SugarFree Protocol – Kristin

Kristin will join us on Monday, April 22, but please welcome her now.

Kristin’s Introduction:

Hi! I’m thirty-six, 5′ 4″, and weigh 150 pounds. I have been trying to manage my weight for years by extreme low-fat and low-calories. Weight watchers, Diet shakes, Juice fasts, gluten-free, vegetarian, HCG (eight times!) and exercise. All these methods were successful for a while, but none of them worked for long. Unless I ate low-calorie during ‘maintenance’, but then I had no energy and felt terrible. Through the results of my metabolic blood tests, I’ve found out that I am Hypothyroid and severely Insulin Resistant with high fasting insulin and leptin levels. Yikes.

I’m fed up spending every day concerned about what goes in my mouth. Will this apple make me fat, will this bacon make me fat, will I gain if I just eat this amount? Or even: oh, well, let’s eat cake because everything I do makes me fat! So I find myself here, with SugarFree, believing one more time that someone has the answer. What I love about her method is that the proof is in the pudding. Blood tests! Why had I not heard of this before? And finally I’ve found someone willing to take the time every day to teach me how to restore my metabolism to normal.

What is normal? I know I am not it. When reviewing my metabolic tests I come to realize I know absolutely nothing about how God made my body work and that I had been abusing it for the last two decades. I hope to learn more as the weeks progress. But really, knowing that I am unhealthy inside is what’s most important. It makes this challenge more worthwhile. It pushes me past desiring it for vanity and helps me understand that past decisions, though innocently made, compromised my health and now is the time for true knowledge. It is with great anticipation that I begin Protocol.

I do hope that I will learn to like liver, sea food, and Mayonnaise. Boy, I have a lot of work to do!

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 1 – 4/22

Weight: 150.3

Measurements:
Bust: 36″
Waist: 36.5″
Hips: 41.75″

Meal:
– 8 oz broccoli
– 1 oz white potato
– .5 fluid oz Heavy Cream
– 1 T. Duck Fat
– 1 T. Butter
– 5 oz Green Beans raw
– 9 oz Beef Rib Eye

Fitday stats:
Calories: 735
Fat: 49.3 grams (60%)
Protein: 57.8 grams (32%)
Carbs: 15.0 grams (8%)

Ketostix: trace

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 92
1-hour PP (after meal): 109
2-hour PP (after meal): 96

Eating this much is terrible. I feel full all day but hungry at the same time. Also eating all that fat on the Rib Eye was disgusting. I wish I liked fatty pieces of meat and fish, but I don’t. Just never grew up eating them. “Oh bother”, as Pooh would say.

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 2 – 4/23

Weight: 148.6 = down 1.7 pounds

Meal:
– 8 oz spinach
– 6 oz Green Beans frozen
– .5 T. Duck Fat
– .5 Heavy Cream
– 1.5 T. butter
– 9 oz Salmon, raw

Fitday stats:
Calories: 749
Fat: 52.1 grams (63%)
Protein: 59.6 grams (32%)
Carbs: 10.4 grams (5%)

Ketostix: trace to small

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 87
1-hour PP (after meal): 98
2-hour PP (after meal): 91

Getting everything prepared for the day is a challenge but I know I will get the hang of it. I watched several videos on how to fry salmon last night. It was a success. If I liked fish I would have been super satisfied, but I don’t. The amount of food is still overwhelming. It takes me 45 minutes to eat. I am hopeful this will change soon. On to Chicken livers tomorrow. I need some serious prayers for this event. So nice to see the scale going down.  It’s a refreshing change from going up!

