Wednesday, November 28, 2012

I almost chickened out

and didn't check my blood today.

After yesterday's carb-a-looza, I feared the worse. I finally faced reality and checked under the hood..

glucose..71  (whew)
ketones...8 (could have been lots worse)

On happier news...my ketone sticks arrived from Canada! Here's the website I used  www.universaldrugstore.com

The strips were about $2 each, much better than the US rate of $5 each. I was able to get some bargins on eBay but I hate the auctions. I've never been good at haggling.

Since I have a source for ketone strips that I can afford, I'm thinking about doing a 100 day experiment. I'm curious to see how I would feel if I can elevate my ketones from the .5 range to around 2. I need to buy more glucose strips too.

Hmmm...I need to contemplate my plan...

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Beast mode?

Maybe not yet.

Too many nuts and dark chocolate and wine this afternoon.

Why is the room spinning?
And where is the rest of my chocolate?

LATER THAT NIGHT...My stomach hurts. Although Fast-5 is a good way of intermittent fasting, I don't think it's a good fit for me. I was getting too obsessed with counting down the hours until my eating window opened. That may have contributed to my carb-fest today. I'm returning to the EatStopEat  way of intermittent fasting.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Beast Mode!

The last of the Thanksgiving leftovers have been eaten.
I have 5 weeks before my 100 mile race.

Time to enter Beast Mode!



Less than 50 grams of carbs a day.
Fast-5
Moderate protein, about 60 grams a day.

It's getting serious now...

Saturday, November 24, 2012

I love this video

it's describes LCHF perfectly. And it's funny too..



I made it through my first day of Fast-5 without a hitch. I was so full from Thanksgiving, I could have completed a 24 hour fast.

While in a fasted state I took a 4 hour walk yesterday morning. Today I'm going on a morning hike.

Yesterday my numbers were 71 for glucose and .9 for ketones. The ketone number is slowly moving up again.

UPDATE...On Fast-5 day 2 my fasting glucose is 80 and my ketones slid back to .4. Despite a 1hr hike, my ketones are low. I know it's because I'm eating too much protein and carbs from Thanksgiving. The leftovers will be gone today. Tomorrow I'll be back to my non-holiday foods.

Friday, November 23, 2012

An experiment within an experiment

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I'm doing Fast-5.

Fast-5 was designed by Dr Bert Herring. It's a form of intermittent fasting. You fast for 19 hours a day, then your "eating window" opens for 5 hours. Since becoming fat adapted, I can go fairly painlessly without food for 19 hours. My eating window will be 2-7pm.

I'm curious to see how daily fasting will impact my ketone numbers. I'll take my readings around 2pm, before my first food of the day. I'm also going to do glucose readings at that time.

Today is Day 1, fasting for 19 hours will be super easy. I'm still full from Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

For the first time in 25 years

I'll be having turkey for Thanksgiving.

And brussel sprouts with bacon

And mashed califlower with loads of butter and heavy cream

And creamed spinach

I also made these 2 desserts from the terrific Dr Davis from wheatbellyblog.com

Cranberry Apple crumb..

This is Dr Davis's pie, mine doesn't look as pretty but it's delish!
Pumpkin pie

Dr Davis's pretty pie

THANKSGIVING UPDATE..Fasting glucose is coming back down, 81 this morning. Bob and I are going to a 2.5 hour hike this morning. I'm going to do it in a fasted state then check my ketones.

AFTER THE HIKE...ketone reading is .7. I may have to kick things up a notch.
The good news is that I was able to complete a strenuous 2.5 hour hike without eating since dinner last night. After the hike I had a couple scrambled eggs with creme fraiche and avocado. Breakfast of champions!

LATER THAT NIGHT...I'm stuffed. I ate liberal portions of all the above mentioned foods. Although I am fuller than I've been in months, after dinner I checked my glucose, it registered 80. I'm happy to see that my gluttony didn't cause my insulin to spike.

I need a nap...

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Damn you Holiday Baking!

My ketone reading is .4 today. I'm out of nutritional ketosis.

I have no one to blame but myself. Yesterday I was experimenting with some LCHF baking for Thanksgiving. Sampling and taking "a small piece" of everything I made.

Even though I used xylitol as the sweetener, I know I had more than 50 grams of carbs yesterday. Probably more like 80-100.

Yesterday, before the bake-fest, my fasting glucose was 71 and my ketones were 1.7.

