measuring my blood sugar two hours later (as the ADA and the makers of my glucose monitor say) was correct--I hadn't gone back to check Dr. Bernstein's book, but remembered one hour as the significant time (and that's how I've been testing).
And so, along comes a post on Dr. Davis' site: "One hour blood sugar: Key to carbohydrate control and reversing diabetes." Just what I needed!
A bit of what he says:
Perfect for me right now.
He also mentions building your own peaking curve by testing every 15 minutes. I may try that a few times to see if my peak is different than just one hour.
But this is incredibly helpful.
As does Bernstein, he forcefully questions allowing blood sugar to go high:
I was wondering if measuring my blood sugar two hours later (as the ADA and the makers of my glucose monitor say) was correct--I hadn't gone back to check Dr. Bernstein's book, but remembered one hour as the significant time (and that's how I've been testing).
And so, along comes a post on Dr. Davis' site: "One hour blood sugar: Key to carbohydrate control and reversing diabetes." Just what I needed!
A bit of what he says:
Diabetics are instructed to monitor blood glucose first thing in the morning and two hours after eating. This helps determine whether blood sugar is controlled with medications like metformin, Januvia, Byetta injections, or insulin.
But that’s not how you use blood sugar to prevent or reverse diabetes. Two-hour blood sugars are also of no help in deciding whether you have halted glycation, or glucose modification of proteins the process that leads to cataracts, brittle cartilage and arthritis, oxidation of small LDL particles, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, etc.
So the key is to check one-hour after-eating (postprandial) blood sugars, a time when blood glucose peaks after consumption of carbohydrates.
Perfect for me right now.
He also mentions building your own peaking curve by testing every 15 minutes. I may try that a few times to see if my peak is different than just one hour.
But this is incredibly helpful.
As does Bernstein, he forcefully questions allowing blood sugar to go high:
I reject the insane notion that after-eating blood sugars of less than 200 mg/dl are acceptable, the value accepted widely as the cutoff for health. Blood sugars this high occurring with any regularity ensure cataracts, arthritis, and all the other consequences of cumulative glycation. I therefore aim to keep one-hour after-eating glucoses 100 mg/dl or less. If you start in a pre-diabetic or diabetic range of, say, 120 mg/dl, then I advise people to not allow blood glucose to go any higher. A pre-meal blood glucose of 120 mg/dl would therefore be followed by an after-eating blood glucose of no higher than 120 mg/dl.More important advice for me to reinforce that I need to keep truly tight control over blood sugar, not what the ADA calls "tight" control!
Next three days and further experiment
So, I'm continuing to see drops in blood glucose:
Saturday - 97, 82, 105
Sunday - 98, 81
Monday - 86, 86, 85
More significant was an experiment done twice with protein drinks, but now with 2 scoops of Designer Whey, one of BCCA, 1 tbl coconut oil, 2 tbl heavy cream, 1 raw egg. The first day I followed one hour later with BG of 81, the next day of 86.
This is very helpful for me, since I tend to get tired of meat if I eat it too often (strange that I can eat chips, burgers, tacos, and drink cokes day after day with no let up!).
On the other hand, doing this rather than real food may lead to slightly slower weight loss, but it's worth it if I can be more successful at keeping on the diet.
Saturday - 97, 82, 105
Sunday - 98, 81
Monday - 86, 86, 85
More significant was an experiment done twice with protein drinks, but now with 2 scoops of Designer Whey, one of BCCA, 1 tbl coconut oil, 2 tbl heavy cream, 1 raw egg. The first day I followed one hour later with BG of 81, the next day of 86.
This is very helpful for me, since I tend to get tired of meat if I eat it too often (strange that I can eat chips, burgers, tacos, and drink cokes day after day with no let up!).
On the other hand, doing this rather than real food may lead to slightly slower weight loss, but it's worth it if I can be more successful at keeping on the diet.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Week 3 results
Thursday and Friday, some experiments:
Thursday: Protein drink (1 scoop Designer Whey, 1 scoop BCCA, 2 tbl coconut oil, 1 tbl cream); pre-breakfast blood sugar 93, 1 hour pp 129 (!), 1 hour later 108 -- this tells me that at this point, a protein drink gets converted to blood sugar too quickly for me -- :-( (I like the variation from eggs or meat, so too bad)
- took a walk at the mall (hey, it's 100 degrees around here!)
