True Fat Fast II - Intro & First 48 Hours

This is a post discussing my latest 'true fat fast' experiment. Eating nothing but coconut oil and butter, while drinking only water and black coffee for the duration. If you want to join me, tea is also okay but no sweeteners.

Why this is relevant to you?

EVEN for those who are not diabetics, blood sugar levels in the upper ranges of 'normal' are linked to increased risks of disease including neuropathy and dementia. Click here for my blood sugar targets, I list studies showing the risk associated with elevated 'normal' blood sugars.

Periodic caloric restriction and fasting have numerous benefits, if you don't know this to be a fact you need to Google and read more.

My fasting targets are 60-90 mg/dl. If your blood sugars are above 100 mg/dl, I urge you to consider following my meal plan and experimenting with true fat fasts.

I am a formerly obese, formerly drug and insulin dependent diabetic who has been drug and insulin free since 2009!  I am duplicating a previous fat fast from 2011, you can read about it here.   The fast in 2011 had to be cut short due to low blood sugars.  That's ironic when you think about it.  Almost all diabetics have elevated blood sugars (above non-diabetic normal blood sugars) and I had to end an experiment due to low blood sugars.

Why Fat Fast?

I love to experiment and I have learned a great deal through self experimentation.

I proved in previous experiments that a 'true fat fast' will drop my blood sugars, there is no doubt about it.   My hope with my current experiment is my body will adjust and stabilize my blood sugars in the 60+ range this time around. I want to extend the fat fast past the four days I did in 2011.  If my body is functioning properly, that should happen.

But why a fat fast? A fat fast is not as radical as a 'water only fast', the fat I consume should provide me with energy and prevent lean mass or muscle loss.

How Much Fat am I Eating?

I measured the butter and coconut oil a few times and averaged .5 ounces or 14g of  each, butter and coconut oil. That is approximately 1.5 ounces of butter  and coconut oil per day.  According to Nutritiondata.com this equates to approximately 300 calories from butter and 360 calories from coconut oil,  for a total of 660 calories per day.

I posted a picture of the butter and coconut oil, and due to the closeness of the picture someone commented that I was eating globs of butter ... not this time. :)


2015's Experiment - First 48 Hours

I  test my blood sugars 4 times a day.  Upon waking (fasting), at noon, around dinner (5 pm) and in the evening before bed.  Here are the results thus far starting with the first full day, Sunday is Day 1.

Notes

1) Day 1 - my blood sugars are 10-18 points lower on each test versus 2011. This is troubling since my goal was to surpass the number of days in my 2011 fast.

Exercise - Day 1 riding my bike and doing various pull ups, dips and squats. The bike riding is strenuous, I ride 'off road' much of the time in grass.  There was no energy shortage at all.

I did test my blood sugar after the exercise and it raised my blood sugar to 95 mg/dl, I was pleased.  That's what I would have expected on a typical day given the exercise.

2) Day 2 -  the 61 mg/dl this morning was very troubling however my blood sugar apparently stabilized above 60 mg/dl, as my lunch time reading was 62 mg/dl.

I felt fine through most of the day but did begin to feel lethargic later.

This concludes the first 48 hours, noon Saturday to noon Monday.


Closing

I have written this introductory post several times.  Originally it was to be an Intro and Day one post. The problem with writing 'real time' posts on experiments?  As I am writing a post new information is occurring and by the time I add the information even more additional information comes in.  I say this so you'll know my next post will have pretty exciting news. :)  I finally just had to have a cut off so I chose the 48 hour point.

If you are walking around with elevated blood sugars I urge you to try my meal plan. If that doesn't work alone, add in intermittent fasting (skipping meals) and even fat fasts like I am doing.

I maintain normal blood sugars. If fat fasts reduce my blood sugars, imagine how much they can help someone with elevated blood sugars.

Barefoot Sprints and Blood Sugar

Tuesday, June 23. 2015

My day began with the viewing of yet another amazing sunrise. I never tire the sight of these.

EVERY DAY, is the first day of the rest of your life.

What will your next chapter be?

If you do not like who, where or what you are, change it! 

YOU are the boss of you. 

After viewing the sunrise at my preferred location I visited the high school for a session of intense eXercise, barefoot sprints on the high school football field.  I love how the sun lights up the heavy dew. That is the mushroom in the foreground on the right. 

Below is picture evidence of my activities.  I was fasted from the night before, barefoot and shirtless. 

Just an FYI - twenty 'all out' sprints is very intense. :)

"All out" 100 yard sprinting is very anaerobic and therefore very  intense exercise.  

Blood Sugars

My sprinting started at 6:30 and ended at 7:00 AM.

Notes:

• Unfortunately I did not test my BG before sprinting but I am usually in the upper 60's to upper 80's mg/dl. 
• My body has an immediate reaction to very intense exercise (as this was).  The spike in blood sugar is fast and furious with the apex of the spike occurring in the 20 - 30 minute time frame. 
• 
  
  The first blood sugar (BG) reading below was at 7:30 (the time is off an hour on the meter), 30 minutes post workout.
  
  Given that this reading was 30 minutes after my workout, it's safe to say that this was near the peak of my blood sugars.  Yes, it's likely to have been higher but I doubt that it went much higher. 

30 minutes post workout

The next reading was an hour later, 1 1/2 hours post exercise.

1 1/2 hours post exercise.

I didn't check again until 3 hours post exercise.  Finally back into normal ranges, sub 100 mg/dl. 

Next up a food picture,  not a great food picture. 

Raw onions and squash on the side with skillet fried ground beef.   I poured the residual beef fat from the skillet onto the squash and onions, then 'tossed' adding salt, pepper and Paprika. 

Roughly a pound of beef, a cup of squash and 1/3 of a small onion.  

Dinner was two pork rib meat 'slabs', no veggies. :) 

Post dinner activities, a relaxed walk along the Neuse River Greenway with Arya.