Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Monday, July 27, 2015
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
Butter Only Fast 2015 Days 1 and 2
This short post provides details leading up to and including my most recent experiment, a butter fast!
A couple of weeks ago I concluded a 'Coconut Oil and Butter' fast, and shared the post of my experience on Facebook. I had to end the fat fast after only two days due to low blood sugars, a 45 mg/dl, and the trend was pointing lower. This confirmed an earlier coconut oil only experiment that was also concluded early, after four days due to low blood sugars.
1 - The experiments confirmed that a coconut oil fat fast worked amazingly well at reducing my blood sugars. It's also worked great for everyone who employs the strategy in their protocols of weight and blood sugar reduction.
2 - I was however concerned that my body did not adjust and normalize my blood sugars at normal levels. Any blood sugar level over 60 mg/dl or 3.3 mmol/l and I'd be happy.
I received this comment from someone I have long admired, Petrol Dobromylskyj the author of Hyperlipid.
The main thing I wanted you to know is... due to the chemical make up of coconut oil, in Peter's opinion coconut oil would naturally and eventually lead to low blood sugars or hypoglycemia.
If you have elevated blood sugars, that's a great thing and would explain my body's inability to stabilize blood sugars above 60 mg/dl.
Does this mean that coconut oil is a better fat for reducing elevated blood sugars?
That's what my current experiment is out to prove.
Butter Only Fast Experiment
No personal blood sugar experiment occurs in a vacuum. There are always variables that can not be controlled as well as variables that can be controlled.
There are many things that can raise blood sugars including carbohydrates, stress, injuries, infections, illnesses, drug interactions, dehydration, and for me excessive protein.
The day before beginning the butter fast I ate 14 ounces of chuck steaks for lunch. Facing what I hoped to be an extended butter only fast, I decided to eat 1.3 pounds of denver steaks at 10 pm ... for a late dinner. That's a total of over two pounds of meat ... which is excessive for me. ;)
Eating that much protein and eating over a pound right before bed, I expected a higher than normal blood sugar and I was not surprised with a 97 mg/dl the morning of the fast. I mention this because below you will see that my blood sugar began this experiment higher than the other experiments. That should give me a little cushion from the start.
Below is a chart of my blood sugars through the first two days. As the legend on the right shows, the longer blue line is the "Coconut Oil Only" fast from 2011. The short red line is this year's "Coconut oil and Butter" fast and lastly the bright green line is the current experiment. I discuss in the notes below the picture.
Notes:
Closing
The butter only fast (green line) is definitely performing better than the butter and coconut oil fast (red line).
Will this trend continue?
How much of the results of the first two days are due to the overeating of protein just before the experiment? Time will tell.
A couple of weeks ago I concluded a 'Coconut Oil and Butter' fast, and shared the post of my experience on Facebook. I had to end the fat fast after only two days due to low blood sugars, a 45 mg/dl, and the trend was pointing lower. This confirmed an earlier coconut oil only experiment that was also concluded early, after four days due to low blood sugars.
1 - The experiments confirmed that a coconut oil fat fast worked amazingly well at reducing my blood sugars. It's also worked great for everyone who employs the strategy in their protocols of weight and blood sugar reduction.
2 - I was however concerned that my body did not adjust and normalize my blood sugars at normal levels. Any blood sugar level over 60 mg/dl or 3.3 mmol/l and I'd be happy.
I received this comment from someone I have long admired, Petrol Dobromylskyj the author of Hyperlipid.
"why do you use coconut oil in your fat fast? ... you are asking for hypoglycaemia [low blood sugar]. I appreciate butter is far from pure palmitic acid but it will be significantly richer in long chain saturates such as palmitate and stearate than the mix of butter and coconut"
"Gimme butter!"
I am leaving out a lot of Petro's comment, I'll include it all in a later post.
The main thing I wanted you to know is... due to the chemical make up of coconut oil, in Peter's opinion coconut oil would naturally and eventually lead to low blood sugars or hypoglycemia.
If you have elevated blood sugars, that's a great thing and would explain my body's inability to stabilize blood sugars above 60 mg/dl.
Does this mean that coconut oil is a better fat for reducing elevated blood sugars?
That's what my current experiment is out to prove.
Butter Only Fast Experiment
No personal blood sugar experiment occurs in a vacuum. There are always variables that can not be controlled as well as variables that can be controlled.
There are many things that can raise blood sugars including carbohydrates, stress, injuries, infections, illnesses, drug interactions, dehydration, and for me excessive protein.