Today the fasting glucose was 92 and ketones were the dismal .4.

This proves I need to be diligent over the holiday season. It also re-inforces my decision to extend my ketosis experiment.

.4.....dang it.


Monday, November 19, 2012

6 weeks until another race

This one will be a doozy.

It's in Phoenix, a 72 hour race that finishes on New Year's Day. It's aptly named Across The Years.

Last year I did the 24 hour event. This year I'm in for the whole magilla, 3 days. My goal is to complete 100 miles. Because if I do, I get this nifty belt buckle..


That buckle will look very nice sitting in my office. I want it!

My other goal is to stay in nutritional ketosis until the race. Today my ketones were 1.8, that's where I like the number to be. My fasting glucose was 69. Seems to be a correlation between low glucose and higher levels of ketones.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

I'm going across the border

to get more ketone strips.

about $2 a strip, that's a bargain!
I ordered 30 more strips from a Canadian Pharmacy. Although I know Canadians are trustworthy folks, I've never placed an international order before. If they do arrive at my doorstep, I'll place a bigger order. In Canada, the strips are about $2 compared to over $5 in the U.S.

I was bidding on 30 strips on eBay but the Canadian ones are cheaper.

If the order arrives without a glitch, I'm going to continue my NK experiment for the next couple months.

UPDATE...received an e-mail that acknowledged my order..that's a good sign.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

.The meter never lies

Yesterday I was once again, testing out some LCHF desserts for Thanksgiving.

Today my ketone reading was .6. I'm dangerously close to being kicked out of Ketosis City. 

Although most of the low number is due to my endless sampling, I also took the reading earlier in the day. I usually take the reading around 3pm. Today it was at noon. If I ever get a good stash of ketone sticks, I may take a sample in the am, afternoon and evening. I can only afford to do this once, plus I don't want to stick my finger all day.

Tomorrow my husband and I have a long hike planned. I may take a reading as soon as we're done, to see if my ketones go up after exercise. I did take samples after my marathons last month. I didn't see a significant change.

On a related note, my underwear is getting baggy. Nutritional ketosis rocks! 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Updated food plate

forget that one made by the government. The one that's chocked full of carbs.

This is what it should be..



The only thing missing is a glass of wine.

Fasting glucose..87
Ketones..1.2

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

My favorite yogurt

Voskos Greek Yogurt



One cup has 20 grams of fat, the highest I've found. It also has 15 grams of carbs and 9 grams of protein.

I've been having some for breakfast, about half a cup, mixed with some heavy cream. I then top it with some berries, coconut flakes and nuts. It's my new favorite breakfast and keeps me going until dinner.

My fasting glucose was 85.
My ketones were 1.4, up from 1.1 yesterday. If I stay between 1 and 2mm I'll be a happy camper.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Nutritional Ketosis is like having a superpower.

Today is an intermittent fasting day. I ate dinner last night around 6pm. It's 4pm the next day, no hunger pangs. Not even a growling stomach. If I didn't know otherwise, I would have thought I'd eaten breakfast or lunch.

Nope, just coffee and water.

I'll be eating dinner in a couple hours. I'll update my numbers later tonight.

LATER THAT DAY..
Fasting glucose..85
Ketones..1.1

I've been working out of town all week. Last night I had some kale salad with chicken. The salad was so delicious, I may have overeaten it. My carbs could have been bumped up, which may explain my low ketone number.

If my number doesn't go up, I may have to tweak my diet. I've been able to have a glass of wine everyday and still stay in ketosis. Also, some 100% chocolate. Sadly, I may have to remove them for the duration of my experiment. I'll see what my readings are tomorrow.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Today's readings

fasting glucose...81
ketones...1.5

And a photo of Rocky..


Sunday, November 11, 2012

100% Chocolate Bars

I've been on a mission to find the best 100% chocolate bars.

For my Fat Bombs, I've been using Lily's chocolate, sweetened with stevia.


They work well combined with coconut oil, nut butter and butter. For eating straight, the taste of stevia is too strong for me.

I've sampled several 100% bars. Here are my top 3...

Francois Pralus 100% bar


This bar is from France. I can't read most of the words on the back, however, there were some sentences in English..

"Our 100% bar is chocolate in it's purest form. This means it has no sugar added, it's pure cocoa paste. Francois Pralus has his own cacao plantation in Madagascar on the island of Nosy Be. (Wow, this bar traveled a long way!). The extra long conche time (I don't know what the heck that means) gives roundness and lusciousness to this ultra high percentage bar". 

