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Modified ND for (at least) the last 19 lbs to my weight loss goal

Thanks Indy51. I'm assuming the fat in the liver and pancreas is the hardest to lose. I say that because I've read that normal weight type 2 diabetics have fatty liver.

That said, my understanding is that insulin resistance precedes weight gain with diabetes. That certainly was the case for me. My hypoglycemia, which was how my type 2 diabetes started, began years before I gained weight.
 
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UC is the less serious of my daughter's chronic illnesses - sorry you've got it too. The good news is that now that they've found a cure for Hep C, all the liver docs/researchers are looking for their next target - and it appears to be my daughter's disease (PSC).
 
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis? I'd not heard of it before. Interesting that 75% of the people who have this condition have Ulcerative Colitis too. The treatments for Hepatitis C are so much better now than they were 10 years ago. Glad the researchers are looking at PSC now. There's hope.

Our son's girlfriend had a liver transplant 8 years ago. She's doing amazingly well. Hoping they'll find a treatment that works for your daughter.
 
My lunch today
I thought about adding a comment that you should be having regular liver tests so if you are one of the "lucky" ones, you could catch it early. (It is true - but some people prefer not to know bad news. But . . . since you've already discovered the connection, if your doctor is not running annual liver tests - s/he should be. We would have discovered my daughter's PSC a half-dozen years earlier. It wouldn't have changed the course of the disease, but it would have been a much easier emotional adjustment for her than discovering it her freshman year in college.)
 
@Neohdiver no liver disease in my family. Just a rare eye disease that causes blindness mid-life, ulcerative colitis, psychosis, and schizophrenia which is what my brother developed at age 16. Very sad. Almost all my health issues are most likely due to gluten which is why, after living gluten-free for 4 years, I decided to go grain-free last year. Liver and kidneys are in good health according to my comprehensive metabolic panel, knock on wood, and colitis has been in remission for most of the last 25 years, thanks to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

The diabetes is a mystery. The LCHF diet is reversing my diabetes complications, but even though I have an A1c of 5.4%, my fasting blood glucose is still in the pre-diabetes range. Thinking now it's related to being overweight and previous exposure to heavy metals and toxins. I didn't start eating organic food until last year. With the latter information, I now have new goals, lose the weight, the heavy metals, and toxins.

Keep us posted on your progress.
 
Wednesday, week 1 update

Scrumptious dinner yesterday. Spicy Chicken and Lentils - Friday Dinner

I was stuffed - on only 317 calories - 24 net carbs (with lentils, to which I have an unpredictable response). Although I'm mostly sticking to 20 carbs or fewer in a 3 hour period, I've decided to be a bit brave occasionally, particularly with pulses because they are supposed to help regulate BG. The "magic" I'm testing is the fasting/near fasting aspect - I won't go hog-wild, but I'm willing to tolerate a bit higher BG to test the "magic." (I can always drop back down and manage, if need be. I'm hoping for remission.)

I don't know for sure whether this pushed me over my limit or not At 1.5 hours I was at 6.2. At 2 and a quarter hours I tested at 7.94 (just a hair above where I like to keep it) - but I'd been playing with food so I washed and retested another drop (using the same prick) - and it was 5.7. That is normally the kind of difference I see for a sugar-contaminated drop - but there may have been tissue fluid distortion from squeezing in the second. I didn't feel like testing it a third time. I'll test it again today - since I made enough for lunch today.

{Update Thursday PM: Following lunch on Thursday (same meal as Wednesday night) - BG at 1.5 hours 7.3; at 2 hours 7.7, and at 3 hours 6.7. Finally heading in the right direction! At least I don't seem to have missed a peak before the 7.3 reading, so it is still likely to have been an objectively reasonable spike - even if it freaks me out a bit.}

My fasting BG this morning (Thursday) is higher than it's been in months (recorded in the first post in this thread) It's still below the prediabetes bottom threshold, but just barely. I also ate closer to bedtime than I have in quite a while (and that sometimes makes a difference).

So far, 800 calories feels no different than 1200 in terms of ease of sustainability. That is to say that food preparation is a royal pain, but I have no trouble with hunger or cravings.
 
