Karen will join us on Monday, March 23 2015 – but please welcome her now.
Karen’s Introduction:
Hello everyone! I am fifty-five, 5′ 4″ and weigh 171 pounds. I’ve battled my weight most of my adult life, and am grateful that SugarFree will be guiding me on my journey back to health. The results of my metabolic blood tests show me to be Insulin Resistant, Hyperinsulinemic, and Hypothyroid. My blood sugar levels are terrible and if I were to continue eating and living as I am there is no doubt I would end up a Type 2 Diabetic. I also suffer from pelvic inflammatory disease which greatly decreases my quality of life.
I’ve lived with poor energy levels for years and take a myriad of medications that don’t really deal with my problems but only exacerbate my symptoms. I’ve been on hormone replacement therapy and an anti-depressant for over six years along with a sleep aid medications and anti-inflammatories. With SugarFree’s help I am looking forward correcting the underlying conditions instead of treating the symptoms, and to weaning myself off the medications.
I have a high stress job that involves travel and lengthy stays in hotel rooms, so I know eating real food instead of the processed stuff I’ve been living on will be a challenge – but with SugarFree’s support, it’s one I’m ready to take head on. I must learn what my body needs and how to meet those needs through proper nutrition and healthy eating habits. I know Protocol won’t be a short journey but I believe it will prove to be an educational and interesting one with many self-revelations along the way.
Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 1 – 3/23
Weight: 171 pounds
Measurements:
Bust: 38″
Waist: 38″
Hips: 44″
Meal
– .75 T. butter
– .75 T. duck fat
– 14 oz chicken thigh
– 8 oz broccoli
– 6 oz collards
– 1 oz potato
Fitday Stats;
– Calories: 745
– Fat 51.2 (62%)
– Protein 56.9 (31%)
– Carbs 14.1 (7%)
Ketostix: Negative
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 96
1-Hr PP (after meal): 127
2-Hr PP (after meal): 108
My meal was extremely satisfying and completely filling. I’m pleased I did most of my meal prep yesterday as it made the first day’s meal assembly quick and easy.
Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 2 – 3/24
Weight: 169.8 = down 1.2 pounds
Meal:
– 8 oz chicken livers
– 11 oz fennel
– 8 oz spinach
– 3 large eggs
– 1 T. Butter
– 1 T. Duck Fat
Fitday Stats:
Calories: 736
Fat: 50.7 (61%)
Carbs: 10.4 (6%)
Protein: 59.5 (33%)
Ketostix: small
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 97
1-hr PP (after meal): 113
2-hr PP (after meal): 120
Liver is definitely not my favorite but I did manage to finish all but one small bite. I’m really enjoying the greens.
[Note: As with most Participants who have never had liver, it is an acquired taste. And if you read a month or two into their logs, you’ll see everyone acquires it. 😀 It’s not only an incredible super food that’s good for you, cooked properly it tastes delicious.]
Since the two hour PP was higher than the one hour I will be testing again in the third hour.
[Note: You’ll need to take it every hour for as many hours as it takes for it to go down again, not up.]
Could this still be from the one ounce of potato I ate yesterday?
[Note: No. If you had a particular problem with a food you ate yesterday, your fasting sugars would have been much higher today, and they weren’t. PP’s are only affected by the actual food you ate at the meal whose effect you are measuring. Your PP’s are high because you are extremely insulinemic (a form of diabetes) as well as insulin resistant, and have been for some time – years, in fact. Returning to full metabolic health and true insulin sensitivity will take many months, or even a year or two – not weeks, let alone days. Patience, Grasshopper. :)]
Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 3 – 3/25
Weight: 169 = down .8 pound
Meal:
– 9 oz salmon
– 8 oz broccoli
– 6 oz collard greens
– 4 oz mushrooms
– 1.4 T. butter
– 1.4 T. duck fat
Fitday Stats:
Calories: 757
Fat: 50.2 (60%)
Carbs: 13.4 (7%)
Protein: 63.0 (33%)
Ketostix: Small
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 89
1-hr PP (after meal): 104
2-hr PP (after meal): 96
Today’s meal was very good and filling. We have a potluck tonight so it will be my first social eating situation since I started Protocol. I prepared a dish and amazed myself that I didn’t do any taste testing along the way. I hope I do as well this evening.
Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 4 – 3/26
Weight: 168 = down 1 pound
– 8 oz chicken liver
– 8 oz kale
– 9 oz asparagus
– 3 large eggs
– 1 oz brown rice
– 1 T. butter
– 1 T. duck fat
FitDay Stats:
Calories: 782
Fat: 50.7 (58%)
Carbs: 17.6 (9%)
Protein: 63.7 (33%)
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 89
1-hr PP (after meal): 119
2-hr PP (after meal): 102
Managed to get through last night’s potluck without caving in to temptation. It was fairly easy until they brought out the Bailey’s Irish Cream cake but I still managed to abstain.