- beef broth
- snapper, green beans, tomato/avocado salad, a few strawberries - before 91, after 94 - a good experiment, since the strawberries (at least in this quantity) didn't bother my glucose level!
Friday: 94; eggs, bacon, strawberries; 108
- beef broth
- walk
- steak, gn beans, 1/2 small avocado, cole slaw; 95
So, blood glucose doing well with the exception of the protein drink. Both days took a walk. Energy coming up. Because of when I got up, only did two meals each day, not three.
Weight:
Body fat:
So, doing fine. 5 days on a much restricted carb count. Lost 12.5 pounds in 3 weeks, essentially 7 of that this week--i.e., the intervention levels of carbs (no more than 30 g. or so/day) caused a lot of water loss. I've been ingesting plenty of sodium (salt on food, salt in beef or chicken broth) plus supplemental potassium (tablets) and magnesium (Calm brand drink most evenings) to replace minerals lost, so electrolytes should be good. A note, however: even with this amount of sodium (I salt most things I eat--mostly use Real Salt or Maldon Sea Salt) I'm probably eating less sodium than before, when I ate lots of processed (chips, for example) and restaurant foods . . . and in much larger amounts.
The challenge will be staying on this kind of restrictive diet long-term, but given my compromised metabolic system, keeping my blood sugar low will be a very good thing!
I will continue with experiments to see how different foods and amounts effect my glucose levels. It will also be interesting to see if my insulin resistance changes as I get more fit (increase exercise and amount of lean muscle) and (eventually) less and less visceral body fat (which has direct effects on hormones). Also, I suppose, to see if my battered beta cells (that produce insulin) are able to heal when not so much is being asked of them. In other words, can I become metabolically healthier--probably not normal, but at least to the point where my body can handle a higher level of carb and not kick my blood sugar above the desired levels.
I expect the weight loss to go back to normal next week. There's only so much fluid to lose!
Thursday: Protein drink (1 scoop Designer Whey, 1 scoop BCCA, 2 tbl coconut oil, 1 tbl cream); pre-breakfast blood sugar 93, 1 hour pp 129 (!), 1 hour later 108 -- this tells me that at this point, a protein drink gets converted to blood sugar too quickly for me -- :-( (I like the variation from eggs or meat, so too bad)
- took a walk at the mall (hey, it's 100 degrees around here!)
- beef broth
- snapper, green beans, tomato/avocado salad, a few strawberries - before 91, after 94 - a good experiment, since the strawberries (at least in this quantity) didn't bother my glucose level!
Friday: 94; eggs, bacon, strawberries; 108
- beef broth
- walk
- steak, gn beans, 1/2 small avocado, cole slaw; 95
So, blood glucose doing well with the exception of the protein drink. Both days took a walk. Energy coming up. Because of when I got up, only did two meals each day, not three.
Weight:
The challenge will be staying on this kind of restrictive diet long-term, but given my compromised metabolic system, keeping my blood sugar low will be a very good thing!
I will continue with experiments to see how different foods and amounts effect my glucose levels. It will also be interesting to see if my insulin resistance changes as I get more fit (increase exercise and amount of lean muscle) and (eventually) less and less visceral body fat (which has direct effects on hormones). Also, I suppose, to see if my battered beta cells (that produce insulin) are able to heal when not so much is being asked of them. In other words, can I become metabolically healthier--probably not normal, but at least to the point where my body can handle a higher level of carb and not kick my blood sugar above the desired levels.
I expect the weight loss to go back to normal next week. There's only so much fluid to lose!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday, 7-27-11
Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs - 104
Lunch: 2 oz. cheese, 1/2 avocado, 93
Dinner: Chicken, salad, 1 tbl. coconut oil, 1 oz. macademias, 93
Blood sugars getting more consistent
Lunch: 2 oz. cheese, 1/2 avocado, 93
Dinner: Chicken, salad, 1 tbl. coconut oil, 1 oz. macademias, 93
Blood sugars getting more consistent
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Going much lower carb
I've already said that I'm a carboholic. But after re-reading Richard Bernstein's Diabetes Solution I decided I need to take carbs lower (at least for now) and closely track my blood sugar. He makes the point that normal blood sugar readings should be 80/85-100. Mine have been sometimes in that range, but post-prandial (after a meal) up to 150-170 after a lot of carbs (or a really big meal). Not good.