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Week 1, Day 6: Cautiously optimistic.

After a relative high on Thursday, my BG has been 5.61 or below at all times. The peak of 5.61 was tonight, one hours after a meal containing 23 net carbs (30 gross). (At 2 hours it was 5.56.) Typically anything over 20 net carbs drives my BG up to between 7.2 and 7.8 (or higher for a meal that contains more than a gram or two beyond 20).

I expect bumps in the road - and remission still seems like a far-fetched dream. But the last 2 days - it has been nice to not ever exceed 5.61 (and most of the time to be 5.0 or below) - especially since both nights I was very short on sleep (which normally drives my BG up.)
 
Week 2 of my experiment!

Thoughts from Week 1

I've been living on 1200 calories a day for 6 months, so I didn't expect any of the symptoms that some people experience when starting an 800-calorie diet from scratch (hunger/cravings, fatigue, cramps, headaches). That prediction was correct.

I only dropped 2800 calories for the week, so I expected my weight loss to be roughly 2 lbs (I'd been losing at the rate of about a pound a week, so about a pound more.) I lost 3.2 lbs - a bit higher than I expected. (I'd still be booted off of the Taylor study - he required a 3.9 lb loss the first week - so I don't know what that says about my chances for success in achieving remission.)

I was a little concerned about starting last week, since I had a weekend conference at the end of the week. I figured food might be an issue - and one of the starting suggestions is to get past any known eating challenges on the horizon. I wasn't able to include as balanced meals as I would have liked over the weekend, but they weren't as out-of-whack as they might have been (so I'm glad I didn't wait).

Fasting for at least 16 hours a day is a bit more logistically challenging than I expected - because of my crazy schedule. I often eat my last meal sometime after midnight, so that pushes my first meal of the next day back to 4 PM.

My average BG for the week was at least tied for as low as it has been since diagnosis (5.5 mmol/l). But individual readings also bumped up against my upper limit tolerance because some of the recipes are relatively (for me) high carb. I'm trying to be comfortable occasionally risking going over 7.8 mmol/l in order to include some pulses (theoretically food for BG regulation) and other high nutrient carbs (eating this little, I need all the micronutrients I can get). On the flip side, I also had two days where my BG didn't go above 5.6 mmol/l.

So here's the first values for week 2 (I'll update it daily). Week 1 values are now complete in the first post in this thread.
Week 2 - Fasting blood glucose: M: 4.83 mmol/l, T: 4.72 mmol/l W: 5.11 mmol/l Th: 4.79 mmol/l F: 4.83 mmol/l S: 4.33 mmol/l Sun: 4.6 mmol/l
Week 2 - Starting weight: 147 lbs - Ending weight:
Week 2 - High for the week: 6.83 mmol/l Low for the Week: 3.5 mmol/l, Average for the week: 5.27 mmol/l.
 
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Week 3 has begun!

I successfully negotiated a meal out without deviating from my fasting or calorie cap.

I find I miss cheese, since I have been used to eating 2-4 oz daily. On 800 calories, trying to squeeze in calorie dense cheese along with nutrient dense calories means not much cheese.

The exciting news is that I have been trying to honor the spirit of the diet, without sending my blood glucose through the roof by eating some of the meals that include pulses. One day this week I made a chickpea-hazelnut salad. The chickpeas had 45 grams of carbs (33 net). For the last 6 months, regardless of what the carbs were carried in, I have been unable to eat more than 20 grams in a 3 hour period without my BG exceeding 7.8 mmol/l. My BG never went above 6.17 after that carb extravaganza.

This week will be a challenge. Many nights with not much sleep (finals starting for my students - lots of papers yet to grade and return), I have a fancy-schmancy meal so I'll have to guess at content and leave most of it- and it is at noon. I usually break my 16 hour fast around 2 or 3. Finally, a screening mammogram showed a suspicious spot that requires two more diagnostic tests. Very strong family history of breast cancer occurring around my age - those tests are tomorrow. This may be the year I acquire all of the family illnesses (since I've already acquired the other two).

At any rate, here's the data to date, plus the template for this week's data (I'll update roughly daily).

