Sizzlin' September

#61

Yes, best wishes with this Dr and the proposed program. I think you have really been working at making so many good changes and I love your happy demeanor, you seem to take most things in stride and keep powering on. Attitude is one of few things we CAN control :wink:

I’d love to hear what they prescribe, and how it all works, test result and all. All of this is so important in the long term even if it will be anecdotal. But, will this Dr be entering your stats into any database for a research? That would be great! We really need so much more research, this is such a complex situation. With all of the physiological goings on, fat cells, hormones, stress, sleep, genetics and who knows what more…Fascinating to know what makes you tick!

Meanwhile, before I post too many times (those warnings make me feel guilty). I just took my BG again, now 3.5 hrs since the Keto chocolate ganache. And, I was munching on about a T of butter and coconut oil, had 1/2 T of coconut butter (heavenly!). So I thought, why not do a lot of finger poking and see what happens as I come out of this fast. Well, BG measured 60 and I was shocked so poked again and got a reading of 59. That got my head buzzing and I just HAD to check those blood ketones again…still registering at 2.6 Whew, if things continue this way I will be so excited.

I think it may be a different story come morning and I check the FBG again, but this is fun just the same. Nothing like getting some happy numbers to support the KCKO mantra, huh?

(KCKO, KCFO) #62

Awesome experiment results.

#63

For sure! That is sometimes the only thing that keeps me going when fasting. Keto isn’t so hard for me to stick with, at least in theory – I probably go over my carbs too often though, I am too lazy to keep good track, something I have to work on.

I will be sure to report in when I get my data. I will have to ask if the doctor is planning to report to any kind of database. There might be some functional medicine network those docs collaborate through.

Have you read Dr. Richard Bernstein’s book The Diabetes Solution? I just got it and it’s fascinating. I had watched some of his YouTube videos a while back, and he is so impressive, an 82-year-old Type I Diabetes survivor (he is thriving!) who became a doctor to be able to treat himself but especially so he could get his work in treating both types of diabetes published. I got the idea he is pretty neutral about the idea of a ketogenic diet, and he often uses insulin to control blood glucose when a low carb diet (and possibly oral meds) doesn’t do it (his low carb is higher in protein, and he discourages excess fat consumption). A different approach from Dr. Fung, but there is so much information in that book that I had been looking for, including about Symlin (which Bernstein uses only for appetite control, not specifically because of its glucagon-suppressing effect), as well as gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying) as another cause of high morning bg readings (besides Dawn Phenomenon). I’d be interested in discussing the book after reading it, and it would be interesting to compare/contrast his approach with the ketogenic lifestyle and Dr. Fung’s work.

In the meantime, I went from a 250 bg before dinner today to a 194 tonight… that was after dancing to live music for a couple of hours with my kids and my mom. Just need to dance more often maybe? (My 5-year-old’s version of dancing is grabbing both my hands and yanking me around in a circle. He is strong, and I think he hurt my knee on the first twist. Ouch.)

#64

Never did graveyard but I was swing shift for years… that was tough enough but I’m sure a real night shift has to throw you through a total loop. My props to you all.

#65

Darcy, this book does sound fascinating and I have heard of it. I’ll order it from Amazon :wink: Unless it’s available at my library, but our library is a very, small town version. Gastroparesis, that makes my mind start churning, hm…

If Dr. Bernstein has his patients eating higher protein and reduced fat then they could not truly benefit from the benefits that Dr. Fung’s patients have experienced, at least that’s what I would think. Thus he may need to continue to treat their “intractable” T2DM with insulin?

Thank you for the information/resource. I’ll have to make myself read asap so that I don’t keep you hanging too long!

The dancing sounds like so much fun, what a grand time to play with your children and your mom too! I broke my fast yesterday and the numbers were quite good trhoughout the day, but of course, I’m thinking the Dawn Phenomemenon will be in evidence again this morning when I check my FBG. I won’t do that until about 0930 because for some reason my higher FBG readings tend to spike around that time rather than earlier. (plus, I’ll be in church from 8 to 930ish!).