[Note: Kristin, I’m glad you were able to fix the tech problems so you can post. Welcome! Yep, it’s true. You like to eat all the foods that are bad for you, and you don’t (yet) like the foods that are good for you, like fish, liver and fat. Your metabolism is so dormant that even eating a tiny 700 calorie meal (mine are usually three times that many calories) is difficult. You’re not alone, though. So many women are starving themselves daily that eating a real meal is often an alien experience at first. 🙂 One sign that your metabolism is waking up (probably in a few weeks or months) will be real hunger before you eat, and then scarfing down the entire meal in short order with no problem. That will happen and in the meantime, tell yourself that the reason you’re in this fix is because for years you didn’t eat … liver … fish … fat. :D]

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 3 – 4/24

Weight: 147.8 = down .8 pound

Meal:
– 8 oz broccoli
– .5 Heavy Cream
– 4 oz liver
– 9 oz asparagus
– 1 T. butter
– .5 T Duck Fat
– 1 slice bacon

Fitday stats:
Calories: 558
Fat: 44 grams (71%)
Protein: 30.2 grams (22%)
Carbs: 10.3 grams (7%)

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 72
1-hour PP (after meal): 83
2-hour PP (after meal): 103

I did my best with the liver but was only able to make it half way. I am under calories for the day and do not know how to fix that. I woke up extremely hungry, too. I wasn’t even done eating when I had to take my first blood test. I wonder if that has anything to do with the high two-hour reading.

[Note: If you’ve never eaten liver, it does take some getting used to, and of course you must cook it only to the ‘rare’ stage or it will be horrible. The good news is, you will not only get used to it, you will — according to so many Participant blogs on the subject — eventually love it. It certainly loves you. 🙂 And of course, you’ll find it almost impossible to burn fat without it. As to being hungry, that will go away once you’re in lipolysis, which takes a few more days. Then your fat cells will open and feed you many more calories than you are getting with your fork. In the meantime, you can add a few more ounces of veggies per day until your hunger is gone. Re: blood sugars: a consistently higher 2-hr PP is usually symptomatic of Metabolic Syndrome XX.]

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 4 – 4/25

Weight: 147 = down .8 pound

Meal:
– 6 oz spinach
– 11 oz Zucchini
– 14 oz Chicken thigh, skin on
– .25 T. Duck Fat
– 1 T. butter

Fitday stats:
Calories: 766
Fat: 51.5 grams (60%)
Protein: 56.9 grams (30%)
Carbs: 18.6 grams (10%)

Ketostix: large (80)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 62
1-hour PP (after meal): 87
2-hour PP (after meal): 93

Chicken thighs were incredibly good! I love the crispy skin. I felt hungry today when I woke up but not starving, which is good. I did carry a heavy hamper up the stairs and was winded and uneasy for at least an hour. I am so happy to see my fasting blood sugars so low. Wow. I hope to see that continuing. And to see the scale going down is a bonus.

[Note: Great day, Kristin – weight, blood sugars, and all the fat-burning going on. You should be very happy with your measurements on Monday. :)]

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 5 – 4/26

Weight: 145.8 = down 1.2 pounds

Meal:
– 6 oz Broccoli
– 1 oz White potato, with skin
– 6.4 oz Shrimp
– .75 T. Duck Fat
– 1 T. butter
– .5 Heavy Cream
– 6 oz Frozen artichoke hearts

Fitday stats:
Calories: 501
Fat: 29.8 grams (54%)
Protein: 41.7 grams (33%)
Carbs: 16.5 grams (13%)

Ketostix: large (80)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 77
1-hour PP (after meal): 100
2-hour PP (after meal): 93

Today started off well. I woke up hungry but not starving. The scale was down so that is a positive. I had shrimp for lunch but couldn’t eat it all. I look forward to a new day.

