Exploring Low Carb, Healthy Fat, Moderate Protein Diet - Not Keto Quite Yet

[noboundaries]

Update: weight is down 25 lbs. We're eating WAY more veggies, salads, nuts, and seeds. Protein (30% of daily calories) and healthy fats (50-55% of daily calories) keep me in a decent mood, feeling energized. I do take 600mg of berberine (nature's metformin) in the evening (after 8 PM), but not during the day because it messes with my head. I also drink a water, ACV, soluble fiber concoction before each meal and before bed.

I prick a finger 6-10 times a day and spreadsheet my blood glucose readings, then calculate my hbA1C and average it over time. It has dropped in 6 months from 6.2 to 5.8. Making progress, but not there yet. My plan is to lose 80 more lbs one day at a time, exercise regularly, and get my A1C under 5.

The first 4 months was me experimenting. I started dialing in what works for me the 5th month, and have refined it this last month.

Sure had fun getting fat. Now, getting slimmer has been easier than expected. And it's been kinda fun patiently figuring out what works for me. My health system offered only canned approaches that were too restrictive or outdated (too many carbs). Real doctors on YouTube, viewed with caution, provided me with ideas to try. My body. My plan. And it's working.

 

[tallbm]

Update: weight is down 25 lbs. We're eating WAY more veggies, salads, nuts, and seeds. Protein (30% of daily calories) and healthy fats (50-55% of daily calories) keep me in a decent mood, feeling energized. I do take 600mg of berberine (nature's metformin) in the evening (after 8 PM), but not during the day because it messes with my head. I also drink a water, ACV, soluble fiber concoction before each meal and before bed.

I prick a finger 6-10 times a day and spreadsheet my blood glucose readings, then calculate my hbA1C and average it over time. It has dropped in 6 months from 6.2 to 5.8. Making progress, but not there yet. My plan is to lose 80 more lbs one day at a time, exercise regularly, and get my A1C under 5.

The first 4 months was me experimenting. I started dialing in what works for me the 5th month, and have refined it this last month.

Sure had fun getting fat. Now, getting slimmer has been easier than expected. And it's been kinda fun patiently figuring out what works for me. My health system offered only canned approaches that were too restrictive or outdated (too many carbs). Real doctors on YouTube, viewed with caution, provided me with ideas to try. My body. My plan. And it's working.

Congrats on the success man!

Yeah it's definitely an experimental journey. If I could drop 20-25 pounds I might be at a point to just maintain for the rest of my life.
I've dropped a good amount over the past 2 years. I basically do keto and after I got initial benefits I would drop slowly but then I started incorporating some real calorie counting on top of it and boom things picked up nicely.

My body is stubborn (like many) and if I look at carbs I gain weight lol. If I eat too many calories, I gain weight BUT not as badly as if I eat too many carb calories.

I also have another problem that I'm basically allergic to alcohol where I can drink it and be fine while doing so but about 12-16 hours after my body has a ton of bad reactions. I get a case of mild flu like sickness, body bloats, I am compelled to eat anything and everything that my body deems will feel better and in 5 days time can put on almost 20 pounds of bloat plus bad eating weight.
It takes about 2 weeks to a little more than half of that weight off since it is mostly bloat weight but the remaining weight sticks and undoes months of hard work losing or maintaining weight lol.
I drank on new years eve and as of this morning still need to drop 5 pounds of the weight I gained to get back to what I was the day before New Years Eve when I drank lol.

I'm back on the right track though... until Memorial day weekend where I will repeat it all again hahahaha. I only drink about 2 days a year because of this allergic/sick reaction so I imagine I'll get back to pre holiday weight gain just to undo it all again hahaha.

FYI, I've checked everything under the sun. I have this reaction to consuming any kind of alcohol and even if it's 1 beer, 1 shot, or 1 glass of wine. It's not gluten, fermentation, grain, related or anything else, it's simply just alcohol related to the point where I use non-alcohol mouthwash lol.