Consequently, I decided to follow Bernstein's guidelines, which are quite restrictive: 6 g carb for breakfast, 12 each for lunch and dinner (i.e. 30 g/day). Atkins "induction" is 20, the Eades recommend an induction of no more than 7-10 g/meal and less than 40/day. The Eades recommend staying at that level until metabolic issues have resolved themselves and weight is normal (some time away for me). That's what I have to do.
This means (for me) meat/fish/eggs/cheese plus salads and/or non-starchy veggies (green beans, etc.). No fruit, no nuts for now. I need to do this for at least 4 weeks or so to get a good baseline of food, how it affects me, and blood sugars. After that, I can experiment gradually (measuring blood sugar always!), adding (one at a time) low carb fruits (such as berries) or nuts (tough part here is to limit them!). Then I can know if I can stay within guidelines for carbs with fruit or nuts, but not blow my blood sugars.
I started on Monday. Following my colonoscopy on Friday, I relaxed on carbs over the weekend (partly because I knew I was going to go very low Monday!) with mostly moderate blood sugar, but one at 172 (yeah, I had soft drinks--NOT good).
Bernstein convinced me that I need to keep blood sugar in the correct range ALL the time. That for someone like me, metabolically compromised, allowing the larger numbers is NOT a good idea. Damage is constantly being done to blood vessels and nerves (which is why you see diabetics who are blind or have amputations--we had a colleague with both of those problems).
The American Diabetes Association says for tight control:
Here's where I am for the first two days:
Monday: waking 109; 1 hour after (normal post-prandial measurement) breakfast (3 eggs fried in butter, 5 cherry tomatoes) 115; chicken broth (remember, this is recommended when you start with this low carb content to replace sodium); dinner: steak, salad (forgot to measure after)
Tuesday: waking 95; breakfast: left over steak, 6 tbl coconut oil (supposed to help get into ketosis); pp 120; lunch: chicken (left over from a roast chicken we bought for dinner over the weekend), celery, cherry tomatoes, 1/2 avocado; 102; beef broth; dinner: 2 brats, sugar free jello; 98
This is a challenging diet for someone who loves bread, pasta, chips, and all manner of sweet things! It will be a challenge to stay with this, but I have to think about where I want to be, health-wise, for the rest of my life.
Picture of lunch below (very good, really!):
Consequently, I decided to follow Bernstein's guidelines, which are quite restrictive: 6 g carb for breakfast, 12 each for lunch and dinner (i.e. 30 g/day). Atkins "induction" is 20, the Eades recommend an induction of no more than 7-10 g/meal and less than 40/day. The Eades recommend staying at that level until metabolic issues have resolved themselves and weight is normal (some time away for me). That's what I have to do.
This means (for me) meat/fish/eggs/cheese plus salads and/or non-starchy veggies (green beans, etc.). No fruit, no nuts for now. I need to do this for at least 4 weeks or so to get a good baseline of food, how it affects me, and blood sugars. After that, I can experiment gradually (measuring blood sugar always!), adding (one at a time) low carb fruits (such as berries) or nuts (tough part here is to limit them!). Then I can know if I can stay within guidelines for carbs with fruit or nuts, but not blow my blood sugars.
I started on Monday. Following my colonoscopy on Friday, I relaxed on carbs over the weekend (partly because I knew I was going to go very low Monday!) with mostly moderate blood sugar, but one at 172 (yeah, I had soft drinks--NOT good).
Bernstein convinced me that I need to keep blood sugar in the correct range ALL the time. That for someone like me, metabolically compromised, allowing the larger numbers is NOT a good idea. Damage is constantly being done to blood vessels and nerves (which is why you see diabetics who are blind or have amputations--we had a colleague with both of those problems).
The American Diabetes Association says for tight control:
Tight control means getting as close to a normal (nondiabetic) blood glucose level as you safely can. Ideally, this means levels between 70 and 130 mg/dl before meals, and less than 180 two hours after starting a meal, with a glycated hemoglobin (A1C) level less than 7 percent.For Bernstein this isn't even close to "tight" control. I want to move closer to his range, rather than the ADA's.