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 6 – 4/27

Weight: 144.6 = down 1.2 pounds

Meal:
– 7.5 oz Mustard Greens
– 7 oz chicken liver
– 8 oz chard
– .5 T. Duck Fat
– 1 T. butter
– 2 slices bacon

Fitday stats:
Calories: 616
Fat: 41.9 grams (61%)
Protein: 49.4 grams (32%)
Carbs: 10.4 grams (4.7%)

Ketostix: large (80)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 62
1-hour PP (after meal): Forgot to take it
2-hour PP (after meal): 74

So I still don”t love Chicken Livers. I was able to eat almost all of them today which is a big improvement, and I ate it all in just forty minutes. Really trying to push myself to finish more quickly. I liked the mustard greens; they were yummy. The scale looked amazing this morning, which is good motivation. And my blood sugar readings are looking great.

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 7 – 4/28

Weight: 145.6 = up 1 pound

Meal:
– 6 oz Collard Greens
– 8 oz Spinach
– 9 oz steak
– 1 T. butter

Fitday stats:
Calories: 869
Fat: 68.8 grams (71%)
Protein: 52.8 grams (24%)
Carbs: 9.7 grams (5%)

Ketostix: large (80)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 58
1-hour PP (after meal): 73
2-hour PP (after meal): 83

I enjoyed the strip steak immensely – it was incredible! I ate the whole thing and everything else in 40 minutes. And I didn’t feel full. That is a good thing. The past few nights I have been waking up to use the restroom and my ankles and knees have been achy. SugarFree suggested I might be low in sodium. She asked me to add half a bouillon cube to warm water and drink it with my meal and to be liberal with the salt shaker. I forgot the bouillon cubes but was extremely liberal with the salt. I did not go to bed with sore ankles nor did I have to get up to use the restroom. Scale went up, but of course it can only be water, since it’s impossible to gain fat overnight, as SugarFree has told us many times. I’m sure my measurements tomorrow will prove it.

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 1 – 4/29

Weight: 146.4 = up .8 pound

Measurement:
Bust 35.75″ = down .25″
Waist 35″  = down 1.5″
Hips 40.25″ = down .75″

Meal:
– 7.5 oz Mustard Greens
– 8 oz broccoli
– 14 oz Chicken Thighs
– 1 T. butter
– .25 Duck Fat

Fitday stats:
Calories: 735
Fat: 51.3 grams (63%)
Protein: 58.0 grams (31%)
Carbs: 10.4 grams (6%)

Ketostix: large (80)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 68
1-hour PP (after meal): 86
2-hour PP (after meal): 85

Awesome measurements – and my blood sugars are looking great! My meal was good and I finished everything though it took a little longer. However, I was not stuffed at all.  And last night I was hungry before bed and hungry this morning. Still being liberal with the salt with no aches and sleeping until morning.

[Note: Wow, what a difference a week makes. Seven pounds and 2.5 inches of fat gone, never to return. 🙂 And your blood sugars are terrific. Well done!]

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 2  – 4/30

Weight: 144.6 = down 1.8 pounds

Meal:
– 12 oz broccoli raab
– 8 oz kale
– 9 oz Halibut, Alaskan
– 2 T. butter
– 1.5 T.  Duck Fat
– 1 T. Parmesan cheese

Fitday stats:
Calories: 763
Fat: 51.1 grams (60%)
Protein: 66.0 grams (35%)
Carbs: 9.9 grams (5%)

Ketostix: large (80)

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 64
1-hour PP (after meal): 76
2-hour PP (after meal): 82

So I love Halibut, who knew? I can’t wait to have that again. The water weight is gone and I feel great. I woke up hungry, which is a good thing. After I ate I wanted to eat more but my stomach was so full there was no way it was physically possible. At SugarFree’s suggestion I made my kids Monte Christos and I wanted to try one. Tomorrow is liver, and the butcher suggested Veal. We’ll see.