Week 1 - Fasting blood glucose: M: 5.05 mmol/l, T: 5.28 mmol/l W: 5.06 Th: 5.39 (highest in months) F: 4.44 S: 4.39 Sun: 4.44
Week 1 - Starting weight: 150.2 lbs - Ending weight: 147 lbs
Week 1 - High for the week: 7.72, Low for the Week: 4.06, Average for the week: 5.5

Week 2 - Fasting blood glucose: M: 4.83 mmol/l, T: 4.72 mmol/l W: 5.11 mmol/l Th: 4.79 mmol/l F: 4.83 mmol/l S: 4.33 mmol/l Sun: 4.6 mmol/l
Week 2 - Starting weight: 147 lbs - Ending weight: 144.8 lbs
Week 2 - High for the week: 6.83 mmol/l Low for the Week: 3.5 mmol/l, Average for the week: 5.27 mmol/l.

Week 3 - Fasting blood glucose: M: 4.61 mmol/l, T: 4.72 mmol/l W: 4.67 mmol/l Th: 4.9 mmol/l F: 4.5 mmol/l S: 4.33 mmol/l Sun: 4.66 mmol/l
Week 3 - Starting weight: 144.8 lbs - Ending weight:
Week 3 - High for the week: mmol/l Low for the Week: mmol/l, Average for the week: mmol/l.
 
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@Neohdiver

Great results. When you consider the other issues you are dealing with healthwise and workwise I think they are extraordinary.

My best wishes for the test results
Cheers
 
Well, it is now pretty definitive that stress negatively impacts my BG levels!

Diagnostic radiology revealed a hard, small-marble-sized mass. No diagnosis yet - but comments like, "troubling," "not good news," etc. Dancing around the C-word. Hearing it packed a bigger punch than I expected.

And, not surprisingly, my BG is about 1.1 points higher than it normally is after eating the same lunch I've eaten most days for the last 2+ weeks. Still within normal, but I just ate my supper - which normally does raise the BG a fair amount (because it includes lentils). I may be outside of the normal range for the first time in more than a month.

Needle biopsy likely tomorrow to confirm - pending availability of radiology (but likely no definitive answer until early next week).
 

Please try not to worry too much, although I do completely understand how difficult that actually can be. I'll get my fingers crossed for you.
 
Wow what a tough day for you. Good luck tomorrow and whatever the result let us know
Best Wishes
 
Week 4 - It's official. The doctor woke me up this morning to notify me that I have breast cancer. No word yet on type, other than it is a primary tumor rather than a metastasis from somewhere else. Almost certainly Stage I. I have a fun-filled weed of additional tests (and stress to drive up my blood glucose).

So my wrap-up of Week 3 is along the lines of, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"

No big surprises on the eating front. No more grand experiments with higher complex carbs yet. I had enough of an elevation in connection with the lead-in to diagnosis that I'm playing it safe. I have started adding a few chickpeas to my salad most days. Things are still looking good for remission (stress induced elevated BG, aside). My average will probably be up a bit this week, which should surprise no one who has a combination of diabetes and stress. I just hope I don't have to interrupt this 8-week experiment for treatment.

I'm enjoying being able to fasten every item in my closet (even though some are too snug to wear out of the house, yet). People are finally commenting on my size on a regular basis.

I'll update numbers (below) later - my BG meter and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment since it decided to play hide and seek last night.

Week 1 - Fasting blood glucose: M: 5.05 mmol/l, T: 5.28 mmol/l W: 5.06 Th: 5.39 (highest in months) F: 4.44 S: 4.39 Sun: 4.44
Week 1 - Starting weight: 150.2 lbs - Ending weight: 147 lbs
Week 1 - High for the week: 7.72, Low for the Week: 4.06, Average for the week: 5.5

Week 2 - Fasting blood glucose: M: 4.83 mmol/l, T: 4.72 mmol/l W: 5.11 mmol/l Th: 4.79 mmol/l F: 4.83 mmol/l S: 4.33 mmol/l Sun: 4.6 mmol/l
Week 2 - Starting weight: 147 lbs - Ending weight: 144.8 lbs
Week 2 - High for the week: 6.83 mmol/l Low for the Week: 3.5 mmol/l, Average for the week: 5.27 mmol/l.