The day before beginning the butter fast I ate 14 ounces of chuck steaks for lunch. Facing what I hoped to be an extended butter only fast, I decided to eat 1.3 pounds of denver steaks at 10 pm ... for a late dinner. That's a total of over two pounds of meat ... which is excessive for me. ;)
Eating that much protein and eating over a pound right before bed, I expected a higher than normal blood sugar and I was not surprised with a 97 mg/dl the morning of the fast. I mention this because below you will see that my blood sugar began this experiment higher than the other experiments. That should give me a little cushion from the start.
Below is a chart of my blood sugars through the first two days. As the legend on the right shows, the longer blue line is the "Coconut Oil Only" fast from 2011. The short red line is this year's "Coconut oil and Butter" fast and lastly the bright green line is the current experiment. I discuss in the notes below the picture.
- Butter only (the green line) is definitely out performing the "Coconut Oil and Butter" fast a couple of weeks ago.
- The green line looks like there are 'wild swings', but in reality that's far from the truth. The highest point is 97 and the lowest is 69. A thirty point margin is hardly WILD in diabetic terms. :)
- My typical fasting blood sugars recently (when not experimenting) have been upper 70's to low 80's. So the 97 I began with, I do blame at least partially on the high protein consumption and especially on the late night gorging. Normally the margin would be 20 points or even less. ;)
Closing
The butter only fast (green line) is definitely performing better than the butter and coconut oil fast (red line).
Will this trend continue?
How much of the results of the first two days are due to the overeating of protein just before the experiment? Time will tell.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
2015 Fat Fast: Conclusions
Properly performed experiments are always good. Why?
Because they provide data. Data is information and is vital for all, but especially for diabetics and those with illnesses or disease. The results can be disappointing at times but usable information has VALUE!
I began another true fat fast the other day, (read about it here, "Intro and First 48 Hours). Pretty simple experiment. I consumed only coconut oil, butter, water and black coffee. I was averaging approximately 660 calories per day.
A similar 2011 experiment had to be concluded earlier than planned because my blood sugars tanked into the 50's and I was concerned they would continue to drop overnight. With this year's experiment my hope was my blood sugar would stabilize in the 60's or higher.
The 2015 Fat Fast experiment is now over and this post will provide my conclusions.
This fat fast was highlighted by soaring optimism and crashing disappointments. In the end it was a success because it provided more information for me to use in the future.
Where I Left Off
Here is a picture of the blood sugars from the previous post.
The last post concluded with blood sugar readings on day two of 61 mg/dl fasting and 62 mg/dl at lunch. While these readings were lower than I had hoped I was remaining optimistic since the blood sugars appeared to stabilize.
Then this happened at 5:02 pm, a 56! I was very disappointed. Earlier in the afternoon my energy level dropped, this reading was not a complete surprise.
Typically when my blood sugars drop into the low 60's, I will perform a very intense exercise to raise my blood sugars. However, I've never used this technique with blood sugars this low.
I decided to do kettlebell swings in an attempt to raise my blood sugars. I anxiously began the workout doing 20 swings per set, then walking around for a few seconds until I caught my breath. It was a hot, muggy, sunny afternoon (early evening) but I actually felt better once I began doing the exercise.
Note: 53 mg/dl is the lowest blood sugar reading I've ever had, the 56 was a big deal to me and tied for the second lowest reading I'd ever. Both were during my previous fat fast experiment.
I am a risk taker, a gambler. People often use the word 'crazy' to describe me due to some of the things I do. However, I'm not going to go to bed with a 45 mg/dl reading without out correcting.
My preferred method of correcting had been successful earlier I believe but the success did not last... obviously.
So I had not other choice but to call off the experiment and eat protein. I did not want to risk going to sleep with a 45 mg/dl especially given the trend line.
So I called off the experiment and devoured a plate of bacon, cheese and pecans. I slept very soundly that night and woke up the next day feeling perfectly fine.
For those that do not know medical industry generally uses 70 mg/dl as a lower limit of normal blood sugars. I few believe the lower limit is 60 mg/dl.
I personally feel fine in the 60's and perform normally in that range.
Conclusions
Weight Loss
In my previous fat fast I lost approximately a pound a day, for four days.
This experiment was even shorter, however I should note that I lost 1.5 to 2 pounds in the two day experiment.