Here's where I am for the first two days:
Monday: waking 109; 1 hour after (normal post-prandial measurement) breakfast (3 eggs fried in butter, 5 cherry tomatoes) 115; chicken broth (remember, this is recommended when you start with this low carb content to replace sodium); dinner: steak, salad (forgot to measure after)
Tuesday: waking 95; breakfast: left over steak, 6 tbl coconut oil (supposed to help get into ketosis); pp 120; lunch: chicken (left over from a roast chicken we bought for dinner over the weekend), celery, cherry tomatoes, 1/2 avocado; 102; beef broth; dinner: 2 brats, sugar free jello; 98
This is a challenging diet for someone who loves bread, pasta, chips, and all manner of sweet things! It will be a challenge to stay with this, but I have to think about where I want to be, health-wise, for the rest of my life.
Picture of lunch below (very good, really!):
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Week 2
Interesting week . . .
Colonoscopy on Friday, so weight went through the following changes:
Before prep (Thursday AM):
After MoviPrep (which empties you out, and after a day of clear liquids (in my case, homemade chicken broth, lots of water, and some soft drinks):
And bodyfat:
Whatever water/fecal weight lost in the colonoscopy prep all regained a day later, probably to be expected (although I ate a high carb, large meal for dinner--had I eaten low carb, might have been different). Probably would have been healthier.
Colonoscopy on Friday, so weight went through the following changes:
Before prep (Thursday AM):
And then this AM (Saturday), after colonoscopy (all OK, by the way), then non-low-carb day (breakfast:
2 eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, strawberries; dinner/Mexican restaurant: some chips and salsa, steak, 4 small nachos, ca. 1/2 avocado, beans, rice; and some nuts (pistachios) and 1/2 Jones cream soda:
So, 6.5 pounds in the first two weeks. Plenty satisfying.
Now back to lower carb!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tues. July 19, 2011
Today took a short (15') walk in the AM . . . way out of shape! It'll take some gradual time to get back into it.
Protein drink in the morning, some nuts and cheese in the afternoon, then to friends for dinner: bison steak, salmon (both YUM!), tomato and avocado salad, corn on the cob (I had half of an ear) and cantaloupe. Half glass of Prosecco before dinner and a very small eclair for dessert. First bit of wheat in the eclair that I've had since beginning this. More on wheat/grains in a few days.
Overall, not too bad, considering. Mostly friendly, moderate (but not low) carb.
Wednesday will eat a bland, fiber-free diet, Thursday is prep day for a colonoscopy (all clear liquids), nothing to eat or drink after midnight Thursday, then colonoscopy sometime Friday morning. I would imagine I won't pig out after the procedure. That means that it's likely Saturday's weigh-in (after totally emptying myself out!) will be lower than one would expect . . . and that the following week (after gaining back water weight) might not show much difference. That's OK! Just want to keep moving in the right direction.
Protein drink in the morning, some nuts and cheese in the afternoon, then to friends for dinner: bison steak, salmon (both YUM!), tomato and avocado salad, corn on the cob (I had half of an ear) and cantaloupe. Half glass of Prosecco before dinner and a very small eclair for dessert. First bit of wheat in the eclair that I've had since beginning this. More on wheat/grains in a few days.
Overall, not too bad, considering. Mostly friendly, moderate (but not low) carb.
Wednesday will eat a bland, fiber-free diet, Thursday is prep day for a colonoscopy (all clear liquids), nothing to eat or drink after midnight Thursday, then colonoscopy sometime Friday morning. I would imagine I won't pig out after the procedure. That means that it's likely Saturday's weigh-in (after totally emptying myself out!) will be lower than one would expect . . . and that the following week (after gaining back water weight) might not show much difference. That's OK! Just want to keep moving in the right direction.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Week 1
So, a decent week. We had family around, so more eating out than I would ordinarily plan for.
I'm looking at low carb diet (as I said, I'm a carboholic) and lower carbs at first to get the switchover from carb burning to fat burning. However, with one meal at a steakhouse with great fries, I had a few (OK, about 10). And at a Mexican restaurant (where I had a wonderful steak), 3-4 chips, Mexican rice and a few bites of bean soup.
