Well, I survived the Christmas & New Year's holidays by staying on track, only eating a couple of cinnamon rolls and drinking a little bit of yummy glogg. Overall, my blood sugars bounced between 90 and 110. Over all, I ended up losing 2 pounds, and I'm now down to 233 - which is a near low point for me.
I've regained focus and have been eating a little more mindfully, sometimes skipping a meal because I am not really hungry. I've also been taking some supplements that Mary has suggested as well as some liver support tea. I don't know if it's the intermittent fasting, the weight loss, the herbal support, the keto, or (most likely) a combination of it all - but my blood sugars have been real stable and in the 85-98 range for a solid week.
In the past, I have been able to diet for a while and get down to about this weight (or a little lower), and then I think I've got this handled, no problem, and I revert to my old ways and eat my way back to largesse. But this time (like always) it'll be different.
I haven't had any significant cravings for bread/pasta/muffins/etc. I have the occasional taste of a dessert Mary and Simone have baked, or a taste of Mary's sourdough bread. But in general, I haven't missed the carbs.
Meanwhile, I began the new year with a goal of doing 100 pushups each day for 100 days (starting on January 2nd). Today is the 16th day and I've got to change things up. Mentally I'm still good with it, and my muscles feel fine, but the insertion point of a tendon or two on my shoulder is a little tender - so I'm going to back off until that heals up. Even before this showed up, I'd been doing some shoulder/lat strengthening exercises to balance out the chest/tricep-centric nature of the pushups. But I think the tendons just aren't quite ready for 1600 pushups in 16 days. Muscles can adapt and strengthen quickly (in just a couple of weeks), but tendons and ligaments take on the order of 6 months - so slow and steady is required.
I'm a little bummed I won't be reaching my 100x100 goal right away, but there's no point in exercising myself into disability just to be stubborn.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Monday, November 12, 2018
Three months down
Long time no post.
I'm three months in, and other than one day of poor choices, have basically been eating keto since this began. The poor choices happened after a couple of days of higher-than-desired blood sugar (low 100s), a little weight gain, and then I tweaked my back in the gym.
But, one day off, and back into it I went.
I've not counted my carbs for the past two months, and I appear to alternate between having high 90s and 98-105 fasting blood sugar measurements. Last week was mostly 102-105, and so I did a 17 hour intermittent fast, and the last three measurements have been
I've also been mindlessly eating. The Trader Joe's roasted/salted macadamia nuts are my new Achilles' heel (dark chocolate peanut butter cups were the weakness before). So I'm bringing some mindfulness back to eating - which includes paring down my snacks, and using the intermittent fast as a reminder of what actual hunger pangs feel like.
As of today, I'm down to 235, which is 25# down from 260 at the beginning of July. I began this whole process with three+ weeks of a paleo diet in July, so we'll use that as my beginning weight. In May I did spike above 265, and May of 2018 I hit a solid 270. But, looking back over the past 18 months, I kind of hovered at 255.
I didn't take a photo for this process, so I've been scouring my gmail for photos Mary and I took back in 2009 when we did P90-X! So far, no luck. I did, however, find my measurements from back then:
2009 trey:
weight:255
chest:43.5
waist:43
hips:45.75
right thigh:26.125
left thigh:26.5
right arm:15.125
left arm:16
I'll take some new measurements at some point. And I'll look for a photo from that time. I don't take photos of myself, in part because I don't like how I look. My mental reference is probably the family photo from the 4th of July when Simone was a couple years old. I do have a photo of me in my bike getup from a ride in June with Chapell, but the patterns make it hard to see much.
I'm still keeping at it, though I think I'll try adding a few starchy vegetables (sweet potato, delicata squash, etc.) to the meal rotation. So far, 3 months in, I'm not tired of eggs and bacon for breakfast.
I'm three months in, and other than one day of poor choices, have basically been eating keto since this began. The poor choices happened after a couple of days of higher-than-desired blood sugar (low 100s), a little weight gain, and then I tweaked my back in the gym.
But, one day off, and back into it I went.
I've not counted my carbs for the past two months, and I appear to alternate between having high 90s and 98-105 fasting blood sugar measurements. Last week was mostly 102-105, and so I did a 17 hour intermittent fast, and the last three measurements have been
I've also been mindlessly eating. The Trader Joe's roasted/salted macadamia nuts are my new Achilles' heel (dark chocolate peanut butter cups were the weakness before). So I'm bringing some mindfulness back to eating - which includes paring down my snacks, and using the intermittent fast as a reminder of what actual hunger pangs feel like.
As of today, I'm down to 235, which is 25# down from 260 at the beginning of July. I began this whole process with three+ weeks of a paleo diet in July, so we'll use that as my beginning weight. In May I did spike above 265, and May of 2018 I hit a solid 270. But, looking back over the past 18 months, I kind of hovered at 255.
I didn't take a photo for this process, so I've been scouring my gmail for photos Mary and I took back in 2009 when we did P90-X! So far, no luck. I did, however, find my measurements from back then:
2009 trey:
weight:255
chest:43.5
waist:43
hips:45.75
right thigh:26.125
left thigh:26.5
right arm:15.125
left arm:16
I'll take some new measurements at some point. And I'll look for a photo from that time. I don't take photos of myself, in part because I don't like how I look. My mental reference is probably the family photo from the 4th of July when Simone was a couple years old. I do have a photo of me in my bike getup from a ride in June with Chapell, but the patterns make it hard to see much.
Maybe Mary has a photo of me.