Blood Sugars
Looking at chart above comparing 2011 and 2015 blood sugars, from the start of this Fat Fast my blood sugars were below each test from the same period in 2011. The Fat Fast in 2011 ended in four days due to low blood sugars and I was hoping this year the blood sugars would stabilize... as they should do.
From the beginning I had my doubts, however I did remain hopeful... until the end.
Below is a chart showing Day 1 and Day 2 of this year's fast.
As you can see Day 2 showed my blood sugar falling with no visible signs it would level off. I was not going to go another day given these two trend lines, especially with no local support. This was the lowest blood sugar levels I have ever experienced.
My body is not stabilizing blood sugars... at least not in a range I'm comfortable with, the 60's or higher. I am not complaining, my 'treatment' is to eat meat for the rest of my life. Oh the horrors! :)
Still, I would like to give my body one more chance (at least) to see if it can stabilize.
The plan is to do another coconut oil fast next week. If my blood sugars behave similarly and I find myself sub 60's I will utilize the intense exercises again to raise my blood sugars... and I'll test my blood sugars next time to track the action.
In closing, I have recommended water only fasting, intermittent fasting and fat fasts for years. This is especially true if you experience a weight loss stall or a stall in reducing blood sugar levels into normal ranges. This experiment did nothing to change my opinion. Give it a try... I do recommend that you eat like me for a couple of weeks before fasting. This will allow your body time to become accustomed to using fat for fuel.
Until next time... Peace, Love and Normal Blood Sugars!
Because they provide data. Data is information and is vital for all, but especially for diabetics and those with illnesses or disease. The results can be disappointing at times but usable information has VALUE!
I began another true fat fast the other day, (read about it here, "Intro and First 48 Hours). Pretty simple experiment. I consumed only coconut oil, butter, water and black coffee. I was averaging approximately 660 calories per day.
A similar 2011 experiment had to be concluded earlier than planned because my blood sugars tanked into the 50's and I was concerned they would continue to drop overnight. With this year's experiment my hope was my blood sugar would stabilize in the 60's or higher.
The 2015 Fat Fast experiment is now over and this post will provide my conclusions.
This fat fast was highlighted by soaring optimism and crashing disappointments. In the end it was a success because it provided more information for me to use in the future.
Where I Left Off
Here is a picture of the blood sugars from the previous post.
Then this happened at 5:02 pm, a 56! I was very disappointed. Earlier in the afternoon my energy level dropped, this reading was not a complete surprise.
Typically when my blood sugars drop into the low 60's, I will perform a very intense exercise to raise my blood sugars. However, I've never used this technique with blood sugars this low.
I decided to do kettlebell swings in an attempt to raise my blood sugars. I anxiously began the workout doing 20 swings per set, then walking around for a few seconds until I caught my breath. It was a hot, muggy, sunny afternoon (early evening) but I actually felt better once I began doing the exercise.
I was extending myself for sure but I did not over extend myself. I stopped after doing 140 swings. I re-hydrated and after a few minutes felt even better. I was ELATED! Apparently my plan had been a success! My optimism was back! I decided not to test my blood sugars, to conserve test strips. I could definitely tell my blood sugars were elevating and I didn't need to test.
As the evening progressed my energy level began to sink but this was to be expected, bed time was approaching. I was getting sleepy and decided to test before I fell asleep while reading. I was cautiously optimistic I'd have a number in the 60's.
WRONG!
I am a risk taker, a gambler. People often use the word 'crazy' to describe me due to some of the things I do. However, I'm not going to go to bed with a 45 mg/dl reading without out correcting.
My preferred method of correcting had been successful earlier I believe but the success did not last... obviously.
So I had not other choice but to call off the experiment and eat protein. I did not want to risk going to sleep with a 45 mg/dl especially given the trend line.
So I called off the experiment and devoured a plate of bacon, cheese and pecans. I slept very soundly that night and woke up the next day feeling perfectly fine.
For those that do not know medical industry generally uses 70 mg/dl as a lower limit of normal blood sugars. I few believe the lower limit is 60 mg/dl.
I personally feel fine in the 60's and perform normally in that range.
Conclusions
Weight Loss
In my previous fat fast I lost approximately a pound a day, for four days.
This experiment was even shorter, however I should note that I lost 1.5 to 2 pounds in the two day experiment.
Blood Sugars
Looking at chart above comparing 2011 and 2015 blood sugars, from the start of this Fat Fast my blood sugars were below each test from the same period in 2011. The Fat Fast in 2011 ended in four days due to low blood sugars and I was hoping this year the blood sugars would stabilize... as they should do.