Have a wonderful Sunday, and perhaps rest that knee, apply some ice if needed, a little elevation and compression? The usual first-aid :slight_smile:-)

#66

OK, FBG was 93 this morning after having been 70 last night at 9:30PM. I’m interested to see the dawn Phenomenon will continue to show the upward creep as I enjoy some days of yummy Keto eating.
I’ll watch the macros closely like I did yesterday (P63, C13) and post it here.

#67

I am not clear on this part yet. He mentioned a number of grams of protein at some point, and it didn’t sound out of family with what the 2 Keto Dudes recommend, but I have to find that again. If so, then unless you are going to eat low-calorie, you would necessarily be eating a high fat diet, because your protein is restricted and the carbs are kept as low as possible. I think he said under 30 grams as a guideline. I better start taking notes on all this! I suppose the comment he made was to not eat excessive fat in pursuit of ketosis, since it could cause weight gain. I know there is disagreement about this. I imagine that it depends on a person’s body and their various strengths and weaknesses, male or female maybe plays a role? It seems like when I hear a story of someone eating thousands of calories a day when they start keto, eating lots of bacon and everything, yet losing dozens of pounds, it’s usually a man’s experience. But I don’t subscribe to CICO either, that doesn’t pan out in reality.

Dr. Bernstein does mention in his book that you don’t want to use high doses of insulin with a type 2 who is obese, because it will cause them to gain more weight. He mentioned using the incretin mimetic medications for reducing appetite to help people lose weight.

Thanks for the advice on the knee. I put some Deep Blue Rub (essential oil product, very menthol-smelling) on last night, multiple times, and this morning it doesn’t bother me much. Hoping it holds up for a little family hike this evening before we go out for Mongolian Barbeque for dinner. Hard to keep carbs low in that meal (as a vegetarian) but tomorrow my husband and I are fasting (42 hours).

Have a great day. :grinning:

#68

Notes, this is serious! Well, really, it’s our health, so it IS serious.
Glad to hear the Dr does not prescribe to high dose insulin, perhaps the fat comment is just about not going W-A-Y over? But it depends on how you measure “too much” and so many people are still stuck in the belief that fat=Bad! I wonder where he stands.
The deep blue, I think I’ve heard of it, and I’m glad it helped and I like the menthol smell!
The hike sounds like a nice time and Mongolian BBQ…yum! Enjoy your vegetables and butter?

#69

Last night totals were C<20g and P64g and BG of 96 at 10PM.
Today @ 7:42 FBG was 100, ketones read 1mmoL, now BG is at 107. Not wasting another blood strip. May fast today? Crazy, busy Monday…good time to do it perhaps. Progress is slow, but KCKO!

#70

Crazy busy day, and then dreaming of bacon and eggs! I broke my fast at 630PM, BG was 75.
Bacon eggs, small cauliflower pizza, mascarpone…got to have my cheese!
Going to ride the wave. My protein was less than 70g, not too bad, but probably a lot for one evening…I was just so hungry. And stressed. Ugh.
Breathe…eat butter, drink water, sleep well…repeat, Hahahaha! If this is a weird post, I am really exhausted. So. yep.

(Khara) #71

I went over 20 hours today. I know that’s not real long but it’s my longest yet and I’m just starting to try and add some extended fasting. Mostly I am about 16/8 and I plan to do a 24 and then go from there this month. I tend to eat more on the weekends due to a more relaxed atmosphere and so today (Monday) felt like a good day to try without my normal meals. I skipped lunch (normal 1st meal), alternated between coffee and broth and actually still felt really great at dinner. I was planning to continue and try for a 24 hour but found my SO in the kitchen making a Keto pizza. First time for that, kinda unfortunate timing, but I didn’t want to reject it. So… another day. At least it was really nice to know I can go longer.

#72

@KBG that’s great :+1:.