Ok rambling over now :P

 

[noboundaries]

Thanks TBM, and great rambling. I'm learning more about my body now than I ever have. Maybe that's what happens with age after an accumulation of bad habits from the invincibility of youth. And maybe it's peering into the abyss of immobility if things don't change. Whatever the cause, I'm enjoying the transition.

 

[noboundaries]

New update.

My weight has dropped into the 250's. I haven't seen that level in more than a decade. My wife, who isn't as dedicated as me, is also into the mid 180's, something she hasn't seen in the same amount of time.

I'm definitely eating keto, with some days so low carb they are more carnivore. Regardless, I feel great, and have a sense of control over my weight, emotions, and blood sugar.

Our grocery bill has increased about $160/month with eating more meat, but that's doable.

Happy Meat Eating

Ray

 

[tallbm]

New update.

My weight has dropped into the 250's. I haven't seen that level in more than a decade. My wife, who isn't as dedicated as me, is also into the mid 180's, something she hasn't seen in the same amount of time.

I'm definitely eating keto, with some days so low carb they are more carnivore. Regardless, I feel great, and have a sense of control over my weight, emotions, and blood sugar.

Our grocery bill has increased about $160/month with eating more meat, but that's doable.

Happy Meat Eating

Ray
View attachment 695459

Nice work, keep it up man!!! :D

 

[chef k-dude]

Great job!

 

[noboundaries]

Update: I've been reducing carbs while moving closer to a 0g carb/carnivore program. I've cut out most veggies, but occasionally eat a thin-cut slice of whole wheat bread with butter and guacamole. (See pic for carb/protein/fat average daily intake in grams).

I have more energy. My brain fog has disappeared. I've learned that eggs are my friend (6/day). I don't restrict calories. Grass-fed beef tastes WAAAAY better than the grain-fed stuff.

If I've learned anything from this attempt to lower my blood glucose is that the body changes and adapts over time. My tracking indicates my next A1C should have dropped from 6.3 to 5.8 or 5.9. I'm not out of the pre-diabetic woods yet, but getting there.

I've also learned that I can't do too many changes at once. My next goals are carbs under 20g / day and to start some type of fasting to stimulate autophagy (either a daily 18hr no eat/6 hr eat intermittent fasting program or one 24 hr fast per week consuming only water/coffee/tea/broth, which I know I can do). What is autophagy? It is the body consuming visceral fat and discarding dead cells so you don't end up with saggy-baggy skin from weight loss.

The way I'm eating is counter to what we've been told is healthy for the last 70 years or so. My wife and I followed those recommendations, gained weight, and became unhealthy. Heck, my wife was told she would need a knee replacement in time. Since she's made changes too, her knee has actually improved. She's got a way to go, but that's her indicator what we're doing it's working (in addition to the heart arrhythmia reduction mentioned in another thread).

When I joined SMF, I just wanted to learn how to smoke meat better. Who knew it would be the key to improving my overall health?

Cowboy steaks from Costco are on the menu for tonight. Happy eating everyone!

Ray

 

[uncle eddie]

Ray

I have been lurking in the background reading your updates...congrats on the success. Plateau's are not fun, but busting through them is a confidence booster.

About 15 or 20 years ago, I decided to get back into shape. I did low carb...lost about 30 pounds in a few months - but I missed pasta. Then I did Weight Watchers (low fat), and lost another 15-20 pounds. But I missed fatty foods - so I did something crazy and joined MFP and exercised and watched my calories. Ended up losing 75 total pounds in 18 months. I found that my max carb level was about 50 net carbs a day to maintain my weight. Did so for a lot of years until about 2 years ago...ahem...I gained 14 pounds. Clothes were starting to get a little snug...

Sooo....Back into MFP yesterday and figuring out what my max per-day net-carbo-load is again. I should be back at goal weight in 3 to 4 months (I hope).

One thing that helped me endure plateau's was the fact that I measured regularly. Neck, belly, hips, thighs. When in a weight loss plateau, the inches kept dropping so that kept my spirits up.

Eric