[Note: The weight loss was fat as well as water, you’ve lost nearly ten pounds in just over a week, and you should be noticing looser clothes about now. 🙂 As to the wonderful sandwiches, no reason you can’t try half of one on Maintenance once day, and see how you do. And veal (very young calves) liver is fabulous, but even more delicate and tender than chicken liver. If you cook it properly – about two minutes on the first side, and a minute on the other side, over medium heat – it’s heaven. Cook it more than that, and it’s shoe leather. I love it, but it’s hard to find these days, so enjoy! Think of all the new foods you’re discovering you like: halibut, mustard greens, etc. Like you said – who knew? :D]

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 3 – 5/1

Weight: 143.6 = down 1 pound

Meal:
– 7 oz Veal Liver
– 7.5 Mustard Greens
– 8 oz Broccoli
– .5 T. Duck Fat
– 2 T. butter
– 1 oz Potato
– 1 oz sour cream

Fitday stats:
Calories: 767
Fat: 52.4 grams (62%)
Protein: 51.9 grams (27%)
Carbs: 21.9 grams (11%)

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 73
1-hour PP (after meal): 94
2-hour PP (after meal): 96

I had Veal Liver today. Same flavor, same texture, same feeling about liver, yuck. However it was a bit firmer and I was able to handle it better. I had a set back today in dealing with the volume of food. Again so full. However I burped a million times and that made me feel much better. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I love the way the scale looks. I also am so glad to see my blood not jump over a hundred with a little potato. I am going to give bell peppers a try.

[Note: Great improvement, Kristin. 🙂 However, burping a lot after a meal usually indicates your having eaten too fast – you swallow a lot of air when you do that.]

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 4 – 5/2

Weight: 143.4 = down .2 pound

Meal:
– 9 oz steak
– 6 oz green beans
– 8 oz spinach
– 1 T. butter
– 1 oz Red Bell Pepper

Fitday stats:
Calories: 871
Fat: 68.2 grams (71%)
Protein: 52.8 grams (24%)
Carbs: 11.4 grams (5%)

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 78
1-hour PP (after meal): 93
2-hour PP (after meal): 85

Today was a good day. I slept well last night. TOM began and I wondered if it can affect glucose levels. I noticed that my fasting levels were higher today then the past few days. I loved the red pepper – it was like candy! I am getting better at managing the preparation work. I look forward to getting the cookbooks SugarFree suggested, since I will enjoy my meals even more when I become a better cook. Looking forward to another great day.

[Note: Yes, TOM can slightly affect glucose levels, but your fasting numbers are great, it’s normal to change a bit every day, and there is really no difference at all between 75 and 78 — both are terrific. :)]

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 5 – 5/3

Weight: 142.8 = down .6 pound

Meal:
– 4 oz Veal liver
– 4 oz Chicken Lover
– 2 slices bacon
– 2. T.Butter
– .5 T. Duck fat
– 8 oz broccoli
– 6 oz Frozen artichoke hearts
– 1 oz Frozen peas

 Fitday stats:
– Calories: 787
– Fat: 54.6 grams (62%)
– Protein: 57.3 grams (29%)
– Carbs: 16.6 grams (9%)

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 70
1-hour PP (after meal): 104
2-hour PP (after meal): 105

Well I can’t believe it, but today liver was not so bad. I am happy to see the scale going down again, and look forward to the stabilization of maintenance. This is the piece that was always missing from everything I have done in the past. I was not ever able to stabilize without an extreme amount of effort. What do my ketostix readings mean? I just realized I have no idea.

[Note: Unfortunately, a more important note is what that one ounce of peas did to your blood sugars, and it wasn’t pretty. 🙁 Peas contain a lot of sugar as well as starch, and best eaten some months from now, when you are further along in your recovery.

As for the Ketostix: An important part of Protocol is getting you to go from someone who burns carbs as their main source of fuel to someone who burns fat — as nature and evolution intended — as their main source of fuel. As fat converts into a substance that can be burned, it has five elements, one of which is acetone – the stuff in nail polish remover. When we first become ‘ketone-adapted’ our bodies are clumsy at utilizing all the fat, and some slips out in our urine instead of being burned and used for energy. That is the acetone part, which is why the ketostix turns dark, depending on the level of fat coming out. Dark purple means a lot of fat, which some people mistakenly confuse with being in ‘ketosis’.

