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.

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!

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):

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!).