Week 3 - Fasting blood glucose: M: 4.61 mmol/l, T: 4.72 mmol/l W: 4.67 mmol/l Th: 4.9 mmol/l F: 4.5 mmol/l S: 4.33 mmol/l Sun: 4.66 mmol/l
Week 3 - Starting weight: 144.8 lbs - Ending weight: 142
Week 3 - High for the week: 7.22 mmol/l Low for the Week: 3.9 mmol/l, Average for the week: 5.5 mmol/l.
Note: High stress precipitated by early stages of cancer diagnosis.

Week 4 - Fasting blood glucose: M: 5.05 mmol/l, T: 4.83 mmol/l W: 4.61 mmol/l Th: 4.67 mmol/l F: 4.67 mmol/l S: 4.67 mmol/l Sun: 4.33 mmol/l
Week 4 - Starting weight: 142 lbs - Ending weight:
Week 4 - High for the week: mmol/l Low for the Week: mmol/l, Average for the week: mmol/l.
Note: Formal breast cancer diagnosis came on Monday, before my fasting BG reading. Might be why it was a bit higher!

Weight loss on Low Carb/Moderate Protein (179 days): 47.1 lbs Average BG 6.0
Weight loss on 800 Calorie Mediterranean Style food with 16:8 intermittent fasting (21 days): 8.2 lbs Average BG 5.42 mmol/l (lower, even after the breast cancer diagnosis - which came in bits and pieces starting the middle of week 3, to the first day of week 4)
 
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Oh boy. I'm sorry you've had the diagnostic outcome any of us who have had such tests dread. Bearing in mind you are just entering week 4 or 8, are you hoping to defer surgery until you have finished?
 
AndBreathe said:
Oh boy. I'm sorry you've had the diagnostic outcome any of us who have had such tests dread. Bearing in mind you are just entering week 4 or 8, are you hoping to defer surgery until you have finished?
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It's too soon to tell.

More pathology will give us a better idea of whether this is an aggressive or slow growing critter. My age and family history suggest slow-growing. The doctor wants to start treatment, of some sort, in under 30 days from diagnosis. What sort depends on more pathology, genetic testing, more radiology (what I get to do for the rest of this glorious week). I doubt she'll want to wait 4 weeks (although it would be much more convenient to wait for a lot of reasons). So I'll have to talk to her about exactly what I'm eating and see how she sees it fitting with whatever is in store for me.
 
Hi @Neohdiver

That's a tough break with the diagnosis and I feel for you. But when I look at those latest figures and what you have achieved since October I have no doubt you will take this head on and get on top of it.
Best Wishes
 

To be honest, in your shoes, I, personally, would want to get on with dealing with the issue. Diet can be revisited in the future, when life is settled and other complications have been dealt with, but that's just me.
 
AndBreathe said:
To be honest, in your shoes, I, personally, would want to get on with dealing with the issue. Diet can be revisited in the future, when life is settled and other complications have been dealt with, but that's just me.
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Were it just "diet," I'd agree in a heartbeat. I view what I'm doing these 8 weeks more as medical treatment to induce diabetic remission than diet - so it would be interrupting treatment of one disease to treat a different disease and balancing the two.

I've also got a hard deadline of a month from now for grades (with 470+ papers to grade between now and then). That's barely manageable even without interruptions for intense testing - if surgery or energy draining treatment is added into the mix, I'm not sure how I manage it.
 
muzza3 said:
Hi @Neohdiver

That's a tough break with the diagnosis and I feel for you. But when I look at those latest figures and what you have achieved since October I have no doubt you will take this head on and get on top of it.
Best Wishes
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Thank you.

Now that I have a diagnosis, I'm in better emotional shape - and have a few more tools to do what I normally do with medical matters: Research it to death and make a plan.

My tumor has a name: "Peanut" For now, I'm inviting it to make itself a happy home right where it is, so it doesn't feel the need to wander about and find a new and different home. It's also a cute young critter - certainly way too young to have offspring it wants to send out into the world.
 
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