But ketosis means you are having to convert protein to glucose because you are consuming insufficient carbohydrates, which is not true on Protocol. Once you are completely ketone-adapted, you’ll go down to ‘trace’ and hopefully stay there forever, because it will tell you that you’re still using fat, not carbs, as your main source of fuel. You’ll see the stick lighten as you move into Maintenance – and that’s a good thing. :)]

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 6 – 5/4

Weight:

Meal:
– 6 eggs
– 4 slices bacon
– 4 oz broccoli
– 4 oz Spinach
– 12 oz Broccoli Rabe
– 1 oz Sweet pepper

Fitday stats:
Calories: 865
Fat: 59.6 grams (62%)
Protein: 68.8 grams (32%)
Carbs: 13.4 grams (6%)

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:

Fasting: 73
1-hour PP (after meal):
2-hour PP (after meal): 90

Today I didn’t eat till four. I hosted a ladies luncheon and found it a challenge not to eat all the foods I am used to. My daughter is restricted from eating anything with sugar and we looked at all the ingredients of the food there to examine what she could have. There was very little available for her. It is certainly interesting how many things have sugar in them. Hosting an event threw me off completely. I forgot to weigh and to take my 1-hr PP. I loved the eggs and bacon though.

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 7  – 5/5

Weight: 143.4 = no change

Meal:
– 1 T. Parmesan
– 8 oz Kale
– 2.5 T. Butter
– 1 T. Duck Fat
– 11 oz Zucchini
– 1 oz Sour Cream
– 9 oz Sea Bass
– 1 oz white potato

Fitday stats:
Calories: 797.4
Fat: 56.2 grams (63%)
Protein: 57.3 grams (29%)
Carbs: 15.6 grams (8%)

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 79
1-hour PP (after meal): 96
2-hour PP (after meal): 100

I tried Sea Bass today. A little too flavorful for me. I think I will stick to Halibut.

[Note: Salmon instead, actually. :)]

I am excited about starting maintenance. I am getting tired of roasted greens. Are there any other ways to have them that will lessen their bulk?

[Note: Ah, cookbooks. 🙂 Head on over to your local bookstore this week, grab a cup of coffee, and spend a few hours reading. Or search on the net.]

I love having a potato now and again. I am dreaming of strawberries and cream in about a week. Yummy!

Maintenance Round 1, Week 1 Day 1 – 5/6

Weight: 142 = down 1.4 pounds

Measurements:
Bust 35″ = down .75″
Waist 34 .75″ = down .25″
Hips 38″ = down 2.25″

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 85
1-hour PP (after meal): 99
2-hour PP (after meal): 92

Today went well. I ate all my food except the Broccoli Raab, which was so bitter it was inedible.

[Note: Broccoli Raab is very bitter, and should always be blanched in salted boiling water for two minutes before it’s plunged into a bowl of ice-water to stop the cooking. Then you drain it, dry it and cook it however you like, including roasting. But hey – a total of over six inches of fat and eight pounds lost in just two weeks! Well done. :D]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 2 – 5/7

Weight: 141 = down 1 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 64
1-hour PP (after meal): 93
2-hour PP (after meal): 99

I made the best green beans today. I sautéed them in duck fat and Kerry Gold butter. They were crispy and delicious! I am super hungry at night-time and up until my meal. SugarFree says it is due to my body not being in Lipolysis anymore and should subside soon. I sure hope so.

Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 3 – 5/8

Weight: 141 = no change

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 76
1 – hour PP (after meal): 89
2 – hour PP (after meal): 88

I enjoyed the chicken thighs today. Still very hungry last night and this morning.

Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 4 – 5/9

Weight: 139.2 = down .8 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 83
1 – hour PP (after meal): 92
2 – hour PP (after meal): 99

Still hungry in the evenings, but SugarFree said it means I need even more calories and I will add them. I feel good about the weight loss and continue to push forward. It is incredible how many calories I am eating and still losing.