From the beginning I had my doubts, however I did remain hopeful... until the end.
Below is a chart showing Day 1 and Day 2 of this year's fast.
As you can see Day 2 showed my blood sugar falling with no visible signs it would level off. I was not going to go another day given these two trend lines, especially with no local support. This was the lowest blood sugar levels I have ever experienced.
My body is not stabilizing blood sugars... at least not in a range I'm comfortable with, the 60's or higher. I am not complaining, my 'treatment' is to eat meat for the rest of my life. Oh the horrors! :)
Still, I would like to give my body one more chance (at least) to see if it can stabilize.
The plan is to do another coconut oil fast next week. If my blood sugars behave similarly and I find myself sub 60's I will utilize the intense exercises again to raise my blood sugars... and I'll test my blood sugars next time to track the action.
In closing, I have recommended water only fasting, intermittent fasting and fat fasts for years. This is especially true if you experience a weight loss stall or a stall in reducing blood sugar levels into normal ranges. This experiment did nothing to change my opinion. Give it a try... I do recommend that you eat like me for a couple of weeks before fasting. This will allow your body time to become accustomed to using fat for fuel.
Until next time... Peace, Love and Normal Blood Sugars!
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Independence from and Freedom to...
Today is the day the US celebrates it's independence.I am reminded of my independence and freedoms on this day. This post will discuss those and my hope is this perspective inspires you to start THRIVING and not 'just' surviving.
Freedom From
Each July 4th I am reminded of my personal independence, the independence from drugs and insulin.
This will be my 7th Independence Day celebration, free from the chains of drugs and injecting insulin four times a day!
Seventh! In a row! WooT! :)
However, the benefits of the way I eat, play and live give me much more than that. I am not ONLY free from taking any drug, not only am I free from injecting insulin ... I am also:
- Free from elevated blood sugars and related complications. See the top right pic, that's my fasting this morning and a little higher than I'd prefer.
I have reversed all known diabetes complications including neuropathy.
- Free from the addictions of grains, sugar and starches. I am no longer addicted to the products of Big Food companies. I do not want or need breads, cakes, cookies, pasta nor cereals.
I eat real foods, fatty meats, low-carb vegetables with the occasional nuts and berries.
- Free from requiring the Medical Industry to survive. The medical industry wants you to believe you need a 'team' of doctors to manage diabetes. False.
Other than a dislocated shoulder in 2013 I have not seen a medical industry professional since 2009. Other than the pain medication for the dislocation, I have been completely drug free since 2009.
- Free from the downward health spiral, feeling progressively worse while taking an ever expanding list of drugs. In 2009 my health was deteriorating rapidly while I was taking more and more drugs. I will never forget how miserable I felt.
Freedom To
Because of the way I eat, play and live I also have many more freedoms.
I have:
- Freedom to eat nutritious, delicious, low inflammatory, body healing ... fuel. Here is a picture from a meal I ate four years ago today. My meal today will be similar, fatty meats and low carb vegetables.
Here was my meal last night. Ground beef and roasted poblano peppers.
- Freedom to play as I want.
This is HUGE to me. I was once an obese, sickly... couch potato. The other day I rode my bike (background center left) and pushed this sled on the high school football field for 220 yards, in July! It felt great!
Below is a typical picture of me. I am barefoot and shirtless as much as possible especially when I walk on grass and in full sun.
- Freedom to live as I want to live. This picture of a recent sunrise.The dawn of a new day inspires me. Each sunrise is a fresh start. The first day of the rest of your life. If you don't like who, what or where you are... change it!
I was once a miserable, obese, drug and insulin dependent diabetic needing drugs and insulin just to survive.
Repeat these words, "I am the boss of me".
You choose the foods and drinks you consume. I urge you to follow my meal plan for 30 days, it can make a significant change in your life.
Can you break the chains of drug or insulin dependence? Only one way to find out. DO IT!
Eat like me.
Type 1 diabetics will be on insulin until a cure is found, I 'get that'. But even type 1's can benefit from a low carb paleo meal plan. Many type 1's are on an ever increasing amount of insulin, drugs and an increasing amount of insulin resistance.
"Carb up and shoot up" diabetes treatment protocol benefits no diabetic.
It does benefit Big Food, Big Pharma and the Medical Industry.
I want everyone to enjoy a better, more satisfying, more enjoyable life.
That is difficult when your health is slowly deteriorating and you take more and more drugs and require more and more medical industry services.
Begin your journey to earn your independence today.
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