I've still been feeling bloated, which might also be the protein shakes: 1 scoop Designer protein powder, 1 scoop Grow protein powder (I like the taste of the combination), 1 scoop BCAA, an egg (raw), couple tablespoons coconut oil (virgin from Tropical Traditions), and a tablespoon of cream.
So weight and bodyfat are below (although bodyfat on a Tanita is not super accurate, especially at the beginning when you lose water weight--but over time, it should give a good idea of direction):
I'm looking at low carb diet (as I said, I'm a carboholic) and lower carbs at first to get the switchover from carb burning to fat burning. However, with one meal at a steakhouse with great fries, I had a few (OK, about 10). And at a Mexican restaurant (where I had a wonderful steak), 3-4 chips, Mexican rice and a few bites of bean soup.
I've still been feeling bloated, which might also be the protein shakes: 1 scoop Designer protein powder, 1 scoop Grow protein powder (I like the taste of the combination), 1 scoop BCAA, an egg (raw), couple tablespoons coconut oil (virgin from Tropical Traditions), and a tablespoon of cream.
So weight and bodyfat are below (although bodyfat on a Tanita is not super accurate, especially at the beginning when you lose water weight--but over time, it should give a good idea of direction):
Not bad for a week in which I wasn't perfect--2 1/2 lbs loss. Bodyfat isn't yet relevant, but I'll keep posting it each week. Pictures will come every 6-8 weeks.
Since I'm posting this on Monday (Saturday was weigh-in day), I can say that I'm feeling less bloated and have done a much better job staying away from carbs--partly because we haven't eaten out.
Please understand me, I'm actually eating more veggies than before on this diet.
Both Sunday and Monday had protein drinks. Dinner Sunday (with a friend over) was:
steak (bone-in ribeyes on sale!)
cole-slaw (my wife makes a fabulous cole-slaw with sushi ginger)
green beans (with some butter)
and strawberries for dessert
Later, one piece of chocolate (I alternate between Dove dark squares and Hershey Bliss dark) and a few macadamia nuts.
Monday's dinner had a Johnsonville smoked brat with mustard (no bun, of course), celery, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and half an apple. Same snacks later as Sunday.
My job is to continue with this. I'm feeling past the worst of the "low-carb flu" (as some call it) with low energy, and will start walking again soon (maybe tomorrow, who knows!).
Monday, July 11, 2011
Transformation
So, what do I mean by "transformation?"
This will begin by being primarily physical. Could it move into other realms? Sure. But that's where I need to start.
I'm an almost 61 year old male with diabetes (controlled with metformin, no insulin) and minor high blood pressure (also controlled with medication). 5'10". Currently very unfit.
Simply put, I want to get back to where I should/can be physically. A weight close to what I was in high school or a bit more (if I can get more muscle): 155-165 pounds. Possible? I think so.
Here I am currently, weight and body fat with my Tanita scale:
This will begin by being primarily physical. Could it move into other realms? Sure. But that's where I need to start.
I'm an almost 61 year old male with diabetes (controlled with metformin, no insulin) and minor high blood pressure (also controlled with medication). 5'10". Currently very unfit.
Simply put, I want to get back to where I should/can be physically. A weight close to what I was in high school or a bit more (if I can get more muscle): 155-165 pounds. Possible? I think so.
Here I am currently, weight and body fat with my Tanita scale:
That's as of Saturday, July 9, 2011.
I actually hit 251 about 3 days earlier. We've had a ton of junk food around and have been eating out (I live near Dallas) with house guests for more than a week and really pigged out. Cut back a little before starting.
Pictures:
So, you get the complete picture.
This blog is a way for me to keep track and keep honest. I'll post weight once a week when possible and pics less frequently.
I'm doing basically low carb--more about that later. It's what works for me and I am indeed a carboholic! One question I'll have (at some point) is whether it's possible for me to eat some bread, pasta, etc. and not go off the wagon . . . something I've done before. I may be addictive enough with carbs that I simply have to stay away from starches. But that's putting the cart 'way before the horse!
For now -- here's to starting!
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