[Note: It’s one thing to read about how Calories In, Calories Out is a load of hooey, but quite another to experience it. :)]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 5 – 5/10

Weight: 139.8 = up .6 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 77
1 – hour PP (after meal): 92
2 – hour PP (after meal): 109

I was still hungry last night. I am so impressed with how much I can eat in one sitting now. I laugh because I used to believe that six small meals a day was the way to go. So I went to IKEA to buy some plates that were smaller in diameter to watch the portion size. Now I have to use 3 of those plates to eat all my stuff. I am going to have to go back and buy larger plates!

[Note: LOL! But … don’t use those plates for too much corn. Next time have half as much as you did today, and see if your blood sugars like that better.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 6 – 5/11

Weight: 141 = up .2 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 70
1 – hour PP (after meal): 89
2 – hour PP (after meal): 83

I am getting tired of the same veggies. I feel good about maintaining the weight however.

[Note: Eat different veggies. 😀 And learn how to cook all veggies differently – even better!]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 1, Day 7 – 5/12

Weight: 140 = down 1 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: Forgot
1 – hour PP (after meal): 103
2 – hour PP (after meal): 97

Whoa, I ate two ounces of potatoes and lots of fat and look what happened.

[Note: A slight rise is no problem; see note below.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 2, Day 1 – 5/13

Weight: 141.2 = up .2 pound

Measurements:
Bust: 35” = no change
Waist 34” = down .75”
Hips 36.5″ = down 1.5”

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 92
1 – hour PP (after meal): 103
2 – hour PP (after meal): 102

I ate no starchy carbs today. What is going on?

[Note: Could be carry-over from yesterday’s potato (most likely), TOM coming on, stress, physical activity, or fighting off a cold. It’s not major, and I wouldn’t worry about it.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 2, Day 2 – 5/13

Weight: 140.8 = down .4 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 81
1 – hour PP (after meal): 102
2 – hour PP (after meal): 98

My weight is maintaining, yay! And it turns out my elevated blood sugars are the result of using Neosporin the last few days. SugarFree assures me that when I stop using it they will lower again. I am wearying of greasy vegetables. I am anxious to learn how to “cook” and not just assemble, however that will take time. I can’t wait until I actually look forward to meals again. Well, you don’t become a five-star chef overnight. Onward I go.

[Note: And you’ll do great! The biggest step is wanting to learn how to cook well, and you’ve taken it. The rest is the same as the answer to “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”: Practice, practice, practice. 🙂 I could tell some hair-raising stories about the kitchen disasters I had when learning to cook. It’s amazing I’m still alive to tell them – LOL.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 2, Day 3 – 5/15

Weight: 140.6 = down .2 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 93
1 – hour PP (after meal): 88

I had a great day and picnic in Yosemite. I am still learning how to apply this new way of eating “to go,” but I love that my brain is maintaining my losses, and not trying to get me to gain all the weight and fat that I lost back again. I am tired at the end of the day and can’t wait to get in bed. SugarFree says that a cup of tea will help curb the hunger feeling in the late evenings, because true hunger would show on the glucose meter, which it is not.

Maintenance Round 1, Week 2, Day 4 – 5/16

Weight: 140 = down .6 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
1 – hour PP (after meal): 67
2 – hour PP (after meal): 91

I am really tired from our trip to Yosemite. Look at my 1-hour pp. My goodness that is low.

[Note: It is probably due to the physical activity yesterday, since that would have exhausted any glucose in your muscles, which would have quickly used any carbohydrates you ate today – and that was only veggies. It would have been good to include some starch carbs in today’s menu.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 2, Day 5 – 5/17

Weight: 139.2 = down .8 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 85
1 – hour PP (after meal): 85
2 – hour PP (after meal): 118

I have to confess. I made homemade cheez-its for my kids. Flour, cheese, butter, salt and water. They smelled so good. I had ONE. Look what it did! Yikes. What a bummer. I hope this did not set me back at all.