I'm still keeping at it, though I think I'll try adding a few starchy vegetables (sweet potato, delicata squash, etc.) to the meal rotation. So far, 3 months in, I'm not tired of eggs and bacon for breakfast.
Friday, September 14, 2018
The Reset Worked
My blood sugars have been solid since the reset. And today I measured my sugar levels after I worked out and after I ate. So, I woke up, went to the gym, and then ate a BLT salad. I measured my blood sugar levels at each point, including every 30 minutes after eating my late breakfast. The entire time my blood sugar stayed within the range of 85-89. Nice and solid.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Six weeks and still going
I'm like the energizer bunny...
The past two weeks have been some ups and downs, starting with the downs.
For a little over a week, my blood sugars rose above 100 - generally around 105-106, but as high as 110. I didn't change my diet much, but I was not being as strict about my carb intake. I did measure it out on two days, and those days were around 50g. Nevertheless, my blood sugar rose above 100 and stayed there. I also gained a couple pounds.
Mary talked with a friend of hers who had done keto and found that when she plateaued, a two day reset usually did the trick. So, for the past two days I ate nothing but ground beef and butter. Yummmmm!
Actually, it wasn't bad. I did eat salmon and butter on Saturday morning because we didn't have any beef, but we loaded up with 4 pounds which I cooked with some spices, and have since finished off. After two days of that, my blood sugar this morning was a middle of the desired range at 90! Additionally, I dropped down to 244# - which is what I was 3 weeks ago. So, good news.
I have really been eating nothing but eggs, meat, and greens, with the occasional tomato/green bean/cauliflower, and dark chocolate every third night or so. I had one Newman-O's cookie last week, and a taste of the bread Simone made. But no sugar/grain other than that... It hasn't been hard, other than feeling a little discouraged when the 90% diet (as in, I was doing it 90% correctly) was leading to higher blood sugar levels.
I think the conclusion is that I need to keep a tight rein on the carbs. I can't just guess at it.
Onward!
The past two weeks have been some ups and downs, starting with the downs.
For a little over a week, my blood sugars rose above 100 - generally around 105-106, but as high as 110. I didn't change my diet much, but I was not being as strict about my carb intake. I did measure it out on two days, and those days were around 50g. Nevertheless, my blood sugar rose above 100 and stayed there. I also gained a couple pounds.
Mary talked with a friend of hers who had done keto and found that when she plateaued, a two day reset usually did the trick. So, for the past two days I ate nothing but ground beef and butter. Yummmmm!
Actually, it wasn't bad. I did eat salmon and butter on Saturday morning because we didn't have any beef, but we loaded up with 4 pounds which I cooked with some spices, and have since finished off. After two days of that, my blood sugar this morning was a middle of the desired range at 90! Additionally, I dropped down to 244# - which is what I was 3 weeks ago. So, good news.
I have really been eating nothing but eggs, meat, and greens, with the occasional tomato/green bean/cauliflower, and dark chocolate every third night or so. I had one Newman-O's cookie last week, and a taste of the bread Simone made. But no sugar/grain other than that... It hasn't been hard, other than feeling a little discouraged when the 90% diet (as in, I was doing it 90% correctly) was leading to higher blood sugar levels.
I think the conclusion is that I need to keep a tight rein on the carbs. I can't just guess at it.
Onward!
Monday, August 27, 2018
One month in Keto
Four weeks in, what's new?
Well, my blood sugar was high (105-106) a couple of times in the past week, and I didn't cheat! That's been a bit frustrating. I've only eaten meat, cheese, nuts, greens, and a few vegetables (cauliflower, tomatoes, and green beans). Oh, and the occasional blackberry (c'mon, they're practically hitting me in the head when I walk by) and square of dark (80+%) chocolate. But, seriously, it's been a square or two of chocolate, and 4-5 berries (granted, they're HUUUUGE), and then back to meat and nuts and cheese.
And, to top it off, I gained 3 pounds in the past week. Bummer.
So, back to being more critical of my food - actually counting the carbs and not just hoping that the tomatoes I added to my salad didn't bump me over the limit.
Other things that were different this week - I didn't drink nearly the same amount of water, and I think I mistook thirst for hunger. Plus, I made some fat bombs that were a bit too tempting - they were like candy. And Mary was out of town, combined with a deadline at work, I did not make time to get my regular workouts in.
So, new day, new week, back on the saddle.
I must admit, I'm not yet tired of salad and meat.
Well, my blood sugar was high (105-106) a couple of times in the past week, and I didn't cheat! That's been a bit frustrating. I've only eaten meat, cheese, nuts, greens, and a few vegetables (cauliflower, tomatoes, and green beans). Oh, and the occasional blackberry (c'mon, they're practically hitting me in the head when I walk by) and square of dark (80+%) chocolate. But, seriously, it's been a square or two of chocolate, and 4-5 berries (granted, they're HUUUUGE), and then back to meat and nuts and cheese.
And, to top it off, I gained 3 pounds in the past week. Bummer.
So, back to being more critical of my food - actually counting the carbs and not just hoping that the tomatoes I added to my salad didn't bump me over the limit.
Other things that were different this week - I didn't drink nearly the same amount of water, and I think I mistook thirst for hunger. Plus, I made some fat bombs that were a bit too tempting - they were like candy. And Mary was out of town, combined with a deadline at work, I did not make time to get my regular workouts in.
So, new day, new week, back on the saddle.
I must admit, I'm not yet tired of salad and meat.
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