I’m IFing today after forgetting to bring airplane food lol. I packed all my keto foods in the checked bag. Thats the beauty of learning to fast. :sunglasses:

#73

This is funny, but so true! You can get to a point where you really don’t freak out if you can’t eat. You just remember…oh ya, I eat my own fat! I may feel like nibbling on a cheese stick or such, but that’s just the psychological aspect usually.

I’ve been doing the IF again since I broke the “almost 4 day fast” on Saturday. Work was so stressful, I just decided to go ahead and enjoy the luxury of fat, bacon and eggs etc after work.

Got in about a 19 or 20 hour fast since yesterday, but had a 22 hr the day prior. It’s such a flexible system! I really notice a huge benefit though when I wait until at least 20 hours.

Enjoy your travel :wink: and IF/keto

#74

20 hours is a wonderful beginning. You will find it easier as you get along in ketosis (not sure how long you’ve been doing LCHF).

I found it was a natural sort of progression and when I could wait until 4 or 6PM to eat, and be finished by 8PM or there about, I was so excited. It still is amazing to me, because I love eating. But now, I get full so easily, and so by keeping a smaller “window” I eat less than if I ate 3x/day.

Also the longer fasts of 36-72 hours really do seem quite easy after a while, but it depends on where your head is at too.

#75

So, FBG was 93 this morning, better than I thought it would be. A fluke? I hope not, but time and patience will show.
This afternoon around 430ish I broke my fast (a little early for me, I’ll try to wrap it up by 8PM tonight) BG was at 83, which was higher than I expected for hat time of day after nothing but water, black coffee and sea salt.
No worries though. I haven’t seen my weight come down OR go up, so this is a good balance for now.

(Khara) #76

Yes, I really like that it’s been natural and easy. This is my 2nd time Keto. First time, after several months, I just stopped eating breakfast. I realized I was forcing myself to stick to breakfast, lunch, and dinner and that just didn’t seem right anymore. I also skipped lunch a few times and had just dinner. At the time I didn’t know about intermittent fasting or OMAD. Ended up going off Keto for a while and now I’m back on 6 weeks. The intermittent fasting came back naturally much quicker than the first time. That it interesting and nice. And this time I’ve learned what it is, that it is actually a thing, that it’s normal it came naturally, and I’m looking forward to being more thoughtful with it and using it as a tool for improved health.

#77

Agreed, the way it happens rather naturally is so pleasant and I too am planning to continue with IF and EF for the health benefits. Along with Keto of course. I cannot handle carbs (though I still dream of them!)
Learning more about how this all works has been a an incredible adventure and gift for healing.
Even now, I am noticing that I may have stalled out because I wasn’t counting my macros, and I can see that in fact, I was really overdoing the protein and very likely carb creep was bringing me over too.
I’m really hopeful that a little more diligence, not stress, but mindfulness, will make a great difference and move me forward a bit more.

#78

I hope this isn’t annoying, and if so, just let me know and I’ll stop posting this mundane data. I find it’s helping me to feel more accountable, and although I’m eating (and this is a fasting thread) this is part of plan…feast, fast, repeat.
This 4 hour window amounted to a consumption of about 65gP and 17gC plus lots of Fat (I’m not tracking Fat, just eating what I want in my “window”). I’ll finish eating by 8PM and check and post BG 2 hr post prandial.
Post prandial BG reading is…85 (was 83 before I ate this afternoon).
G’night

#79

Dr. Bernstein has decided to go with 83 as the target number with his patients, based partly on the fact that most of the glucose monitor salesmen he tested were 83 when he had them demonstrate their monitors on themselves.

#80

Change of plans for me today. I was going to break the fast (that started Sunday night) today, after my doctor’s appointment this afternoon. However, I am now lined up for a couple more blood tests tomorrow morning. I asked the doctor if I should keep on fasting until I have those tests drawn, and she said, “Yes, if you don’t mind.” Gotta love a doctor who encourages you to keep fasting.