[Note: Kristin, as you now know since we talked, it wasn’t the cracker alone. It was that you ate only a fraction of your fat and calories today and that, more than anything, created that large blood sugar spike. You’ve agreed to ‘experiment’ by eating the same meal next week – but this time all of it – as well as another cracker. I believe you’ll do much better, and look forward to your telling us all the result. :)]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 2, Day 6 – 5/18

Weight: 140 = up .8 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 78
1 – hour PP (after meal): 105
2 – hour PP (after meal): 93

I ate all of my fat and had one cheez-it. You were right, SugarFree – the results were much better than last week.

Maintenance Round 1, Week 2, Day 7 – 5/19

Weight: 140.2 = up .2 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 71
1 – hour PP (after meal): 116
2 – hour PP (after meal): 97

Yikes, was it the potato? I don’t like this at all. What am I doing wrong?

[Note: Not following Protocol. You didn’t eat your required veggies or the right type of fat. That, combined with the potato the day after eating the cheez-it and getting a (better but still) elevated blood sugar, was enough to send you over the edge. It takes a long time – months and years, not weeks – to change things at the cellular level, and until then recovery is very fragile. You are still insulin resistant, and thus blood sugars can quickly spike with very little provocation.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 3, Day 1 – 5/20

Weight: 141 = up .8 pound

Measurements:
Bust: 34.5” = down .5″
Waist: 34” = down .75″
Hips: 35.75” = down 2.25″

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 88
1 – hour PP (after meal): 97
2 – hour PP (after meal): 108

This morning I started to use cortisone cream. My psoriasis is too bad to manage with coconut oil for now.

[Note: If you need the cream, definitely use it, but be aware that within the next day or two it will affect your fasting blood sugars. Nothing to worry about – within a week of stopping the cream, they will return to normal. OTOH – fantastic fat loss this week, 3.5 inches, and that despite eating a boatload of fat and calories. :)]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 3, Day 2 – 5/21

Weight: 140 = down 1 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 85
1 – hour PP (after meal): 100
2 – hour PP (after meal): 89

Great meal today. Weight still maintaining. Even though I goofed over the weekend by not eating all my veggies, I learned that you do need them to create the right results.

Maintenance Round 1, Week 3, Day 3 – 5/22

Weight: 139.2 = down .6 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 86
1 – hour PP (after meal): 105
2 – hour PP (after meal): 98

I am sleeping so heavy. I feel like it is very difficult to wake up – but after a talk with SugarFree, I understand that it’s T3 finally getting through to my liver. And it’s true. I hadn’t thought about it until we spoke, but I’m no longer cold and have lots of energy once I wake up and start my day.

Maintenance Round 1, Week 3, Day 4 – 5/23

Weight: 138.8 = down .6 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 73
1-hour PP (after meal): 68
2-hour PP (after meal): 99

Today was a good day. I love that I am not hungry in the evenings anymore.

Maintenance Round 1, Week 3, Day 5 – 5/24

Weight: 138.2 = down .6 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 77
1–hour PP (after meal): 97
2–hour PP (after meal): 115

Last day on Cortisone cream.. Was the red potato the reason for the spike?

[Note: That, plus the Cortisone.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 3, Day 6 – 5/25

Weight: 138.8 = up .6 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 72
1–hour PP (after meal): 85
2–hour PP (after meal): 151

My sweet potato! Is that what did this?

[Note: not entirely. Part is the after-effect of the Cortisone, which will take about a week to completely leave your system. And I suspect there might be sugar in the pickle you’ve added to your menu – that 2-hr PP is definitely a sugar-induced reading.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 3, Day 7 – 5/26

Weight: 138.6 = down .2 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 89
1–hour PP (after meal): 99
2–hour PP (after meal): 107

Up again. Today I had no starchy carbs. However Whole Foods is out of duck fat and will not have any until Thursday! So maybe not enough fat? Or not enough of the right fat? TOM is coming in the next few days.