This is my second favorite bar, it's smooth and has a taste of vanilla.

TCHO 99% bar

I can't find a photo of the 99% bar

TCHO is made in San Francisco. Here's some info from the back of the bar..

"Flavor Notes: Roasted nut and espresso notes with accents of toasted malt and dried fruits. The cocao is sourced from Peru and Ecador.An insanely rich, not bitter, flavor experience"

I can taste the espresso notes in this bar, a square or two is terrific with a cup of coffee. This is my third favorite bar.

My favorite bar is this one...

DOMORI IL100%




When I first had this bar, I rechecked the ingredients, it's so smooth, I was sure it had sugar added. Nope, just 100% chocolate. Domori is from Italy, no English on the back of the package. Let me tell you, the Italians know how to do 100% chocolate bars. This is crazy good, smooth and rich. Unfortunately, it's crazy expensive too. I'm researching chocolate shops on the web, maybe I can get a price break if I buy a case.

My body is still in fat burning mode, my ketone reading was 2.1 today. I have a good idea of what my readings will be. When I'm at 1.5 or higher, I can go all day without being hungry. I still can't believe it.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Lesson learned

This morning I checked my fasting glucose...91. Ouch. Yesterday's chocolate extravaganza is still floating around my bloodstream. I'll check my ketones this afternoon.

LATER IN THE DAY.. My ketone reading is 1.6. Whew, that was a close one. No more carb overload for me!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Uh-oh

I've been a bit carb crazy today.

I blame Thanksgiving.

I'm on a quest to find a tasty LCHF dessert for the holidays. I made a no bake chocolate cake that was ok but not perfect. I'm not a stellar baker so it was probably something I did. The cake didn't hold together, even after being refrigerated overnight.

This afternoon I made a chocolate cake that is baked. It's out of the oven and smells pretty good. I'm cautiously optimistic.

The problem is that I've been tasting and tasting and tasting again. I ate a big slice of the no bake cake to make sure it wasn't the recipe I want. I've lost track of how many carbs I've consumed, tomorrow's ketone reading may not be pretty.

I'll focus on the positive, today my ketone reading was 2.3. Tomorrow's reading will be interesting...

3 HOURS LATER...My stomach hurts. I guess I should be happy that I can't overdo carbs anymore. I feel icky....

Thursday, November 8, 2012

I'm obsessed with ketone strips

These are the ones I've been using..

One box of 10 sells for over $50. Yikes, that's $5 a strip!

I've been on a mission to find discounted ones. My best source has been eBay. I just won a bid for 2 boxes for $40. Two dollars a strip! I'm giddy with excitement!

I have enough strips for 42 more days. If I can find more bargains, I'll extend my ketosis experiment. It's been fascinating seeing how my ketones react to the carbs I eat. I'm still in ketosis, today the reading was 1.8.

I may research pharmacies in Canada, I hear the strips are cheaper up there.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Intermittent fasting

I used to do the Eat Stop Eat program that was started by Brad Pilon. In a nutshell, you eat dinner, then eat nothing until the following day's dinner. Although you're fasting for 24 hours, you still get to eat a meal everyday. I would aim to do intermittent fasting once or twice a week.

I haven't done a fasting day for a couple months. Since I'm in nutritional ketosis, I thought it would be a good time to try one again. I ate dinner last night, then skipped breakfast and lunch. I'm not rigid about the 24 hours, I think I got to about 22 before I ate.

no breakfast or lunch for me today
I felt good throughout the day. I never had any hunger pangs. My energy was also consistent.

Yesterday my ketones were 2.3. Today, after a 22 hour fast they were 3.8.

I'm going to sprinkle in a day or two of fasting per week. I like taking a break from thinking about what to eat. When I'm fasting, the choice is simple, either water or black coffee!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Fat Bombs OMG!!!

It's so exciting to discover a new favorite food.

Enter Fat Bombs.

For a week or so I was starting my day drinking bullet proof coffee. It was a good way to get a dose of coconut oil and butter. Although it was tasty, I prefer my coffee black.

I began searching the web for alternative ways to consume butter and coconut oil. That's when I discovered Fat Bombs. Could they really taste as good as they sound?

I'm happy to report that yes they do. They're are lots of recipes out there. I was too lazy to drive to the grocery store so I used what was in the house.