I’m still struggling with the chicken liver but I added cayenne pepper today and I cooked it a bit longer and that helped. Wow, eight ounces of kale is a LOT of kale but it all tasted really good.
[Note: Congratulations on your abstinence from the cake. Given what a single ounce of brown rice did to your blood sugars today, imagine what even a single bite last night would have done to them. The good news is, in another month or so you won’t even be tempted. 🙂 As for the kale, as with all your veggies, it’s absolutely best to roast them in a really hot (400 F) oven that’s been preheated for at least half an hour. That LOT of kale would have shrunk down to a crispy and delicious handful.]
Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 5 – 3/27
Weight: 166.8 = down 1.2 pounds
Meal:
-13 oz pork chop
-5 oz fennel
-8 oz swiss chard
-.75 T. butter
-.75 T. duck fat
FitDay Stats:
Calories: 720
Fat: 48.8 (61%)
Carbs: 10.3 (6%)
Protein: 59.9 (33%)
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 85
1-hr PP (after meal): 106
2-hr PP (after meal): 105
Slept nine hours last night even after a nap so that’s great! Still tired and feeling low on energy though. Lunch was amazing and even though I was hungry I had a hard time finishing all of it. I’m really pleased with the weight loss so far, even though most of it is probably only water weight. I’m not due to take measurements until Monday but I did pull on a pair of denim pants that three weeks ago I couldn’t get buttoned. I’m happy to say that I could button them this morning. Still snug but definitely buttoned. 🙂
[Note: The reason you had a hard time finishing what is a very small meal, is because you are now consuming your own (previously) stored excess fat – and thus many hundreds of extra calories. That’s also why your pants fit so well. 🙂 I think you’ll be very pleased with your measurements on Monday, and will then understand that you’re now losing fat as well as water weight.
The reason for the tiredness has to do with ketone adaptation. Humans are a duel fuel animal. We can run on carbohydrates as our main source of fuel or, even better, we can run on fat as our main source of fuel. Our bodies love that, because our muscles, even our hearts, run about 20% more efficiently on fat for fuel. Ditto: our brains. The problem is, we can’t run on both at once. It’s one or the other. You’ve been using carbs as your main source of fuel for years. Now you want to use fat – but it takes two to three weeks for your body to entirely adapt to that. So you’re still not entirely running on fat — but you’re not providing many carbs for the fuel system you have now! Of course you’re tired and can’t concentrate well. As the adaptation to fat for fuel continues, you’ll find your energy levels increasing and, within a few weeks, you will write on this very page that you haven’t had so much energy in your life. Guaranteed. :D]
Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 6 – 3/28
Weight: 166.8 = no change
Meal:
– 9 oz salmon
– 8 oz spinach
– 6 oz collards
– 4 oz mushrooms
– 1 oz sweet potato
– 1.4 T butter
– 1.4 T duck fat
FitDay Stats:
Calories: 783
Fat: 50.3 (58%)
Carbs: 19.1 (10%)
Protein: 63.4 (32%)
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 87
1-hr PP: 102
2-hr PP: 120
It was nice to see my fasting blood glucose in the 80’s again, but my 2-hr PP tells me that even an ounce of starch veggie is too much for my insulin to handle right now. I will keep trying.
Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 7 – 3/29
Weight: 166.8 = no change
Meal:
– 9 oz sirloin steak
– 8 oz broccoli
– 11 oz zucchini
– .75 T. butter
– .75 T. duck fat
FitDay Stats:
Calories: 725
Fat: 51.2 (63%)
Carbs: 10.5 (6%)
Protein: 55.7 (31%)
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 92
1-hr PP: 119
2-hr PP: 113
Happy to have the first week under my belt. I keep learning more about Protocol and how it will help me back to health. This week I will be changing my menu around in order to keep my body guessing but still keeping my ratios the same.
Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 1 – 3/30
Weight: 166.8 = no change
Measurements:
Bust: 37 = down 1″
Waist: 36.5 = down 1.5″
Hips: 42 = down 2″
From other areas: = (also) down 4.5″
Meal:
– 8 oz chicken livers
– 8 oz broccoli
– 5 oz green beans
– 3 large eggs
– 2 oz mushrooms
– 1 T. butter
– 1 T. duck fat
FitDay Stats:
Calories: 754
Fat: 50.5 (60%)
Carbs: 13.1 (7%)
Protein: 61.7 (33%)
Ketostix: large
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 85
1-hr PP: 112
2-hr PP: 115
Love my fasting blood sugar reading, though not so much my PP’s. Chicken livers are still not my favorite but I’m using spices and I’m able to eat them. I’m sure, like other
participants, I will come to love and even crave them. And the loss of nine inches of fat in a single week is very encouraging. Late evenings are difficult for me as I’ve always wanted to eat in the evening, but last night I had a cup of tea instead at SugarFree’s suggestion, and exactly as she predicted, I wasn’t the least bit hungry this morning. In fact, I woke up feeling full and had no desire for food.
Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 2 – 3/31
Weight: 166.2 = down .4 pound
Meal:
– 9 oz salmon
– 8 oz spinach
– 6 oz collards
– 1 oz white potato
– 1 T. creme fraiche
– .75 T. butter
– 1.5 T. duck fat
FitDay Stats:
Calories: 745
Fat: 49.2 (59%)
Carbs: 15.1 (9%)
Protein: 60.4 (32%)
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 88
1-hr PP: 103
2-hr PP: 109
Good fasting reading today but my 2-hr PP is still too high (and higher than my 1-hr). Really shows me how out of control my blood sugars have been and still are.
Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 3 – 4/1
Weight: 166.2 = no change
Meal:
– 13 oz pork chop
– 8 oz swiss chard
– 5 oz fennel
– .75 T. butter
– .75 T. duck fat
FitDay Stats:
Calories: 748
Fat: 50 (61%)
Carbs: 10.3 (6%)
Protein: 62.1 (33%)
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 104
1-hr PP: 103
2-hr PP: 140
I took a tumble yesterday while washing windows and have a sprain and a bone contusion for my efforts. Thank goodness it wasn’t broken – but my 2-hr PP is ghastly! SugarFree explained that injuries (and sickness) raise Cortisol to help the healing, but Cortisol depresses insulin, which raises blood sugars. The only thing was my meal. Even better than pork chops fried in duck fat is chicken thighs cooked in duck fat, yum! I had coffee with my meal today and added a teaspoon of heavy cream. Lovely.
Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 4 – 4/2
Weight: 166.2 = no change
Protocol Illness Menu (PIM)
Ketostix: trace
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 104
2-hr PP: 100
Due to my injury I will be on PIM for the next few days. Really enjoyed my lunch. Great consult with SugarFree today about my starting the Maintenance phase on Monday. Still lots to learn, and a boatload of food and fat to eat! 🙂
Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 5 – 4/3
Weight: 167 = up .8 pound
Protocol Illness Menu
Ketostix: trace
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 110
1-hr PP: 109
2-hr PP: 91
The beginning of a busy holiday weekend. Happy Easter/Passover everyone!
Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 6 – 4/4
Weight: 167 = no change
Ketostix: small
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 99
1-hr PP: 102
2-hr PP: 110
We had family visiting from out of town this weekend.
Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 7 – 4/5
Weight: 167.2 = up .2 pound
Ketostix: small
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 91
1-hr PP: 109
1-hr PP: 100
Another wonderful day with family and friends.
Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 1 – 4/6
Weight: 165.8 = down 1.4 pounds
Measurements:
Bust: 37 = no change
Waist: 37 = up .5″
Hips: 42 = no change
From other areas: = down 5″
Ketostix: Small
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 94
1-Hr PP: 119
2-Hr PP: 123
Busy day running errands.
Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 2 – 4/7
Weight: 165.8 = no change
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 90
1-hr PP: 95
2-hr PP: 102
Feeling good. My parents are arriving today so things are a little hectic but I’m really looking forward to their visit.
[Note: Great blood sugars today – the first time out of the red! It’s all the extra fat on Maintenance that’s responsible, since fat slows down the conversion of carbs to glucose.]
Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 3 – 4/8
Weight: 165.2 = down .6 pound
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 91
1- Hr PP: 97
2- Hr PP: 118
A small car accident and a trip to the vet for our dog is how the day started out. It didn’t end much better but everyone is okay, thank goodness – including the pooch.
Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 4 – 4/9
Weight: 165.2 = no change
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 72
1- Hr PP: 84
2- Hr PP: 119
Really happy with my fasting and 1-hr meter readings.
Maintenance Round 1, Week 1 Day 5 – 4/10
Weight: 165.2 = no change
Ketostix: small
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 92
1-Hr PP: 81
2-Hr PP: 108
Parents left early this morning and we have to catch up on everything that didn’t get done the last two days. I leave early next week for a long work trip and I’m not even close to being ready. Have a great weekend!
Maintenance Round 1, Week 1 Day 6 – 4/11
Weight: 164.2 = down 1 pound
Ketostix: moderate
Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 90
1-Hr PP: 133
2-Hr PP: 122
My not-good PP readings show that even one ounce of potato was too much for my insulin to handle – but I’m not discouraged. It will get better over time. This will be my last report for a bit, until I settle into my job and new quarters. Meantime, I’m still on Maintenance and despite eating so much fat and calories – still getting slimmer!