[Note: Cortisone after-effect and, I suspect, pickle – which you also had today.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 4, Day 1 – 5/27

Weight: 138.8 = up .2 pound

Measurements:
Bust: 34.5” = no change
Waist: 34.5” = up .5” —> Cortisone!
Hips: 35.5” = down .25”

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 78
1–hour PP (after meal): 88
2–hour PP (after meal): 123

I love that I have maintained in inches and pounds. I have been dehydrating kale. Yummy. I received my “Fat” cookbook and am looking forward to reading the “Cook’s Illustrated” cookbook. Any thoughts on the high hour 2-hour PP?

[Note: See notes above.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 4, Day 2 – 5/28

Weight: 139.2 = up .4 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 81
1–hour PP (after meal): 91
2–hour PP (after meal): 96

Better reading today thankfully.

[Note: And, as you now know – the cause of the elevated blood sugars was, yes, the pickle you thought had no sugar (because the word ‘sugar’ never appeared on the label), but which in fact is loaded with chemicals and hidden sugars. Best pickles in the world are those you make yourself: no preservatives, no chemicals, no sugar and even no vinegar. Just salt, as Mother Nature has taught humanity for tens of thousands of years. Natural Fermentation: of pickles, vegetables and even fruit, is fabulous and amazingly easy. :)]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 4, Day 3 – 5/29

Weight: 138.2 = up 1 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 85
1–hour PP (after meal): 101
2–hour PP (after meal): 98

So no more store-bought pickles with all their chemicals and sugars! Better to make your own with water and salt. Who knew.

Maintenance Round 1, Week 4, Day 4 – 5/30

Weight: 138.8 = up .6 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 87
1–hour PP (after meal): 107
2–hour PP (after meal): 91

I am adding strawberries tomorrow which is exciting. I am also looking forward to returning to Phase 1 Protocol this Monday. I have had great success in not gaining fat or weight (lost both, in fact) on Maintenance, which is a big change from what’s happened to me in the past. The rise in blood sugars I don’t understand. TOM is nearing – could that be it?

[Note: That, plus all the sugar you ate with those pickles earlier this week. When you are still insulin-resistant – as you will be for many more months – you have ‘carry-over’. That is, even one day of eating sugar can cause havoc with blood sugars for a week or more. If you stay away from all sugar, you should stabilize soon.]

Maintenance Round 1, Week 4, Day 5 – 5/31

Weight: 137.6 = down 1.2 pounds

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting:
1–hour PP (after meal): 101
2–hour PP (after meal): 92

I loved the strawberries!

Maintenance Round 1, Week 4, Day 6 – 6/1

Weight: 138.6 = up 1 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 88
1–hour PP (after meal): 131
2–hour PP (after meal): 114

An ounce of potato chips, yikes!

Maintenance Round 1, Week 4, Day 7 – 6/2

Weight: 138.2 = down .4 pound

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 79
1–hour PP (after meal): 91
2–hour PP (after meal): 81

Protocol tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

Protocol Round 2, Week 1, Day 1 – 6/3

Weight: 137.2 = down 1 pound

Measurements:
Bust: 34” = down .5”
Waist: 33” = down 1.5”
Hips: 35.75” = up .25”

Ketostix: large

Blood Glucose:
Fasting: 85
1–hour PP (after meal): 83
2–hour PP (after meal): 91

Meal:
– 2 eggs
– 2 slices bacon
– 2 T. butter

Fitday stats:
Calories: 517
Fat: 47 (81%)
Protein: 22.8 (18%)
Carbs: .8 (1%)

I have had a head cold, so drinking tea with coconut oil and having chicken broth has been helpful. Feeling better today and hope to be fully recovered by tomorrow.