4oz of Kerry Gold butter...



1 cup of natural, unsweetened peanut butter...



1 cup of coconut creme..


1 Bar of Lily's chocolate. Lilly's is sweetened only with stevia.


I melted everything together. When thoroughly melted, I poured the mixture into a muffin tin. I used paper liners, good thing I did or I doubt I could have gotten them out of the molds.

I stuck the muffin tin in the freezer for about 30 min. Then I bit into one.

Here is the OMG part! They are melt in your mouth good! Speaking of melting, the fat bombs need to be stored in the freezer because the coconut and butter will liquefy. I'll be consuming a fat bomb a day (maybe 2). I want to experiment with different recipes, I read a tasty sounding one with lemon and cream cheese.




Sunday, November 4, 2012

And now a moment to reflect..

Yesterday my ketones were 2.8, I'm still in nutritional ketosis.

Last year, if you would have told me I'd be eating a LCHF diet, I would have bet a dollar that you were wrong. Then I would have lost another dollar when you said that I would love it!

I have completely overhauled my diet. I went from a high carb, vegetarian (for 25 years) to a high fat carnivore.

This week I completed 2 marathons and 2 half marathons (78.6 miles)in 4 days. Every morning I ate 2 eggs with some ham and cheese, spread with butter. I consumed no food or sport drink during the races. I only drank water and electrolyte tablets and felt fine. If I wasn't the one who did this, I wouldn't believe it was possible.

Now that I'm in nutritional ketosis, I have zero cravings for the carb porn I used to eat on a daily basis. It reminds me of when I was a vegetarian, I didn't consider a hamburger food (what a fool I was!) so I was detached from it. I can look at the bakery case in Starbucks and not even think about consuming any of it. Something I have never been able to do.

I'm amazed at how even my energy is throughout the day. I can't take an afternoon nap even if I wanted to. Actually, I kind of miss that part.

And I'm losing weight! I'm eating a diet that's at least 70% fat and I can fit in all the clothes in my closet. Most of them are too big now.

I have to give a big shout out to Jimmy Moore. I never heard about nutritional ketosis until I read about his experiment. I'm having success because I'm following his footsteps and listening to his podcasts. Thank you Jimmy!




Saturday, November 3, 2012

I switched my breakfast

for the last week or so, I've been having a couple hard boiled eggs with ham and cheese, with some butter spread on top. Although it's tasty and doesn't affect my blood sugar, I'm getting a little tired of it.

Today I had 1/2 c of full fat yogurt with a little heavy cream. I topped it with some nuts and a small amount of blueberries.

My fasting glucose was 93, which is on the high side. An hour after breakfast, it's still 93. I'm happy to see I can have this breakfast option without any glucose spikes.

I stepped on the scale this morning, 134 lbs. I'd like to settle into the 120's but I'm in no hurry.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Day of the Dead Racing Series

was held along the Rio Grande River in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

La Llorona Park

The races began in La Llorona park. La Llorona means "crying lady". The legend is that a woman drowned her 2 children in the river to be with her lover. After the deed is done, her lover rejects her. Now she haunts the river at night. I'm glad to know that I won't be the only one crying at the river. My plan was to do 4 marathons in 4 days.

I ended up doing 2 marathons and 2 half marathons.


This was the cool graphic used for the t-shirt and medal


Despite a 40 degree temp change during the day (low 40's in the am, climbing to low 80's in the afternoon) and some nasty blood blisters, I had a terrific time.

My ketones were 2.8 today, solidly in fat burning. I may step on the scale tomorrow to see what's going on. My fasting glucose was 77.


Thursday, November 1, 2012

Holy Ketones Batman!

When I began this LCHF ketosis experiment, my ketones were .3.

This afternoon the reading was 4.3!

I'm pretty sure the reason was that I completed 2 marathons and 2 half marathons in 4 days. Before each race I had 2 boiled eggs with ham and cheese and some butter. During the race I avoided all the carb porn and drank water. I also skipped the gator-aide and took electrolyte tablets every couple hours.

Except for some blisters and sunburn, I felt good throughout the races. My energy was stable, I never felt shaky or hungry.

I'll be curious to see how high my ketones stay now that the races are over. On Monday and Tuesday I did the marathons. My ketones were around 1.3. Today was the only day they were so high. My fasting glucose seems to be bouncing between the 70-80 range.

Back later with a more detailed race report.